The Empress’s private decree.
As the palace maid was about to step forward, Zhou Fu took the lead.
“Forgive my rudeness, but in these extraordinary times, I must see the private decree,” he said.
With Prince Ping deceased and the emperor critically ill, the Empress Dowager was in charge of palace affairs, and behind her stood the Gao family. Fabricating imperial decrees was not unheard of in history, and no matter how capable Cheng Jiao-niang was, she was still a vulnerable woman. Moreover, not just anyone could enter the palace, and if something were to happen to her inside, those outside could only watch helplessly.
The eunuch clearly understood Zhou Fu’s concerns and replied with a smile, offering the private decree in his hand.
Zhou Fu took it and unfolded it, noting the Empress’s seal and the Imperial Archive’s endorsement. While the Empress’s seal could potentially be misused, the Archive’s endorsement could not. At this time, Chen Shao was undoubtedly strictly overseeing state affairs, and his trusted officials in the Imperial Archive would not leave their posts.
With Chen Shao in charge, it was impossible for the Empress Dowager or the Gao family to openly harm Cheng Jiao-niang under the Empress Dowager’s name.
“Thank you,” he said, handing the decree back to the eunuch.
The eunuch smiled and bowed before turning to Cheng Jiao-niang.
By then, Cheng Jiao-niang had already risen.
“What does Her Majesty require?” she asked.
“Her Majesty wishes to invite the lady into the palace to diagnose an illness,” the eunuch replied.
At these words, Zhou Fu’s expression changed. “She does not treat wind-stroke,” he said immediately. “This was made clear before, and my sister would not dare to deceive Her Majesty.”
The eunuch stiffened, clearly at a loss.
Cheng Jiao-niang took a few steps forward. “It is fine. Since Her Majesty has summoned me, I will go,” she said.
Are you mad?
Zhou Fu turned and glared at her. “Are you mad! How can you possibly go?” he blurted out.
Cheng Jiao-niang smiled slightly and reached out to tug on his sleeve. “Brother, do not worry,” she said. “I know what I am doing.”
Brother… do not worry…
His sleeve was gently pulled, like a feather brushing against his heart, and Zhou Fu’s body stiffened instantly. The words he was about to speak caught in his throat.
The eunuch, overjoyed, bowed deeply, as if afraid Cheng Jiao-niang might change her mind. “My lady, please,” he urged.
…
Now, nothing in the palace could happen without the Empress Dowager’s knowledge. As soon as the Empress’s private decree reached the Imperial Archive, the Empress Dowager was informed.
“Your Majesty, shall we recall it?” a eunuch inquired.
“What does she intend to do?” the Empress Dowager asked, pressing her temples.
“Her Majesty the Empress said she wishes to invite Lady Cheng to examine His Majesty again,” the eunuch explained. “His Majesty’s breathing has been somewhat unstable, and the imperial doctors are at a loss. They mentioned the medicinal tea that Duke Jin’an once brought back for Prince Qing, which had remarkable calming effects. Therefore, she hopes Lady Cheng can assess the situation and perhaps prescribe similar medicinal teas to suit the symptoms.”
So that was it. The Empress Dowager was aware of the matter regarding that tea.
“In that case, let her come,” she said.
Another eunuch stepped forward, his face uneasy with concern. “Your Majesty, this is inadvisable,” he said urgently. “The Empress is clearly anxious now that Prince Qing has entered the palace and wishes for His Majesty to recover–”
Before he could finish, the Empress Dowager’s expression darkened. She raised her hand and struck the eunuch across the face. “Drag him out and beat him to death!” she ordered.
The eunuch paled in terror and dropped to his knees, kowtowing frantically. The attendants nearby quickly seized him, covering his mouth as they dragged him away.
“What’s the matter now?”
A woman’s voice sounded from outside.
“Lady of State Qi,” the eunuchs said, bowing as the woman entered.
“What has happened, Your Majesty?” Lady of State Qi asked.
The Empress Dowager was furious yet in tears. “This is utter chaos. How could anyone not wish for the Emperor to recover and utter such treasonous words?” she cried, pressing a hand to her chest. “He is my son – my own flesh and blood. If my death could bring him back to life, I would not hesitate for a moment. How could someone speak so callously? Do they truly think I want my son to remain unconscious? If the Emperor does not recover, what good will come to me?”
Lady of State Qi also shed tears. “Indeed, the heart of a mother is always so,” she said. “If His Majesty recovers, Your Majesty may finally find peace and enjoy some comfort, unlike now, when worry robs you of sleep and appetite.”
The Empress Dowager took her hand, weeping and nodding in agreement.
“Therefore, Your Majesty,” Lady of State Qi continued, drying her tears with a hint of solemnity, “not everyone in the palace is a mother, nor does everyone harbor such affection for the Emperor. Your Majesty, we cannot afford the slightest negligence regarding His Majesty’s condition.”
The Empress Dowager stopped weeping and nodded.
“Send more people to the Emperor’s resting quarters at once,” she ordered.
Husband and wife are nothing compared to mother and child – they scatter when disaster strikes. And that Empress is utterly unreliable anyway.
Nothing must go wrong for now. Once this period passes, we’ll settle the score with her!
The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth silently.
The eunuchs acknowledged the command.
Watching them leave, Lady of State Qi poured tea and offered it to the Empress Dowager.
“To be honest, I even fear the moment His Majesty wakes,” she said.
The Empress Dowager’s face instantly darkened.
“Your Majesty,” Lady of State Qi hastened to add, tears welling up in her eyes, “I fear how His Majesty will face the reality before him – Prince Ping, before his very eyes…”
The Empress Dowager broke into loud sobs.
“It is precisely because of this that His Majesty fell into such a state – stricken with rage and despair,” she cried.
In this world, what could be more agonizing than watching your own child die before your very eyes?
“His Majesty struggled to have heirs and cherished every child born in the palace as a precious jewel,” Lady of State Qi said through tears.
The Empress Dowager wept and nodded.
“Indeed, whenever the children suffered even a slight headache or fever, His Majesty would stay awake all night with worry,” she said. “If any of them scraped or bumped themselves, he felt the pain as though it were his own.”
A mere scrape or bump pained him so – imagine how he must have felt watching Prince Ping die struck by lightning.
The Empress Dowager buried her face in her hands and wept again.
“Thankfully, there is still Prince Qing, so His Majesty’s lineage remains unbroken,” Lady of State Qi said, sobbing. “Your Majesty, Prince Qing must be cared for with utmost diligence.”
Mention of Prince Qing made the Empress Dowager nod hastily, her tears momentarily forgotten.
“How is Prince Qing?” she asked.
“He is doing very well. He has eaten, played for a while, and is now asleep,” a palace maid promptly replied.
The Empress Dowager felt slightly relieved, just as a eunuch hurried in from outside.
“Your Majesty, Lady Cheng has examined His Majesty,” he reported.
“And what did she say?” the Empress Dowager asked eagerly.
“Lady Cheng said the medicinal tea Prince Qing took was specifically tailored to his condition and cannot be used for His Majesty,” the eunuch replied.
The Empress Dowager spat in disdain.
“Putting on mystical airs – yet nothing but a fraud in truth,” she said bitterly.
“Your Majesty, it was never appropriate to summon her to treat His Majesty,” Lady of State Qi said calmly.
The Empress Dowager turned to look at her.
“Your Majesty, have you forgotten? Before His Majesty fell ill, he intended to summon her to face charges,” Lady of State Qi remarked, her gaze shifting toward the palace door. “If His Majesty wakes, the first person he will not spare is her.”
A chill ran through the Empress Dowager, and she slapped the table in anger.
“She never should have been allowed into the palace!” she snapped.
“Your Majesty, if you had barred her entry, she might have seized an excuse to accuse you of lacking benevolence or compassion toward His Majesty. However, now that she is here, you could keep her within the palace,” Lady of State Qi suggested.
The Empress Dowager was taken aback.
“Why keep such a scourge in the palace? To harm His Majesty further?” she demanded, her brows drawn together sternly.
“She has already harmed His Majesty – only by sheer luck is there no evidence to punish her,” Lady of State Qi said meaningfully. “Since the Empress issued a decree inviting her to examine His Majesty, why not let her stay… a little longer?”
If His Majesty were to meet an unfortunate fate…
Then whether she, as the one who attended to him, bears guilt would be entirely up to the Empress Dowager to decide.
The Empress Dowager’s expression darkened, and slowly, she nodded.
…
When the Empress Dowager’s eunuch delivered the message, the Empress’s expression turned impassive.
“Since I am to remain in the palace, I ask that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager send word to my family,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
The eunuchs promptly acknowledged her request.
“Of course,” one of them replied, inquiring thoughtfully, “Do you have anything else you would like brought into the palace?”
“I dare not bring external items into the palace. Thank you,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied with a bow. “There is nothing else.”
This young lady was quite sensible. Unlike what Lady of State Qi had speculated, she neither made a scene nor raised an uproar, but quietly and obediently complied with the order.
It seemed even a disciple of immortals was not entirely without fear.
The eunuch clicked his tongue inwardly in admiration, acknowledged her words, and led the others out.
The Empress gazed at the girl before her.
“I have dragged you into trouble this time,” she said. “But I truly had no other choice.”
As she spoke, her eyes drifted toward the Emperor’s chamber.
“Without His Majesty, I have nothing left. I so desperately wished for him to recover that I rashly issued the decree, hoping you might examine him once more.”
“To be honest, I thought you would not accept it,” she added, turning her gaze back to Cheng Jiao-niang.
“Though this is only the second time I have met you, I do not feel as though you are a stranger.”
A faint smile touched her lips.
“He often visited me and spoke of you frequently.”
As she said this, the image and voice of Duke Jin’an rose vividly in her mind.
“Your Majesty, she can smile,” the young man said, sitting cross-legged before her, his face animated. Whenever he spoke of “her,” his eyes would sparkle, and he would gesture enthusiastically.
“Your Majesty, do you know how remarkable she is…”
“…I think there is nothing she cannot do…”
“…She is so kind-hearted – how could there be someone so good in this world…”
The Empress took a step forward, and the sound of her footsteps dispersed the illusions and echoes in her mind.
“Having heard him speak of you for so long, even though I have never met or interacted with you, I know that you are intelligent, kind-hearted, and a girl of courage and boldness,” she said, turning to look at Cheng Jiao-niang. “If you do not wish to do something, no one can force you.”
“You must also be aware that once you enter the palace, leaving will not be easy.”
“In comparison, refusing my summons, while it might give some people grounds to stir trouble, would not truly harm you. You are not a court official, nor are you a doctor – by all rights, you hold the moral high ground. Apart from drawing more resentment and envy from certain quarters, you would suffer no real loss.”
At this, she smiled faintly.
“And when it comes to earning resentment and envy, you have never been one to care.”
“So, why did you choose to enter the palace after all?”
Seeing the Empress’s thin, pale face now showing undisguised curiosity, Cheng Jiao-niang smiled slightly.
“Did Your Majesty not summon me to the palace to diagnose an illness?” she said.
“But you do not treat wind-stroke,” the Empress replied, frowning.
At this point, even if she claimed to be possessed by a divine spirit and capable of healing, she would still be guilty of deceiving the sovereign afterward.
“Your servant cannot cure His Majesty’s wind-stroke,” Cheng Jiao-niang said. “But I can treat the terminal illness afflicting Your Majesty.”
Her Majesty’s terminal illness!
The Empress gazed at Cheng Jiao-niang, her expression shifting for a moment.
“You truly are a girl of boldness,” she said with a faint smile.
