The situation of Princess Xialing was eventually reported to the emperor. Just as Su Xinghe had anticipated, the emperor, having lost his beloved daughter, sat in stunned grief for quite some time.
After all, she was a child he had personally raised. Even in an ordinary family, such a loss would be heart-wrenching; how much more so in a royal family, where blood ties are even more deeply cherished.
Seated on the dragon throne, the emperor looked as though he were nearing the twilight of his life. Head bowed, his expression bleak, he said nothing. Su Xinghe and the Crown Prince stood silently by his side, and only after a long while did they hear him ask:
“When they brought her down… was there truly no breath left in her?”
He still couldn’t let go, secretly hoping there might be a chance, a reprieve. What parent in the world would bear a grudge against their own child? Even if she committed a grave crime and deserved punishment, deep down, he still cared, still hoped she wouldn’t really die. She had been so adorable as a child, nestled in his arms, looking up with a sweet smile and calling him Royal Father. And now she had come to such an end, dead, never to be seen again…
With his hands at his sides, Su Xinghe replied, “This subject was counting the servants in the courtyard when the Chief Minister of the Privy Council came to Silver Peace Hall with Your Majesty’s decree. By the time I entered, the princess had already been dead for quite some time. I went forward to check, and there was no hope of saving her.”
The emperor leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. “That child… always proud and temperamental. Every time she made a mistake, I covered for her, which only emboldened her more and more, until she eventually harbored thoughts of patricide… My long-standing approach to raising my children was flawed. I focused only on hardening my sons while treating my daughters like delicate flowers, holding them too gently in my hands. I never properly taught her how to navigate the world or conduct herself. That Princess Xialing came to this end. I’m not without blame. I always thought she would be the happiest among all the princesses… and yet…”
Seeing his grief, the Crown Prince tried to console him. “Royal Father, please do not grieve too deeply. If a father’s love for his children were a crime, then wouldn’t every parent under heaven be guilty? Of your four sons and six daughters, only this one has committed such a grave transgression. Though father and mother give the flesh and blood, a person’s temperament is set at birth. Royal Father, you need not blame yourself too much.”
The emperor gave a slight nod upon hearing this and said wistfully,
“I am getting old. Lately, I keep reminiscing about the past, thinking of the days when your mother was still alive. And now Princess Xialing has passed as well… Looking back on life, how hollow it all feels.”
The Crown Prince replied with heartfelt emotion,
“Hearing Royal Father speak this way fills your son with unease. It’s true that many things have happened lately, major and minor matters all piling up together. On top of that, Your Majesty’s health has suffered, so it’s only natural that your spirits are low. But it will pass. Once the weather warms, when new buds sprout on the branches and tender grass grows from the earth, if Your Majesty goes out for a walk, everything will feel brighter again.
Your son may not be old and has little worldly experience, but I firmly believe: there’s no hardship in this world that one cannot get through. I know that the Royal Father is deeply disheartened by what Princess Xialing did. But our family is not like an ordinary household; the Royal Father is the backbone of the Great Yin. If anything goes wrong, then no matter how many times she dies, Princess Xialing could never atone for her crime.
I mourn her as kin, but I also hate her to the core for violating both law and humanity. What kind of monstrous ambition does it take to commit such a heinous and heartless act? They couldn’t tolerate your son, this much I know. But Royal Father never treated them unjustly, and yet they could still disregard all human decency. It truly makes one gnash their teeth in fury.”
Su Xinghe listened quietly. With the Crown Prince delivering such a passionate and rousing speech, if she were the emperor, even in the midst of grief, this would surely be a moment of sudden clarity, as if awakened by a splash of cold water.
The nation comes first; the ruler comes second. This incident had shaken the very foundation of the state. With both the emperor and the Crown Prince having narrowly escaped danger, had the plot succeeded, who could say whose hands the empire would have fallen into? And now they were still grieving over the death of a mere princess? Shouldn’t they already be rounding up the culprits in one swift strike?
Su Xinghe lifted her eyes and looked up, just in time to see the emperor slowly unclench his tightly gripped fists.
“The matter at Fengchu Palace… handle it as it should be handled.”
So then, what did a woman count for, in the grand scheme of an empire? Even if she had shared the emperor’s bed for twenty years, even if she had borne children and managed palace affairs, wasn’t she still cast aside without hesitation?
Su Xinghe bowed to accept the order. The Crown Prince then brought up the case of Commander Nan Yushu, pointing out that the Ministry of Military Control (Kongrongsi) was currently in disarray, with no one overseeing it. The emperor immediately looked at Su Xinghe.
“Commander of the Jinyi Guards is a deputy command post. How could it be in disarray? For now, you take charge. Once Guo Chengzi is ready to return to the Inner Court, we’ll assign someone to fill the role.”
Although she hadn’t been directly promoted to full commander, with no one above her, she was effectively the person in charge. Of course, the emperor’s meaning was clear: women were not meant to hold office for life. Sooner or later, she would have to return to the Eastern Palace. And why return to the Inner Court? Naturally, it would be to give birth, doing what a woman was meant to do.
Su Xinghe, long accustomed to taking the fall for things, didn’t much care. What she hadn’t expected was the Crown Prince quietly adding from the side,
“At most, just for this year. Let her manage the bureau for a while; at least she gets things done. After the New Year, your son will be more diligent, and Royal Father can look forward to a grandson.”
Su Xinghe broke into a cold sweat.
As they walked out of the Hall of State Affairs, her expression was a bit awkward. She cautiously asked,
“His Majesty didn’t mention anything. Why did you walk right into the line of fire?”
The Crown Prince simply said, “Just wanted to make the old man happy.”
But now that he had expressed such joy, if nothing came of it later, wouldn’t that joy have been in vain? Su Xinghe pondered deeply but couldn’t make sense of it. The Crown Prince glanced at her meaningfully and said,
“Stop overthinking. I never make empty promises. I will have a son, that’s certain. Just not necessarily with you. It’s not like you’re the only woman in the world.”
With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and strode off.
Su Xinghe stood there dazed, staring at his retreating figure, mentally replaying what he had just said. Did he mean to have a child with another woman…?
Fine, perhaps that was for the best. Things really couldn’t be delayed any longer.
She turned her head and instructed a young eunuch nearby to go to the Office of the Inner Court and summon the Director of the Women’s Bureau to the Greenhouse Palace. Affairs of the inner palace couldn’t be handled the same way as matters outside. It was governed by the Empress and specialized bureaus for concubines. Her role was only to assist, not to take everything upon herself.
The little eunuch sprinted off to carry out the order. She headed first to the Greenhouse Palace, though she couldn’t shake a feeling of distraction. Even when the Empress spoke to her, she responded with some delay.
The Empress studied her face closely.
“Lord Su, what’s the matter? Are you unwell?”
She gave an “oh” and quickly gathered herself.
“Just didn’t sleep well last night, had to rush a case overnight. Thank Your Majesty for your concern.”
The Empress was clearly quite pleased with herself this time. As the saying goes, thirty years on the east bank, thirty years on the west, after stifling her resentment for so long, she could finally let it out. Her face bore the smile of a victor.
They held the same rank, one on the left, one on the right, constantly compared by others. And in over twenty years, she had never once prevailed. What a bitter humiliation that had been! After the former empress passed away, the Left Lady of Radiance (Zuo Zhaoyi) had taken over the management of palace affairs alone. Every time the monthly stipends were distributed, hers were no different from those of a third-ranked consort. She had endured it all these years because palace politics were ever-changing. Those who rose too high were always the first to be brought down.
And sure enough, when it came time to crown a new empress, the Left Lady Radiance was utterly defeated, and the crown landed on her own head. Later, they had hoped to make a comeback by relying on that woman’s son, but after what happened, whether it was a trap or not, the lady of Fengchu Palace was finished. Completely.
“Only by enduring the hardest hardships can one rise above others.”
As for herself, her only setback had been not having a son. But just wait a little longer; a son would come, one way or another.
The Empress sat leisurely on the southern kang bed, one hand resting on the zitan wood table, the other delicately holding a fine silver spoon, scooping up sweetened steamed curd.
“Tell them to remove the pits from the jujubes, chop them up finely, and mix them in. It aids digestion, and it tastes better that way. Eat up, now you’ve been running around outside, surely caught a bit of a cold. Eating more jujube will do you good.”
Su Xinghe accepted the lotus-leaf cup and gave thanks, even if she didn’t care for the food. She still had to show gratitude for the gesture.
Being deep within the palace, the Empress didn’t have the sharpest sources of information beyond the walls. She had only just learned from Su Xinghe about the death of Princess Xialing. Yet after carefully asking about the details, she could still eat with perfect composure.
“That eldest princess was used to being spoiled.” The Empress began reminiscing.
“Back when she was learning needlework with Yanling and the others, all the other princesses behaved, afraid of making mistakes and getting scolded by the tutor. But not her. If she wasn’t happy, she’d turn right around and curse at the tutor. During the holidays, when His Majesty came to inspect their lessons, she couldn’t keep up, so she had the maids do the embroidery for her. Who dared say a word against her?”
She paused to sip again, then smiled faintly.
“I’m not speaking ill of the dead, just making a point. A doting mother spoils the child. If Left Lady of Radiance had been stricter with her back then, things might never have come to this.”
Though her tone was humble and measured, it was hard not to hear a hint of kicking someone while they’re down. If one were to ask what the Empress Huizhen was truly thinking, she was probably just barely holding back from slapping the table and shouting, “So you’ve finally gotten what you deserve!”
Su Xinghe simply played along and echoed the sentiment. The sweet curd was overly rich and cloying; in the end, she set it down and folded her hands, saying,
“Left Lady of Radiance can hardly protect herself now. With Princess Xialing’s suicide, she’s bound to be next. All matters will need Your Majesty’s final decision.”
Just then, a palace maid approached under the eaves to report that the Director of the Women’s Bureau had arrived.
The Empress set down her dessert cup and stood, smoothing the front of her skirt. She turned back to Su Xinghe with a smile.
“Let’s go to Fengchu Palace. I’m afraid Left Lady of Radiance’s legs may be too weak; she won’t be able to walk on her own.”
Su Xinghe responded with a quiet “yes.” This wasn’t the time for her to take the lead; just standing to the side and playing a supporting role was enough.
The Director of the Women’s Bureau was quite the talker, upon seeing her, she immediately started with pleasantries, asking about the child who had been adopted by Huo Yan.
Su Xinghe answered half-heartedly, “I haven’t been to the Duke’s estate since that time. Things have been unusually busy. I don’t really know how the child’s doing. I ran into the Privy Council yesterday and asked in passing. He said the boy’s doing fine.”
The Director folded her arms into her sleeves and shook her head with a sigh.
“Poor little thing… still, I suppose he’s lucky. Otherwise, if he’d been sold off to some foreign land, who knows if those savages might’ve eaten him like a dish…”
They entered Fengchu Palace as they spoke, but the once serene and refined residence was now unrecognizable; chaos littered the floor from the moment they stepped inside. Left Lady of Radiance, her hair disheveled, sat on the ground, clutching a pillow, murmuring incoherently:
“My Xialing… my daughter…”
The Empress glanced at Su Xinghe and the Director of the Women’s Bureau.
“What’s the matter with her?”
The Director replied,
“Has she gone mad?”
She stepped forward to speak,
“Your Ladyship, are you feeling unwell? His Majesty has issued an edict for you; you need to receive it.”
But the Left Lady of Radiance gave no response, didn’t even shift her gaze.
Faced with someone who had gone mad, the Empress felt her satisfaction begin to deflate. Originally, she had wanted to savor the sight of her old rival brought low like a defeated stray dog. But now, the woman couldn’t even recognize people, no matter how disgraceful she looked; it no longer felt satisfying.
The Empress let out a soft sigh.
“Since things are like this, let’s not bother with formalities. Just carry out His Majesty’s edict as instructed.”
She turned her expression mournful.
“We were sisters, after all. I can’t bear to watch. Lord Su, Lord Qiu. I’ll leave this to you.”
And with that, she took her leave.
Su Xinghe and the Director bowed deeply to see the Empress off. When they turned back, they clearly saw tears brimming in the Left Lady of Radiance’s eyes. Her gaze was lucid. She was not mad. She simply refused to show weakness before her lifelong rival. She would rather feign madness than stand tall and let the Empress spit in her face.
Su Xinghe and the Director exchanged a look.
“Your Ladyship…”
Zuo Zhaoyi slowly stood up, smoothed her hair, adjusted her skirts, and asked,
“What does His Majesty’s will say? Is it a death sentence?”
Su Xinghe hesitated for a moment, then said, “Yes.”
She laughed.
“I entered the Shaoyang Court at seventeen. Twenty-five full years I’ve served beside the king, enjoying every splendor that came with it. Now, if death is my fate, I can accept that this life hasn’t been without its glories. But what I can’t accept is the injustice. My daughter died without explanation, and my son is far away, thousands of miles from here; he won’t even hear of his mother and sister’s deaths in time. Huo Qingzhu… that move, cutting the fuel from beneath the pot, it was brilliant. If I’d known I’d end up so cornered, I would’ve struck first. But now? Now it’s too late… far too late…”
She slowly turned her head and looked at the cold, ruthless court official, sneering:
“Su Xinghe, don’t think that just because you’ve switched sides, the Crown Prince will spare your family. He’s keeping his hands off you now only to maintain a generous reputation. Your father, Su Yujin, once served as his chief tutor in daily lessons. Betraying one’s teacher and heritage, it doesn’t sound good, does it? Just wait. When he takes the throne, he’ll deal with all of you, one by one. And by then? Your Su family might be even worse off than mine. Do you believe me?”
The Director of the Women’s Bureau looked as if she had just heard palace-breaking news, staring straight at Su Xinghe, a typical nosy eunuch.
Su Xinghe had felt a flicker of unease earlier, but after hearing those words, she grew calm. She turned slightly and nodded. A palace attendant stepped forward behind her, holding a cup of gold-flake wine. The goblet was still exquisitely crafted, and the wine inside shimmered with a deep, luminous glow, brilliant as patterned silk.
Su Xinghe remained respectful in posture, but her words were sharp as blades:
“There’s no need for Your Ladyship to trouble yourself. How the Crown Prince chooses to deal with the Su family is a matter for the future. I only know this: Your Ladyship was never kind to those beneath you. If you’d had the chance to sit on the phoenix throne, I fear the Su family would’ve fallen even faster. Am I wrong?”
The muscles in Zuo Zhaoyi’s face twitched violently. This woman dared to speak to her so directly, so brazenly, yet she no longer had the power to summon even a single servant to slap her mouth shut.
From behind the doorway, Nian Shikuan peeked out with a helpless half-smile. A servant like that, once the tree falls, the monkeys scatter, not even her corpse would be around to clean up after her. Zuo Zhaoyi turned her face away in scorn, reached out, and took the wine cup from the tray. Perhaps she did feel a trace of fear, but pride wouldn’t allow her to back down. Her face was deathly pale, her gaze fixed on the wine in silence for a long while. At last, she steeled herself and drank it all in one swift motion. The cup slipped from her hand and clattered softly against the blue stone floor.
She turned and calmly seated herself on the southern couch. Bathed in sunlight, she put on her gilded jade-inlaid finger guards shaped like diamond petals.
The palace cat leapt into her lap, curling up as it always had. She looked down, stroking it slowly, one stroke at a time. At the end of everything, only a dumb animal remained loyal.
When the poison began to take effect, waves of agony brought cold sweat pouring down her face. Still, she clenched her teeth and sat up straight, refusing to collapse. Su Xinghe, unable to bear the sight any longer, quietly gave a few final instructions to the Director of the Women’s Bureau and quickly left Fengchu Palace.
Standing under the scorching sun, she still felt a chill down to her bones. That’s how the imperial palace was, on the surface, all blossoms and splendor, but beneath it, brilliance and ruin were separated by a hair’s breadth. This time, she had toppled Zuo Zhaoyi’s faction, but what would happen when Prince Jianping returned? He might tear the Su family apart with his bare hands. She would have to find a way to deal with him, too, she thought bitterly. A traitor left alive is always a danger. If you don’t strike down the old master completely, you’ll never sleep soundly again.
Her legs felt like they’d gone numb. She leaned against the palace wall for support, taking a moment to collect herself. Life and death, she had seen enough of it in the Office of Military Command to be numb to it. But the fate of Zuo Zhaoyi and her daughter stirred a reluctant sympathy within her. In this palace, a woman’s life depended entirely on the will of one man. And the day he told you to die, all it took was a single cup of wine.
The Crown Prince had said he would have children with another woman… She kept turning those words over and over in her mind. Maybe there had been progress with the girl he’d once said he favored. Now that his political enemies were swept aside, he could finally offer her a secure position. That being the case, it wouldn’t be long before the Eastern Palace welcomed a new consort.
Very well, maybe the Crown Prince won’t accept her anyway. If she can’t seek his help outside the palace, she’ll try someone else, someone who won’t refuse. When the time comes, she’ll go to Huo Yan and ask if he’s willing to take her in, to be his secondary wife, if he’s not afraid of getting involved with all the trouble of the Su family.
Honestly, she didn’t have many options. If she could help Prince Minxing rise to power, and someday become regent, keep a couple of favorites, life wouldn’t be so bad.
No, no… two seemed too few, at least three or five, flipping through them every day, she had to get her worth. She walked on, lost in these wild thoughts, feeling mentally scattered. Touching her feverish forehead, her limbs weak, could it be she was getting sick?
Forcing herself back to the Eastern Palace, she slipped into the side hall and dozed off for a bit. Upon waking, she remembered Princess Xialing’s body was still at the Office of Military Command, so she hurriedly sprang up and rushed back to the office.
Entering the chamber, she found it empty. Asking Jiang Chengzi, he said, “The Crown Prince sent palace staff to take care of the princess’s burial. Poor girl, carrying that crime on her back, they couldn’t treat her with the usual imperial ceremony. Quietly wrapped up and sealed, she won’t even be buried in the ancestral tombs, probably just buried somewhere random.”
The princess definitely wouldn’t be allowed into the royal mausoleum, but since she was born noble, she wouldn’t be casually discarded either; the royal family’s dignity still had to be preserved.
But later, after asking around it turned out the Crown Prince was truly ruthless. He said it didn’t matter that the princess couldn’t enter the imperial tombs; since she had been married into the Gao family, she should be buried in the Gao family ancestral graveyard. So they packed her up and shoved her into the graveyard of the Gao prince consort. The couple didn’t get along in life, yet in death, they were buried together. If Princess Xialing could speak, she’d probably be so furious she’d cough up blood.
Su Xinghe grabbed a meal at the Privy Council office, biting on some cornbread, and said, “That’s not proper, is it?”
Huo Yan replied, “There’s nothing wrong with it. The princess was the Gao family’s daughter-in-law, and the prince consort didn’t divorce her. So naturally, she should be buried with him after death.”
Actually, she felt that having the princess buried with Gao family suited the princess’s wishes better. After all, the princess loved him, and both died tragically; being together in the afterlife wouldn’t be bad.
“But what about Gao Yangshan? Isn’t he tragic, too? Besides, there’s no reason for a sister-in-law to be buried with her younger brother-in-law…”
Before Huo Yan finished speaking, someone outside the door interrupted, “Exactly.” He stepped over the threshold wearing a round-collar robe patterned with drifting clouds, covered by a black gauze outer robe, exuding an air of vigor and handsome brows. Smiling, he cupped his hands toward Huo Yan, “We see each other every day in court, but never have a chance to talk. Seventh Uncle, how have you been lately?”
Huo Yan hurriedly rose to greet him. Rank was a small matter, but the formalities between ruler and subject must never be neglected. With a flourish of his sleeve, he bowed deeply, “Your Highness’s visit is an honor; forgive the poor reception.”
The Crown Prince smiled, raising a hand, “When not at court, things are less formal. Seventh Uncle, please, no need for ceremony.”
The so-called Seventh Uncle his relationship was quite tangled and complicated. Basically, the Crown Prince’s great-grandfather and Huo Yan’s grandfather were brothers, so by the time of the emperor’s generation, the connection was more distant. Anyway, everyone surnamed Huo in the Dayin dynasty held official posts, and since Huo Yan had inherited his father’s title and gained military merits, he was the most powerful member of the royal clan in his generation.
The Crown Prince turned his head and glanced at Su Xinghe, who looked dumbfounded by his visit and was chewing on her cornbread with a silly expression on her face. He frowned and said, “What’s this? Not enough royal food for you? You’re even coming here to scrounge a meal from the government office?”
She choked, stretching her neck as she struggled to swallow. Hastily pouring some water to soothe herself, she stood and said, “I came to the Privy Council on business, just happened to arrive at mealtime, and Lord Huo kindly invited me to have a simple meal…” She winked at Huo Yan, “Lord Huo, isn’t that right?”
Huo Yan looked embarrassed but nodded quickly. He invited the Crown Prince to sit down, guessing that he wasn’t here to arrest Su Xinghe, and leaned in to ask, “Your Highness, do you have official business today?”
The Crown Prince smiled, “Not exactly official business,” and casually pointed to Su Xinghe, “Mainly I’m here to see her. Also, there’s another matter I want to entrust to Seventh Uncle.”
Huo Yan replied, “Yes, Your Highness, please go ahead.”
The Crown Prince didn’t bother to hide anything and spoke directly: “The northern battles are going fairly well. Qingluan shouldn’t take long to return to court. But with so much happening in the palace, I expect he won’t give up easily when he gets back. Currently, the garrisons in and around Dayin’s capital are managed by the Privy Council. If he tries to seize military power, I ask Seventh Uncle to give him a hard time, to prevent unrest in the state and avoid further trouble.”
Su Xinghe was sweating from hearing this. Looking at Huo Yan, she saw he seemed a bit lost from the Crown Prince’s bluntness, his normally upright face showing a hint of confusion, but he still cupped his hands and said, “Please rest assured, Your Highness. I am ready to give my life for the state.”
The Crown Prince nodded approvingly, then turned to Su Xinghe: “On my way here, I spotted a piece of satin. I’m wondering if it would look good made into pants. There’s still time, come with me to take a look.” Then he cupped his hands toward Huo Yan, “We won’t keep you, Seventh Uncle. Please stay.”
Su Xinghe meant to wave goodbye, but he suddenly grabbed her under the arm and practically dragged her out of the Privy Council gates.
![Flying Dust [Fei Chen]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9k.png "Flying Dust [Fei Chen]")