A shadow hurriedly enters the pavilion, one knee kneeling down, breaking out into a report: “Prime Minister, the situation at Feng Qi Slope is coming to an end. Fire arrows have been prepared, discharge will be launched on command.”
Lou Che gently smiles, “The mistresses of the back palace have not been frightened right?” His voice sounding lazy, as though he did not really care.
The soldiers does not even raise his head, answering with utmost respect: “They have not been frightened, and are resting two li away from this place.”
“What about the Empress?” Lou Che quietly asks.
The soldier momentarily pauses, not knowing exactly how he should answer, he opens his mouth with an expression of great difficulty: “The Empress has already been put under General Lei’s watch.”
Lou Che smiles, his eyes looking in the direction towards Feng Qi Slope, even when watching from afar, he can still faintly see the glowing of the fire flames.
Seeing his smile, the soldier was baffled, the man before him, who makes people feel as though they’re sitting in the warm spring breeze, just exactly what kind of person is he? Suddenly leading imperial guards to intercept the Empress and Consort Ying early this morning, placing the Empress under light detainment, clearly aware of the phantom soldiers waiting ahead, yet still let a group of palace maids and eunuchs to act as decoys, sending them to their deaths, no wonder why there is none who dares to make an enemy out of him amongst the entire imperial court.
“If no errors have occured, then just go ahead with the plan. After some time has passed, release the arrows, and completely annihilate the rebel party.” Such refined voice and tone breaks through the soldier’s disorderly thoughts.[4]
The soldier nods his head and was just about to accept the orders and withdraw, when he suddenly thinks of a certain matter, but does not know whether to speak of it. Upon seeing this, Lou Che asks: “What’s wrong? Are there other matters?”
The soldier’s face stiffens, answering: “Just now at Feng Qi Slope, a strange matter has occured.”
“Strange matter?” Hearing this, Lou Che lets out a quiet little laugh, appearing to be rather curious, “What strange matter?”
“Just now, a man and a woman broke into Feng Qi Slope, and were besieged by the rebel party.”
Lou Che continues to smile, musingly asking: “What kind of people were they, why were they besieged?”
“The rebel party mistook the woman as Consort Ying.” The soldier answers with utmost honesty.
Eyebrows slightly knitting together, Lou Che murmurs: “Mistaken for Consort Ying?” Who exactly is this person?
The solider hears Lou Che’s lowly spoken words, and appears to understand his thoughts, directly following on: “The people present says that, that woman’s beauty is like that of the heavenly deities, it is no less than that of Consort Ying.” At first the soldier had thought that this was yet another scheme of Prime Minister Lou, but later realised that this does not seem to be the case. The soldier raises his head ever so slightly, and sees Prime Minister Lou’s face like that of the gentle spring breeze make a sudden change.
“What does that woman look like? Are there any specific characteristics?” Panic evidently laced around his voice, an ominous feeling suddenly shooting up his heart.
Secretly thinking, beauty like that of heavenly deities is a specific characteristic, is it not? Unfortunately, such words cannot be announced from his mouth, suddenly thinking of something, the soldier answers: “That woman wears a silver ribbon on her head.”
Lou Che immediately freezes on the spot, his heart throbbing in pain, speaking up, he asks: “How is she? Is she injured?” His voice losing its usual calm, and levelness.
The solider was beyond astonished, never, has he ever seen Prime Minister Lou like this before, not knowing how he should speak up, he could only speak of the facts: “That man and woman has already fallen down the valley.” Dead or alive unknown – these four words sat at the tip of his tongue, thoroughly held back and swallowed back down, having been a soldier for so many years, he had long known how to sense the mood, the mood surrounding Prime Minister Lou in front of him was getting worse and worse, in face of such drastic changes, anymore words, and he’s afraid the words ‘dead or alive unknown’ will become his own situation.