Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 194: The Southern Inspection List

   Yuan Chunwang smiled lightly. “Naturally, she was punished by the Empress, became overwhelmed with despair, and threw herself down the well to end her life.”

Seeing that even now he refused to tell the truth, Zhener felt increasingly like an outsider to him. She scoffed with icy disdain. “Who in the palace hasn’t been punished? A mere thirty lashes—why would she kill herself over that?”

Yuan Chunwang was extremely skilled at reading people’s expressions. Noticing that she was truly angry this time, he stopped concealing things. He casually set the birdcage down on the stone table in the garden, took her hand, and said softly, “Zhener, didn’t you say you would support me? Have you forgotten everything?”

“I haven’t forgotten.” Zhener’s expression softened, though a trace of suspicion remained. “But the Emperor’s misunderstandings toward Niangniang are growing deeper and deeper. Are you really helping Her Ladyship?”

“Of course.” Yuan Chunwang vowed solemnly. “Zhener, only by doing this can we make Her Ladyship see the Emperor’s true face clearly—only then can she awaken from her self-deception!”

“But…” Zhener still hesitated.

Although she was devoted to Yuan Chunwang, her loyalty to the Step-Empress remained. Otherwise she would never have been persuaded by him to carry out so many capital offenses.

At first she had believed everything she did was for the Step-Empress’s sake, but gradually she began to feel more and more that something was wrong…

“Fifth Brother is crippled. Fourth Brother was the culprit. Fifteenth Brother is still so young. Right now, the only one who can inherit the throne is Twelfth Brother.” Yuan Chunwang spoke in a soft, almost bewitching tone as he gently stroked her cheek. “Look—I’ve kept my promise. I’ve been helping the Empress all along.”

Zhener struggled inwardly. “But Her Ladyship is suffering more and more…”

“Prolonged pain is worse than short, sharp pain.” Yuan Chunwang said. “Once Twelfth Brother ascends the throne, the Empress will no longer suffer. And you and I can have a good ending too.”

Zhener looked at him. The man before her was like poison wrapped in honey—the only sustenance in her life. She could either starve or swallow it down. After a moment of inner conflict, she finally nodded, almost deceiving herself as she said, “I believe you.”

Yuan Chunwang smiled slightly and pulled her into his arms.

Zhener let out a long sigh and closed her eyes in his embrace, thus missing the flash of ruthless cruelty that flickered in the depths of his eyes—like the glint of a guillotine blade catching the light as it rises and falls.

“Fifth Brother, Fourth Brother—they’re only the beginning.” Yuan Chunwang held Zhener as though cradling a sacrificial lamb, sneering coldly in his heart. “I will make the Aisin Gioro family taste what true, total destruction feels like…”

No one knew that he was the true mastermind behind it all. Throughout the inner palace, from top to bottom, everyone was discussing how ruthless and cruel the Step-Empress was.

   “That palace maid’s body was covered in burns, whip marks, and bloody holes—oh, it was simply unbearable to look at.”

“I heard she was abused so terribly that in a moment of despair, she threw herself down a well to end her life.”

“But wasn’t it said that she was only punished with thirty lashes?”

“Suicide by a palace maid is a grave crime—her entire family would be implicated. Unless she suffered inhuman torment, why would she take her own life over a mere thirty lashes?”

These words gradually reached the Empress Dowager’s ears, and even the way she looked at the Step-Empress became different from usual.

“Is your illness getting any better?” The Empress Dowager studied her up and down.

The Step-Empress usually dressed plainly and simply, but today she had gone completely against her habit—thick, vivid makeup and an extravagant gown. Yet no amount of cosmetics could hide the dark circles under her eyes. She forced herself to conceal her exhaustion and said, “I am deeply grateful for the Empress Dowager’s concern. But look— these clothes were tailored to my measurements just a month ago, and when they were delivered today, they were suddenly half an inch too tight. I’ve actually gained quite a bit of weight compared to before.”

The Empress Dowager nodded. “That’s good. But don’t force yourself. The southern tour involves travel by boat and carriage—quite exhausting. If you cannot bear it, you should remain in the palace…”

The Step-Empress immediately interjected: “My health has greatly improved. Naturally, I must accompany and serve the Empress Dowager on the journey…”

A flicker of reluctance passed over the Empress Dowager’s face, but she quickly hid it. The two discussed the list of accompanying personnel for the southern tour for a while. Several high-ranking concubines would of course go along, but when it came to the princes and princesses, there was some disagreement.

“Zhaohua and Zhaoyu are both such greedy little eaters. Just yesterday Zhaohua ate an entire eight-treasure duck by herself, couldn’t digest it, and suffered stomach pains all day.” The Empress Dowager shook her head. “No, it’s better to bring both girls along. Leaving them in the Forbidden City with no one to look after them—I wouldn’t feel at ease.”

The Step-Empress said, “Empress Dowager, Zhaohua and Zhaoyu have always been mischievous by nature. His Majesty intends to keep them here so that proper governesses can teach them discipline and rules…”

The Empress Dowager already disliked her, and hearing her describe the two princesses she had personally raised as unruly made her immediately darken her face. “They’re still so young—spending all day learning rules will only make them dull and stupid. What do you mean by ‘rules’? I am the one who sets the rules! I’d like to see who would dare say the child raised in the Shoukang Palace is unruly!”

The Step-Empress fell into awkward silence.

“I also think it would be best to leave the two of them behind,” someone unexpectedly spoke up in her support. And the speaker was none other than Wei Yingluo. Smiling brightly, she said to the Empress Dowager, “The two princesses are still very young—especially Zhaoyu. Last year when she went along to the Mulan Enclosure, she came back gravely ill. The southern tour involves constant travel and fatigue. I’m afraid they might not adjust well to the change in climate and water. It would be better to leave them here.”

Although the Empress Dowager wanted the two children to keep her company, she cared even more about their health. She sighed and said, “Then let Aunt Zhao and Aunt Zhou stay behind as well, and select four clever senior palace maids to remain and serve them. If anything goes wrong—even the slightest mishap—they will be held fully accountable!”

They discussed the southern tour’s route for a while longer. As time passed, the Empress Dowager gradually showed signs of fatigue, so the gathering dispersed. On the way back to her palace, Xiaoquanzi asked in a low voice:

“Your Ladyship, why did you bother intervening about whether the Empress goes on the southern tour or not?”

Wei Yingluo walked beneath row after row of lanterns—her face at times lit up snow-white, at times plunged into deep shadow. She said calmly:

“If the children are all staying in the Forbidden City, and she stays too, then I truly won’t feel at ease. Therefore—she must go.”

That was how she thought. But Hongli did not think the same way.

   Inside the Yangxin Hall, he glanced over the list of accompanying concubines for the southern tour, then set it down and said to the Step-Empress:

“You need not go.”

The Step-Empress was stunned. Her already pale face grew several shades whiter, almost blending into the wall behind her.

“Why not?”

“You are ill,” Hongli said indifferently. “On this southern tour, you should remain in the Forbidden City and recuperate properly. Do not follow south and suffer the hardships of travel, lest your condition worsen.”

“I am not ill!” The Step-Empress’s expression changed abruptly with fury. “Even if I were, I would still go on the southern tour. If Your Majesty will not permit it, then I shall remove my hairpins and ornaments, dress as a palace maid, and serve the Empress Dowager all the way!”

Hongli caught the threatening tone in her words and frowned. “You are clearly sick—why insist on forcing yourself? This journey follows the Grand Canal south for thousands of li. What if you fall seriously ill along the way?”

The Step-Empress shook her head. “With both Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager away from the Forbidden City, if I alone remain behind, how will the court officials discuss it? What will the people of the realm say?”

Hongli thought he understood the other’s meaning and couldn’t help but snort. “It seems what you care about isn’t filial piety, nor proper etiquette, but the Empress’s dignity and prestige.”

Step-Empress raised her head defiantly. “No—my dignity is also the rules and decorum of Great Qing! Does Your Majesty truly wish for the entire world to know that I, the Empress of Great Qing, have become nothing more than an ornament, a burden in Your Majesty’s eyes?”

The conversation, naturally, ended without resolution.

Whether out of suspicion or genuine concern for her health, Hongli ultimately refused to allow her to accompany him on the southern inspection tour.

Yet Step-Empress was determined to go along. For this, she refused all food and water for an entire day, lying in bed with wide-open eyes, resolved in her heart: if Hongli did not agree in one day, she would starve for one day; if he did not agree in two days, she would starve for two. No matter what, she must join the southern tour.

Otherwise, once the consorts and court officials learned of it, they would surely gossip: She wasn’t even allowed on the southern tour? Was the Empress so gravely ill she was about to die? Or had she committed some unforgivable offense and been abandoned by His Majesty?

She had never suffered like this since childhood. The first day was bearable, but by the second, her vision began to darken, and even the quilt seemed tempting enough to bite into and swallow.

“Royal Mother.” Yongji received the news and hurried back to persuade her. He brought a spoonful of rice congee to her lips. “Just take one mouthful, please.”

“Why are you here?” Step-Empress turned her head away from the spoon and spoke sharply to him. “At this hour you should be studying in the Shangshu Library. Go back! Go back at once!”

All the suffering she endured—was it not for him? If she couldn’t even attend the southern tour, if she lost favor, what would become of Yongqi’s future?

Yongji left with tears in his eyes. Not long after, he came running back.

Step-Empress was practically furious at his lack of progress and was about to scold him when she heard him call out joyfully:

“Royal Father agreed! He agreed! Royal Mother, you can go with him on the southern tour!”

“…What did you say?” Step-Empress was stunned. “He… His Majesty agreed?”

Yuan Chunwang walked in carrying a cup of water. Yongqi had run all the way here and his throat was parched. Without a word, he snatched the cup and gulped it down.

“Your Ladyship; Empress, Twelfth Prince is truly filial—he persuaded His Majesty to change his mind,” Yuan Chunwang said with a smile.

Step-Empress looked at Yongji, who was tilting his head back to drink, and a smile of both emotion and maternal love appeared on her face.

But in the next second, Yongji set the cup down and said: “No, it wasn’t me. I knelt at the door for three whole hours and Imperial Father ignored me. It was Fifth Brother who was impressive—he went in, and not long after, Imperial Father changed his mind! Royal Mother, we really must thank Fifth Brother properly!”

He spoke with complete innocence, but Step-Empress’s face turned as cold as frost. She snapped:

“Thank him for what!”

Yongji froze.

“You spineless thing—and you’re actually proud of it!” Step-Empress looked at him with both pity and disappointment. “Get out—get out!”

The moment the words left her mouth, she already regretted them. What wrong had Yongji done? If there was fault, it lay with Fifth Prince. He was already crippled, yet he still managed to win Hongli’s favor so easily…

Tears welled in Yongji’s eyes. Zhener gently pushed him out. Just before he left the room, he suddenly turned back and said:

“Royal Mother, everyone says you’re ill. I used to not believe it—but now I see you really are sick!”

With that, he ran out quickly.

Zhener wanted to chase after him, yet she was worried about Step-Empress. Caught between the two, she hesitated—until Step-Empress said slowly:

“Let him go.”

“Your Ladyship…” Zhener returned to the bedside and took her hand to offer comfort.

“He knelt for three hours, yet it wasn’t worth as much as someone else’s single sentence.” Step-Empress was smiling, but the smile was filled with indescribable bitterness. “How laughable… truly laughable. In His Majesty’s heart, the two of us—mother and son—are nothing at all! Nothing at all!”

When a person reaches the extreme of disappointment, it turns into despair.

   And a person in despair is capable of anything.

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 193: No Longer as Before

Fuheng could only say: “Your Majesty, this servant believes Fourth Prince is telling the truth. He did indeed sabotage Fifth Prince’s old blunderbuss, but he never touched the new one borrowed from the Green Standard Army. Perhaps Fifth Prince’s injury truly was an accident.”

“No cause, no effect. Yongcheng may not have intended to kill, but he is narrow-minded, vicious in his methods, and has become a sharp weapon in someone else’s hand.” Hongli scoffed with icy disdain. “With one move, this schemer has ruined two of my sons. What skill, what scheming!”

How could a living, breathing person like Jinzhong simply vanish without reason? This was the biggest flaw, and it meant there had to be a mastermind behind it. Who was that person—Step-Empress, or someone else? Hongli naturally grew suspicious. He suspected Step-Empress, and he suspected everyone.

After returning from Yangxin Hall, Step-Empress began claiming illness and refused to appear in public.

Others assumed she was temporarily lying low to avoid the storm because of the matter concerning Fourth Prince. In reality, she was genuinely suffering from headaches and fever, unable to rise from her bed.

“Wait.” Yuan Chunwang called out to stop a palace maid who was about to enter. “The Empress is in a bad mood. Dressed so plainly like that—are you trying to furrow Her Ladyship’s brow?”

The maid’s name was Yunxiang. Newly arrived in the palace and still in the bloom of youth, her face was delicate and lovely. She turned back to look at him and said timidly, “Then what should I do, sir?”

Yuan Chunwang glanced left and right. Outside the long corridor, peach blossoms blazed in full splendor. One branch stretched out horizontally toward them. He reached up, plucked a single peach blossom, and tucked it into her hair beside her temple. “The flower is blooming so vividly and beautifully. When Her Ladyship sees it, her illness will improve that much faster.”

His gaze was so focused, his voice so gentle—no one could tell whether he was praising the flower or the person.

Yunxiang’s face flushed with embarrassment. She looked around nervously for a moment, then whispered, “Be careful—don’t let Aunt Zhener see, or I’ll get scolded.”

Yuan Chunwang was so strikingly handsome, like ten li of peach blossoms in radiant bloom. Which palace maid didn’t secretly adore him? Zhener had remained single all these years because of him, turning into an unwanted old maid—and as a result, she watched him even more closely. Any maid who dared look at him too long would later be harshly reprimanded by Zhener.

Yunxiang carefully adjusted the peach blossom in her hair, then went inside to deliver the medicine.

Step-Empress lay there looking wan and haggard. She asked Zhener beside her: “When will His Majesty come?”

“Soon,” Zhener replied. “His Majesty has the grand morning court assembly today. Once he finishes his duties, he will certainly come to visit you.”

Step-Empress nodded. “Bring the mirror. I want to do my hair and makeup.”

Even Zhener was somewhat reluctant. In recent years, every time Step-Empress looked in the mirror, her mood would sour. Lately it had grown even worse—she would stare until she flew into a rage.

“Here…” Sure enough, Step-Empress touched her neck and said, “Haven’t many more wrinkles appeared?”

Before Zhener could answer, her hand moved upward along her neck to the corner of her eye.

“And here.” Her voice carried a trace of fear and panic. “Has another line appeared? Look quickly—look!”

Zhener hurriedly said, “Your Ladyship, no—truly, there isn’t!”

“You’re lying to me!” Step-Empress suddenly flew into a fury. “Even you are deceiving me now! It’s right there—look! Right here!”

Zhener sighed. “Your Ladyship, this is a sickness of the heart. Your face is clearly as beautiful as ever!”

Women of the rear palace, when well cared for, naturally aged more slowly than others. Step-Empress in particular was extremely attentive to such matters and took even greater care than the other consorts. Her face remained smooth and radiant; though there were wrinkles, they were few and faint—unless one looked very closely, they were invisible.

Just as Zhener had said, this was a sickness of the heart…

At that very moment, Yunxiang entered. “Your Ladyship, it is time for your medicine.”

The moment Step-Empress caught sight of the peach blossom blooming brightly in the girl’s hair, the corner of her eye twitched. Without thinking, she lashed out with a sharp slap, sending the girl sprawling to the floor. In an icy voice she said:

“Who are you putting on such a seductive display for?”

Her long, manicured nails raked a long bloody scratch across Yunxiang’s face. The girl wanted to cover it but didn’t dare; wanted to explain but didn’t dare—afraid that any explanation would only provoke Zhener’s jealousy. She could only kowtow and beg for mercy:

“Your Ladyship the Empress, this servant will never dare again—this servant will never dare again!”

The Step-Empress had originally intended to make her kneel longer and kowtow a few more times so she could vent some of her anger. But unexpectedly, Hongli walked in. He glanced at the shattered porcelain and the incense sticks on the floor, frowned, and said, “Empress, what did that servant do to anger you so?”

The Step-Empress hurriedly rose to curtsy, but he pressed her back onto the bed. “Aren’t you ill? Rest.”

If she were truly so gravely ill, where would she find the strength to lash out at the servants? Thinking of this, the Step-Empress felt even greater hatred toward Yunxiang. Not only had the girl painted herself with heavy makeup in an attempt to seduce Hongli, but she had also caused the Empress to be suspected by him. The more she looked at her, the more irritated she became. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed her, then took Hongli’s hand and said, “Your Majesty, don’t you understand why I have fallen so ill?”

Hongli remained silent.

“This is a sickness of the heart.” The Step-Empress pressed a hand to her chest and spoke in a mournful tone. “You may not say it aloud, but in your heart you suspect me—suspect that I plotted against the Fifth Prince and framed Yongcheng, don’t you?”

Hongli neither confirmed nor denied it.

Such an attitude only confirmed that suspicion lingered in his mind.

The Step-Empress’s face twisted with bitterness as she lamented, “From childhood to now, whenever Yongcheng had even the slightest headache or fever, was there ever a time I didn’t stay up all night by his side? Every time he recovered, I would fall ill myself. I poured so much care and effort into him, yet all I receive in return is resentment. I can only blame human hearts for being insatiable. I don’t care if others misunderstand me—but Your Majesty, you must believe me!”

Though she did not scream or wail, her sharp fingernails had already dug into Hongli’s flesh. Looking at the haggard woman before him, Hongli said, “Empress, you are seriously ill… Someone, summon the imperial physician!”

“I’m not ill!” The Step-Empress tried to cling to him, but he shook her off. As he stood to leave, he called out, “Li Yu, summon the imperial physicians for a joint consultation with the Empress—at once!”

Watching Hongli leave without so much as a backward glance, the Step-Empress’s expression gradually turned icy. She suddenly turned to Zhener and ordered, “Drag that lowly maid away and give her thirty lashes.”

Zhener was shocked. “Your Ladyship…”

The Step-Empress snapped harshly, “Palace maids are forbidden from wearing heavy makeup and competing in beauty. She broke the rules. If I do not punish her, who will obey the rules in the future?”

But deep down she knew perfectly well that “rules” were merely an excuse—she was simply taking out her anger on someone else.

Zhener understood this too, yet servants existed precisely to bear the burdens and relieve the frustrations of their masters. If a beating could ease the Step-Empress’s mood even a little, then so be it. She soon went out, gave the order, and had Yunxiang severely whipped thirty times before returning to report to the Step-Empress.

By then, however, the Step-Empress had already stopped thinking about the unfortunate girl. Leaning against the bed, she stared blankly into space for a long while before letting out a deep sigh. “In the end, His Majesty still refuses to believe me! Zhener, I may not have treated Yongcheng as well as Yongji, but my feelings toward him were utterly sincere. Why would he turn around and bite the hand that fed him… There’s something strange about all this. I need to think. I need to think carefully…”

She was truly exhausted. Days of relentless anxiety had made her headaches worse—especially at her temples, which throbbed painfully whenever she tried to think. So as she pondered, she gradually drifted off to sleep.

When she opened her eyes again, it was already the next morning.

Perhaps because she had slept well the night before, her headache had eased considerably. While Zhener applied a face mask for her, she said, “Empress, this pig’s trotter gelatin has been simmered for a long time into a thick paste. Apply it evenly to the face every night, then wash it off with fermented rice water in the morning. The fine lines on your face will disappear—take a look.”

She handed over a mirror. The Step-Empress took it and examined herself. Before she could find any fault in her reflection, a burst of birdsong suddenly came from outside. Looking up, she saw Yuan Chunwang entering with a birdcage in hand. Inside was a vibrant emerald-green parrot, its feathers bright and glossy, its eyes lively and intelligent.

“Empress, Prince He has sent a parrot into the palace,” Yuan Chunwang said, offering the cage. “Look—isn’t it exactly the same as the one you had before?”

The Step-Empress reached out to take it, studied it for a moment, and a faint smile slowly appeared on her face. “Exactly the same. Good—my good fortune has returned!”

But the smile did not last long. Suddenly a eunuch rushed in from outside. “Empress! Yunxiang has thrown herself down a well and killed herself!”

The Step-Empress turned to him. “What did you say?”

The eunuch replied cautiously, “Chief Steward Li sent people to search for the whereabouts of the eunuch Jinzhong. They didn’t find Jinzhong, but beside the well in the Western Palace, they discovered a pair of embroidered shoes. So they had people dredge the well—and they pulled up the body of Yunxiang.”

He left one thing unsaid, and didn’t dare say it: Yunxiang’s corpse was covered in wounds, a horrifying sight, clearly having suffered extreme torture while still alive. As for who had inflicted that torture… the people standing around the well exchanged glances with one another, but no one spoke a word.

The Step-Empress’s chest heaved for a moment before she asked, “Does the Emperor already know?”

The eunuch: “…Yes.”

“Cheap whore!” In a sudden fury, the Step-Empress swung her hand and smashed the birdcage. It crashed to the ground; the parrot inside flapped wildly in panic, its shrill cries mingling with flying feathers that scattered from the broken cage.

What she had once regarded as a blessing now looked like nothing more than a mess of chicken feathers on the floor.

   “Ha, self-deception!” The Step-Empress laughed mockingly, half sneering. “A parrot that’s gone is gone. The one that comes back is never the same! Get out—all of you, get out!!”

Including Zhener, the whole group was driven out of the bedchamber. From inside came the continuous sound of things being smashed and thrown, spurring everyone to hurry their steps even more.

Yuan Chunwang walked at the very rear, his slender fingers still holding the birdcage. With leisurely grace, he reached in to tease the frightened parrot for a moment. Suddenly a hand reached out from behind and pulled him back.

He turned around and asked gently, “What’s wrong?”

Zhener glared at him fiercely. “You’re still hiding things from me. How did Yunxiang really die?”

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 192: Alienation [Part 2]

   Inside the Yangxin Hall, Hongli’s expression turned icy. “What did you say?”

Fuheng, acting on his orders, had gone to investigate the recent entry and exit records at the armory and had now returned to report: “Ten days ago, the Fourth Prince’s trusted eunuch Jinzhong visited the armory. He claimed he was there to select crossbows and arrows, and stayed for nearly half an hour. Afterward… the musket that the Fifth Prince is skilled at using became damp and unusable. The Prince had no choice but to hastily borrow a new one from the Green Standard Army.”

Hongli said nothing, only clenching and unclenching his fist repeatedly.

“Are the people in the Armory all dead?” After a long pause, he finally spoke in a darkly suppressed tone. “Something this big—why has no one ever reported it!”

Fuheng spoke up in defense of the Armory staff: “Your Majesty, the Armory is in charge of weapons and equipment for imperial and official use; its management has always been strict. It’s just that this past month has been the time for airing and storing the cotton armor used in the military review inspections. The entire Armory has been extremely busy with preparations, and besides…”

Seeing him hesitate to continue, Hongli scoffed with icy disdain. “And besides, this matter involves Fourth Brother—so no one dared to speak up, no one dared to interfere. Is that it?”

Fuheng fell silent. The room was oppressively quiet, like the stillness before a storm.

“Get out!”

“Fourth Brother, you cannot barge in like this!”

“I have urgent business—I must see Royal Father at once! Royal Father! Royal Father, your son has an emergency—please, you must see your son! Royal Father!”

Hongli slowly raised his head and looked darkly toward the door. “Let him in.”

The guards outside finally stepped aside. Yongcheng stumbled and staggered in. The moment he saw his father, he dropped to his knees and crawled forward on them until he reached Hongli’s feet, weeping bitterly: “Royal Father, save me! Royal Father, save me!”

“You came at just the right time.” Hongli looked down at him coldly. “I have something to ask you—did you send Jinzhong to the Armory?”

Yongcheng was stunned.

Hongli barked sharply, “I’m asking you a question!”

Yongcheng immediately began to stammer. He hadn’t wanted to admit it, but plans could never keep up with changes. At that moment, a flurry of footsteps sounded outside—it was the Step-Empress who had hurried over. The moment she saw him, she frowned deeply: “How outrageous! How did I teach you all these years? To commit such a heinous, treasonous act—and you still have the face to cause such a commotion in Yangxin Hall!”

“Who exactly is the one who committed a heinous, treasonous act?” Seeing that she showed him no mercy and was about to expose his plot against Fifth Brother, Yongcheng decided to go all in. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Royal Father, yes—your son did send Jinzhong to the Armory, but that was—”

Fuheng suddenly interjected: “Fourth Prince, you sent someone to sabotage Fifth Prince’s bird gun, didn’t he?”

Realizing it was him who spoke, Yongcheng immediately understood: Hongli had most likely already sent people to investigate the comings and goings at the Armory. His actions had almost certainly been exposed.

“Royal Father, I did order someone to damage the firearm he usually uses—but that was only out of momentary jealousy. I only wanted him to make a fool of himself in front of you; I never intended to take his life!” His mind was in chaos, and even his voice began to tremble with panic. Suddenly he turned and pointed at the Step-Empress: “Fifth Brother borrowed a new bird gun from the Green Standard Army—I never touched it! It was Royal Mother—it was her! She wanted to get rid of Fifth Brother. It was her—it must have been her!”

The Step-Empress snapped, “Nonsense!”

“She even wanted to kill me!” Yongcheng clung to Hongli’s leg and sobbed, “Royal Father, tonight your son stayed at the Prince Residence. Zhener, who serves Royal Mother, brought wine and food. That bowl of wine-fermented tangyuan was poisoned! Royal Mother harmed Fifth Brother, and now she wants to harm me too!”

The Step-Empress’s face turned ashen. Yuan Chunwang drifted out from behind her like a ghost, his voice soft and sinister: “Fourth Brother, if the tangyuan was poisoned, how is it that you are still standing here perfectly fine?”

Yongcheng shot him a look of disgust. “Zhener’s conscience got the better of her—she told me the truth!”

“Fourth Prince, you really are full of lies.” Yuan Chunwang smiled. “Zhener has caught a cold and is bedridden. The Empress specially summoned an imperial physician for her. Everyone in Chengqian Palace knows this. How could someone seriously ill go around poisoning food?”

Yongcheng was stunned for a long moment. Then he suddenly looked up and shouted at Hongli: “The poisoned food is still at the Prince Residence! I was afraid someone would destroy the evidence, so I specially arranged for people to guard it. If Royal Father doesn’t believe me, just send someone to investigate—it will be clear at once! If that’s not enough, summon Zhener!”

The Step-Empress sighed and slowly knelt down. “Your Majesty, I never imagined that the child I personally raised would, in order to escape blame, unhesitatingly turn around and accuse me. It truly breaks my heart. But I can swear to Heaven: I have never harmed Fifth Brother, nor did I know anything about Yongcheng’s evil deeds. If I am lying, may I suffer the wrath of five thunderbolts and die without a peaceful end.”

Including Yongcheng, no one present had expected her to utter such a vicious oath. They were all stunned into silence.

“Fourth Prince, please calm yourself for now,” Fuheng finally spoke. “Whether it is true or false, we will know once it has been properly examined.”

And so Hongli issued an order. Court Physician Zhang hurried over in the middle of the night. Together with the supervising eunuch of the Princes’ Mansion, they inspected the already cold dishes left on the table. The results were reported back to the Yangxin Hall.

“—No poison,” Li Yu reported. “As for Zhener, with the imperial physician’s testimony, she is indeed bedridden with illness. She stated that she never saw the Fourth Prince tonight.”

“Impossible! This is impossible!” Yongcheng cried out in shock. “Royal Mother clearly wanted to poison me! She wanted to poison me—I heard it with my own ears, saw it with my own eyes!”

Only he had seen it with his own eyes. Only he had heard it with his own ears. No one else could corroborate it. Even the little eunuch who had always been loyal to him, Jinzhong, had now vanished without a trace.

Without evidence, nothing had happened. Everything he had heard and seen was either an illusion—or else a slanderous accusation against the Step-Empress.

“I understand now—it was you! You orchestrated everything!” Yongcheng suddenly lunged forward, seized the Step-Empress by the shoulders, and shook her violently. “Royal Mother, why would you do this to me? I treated you as my real mother! Why? Just because I’m not your own flesh and blood, you want to send me to my death? In your heart, am I nothing but a disposable pawn, to be sacrificed at any moment?”

Yuan Chunwang pulled him away with one tug—not using much force—but Yongcheng, already unsteady, staggered back several steps and collapsed to the floor. He burst into loud, anguished sobs:

“I know my talent is limited, so I worked twice as hard… yet I still can’t compare to Twelfth Brother. Is it only because I’m not your biological son…? But Royal Mother, were all these years of my filial devotion fake? How could you… how could you be so cruel, using me as nothing but a stepping stone for Twelfth Brother? Royal Mother! Royal Mother!”

Each cry carried tears; each wail bled anguish.

Even after Hongli ordered him to be escorted to the Imperial Clan Court, those piercing, wretched cries of “Royal Mother!” continued to echo in everyone’s ears.

When the Step-Empress emerged from the Yangxin Hall, she walked with perfect composure for a long while—until her legs suddenly gave way. Fortunately, Yuan Chunwang reached out to steady her, preventing her from falling to the ground.

“Your Ladyship,” Yuan Chunwang said softly, “the Fourth Prince was foolish and ignorant, committing a grave mistake. Now the truth has finally come to light, and His Majesty has already confined him to the Imperial Clan Court… It’s over now.”

The Step-Empress slowly turned her head and stared at him with a dark, gloomy expression.

“Speak,” she said coldly. “What exactly did you do?”

Yuan Chunwang replied with utmost respect: “Without your command, this servant would not dare act on his own.”

“You have taken plenty of liberties on your own before. After the first time, how can I still trust you?” The Step-Empress looked at him with suspicion. “Tell me—does the matter with the Fourth Prince have anything to do with you?”

“Your Ladyship truly wrongs this servant,” Yuan Chunwang said, his demeanor even more deferential. “The Fourth Prince has ended up like this entirely through his own fault. In order to seize that position, he did not hesitate to harm the Fifth Prince… It was his trusted eunuch Jinzhong, afraid of taking the blame himself, who secretly reported the matter to me.”

At this point, he raised his eyes to meet hers and smiled. “This servant would not dare conceal anything from you, so I informed you at once.”

The Step-Empress remained silent, her face still clouded and grim.

At first she had not believed Yuan Chunwang’s words, thinking he was trying to drive a wedge between mother and son. Who would have thought that the moment she stepped into the Yangxin Hall, she would hear Yongcheng spinning lies to frame her?

What “poisoning him”? Clearly, the moment he realized things had gone wrong, he turned around and tried to throw all the filth onto her!

   “But after all, he is still a child I raised myself…” At last the Step-Empress withdrew some of her wariness toward Yuan Chunwang. She lowered her eyes wearily. “His actions have harmed others and himself—utterly foolish. Though His Majesty has confined him to the Imperial Clan Court, in his heart he has surely begun to suspect me as well… Sigh…”

Hongli had indeed grown suspicious.

Inside the Yangxin Hall, he gazed in the direction the Step-Empress had left, his fingers tapping slowly and deliberately on the tabletop.

“Do you think this was the work of Yongcheng?” he asked.

Fuheng replied: “Your Majesty, this servant does not know.”

Hongli cast him a sidelong glance. “You don’t know… or you don’t dare to say?”

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 191: Alienation [Part 1]

“Careless handling?”

“Do you know how long Yongqi practiced for today’s trial?” Wei Yingluo said quietly. “Half a year.”

A boy so mature he bordered on pedantic, a prince who had trained relentlessly for nearly half a year—would he really suffer such a severe injury just because of “careless handling”?

“Half a year?” Fuheng also sensed something was wrong. “You’re sure it was half a year ago?”

After receiving confirmation from Wei Yingluo, Fuheng frowned in thought for a moment, murmuring to himself: “The new gun was issued only three days ago… So the problem must have been with the gun he had been using all along.”

After parting with Fuheng, Wei Yingluo arrived at the Princes’ Residence.

Yongqi was still lying in bed, apparently unconscious. She dismissed the serving maids, sat on the edge of the bed, and watched him for a while before suddenly saying:

“Open your eyes.”

Sure enough, Yongqi opened his eyes and gave a weak smile. “As expected, I can’t fool Mother Consort Ling.”

Wei Yingluo: “Why pretend to be asleep?”

“My wife and concubines came and cried their eyes out, and Imperial Father’s consorts came and cried too. If I had woken up then, they would have cried until the sky turned dark and the earth went dim.” Yongqi sighed. Seeing the conflicted expression on her face—half crying, half smiling—he quickly added, “I know you; Mother Consort Ling won’t cry. Don’t disappoint me.”

Wei Yingluo blinked hard, stubbornly refusing to let the tears fall. “Yongqi, I’m sorry.”

Yongqi smiled. “Mother Consort Ling, it was an accident.”

Yingluo: “No, this was absolutely not an accident. Someone wanted—”

But Yongqi cut her off firmly: “Mother Consort Ling, I said it was an accident. Let it end here!”

Earlier Wei Yingluo had thought he knew nothing. Now, with this interruption, she suddenly realized… it was very possible that he already knew everything.

“…This leg is ruined.” Yongqi looked at his right leg and said calmly, “No matter how much Imperial Father favors me, in the end he still has to consider the dignity of the imperial house. The person behind this took such a huge risk and fought so desperately for the throne—all for whose sake? If we keep investigating, sooner or later it will implicate my own brothers…”

You really do understand everything.

   Wei Yingluo stared at him in a daze. He wasn’t crying, yet she couldn’t help but feel the urge to cry for him.

“Mother Consort Ling.” Yongqi suddenly looked up at her and said gently, “Can you hold me for a moment?”

Without the slightest hesitation, Wei Yingluo stepped forward and gently took him into her arms.

He rested his head on her shoulder. From this angle she couldn’t see his face, couldn’t see his expression at that moment. She only felt something hot against her shoulder, as though warm liquid was trickling down.

“Royal Mother told me to be an upright and kind person. But just now, while I lay here unable to move, all I felt inside was hatred—hatred for the one who harmed me, hatred for those brothers who can still walk normally.” Yongqi’s voice choked with low sobs. “…I cannot take revenge. I cannot pursue the truth. If we keep investigating, Imperial Father won’t just lose one son.”

“It’s all right, it’s all right. You’ll get better.” Wei Yingluo held him tightly. Tears rolled in her eyes, but they could not extinguish the raging fire burning inside her.

The one who personally harmed his own flesh-and-blood brother—the true culprit—do you now find it impossible to eat or sleep in peace?

   In another room of the Princes Residence, Yongcheng was pacing back and forth in anxiety. A eunuch came in from outside carrying a food box filled entirely with his favorite dishes, yet he had no appetite at all. He rushed over and demanded:

“Have you found out anything? Why has Imperial Father confined all the princes inside the palace?”

Jinzhong answered nervously: “This…”

“Imperial Father must suspect something!” Yongcheng was frantic. “What do I do? What do I do…”

Suddenly, there came a knock at the door from outside. Yongcheng immediately fell silent, listened for a long moment, then cautiously opened the door. Relieved, he said, “Aunt Zhen, did Her Majesty the Empress send you?”

Zhener smiled coyishly and lifted her right hand slightly. In it was also a food box. “Such a major incident happened today; surely the Prince hasn’t eaten properly. Her Majesty the Empress was worried about you and specially ordered this servant to bring you some wine and dishes to tide you over.”

With that, she gave a meaningful glance to Jinzhong, who quietly withdrew without a sound, leaving just the two of them in the room.

Yongcheng didn’t pay it much mind. To Zhener, who was personally serving him dishes, he asked, “Has Her Majesty said anything about when I’ll be allowed to return to my residence?”

Zhener’s chopsticks paused. She looked up and met his expectant gaze. “Fourth Prince, it is His Majesty’s command that all the princes remain in the Forbidden City for the time being. Please be patient.”

“Then how long exactly do I have to wait!” Yongcheng slammed the table and stood up, but realizing it was improper, he slowly sat back down. “Her Majesty is worried about me, yet I lost my temper at her. That was truly wrong of me. Please go back and tell Her Majesty that I won’t throw any more tantrums—I’ll wait patiently and behave.”

Only after forcing himself to calm down did he finally have the chance to look properly at the dishes on the table. There was meat and vegetables in abundance, and most impressively, every single item had clearly been prepared with care. His eyes softened involuntarily. “Her Majesty still remembers that my favorite is fermented-rice glutinous rice balls.”

Zhener handed him a fresh pair of chopsticks. “Of course Her Majesty the Empress keeps you in her thoughts.”

“I always accused Her Majesty of playing favorites, but in the end, she really does think of me.” Yongcheng’s face was full of joy. “Do you remember? When I was little, my throat was narrow and I couldn’t swallow normal-sized tangyuan. So Her Majesty had you personally make them in the kitchen—smaller than usual, just the right size for me…”

On the table was exactly such a bowl of fermented-rice glutinous rice balls. The bowl was small, and so were the rice balls—each one pearl-like, sprinkled on top with golden osmanthus sugar, giving off a sweet, faint wine fragrance.

“So many years have passed, and I still love your cooking the most.” Yongcheng sighed emotionally. He picked up one rice ball with his chopsticks and was just about to bring it to his mouth when, across from him, Zhener suddenly cried out, “Wait!”

Plop—

The rice ball slipped from the chopsticks and fell back into the bowl, splashing hot soup everywhere.

A few drops of hot soup landed on Yongcheng’s face. He lifted his sleeve to wipe it off, looking both puzzled and a little annoyed. “What’s wrong?”

Zhener deliberately let out a long sigh, her face showing reluctance. “My Prince, fermented-rice tangyuan is very filling. Why don’t you try the other dishes first? This duck is excellent—please have a taste.”

Although Yongcheng had always been rather careless and not particularly observant, her reaction was so blatant that even someone as blunt as him couldn’t help but grow suspicious. He set down his chopsticks. “Aunt Zhen, what exactly is going on?”

Zhener looked at him; tears actually shimmered in her eyes. After a long pause, she said, “My Prince, if you don’t like this dish, then let’s change to another.”

By now Yongcheng had completely lost his appetite. He stood up quickly, walked over to her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and pressed, “Aunt Zhen, tell me the truth—what’s really wrong?”

Zhener hesitated for a long moment, then suddenly dropped to her knees with a thud, tears streaming down her face. “Fourth Prince, this servant cannot bear it… I truly cannot bear it!”

Yongcheng was both shocked and terrified. His voice trembled as he asked, “Cannot bear what? What exactly… what are you planning to do to me?”

Zhener wiped her tears and directed her gaze toward the bowl of fermented-rice glutinous rice balls on the table. “Those tangyuan are laced with deadly poison… they cannot be eaten…”

“What did you say?” Yongcheng seized her arm in a flash, pulling her up from the floor. He roared in fury, “Are you saying that Mother… No! I don’t believe it!”

Zhener looked at him with pity. “After eliminating the Fifth Prince, and then eliminating you… who else would stand in the Twelfth Prince’s way?”

The world seemed to darken around him. Yongcheng’s legs gave way; he staggered and collapsed back into the chair. He raised a hand to cover his face. Through the gaps between his fingers came raw anger and terror: “Her Majesty wants to kill me… she actually wants to kill me!”

How could he simply sit and wait for death? After sitting dazed and lifeless in the chair for a moment, Yongcheng suddenly raised his head, his eyes fierce. “No—I must go see Imperial Father—”

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   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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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 188: Take Care

   “Your Ladyship,” Xiaoquanzi reported, “the Fifth Prince has arrived.”

“Oh?” Wei Yingluo slowly walked over to a large chest, lifted the lid, and climbed inside.

Xiaoquanzi: “…”

“Hurry up and close the box, will you?” Wei Yingluo urged from inside. “Then tell Fifth Brother that I’m not here!”

The moment the lid was shut, Yongqi walked in. He glanced around the room and asked, “Where is Mother Consort Ling?”

His mother was right at his feet, yet Xiaoquanzi could only force a smile and reply, “Her Ladyship lay down in the courtyard for a while, complaining of a headache, and then went to the bedchamber to rest.”

Hearing this, Yongqi frowned. “When I was little, Mother Consort Ling specially sent people to the Prince Residence to take meticulous care of my meals—everything was handled perfectly. How is it that when it comes to herself, she doesn’t know how to take care of her own health?”

When he was only seven or eight years old, he already carried himself like a seventy- or eighty-year-old man—mature beyond his years and especially fond of lecturing others. Even Wei Yingluo was somewhat afraid of him because of it.

“Amitabha, go away, go away quickly.” Inside the box, Wei Yingluo put her hands together and began to pray.

Sure enough, last-minute praying was useless. Yongqi started lecturing again: “Look at all of you—it’s only early summer, yet all the ice from the icehouse has been sent to Yanxi Palace. Ice grapes, ice watermelon—does she really think she can eat those? Put them all away immediately.”

“When will Mother Consort Ling wake up?”

“I received a family letter from my birth mother today. I want to read it to Mother Consort Ling, so I’ll just sit here and wait for her to wake up.”

The box was quite small. Hiding for a short time was bearable, but staying inside for long made Wei Yingluo feel suffocated. Hearing this, she almost couldn’t catch her breath.

“Three Pure Ones above, Mazu protect me, hurry up and leave, hurry up and leave.” She simply switched to praying to several different deities.

Last-minute praying was bad enough, but changing the deities one after another—who knows whether it was because her heart wasn’t sincere or because she had offended the gods—but the very next moment, Hongli’s voice suddenly sounded outside the box:

“Yongqi, I figured you’d be here. What’s wrong? Another fruitless trip?”

“Nothing escapes your eyes, Royal Father. The servants said Mother Consort Ling was taking an afternoon nap and hasn’t woken yet.”

But Hongli was not so easily fooled. Or perhaps after decades as husband and wife, he simply understood her personality too well. With one sweep of his eyes around the room, he immediately understood everything.

“Half a grape bitten and then discarded here, and she went to take a nap?” Hongli sat down grandly in the chair. “Fine. We’ll wait here for her… Yongqi, we didn’t finish that game of chess the other day. Let’s continue.”

Xiaoquanzi quickly said, “This servant will prepare the chessboard at once. Please allow Your Majesty to move to the main hall.”

“No need. Right here is fine.” Hongli raised one finger and pointed with a smile at the box right beside his leg. “Bring it over.”

With those imperial words spoken, the box was immediately moved to the middle between the two of them.

A chessboard was placed on top of it, and the two began to play, placing pieces one by one. No one knew how much time passed—until Hongli placed another piece, the chessboard suddenly tilted to the side, chess pieces scattered all over the floor, and Wei Yingluo struggled out of the box with great difficulty:

“Haven’t you two had enough?!”

Yongqi stared in shock. Hongli, however, crossed his arms and laughed. “You’re already a mother, yet you still pull stunts like this. Do you want the entire Forbidden City to laugh at you? Truly undignified as a mother!”

Wei Yingluo retorted irritably, “Your Majesty clearly knew I was in the box and still deliberately tormented me. Truly undignified as an emperor!”

The two of them bickered and bantered back and forth like an ordinary married couple. Finally, Hongli personally stepped forward and helped her out of the box. But the moment she emerged, she was met with Yongqi’s displeased face:

“Mother Consort Ling, do you drink your bowl of mutton soup every morning?”

Wei Yingluo hemmed and hawed. Not far away was a table covered with scattered grape and melon peels.

“When you gave birth to Zhaohua, you suffered postpartum illness. Whenever you catch a draft you get headaches. Were you sitting in the wind earlier?”

Xiaoquanzi hurriedly shifted his body to block the window, using his back to shield her from the breeze coming in.

“How can you not cherish your own health at all?” Yongqi’s expression was serious, even carrying a trace of disappointment. “If you were in good health, Zhaohua and the others could have stayed at Yanxi Palace to be raised by you. Why must mother and children be separated?”

Wei Yingluo was his elder, yet in front of him she felt unable to lift her head. After being thoroughly lectured by him, she only sighed as she watched his departing figure:

“I really don’t know who this child takes after. Always nagging and lecturing… He wasn’t like this when he was little.”

“He only cares about you too much. Otherwise, who would bother asking whether you ate lamb soup or grapes today?” Hongli smiled faintly, took her hand, sat down, and continued, “Besides, he’s still young and doesn’t understand… but I do.”

Wei Yingluo glanced up at him, her eyes seemingly asking: What exactly do you understand?

“In these ten years, we’ve had two sons and two daughters. It’s a pity Yonglu couldn’t be kept. The night Yonglu passed away, you stayed by his side alone, not sleeping a wink—I saw it all,” Hongli said slowly. “A month later, you sent Zhaoyu to Shoukang Palace to keep Zhaohua company, and you entrusted Yongyan to Consort Qing to raise. Everyone says you’re heartless and selfish, that you’re currying favor with the Empress Dowager and winning over Consort Qing. Only I know the truth. Zhaohua is your eldest daughter. You sent her to Shoukang Palace to comfort the Empress Dowager. Yingluo, ever since the incident with Chenbi, you’ve always carried deep guilt toward the Empress Dowager, haven’t you?”

Wei Yingluo shook her head firmly. “Your Majesty, Zhaohua is a person. I would never use her to atone for my guilt.”

Her denial only confirmed something for Hongli even more clearly: “So you’re worried that your own health is failing, and you want to find new protectors for them?”

Having her innermost thoughts suddenly exposed, Wei Yingluo was momentarily stunned.

“I’m warning you, Wei Yingluo—no such inauspicious thoughts, not even the slightest!” Hongli said sternly. “Your body was only injured when you gave birth to Yongyan. Didn’t the imperial physicians say that as long as you recover slowly, you’ll be as good as new? I want you to stay with me, for a very, very long time. If you leave me halfway like Rongyin did, I will never forgive you!”

Though his words sounded harsh, every line was filled with irrepressible tenderness.

Wei Yingluo couldn’t help but grip his hand in return. Pretending to be relaxed, she smiled and said, “Your Majesty, didn’t you once say that calamities live for a thousand years? I’ll do my best to live a very, very long time!”

Everyone in the world longs for things that last forever, yet even a lifetime has its end.

Caw——

A piercing, shrill scream rang through Chengqian Palace. Step-Empress hurried over and saw an empty parrot perch. Suddenly Zhener’s hand reached from behind her and covered her eyes: “Your Ladyship, don’t look…”

Step-Empress pushed her hand away. What she saw was the cold corpse of a bird lying on the ground.

She closed her eyes for a moment. Suddenly her head felt dizzy; she swayed a few times and collapsed into Zhener’s arms.

That night, Chengqian Palace summoned the imperial physician.

Yuan Chunwang was not on night duty, but when he received the news, he hurriedly dressed and rushed to the sleeping chamber. Just as he arrived at the door, he heard the Empress roaring inside: “Get out!”

The palace door flew open. Court Physician Zhang came scrambling out, practically rolling on the ground.

Yuan Chunwang stood at the doorway for a moment before stepping inside. He saw Step-Empress sitting on the bed with her long hair disheveled, clutching a bronze mirror and staring at her own reflection. She asked, “What did he just call me?”

Zhener looked at her worriedly. “Your Ladyship…”

“Old woman.” Step-Empress ground out the words through clenched teeth. “He called me an old woman!”

“Your Ladyship!” Zhener hurried to say, “Court Physician Zhang didn’t mean it like that…”

“Listen to what he said: ‘The Huangdi Neijing states that a woman’s heavenly gui arrives at two times seven and ceases at seven times seven. Your Ladyship is now forty-eight—your age is about right. That is why the sea of blood has declined; it is also called old-woman blood collapse—’ Hah…” Step-Empress scoffed with icy disdain, slowly turned her head, her slightly reddened eyes fixed on Zhener. “I really am an old woman now, aren’t I?”

Zhener felt both fear and pity; for a moment she didn’t know how to comfort her. At that moment Yuan Chunwang approached, holding a horn comb. In a gentle, unhurried voice he said, “Your Ladyship, your hair is in disarray. Allow this servant to comb it for you.”

His combing movements were as gentle and slow as his voice.

The teeth of the comb glided over her scalp again and again. Gradually, Step-Empress’s mood began to calm.

Zhener brought over a tray filled with pearl hairpins and phoenix ornaments. Yuan Chunwang selected a dangling-pearl phoenix hairpin and placed it in her coiffure. “Look—you are still the Empress whom His Majesty respects and loves most.”

Step-Empress gazed at her reflection in the mirror for a long time. Suddenly she said, “Zhener, help me change my clothes. I’m going to Yangxin Hall.”

To gain the evaluation of being “respected and beloved,” Step-Empress had nearly exhausted all her energy and effort. Wherever Hongli noticed something, she noticed it too; wherever Hongli failed to notice, she still noticed. The entire rear palace was managed by her in perfect order—every palace’s food, clothing, and daily necessities all depended on her arrangements.

Even the Empress Dowager, who hated her to the bone, could find no fault with her on the surface.

A hundred years from now, her posthumous title would surely include the character “Duan” (端, meaning upright/proper) or “Xian” (賢, meaning virtuous/wise).

…No, no. That was not what she wanted. What she desperately craved right now was nothing more than the embrace of a husband, the comfort of a husband.

The group hurried to Yangxin Hall. Step-Empress personally carried a bowl of iced lotus seed soup in her hands. The guarding eunuch was just about to announce her arrival when a sigh from Hongli came from inside.

“Lately I feel… the Empress has aged much more than before.”

As the Son of Heaven, Hongli took excellent care of himself. Compared to more than ten years ago, he looked almost unchanged—not because he lived without worries, but because whenever troubles arose, there was always someone to share the burden with him.

“In these past two years, her temperament has become increasingly strange,” Hongli said with a sigh. “When I talk to her, the more we speak, the less we seem to understand each other. Yet the moment I leave, she throws tantrums and becomes like a completely different person.”

On the table sat a bowl of iced lotus seed soup. Originally prepared by the Imperial Tea Bureau for Hongli, Wei Yingluo had eyed it greedily and taken it to eat herself. Worried she might upset her stomach with something so cold, Hongli had ordered it taken away to be warmed. Now it had become a bowl of braised lotus seed soup, steaming hot and placed on the table.

Wei Yingluo gave the soup a regretful glance, then withdrew her gaze and looked at him. “Your Majesty is in excellent health, in the prime of your years. You look no older than thirty-four or thirty-five. But for a woman at this age, it’s completely different. Facing the loss of youthful beauty naturally puts one in a bad mood—it’s only human.”

Hongli gave a snort of laughter. “Yingluo, you’ve aged too!”

Wei Yingluo rolled her eyes. “No matter how old I get, I’m still sixteen years younger than Your Majesty… Ah!”

“Still dare to say it?” Hongli reached out and pinched her cheek as if pinching a lump of rubber.

“No more, no more!” Wei Yingluo struggled. “I’m already this old—Your Majesty, please stop pinching my face! What if you pinch wrinkles into it? Let go! Let go!”

Step-Empress stood silently outside the door, listening to the laughter and cheerful voices inside.

In an instant, the bowl of iced lotus seed soup in her hands felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. Her ten fingers could no longer bear the weight; it seemed the bowl would slip and fall at any second.

“…No need to announce me,” Step-Empress called out to stop Li Yu, who was about to go in and report. Forcing a smile, she said, “I’ll go back first. Make sure His Majesty doesn’t drink too much of this iced lotus seed soup—it might upset his stomach.”

Li Yu acknowledged with a “Yes, Your Ladyship,” took the bowl from her hands, and watched her somewhat desolate retreating figure. He couldn’t help shaking his head and thinking to himself: How pitiful.

She commanded the six palaces with awe-inspiring authority, yet the way His Majesty treated her compared to the way he treated Noble Consort Ling was like heaven and earth.

Back at Chengqian Palace, Step-Empress stood in front of the mirror for a moment. Suddenly she shed every trace of the dignified, virtuous demeanor she usually wore. With one sweep of her arm, she sent all the rouge, powder, and cosmetics on the table crashing to the floor. Then, like someone gone mad, she roared:

“They’re laughing at me! They’re all laughing at me!”

“Your Ladyship!” Zhener rushed over and hugged her tightly. “Every woman will grow old. Noble Consort Ling will grow old too!”

“Her?” Step-Empress gave a scornful laugh and turned her head. “But she’s ten years younger than me—ten years younger than this old woman!”

Zhener was at a complete loss for what to do when a man’s voice suddenly cut in, calm and light:

“The Empress Dowager has also grown old.”

Both women turned toward the sound. Yuan Chunwang had entered the room at some point. He closed the door behind him with one hand, then smiled at the two of them.

“Your Ladyship the Empress, the Empress Dowager is nearly seventy, yet she never worries. Do you know why?”

The topic was growing increasingly dangerous. Zhener’s expression changed; she was about to speak up to stop him when Step-Empress quietly said:

“…You mean to say she relies on her son, not her husband—is that it?”

“Your Ladyship is wise.” Yuan Chunwang smiled. “The difference between the two… Your Ladyship, have you truly thought it through?”

The Step-Empress stared at him coldly for a long moment before suddenly saying, “Go to the Bureau of Careful Punishment and receive forty strokes.”

Whether she had thought it through or not, a mere servant—a servant with a stained record—daring to instigate such greatly irreverent thoughts in his master deserved punishment.

“Yes.” Yuan Chunwang did not defend himself; he accepted the penalty with perfect obedience.

Zhener, however, who loved him deeply and could not bear to see him suffer, opened her mouth to plead for him—only to be met with a fierce glare from the Step-Empress. The words died on her lips.

“Zhener, if what he just said ever gets out, it will inevitably implicate me. If not for your sake, I would have him beaten to death on the spot!” The Step-Empress’s face was dark and grim. “Do not plead for him, and do not mention this matter again!”

She kept insisting that no one speak of it again, yet for several consecutive days she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Whether her eyes were open or closed, the same thought haunted her—Yuan Chunwang’s words.

“The difference between the two… Your Ladyship, have you truly thought it through?”

The Step-Empress refused to think about it, yet she could not suppress the idea. Tormented, more white hairs appeared. When she opened the drawer and saw the growing pile of white strands inside, she began taking dried placenta—essentially, dried infant placenta. The substance had an extremely strong, fishy smell; even when covered with thick layers of scented powder, a faint odor still clung to her.

Hongli naturally noticed it, but he only shook his head and said to those around him, “Never mind. The Empress wants to preserve her youth forever. As Yingluo once said, it’s only human nature—no need to pursue the matter.”

Since he knew, Wei Yingluo naturally knew as well. After a sigh and a few words of lament, she set it aside and picked up a fan painted with a scene of a small bridge, flowing water, and a beauty washing gauze.

“I like this one.”

Then she picked up a piece of zongzi candy, held it up to the sunlight, and examined it. “I like this too.”

“The zongzi candy is for Ninth Sister.” A hand reached over from the opposite side, took back the candy, and then went for the fan in her other hand. “The fan is for Seventh Sister.”

Both of Wei Yingluo’s hands were suddenly empty. She hurriedly hugged the last item—a wooden New Year picture print—to her chest.

“This is for Little Fifteen,” Yongqi said, leaving her with nothing at all.

Wei Yingluo’s eyes widened. “And mine?”

On the table and floor lay a large pile of gifts: brightly colored silks, a craftsman-made wooden horse, fragrant and soft pastries. Yongqi pointed to them one by one:

“Seventh Sister’s… Ninth Sister’s… Little Fifteen’s… Little Fifteen’s again… still Little Fifteen’s…”

Wei Yingluo waited eagerly the whole time. When the very last gift was assigned, she immediately flared up: “Look at you—so biased! Not only do I get nothing, but even my younger sisters got fewer things than Little Fifteen!”

“Seventh Sister and Ninth Sister have the Empress Dowager doting on them; they get the very best of everything in food, clothing, and daily use. But Little Fifteen—” Yongqi advised gently, “when he was little his health was poor. You took him running around wildly for two whole years. Now he’s a very healthy child. Still, he can’t keep idling like this forever. As a prince, if he remains uneducated and unskilled, how will he establish himself in the future? Once he grows sensible, he will blame you. From now on, I’ll take charge of his studies.”

This child was good in every way except that he loved to lecture. Halfway through, Wei Yingluo grew impatient and hurriedly interrupted: “I know, I know! Isn’t there a firearms demonstration today? Let’s go already! Leave all these gifts here—I’ll give them to the children.”

Yongqi looked at her suspiciously. “Really?”

Wei Yingluo quickly swore, “Really!”

“Fine then.” Yongqi stood up. “I’ll ask Little Fifteen later and see whether you secretly kept any for yourself.”

Wei Yingluo replied with perfect seriousness: “I’m not a child. Do I really care about these little trinkets?”

The moment Yongqi left, she immediately turned to Xiaoquanzi, still wearing that same solemn expression: “Hide everything.”

Xiaoquanzi blinked. “Hide what?”

Wei Yingluo chuckled with a slyness to the face, rapidly fanning herself with the fan that had been intended for her daughter, then took out the zongzi candy meant for her son and ate it—two pieces at once. “Look how stingy he is! I was planning to pocket it all anyway!”

Xiaoquanzi also chuckled. “The gifts for the two Princess and Fifteenth Prince were already sent over this morning. All of these are actually for you. Just now, Fifth Prince was deliberately teasing you!”

The chewing motion stopped abruptly. Wei Yingluo looked at the table and floor covered with gifts, feeling both touched and stifled. After a long while, she finally sighed, “Yongqi really is such a good child…”

“Isn’t he just?” Xiaoquanzi helped gather up all the zongzi candies, smiling as he said, “Fifth Brother said you’ve been coughing a bit lately. Although these mint zongzi candies are cooling and soothing to the lungs, they’re still sweets—too much isn’t good. You can only have one a day. Today’s portion is already finished… oh, and tomorrow’s portion is finished too.”

Wei Yingluo immediately withdrew her touched feeling: “All the praise I just gave—taken back!”

The older Yongqi grew, the more mature he became, while she seemed to be growing younger with age. Right now she was actually throwing a childish tantrum—refusing to let her eat, yet insisting on eating anyway. Xiaoquanzi tried to stop her for quite a while. Suddenly, Zhenzhu rushed in from outside, drenched in sweat, her face deathly pale, and cried out, “It’s bad! Fifth Brother—he, Fifth Brother he…”

Wei Yingluo froze. “What happened to Yongqi?”

Almost at the same moment, inside Chengqian Palace.

“Your Ladyship.” Yuan Chunwang stood behind the Step-Empress, holding a horn comb and slowly combing through her long hair. “Today Fifth Brother’s bird gun misfired. He fell from a startled horse and broke his leg. The imperial physicians said… it can’t be healed.”

The Step-Empress was stunned for a long time before suddenly asking, “…Was this your doing?”

STORY OF YANXI PALACE CHAPTERS HOME

  

   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 187: Making a Decision

   With a loud clatter, Yongqi turned his head and couldn’t help but frown slightly.

It was the Fourth Prince, Yongcheng—who, for some reason, had become irritated with the bow in his hand and simply threw it to the ground.

Among the three, the youngest boy—the Twelfth Prince, Yongji—advised him: “Fourth Brother! How many times has Royal Father told you not to take out your anger on objects? How have you forgotten again?”

“Twelfth, since when is it your place to lecture your Fourth Brother? No manners!” Yongcheng said darkly, though his gaze was fixed in Yongqi’s direction.

Yongqi smiled slightly and walked over: “I heard that Fourth Brother was injured in the arm during the hunt not long ago. It must not have fully healed yet. There’s no need to rush—taking proper care of the injury is what matters most.”

Among the three, Yongcheng was the oldest. In literary pursuits he couldn’t compare to Yongqi; in martial skills he still couldn’t compare to Yongqi. Under the constant—sometimes intentional, sometimes unintentional—comparisons from others, he had long harbored resentment toward this exceptionally talented younger brother. Having now lost to him again in archery, his anger was already smoldering. Yongqi’s words had been intended as a face-saving way out for him, but in Yongcheng’s ears they sounded like provocation.

Just as he was about to retort sarcastically, a hand suddenly reached down and picked up the bow from the ground.

Yongqi followed the hand upward and, seeing who it belonged to, a flash of delight appeared in his eyes: “Master Fucha!”

His temples touched with frost, Fucha Fuheng was no longer the elegant young nobleman of years past. The battlefield had weathered his features, giving him a much more seasoned appearance—yet it had also added the mature allure of a grown man, like a fine wine that grows richer and more fragrant with age.

As both a great general of the dynasty and a former instructor in mounted archery to several of the princes, everyone had to address him respectfully as “Master” in his presence and dared not act carelessly. Fuheng handed the bow back to Yongcheng: “Fourth Prince, do you remember the incident when the official in charge, Guicheng, drew his bow in front of His Majesty? Because of a momentary carelessness the arrow shaft broke, and he was fined six months’ salary. Do you know why?”

Yongcheng was taken aback.

“Perhaps because the realm is now at peace, some people have forgotten… that the Great Qing won its dominion on horseback.” Fuheng spoke calmly. “Every year during the Mulan hunt, His Majesty personally examines the riding and archery skills of the princes, nobles, civil and military officials—to ensure that everyone never forgets this truth. Guicheng was ill in bed for half a year and could not draw a bow—yet he was still punished. Even though you are injured, Fourth Prince, you must not grow lax. In His Majesty’s presence, there is no room for excuses.”

But Yongcheng did not feel this was said for his own good; instead he felt Fuheng was stepping in to defend Yongqi. He immediately scoffed with a sneer: “Many thanks for Master Fucha’s reminder. I will remember it!”

He snatched his bow back, unwilling to deal with either of them any longer, and turned to walk toward the far end of the training ground. Behind him came the sound of Fuheng and Yongqi’s conversation.

“Fifth Prince, regarding the firearm improvement you mentioned to me last time…”

“Nowadays most of the Green Standard Army’s bird muskets have thin, hollow barrels. During drills they’re mostly used on flat ground, but in actual combat when firing downward, the powder ignites before the bullet has even left the barrel…”

Yongcheng glanced back and saw the two of them already walking side by side away from the training ground.

With no one else around, he no longer needed to pretend. He viciously hurled the bow in his hand to the ground. The noise was so loud that the nearby Yongji turned to look.

“What are you staring at?” Yongcheng sneered. “I advise you to throw away that bow in your hand sooner rather than later. After all, Royal Father has already said it—the Fifth Prince is the most outstanding among us. What’s the point of us even trying?”

No matter how hard they tried… in the end, wouldn’t that position still go to him?

Just as new leaves replace the old on a tree, just as fresh blossoms replace the faded ones on a branch—when the young grow up, it is also the time when one generation ages and fades away.

Chengqian Palace.

As usual, Zhener was combing Step-Empress’s hair when suddenly her right hand clenched and slipped behind her back.

“Take it out,” Step-Empress said slowly and calmly.

Zhener hesitated for a moment, then brought the hidden hand forward and slowly opened it. Lying in her palm was a single white hair.

This was not the first one.

Step-Empress said nothing. After a long silence, she quietly pulled open a small drawer in the vanity box and placed the white hair inside… together with yesterday’s, the day before’s, and the one from the day before that…

An entire bundle.

When any single thing accumulates in sufficient quantity, it becomes startling.

For example, a single wrinkle on the face is nothing much, but once a dozen of them cluster together, any woman would go mad.

“The mistress of the six palaces—big matters, small matters, everything falls on her shoulders. No wonder she ages faster than anyone else.” Step-Empress sighed. “No wonder…”

“No wonder what?” Zhener asked.

“Back then I asked Consort-Ling—no, now she’s Noble Consort-Ling—why she didn’t want to be Empress. She said she couldn’t do it, that she didn’t have the fate for so much worrying. Look at these past ten years: she eats whatever is delicious, plays whatever is fun. The other day I looked at her carefully—her hair is still glossy black, not a single white strand. Really… a woman in her thirties…” Step-Empress gave a distant smile, “…and yet she lives like a child.”

“That’s just her being selfish and shameless!” Zhener curled her lip in disdain. “A few years ago when the Empress Dowager didn’t favor her, she had the nerve to send Seventh Princess to Shoukang Palace. After that the Empress Dowager couldn’t keep up the cold face anymore. And that wasn’t even the end of it—six years ago when Lady Qing was promoted to Consort Qing, Wei Yingluo wanted to win her over so badly that she even sent Fifteenth Prince away! I really can’t understand it!”

At first Step-Empress hadn’t understood either. Now she did.

“Doesn’t she always say, ‘A woman must first treat herself as a person’?” Step-Empress said. “I see now—she loves no one in the world except herself. She treasures herself like a pearl.”

Besides, the princes and princesses have their own wet-nurses and nannies to take care of them. When they grow older, respected scholars are invited to teach them. Whether they are raised in one’s own palace or sent elsewhere, it makes little difference. Sending them to be raised by others even sounds better on paper.

In any case, it’s not as if they will never see each other again. Once classes are over, don’t those princes and princesses still run straight to Yanxi Palace? Noble Consort-Ling gets all the good reputation and benefits, while she herself…?

“Royal Mother!”

The young boy’s voice carried a trace of pain. Step-Empress started and turned around. “Yongji, what’s wrong?”

Yongji had been helped back by someone. The person supporting him was tall and slender, strikingly handsome. Past a certain age, most people—man or woman—begin to show some sign of aging. Especially men: if they’re not careful, their bodies grow stout, extra layers of flesh appear under the chin, and if they become the least bit lazy, needle-like stubble covers the entire lower face.

None of these things had happened to him.

Because he was a eunuch—or rather, the most beautiful eunuch in this Forbidden City.

—Yuan Chunwang.

   “Your Ladyship, Twelfth Prince practiced archery under the blazing sun for two full hours. The skin on his hands is completely worn away,” Yuan Chunwang said. “This servant just had the imperial physician bandage and apply medicine. The physician instructed that he must not draw a bow again for at least a month.”

Step-Empress hurried over, took Yongji’s hands and kept examining them. The more she looked, the more her heart ached. Unable to hold back, she said, “Silly child, why do you push yourself so hard?”

“Royal Mother, don’t be sad. I don’t hurt at all,” Yongji said, his small face covered in sweat from the pain, yet forcing himself to smile. “Don’t worry—once my hands are healed, I will definitely win first place in riding and archery and bring honor to Royal Mother!”

The Step-Empress was stunned upon hearing this.

After Zhener supported Yongji and left, the Step-Empress sat alone in front of the diamond-patterned mirror in a daze, asking herself inwardly: Had she been too harsh on Yongji?

Yuan Chunwang stood behind her. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at the bundle of white hair in the drawer. The corner of his lips lifted in an almost imperceptible arc as he reached out and picked up the ox-horn comb on the table.

“Empress,” he said, gently combing through the Step-Empress’s long hair stroke by stroke. “This servant has something to report.”

“What is it?” In the mirror, the Step-Empress smiled, a trace of mockery in her expression. “If it’s about trying to persuade me to deal with Wei Yingluo again, then spare your breath.”

Nothing could be hidden from her. She was the cleverest woman in the Forbidden City. But even the cleverest woman has her weaknesses.

“It concerns the matter of establishing the heir,” Yuan Chunwang said as he plucked out one white hair from her head. “There is news that His Majesty intends to appoint the Fifth Prince as Crown Prince.”

The Step-Empress said nothing, but her eyes were locked tightly on that single white hair in his hand.

“Empress,” Yuan Chunwang spoke in a tone that was half seduction, half persuasion, “it is time you considered the Twelfth Prince.”

In the past he would never have said this—because it would have been useless. But times had changed. That single white hair was a reminder to the Step-Empress: she was growing old. In the harem, women fought for favor when they were young; when they grew older, they fought to become Empress Dowager.

   Moreover, if one of the other princes became Crown Prince, it might still be bearable—but the Fifth Prince… he was completely devoted to Consort-Ling.

   “…Let me think about it,” the Step-Empress said in a low, heavy voice.

The struggle for the throne was no child’s game. Its brutality far exceeded the fights in the harem. When one side fell, entire groups often collapsed with them. The Step-Empress could not possibly make such a decision lightly.

After closing the door to give the person inside time to think carefully, Yuan Chunwang turned around and saw that Zhener was already waiting for him at the doorway.

“What did you just say to Her Majesty the Empress?” She pulled him aside and asked in a low voice.

Yuan Chunwang merely smiled without answering.

“…You’re not thinking of using the Empress’s hand to deal with Noble Consort-Ling again, are you?” Worry filled Zhener’s eyes. “Have you forgotten the suffering you endured in the Bureau of Careful Punishment back then?”

“How could I forget?” Yuan Chunwang said softly, though a flash of ferocity passed through his eyes.

Back then he had received over a hundred strokes in the Bureau of Careful Punishment—his flesh torn open, blood and flesh mangled. And because he had offended the most favored Consort-Ling, even after his release he had nowhere to go. If Zhener had not knelt before the Step-Empress for days and nights on his behalf, the Step-Empress would never have allowed him back by her side.

For more than ten years he had behaved obediently and kept his head down—not because he had forgotten the enmity and hatred from back then, but because he was like a snake in winter, coiled and dormant.

Until today…

“Zhener,” Yuan Chunwang said with a gentle smile, “Her Majesty the Empress has enjoyed ten years of peace and has completely forgotten that the struggle for the throne is imminent. If the Fifth Prince ascends to the throne, the Twelfth Prince—with his status as the legitimate-born son—will become a thorn in the new Emperor’s eye, a dagger in his flesh.”

Zhener was stunned. “His Majesty is in good health. He has no intention of establishing a Crown Prince so early…”

“Once the edict naming the heir is placed inside the box behind the ‘Upright and Bright’ plaque, it will be too late,” Yuan Chunwang shook his head. He took her hand and spoke tenderly, “This is for the Twelfth Prince, for Her Majesty the Empress… and for us.”

Zhener’s face flushed. Finally, she gave a small nod. “I’ll listen to you.”

Yuan Chunwang curved his lips into a smile and reached up to gently tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Shy, Zhener lowered her head—and thus did not see the cold gleam that flashed through his eyes.

“If you cannot make up your mind,” Yuan Chunwang thought as he looked toward the main door, “then let me give you the final push…”

STORY OF YANXI PALACE CHAPTERS HOME

  

   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 186: An Appointment

   It is either the east wind that overpowers the west wind, or the west wind that overpowers the east wind. Today, the contest between Yanxi Palace and Chengqian Palace would finally see a clear victor.

Li Yu arrived at Chengqian Palace in a hurry, leading a group of people. He paid his respects: “This servant greets Her Majesty the Empress.”

The Step-Empress forced a smile. “Why has Chief Eunuch Li come here?”

Li Yu pointed at Yuan Chunwang. “Seize him!”

The eunuchs surged forward and grabbed Yuan Chunwang.

Yuan Chunwang struggled but did not dare resist too fiercely. He could only lift his head to look at Li Yu: “Eunuch Li, what is the meaning of this?”

Li Yu smiled coyishly. “Yuan Chunwang, was it not you who, on His Majesty’s orders, cut off all food supplies to Yanxi Palace?”

Yuan Chunwang’s heart jolted, yet on the surface he cried injustice: “Consort Ling suffers from a stomach ailment, which is why she is supplied only plain congee each day. This servant did it for Consort Ling’s own good!”

“What stomach ailment? Consort Ling has been carrying the dragon fetus for more than three months—the dates match exactly with those recorded by the palace historian.” Li Yu flicked his horsetail whisk. “If you wish to explain, do it at the Shixing Division. Take him away!”

To “invite” him to the Shixing Division was naturally not an invitation for tea.

“Chief Eunuch Yuan, forgive the offense!”

One blow after another landed heavily on Yuan Chunwang’s back. He clenched his teeth and made no sound. Soon the clothing on his back was soaked through with blood.

“Look at that—we slaves serve our masters loyally; that’s only right and proper. But one must also know how to weigh the risks. To end up like this—millennia of cultivation lost in a single morning—what a pity!” The duty officer gloated as he lectured the two young eunuchs beside him. “Don’t blame your master for not teaching you: in the Forbidden City, rises and falls happen all the time. Don’t be so eager to stomp on someone the moment they stumble. Step carelessly on a hibernating snake, and you’ll end up paying for it with your own life!”

“Who are you calling a snake?” Xiaoquanzi suddenly appeared from behind him, smiling sweetly as he asked.

The duty officer jumped three feet into the air. When he saw who it was, without another word he began slapping his own face: “Eunuch Quan! Look at this rotten mouth of mine—it deserves to be beaten, deserves to be beaten!”

He slapped himself repeatedly with loud smacks, then barked at the two young eunuchs to fetch a stool and serve tea.

Xiaoquanzi wasn’t short of that sip of tea anyway, and he had no desire to linger any longer in this sunless, dismal place. He waved his hand dismissively: “Fine, let him go.”

Yuan Chunwang, who had remained utterly silent until now, slowly lifted his head: “…Are you here to mock me?”

Yes—mockery.

What else could it possibly be?

Yuan Chunwang simply could not believe that Wei Yingluo would really let him go…

“You’ve been pardoned,” Xiaoquanzi said with contempt as he looked down at him. “Also, Consort Ling has a message for you: what she owed you, she has repaid in full this time. From now on, bridges are bridges, roads are roads—each of you goes your separate ways. You owe each other nothing!”

Yuan Chunwang’s expression changed instantly.

“…Stop!” He struggled to his feet and shouted at Xiaoquanzi’s retreating back: “Go back and tell her—she can never repay what she owes me in a lifetime! Don’t even think she can cut ties with me so easily! Don’t even think it!”

Everything that happened in the Shixing Division was naturally reported to Step-Empress.

With a thud, Zhener knelt before her, attempting to plead for Yuan Chunwang: “Your Ladyship…”

“Do you know why Li Yu didn’t wait until Yuan Chunwang had left the palace gates before arresting him?” Step-Empress asked without turning around, as she toyed with the parrot on its stand.

Zhener froze.

“Consort Ling suffered, and the Emperor blamed me for it. This was his way of punishing Yuan Chunwang in public—to humiliate me in front of everyone!” Step-Empress said sharply. “Under these circumstances, how could you expect me to speak up for him?”

A person must first protect themselves before they can afford to care for others.

Right now, Step-Empress was barely able to protect herself. She even had to temporarily bow her head to Wei Yingluo due to the circumstances. At a moment like this, how could she possibly spare any effort to save Yuan Chunwang?

Zhener understood at last. She lowered her head and wept silently.

“…You’re twenty-nine this year,” Step-Empress sighed, resting a hand on her shoulder. “Ordinary palace maids are sent out of the palace at twenty-five. Only you couldn’t bear to leave me and have stayed by my side all this time.”

“Your Ladyship…” Zhener raised her tear-filled eyes.

“I’ve long prepared a dowry for you, and I’ve even selected several reliable men for you to choose from—but you rejected every single one.” Step-Empress asked gently, “Tell me the truth: have you fallen for Yuan Chunwang?”

Her words struck directly at the heart of the matter. Zhener hurriedly lowered her head again, but the tips of her ears slowly flushed red with embarrassment.

“Yuan Chunwang has an exceptionally handsome appearance. Spending day after day with him, it’s only natural that fanciful thoughts might arise. Unfortunately, in the matter of Consort Ling, someone must take responsibility.” Step-Empress’s tone grew serious. “Moreover, that man is ruthless and cruel—he is truly not a good match. Zhener, you should find someone else to like.”

With that, Step-Empress ended the conversation. She ordered her palace servants to prepare several chests of gifts, then set out with full ceremonial pomp and procession toward Yanxi Palace.

Upon arrival, she was greeted by Wei Yingluo, who stood waiting with her prominently pregnant belly—clearly having received advance notice. The moment she saw Step-Empress, she smiled and asked: “Has Your Ladyship come to plead for Yuan Chunwang?”

“He’s merely a servant—I don’t take him seriously at all,” Step-Empress replied with a faint, indifferent smile. “Consort Ling, my dear sister, carrying the imperial heir and extending the royal line—this is such wonderful news. Of course I had to come personally to offer my congratulations.”

She glanced at the table, which was piled high with gifts: from jewelry and precious ornaments to silks and satins, from rare books and calligraphy to antique curios—some sent by other consorts, others bestowed by Hongli himself. Every item was of the finest quality.

“Look at the furnishings in this hall,” Step-Empress said, making no pretense of ignoring them. She walked slowly around the room, her expression one of appreciation. “From the smallest ruyi incense burners to the largest rosewood tables and chairs—everything matches His Majesty’s tastes perfectly. It’s clear how much care the Emperor has put into you.”

Wei Yingluo gave her a sidelong glance, knowing full well that the next words out of her mouth would surely begin with “but…”

“But…” The Step-Empress suddenly shifted her tone, her smile fading. “You are indeed clever and dedicated, but let me remind you of one thing: no matter how much favor you gain, I am the Empress of the Great Qing, and no one can replace me!”

Her words made Wei Yingluo instantly understand her true purpose.

Rather than a visit to check on her, this was more about marking her territory. Wei Yingluo smiled. “Do you know what I just sent Xiaoquanzi to do?”

The Step-Empress raised an eyebrow.

Wei Yingluo: “I told him to take yesterday’s unused yam and goat milk soup to Yangxin Hall and exchange it for a plate of Suzhou-style braised pork.”

The Step-Empress let out a scoff. “You really have some nerve!”

Wei Yingluo replied confidently, “That’s right! I dare to do anything, and I can do anything—that’s the privilege of a favored consort! But if I were to become Empress, bound by rules and restrictions at every turn, I could never manage it!”

The Step-Empress fixed her with a steady gaze for a moment before saying slowly, “You’re telling me you have no ambitions.”

Wei Yingluo smiled. “As long as Your Majesty the Empress doesn’t provoke me, I naturally have no ambitions.”

The Step-Empress: “And if you give birth to a prince, will you truly not plan for his future?”

“With His Majesty’s temperament, would he ever allow the harem to influence the choice of heir?” Wei Yingluo burst into laughter, as if a weight had lifted from her heart, allowing her to speak freely and unrestrained. “Let me be frank with you: I, Wei Yingluo, have never feared a fight. The more I fight, the more invigorated I become. If you wish to continue, I’ll keep you company to the end! But you can’t bring me down, and I can’t topple you. All this fighting back and forth is nothing but wasted effort! You’ve softened your stance today, clearly seeking peace, so why keep testing me? I’ll say this clearly: instead of fighting to the death, why not call a truce and let us both live in peace?”

“You’re certainly straightforward!” The Step-Empress laughed, thinking to herself: This woman’s next word will surely be ‘but’…

“But,” Wei Yingluo said, right on cue, “I have one condition.”

If she hadn’t mentioned any conditions at all, the Step-Empress would have doubted her sincerity.

The Step-Empress: “Speak.”

Wei Yingluo gently caressed her abdomen, her previously spirited expression softening instantly. “Your Majesty the Empress must promise me that no matter the time or the circumstance, you will never harm a child.”

The Step-Empress, sharp as ever, asked, “Your child, or someone else’s?”

Wei Yingluo looked at her deeply and emphasized, “The children of the Forbidden City!”

The Step-Empress sneered, “I have no interest in harming innocent children. To suggest otherwise underestimates me!”

“Good! As long as Your Majesty keeps your word, the Forbidden City will remain calm, and all will be at peace!” Wei Yingluo extended a hand. “Let us make a pact!”

The Step-Empress struck her palm in agreement. “It’s a deal!”

Their hands clasped, and from that moment, the Forbidden City knew peace.

   Time passed, year after year. The gardenia flowers in front of Yanxi Palace bloomed and fell. Though rivalries and struggles persisted in the harem, they no longer endangered the children.

   On the rare occasions when the Step-Empress couldn’t restrain herself, consorts—whether pregnant or leading their children—would kneel before Yanxi Palace, and she would reluctantly back down. The courtyard filled with gardenia flowers became a sanctuary for the children, guarding them and protecting them as they grew up safely.

The consorts who benefited from her protection and knew the truth couldn’t help but sigh: “With her here, tragedies like that of the former Empress will never happen again.”

The tender cries of “Your Ladyship Consort Ling” gradually turned into clear, confident calls of “Your Ladyship Mother Consort Ling.” In the blink of an eye, the children she had cared for—those who had flown kites and caught crickets with her—had grown into dashing young men and graceful young women.

In the 30th year of Qianlong’s reign, at the martial training field:

   From left to right, two young men and a boy held bows and arrows, aiming at the targets ahead.

With a whoosh, the arrows flew from their bows, their tips striking the targets with a series of sharp thud-thud-thud sounds.

A eunuch announced in a singsong voice: “The Fifth Prince fired thirty arrows and hit thirty.”

The young man standing in the very center lowered his bow, revealing a handsome and refined face. His demeanor was that of a scholar from the Wenyuan Pavilion; it was hard to believe he was actually a divine archer who never missed.

The boy had grown up—this was none other than the Fifth Prince, Yongqi, whom Consort Yu had entrusted to Wei Yingluo. Although Wei Yingluo herself had little interest in raising children, this boy had possessed a steady temperament from a young age. Even without anyone supervising him, he still studied books and practiced martial arts every day without ever slacking.

And so, little by little, he had grown into the most outstanding among all the princes.

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 185: Madness

   Ever since hearing those words from Wei Yingluo, Hongli had been mad with joy.

Everything under heaven, every inch of land within his domain—as long as it was something he possessed—he wanted to place it before Wei Yingluo to win her favor.

Even when she wanted to enter Baoyue Tower to see Chenbi one last time, he hesitated only briefly before agreeing—though he refused to let her go alone and sent a large group of people to accompany her.

The grand procession arrived at Baoyue Tower amid great bustle. Almost every window and door were surrounded by several eunuchs, some holding wooden planks, others raising hammers, busily nailing the doors and windows shut. Since Hongli had been able to build Baoyue Tower for Chenbi, he could just as easily build her a prison that would never see daylight again.

When they saw Wei Yingluo approaching, the eunuchs immediately stopped their work: “This servant greets Your Ladyship Consort Ling.”

Wei Yingluo paid them no attention. She stared blankly at the nailed-shut doors and windows.

“Your Ladyship, you mustn’t feel any sympathy for Consort Rong,” Xiaoquanzi hurriedly leaned in beside her. “All the suffering you endured while confined—she ought to taste some of it too!”

Wei Yingluo shook her head with a faint smile, not bothering to respond.

Xiaoquanzi, that opportunist, had ultimately bet on the right side. Though he had once defected to the Step-Empress, in the end he had firmly planted himself on Wei Yingluo’s side and even helped her severely sabotage Chenbi. For that reason, Wei Yingluo had ultimately kept him by her side.

“Stand guard outside,” Wei Yingluo ordered, then prepared to step into Baoyue Tower.

“Your Ladyship, no—please don’t!” Xiaoquanzi was greatly alarmed. “I’ve heard Consort Rong has gone mad. She cries and screams all day, and she scratches people without warning!”

“Stand guard outside!” Wei Yingluo spoke with the authority of a mistress. Once she had made up her mind, he only needed to obey.

Sure enough, Xiaoquanzi proved himself a useful servant. Seeing that Wei Yingluo’s decision was final, he shut his mouth and stood motionless at the entrance like a wooden statue.

Wei Yingluo ascended the stairs of Baoyue Tower step by step.

The higher she climbed, the dimmer the light became. Only an occasional thin ray of sunlight slipped through the gaps between the wooden planks, drawing crisscrossing lines on the floor.

She found Chenbi on the top floor.

The vast open space—once her dancing hall—was now empty except for dust. Chenbi sat in the center of the room with her back to Wei Yingluo, her head tilted as she hummed a childish nursery rhyme.

Wei Yingluo walked around to face her, sat down, lifted her chin, and stared at her for a long moment before suddenly smiling: “You’ve grasped the art of feigning madness as a means of survival quite well.”

The singing stopped abruptly. The crooked head slowly straightened. Chenbi brushed the disheveled hair from her face. Having been deprived of sunlight for so long, her skin was pale as paper. “You came.”

Wei Yingluo: “Yes, I came.”

Chenbi giggled: “Why have you come?”

Wei Yingluo: “I came to tell you that because of this assassination attempt, your three elder brothers have been implicated. Those who were to be beheaded were beheaded; those sentenced to exile were exiled.”

The moment Chenbi heard this, she suddenly covered her face. Sobs leaked out from between her fingers, as though in the next instant she would burst into loud weeping.

Yet Wei Yingluo said: “There’s no need to act in front of me.”

“…Ha…” Chenbi slowly lowered her hands, revealing—not tears—but a smiling face. “Hahahahaha!!”

Wei Yingluo stared fixedly at her: “Chenbi, at first I didn’t understand. You had so many opportunities to kill the Emperor—why choose to assassinate him in public? You clearly knew that once you did it this way, your brothers would surely lose their lives!”

Chenbi was still laughing—laughing unrestrained, wildly, joyfully!

Seeing her like this, an answer finally rose in Wei Yingluo’s mind. She murmured: “So… what you’ve wanted all along… was their lives.”

Perhaps because she was in such a good mood, Chenbi actually laughed and gave her a straightforward confirmation: “Yes. I wanted their lives.”

Wei Yingluo was silent for a moment before asking: “Can you tell me why?”

“I’ve already gotten what I wished for—there’s nothing I can’t tell you now.” Chenbi seemed like a horse that had finally shaken off its reins, a bird released from its cage; her whole body radiated ease. She casually sat down right on the floor—as though the cold marble of Baoyue Tower were instead the lush, green grassland. Smiling, she said: “Tuerdu day and night coveted the great authority of the Huolan tribe. After helping the Qing army exterminate the rebel leaders, he scoured the entire tribe for beauties to present as tribute to the Emperor of Great Qing! In the end, he chose me!”

Wei Yingluo: “I already know about this!”

Chenbi: “Then do you know that he got me drunk with wine and put me on a carriage? When I woke up, they told me: if I wanted my son to live safely, I had to obey obediently. With no other choice, I agreed.”

Wei Yingluo: “Since you agreed, why stir up trouble?”

Chenbi giggled again: “Halfway along the road, the maid accompanying me could bear it no longer. She told me that my son, Asha had secretly slipped out to search for me, but was discovered by Tuerdu and the others. They pursued him through the night. In a moment of carelessness, he fell into a trap set for catching wild beasts! He fell… fell until his flesh was mangled and bloody!”

What happened afterward needed no further explanation.

Chenbi had originally intended to follow her son in death, but unexpectedly she was rescued by Fuheng. Since he wanted her to live a life worse than death, she saw no reason not to repay him in kind—using his own methods against him.

“I came to the Forbidden City not to win favor, but for revenge. I wanted to see the Emperor kill Fuheng, then kill you, and finally tell him the truth—so he would live the rest of his life in torment.” Chenbi sighed. “I was only one step away from succeeding. That one step… so close, yet worlds apart.”

The word “love” runs deep once it takes hold.

Chenbi had been only one step away from entering Hongli’s heart. Yet even if she had crossed that step, she would have found that in that not-particularly-large heart there was already someone living inside—leaving no room for anyone else.

That was the true meaning of “so close, yet worlds apart”—utterly despairing… From the very beginning, Chenbi’s plan was doomed to fail. Because that proud and fiercely protective heart would desperately shield the one person who truly resided within it.

“Enough.” Wei Yingluo stood up. “We’ve said all there is to say. It’s time for us to part ways.”

Chenbi watched her retreating back and giggled: “By the way, I heard you’re pregnant.”

Wei Yingluo’s footsteps halted.

“Congratulations,” Chenbi said. For the first time, a trace of envy colored her voice. “Your child will have a proper name and identity—and the most powerful, yet also the most petty and fiercely protective father in the world.”

“…Why have you never once mentioned a husband?” Wei Yingluo turned back to ask. “Where is your husband?”

Chenbi lowered her eyes for a moment, then said calmly: “I have no husband.”

Wei Yingluo was stunned: “No husband—then where did the son come from?”

An extremely strange smile appeared on Chenbi’s face: “A beautiful face isn’t always a good thing. They call her the tribe’s Holy Maiden, but in truth she was nothing more than a woman for entertaining guests. Where would a husband come from?”

Wei Yingluo stared fixedly at Chenbi. She opened her mouth as if to speak, yet no words came out—she didn’t know what to say.

   Beauty is a woman’s greatest weapon. Sometimes it can wound others; sometimes it only wounds oneself. Was Chenbi not intelligent enough? Was her background not distinguished enough? Or was her personality simply unlikable? No—she was clever, of noble birth, and her temperament was charming. Otherwise, she could never have toyed with so many people in the rear palace, making them love her to the depths of their souls while hating her with equal intensity.

   Yet such a rare person in this world—almost like a celestial maiden—had lived a life no different from that of a prostitute.

   She didn’t even know what surname her own child bore…

   Chenbi laughed: “Wei Yingluo, you are very fortunate. You met two men who truly love you. No matter how hard I tried with every trick I had, I still couldn’t make the Emperor fall in love with me. My tongue may be as eloquent as blooming lotuses, yet Fucha Fuheng still wants to protect you. I really want to know—which of these two men do you actually love?”

“Chenbi,” Wei Yingluo called softly.

Chenbi tilted her head, looking at her as though waiting for an answer.

But Wei Yingluo did not give her what she wanted. She buried the answer to that question deep in her heart and only said lightly, “Go mad. Stay mad for a lifetime—and that way, you can go on living.”

Chenbi froze.

Yingluo: “Take care of yourself.”

She descended the Baoyue Tower step by step. When she stepped out through the main gate, sunlight once again fell upon her. Behind her, that eerie nursery rhyme started up again—mingled with weeping and laughter, seeping out through the cracks in the windows and doors, echoing in everyone’s ears.

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 184: Crime

   The person who had rolled out of the water barrel was not Wei Yingluo, but Xiaoquanzi.

Xiaoquanzi gave an obsequious smile: “Your Majesty, please forgive this humble servant. This slave was acting on the orders of Your Ladyship Consort Ling and hid inside the water barrel.”

Hongli let out a long breath of relief. Seeing Li Yu and the others looking at him, he immediately put on a stern face again: “What on earth is she playing at with all this trickery!”

Xiaoquanzi cast a sidelong glance at Chenbi: “My master said that someone in the Forbidden City intends to harm her. To draw that person out, she had this slave hide in the water cart!”

Hongli: “Summon Consort Ling!”

Li Yu: “Yes!”

It took Li Yu some time to locate Wei Yingluo in Yanxi Palace. To deceive Yuan Chunwang, she had swapped clothes with Xiaoquanzi. Then she had him lie in the room pretending to be ill and refusing to come out. Only when Li Yu came searching did she push open the door. She asked Li Yu to give her a moment to prepare herself—coughing all the while, she dabbed rouge onto her pale face to add a touch of color, freshened her appearance slightly, changed into formal attire, and only then emerged from Yanxi Palace.

Like a warrior who has finished arming herself, she set out for the battlefield that belonged to her alone.

The moment Hongli saw her, his eyes lit up—only to quickly darken again as he schooled his expression: “What exactly is going on here!”

“Consort Rong first tempted me to elope, then staged a grand ‘catching in the act’ drama.” Wei Yingluo curtsied to him, a faint mocking smile playing at the corner of her lips. “Unfortunately for her, neither ploy deceived Your Majesty.”

“Yingluo, even now you still quibble.” Chenbi sighed, as though grieving over her stubborn refusal to see reason. “His Majesty has already sent people to Xizhi Gate to search. I’m afraid it won’t be long before they bring Master Fucha back…”

Before she could finish speaking, two guards requested an audience, and walking beside them was Fuheng.

When she saw him, the corner of Chenbi’s lips lifted for a moment before quickly falling again. She said sadly: “Your Majesty, look—they really had arranged to meet outside Xizhi Gate.”

Fuheng gave her a calm glance, then turned to the guard beside him: “Speak.”

The guard looked at Chenbi in bewilderment before kowtowing to Hongli: “Your Majesty, there was only an empty carriage outside Xizhi Gate. This humble servant encountered the master on the way back to the palace to report—at Shenwu Gate!”

Chenbi’s delicate brows slowly furrowed. Her gaze darted back and forth between Fuheng and Wei Yingluo.

Fuheng spoke with perfect composure: “Your Majesty, that day Consort Rong suddenly appeared and incited this humble servant to take Consort Ling and flee far away. This servant found it truly unbearable and wished to report the matter to Your Majesty. But on second thought, I had no evidence in hand. Openly accusing a favored consort without proof would be hard to believe. With no other choice, I decided to cast a long line to catch the big fish—I pretended to agree…”

Before he could finish, Chenbi suddenly burst into loud laughter.

“So that’s how it is. The two of you joined forces to stage this entire performance.” Chenbi extended a finger tipped with nail polish, pointing first at Fuheng and then at Wei Yingluo. Her tone was innocently sweet yet laced with faint bitterness: “Was it all to make His Majesty suspect me?”

“Consort Rong,” Wei Yingluo said, calmly returning the very words the other woman had once used against her, “even now you still quibble.”

“Emperor, do you really think I’m the one framing them?” Chenbi clung to Hongli’s arm, gazing up at him with innocent eyes. “Even if I wanted to frame Consort Ling, why would I drag Lord Fucha into it? He’s my lifesaver!”

In the struggles among the imperial consorts, court officials were almost never involved. Moreover, if Chenbi truly wished to deal with Wei Yingluo, there were far better and subtler ways—she had no need to make the matter blow up to such proportions.

Hongli lowered his head to look at her and suddenly smiled. The smile was so strange that a chill ran down Chenbi’s back.

“Li Yu,” Hongli said, “bring the box that Hailancha sent by eight-hundred-li express.”

“Yes!” Li Yu immediately withdrew. When he returned, he was holding a wooden box covered in dust.

Hongli: “Open it.”

Li Yu opened the box. Inside lay a set of old children’s clothing from the Huolan tribe, a silver necklace, and small wooden toys—a hobby horse and a wooden sword.

They were the most ordinary of objects, yet the moment Chenbi saw them, her expression changed completely.

Hongli: “Fuheng, this is the reason Consort Rong framed you.”

Fuheng was stunned. “Your Majesty, this is—”

Hongli: “I sent people to the Huolan tribe. The very first thing I ordered was to investigate Consort Rong’s past. Tuerdu claimed she had remained unmarried for so long only because of her extraordinary beauty—she had been consecrated as the Holy Maiden of the Huolan tribe and served the heavenly gods year after year. But according to Huolan custom, the Holy Maiden steps down at the age of twenty, to be replaced by a newly chosen woman, while she herself marries in accordance with tribal tradition. Tuerdu tried his best to conceal it, but I still uncovered the truth!”

With every word he spoke, Chenbi’s expression grew colder. By the time he finished, she was no longer the innocent, radiant young girl. Perhaps this icy, unapproachable woman—cold as frost and distant from all—was the true Holy Maiden of the Huolan tribe.

Chenbi said coldly, “When did you start suspecting me?”

Hongli’s reply was firm and decisive: “Wei Yingluo would never, in a moment of anger, impulsively harm someone.”

In other words, from the very beginning, Hongli had stood on Wei Yingluo’s side. He did not believe she would stab anyone with scissors. He did not believe a single word that came out of Chenbi’s mouth.

Such blatant favoritism could only stem from one reason…

A warmth bloomed in Wei Yingluo’s heart. Their eyes met, and in that single glance, it was as though they had gazed at each other for ten thousand years.

Chenbi scoffed with icy disdain.

Wei Yingluo snapped back to the present and looked at her. “Chenbi… you’ve been married? You’ve borne a child?”

“Yes.” Chenbi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, exuding the languid air of a mature woman. “I was married. I gave birth to a child. And yet I was still sent into the palace—all to satisfy your Emperor’s lust. I was forced to be separated from my own flesh and blood.”

Fuheng suddenly understood. “That time you fell from the horse…”

“I did it on purpose,” Chenbi said calmly. Once the mask of innocence was removed, her true face revealed a faint weariness—an exhaustion with the world, with everyone in it, even with herself. “I wanted to die, but you wouldn’t let me. Do you know how much I hated you? I hated you so much I wanted to see you ruined and disgraced, so that in the end you’d do the same as me—jump from a cliff.”

“So that’s why you staged this entire elopement drama?” Wei Yingluo looked at her with complicated emotions. “You deliberately approached me, became my friend… all just to win my trust and then incite me to elope? I’ve never wronged you. You…”

“But he loves you.” Chenbi began to laugh. “The Emperor loves you too. Without you, how could the two of them turn against each other? How could they ruin their reputations? How could the whole world mock them? And how… could I ever vent this resentment?”

“Madwoman,” Wei Yingluo murmured. The same kind of madness—she felt she had only ever seen it in one other person: Erqing, that woman who, just to vent her own grudge, had caused countless innocent deaths.

“Yes, I’m mad. But this madwoman can’t go on the journey alone!” Chenbi suddenly raised her hand and yanked a long hairpin from her hair. The tip gleamed with cold light—it had long since been sharpened into a deadly weapon. Lowering her body, she charged straight toward Hongli, swift as an arrow loosed from a fully drawn bow.

“Your Majesty!”

Without a second thought, Wei Yingluo rushed straight toward Hongli.

But another figure moved even faster—almost in the blink of an eye, he placed himself between them. His broad, imposing back stood like the most loyal and unregretting shield.

…It was Fuheng.

Drip, drip, drip. Fresh blood fell from his horizontally outstretched arm. A hairpin was deeply embedded in his flesh.

“Seize her!” Hongli roared in fury, pointing at Chenbi and ordering the guards who had hurried in to protect him: “Lock her back in Baoyue Tower! Li Yu—where is Li Yu? Hurry and call the imperial physician!”

Before he could finish, he suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder.

“Yingluo?” He turned his head in shock. “Yingluo, what’s wrong with you?”

Wei Yingluo had already been frail and weakened by illness, compounded by days of insufficient food and water. Now, after such a violent shock, she couldn’t catch her breath and fainted right onto Hongli’s shoulder.

Only when she was this close did Hongli notice that the flush on her face was merely rouge hastily applied. Holding her in his arms, he could feel nothing but bones. Panic and anger surged within him. He shouted frantically: “Li Yu! Li Yu! Useless fool—why isn’t the imperial physician here yet?”

Your Majesty, imperial physicians can’t fly! Swallowing those words, Li Yu could only reply: “This servant will go urge them at once—this servant will go urge them right now…”

Yangxin Hall descended into utter chaos. Under Hongli’s repeated urgings, half the entire imperial medical bureau crowded into the hall.

Before they could even reach a diagnosis, the Empress Dowager entered Yangxin Hall, supported by Aunt Liu’s arm. The first words out of her mouth were: “Release Chenbi at once!”

Hongli glanced back at Wei Yingluo, who lay unconscious on the bed. Gritting his teeth, he suddenly lifted the hem of his robe and knelt before the Empress Dowager.

“Empress Dowager.” Afraid she would blame Wei Yingluo, he took all the responsibility onto himself: “Chenbi is not the reincarnation of He’an…”

He calmly recounted the entire sequence of events. When he finished, the Empress Dowager pointed a trembling finger at Wei Yingluo on the bed and said in a shaking voice: “She dared—she actually dared… Guards!”

“Empress Dowager!” Hongli would never allow her to arrest someone in front of him. “This matter… I forced her to do it!”

The Empress Dowager was stunned.

Hongli continued: “First, to protect Consort Rong, and second, to make you happy…”

“I’m not blind!” The Empress Dowager let out a short, incredulous laugh, cutting him off. “Clearly she started this, yet you’re shouldering the entire blame. Your Majesty… is this how deeply you love her?”

Hongli was silent for a very long time—so long it seemed he was questioning his own heart. Finally, he slowly arrived at an answer: “Yes. I love her.”

The Empress Dowager stared at him in disbelief. An emperor falling so deeply in love with one woman—was this a blessing or a disaster? Countless thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. At last, her expression darkened, and she said coldly: “I am the Empress Dowager. I have been played for a fool for so long. Your Majesty, I can forgive your filial piety—but I cannot forgive her!”

“Empress Dowager…” Hongli was taken aback. Suddenly he saw the deep fear hidden in her eyes.

She feared he would become addicted to beauty, feared he would repeat the mistakes of countless past rulers. She intended to find any pretext to eliminate Wei Yingluo once and for all!

Hongli’s own expression gradually grew grave. Calmly, he said: “Yingluo has already suffered greatly. From this day forward, I will not allow anyone to harm her.”

The two of them stood in tense confrontation, the situation on the verge of becoming irreconcilable—when Li Yu led an imperial physician over: “Your Majesty…”

“How is she?” Hongli kept his eyes fixed on the Empress Dowager, sparing only a fraction of his attention.

The physician replied: “Consort Ling is with child. Judging from the pulse, she is already more than three months along.”

“What did you say?” Hongli froze for a moment. Then he rose abruptly, rushed to the bedside, and carefully took Wei Yingluo’s hand. The gaze he fixed on her was as precious and reverent as an emperor regarding his imperial seal.

Watching this scene, the Empress Dowager’s expression became complicated. She gave Wei Yingluo on the bed one last look, then turned and left without another word.

“This child has arrived at exactly the right moment,” Hongli murmured, gently holding Wei Yingluo’s hand. “Even the Empress Dowager cannot harm you now.”

He suddenly smiled and lightly pinched her cheek with his other hand: “All right—you can wake up now.”

Wei Yingluo sighed and slowly opened her eyes, gazing at him with a complicated expression.

She had already been awake for some time, but she hadn’t dared open her eyes because the Empress Dowager had arrived.

Though her eyes were closed, her ears were not. She had heard every single word he said—heard him take all the blame upon himself, heard him protect her regardless of the cost, heard him say… “Yes, I love her.”

“Your Majesty…” Wei Yingluo parted her lips, hesitating.

Hongli’s expression suddenly became extremely tense.

“I…” Wei Yingluo said slowly.

Hongli grew even more uneasy. Even from such a distance, one could almost hear the pounding of his heart. He was afraid—afraid that Wei Yingluo didn’t want this child, afraid that the moment she opened her mouth she would demand a bowl of abortion decoction.

“I… am ready.” A single tear suddenly slipped from the corner of Wei Yingluo’s eye. One hand slowly moved to rest on her lower abdomen as she smiled and said, “I’m ready… to love you wholeheartedly. And I’m ready… to bear children for the one I love.”

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