Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 199: Cutting the Black Locks

   There was so much deep affection hidden in Step-Empress’s eyes. Facing such a gaze, Hongli actually hesitated.

“Noble Consort Ling, please.”

Both of them turned their heads at the same time. A eunuch respectfully lifted the curtain, and then Wei Yingluo stepped out from behind it.

Step-Empress stared at her fixedly. “You’re actually still alive?”

Not only alive, but alive and perfectly well—not a single injury on her from head to toe. How different from herself: her fingers covered in blisters, the sleeves of her robe scorched and charred. She looked both pitiful and ridiculous.

“Empress,” Li Yu said, “when the incident occurred, His Majesty ordered this servant to protect Noble Consort Ling. Naturally she emerged unscathed.”

Step-Empress looked at the completely unharmed Wei Yingluo, then at the guards standing respectfully behind her, and suddenly scoffed with icy disdain.

“When the fire broke out on the ship, the first person I thought of was you. Your Majesty, look at my hands.” She slowly turned toward Hongli and raised both hands, blistered and raw. “Look—these were burned when I rushed through the door to save you. It hurt so much, so very much, but I have no regrets. At that moment there was only one thought in my heart: even if I couldn’t save you, at least we could die together. But Wei Yingluo…”

Her tears suddenly fell, cutting clean tracks through the soot that the earlier flames had left on her face.

“What has Wei Yingluo ever done for you?” Step-Empress asked him through her sobs. “You stayed behind to act as bait, yet you sent her away and dispatched every guard around you to protect her! On what grounds? She never thinks of you. She doesn’t even love you—she only loves herself!”

But why… why are your eyes only ever on her?

I have given you so much, yet you turn a blind eye—even to the blisters on my hands, to my pain, to my tears.

“Empress…” Hongzhou looked at her, and as though sharing her pain, tears also fell from his eyes.

These two people were actually a perfectly matched pair of pitiful souls—both in love with the same cold, indifferent man who would never look back at them, never care for them.

Hongli said coldly: “Take her away.”

Without waiting for the eunuch to step forward, the Step-Empress suddenly turned and lunged at a guard. Ignoring everything, she drew the sword from his waist and pointed the blade directly at Wei Yingluo, looking utterly mad.

Amid waves of screams, Hongli strode forward quickly, shielding Wei Yingluo in front of him. He stared warily at the Step-Empress: “Have you truly gone insane?”

The Step-Empress looked at him and smiled. “Your Majesty, Empress Xiaoxian loved you, but she loved freedom even more. Noble Consort Hui loved you, but she loved the Gao family more. Consort Chun never had you in her heart. As for the others, all they see are these dragon robes and boundless wealth! In the entire harem, there is only one person… who truly loved you as a man.”

Her eyes held only Hongli, but Hongli’s eyes were fixed solely on the knife in her hand. He said coldly, “Put down the knife!”

“Do you think I want to kill her?” The Step-Empress gave a bitter, tragic laugh. “I originally intended to kill her, but now… there’s no need anymore.”

With one motion she tore off the flag headdress from her hair. Her long hair cascaded like a waterfall down her shoulders. She raised the knife horizontally — a sound like tearing silk rang out… and she actually swung the blade to cut off her own black tresses.

“You really have gone mad!” The Empress Dowager was so shocked she clutched her prayer beads tightly, murmuring “Amitabha” over and over.

Among the Manchus, cutting one’s hair was forbidden except during national mourning; in the most serious interpretation, such an act could even be seen as cursing Hongli and cursing the Empress Dowager.

Only the Step-Empress herself knew in her heart: by severing her hair, she was also severing the threads of love.

“The Empress’s behavior is deranged and resembles madness. Immediately escort her back to the Forbidden City.” Hongli coldly pronounced the final verdict. “And the Prince He… take him as well!”

Neither the Step-Empress nor Hongzhou resisted. Both of them had lost the most important thing in their lives that night. The pain in their hearts had already surpassed life and death.

Only Zhener, when the eunuch came to take her, suddenly broke free of his grip, pulled out her hairpin, and rushed toward Yuan Chunwang: “You lied to me!”

But Yuan Chunwang had been prepared long ago. He snatched the hairpin from her, then reversed it and drove it straight into her chest.

Zhener collapsed at his feet. In her dying moments, using her last bit of strength, she said to him: “Liar… you’ve been lying to me all along… ten years… you lied to me for ten years…”

Yuan Chunwang didn’t even glance at her. He knelt toward Hongli and said: “Your Majesty, this slave was forced by the Empress’s power and had no choice but to aid the tyrant in his evil deeds. I am willing to point out to Your Majesty the officers in Shanpu Battalion who have been bribed. I beg you, in consideration of this slave’s merit in atoning for my crimes, to spare this slave’s life.”

Looking at Zhener, who had breathed her last at his feet, Wei Yingluo scoffed with icy disdain: “The one who planned all of this actually claims he was forced by others — how truly laughable.”

Everyone looked at her in astonishment. What was she saying? This eunuch had planned the entire rebellion?

   Wei Yingluo stepped forward slowly until she stood beside him, looking down at him from above: “I sent people to your hometown — the Taihang Mountains.”

Yuan Chunwang’s expression changed. The Empress Dowager’s expression also changed. Suddenly she spoke: “Everyone, leave us.”

The others all withdrew, leaving only the Empress Dowager, Hongli, Yingluo, and Yuan Chunwang in the room.

The Empress Dowager carefully studied Yuan Chunwang’s face. The more she looked, the graver her expression became: “Yingluo, who exactly is he?”

“Empress Dowager, you once said that during the Emperor Yongzheng’s time, when he was pursued and attacked, Lady Qian drew away the pursuers. Later, the Emperor Yongzheng hid in a peasant family.” Wei Yingluo said calmly, “And he is the son born to the peasant woman who took in the Emperor Yongzheng back then.”

Yuan Chunwang raised his head to look at her, feigning confusion: “Noble Consort Ling, what are you talking about?”

“Xiaoquanzi went without sleep for days and only just arrived on the boat today. He also brought along a neighbor who witnessed everything back then. Would you like to meet them?” Wei Yingluo asked.

The deliberately feigned confusion finally vanished from his face. He smiled like a brilliantly venomous snake: “Good little sister, since I can’t stop you anyway, go ahead and tell them everything about me.”

Wei Yingluo had intended to do exactly that all along — she needed no prompting from him.

“Empress Dowager, he claims to have Aisin Gioro blood flowing in his veins, yet he was maliciously retaliated against by the former Prince Lian and sent into the palace. He instigated Prince He to rebel and step by step forced the Empress — all so that he could use Prince He’s hand to murder both Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager. I suspect that once the plan succeeded and they returned to the Forbidden City, he would immediately turn on Prince He and accuse him of crimes before the imperial clan.” Wei Yingluo sighed. “In that way, everyone he hates would disappear.”

The absurdity of the matter was almost like something out of a theatrical drama. It took Hongli a long while to recover. Furious, he roared: “A mere little eunuch actually had the audacity to toy with my own younger brother in the palm of his hand!”

Yuan Chunwang smiled coyishly and slowly stood up, no longer maintaining the servile posture he had shown earlier. Now he carried himself as Hongli’s equal and spoke softly: “He is your brother, and so am I! Hongli, when you all enjoyed wealth, honor, power, and status—who ever spared a thought for the life I was living?”

There was a smile on his face, but hatred burned in his eyes.

“I was a ‘net soldier.’ Do you know what a net soldier is? The lowest-ranking eunuch in the entire Forbidden City, specially assigned to carry and dispose of the night-soil buckets!” Yuan Chunwang burst into loud laughter. “Ha! I too have the blood of the Aisin Gioro clan flowing in my veins, just like all of you. Yet you all live like proper human beings, while I live as neither man nor ghost! Is that fair? No, it’s not fair—so I want to destroy you, destroy Hongzhou, destroy the entire Aisin Gioro family!”

“What does this have to do with Yongqi?” Wei Yingluo said coldly. “Others may have wronged you, but did he wrong you too? When your misfortune happened, he hadn’t even been born yet. Why did you swap out Ye Tianshi’s corrupted worms?”

“Foolish girl.” Yuan Chunwang looked at her the way one might look at a silly younger sister. “Those were Burmese corpse worms. They feed on corpses, devouring flesh and blood until they become incomparably venomous. You saved Yongqi… but you doomed yourself. Look at your own hand.”

Reflexively, Wei Yingluo hid her hand behind her back, but Hongli grabbed it and pulled it forward. The back of her hand was pitch black; the wound was still oozing dark blood that carried a foul, rotting stench.

Hongli demanded harshly, “Yuan Chunwang—where is the antidote?”

“There is none.” Even if there had been one, Yuan Chunwang would never have given it. He gazed tenderly at Wei Yingluo. “Yingluo, you once promised to stay with me in the Yuanmingyuan. You broke your vow. That’s all right—I’ll help you fulfill it. One month… or perhaps even sooner. It will start from your hand. Bit by bit you will rot away until nothing remains but a puddle of bloody water. Don’t be afraid. I will wait for you down in the Yellow Springs. I will wait for you forever! Hahahaha!”

The more he spoke, the happier he became, as though he had finally achieved his heart’s desire. In the end he threw his head back and laughed wildly.

Hongli had no time to deal with this madman. He kept shouting urgently: “Li Yu! Li Yu! Quickly summon Ye Tianshi!”

The Empress Dowager, however, continued to turn the prayer beads in her hand. After murmuring “Amitabha,” she suddenly spoke: “The previous Emperor never had any illegitimate child left outside the palace. You are not a descendant of the Aisin Gioro family.”

Yuan Chunwang’s laughter stopped abruptly. He glared at the Empress Dowager. “You’re lying!”

The Empress Dowager said calmly, “Would I not know whether the late Emperor had any private children or not? You claim to be his son—what proof do you have?”

Yuan Chunwang retorted, “When he was recovering from injury in my maternal grandmother’s house, he left behind a complete set of prince’s robes. Isn’t that proof enough?”

The Empress Dowager smiled. “Lady Qian, in order to help the late Emperor escape, exchanged clothes with him. A gold-threaded python robe—how precious. Would bandits really let such a thing go? As for who took advantage of the situation to violate a peasant girl… that remains unknown.”

Yuan Chunwang shouted furiously, “Impossible!”

The Empress Dowager looked at him with pity. “Look at you—what a handsome young man you could have been. You might have married, had children, and lived a peaceful life like any ordinary person. But because of a misunderstanding, you came all the way to the Forbidden City and ended up crippled and ruined. No wonder you hate, no wonder you resent. But alas—you have hated the wrong people and resented the wrong ones. The late Emperor never had a son like you, and the present Emperor has never had a brother like you. You spent your whole life using every means at your disposal for revenge, and in the end it was all for nothing. How pitiful… truly pitiful.”

Every person needs something to live for.

What had kept Yuan Chunwang alive through this miserable existence was revenge.

Without that pursuit, that obsession, that goal, he would have gone mad long ago—or simply died.

“Impossible…” Now the Empress Dowager’s words had shattered his entire belief system. Everything he had once fought for—Yuan Chunwang screamed like a madman: “Impossible! Impossible! It was you who wronged me! I haven’t taken revenge on the wrong people—I’m not wrong!”

“Guards!” Hongli, having lost all patience with the lunatic, gave a loud command. “Take him away and execute him by lingchi!”

Guards rushed in from outside, bound him tightly with ropes, and were about to drag him off for execution when the Empress suddenly spoke: “Do not kill him.”

Hongli said fiercely, “Empress Dowager! This man impersonated an imperial heir and stirred up chaos—he cannot be spared lightly!”

The Empress Dowager looked at him with profound meaning. “Emperor, this time… will you listen to your Royal Mother? Please?”

Hongli looked thoughtful as he cast a disgusted glance at Yuan Chunwang, then gave a reluctant nod: “Take him away.”

“I am a prince, haha, I really am a prince…” Yuan Chunwang, hair disheveled, was dragged off while muttering to himself the whole way. “My surname is Aisin Gioro, my surname is Aisin Gioro…”

The Empress Dowager recited “Amitabha” and closed her eyes. Hongli no longer looked at him. Instead, he took Wei Yingluo’s hand and said: “Issue the decree—return to the capital at once. Summon all the imperial physicians for a joint consultation.”

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 198: The Trap

   Chaos erupted across the imperial boat, yet the area around the Step-Empress remained strangely calm.

“Your Ladyship,” said the eunuch sent by Hongzhou, “the ship is dangerous. Please follow this servant onto a small boat and leave at once.”

He had thought this would be a mere formality, but unexpectedly a sudden change occurred.

“I’m not leaving,” the Step-Empress said calmly, then turned and walked toward the deck. The eunuch was shocked and, fearing something might happen to her, quickly called several guards to follow.

The deck was in utter disorder — everywhere the sounds of fighting, everywhere corpses. One White Lotus cultist charged straight at the Step-Empress but was intercepted by the guards.

Under the protection of this group, the Step-Empress reached the outside of the Empress Dowager’s cabin.

“Why are you here?” Seeing her, Hongzhou dropped the relaxed expression he had worn and frowned.

The Step-Empress looked at the blazing cabin door; a trace of regret flickered through her eyes. “…Hongzhou, he is, after all, your own blood brother.”

“What — now that things have come this far, you’re regretting it? It’s too late!” Hongzhou suddenly raised his voice and shouted, “The Emperor is no longer here — I must take charge of the situation! If the fire spreads, the entire ship will be reduced to ashes! Empress, please consider the bigger picture and think of the hundreds of lives aboard this vessel!”

The arrow was already on the string; it had to be released. Even if the Step-Empress regretted it, he did not. So he continued to play out the act.

“Get out of the way!” But the Step-Empress refused to go along with him. Seeing that he would not help, she charged toward the flames alone. The fire surged forward and licked her fingers, instantly blistering them with several burns. She clenched her teeth and was just about to rush through the door when — with a deafening boom — her mind spun…

Hongzhou withdrew the hand that had struck her unconscious. The Step-Empress swayed and fell into his arms.

“My lord,” Yuan Chunwang quietly reminded him, “the White Lotus rebels will be upon us any moment.”

Hongzhou looked down at the unconscious Step-Empress in his arms. For a long while he was unwilling to let go. Finally, reluctantly, he handed her over to Yuan Chunwang and instructed: “The flower hall is heavily guarded. Escort the Empress there. Leave the White Lotus rebels to me. After suppressing the rebellion, I will join you.”

Even without her cooperation, he would finish this performance alone.

Hongzhou led his men to the deck, drew his sword, pointed it toward the sky and declared: “The White Lotus cultists have set fire to the ship and committed treason! Kill them all on the spot — leave none alive!”

Yet the people he truly intended to kill were not this group of White Lotus followers he had deliberately lured here.

“How are things going?” While everyone else was busy slashing and killing, he asked the little eunuch beside him.

The other man replied nervously: “The latest report just came in — it says the Fifth Prince is not in his own cabin…”

“What did you say?” Hongzhou’s face instantly darkened.

The eunuch cautiously explained, “Just now there was chaos and fighting all over the ship. He must have taken advantage of the confusion to escape. This servant will immediately send people to pursue him!”

“Search the entire ship,” Hongzhou said, enunciating each word heavily. “Not a single person must be allowed to slip away!”

But before the man could leave, another person came to report: “Your Highness, the Prefect of Hangzhou has sent reinforcements!”

Hongzhou was stunned. “So quickly?”

Plans can never keep up with changes. The Step-Empress’s sudden change of heart, the Prefect of Hangzhou’s unexpectedly early arrival—one unexpected event after another—caused a trace of foreboding to rise in Hongzhou’s heart. But he quickly forced it down, thinking to himself: No matter how many surprises occur, it doesn’t matter. After all… Hongli is already dead.

As long as he was dead, no matter what unexpected things happened, his plan could still be considered a success.

“Let’s go.” Hongzhou straightened his robes. “Accompany this prince to meet the Prefect of Hangzhou.”

The White Lotus cultists had only relied on their numbers. When it came to real skill, they were no match for regular troops. Now, with the addition of Hangzhou’s soldiers, they were quickly defeated. As dawn approached, more and more blood pooled on the deck, the sounds of slaughter grew quieter and quieter, and most of the White Lotus followers had become corpses.

Yet inside the flower hall, the atmosphere was thick with gloom; not a single face showed a smile.

“Last night, a fire broke out in the Empress Dowager’s cabin. His Majesty, disregarding his own safety, rushed into the blaze to rescue her. Who could have known that a beam would collapse and block the cabin door? His Majesty and the Empress Dowager both…” Hongzhou choked with sobs. “It is all my fault. If only I had charged into the fire ahead of Imperial Brother, how could such a thing have happened!”

When Lu Wanwan and Naran Chuxue heard this, they could not help but burst into tears together. Naran Chuxue cried while cursing: “Useless trash! You’re all useless!”

The Prefect of Hangzhou had already turned deathly pale. He had arrived too late to rescue the Emperor, and the Emperor had died within his jurisdiction—his official hat was certainly lost, and who knew what other punishments awaited. His legs gave way; he dropped to his knees and pounded his chest, wailing: “Your Majesty! This minister is incompetent! I came too late to save you—all because of my incompetence!”

The Step-Empress, who had previously fainted, was awakened by their weeping and shouting. She said nothing, merely watching Hongzhou’s performance with cold eyes.

Halfway through his act, Hongzhou gave Yuan Chunwang a meaningful glance. Understanding immediately, Yuan Chunwang spoke up: “Now is not the time for grief. Prince He must take charge of the overall situation! The officials along the coast are all awaiting the imperial procession. What should we do now?”

All the previous drama had merely been groundwork. Hongzhou shook out his robes, ready to step fully onto the stage—when suddenly the ink-wash painting hanging on the wall of the flower hall trembled. Then it emitted a long creak—squeeeak.

Behind the painting was a door. The panels slid open to both sides, and Hongli emerged, supporting the Empress Dowager. His gaze swept across the room and finally settled on Hongzhou’s face. With a half-smile that was not quite a smile, he said: “Oh, everyone is here.”

Hongzhou snapped out of his shock and, forcing himself to remain calm, bowed: “Imperial Brother, this younger brother failed to arrive in time to protect you and nearly caused a great disaster. I beg Imperial Brother to punish me. But how is it that Imperial Brother came out from…”

Hongli smiled. “When this dragon boat was designed, a secret passage was built in.”

…Why didn’t I know about it? A chill ran through Hongzhou’s heart.

Seeing that Hongli was still alive, no one was happier than the Prefect of Hangzhou. Not only had he kept his official position, he had also saved his entire clan. Overcome with joy, he wept: “This minister arrived too late to rescue you and felt deep fear and shame. But now that Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager are safe, it is a blessing for the people and for the realm!”

Hongli nodded. “You did very well—faster than both the Shanpu Battalion and the Imperial Guards stationed on shore.”

The Prefect of Hangzhou was startled and cast an almost imperceptible glance toward the Step-Empress.

The Empress Dowager asked in confusion, “The Imperial Guards are responsible for security on shore. Even if their camp was far away and they couldn’t see the fire on the boat, every day riders accompany the vessel, specifically tasked with surveillance. How could they not have reported it?”

Hongli said coldly, “Bring him in.”

A soldier was dragged forward and forced to kneel before the assembly.

“Empress Dowager,” Hongli said calmly, “this man was the soldier responsible for communication between the shore and the imperial boat. He was changed every four hours and rode alongside. When the incident occurred on the imperial vessel, instead of reporting it immediately, his first action was to flee.” Hongli looked at her. “In your opinion, why would that be?”

The Empress Dowager, having narrowly escaped death, looked at him as if he were her mortal enemy and said viciously: “Speak! Are you colluding with the White Lotus Sect?”

The soldier trembled in fear: “No, this humble servant has not!”

“You still dare deny it!” The Empress Dowager grew even angrier. “If you weren’t colluding with the White Lotus Sect, how could you dare neglect your duty so flagrantly?”

Hongli sighed: “He did not neglect his duty. He received orders from his superiors to turn a blind eye when the imperial boat caught fire. And who could have given such an order from above?”

In an instant, every gaze in the room converged on Hongzhou’s face.

He was the one in charge of security for this southern inspection tour. He was the one who could dispatch and contact the soldiers. He was the one who could issue commands to the imperial guards as their superior.

“Hongzhou!” The Empress Dowager exploded in fury. “You actually dared to commit treason!”

Hongzhou’s face filled with panic as he dropped to his knees: “Imperial Brother, the White Lotus Sect is a rebel faction plotting to overthrow our Great Qing dynasty. How could this younger brother possibly collude with them? This younger brother has not—I truly have not!”

“You ordered the extermination of every White Lotus follower, leaving not a single one alive,” Hongli said with a smile. “Unfortunately for you, the Hangzhou prefect is not under your command. They captured several alive—including those from the boat and those on shore. They can be brought here at any moment to confront you face-to-face. I, too, would like to know sooner rather than later exactly who leaked the details of the imperial boat’s defenses and who secretly colluded with the rebels. Of course… perhaps the so-called White Lotus followers—”

He narrowed his eyes, the smile slowly fading from his face as his voice turned icy cold: “—were merely assassins you yourself had raised!”

The look of panicked fear gradually drained from Hongzhou’s face. He slowly lifted his head and stared expressionlessly at Hongli: “Your Majesty… so you had already set a trap long ago, deliberately luring me in.”

The mantis stalks the cicada—yet who can know which is the mantis and which is the cicada?

   He had believed his plan flawless: first incite local officials to present slender-waisted singing girls, loudly proclaiming that Hongli’s southern tour was nothing but a pretext to select beauties and expand the inner palace. Then, when the boat was set ablaze, even if Hongli did not burn to death, he would be killed by the White Lotus followers who boarded afterward. In the eyes of the common people, an emperor addicted to pleasure and utterly debauched would truly deserve to die.

Afterward, he would eliminate every witness, return to the Forbidden City, support the Fifteenth Prince in ascending the throne, and rule from behind the curtain as Prince Regent and Imperial Uncle.

In the end, however, all his meticulous schemes had backfired and cost him his own life.

“I never imagined you would plot rebellion,” Hongli said slowly, turning his head to look at the Step-Empress. “And I never imagined you were involved as well.”

The Step-Empress’s heart jolted: “Your Majesty, Prince He committed treason—what does that have to do with me?”

Hongli said coldly: “In the chaos on the boat, Prince He sent men to surround and kill Noble Consort Ling and Yongqi. Consorts Qing and Shu received no rescue. Yet you, the Empress, had prepared a small boat from the very beginning for your own escape! I imagine that if something had happened to me, the two of you were fully prepared to install the Twelfth Prince on the throne!”

“…When the cabin was engulfed in flames, I did not leave. When the White Lotus followers attacked and massacred, I still did not leave—because you were still on the boat! And now you dare suspect me?” The Step-Empress, holding back tears, spoke with a trembling voice. “Lord Liu! Tell His Majesty—who exactly sent you the message warning that His Majesty was in danger, prompting you to rush to the rescue?”

The Hangzhou prefect hurriedly replied: “Your Majesty, it was Her Majesty the Empress who first sent word to this humble official, which allowed me to hurry here overnight!”

Hongzhou looked at the Step-Empress in disbelief. But she did not even glance at him—her eyes remained fixed unwaveringly on Hongli.

“Your Majesty and Prince He have long been at odds, and Prince He attempted to win me over—but I rejected him outright! I wanted to warn you in advance, yet Your Majesty placed such deep trust in Prince He that I dared not startle the snake by striking the grass. I also feared that both the Shanpu Battalion and the imperial guards had already been bought off. In the end, I could only send word to the nearest authority—Hangzhou!” The Step-Empress spoke with anguished sincerity. “Your Majesty, even if you suspect everyone in the world, you should not suspect me!”

Yet Hongli merely stared at her coldly. He did not believe a single word that came from her mouth, nor a single syllable she offered from her heart.

Li Yu hesitated for a moment. He was about to speak up—to tell His Majesty that no matter what the Step-Empress had done before, in the moment of crisis she truly had not fled, just as she claimed.

But the moment he opened his mouth—before he could make a sound—there was a heavy thud beside him. Yuan Chunwang had dropped to his knees ahead of him and cried out loudly: “Your Majesty! At this point, this humble servant no longer dares conceal anything for Her Majesty the Empress. She has been carrying on a private affair with Prince He. Their intention was to assassinate Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager during the southern tour, plotting to place the Twelfth Prince on the throne as emperor. It is truly detestable—she deserves to die!”

The Step-Empress looked at him in utter disbelief.

“If the Emperor does not believe me, you may search Prince He’s person.” Yuan Chunwang said in his soft, effeminate tone, “…One search and the truth will be known.”

Hongli ordered sharply: “Search him!”

“Don’t touch me!” Hongzhou struggled fiercely, but he could not break free. A jade pendant slipped from his robes and fell to the ground with a clear “clink,” cracking open with a visible fissure.

The moment Step-Empress saw the jade pendant, her face turned deathly pale. She started forward to pick it up, but Hongli was faster. He took the jade into his hand, turning it over slowly. His expression grew darker and darker as suspicion filled his eyes when he looked at her. “Empress, I personally saw you wear this jade pendant before. Now… what do you have to say for yourself?”

Step-Empress’s face was as white as paper. Suddenly she whirled around and slapped Zhener hard across the face. “You actually betrayed me!”

Though Yuan Chunwang was useful, he was a white-eyed wolf who could never be truly tamed. Therefore Step-Empress used him but never trusted him, and she certainly would never allow him near her personal belongings. Only Zhener…

“Empress, this servant did not! Yuan Chunwang said everything was for Your Ladyship’s sake, for the sake of the Twelfth Prince!” But what use were such words now? Even someone as foolish as Zhener finally understood at this moment—she had been deceived by Yuan Chunwang, and worse, she had implicated the Empress. Tears streamed down her face as she crawled on her knees to Hongli. “Your Majesty, this servant stole the jade pendant. The Empress knew nothing about it—she truly knows nothing! If Her Ladyship truly intended treason, how could she have let the plan leak out?”

Hongzhou was silent for a long moment before he slowly spoke as well: “Imperial Brother, it was this younger brother who harbored improper feelings for the Empress. It has nothing to do with her. She once risked being burned to death to save you—you should not suspect her!”

But how could Hongli not suspect?

The jade was stolen by Zhener. The treason was plotted between Prince He and Yuan Chunwang. Everyone else was guilty—only she remained pure and innocent?

Hongli turned his gaze to Step-Empress and found that she was also looking at him.

“Your Majesty.” Step-Empress gazed deeply into his eyes. “I care nothing for what others think. I only want to ask you one question: do you believe me or not?”

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 197: Treating the Wound

   Before the banquet even ended, the Step-Empress found an excuse to leave. She made her way down to the secret cabin below, and sure enough, Hongzhou was already waiting for her there.

“I’ve heard everything,” he said, turning at the sound of her footsteps. “He scolded you at the banquet.”

“…You certainly keep well-informed.” The Step-Empress paused for a moment, doing her best to keep her tone even. “I only did what I was supposed to do. If he wants to indulge with Yangzhou’s whores and play the part of a debauched ruler, I cannot play the part of a muddle-headed empress. When it’s time to advise, I still have to advise.”

“He didn’t listen to your advice and instead continued to revel with Noble Consort Ling, didn’t he?” Hongzhou walked toward her, looking at her with pity. “Shushen…”

The Step-Empress interrupted him: “Prince He, you shouldn’t call me that.”

“Shushen.” Hongzhou insisted on the name. “He doesn’t cherish you—it’s his blindness! In my eyes, no matter how many years pass, you will always be that kind and upright woman from back then.”

“…I’m not.” The Step-Empress turned her face away and sighed. “I’ve changed far too much.”

“The one who made you change is Hongli.” Hongzhou spoke coldly. “Even when you were ill, he not only showed no concern—he distanced himself from you and even thought you had gone mad. A man so cold and heartless… let me ask you: is he worth it?”

Is he worth it?

The Step-Empress lowered her head. After a long silence, she slowly raised it again. In the secret cabin, only a single candle had been lit. In the flickering light, the beauty beneath the flame grew more and more captivating the longer one looked.

“All these years, only you have always stood by my side. I remember your kindness, and I understand your heart even more, Hongzhou…” She called his name gently. “I can trust you, can’t I?”

“Of course.” In his excitement, Hongzhou grasped her hand. “Trust me! I will definitely help you—help both you and your son!”

“Very well. From now on, I will continue to cooperate with your plan.” The Step-Empress unobtrusively withdrew her hand. “Until things are accomplished, we must still act as though we are not close… I should go back now.”

The moment she returned to her quarters, every trace of gentleness vanished from her face.

She spread out a sheet of xuan paper, picked up her brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote swiftly for a few moments. Then she quickly folded and sealed the letter. Finally, she opened the pigeon cage, tied the note to the pigeon’s leg, cupped the white bird in both hands, walked to the window, and with a soft whoosh, released it into the sky.

Watching the pigeon fly farther and farther until it became nothing more than a tiny speck on the horizon, the Step-Empress let out a long breath of relief.

Meanwhile, in Yongqi’s cabin, Wei Yingluo hardly dared to breathe.

This southern inspection tour was not only for official duties—it was also to find one person.

—Ye Tianshi.

This peerless physician had once briefly served as an imperial physician in the palace, but he soon grew weary of the endless scheming and intrigue and requested to resign and leave.

Now that the entire Imperial Medical Bureau was at a loss, Wei Yingluo had come to him as the last thread of hope.

Fortunately, Ye Tianshi did not disappoint her hopes.

“It can be treated.”

With just those two words, a spark of hope lit up in everyone’s eyes.

Even Yongqi, who had always been mature beyond his years and rarely showed emotion, now had a trembling voice: “Divine Physician Ye, is it really true? My leg… can still be saved?”

Ye Tianshi lightly tapped Yongqi’s knee with a small wooden hammer. Yongqi frowned slightly, and the physician actually smiled. “Of course it can be saved. If the meridians in the leg were truly severed, there would be no sensation at all in the right leg. Since you still have some response, there is hope. However…”

“However what?” Wei Yingluo asked urgently.

“First, we must remove the necrotic flesh and rejoin the broken bone. Most people cannot endure that level of pain. That’s one difficulty. Second…” Ye Tianshi hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose to speak the truth, “the success rate is only about forty percent. And even if the bone is successfully reconnected, there will likely be many complications in the future—joint deformity, abscess in the bone, bone rotting…”

Wei Yingluo couldn’t bear to hear any more. Halfway through, she turned to Yongqi and said, “Fifth Prince, perhaps… we should forget about it.”

But Yongqi shook his head firmly. “I’m willing to try.”

“Fifth Prince!”

She was about to persuade him further when Hongli took her hand and half-pulled, half-dragged her out of the room.

On the deck, the sea breeze was blowing. The two stood side by side at the bow of the ship. Wei Yingluo looked sullen and refused even to glance at him.

“You’re really angry,” Hongli said helplessly. “Yongqi is my son. I understand him better than anyone. Forcing him to spend the rest of his life hobbling on crutches would be worse than killing him.”

Only then did Wei Yingluo speak. “Even if he could never stand again, it would still be better than losing his life!”

“You could lie in bed forever and let me peel grapes and feed you watermelon,” Hongli said with a wry smile, “but Yongqi cannot. Besides, he’s no longer a child. You have to respect his choice.”

Wei Yingluo opened her mouth, but the words turned into a sigh. Deep down she knew he was right, yet emotionally she still couldn’t accept it. So she began to sulk, shaking off his hand. “I’m going back in to see the Fifth Prince.”

Yongqi indeed agreed to the treatment.

The procedure was every bit as agonizing as Ye Tianshi had described. When Wei Yingluo entered, the physician was just opening a bamboo tube. The eunuchs and palace maids behind him caught a glimpse of what was inside and instinctively stepped back.

“Fifth Prince, this is a kind of carrion worm. It specializes in devouring necrotic flesh from wounds… Don’t move!” As Ye Tianshi carefully poured the tiny insects onto Yongqi’s wound, he gave a stern warning: “Whatever you do, do not move!”

Watching the dense swarm of small insects crawl onto Yongqi’s wound, Wei Yingluo felt her scalp go numb. She quickly turned her face away, unable to watch. Suddenly, a miserable scream rang out beside her ear, followed by Ye Tianshi’s panicked cry: “Something’s wrong!”

Wei Yingluo whipped her head back. “What happened?”

On the bed, Yongqi had already fainted at some point. Ye Tianshi was leaning over the edge of the bed, pinching one of the small insects between two fingers from the wound. After examining it for a moment, cold sweat broke out on his forehead. “This… this isn’t a carrion worm… What is this?”

The eunuchs and palace maids in the room had already been so frightened that they retreated to the doorway. One of them, moving like a thief, slipped silently out the door.

Though Wei Yingluo sensed something odd, right now her only concern was Yongqi’s injury. She rushed forward. Seeing the insects, bloated and swollen like spiders after gorging on blood and flesh, she cried out in horror: “Zhenzhu! Call someone—quick, call for help!”

One of the insects, still insatiable, began burrowing deeper into the flesh. Terrified, Wei Yingluo was suddenly reminded of Ming Yu—of the silver needle that had pierced deep into her organs and ultimately taken her life. Without thinking, she reached out to grab it. The startled insect turned its head and bit down hard on her finger.

“Oh heavens!” Ye Tianshi let out a sharp scream, equally horrified. “Someone! Help! Come quickly!”

Seeing that Wei Yingluo herself had already collapsed, no one else dared to touch those cursed things anymore. One by one they rushed out to call for help, only to have their wrists grabbed the moment they reached the deck: “Quick, come help!”

The eunuch was stunned. “The Fifth Prince needs people over there…”

“The Empress Dowager needs people even more!” The other person dragged him along. “Hurry, help put out the fire! The Empress Dowager’s cabin is on fire!”

A wave of scorching heat swept across the deck, and the source turned out to be none other than the Empress Dowager’s cabin.

A water bucket was forcibly shoved into the eunuch’s hands. He rushed forward with the crowd, but before he could even splash the water out, a series of cracking sounds came from the opposite side — a beam had collapsed, completely blocking the cabin door.

Li Yu screamed: “The Emperor! The Emperor and the Empress Dowager are still inside! Save His Majesty! Hurry, someone come save His Majesty!”

With this shout, more and more soldiers surged toward the cabin.

“Help! Save His Majesty!” Hongzhou also shouted the same words, but while his mouth called out, his feet were quietly moving toward the back of the crowd. Suddenly a great commotion erupted from behind the people — men and women, old and young, all shouting in unison:

“The great calamity has arrived, heaven and earth are plunged into darkness, the sun and moon give no light! The Yellow Heaven is dying, the Azure Heaven shall rise! Kill the tyrannical ruler, and the world will undergo a great change!”

They’ve finally come, Hongzhou thought to himself. Yet out loud he shouted: “Not good! The White Lotus cult rebels have taken advantage of the chaos to attack the ship!”

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 195: The Culprit

In the Imperial Garden, the flowers and plants suddenly swayed. A cricket leapt out from the bushes, and right behind it, a little boy also pounced out.

“Fifteenth Prince!” A guard hurriedly rushed over and helped the rolling boy up from the ground.

The little boy still had grass clippings on his head and body, but he didn’t care. He anxiously brought his small fist up to his eyes, then carefully opened it to look inside. A cricket’s chirp came from within his palm, and he immediately broke into a smile—innocent and adorable.

This child was the Fifteenth Prince, Yongyan, the youngest son of Wei Yingluo, and also the adopted son of Consort Qing. Unlike his mother, he was very well-liked. Not only did his birth mother and adoptive mother adore him, but many concubines in the harem who had no children of their own also loved him. Even Nalan Chuxue, who had long-standing enmity with Wei Yingluo, liked to keep him by her side to play with. In order to see him more often, she had even set aside her old grudges with Wei Yingluo.

Yongyan carefully closed his palm around the cricket and headed toward the Imperial Study, intending to give this sweetly singing little insect to his teacher.

“Ouch.” As he turned a corner, there came a startled cry. A eunuch collided with him. Yongyan fell flat on his bottom, and the small satchel on his back burst open, scattering brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone all over the ground.

“This servant deserves to die.” The eunuch pressed his cap brim very low and bowed his head even lower, making his face impossible to see clearly. His voice sounded pleasant, and his movements were deft. In no time he had gathered everything up neatly and presented it to Yongyan with both hands. “This servant deserves ten thousand deaths. Please forgive me, Fifteenth Prince!”

Yongyan smiled at him, not minding the collision at all. He reached out to take the satchel and continued on toward the Imperial Study with his guard, completely unaware that behind him, the eunuch was kneeling respectfully on the ground—yet the corners of his mouth were slowly curling upward.

Not long after, someone rushed out of the Imperial Study and hurried straight into Yanxi Palace.

Inside Yanxi Palace, Consort Qing (Lu Wanwan) was visiting Wei Yingluo. Consort Qing held a toothpick with a slice of apple speared on it; before she could bring it to her mouth, the eunuch threw himself to his knees before her, panting heavily:

“Noble Your Ladyship Consort Ling! Your Ladyship Consort Qing! The Fifteenth Prince has met with misfortune!”

The apple slipped from her fingers and fell. Lu Wanwan and Wei Yingluo rose at the same moment, almost speaking in unison:

“What happened to the Fifteenth Prince?”

The child was quickly carried back to Yanxi Palace. His tiny body curled up inside the bed curtains, emitting soft whimpers like an injured young animal. Hearing him cry, Lu Wanwan also began to weep. Wei Yingluo felt terrible inside and kept pressing the imperial physician:

“How is he?”

The physician carefully took the pulse, then lifted Yongyan’s eyelids to examine his eyes. Finally he gave his conclusion:

“The Fifteenth Prince has been poisoned.”

Fortunately the dose was not heavy. The physician prepared licorice boiled with honey water and fed it to Yongyan. Only then did the boy stop trembling and quietly fall asleep in Lu Wanwan’s arms.

“You tell me.” Wei Yingluo summoned the prince’s personal maid. “What exactly happened? How did the Fifteenth Prince get poisoned? What kind of poison was it?”

The whole incident was extremely strange. Yongyan was always accompanied by people, and every meal he ate was inspected beforehand. When and where had the poison been administered?

“The poison was on this.” The maid presented a tray with both hands. On it lay a single writing brush; the ink on the tip had dried and had not been washed off. “Before writing, His Highness has the habit of moistening the brush tip in his mouth. Someone put poison on the weasel-hair brush. Fortunately His Highness is blessed with great fortune—today, halfway through writing, Master Liu saw the brush and liked it so much that he insisted on taking it to admire and play with…”

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Wanwan rushed out of the palace. Wei Yingluo was stunned and called after her:

“Where are you going?”

“I know who the culprit is,” Lu Wanwan said through gritted teeth.

The two of them soon found Nalan Chuxue.

“Yongyan is only six years old—how could you lay such a vicious hand on him!” For once Lu Wanwan lost her usual composure. She threw herself forward and began to grapple with her in a furious fight, looking exactly like a mother beast protecting her cub.

“What are you talking about? Let go! Let go of me!” Nalan Chuxue struggled.

Wei Yingluo quickly ordered people to pull the two women apart. Even so, Lu Wanwan still glared ferociously at the other woman:

“The weasel-hair brush was the one you gave him! There was poison on it! Yongyan has already been poisoned! He’s just a six-year-old child—how could your heart be so cruel!”

Naran Chuxue finally understood her purpose. First shocked, then furious, she said: “The wolf-hair brush was something I bought at a high price from Liulichang. I can swear to heaven that I never tampered with it! Besides, use your head for a moment—if the brush really was the problem and I was the one who gave it to you, do you think I could escape blame? This is a frame-up, a deliberate frame-up!”

Lu Wanwan said angrily: “The brush and ink passed only through your hands and mine. Who else could possibly frame you?”

Naran Chuxue scoffed with icy disdain: “The Fifth Prince has become useless, the Fourth Prince has been sent to the Imperial Clan Court. If even Yongyan were gone… who do you think would benefit in the end, like a fisherman reaping the rewards?”

Lu Wanwan sucked in a sharp breath and blurted out: “The Twelfth Prince?”

Once suspicion took root, everything about the Step-Empress seemed suspicious.

“How dare she—on the surface so quiet and proper, yet behind the scenes so vicious. She’s harmed one after another, and now she’s dragged me into it too.” Naran Chuxue ground her teeth. “This cannot just be let go. I’m going to tell the Empress Dowager!”

“Calm down. There are too many holes in this matter—it doesn’t look like the Empress’s handiwork,” Wei Yingluo advised.

The person who understands you best in the world is not your friend, but your enemy. Wei Yingluo had clashed with the Step-Empress for a long time and knew her character best. If the Step-Empress truly wanted to deal with someone, she would never dirty her own hands—she would find every possible way to make others do the deed for her.

But right now, neither Naran Chuxue nor Lu Wanwan would listen to her. The two of them went arm in arm to the Empress Dowager’s palace and lodged a fierce complaint against the Step-Empress.

The Empress Dowager had always disliked the Step-Empress. Now, having been given “evidence” against her—without bothering to verify whether it was true or false—she immediately summoned her and barked: “Kneel!”

The Step-Empress was stunned. Seeing the Empress Dowager’s dark expression, she had no choice but to kneel and say: “This consort does not know what offense I have committed to anger Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. Please enlighten me.”

The Empress Dowager stared at her coldly: “As long as you behave yourself and manage the inner palace properly, I was willing to let all past matters go. I never expected you to grow tired of being Empress and instead fixate on pushing the Twelfth Prince forward—do you really think you can climb even higher?”

Even if such thoughts had crossed her mind, she could never admit them aloud. The Step-Empress hurriedly defended herself: “Empress Dowager! Such a treasonous idea—I wouldn’t even dare to think it! I don’t know who has been stirring trouble behind my back. This is slander, this is framing! I have devoted myself wholeheartedly to managing the inner palace and serving the Empress Dowager with filial piety. I have never harbored disloyal thoughts!”

“People suffer because they are never satisfied—having taken Long, they still covet Shu!” The Empress Dowager, however, believed none of it. She tossed out one final sentence: “Kneel here for the duration of one stick of incense and reflect properly!” TN: having taken Long, they still covet Shu Long come from Longxi which was an administrative and strategic important region while Shu was one of the fertile, taking Long while coveting Shu simply means taking something and yet after having it your desire grows for something bigger and larger

   The Step-Empress had come without understanding why and was now kneeling without understanding why. Gritting her teeth, she shuffled forward on her knees a few steps and cried: “Empress Dowager, even if you have a million accusations, at least allow me to explain!”

The Empress Dowager refused her even the chance to explain. Without turning back, she said: “I don’t want to hear any of those filthy matters. Remember just one thing: as Empress, you are responsible for the care and protection of the imperial heirs. If any prince or princess in the Forbidden City comes to harm again—regardless of who is responsible—you will be charged with dereliction of duty!”

She claimed she was enforcing justice impartially, but in the Step-Empress’s heart, it felt like: when one is determined to condemn, one can always find a pretext.

One stick of incense does not take long, yet for the Step-Empress it felt as though she had knelt for dozens or hundreds of years—until even her heart had turned to stone.

Zhener supported her arm and cautiously escorted her back to Chengqian Palace. The parrot that Hongzhou had once sent had now grown tame. The moment it saw her, it called out from its perch: “Long live the Empress! Long live the Empress!”

Seeing that its food box was empty, the Step-Empress told Zhener to add some feed and water. She herself sank wearily into a chair, rubbing her temples as she said: “Who exactly is stirring things up behind the scenes, making the Empress Dowager hate me so much? Consort Shu? Consort Qing? Or—is it Wei Yingluo?”

“Consort Qing doesn’t have the guts, Consort Shu doesn’t have the brains—it must be Consort Ling!” Zhener said indignantly while refilling the parrot’s water. “The thief crying ‘thief’—I think she’s the one who poisoned the Fifteenth Prince herself and then pinned it on you!”

But the Step-Empress did not believe it was Wei Yingluo’s doing.

Just as Wei Yingluo understood her, she also understood Wei Yingluo. That woman was deeply scheming, yes—but she was not the type to use her own child as a chess piece.

If not her, then who?

“Your Ladyship.” A soft, serpentine voice—distinctive enough to recognize instantly—belonged to Yuan Chunwang. He entered slowly from outside. “The Prince He has a message for you, which he asked me to deliver.”

The Step-Empress frowned in displeasure: “Why have you gone to see him again?”

In this time of storm and turmoil, Step-Empress was determined to protect herself and act with utmost caution. She would not do anything that could easily give rise to misunderstanding, nor would she meet anyone who might easily cause suspicion—including Hongzhou.

“Prince He has heard about your situation and is furious beyond measure. He intended to go to the Empress Dowager to demand justice on your behalf, but unexpectedly, the Emperor was also present there.” Yuan Chunwang raised one finger and pressed it to his lips. “Although it was not intentional eavesdropping, in the end he still overheard a shocking piece of news…”

Step-Empress understood what he meant. With a glance toward the surroundings, the eunuchs and palace maids serving in the room all withdrew, leaving only Zhener still standing by her side.

“Speak,” Step-Empress said. “What news?”

Yuan Chunwang replied, “Prince He said that the Emperor intends to confer upon Noble Consort Ling the title of Imperial Noble Consort.”

Step-Empress was stunned for a long while before she suddenly stood up and cried, “Impossible, absolutely impossible! I am still standing here perfectly well—how could the Great Qing have an Imperial Noble Consort while the Empress is alive!”

In that instant, an indescribable bitterness surged in Step-Empress’s heart.

The Empress Dowager no longer believed in her. Could it be that… the Emperor no longer believed in her either?

“Empress, since the founding of the Great Qing, aside from Empress Xiaoxian of the Donggo clan, the title of Imperial Noble Consort has only been granted when a Noble Consort was gravely ill and beyond recovery, or…” Yuan Chunwang sighed, “when there was no Empress in the Forbidden City, and an Imperial Noble Consort was established to oversee palace affairs in her place. There has never been a precedent for appointing a deputy empress while a legitimate empress is still in position. And the Emperor also said…”

“What else did he say?” Step-Empress asked numbly.

“The Emperor said that since you; the Empress is ill, you should focus on recuperating properly.” Although Yuan Chunwang’s tone remained respectful, his eyes constantly observed her expression. “By doing this, the Emperor intends to completely strip away your authority. Once this matter spreads, how will the civil and military officials, and the people of the Great Qing, regard it? They will believe that the Empress has committed an unforgivable crime, which is why her rightful honor as Empress is being taken away!”

Step-Empress slowly sank back into the chair, as if she had turned into a statue of stone. After a long silence, she spoke in an expressionless voice: “When?”

Yuan Chunwang looked at her, puzzled.

“When will the formal investiture take place?” Step-Empress’s voice concealed the molten lava about to erupt from a volcano.

The corner of Yuan Chunwang’s mouth lifted in an almost imperceptible arc before he replied respectfully, “Upon the return from the southern inspection tour.”

“Southern tour.” Step-Empress chewed the words in her mouth for a moment, then said coldly, “Yuan Chunwang, go to Prince He on my behalf and tell him—”

Seeing that even now she was still hesitating, Yuan Chunwang pushed her further, feigning indignation on her behalf: “Empress, the Emperor is preparing to hand over all authority to Noble Consort Ling. You truly cannot hesitate any longer!”

The three words “Noble Consort Ling” had already become a thorn in her eye and a dagger in her flesh. Now those three words were about to become four—Imperial Noble Consort Ling. Step-Empress could hesitate no more. Gritting her teeth, she said, “Tell Hongzhou that no matter what, I must meet him once!”

“As you command.” Yuan Chunwang replied respectfully.

After he left, Step-Empress sat alone before her dressing table, gazing at her own reflection in the mirror. She felt that her appearance had changed, that Hongli’s heart had changed, that everything in the world had changed. Unable to hold back any longer, tears streamed down her face.

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   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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