White Horse Temple was located in Yuhu, two to three hundred li northeast of the capital, a famous ancient temple of Wu. It was said that when the late emperor fought Yan for the world, he had encountered several life-threatening crises, and at each critical moment, monks had saved him. His closest monk-friend had later passed away right there at White Horse Temple. Wuchao had always regarded Buddhism as orthodox. The Empress Dowager frequently received eminent monks, listening to their teachings. But the Donghu nobility trusted the lamas of Gaochang more, a custom that went against the traditions of the former Yan. Still, since this trip was for the Empress Dowager to burn incense in thanks, they naturally followed her preference.
The Empress’s entourage traveled for two days and reached the temporary palace at the foot of the mountain on the morning of the third day. Meng Guqing began her ritual purification, incense offerings, vegetarian diet, and prayers. White Horse Temple also began preparing seven days of chanting and ceremonies. According to custom, the Empress had to personally attend the first three days to show sincerity. Each dawn, before the dew dried, they ascended the mountain. The air was fresh and clean, the ancient temple solemn, the deep bell tones cleansing the heart. After enduring the midday heat, they had lunch at the temple, and in the afternoon continued chanting. At dusk, they descended the mountain with the evening breeze. Meng Guqing told her two maids, “Tomorrow is the last day. The morning after, let’s climb to the summit to watch the sunrise.”
White Horse Temple sat halfway up the mountain. Each day, they already climbed during sunrise, and the scenery was beautiful. But Meng Guqing still wanted to see the sunrise from the top. It was said the summit was steep and lofty; looking down from the watchtower felt like standing among the clouds. Overlooking all the mountains beneath one’s feet. She looked forward to seeing the rivers and ridges from above. And since she had already come all this way, it was best to do everything perfectly. With nothing else to do, and the mountain cooler than below, she didn’t slack off.
But she never got to fulfill her wish of seeing the sunrise.
Because major news, no, joyous news, broke in the capital.
On the seventh day, as she finished the ceremony and descended the mountain, word arrived that Jing Wang had been defeated!
It was said Jing Wang’s hundred-thousand-strong army had been blocked outside Handan City in Liaozhou. The Wu commander sent to defend was exceptionally skilled at holding the city and refusing to give open battle, dragging out a war of attrition. He withstood all of Jing Wang’s assaults. Jing Wang personally shouted challenges at the city gate, trying to draw the defender out, but the man remained unmoved. Jing Wang grew increasingly enraged. Yet the internal stability of Wu and the emperor’s patience were formidable. First there had been Han Quan, who squatted at Former Yan’s gate for an entire year without moving, and despite immense pressure, the emperor refused to replace him. And now another one just like him, refusing to come out.
Jing Wang excelled at war and loved it deeply. That was why he couldn’t accept being stripped of his command and replaced, and instead rebelled to seize authority for himself. But his luck was one step short. He knew very well who in Wu could fight; he was confident none of them were his match. That was the basis of his daring rebellion, he believed he could sweep all obstacles aside, just like his elder brother the Regent had back then, storm into the capital, drive his imperial nephew off the throne, and sit upon it himself.
But he overlooked one thing: just as he knew his enemies, Zhao Donglin had long understood this uncle he had feared for many years. On the very day the Empress left the capital, Jing Wang’s two eldest sons were also seized and sent to Liaozhou. That day, Jing Wang prepared to launch another assault. As he looked up at the city gate, he saw his two sons.
Those boys were thoroughly spoiled. Useless in both the civil and martial arts, captured as hostages, wailing in terror instead of bravely dying to raise morale. They cried and begged their father to surrender. Jing Wang nearly choked on his own blood in rage yet he could not bear to kill his sons with his own hand. That moment of hesitation rendered even his generals speechless. His mighty army, forced into this stalemate, withdrew in disarray. With morale already shaken, the defender of Handan suddenly launched a night raid, burning their grain supplies. The army fell into utter chaos.
After that, Wu hardly needed to do anything. Dragged out and exhausted, Jing Wang’s forces were overtaken by Wu’s army. Fighting while retreating, resisting stubbornly for several days, then collapsing entirely. His hundred-thousand-strong army was destroyed.
Jing Wang’s rebellion was crushed.
Unfortunately, Jing Wang himself escaped under protection and vanished without a trace.
The imperial court was jubilant, ready to restore order to the realm.
Meng Guqing breathed a sigh of relief at the news, though her brows still furrowed at the thought of Jing Wang having escaped. Jing Wang was over fifty, vigorous and ambitious, clearly someone who wouldn’t stop until he achieved his goals. His family remained in the capital so where could he possibly run to? There were plenty of people secretly supporting him in the capital, and when he rose up to resist the emperor’s measures against the Donghu nobles, many had quietly approved behind the scenes. His escape this time may well have been aided by someone in secret.
On the surface, Jing Wang’s rebellion seemed over, but the deeper factional conflicts between the Donghu and the southern clans remained unresolved. Meng Guqing massaged her temples, deciding not to think too much. In the end, Zhao Donglin had won. He successfully reformed the system, balanced the power structure, and unified the Wu dynasty, bringing lasting peace. As Empress, at least her life was secure. Thinking further wouldn’t help; it was best to return quickly.
Instinctively, Meng Guqing felt it unwise for an Empress closely associated with Jing Wang’s household to linger outside the capital during such a sensitive time. Yet she hadn’t expected trouble to find her as soon as she returned.
They arrived in the capital at dusk. The streets were alive with excitement; taverns were packed, many praising the court’s successful suppression of the rebellion. Passersby were spirited, vendors called out energetically, smiling. Peeking from the corner of the screen Meng Guqing held, she felt contagious happiness rising within her, and the fatigue from the two-day journey eased. Upon entering the palace, her first stop was to pay respects at the Empress Dowager’s Shoucheng Hall.
This trip had been undertaken on behalf of the Empress Dowager, both publicly and privately motivated by filial devotion. Now that the great danger had passed, the Empress Dowager’s complexion had never looked better; her prior anxiety seemed gone. Facing her niece, she could not help but show a touch of affection:
“Empress, these days have been hard on you. If I have erred in any way, please understand my intentions. I only wish for long-lasting peace. I am old now, no longer as sharp as in my youth. I wish to hand over the empire entrusted to me by the late emperor safely to His Majesty. I desire nothing else; this is for your good as well.”
Indeed, life had been at risk; a few additional women in the harem were trivial by comparison. Had the emperor been more cooperative, the Empress Dowager would not have been portrayed as a rigid relic. Meng Guqing understood her perspective. Most importantly, she had no lingering romantic entanglement with Zhao Donglin and thus no resentment from being forced to accept rivals. Yet in this situation, she was the one most manipulated, unable to change anything, her only control was over her own heart. By guarding her heart, she ensured her circumstances and outcome were not entirely bleak.
Half a month away from the capital, what had the emperor’s mood been? Meng Guqing hoped he had accepted reality, realizing that even an emperor could not control everything alone, and would naturally accept the situation without clinging in pain. Thinking back to the stubborn gaze that had followed her as she departed, she no longer intended to be drawn back. Stepping out from the Empress Dowager’s palace, she faced Fusang’s questioning eyes and shook her head lightly: “Let’s return to Fengyi Palace.”
Having reached this point, why provoke trouble further? At first, her judgment had been correct, they were not meant to walk the same path. The original Empress had been deposed because she did not please the emperor and had ruthlessly harmed two palace concubines’ children, including Noble Consort Xu’s second child. There were also political reforms to consider. Traditionally, clearing the Empress’s external family signaled her impending deposition. Jing Wang was not part of her family, but their connections were entangled. After his rebellion was crushed and the Donghu influence purged, deposing the Donghu Empress served as a warning. Under current circumstances, she had harmed no one, would her birth be grounds for dismissal?
Zhao Donglin was not heartless; he genuinely valued and cherished her. If he refused to let go because of this affection, she would have reason to worry. The thought of an Empress secretly hoping to be deposed was astonishing, yet she not only harbored that hope, but had an even deeper, hidden reason, though what exactly it was, even she couldn’t articulate.
Returning to Fengyi Palace, Caiwei had already settled everything, making it feel as comfortable as if she had never left. Like last year, ice basins were placed in the corners of the living quarters, giving a cool welcome upon entry. This year, Meng Guqing preferred the simpler, more natural rear quarters, instructing Caiwei to prepare the small bamboo house.
From the railing, she admired the gentle stream flowing among the rocks and bamboo, a beauty unmatched by mere garden scenery. She instructed Fusang: “Close the palace gates. Say I am unwell from the journey, weakened by the heat, and cannot see anyone.”
The afternoon passed quietly. That evening, the head stewardess, Li Gugu, mysteriously slipped into the palace. She whispered something to the Empress. Meng Guqing examined her. Li Gugu had never been gossipy or unscrupulous; previously, Fusang had classified her as someone least likely to act in self-interest. Yet here she was…
Li Gugu, though nervous under Meng Guqing’s sharp gaze, felt compelled to report something significant. Years ago, the Empress had saved her only son, a debt that could not go unreturned. She said, “Your Highness, what should we do?”
Meng Guqing sighed. “Since you’ve brought them, should they remain hidden with you forever? Bring them in.”
Fusang looked confused, unsure who had been brought in or why the Empress looked so serious. A modestly dressed woman in her twenties or thirties entered carrying a basket. Lifting the silk covering revealed its contents, a baby girl. Fusang shot Li Gugu a sharp look. This was bold indeed. The girl was the daughter of Madam He, previously brought into the palace by Jing Wangfei. The bright rouge mole on her forehead had been praised by the Empress. Who else could she be if not the young Commandery Princess Taiping?
Li Gugu had risked much. She knelt, speaking with utmost concern: “Life in Jing Wang’s household has become unbearable. People say he made a grave mistake, and all in the household will pay. Despite food and drink, those below care little for their survival. On the day you left the capital, two of Jing Wang’s concubines had died. The young princess had a persistent high fever. Madam He had nowhere to turn and finally sought out your old servant. If the princess stayed, she wouldn’t survive, she is not even six months old. As her godmother, Your Highness, you cannot watch her die.”
Fusang was furious, glaring at Li Gugu: “So you brought her in without permission, thinking the Empress could treat her? Do you know the situation in Fengyi Palace? Do you think the Empress is free, unlike the Jing Wang household? Are you thinking of the princess’s safety or working for Noble Consort Xu to harm the Empress?”
“I only brought the princess secretly into the palace, using the Imperial Garden route. No one would notice,” Li Gugu replied. She sought only to save Princess Taiping and repay Madam He’s debt, with no intent or power to harm the Empress.
“How did Madam He reach you? Which route through the Imperial Garden did you take? Did you consider how easily you brought two living people in?” Meng Guqing remained calm. She reasoned that from the moment Princess Taiping entered the palace, someone must have monitored Fengyi Palace entirely. She recalled a saying: the ultimate open scheme is to know the path ahead is a trap, yet still proceed willingly. The first step might be passive, but she would not back out.
She needed a reason for her deposition and it had been presented almost immediately. Perhaps this was fate.
The baby girl, rosy-faced and peacefully asleep, was too cute for Meng Guqing to consider harming. Facing Fusang’s angry glare and Li Gugu’s anxious expression, she comforted them: “Set the princess and her wet nurse in the rear. I will think about what to do. At this point, whether blessing or misfortune, we must face it.”
Fortunately, before bringing the princess to the palace, Li Gugu had already taken her to a doctor, a famous pediatrician, Imperial Physician Liu. The princess’s fever had subsided. She had been frightened by the adults’ reactions and exhausted from crying after being separated from her mother. This confirmed to Meng Guqing that Li Gugu’s movements had been closely monitored. Even taking the child to the Liu Clinic, fate had allowed her to meet Physician Liu, who treated her diligently. Clearly, someone behind the scenes wished the young princess to live, at least to fulfill her destined “task.”
If Meng Guqing remembered correctly, the imperial household had only one son. Physician Liu most often visited Jianjia Palace and was closely connected with the Xu family. Noble Consort Xu alone could not have orchestrated such a vast plan, the Empress’s position had long been part of someone else’s scheme. Thinking of this made her weary. Life in White Horse Temple, chanting and following the sun, had been simpler.
Late at night, Meng Guqing still could not sleep.
No matter the intentions of those behind her, she could not follow their designs. How did they plan to deal with her? Sitting alone in the small bamboo house by the grove, she held a book but could not read a page, her eyes like autumn waters, gazing at the moon’s reflection or nothing at all. Suddenly, the candle flickered, startling her. She turned and smiled: “As expected, the shizi keeps his word. This time I was not scared at all. Next time must be the same.”
Compared to her radiant smile, his expression was foul. That handsome face of his was completely ruined by the darkness in his eyes. “The knife is already at your throat, and you’re still smiling? Do you even realize how many people Noble Consort Xu has stationed around Fengyi Palace to monitor you? That ‘thing’ in your palace is about to get you killed.”
Seeing him like this, Meng Guqing’s gloom unconsciously lifted a bit. She even teased him, “Then what should I do? I can’t bring myself to kill anyone. Honestly, in my whole life I’ve never even killed a chicken, I really can’t do it.” After all, this was nominally her goddaughter; as she had said before, killing should only be considered in absolute necessity.
Her troubled expression was genuine. The faint melancholy between her brows added a touch of poignant charm to her exquisite face. Looking at her, Xiao Shuo felt that strange stirring again, as if it was his duty to solve her problem. His mouth curved slightly downward into a cold, bloodthirsty sneer. “If you won’t, then I will. It’s just two people. Kill them and dispose of the bodies, I guarantee that no matter who comes looking, not a single hair will be found.”
Want to show your support? Go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! Want to read the remaining chapters of the ENTIRE book in advance? Go to my Patreon to join now! :)
