Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 63: The Fairy Does Not Long for the Mortal World

Noble Consort Hui clenched her teeth and glared at the Empress. In her extreme anger she actually laughed. “Empress, you really have raised quite the fine dog!” With that, she flicked her cloud-like sleeve and turned to leave. Naran Chuxue and Zhilan hurriedly followed after her.

In front of Yanhui Pavilion, only the people from Changchun Palace remained.

Erqing patted her chest, wiped cold sweat from her brow, and asked, “Yingluo, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest just now. What in the world just happened?”

Wei Yingluo glanced at the corpse on the ground and replied:

“These days, costume games have become all the rage in the palace—to the point that everyone is imitating them. Today, while the Empress was accompanying the Empress Dowager on a garden stroll, a fall-from-a-building accident just happened to occur. That’s why Ming Yu stopped Zhilan, and I rushed ahead first. I found the palace maid already dead from the fall. I noticed her makeup was unusually vivid, and I heard the two people upstairs mention the Empress. Zhilan was also suspiciously eager, which inevitably made one suspect that Noble Consort was secretly orchestrating this!”

Erqing suddenly understood:

“So that’s why you hurried to drag Noble Consort into it? But where did the greasepaint on that palace maid’s face come from?”

Wei Yingluo smiled coyishly and pointed to the nearby bushes laden with berries. There were still dried berry juice stains on her palm.

“This isn’t greasepaint at all—it’s just berry juice. Fortunately, when the maid fell, her face was covered in blood. No one would look closely, so it was easy to fool them!”

Ming Yu frowned and asked:

“Wait a moment—how did Noble Consort know in advance that the palace maid would fall, and deliberately bring the Empress Dowager here to witness it?”

Wei Yingluo scoffed with icy disdain.

“There’s no such thing as someone who can foresee the future! Those three were originally sweeping maids of Yanhui Pavilion—they must be very familiar with the building. How could a perfectly fine person just fall from a high place for no reason? After the incident, those two lingered upstairs dawdling, and when they finally came down, they showed no sign of grief at all. Is that normal? So they weren’t just playing around—they had planned this long in advance and directly pushed her off!”

Ming Yu sucked in a sharp breath.

“You mean—Noble Consort Hui used a human life to frame the Empress!”

Wei Yingluo nodded, her expression grave.

“Not just her—Noble Lady Shu was involved too!”

Ming Yu couldn’t help clapping her hands once in admiration.

“Yingluo, you finally did something right! If the Empress had really been successfully framed, our Changchun Palace would have been in serious trouble!”

While the group was still rejoicing, the Empress suddenly spoke, her voice carrying hidden anger:

“The two of you nearly caused a disaster, yet instead of reflecting, you still pin your hopes on luck. I have been far too indulgent with you!”

With that, she didn’t even glance at Yingluo and the others—she simply turned and walked away.

The three of them exchanged bewildered looks and hurriedly followed. Ming Yu lowered her voice and asked:

“What’s wrong with Her Majesty? We clearly got through it smoothly—why is she angry instead?”

Wei Yingluo also looked puzzled and whispered:

“Erqing, did I do something wrong?”

Erqing glanced at Ming Yu, then at Yingluo, and sighed.

“You two are supposed to be clever people, but in reality you’re both complete blockheads!”

The Empress’s sudden anger came out of nowhere and refused to fade. Back at Changchun Palace, she refused to eat, catching everyone off guard.

The night had grown deep. The Empress sat silently on the couch; the food on the table had long gone cold.

Wei Yingluo quietly brought over a small table and placed it in front of the Empress, then set down a prayer cushion. She fetched an incense burner, lit the incense with care, knelt facing the Empress, and began murmuring under her breath.

Unable to resist, the Empress opened her eyes. Seeing Yingluo earnestly chanting, she couldn’t help asking:

“What are you doing?”

Wei Yingluo held the incense reverently and said with utmost seriousness:

“Her Majesty the Empress is like a celestial fairy—beautiful, dignified, and kind-hearted. But today the fairy is angry. Yingluo must offer a prayer and beseech the fairy to guide us mortals and tell us exactly where we went wrong.”

The Empress burst out laughing with a “pfft.”

Wei Yingluo closed her eyes and continued murmuring:

“Even if we truly did something wrong, we beg the fairy to show great mercy and forgive us. From now on, we will certainly be cautious in word and deed and never make the same mistake again!”

The Empress reached out and lightly knocked Wei Yingluo on the forehead.

Wei Yingluo immediately scrambled up and asked cautiously:

“Your Majesty… you’re not angry anymore?”

The Empress furrowed her brow and said:

“I’m not angry at you—I’m angry at myself.”

Wei Yingluo looked utterly confused.

The Empress spoke softly:

“Ming Yu and the others have always been curious why I became so reserved and cautious after marriage. It’s because a woman must bear the heavy responsibilities of bearing and raising children, serving her parents-in-law, and managing the household. If she spends all day lost in singing and dancing, indulging in pleasure, it brings disaster to both husband and family. Throughout history, beauties like Zhao Feiyan and Zhao Hede, or Yang Yuhuan—though they were all nation-toppling beauties—have been endlessly criticized by later generations for their frivolous behavior and lack of virtue.”

Wei Yingluo looked unconvinced and said:

“So without peerless beauties, the empire would last forever? If you ask me, it’s precisely because there were real beauties that we could test who the fake heroes were. Dynasty after dynasty lost their thrones—either they blame treacherous ministers or seductive consorts who ruined the country. Why don’t they ever say: the bed was too soft, the shoes were crooked, I was in a bad mood—so the empire was lost!”

The Empress couldn’t help laughing again and scolded gently, “You and your crooked reasoning, yet you still sound so righteous! I am the Empress. I should maintain dignity and restraint, speak and act with caution, and serve as a model for the six palaces! But for a moment I lost myself, longing for the freedom and joy of my maiden days. I put on the flowing immortal skirt of Goddess Luo and danced an improper dance, causing the entire palace to imitate me and changing the atmosphere all at once — and that led to this great disaster!”

Wei Yingluo grew anxious. “Your Majesty, this is clearly Noble Consort Hui’s fault—”

The Empress shook her head and reached out to press a finger gently against Wei Yingluo’s lips, speaking gravely: “No. I was the one who first stepped wrong and gave the enemy an opening. Let me ask you this: is today merely about one human life? As a woman, I cannot expand the territory or defend the nation. Managing the inner palace well, ensuring the Emperor has no worries from behind — that is the only thing I can do for the country and its people. Fulfilling the duties of an Empress is far more important than winning the Emperor’s favor! So, Yingluo, thank you for everything you’ve done. But I am the Empress of Great Qing — never forget that.”

Wei Yingluo’s eyes suddenly stung with tears. All at once she wanted to cry — for the fairy in her heart, who could no longer wear the fairy’s feathered robes.

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