Watching the palace eunuch who delivered the message leave, Fan Jianglin’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.
“As expected,” he said.
“Da-lang… will Sister be all right?” Lady Huang came out from the inner hall and asked in a trembling voice. Compared with Fan Jianglin’s dark expression, her own face was frighteningly pale.
My family comes from Maoyuan Mountain, a remote and impoverished backwater. My greatest dream back then was to join the army and earn some pay. I never imagined that one day I’d become such a high-ranking official, with people calling me “my lord” every time I went in or out.
Fan Jianglin reached out and stroked his beard.
From an early street thug to a local bully, then to a capital official and academic clerk, then facing judgment by the Ministers of Justice and War, then to becoming a general guarding a region, then to being an imperial family’s relative – and now even involving the Empress Dowager…
All these things and all these people were things he had never dreamed of. Even now, when he wakes up in the middle of the night, he still feels as though it’s all a dream.
He simply couldn’t understand, couldn’t make sense of what any of this meant.
Fan Jianglin swallowed hard.
“She’ll be fine,” he said hoarsely.
Lady Huang was not entirely convinced by her husband’s words. She turned to Zhou Fu instead.
“Brother Zhou,” she called out, her nerves causing her to forget formalities and address him in her usual manner. “Is Sister truly all right?”
“She is fine,” Zhou Fu replied, his face stiff.
Lady Huang felt a bit more at ease, thinking that Zhou Fu, as a man of wider experience who understood court affairs, was more reliable than her own husband.
Meanwhile, the maid by the courtyard gate glanced over in surprise.
“Ban Qin, why aren’t you crying?” she asked.
The young girl’s expression remained calm.
“What is there to cry about?” she replied.
The maid clicked her tongue twice.
If something were to happen to her mistress, she would simply end her own life. In life she was her mistress’s person, and in death she would be her mistress’s ghost. Whether alive or dead, she would remain by her mistress’s side.
Ban Qin pressed her lips together and clenched her hands tightly.
After sending Lady Huang away, Fan Jianglin accompanied Zhou Fu to the door.
“Is she really all right?” he couldn’t help asking again.
Zhou Fu glanced at him.
All right…
He suspected that his father, Master Zhou, having already received the news, was probably loading up carriages at home, ready to flee the city overnight.
“She is fine,” he repeated firmly. “I’ll go ask the Qin family.”
The Qin family – yes. They were also related to the imperial family, but unlike Gao Lingjun, they were on good terms with his sister.
“Then I’ll trouble you…” Fan Jianglin hurriedly began, cupping his hands, but before he could finish, Zhou Fu cut him off with a glare.
“She is my sister!” Zhou Fu said, emphasizing the words as he pointed at himself. “My own flesh and blood!”
With that, he flicked his sleeve and strode away.
She’s my sister, and I’m the one who’s truly family! Why should I trouble you? Not a chance!
The galloping horse suddenly came to an abrupt halt.
The attendant following behind hurriedly reined in as well, nearly overshooting before pulling back, looking puzzled at Zhou Fu.
“Young Master?” he asked.
Zhou Fu raised his head and looked ahead. At the end of the street, the Qin family residence was already visible.
“Eating Passing Immortal at this hour? It’s too hot!”
“That’s what makes it satisfying!”
Two people passed by on the roadside, chatting and laughing. The words “Passing Immortal” drifted into Zhou Fu’s ears.
He couldn’t help but glance at them, his gaze following the two as they walked.
Passing Immortal…
“That person threatened you – were you afraid? That Passing Immortal was originally yours, yet the Dou family took it for themselves. Could you truly be content with that?”
“It wasn’t mine to begin with. Why wouldn’t I be content?”
“Were you really just correcting them because they weren’t doing it well?”
“Of course. What they made was truly poor, wasting such a dish. By offering guidance and sharing it with the world, its true flavor can be fully appreciated.”
Threats had never frightened her, nor did she care if others claimed her ideas as their own. If you wanted it, you could take it – but do not cross her.
When crossed, she would neither yield nor retreat. All she knew was to draw her bow, nock an arrow, and face you head-on, whether you were demon or deity, stranger or acquaintance. The arrow in her hand would never hesitate.
Kindness was repaid with kindness, enmity with enmity. Treat her well, and she would return it a hundredfold. Turn against her, and her sharp arrows would respond.
This proud girl did not know how to lower her head or retreat, let alone bow in submission. But this time, it was the Empress Dowager – the imperial family. Under the might of Heaven, not even gods or ghosts could escape.
Zhou Fu turned his head once more and gazed toward the end of the street.
He bore the surname Qin. He was the thirteenth son of the Qin family – Qin Hu.
If she was unwilling to bow, how could he possibly force the imperial family to bend instead?
Zhou Fu tugged on the reins.
“Young Master?” The attendant was utterly confused. Why rush all the way here only to stop? What was the point of lingering in the middle of the street?
…
“Mother!”
Qin Hu’s voice rose sharply in the room.
“I understand, no need to shout,” Madam Qin replied, gesturing for him to calm down. “I will head to the palace right away to see.”
“Mother, when you arrive, meet with her first. Since she dared to enter the palace, she must have known she might not be able to leave. First, find out what arrangements she has made,” Qin Hu said. “Don’t take it upon yourself to say anything to the Empress Dowager.”
Madam Qin stopped in her tracks.
“You really are long-winded,” she remarked. “I understand. I will follow Lady Cheng’s lead in everything.”
Qin Hu chuckled lightly.
“I’ll trouble you then, Mother,” he said.
“No trouble. I’m willing and ready,” Madam Qin replied with a light huff.
Watching Madam Qin leave with her attendants, Qin Hu let out a sigh under the corridor.
“When Zhou Fu shows up later, I’ll give him a good scare,” he muttered to himself.
The sun gradually rose higher, and even the gatekeepers had retreated inside for shade.
“Could it be he hasn’t received the news yet?” Qin Hu wondered aloud, glancing toward the entrance. “Or have the Zhous all fled overnight?”
He shook his head.
“No one else might run, but he wouldn’t. He’d definitely stay right by her side, no matter what.”
At this thought, a slight smile touched his lips.
“Better not tease him when he arrives. If he’s already anxious and angry, fainting would only make things worse – and it’s not like I can bring him back from the dead.”
The midday sun beat down fiercely, and the attendant beside him couldn’t help but lift his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow.
“Young Master, how much longer are you going to stand here?” he asked. “Wouldn’t it be the same to wait inside?”
Qin Hu remained silent, his gaze fixed on the entrance.
“It’s not the same,” he replied slowly. “They mean something different to me, and I want them to know that they do. By waiting here for him, I’ll be the first thing he sees when he steps through the gate.”
The attendant scrunched up his face in puzzlement.
It wasn’t like this before…
The afternoon wind swept across the courtyard, carrying a stifling heat. Wilting leaves swayed lazily, and the front gate suddenly stirred with activity.
As if startled awake, Qin Hu stepped forward abruptly.
He’s here! He’s here!
But in the next moment, his smile froze on his face.
“Shi’san!” Madam Qin descended from the carriage, raising a round fan to shield herself from the sun. Spotting Qin Hu, she paused for a moment before smiling. “Look at how anxious you are – waiting out here for me the whole time?”
As she approached, she tapped his head lightly with her fan.
“Silly boy, you didn’t have to wait out here. Inside would have been just the same. It’s so hot out.”
She chuckled again.
“Are you waiting for me, or are you worried about Lady Cheng?”
“Good thing it’s me – any other lady might be upset. You’re not even married yet, and you’re already forgetting your mother.”
A faint smile tugged at Qin Hu’s lips as he reached out and took hold of Madam Qin’s fan.
“Mother, don’t tease,” he said.
Laughing, Madam Qin linked her arm with his and guided him inside.
“Alright, alright, there’s no need to worry. You weren’t like this before,” she remarked.
From standing too long, Qin Hu’s steps faltered slightly, but he quickly steadied himself – though he couldn’t resist glancing back.
The entrance had already returned to quiet.
“Mother, what did she say?” he asked, turning his gaze back with urgency.
“I didn’t see her,” Madam Qin replied.
Qin Hu froze.
“Was she already detained?” he frowned. “Even you weren’t allowed to see her?”
His mother had always been favored by the Empress Dowager – could even her request be denied?
“The Gao family is growing too arrogant. The Empress Dowager isn’t theirs alone!”
Madam Qin shook her head with a gentle smile.
“The Empress Dowager wouldn’t refuse me,” she said, pausing briefly. “It was I who chose not to see her.”
Qin Hu stared at her in surprise.
Madam Qin turned her gaze to meet his.
“Duke Jin’an is with her,” she explained.
Duke Jin’an…
So that’s what it is?
“Him… of course he should see her,” Qin Hu said with a faint smile. “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t see her as well. Why let him see her and not yourself?”
Madam Qin smiled gently.
“Her Majesty has always been benevolent and kind-hearted. If Duke Jin’an acts wisely, she will be safe, and there would be no need for me to see her,” she explained.
Qin Hu looked at his mother intently.
“And if he isn’t wise?” he asked.
…
“How have you been? Are you settling in well here?”
Duke Jin’an asked as he glanced around the room.
This was a smaller palace near the Emperor’s quarters – close enough to be summoned quickly, yet discreet enough to maintain a respectful distance from the Emperor.
Cheng Jiao-niang also swept her eyes across the interior.
“I am accustomed to it,” she replied.
Duke Jin’an smiled.
“You say that as if you’ve lived here before,” he remarked.
The imperial palace…
Back when the Emperor abdicated and Yang Shan ascended the throne, before the coronation ceremony, she had moved into the palace. As she was not yet Empress, she couldn’t reside in the Empress’s quarters, so she and Yang Shan temporarily stayed in a side hall of the former court.
At the time, it had felt somewhat rushed. In truth, they could have remained in the Prince’s residence – but looking back now, perhaps it was merely a matter of convenience, making it easier to eliminate her.
A moment of silence settled in the room.
“Cheng Fang,” Duke Jin’an called out. “Right now, the wisest and most fitting choice would be for me to request a fief from the Empress Dowager and leave the capital with you.”
Cheng Jiao-niang turned to look at him.
“A remote fief – somewhere so far that people forget it exists, a place we could never return to the capital from,” Duke Jin’an continued. “But I’m sorry, Cheng Fang. I cannot do that.”
“Doing what one must, following one’s convictions, and staying true to oneself – why should that be a reason to apologize?” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
“It’s you I’m apologizing to,” Duke Jin’an replied, feeling a faint urge to smile.
It really was unavoidable. Whenever he saw this woman and spoke with her, he always felt like smiling – even now, when he shouldn’t, and couldn’t bring himself to laugh.
“Apologizing to me? That’s my concern,” Cheng Jiao-niang said. “Telling me about it doesn’t change anything.”
Duke Jin’an smiled.
“Cheng Fang, you truly see through things so clearly,” he remarked.
“What good would it do if I didn’t?” Cheng Jiao-niang replied with a slight smile. “Clutch your leg and weep? Or shake my head with tears streaming down my face?”
Duke Jin’an looked at her, as if picturing such a scene, and let out a soft laugh.
“People act for their own sake. Since it is their own choice, they must naturally bear the consequences,” Cheng Jiao-niang said. “There’s no such thing as ‘owing an apology to others,’ nor can you blame others.”
“But if something were to happen to His Majesty, you…” Duke Jin’an began urgently, only to pause mid-sentence as understanding dawned. “Could it be…”
“His Majesty will be safe for now,” Cheng Jiao-niang confirmed with a nod.
The Empress Dowager and the Gao family intended to use the Emperor’s eventual passing to have her accompany him in death – but the Emperor would not die for another year.
This, they did not know. No one knew. Yet she happened to know it, making the schemes of the Empress Dowager and the Gao family nothing short of a farce to her.
Duke Jin’an was taken aback for a moment before letting out another quiet laugh.
Right. This girl would never willingly put herself in danger. If the Emperor were truly on the verge of passing in the coming days, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to walk right into a trap meant to have her accompany him in death.
But the Emperor would eventually…
“What comes later is a matter for later,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, her gaze sweeping across the hall. “When people act, they shouldn’t overthink. Thinking too much can blur priorities, making one lose sight of the present. If you can’t even see what’s before you, how can you be certain about what lies ahead?”
“Then… what is the matter at hand?” Duke Jin’an asked.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked toward the entrance of the hall.
“The affairs of the state,” she replied.
…
“Keep her in the palace!”
Gao Lingjun shouted at the sight of his wife before him, abruptly leaping down from his daybed.
“You foolish woman! Who told you to meddle with such an idea?”
Lady of State Qi shrank back, bewildered and uneasy.
“Master, didn’t you say we must eliminate this girl? I thought this was a good opportunity,” she explained.
“Good my foot!” Gao Lingjun yelled. “She’s no fool! Do you think she’d just jump into a pit you dig? If she were willing to jump, it wouldn’t be a pit in the first place! You know she can heal, but do you not realize she can also discern life and death? If she dared to enter the palace and remain, it means the Emperor will be safe for now.”
“The Emperor… can still be saved?” Lady of State Qi stammered, dazed. “But the imperial doctors said he cannot recover, that he won’t wake.”
“Indeed, he may not wake, but for now, he is not in immediate danger – or may even remain so for a long while,” Gao Lingjun sneered, his eyes sharp. “That means some matters can no longer be delayed!”
Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, Chen Shao bowed respectfully before the Empress Dowager.
“I humbly implore Your Majesty to deliberate on the urgent matter of appointing an heir,” he said.
