Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 190: The Problem Lies Here

   Although no heir had been formally established, anyone with eyes could see that among the several princes, the one Hongli was most satisfied with was Fifth Brother, Yongqi.

Thus, the news of Yongqi’s fall from a horse—and the resulting crippling of his right leg—stirred countless hearts.

For a time the palace was filled with undercurrents and restless anxiety, like bubbles on the sea—rising and falling, bursting one moment and forming anew the next.

“Was this your doing?”

The moment Yuan Chunwang stepped out of the bedchamber, he was caught off guard by that cold question.

He turned around and looked at Zhener, giving a rather helpless smile. “Why are you asking me that too?”

But Zhener was not as easy to fool as the Step-Empress. She pulled Yuan Chunwang aside and lowered her voice: “Don’t play dumb with me. Three days ago, why did you ask me to say that sentence for you?”

Three days earlier, at Yuan Chunwang’s instruction, Zhener had said a single sentence in front of Fourth Brother Yongcheng:

“The Empress has not been in a good mood lately and would like Twelfth Brother to spend more time keeping her company.” Zhener continued, “With him there, Her Ladyship can feel at ease.”

They were both children of the Step-Empress—why ask only Twelfth Brother to accompany her and not him?

“Fourth Brother has always been sensitive. Once I said that, he would hate Twelfth Brother even more… Especially later when word got around that he was planning to do something big to make Her Ladyship see him in a new light. I thought he was going to do something to Fourth Brother, but unexpectedly Fourth Brother was fine.” Zhener’s expression grew grave. “The one who met with disaster… was Fifth Brother.”

“Even if Fourth Brother and Twelfth Brother don’t get along, for the Empress’s sake he wouldn’t do anything to him.” Yuan Chunwang said quietly and darkly, “With his personality, he would only find a way to make Fifth Brother have an accident… so that the Empress would look at him differently.”

At the Princes residence.

   “Speak.” Hongli asked in a deep, heavy voice. “What will happen from now on?”

Court Physician Zhang hesitated, unwilling to open his mouth for a long time.

“I’m asking you a question!” Hongli suddenly roared.

Court Physician Zhang’s shoulders trembled. His knees buckled and he dropped to the ground: “When the bird gun misfired, it damaged the meridians in His Highness’s right leg. Even if… even if His Highness recovers in the future, that right leg will… very likely never return to how it was before.”

Everyone looked at one another. The room fell deathly silent—no one dared to speak.

When the bird gun exploded against Yongqi’s right leg, blood poured out, flesh tore open—the sight had horrified everyone present. The rumor that Fifth Brother had been crippled began to spread, but most people still only guessed and did not truly believe he was permanently disabled… until this moment, when the imperial physician gave a definitive answer…

The Step-Empress slowly spoke: “Fifth Prince… will he ever be able to walk normally again?”

Court Physician Zhang knelt on the ground and said: “This humble servant will do everything in his power to treat the Fifth Prince, but while man proposes, Heaven disposes. As for what the future holds, this servant truly dares not guarantee…”

The Step-Empress was silent for a moment, then asked again: “Court Physician Zhang, are you truly saying there is no other way?”

Court Physician Zhang gave smile and replied: “In the Green Standard Army, it is not uncommon for men to be injured or even lose their lives due to a matchlock misfiring on themselves. That His Highness preserved his life at all is already Heaven’s blessing! Moreover, the weather is growing hotter day by day, and wounds are extremely prone to infection. The most important thing now is meticulous nursing and care. Beyond that… this servant truly cannot guarantee anything…”

Is that so? He’ll never get better.

“Such a fine child.” The Step-Empress looked in the direction of the inner chamber, her voice filled with incomparable regret, yet a flash of irrepressible delight passed through her eyes. “What a pity…”

When she turned back, she suddenly started. Hongli was staring at her with a dark, gloomy expression.

“Yes… what a pity. A very great pity…” he said.

The Step-Empress felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze. “Your Majesty, what’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Only then did Hongli look away. He spoke calmly and coldly: “Nothing.”

The Step-Empress fell silent. The initial joy had already passed, and what remained now was only grievance. She thought bitterly to herself: Are you actually suspecting me?

At the same time, at the martial training ground.

   Because of the accident that befell Yongqi, the training ground had been placed under martial law. All along the way, as Wei Yingluo walked, guards saluted her.

“Mistress,” Xiaoquanzi nagged beside her, “right now everyone is going to visit the Fifth Prince. You have always been the closest to him. Shouldn’t you also go and visit the sick at a time like this? Why come here instead?”

Wei Yingluo replied coldly: “Will visiting the sick make him recover?”

Xiaoquanzi was stunned.

“Crowding around the sickbed, asking about his warmth and coldness—one after another—does nothing but disturb the patient. It’s better to do something actually useful!” Wei Yingluo finally spotted the person she was looking for and called out, “Lord Fucha!”

Fuheng turned around. When he saw it was her, a rare smile appeared on his usually unsmiling face.

That smile was precious because it was so rare. At least in the eyes of the surrounding guards and eunuchs, Fuheng was simply not a man who ever smiled.

“The matchlock was borrowed from the Green Standard Army by the Fifth Prince through a trusted aide.” Fuheng handed over a matchlock with a brass handle and exquisite engravings. “This is the very one.”

Wei Yingluo reached out to take it, but the moment it entered her hand it felt unexpectedly heavy, causing her whole arm to sink. Fuheng instinctively reached out.

“This matchlock weighs a full eight catties…” He steadied her arm, though to onlookers it appeared as though he was reaching to take the firearm from her hand. “You don’t know how to use it. Let me demonstrate for you.”

He loaded the priming powder, tamped it down, and finally lit the match cord.

While demonstrating, Fuheng explained: “Look, to fire it, you must first ignite the match cord. On the battlefield, soldiers light both ends of the cord at the same time to ensure the shot can be fired reliably.”

Just as the cord was about to catch fire, Wei Yingluo suddenly said: “Wait!”

Fuheng paused, then gave a gentle smile. “I’ve used matchlocks on the battlefield many times. There won’t be any problem.”

Wei Yingluo averted her eyes, avoiding his gaze, and changed the subject: “When Yongqi lit the match cord back then, the explosion happened immediately, correct?”

“Yes.” Fuheng nodded. “I suspect a spark carried by the wind instantly ignited the cartridge belt he was wearing across his body, causing the sudden accident.”

Wei Yingluo narrowed her eyes. “Do you really believe it was just an accident?”

“Yingluo…” Fuheng blurted out, then quickly corrected himself, “Noble Consort Ling, during ordinary royal hunts, the firearms used are the flintlocks treasured in the Inner Palace. Those guns are mostly tribute items from the West—far more accurate and safer than matchlocks. But flintlocks have not been distributed to the Green Standard Army. The soldiers still use the comparatively backward matchlock—also called firelock. This type of gun is very prone to accidents during transport and use. Just this year alone, there have already been 46 recorded incidents, and most injured soldiers were blown to death on the spot. Compared to them, the Fifth Prince was extremely fortunate!”

Wei Yingluo frowned. “What kind of accidents?”

Fuheng: “Careless handling accounts for eighty percent of them.”

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