Chapter Forty: Princess Everlasting Joy

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A moment later, Eunuch Qin entered, bowed to Princess Xueqing, and presented her with a large case.

“Your Highness enjoys music boxes, so we have specially made ten new tunes for you to appreciate.”

He opened the case. Inside lay ten music barrels, arranged in perfect order, each representing one tune.

Because of their mechanical limitations, music boxes could play only a short passage before repeating it.

These ten tunes had been carefully selected by He Chong'an and commissioned from Lei Cao'er. In certain techniques, Lei Cao'er was not yet equal to her grandfather, but in delicate work that required little force, she had surpassed him in some respects.

All ten barrels had been made by Lei Cao'er. In any case, He Chong'an could hear no difference between them and those crafted by her grandfather.

When Xueqing saw them, delight filled her heart.

The princess loved this music box. Whenever she read or practiced needlework, she liked to wind it and listen to its music. Unfortunately, the box had only a few monotonous tunes.

Now there were ten new ones—enough to entertain the princess for quite some time. Xueqing was overjoyed.

“Not bad. With talent like this, you should have brought it out sooner. Perhaps, if the princess is pleased, she might appoint you superintendent of the Palace of No Worries.”

Seeing Miss Xueqing so happy, Eunuch Qin Shouzhong finally dared to speak.

“Miss Xueqing, please do not flatter me. You do not know what kind of person I am. How could I possess such skill? These were made by a craftsman named Lei Qianjun.”

“He was a master craftsman of the Inner Court. Unfortunately, a eunuch from the palace stole some of his designs and took them away. In his rage, he hanged himself.”

“These are his posthumous works. His family sent them to me in the hope that I might help discover who wanted Lei Qianjun dead, so that he could at least die knowing the truth.”

“And so they came to you, Miss.”

Xueqing’s brows drew together slightly. She understood that when someone offered a gift, they invariably wanted something in return. Yet Qin Shouzhong was notoriously greedy. It was strange that he would go to such lengths to seek justice for another.

Keeping her guard up, she said, “Let me report this to the princess first.”

Xueqing immediately went to see the princess and presented her with the ten music barrels. She was just about to speak when the princess, delighted, ordered someone to fetch one and place it in the music box.

Once it had been installed and wound, the princess gently flicked the switch.

A clear, sparkling melody rang out.

It was Für Elise.

Princess Changle felt as though a little stream were flowing softly through her heart. Two butterflies, entwined in tender pursuit, flew over the water, now near, now far.

Only one thought remained in her mind:

How beautiful.

Before long, the music box completed its tune and fell silent. Yet Princess Changle still felt its lingering resonance circling in her heart.

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She thought to herself, What sort of genius must the person who composed such a melody have been?

“Xueqing, what were you about to say?”

Xueqing relayed Eunuch Qin’s words to Princess Changle.

Princess Changle shook her head gently.

“I know Qin Shouzhong well enough. This was probably not his own idea; someone must have asked him to handle it. Still, Lei Qianjun rendered me a service. For such a person to die without explanation is unacceptable. Go and ask Eunuch An what he truly means by this.”

“I will ask him at once,” Xueqing replied.

Princess Changle listened to all ten tunes. They were all famous compositions from later generations. He Chong'an had studied music in childhood enrichment classes, and during university he had used it to court girls. In the end, only those celebrated pieces had remained in his memory; the less famous ones had long since faded away.

Princess Changle listened to them again and again, yet Für Elise remained her favorite.

So she played it repeatedly.

Xueqing soon hurried back and dismissed everyone else. Then she whispered a name into Princess Changle’s ear.

Princess Changle abruptly pressed down on the music box.

“How could it be him?”

“Your Highness, I do not know either. I never imagined his name would come up. What should we do?”

Princess Changle’s lovely brows knit tightly together. After a long silence, she asked, “Do you remember the name of the person who made the music box last time? He was called He… He what?”

“He Chong'an,” Xueqing replied.

Princess Changle said, “This was not Qin Shouzhong’s own inquiry. If Qin Shouzhong knew what lay behind this matter, he would not have dared to ask, even if he had eight lives. Thinking it over, the only people connected with this matter are the He family of Marquis Wu Ning. Go at once and find out what sort of person He Chong'an is and what he has been doing lately.”

“Your Highness, whom should I ask?” Xueqing said.

Princess Changle did not involve herself in the struggles of the court, obediently playing the role of an auspicious figurehead. From top to bottom, everyone regarded her as the most honored princess in Great Xia.

Princess Changle understood this perfectly well.

Thus, she had no influence outside the palace. Within the palace, Xueqing had places where she could make inquiries. Outside it, however, there was nowhere to turn.

Unless they went directly to the Imperial Noble Consort.

Princess Changle pondered for a moment.

“Go to the Attendants’ Office and ask Eunuch Zhao. Tell him that I sent you.”

“Ah—” Xueqing cried out in alarm. “Your Highness, I dare not!”

What sort of place was the Attendants’ Office?

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It was Great Xia’s equivalent of the Eastern Depot, Western Depot, and Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Great Xia followed the institutions of the Chengming era, though many aspects had been altered. On the whole, such secret-police organizations caused more harm than good, and so Great Xia did not establish them.

But the absence of those institutions did not mean the emperor had no intelligence service.

The Attendants’ Office was the emperor’s intelligence agency. It kept an extraordinarily low profile—so low that many people believed it to be nothing more than an ordinary office within the palace.

In reality, every time the Attendants’ Office acted, the consequences were earth-shaking.

The most recent example had been the Crown Prince’s treason case, when heads had rolled throughout the capital.

“Fool,” Princess Changle said with a smile. “The palace is one enormous sieve. Every piece of information leaks out. Once we asked Eunuch An about this, we were already caught up in the game.”

“Ah—” Xueqing cried in distress. “Would He Chong'an dare to harm Your Highness?”

“He may not intend to harm me. But whatever the case, we must not conceal this from Eunuch Zhao. Once he knows, Father will know as well.”

“Just go. Whatever Eunuch Zhao asks, tell him the truth,” Princess Changle said. “When you return, I will know whether He Chong'an means me harm.”

Xueqing had no choice but to go see Eunuch Zhao.

She returned a short while later.

Princess Changle asked, “Well?”

“Eunuch Zhao was quite affable. I followed your instructions and answered every question he asked truthfully. He ordered his subordinates to compile everything concerning He Chongfang and make two copies. One was given to us.”

“It is right here.”

Princess Changle thought to herself, The other copy must already be with Father. I do not know whether I have done the right thing.

She felt somewhat lost.

Yet after considering the matter from every angle, she knew that once she had learned of it, she had no choice but to ensure that the emperor learned of it as well.

A hint of resentment quietly stirred in her heart.

He Chong'an, this is all your fault. Why did you have to ask me? Was this something you had any right to investigate?

She then took up the dossier on He Chongfang and began to read.

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