Chapter 14 — The General's Wild Daughter

The moment the female assassin uttered those words, the inner hall plunged into a chill as heavy as a layer of frost. Mother pulled me into her arms, her fingertips nearly pressing into the fabric of my sleeves.

Silver bell.

It was the tiny silver bell that had once hung by my cradle when I was first born. Mother had given me the childhood name Peace, hoping only that my entire life would be safe and tranquil. The sound of that bell had been pure and crisp. Long before I even knew how to roll over, Father had complained that it was too loud, fearing it would disturb my sleep, and had unstrung it with his own hands. Afterward, Mother had tucked it away in her jewelry box. I had always assumed it was merely an old trinket. Never did I imagine that the female assassin would know of it.

Father’s expression darkened, turning terrifyingly grim. The Empress immediately ordered someone to gag the woman and drag her away for harsh interrogation. I tugged at Mother’s sleeve and softly asked,

"Mother, is that silver bell very important?"

Mother did not answer. She looked toward Father. Father remained silent for a moment before squatting down in front of me.

"Peace, something was once hidden inside that bell."

My eyes widened.

"An old ledger?"

Father nodded.

"Not the original, but a copy."

"Back then, fearing that the ledger would be destroyed, I hid the most crucial pages inside the hollow silver bell."

Mother’s complexion grew even paler.

"You never told me."

Father lowered his voice:

"At the time, the Northern Border case was far too deeply entangled. I was afraid that if you knew, you would be in even greater danger."

She looked at him, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.

"You were afraid I would be in danger, yet you placed such a thing right beside our daughter's cradle?"

Father’s throat bobbed.

"Back then, everyone in the estate kept their eyes strictly on the study and the storehouse."

"No one would ever think to look at an infant's rattle."

Mother was too angry to speak. After a moment of thought, I said earnestly,

"Father, you weren't very smart this time."

Father lowered his head.

"Indeed."

The Empress, who had been maintaining a stern expression, nearly burst out laughing upon hearing this. But Mother did not laugh. She set me down on the bed and rose, making as if to walk outside. Father stopped her.

"Where are you going?"

Mother lifted her eyes to look at him.

"Back to the estate."

"The silver bell is in my jewelry box."

Father immediately said,

"I will go."

Her eyes were rimmed with red, yet her voice was resolute.

"That belongs to Peace."

"And it is also something you hid from me for three years."

"I must see it with my own eyes."

Father frowned.

"There are still enemies outside."

Mother gripped her golden hairpin tighter.

"Then let them come."

I hopped down from the bed.

"I'm going too."

Mother immediately turned her head.

"Absolutely not."

I raised a hand.

"I'll stand in the back."

Mother gritted her teeth.

"You won't stand anywhere."

I looked over at Father. This time, he did not take my side. He stroked my head.

"Peace, listen to your mother."

I was deeply unhappy. Yet Mother’s eyes were brimming with fear. I had no choice but to lower my head. The Emperor swiftly dispatched the Imperial Guards to escort Father and Mother back to the estate. The Empress kept me behind in the inner hall, watching over me personally. I sat on the heated brick bed, clutching a soft pillow to my chest. The young prince was also brought back. His eyes were red, and he cautiously inched closer to my side.

"Your mother is fierce."

I nodded.

"My mother has always been fierce."

He asked quietly,

"Are you afraid?"

I looked toward the hall doors.

"Not afraid."

He muttered,

"I am afraid."

I thought for a moment and shared a corner of my soft pillow with him.

"You are allowed to be afraid."

"Just don't cry too loudly."

He sniffled.

"I am not crying."

I glanced at him sideways. He immediately forced back his tears. Layers upon layers of Imperial Guards stood guard outside the inner hall. Yet deep inside, I still felt uneasy—not for myself, but for Mother. Normally, Mother loved cleanliness the most; even a speck of mud on her skirt would make her frown. Yet just moments ago, when she gripped that golden hairpin and declared she was returning to the estate, her gaze had burned brighter than when Father drew his sword. Suddenly, I understood. It was not that Mother lacked courage; it was simply that she had always been sheltered too completely by Father. Now that someone wanted to harm her daughter, she could no longer afford to be weak.

After a long while, hurried footsteps finally approached from outside the hall to report.

"Replying to Her Majesty, the Grand General has returned to the estate."

"The jewelry box has been tampered with."

I bolted upright instantly. The Empress stood up as well. The messenger's voice was taut with tension:

"The silver bell is gone."

Upon hearing that the silver bell had vanished, my heart felt as though it had been struck a heavy blow. The young prince was even more anxious than I was.

"What should we do then?"

I did not answer. I was searching my memory for that silver bell. I remembered it well—a tiny bell with a delicate tassel hanging below, which Mother had never allowed me to toss about carelessly. But when I was two years old, I had once rummaged through her vanity, felt it, and picked it up to shake it. The sound had been very faint, no longer as crisp as it was when I was a month old. Mother had said it was old and placed it back into the deepest compartment of the box. At the time, I had asked why the bell no longer rang. She told me it was because Peace was older and no longer needed a bell to lull her to sleep.

However, if paper was hidden inside, it naturally could not produce a clear sound.

I suddenly raised my head.

"Your Majesty, I know where the silver bell is."

The Empress immediately looked down at me.

"Wasn't it stolen?"

I shook my head.

"The thing that was taken is a fake."

Silence fell over the hall for a moment.

"In my mother's jewelry box, there were two silver bells."

"One rang, and one did not ring."

"The one that rang was left in the box."

"The one that did not ring was hidden away by me."

The Empress bent down.

"Hidden where?"

I felt a slight pang of guilt.

"Inside Father's boots."

The young prince’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Why would you hide a bell in the Grand General's boots?"

I whispered,

"Back then, I thought Father's boots looked like a little pony's belly."

"If I put a bell in them, they would make a sound."

"Later, Mother couldn't find it. I was afraid of being scolded, so I didn't say anything."

Several people in the hall simultaneously lowered their heads. The Empress closed her eyes, looking as though she wanted to laugh but forced herself to restrain it. She immediately ordered someone to pursue Father. But relaying messages back and forth was far too slow. I stared fixedly at the small wooden bow on the table, feeling as though my heart were burning with fire. The Empress perceived my thoughts.

"You are not to run about."

I pressed my lips together.

"I won't run about."

"I will lead the way."

"Father's old boots are in the outer courtyard's storehouse of the general's estate, not the inner quarters."

"If the villains cannot find it, they will burn the inner courtyard."

"My mother is in there."

The Empress remained silent for a moment before finally giving the order:

"Prepare the carriage."

"I shall go personally."

The elderly wet nurse was startled.

"Your Majesty, you cannot!"

The Empress said coldly,

"They dared to strike outside the palace gates, and dared to release smoke into the inner hall."

"I wish to see just who dares to snatch children right under my very eyes."

When she carried me into the carriage, I was still somewhat dazed. Mother was like a sharp blade concealed within soft silk. The Empress, on the other hand, was a sharp blade wrapped in brocade on the outside.

When we arrived at the general's estate, the sky had already turned pitch black. The grounds outside were swarming with Imperial Guards. Flames billowed into the dark sky from the inner courtyard, though it was not the main chambers burning, but rather a pile of hay by the storehouse that had been set ablaze. Father was leading men to extinguish the fire. Mother stood beneath the veranda, her complexion deathly pale yet refusing to retreat a single step. In her hand, she still tightly clutched the jade-orchid golden hairpin.

The moment I leaped down from the carriage, I shouted at the top of my lungs,

"Mother!"

Mother abruptly whipped her head around. Upon seeing that I had arrived, her expression looked even more terrifying than when she had faced the assassin.

"Who allowed you to come here?"

I shrank my neck back and pointed toward the Empress.

"Her Majesty."