Chapter 141

The carved wooden doors creaked open, and sunlight poured into the hall through the open doorway and tall lattice windows. Wisps of incense smoke drifted lazily through the air from the Boshan incense burner.

Princess Royal Qi Shu, dressed in an elaborate dark teal palace gown, stepped into the small Buddhist hall her mother had established within her palace.

Her cloud-like hair was piled high, adorned with jeweled hairpins and ornaments. The upward sweep of her eyes was both seductive and arrogant. Her crimson lips were strikingly beautiful, and pale green silk ribbons draped around her slender waist and arms. Every gesture and movement exuded elegance and charm.

The most magnificent peony flower in all of Great Yin—she truly deserved to be called a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms.

At the center of the hall stood a white jade Guanyin statue over a foot tall. From its warm, lustrous sheen, one could tell it had been meticulously carved from a single piece of premium mutton-fat jade and was worth a fortune.

Looking at the beautiful woman kneeling on a prayer cushion with her back to her, clad in sandalwood-colored Buddhist robes, Qi Shu asked proudly, "Mother Consort summoned me here. For what reason?"

Dowager Consort An continued rolling the prayer beads in her hand—a string made of alternating white jade and emerald beads—without answering. Her lips moved softly as she continued reciting sutras.

The Buddhist hall was filled with the rich scent of Tibetan incense. The fragrance was deep, ancient, and heavy.

Qi Shu disliked it.

Seeing that her mother had called her here only to leave her standing aside, she frowned.

Usually, her mother only treated her this way when she had done something wrong.

Thinking about the matter she had recently been investigating on Gongsun Yin's behalf, her clasped hands tightened slightly.

However, the pride ingrained in her as a princess quickly concealed that brief discomfort.

Only after finishing the passage of scripture did Dowager Consort An rise and offer a stick of incense before the Guanyin statue.

Then she asked calmly, "What have you been busy with lately?"

Qi Shu replied without changing expression, "Studying the qin under Director Qin of the Bureau of Music. In my spare time, I've also copied some Buddhist scriptures for Mother Consort."

Holding the string of dual-colored beads, Dowager Consort An sat down on a chaise lounge. She lifted her eyelids slightly and glanced at her daughter.

"Only that?"

The mother and daughter resembled each other by about fifty percent, especially those enchanting eyes.

But time had left fine lines at the corners of Dowager Consort An's eyes.

Qi Shu had been spoiled and cherished since childhood and had always possessed a strong temperament.

She looked directly at the dowager consort.

"If Mother Consort doesn't trust me, why bother asking?"

Hearing her daughter's explosive reply, Dowager Consort An frowned and gently shook her head.

She asked, "Why have the people from your palace been frequently visiting the Cold Palace lately?"

Whenever Qi Shu felt guilty, her eyelashes fluttered uncontrollably.

Still, she stubbornly replied, "My palace has dozens of maids and eunuchs. How would I know what they do in private?"

Dowager Consort An's expression darkened completely.

Looking at her daughter, she called out sternly, "Shu'er!"

When Dowager Consort An was truly angry, even Qi Shu was afraid.

But she didn't dare reveal her cooperation with Xie Zheng.

Dowager Consort An knew about the emperor's attempt to arrange a marriage between her and Xie Zheng.

However, Xie Zheng had not even allowed the imperial eunuch to finish reading the decree and had cut off one of the man's ears.

His arrogance was beyond measure.

Though few people knew of the incident, Xie Zheng's refusal of the imperial decree and contempt for imperial authority had not only humiliated Qi Sheng but also her, Qi Shu. Dowager Consort An held considerable resentment toward him.

In truth, Qi Shu had secretly been delighted.

She had been the one who had found a way to pass the news to Xie Zheng.

She had simply never dared tell her mother for fear of being accused of meddling in court affairs.

Now, faced with Dowager Consort An's barely concealed anger, she carefully considered her words before saying:

"The people in my palace happened to discover a palace maid in the Cold Palace who once served in Noble Dowager Consort Jia's residence. Seeing that she was pitiful and half-crazed, they helped her a few times. Unexpectedly, they heard a shocking piece of information from her."

The moment Dowager Consort An heard there was still a palace maid from Noble Dowager Consort Jia's palace alive, the beads in her hand stopped moving.

Her expression immediately changed.

Qi Shu cautiously observed her mother's face and continued:

"The madwoman claimed that Chancellor Wei once… defiled the imperial harem and had illicit relations with one of the imperial consorts…"

Snap!

The string of prayer beads in Dowager Consort An's hand broke.

The jade and emerald beads scattered across the floor.

"Who else knows about this?"

She abruptly stood up and demanded in a sharp voice.

Her expression had never looked so terrible.

Startled by her mother's rare outburst of fury, Qi Shu's thoughts raced.

"This matter is of great importance. Besides, who knows whether the palace maid was speaking nonsense? She never even specified which of Father's consorts had been involved with Chancellor Wei. How could I dare spread such rumors?"

Only then did Dowager Consort An sit down again.

Looking exhausted, she said, "Let this matter end here. Do not investigate any further. Pretend you never heard the ramblings of that madwoman."

Qi Shu found her mother's reaction strange.

"Why? If Wei Yan truly dared commit such an outrageous crime, this charge alone would be enough to exterminate his entire clan and reclaim imperial authority from his hands."

As long as Great Yin remained ruled by the Qi family, she would always be the empire's most honored princess.

But even that honor depended on the strength of imperial authority.

For example, after Wei Yan had reduced Emperor Qi Sheng to a puppet, the entire imperial family survived only by catering to Wei Yan's whims.

Yet Dowager Consort An merely laughed coldly.

"Exterminate Wei Yan's clan? If that were possible, the steps of Taiqian Palace wouldn't have run red with blood seventeen years ago."

Taiqian Palace was the residence of generations of emperors.

Qi Shu's enchanting eyes widened.

"Wei Yan staged a coup?"

A chill spread through her limbs.

"Then Father… didn't die from illness either?"

Dowager Consort An did not answer.

She simply knelt before the Guanyin statue with her palms pressed together.

"Ask nothing. Investigate nothing. Back then, I survived because I shut my palace gates and ignored everything. Among the Four Consorts, I am the only one still alive today."

Perhaps driven by the pride of the imperial family, Qi Shu could not help demanding coldly:

"Wei Yan has humiliated our royal house to this extent. Even if my imperial brother is incompetent, rumors are spreading throughout the court that descendants of Crown Prince Chengde's elder brother still live. If we join forces with the Li family, the heavily armed Marquis Wu'an, and Grandfather's faction, I refuse to believe we can't bring down a single Wei Yan!"

Dowager Consort An raised her eyelids.

"Do you think Noble Dowager Consort Jia's family lacked power back then? Jia Min remained the emperor's favored woman even in middle age because of her family's influence. The Sixteenth Prince even attempted to compete with the Crown Prince for succession.

"And what happened in the end?

"Count through the officials in court today and see whether you can find even a single fifth-rank official surnamed Jia."

Qi Shu felt cold all over.

Her voice trembled.

"If Wei Yan truly controls everything with one hand, why… why did he support Imperial Brother's ascension to the throne?"

A thought crossed her mind.

"Could it be that Imperial Brother is actually—"

"Enough."

Dowager Consort An cut her off.

"Do not make wild guesses. Wei Yan is a mad dog. Who knows what he is plotting?

"I only have one daughter. Stay away from the affairs of the court. As long as our mother and daughter and the An family keep our heads down, we can live peacefully."

But Qi Shu stared at her mother.

"Mother Consort… do you know which consort had the affair with Wei Yan?"

—

Taiqian Palace.

Qi Sheng looked at the trembling palace maid kneeling below the steps.

Leaning against the dragon throne with one hand supporting his chin, he asked with interest:

"What did the person who visited you in the Cold Palace ask?"

The palace maid was filthy and disheveled.

Large patches of blood stained her servant's uniform.

It was obvious she had already been tortured before being brought here.

She no longer dared pretend to be insane.

Looking up at the emperor in his dragon robes, she trembled like a leaf.

"They… they didn't ask me anything. They just pitied me and gave me food a few times…"

Qi Sheng sneered.

"You've been acting crazy in the Cold Palace all these years. Why are you suddenly sane now?"

The maid trembled even harder.

She didn't know how to answer.

The chief eunuch beside Qi Sheng immediately barked:

"You wretched servant! If you dare deceive His Majesty again, you'll be dragged to the Meridian Gate and beheaded immediately!"

The maid's face turned white.

"Spare me, Your Majesty! Spare me! I only did that… to protect myself…"

She cried as she spoke.

"Everyone who served Noble Dowager Consort Jia died. Before that happened, I committed an offense and was sent to the Laundry Bureau as punishment. That's how I escaped.

"I was afraid people would discover I was the only surviving witness from Noble Dowager Consort Jia's palace. I had no choice but to pretend to be insane and hide in the Cold Palace."

She spoke earnestly.

But Qi Sheng merely slouched deeper into the dragon throne as though boneless.

He seemed entirely uninterested.

"Stuff her mouth and torture her again."

The palace maid immediately kowtowed repeatedly.

"Your Majesty! Everything I said is true! Mm—"

She could plead no further.

Several strong eunuchs quickly gagged her and pinned her limbs down.

Inside Taiqian Palace, they dared not use bloodier punishments for fear of dirtying the floor.

Instead, they brought out needles and began inserting them beneath her fingernails.

The agony of ten fingers linked to the heart was something only those who had experienced it could understand.

Within the palace, this method was often more effective than beatings.

The moment the first needle was inserted, the maid convulsed violently.

She struggled desperately on the floor.

But several eunuchs pinned her arms while pressing their knees against her legs and back.

Her screams were muffled by the cloth stuffed into her mouth.

The pain was so intense she bit through her own gums.

Blood soaked the gag crimson.

Qi Sheng did not order them to stop.

The second needle went in.

Then the third.

By the end, the maid no longer had any strength.

She lay sprawled on the floor.

Cold sweat drenched her hair and tattered clothing.

Tiny pools of blood dotted the ground beneath her hands.

Yet she was nearly numb from the agony.

Her lips were as white as her face.

Even her fingertips trembled uncontrollably from the strain on her muscles and tendons.

The chief eunuch bowed flatteringly.

"Your Majesty, the punishment is complete."

Having watched the entire process, Qi Sheng seemed to be in a much better mood.

"Now answer me. Why were you pretending to be insane in the Cold Palace?"

The steel needles still remained beneath her fingernails.

Overwhelmed by pain, the maid could barely think.

Instinctively she answered:

"To… protect myself…"

After confirming she wasn't lying, Qi Sheng's eyes suddenly lit up with strange excitement.

"Who was powerful enough to silence everyone in Noble Dowager Consort Jia's palace?"

Even after enduring such torture, the question made the maid shudder in terror.

As though speaking a forbidden name, she whispered:

"It… it was Wei Yan."

The chief eunuch was stunned.

After a brief pause, shadows crossed Qi Sheng's eyes.

"Why did he kill the people in Noble Dowager Consort Jia's palace?"

The maid's voice shook uncontrollably.

"Not only them… everyone who knew that Wei Yan had defiled the imperial harem… was killed by him."

The words struck like thunder.

Cold sweat appeared on the chief eunuch's forehead.

He had never imagined such a shocking secret lay hidden beneath everything.

Qi Sheng's face also darkened.

"You claim Wei Yan defiled the imperial harem?"

The maid nodded fearfully.

Qi Sheng sat back on the dragon throne.

"Continue the torture."

The needles had already been used.

The chief eunuch ordered the others to bring finger clamps for both her hands and feet.

Rows of slender rods trapped every finger.

Two powerful eunuchs pulled the ropes tight.

Bones warped under the pressure.

Some even snapped outright.

Held down by several eunuchs gripping her shoulders, the maid had nowhere to escape.

Her tears had long since run dry.

Her jaws ached from biting the gag.

Her mouth was filled with the taste of blood.

When the punishment finally ended, she collapsed onto the floor.

She could no longer kneel.

All she could do was mutter repeatedly:

"Please spare me… everything I said is true…"

Qi Sheng said nothing.

The chief eunuch dared not speak either.

He cautiously observed the emperor's expression.

After Crown Prince Chengde and the Sixteenth Prince died at the hands of the Northern Ques, the late emperor passed away.

Soon afterward, Wei Yan seized control of the government and elevated the powerless Qi Sheng to the throne.

Combined with the maid's revelation about Wei Yan's affair in the harem…

The chief eunuch dared not think any further.

He feared that after today, he might lose his own head as well.

Qi Sheng had begun unconsciously scratching the golden dragon carvings on the armrest again.

His bulging eyes looked especially frightening.

"Who was involved with Wei Yan?"

The maid's face was deathly pale.

"It… it was Consort Shu."

Qi Sheng suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

Consort Shu had been one of the Four Consorts.

The imperial records stated that she, like Noble Dowager Consort Jia, had died shortly after the late emperor.

An indescribable excitement once again appeared in his eyes.

"Did Wei Yan kill Consort Shu to cover up his disgrace?"

"I… I don't know…

"Back then, Consort Shu was found to be pregnant. But the timing didn't match the records kept by the Office of Imperial Attendance…

"The late emperor flew into a rage. He executed the servants in Consort Shu's palace and confined Consort Shu for questioning.

"Then one night, a fire suddenly broke out in Qingyuan Palace.

"Everything was burned to ashes.

"Consort Shu died in the flames.

"But the Imperial Guards on patrol that night… saw Wei Yan."

Qi Sheng sneered.

"How convenient. Both witnesses and evidence destroyed. Wei Yan truly is ruthless."

He stared at the maid.

"My imperial father simply tolerated such lawlessness?"

The maid answered weakly:

"The fire in Consort Shu's palace burned until dawn.

"When morning came, Wei Yan led troops in a bloody purge of the palace.

"The late emperor… and Noble Dowager Consort Jia… both died beneath Wei Yan's sword."

The muscles in Qi Sheng's face twitched violently with rage.

"Excellent. Simply excellent.

"Wei Yan defiled the imperial harem. When his crimes were exposed, he murdered the emperor, seized power, and slaughtered the palace to silence everyone.

"Very good indeed."

He made a gesture.

The chief eunuch understood immediately and ordered the young eunuchs to drag the maid away.

After returning, the chief eunuch carefully studied Qi Sheng's expression before saying:

"The Princess Royal assisted Marquis Wu'an in investigating this matter because she hoped to bring down Wei Yan. Unfortunately, all they have is the testimony of that palace maid. There is no tangible evidence."

Qi Sheng suddenly laughed coldly.

"Then I ought to thank Wei Yan.

"He's just shown me the perfect way to keep Xie Zheng on a leash."

Confusion appeared on the chief eunuch's face.

But Qi Sheng offered no further explanation.

The plan forming in his mind caused his protruding eyes to shine with eerie excitement once more.

"The blade Wei Yan forged will ultimately serve me."

—

Several days later, Xie Zheng returned in triumph through Zhengyang Gate at the head of the northern expeditionary army.

The entire capital was once again emptied into the streets.

From the northern city gate to Zhengyang Gate, every inch of the avenue was packed with citizens eager to welcome the victorious army home.

Having received the news in advance, Fan Changyu had reserved three private rooms in a restaurant overlooking the street.

She wanted Changning, Bao'er, and the others to witness Xie Zheng's triumphant return.

As for why she had booked three rooms—

It all started because Xie Wu had casually remarked that walls had ears.

After thinking it over, Fan Changyu concluded that if people could eavesdrop through one neighboring room, then she could simply rent both adjacent rooms as well.

When Xie Wu and Xie Qi heard her solution, they were speechless.

Yet somehow it sounded perfectly reasonable.

So they did exactly that.

Aunt Zhao and her husband had gone out to watch the festivities before, but ordinary days couldn't compare to today.

Looking down from the restaurant windows, they saw nothing but a sea of people.

Changning and Yu Bao'er were too short to reach the windows.

They had to stand on stools to see outside.

Worried that the Crown Prince's grandson's people might recognize Yu Bao'er, Fan Changyu had prepared painted masks for both children.

The children thought they were fun and wore them the entire time.

Since the army had not yet arrived, only noisy chatter filled the streets below.

After watching for a while, Changning and Yu Bao'er grew bored and returned to the round table to eat the pastries and dishes spread before them.

Only when deafening cheers erupted outside did the two children rush back to the window.

Aunt Zhao and her husband joined them to watch the excitement while keeping an eye on the children.

On the way there, Changning had encountered a flower seller and specially bought a basket of flower petals.

Leaning out the window, she listened to the enthusiastic cheers below and excitedly scattered petals toward the approaching army.

Then she saw the cold-faced young general atop a tall warhorse.

Her eyes widened instantly.

"Brother-in-law?"

Grabbing Yu Bao'er's sleeve, she exclaimed excitedly,

"Bao'er, look! That's my brother-in-law!"

Aunt Zhao and her husband were getting old and no longer had Changning's sharp eyesight.

Aunt Zhao squinted for a long while before saying,

"Doesn't that really look like Yanzheng?"

Carpenter Zhao nodded.

"That's right. It's Yanzheng."

Aunt Zhao immediately turned to Fan Changyu with delight.

"Changyu, come look! Yanzheng has made something of himself too! Look at him riding right at the very front! How impressive! Did he earn himself some high-ranking official position too?"

Xie Wu and Xie Qi struggled to suppress their smiles.

Thanks to her height, Fan Changyu could already see the entire street clearly from where she stood.

Of course she had spotted Xie Zheng in his black armor with qilin-shaped pauldrons, riding at the very front of the army.

But with Xie Wu and Xie Qi present, she didn't know how to answer Aunt Zhao's question.

She could only cough awkwardly and say,

"He has done pretty well."

In all of Great Yin, there was probably no one of his generation who had achieved more than he had.

Just then, perhaps sensing the many eager gazes from the restaurant windows, Xie Zheng suddenly looked up.

Their eyes met.

Fan Changyu's eyelids twitched.

For no reason at all, a wave of guilt suddenly washed over her.