“This is impossible!”
Gao Lingjun slapped the table and rose to his feet, his face filled with disbelief as he shouted.
“You fools! Can’t you even tell if someone’s truly dead or just pretending?”
“My lord!”
His trusted aides and advisors grew frantic as well.
“How could we not tell?”
“Our men personally took care of it. To ensure nothing went wrong, we poisoned the medicine once while brewing it and once again while feeding it to him. My lord, the people from the duke’s residence took the small amount of leftover dregs and fed them to a dog – the dog died! And he drank a whole bowl of it!”
“That’s right! So many people saw it. For a full hour, there was absolutely no sign of life!”
Young Master Gao was also beside himself with fury.
“Then what’s going on? How did a dead man get back up? And even speak? He couldn’t speak a few days ago! Did dying once cure him? Is this some kind of ghostly trick?” he yelled.
His advisors were also utterly baffled.
“It’s not a ghost – someone is playing tricks,” Gao Lingjun said with a furrowed brow. “It must be that Cheng girl behind this!”
“Can she really bring the dead back to life?” Young Master Gao murmured in disbelief.
“Impossible!” one advisor argued urgently. “She wasn’t there at all. From the poisoning to his awakening, she never once went near the duke – didn’t even lay eyes on him, let alone examine or administer any treatment!”
These words plunged the room into silence. Everyone’s expression shifted uneasily, their minds racing with different thoughts and doubts.
Just what is going on here?
Is it really ghosts at work?
In the hall, the Empress Dowager slowly regained consciousness.
“Just what happened?” she asked, her voice trembling.
Before her words could fade, a voice both familiar and strange sounded in her ears.
“Your child has been unfilial… to have frightened you so…”
As these words reached her, the Empress Dowager choked on her breath once more. She pressed a hand to her chest and widened her eyes.
This time, the attending doctor, who had been watching carefully, acted swiftly. A needle was deftly inserted and gently manipulated, allowing the Empress Dowager to exhale a long, steadying breath and recover.
“You! You…” she half-rose from her seat, staring at Duke Jin’an kneeling before her, supported by two palace attendants.
What in the world is happening?
What in the world is happening?
No one could provide an answer. The imperial doctors stood with mouths agape, unable to utter a word.
“All of this is due to Your Highness’s immense fortune and virtue.”
A woman’s voice spoke up.
The Empress Dowager looked over and saw Cheng Jiao-niang offering a respectful bow.
“Your Highness brought auspicious blessings to His Highness’s marriage, and as a result, His Highness’s health has truly taken a turn for the better.”
The girl raised her head, her face adorned with a faint smile.
As these words fell, a hushed silence enveloped both inside and outside the hall.
Was that really the case?
Whether it was true or not, the congratulations were directed at Her Highness, and indeed, Duke Jin’an’s condition had improved. Someone – no one knew who was first to regain their composure – suddenly dropped to their knees with a thud.
“Congratulations to Your Highness! May Your Highness’s fortune be boundless as the heavens!”
Following this exclamation, those inside the room and out in the courtyard did not hesitate – they vied with each other to kneel down.
“Congratulations to Your Highness! May Your Highness’s fortune be boundless as the heavens!”
The Empress Dowager felt her ears buzzing faintly.
Was it because of the auspicious wedding that he truly recovered?
How could that be possible?
Yet, how could what she saw before her be explained otherwise?
The people from the duke’s residence might have colluded to deceive her, but what about the others? The medicine, the witnesses – her own people had personally checked his pulse and heartbeat. It was impossible! It was impossible for everyone to be lying to her!
Could it be… this girl…
The Empress Dowager looked toward Cheng Jiao-niang.
Having finished her bow, the young lady lifted her head and gazed back at her with a gentle smile.
Though she found this girl deeply distasteful, the Empress Dowager had to admit she was indeed a beauty. Her smile was warm and dignified, just like her manners – even the most seasoned palace maids could not have found a single flaw. Except for those eyes…
Those eyes were dark and bright, like a deep, unfathomable pool. The longer one looked into them, the more mysterious and chilling they seemed.
She could summon thunder, she could drink and converse with the King of Hell – of course she could control life and death…
Control life and death…
A shiver ran through the Empress Dowager, her eyes filling with terror.
“Your Highness, perhaps His Majesty the Emperor may also recover,” Cheng Jiao-niang added with another slight smile.
The Emperor!
That’s right – she had also visited His Majesty, and she had whispered with the Empress for quite some time. Who knows… who knows what else might happen!
“Return to the palace! Return to the palace!” the Empress Dowager suddenly cried out. “Hurry, back to the palace!”
She did not want to stay here, she could not remain in this girl’s presence.
Something was wrong – she already felt as though she couldn’t catch her breath. Was this girl already beginning to harm her? Had the King of Hell already picked up his brush to strike her name from the ledger?
Hurry, leave! Hurry, leave!
“Your Highness, please rest well and avoid causing any more fright,”
Seeing the Empress Dowager in a panic and barely able to speak coherently, her chief eunuch quickly interjected.
“Take good care of His Highness. If anything happens, report it immediately.”
With a slight effort to smooth over the situation, the Empress Dowager’s procession wasted no more time and immediately departed.
Zhou Fu abruptly stood up, watching the procession depart from Duke Jin’an’s residence, then turned his gaze to the group seeing them off at the entrance.
That girl was among them.
Cheng Jiao-niang’s expression remained as calm and unchanged as ever, but the expressions of the others – even from a distance – clearly showed the joy of having survived a disaster.
It’s all right. Everything is all right. Of course it is.
Zhou Fu let out a deep breath, leaning against the wall beside him, only now aware that he was drenched in sweat, his clothes clinging to his skin.
Meanwhile, Qin Hu, riding his horse along the street, heard the sound of people making way behind him and turned his horse into a narrow alley.
“Young Master, the Empress Dowager came and left quickly. It seems nothing major happened at Duke Jin’an’s residence,” his attendant reported as he caught up.
“With her there, how could anything go wrong?” Qin Hu replied, glancing back. “People never believe in her. Yet she is the most trustworthy person in this world. Especially those who hate and despise her – they should recognize this fact clearly.”
Don’t think you can act against her without consequence. Don’t think she won’t ensure you regret it.
…
“Hurry, go and check!”
The Empress Dowager once again rose from her couch, pointing frantically toward the outside.
“Has His Majesty woken up yet?”
Attendants and palace maids hurriedly gathered around her.
“We’ve already checked, we have. He hasn’t woken yet,” they replied in a flurry of voices.
“How do you know if you haven’t even gone there?” the Empress Dowager shouted.
Just then, Gao Lingjun entered the room. Hearing this, his brow furrowed.
“Your Highness, I have just returned from seeing him. His Majesty’s condition remains unchanged – he has not yet woken,” he said in a gentle tone.
Only then did the Empress Dowager calm slightly, though her hands, clasped tightly before her, trembled faintly, and her gaze remained unfocused.
“But… she said he would wake… She truly performed the auspicious wedding… It truly brought fortune…” she murmured quietly.
Gao Lingjun cast a meaningful glance at the eunuch standing nearby.
The eunuch hurriedly brought over the medicine.
“Your Majesty, please rest assured. His Majesty will not wake…” he hastened to say.
Before he could finish, the trembling, frantic Empress Dowager raised her hand and struck him – steady, accurate, and sharp – right across the face.
The eunuch fell to his knees with a thud, the medicine bowl in his hands crashing to the floor with a brittle clatter.
“This lowly servant deserves death, this lowly servant deserves death!” he stammered, kowtowing repeatedly in panic.
“Drag him out and beat him to death!” the Empress Dowager shouted, pointing a finger at the eunuch.
Several attendants dared not hesitate and quickly dragged him out of the room.
“I wish for His Majesty to wake, I truly do. I long for His Majesty to wake. I truly cannot bear it any longer,”
The Empress Dowager’s cries echoed through the hall.
Gao Lingjun nodded repeatedly in agreement.
“Indeed, if His Majesty could awaken, everything would be much easier,” he said.
It wasn’t just the Empress Dowager – he too would far prefer His Majesty to be awake.
Look at this old woman before him. She had already been somewhat muddled, and now, after this fright, she had become even more confused.
It was easy to imagine how difficult it would be to support such a woman.
“But!” The Empress Dowager shivered again, fearfully glancing around and motioning for Gao Lingjun to draw closer. “That girl can control life and death. If she can make His Majesty wake, she can certainly make me die… Yes, yes, she definitely can. Right now, she must already be working her sorcery…”
Gao Lingjun inwardly sighed again. He didn’t bother with grand principles this time, instead offering the Empress Dowager some comforting but shallow words – such as how the Son of Heaven was divinely protected and how Her Majesty was beyond the reach of the King of Hell – until her spirits finally eased somewhat. After she took her medicine and fell into a deep sleep, he left the palace.
Just what had happened to frighten the Empress Dowager so badly that she almost lost her mind?
Gao Lingjun sat in his carriage, his brow furrowed tightly.
This time, he had been confident of success, yet once again, that girl had turned the tables on him.
The Empress Dowager’s grand, high-profile departure from the palace to visit Duke Jin’an would spread throughout the capital within half a day.
Word would spread that Duke Jin’an’s health had improved following his auspicious wedding.
Word would spread of that girl’s miraculous prowess, yet again.
Gao Lingjun raised a hand and struck the carriage wall in frustration.
There was no doubt this incident was that girl’s doing – but what remained baffling was how she had pulled it off.
He had considered and prepared for every angle. It should have been foolproof. So how had she still succeeded?
He had to figure this out. Otherwise, it would be like facing an enemy blindfolded. Even with a sharp sword in hand, all his efforts would be in vain.
“If we’re talking about anything strange, there’s only one thing.”
Young Master Gao spoke up urgently.
Everyone in the room turned to look at him.
“The wedding night,” Young Master Gao said.
“Our people were also keeping watch that night. There was no medical treatment,” one advisor interjected. “Not even any medicine was brewed.”
Young Master Gao clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“You people are far too narrow-minded. Are you saying that medical treatment and remedies are only what you can see with your eyes?” he retorted.
What else could there be?
“The practice of nourishing yang with yin,” Young Master Gao said, clearing his throat softly. [1]
“Preposterous!”
Gao Lingjun, who had been listening attentively and with some seriousness, tossed his teacup onto the table in annoyance.
“Father, preposterous? Haven’t we seen enough preposterous things already?” Young Master Gao pressed on hurriedly. “We can’t just dismiss everything as unbelievable. Nothing else changed – no change in people, no change in medicine. The only difference was the wedding night in the bridal chamber…”
At this point, he lowered his voice.
“And from what I’ve heard, it was quite an intense night. Duke Jin’an was exhausted by that girl, carried out unconscious.”
“If that’s the case, then it should be ‘absorbing yang to nourish yin.'”
“Ah, not necessarily. After absorbing yang, it could be returned to nourish yang with yin. Isn’t she a disciple of Taoism? Such bedroom arts for nurturing vitality would be her specialty.”
Gao Lingjun had heard enough and could listen no further. He slapped the table with his hand.
“Preposterous!” he exclaimed. “All of you, go investigate further. Don’t waste time on these absurd, baseless, and far-fetched speculations!”
…
Preposterous or not, what matters is that it works.
Outside Cheng Jiao-niang’s courtyard in Duke Jin’an’s residence, Master Gu stood once again with a group of people, silently reflecting in his heart.
It had only been a little over half a day since the last time he stood here, but his state of mind was entirely different now.
Early that morning, standing outside this door and learning that the duke’s last half-breath of life had been further diminished by another half, he had been so furious he could have set the courtyard ablaze.
But now, looking at Duke Jin’an – who just a moment ago had seemed utterly lifeless, yet now had regained half his vitality – though it was still just half a life, Master Gu couldn’t contain the joy that shone from his eyes.
“Doctor Li already asked earlier. The princess consort said to let him continue the treatment – whatever he was doing before, he should carry on as usual. It’s best we don’t disturb her,” Eunuch Jing couldn’t help remarking. “Let’s not risk upsetting Her Highness.”
Master Gu frowned and let out a sigh.
“I’m not asking Her Highness to treat His Highness. Doctor Li can apply his needles and medicines as he sees fit. I’m just bringing His Highness back,” he explained. “Now that they are married, what sense does it make for them to live in separate courtyards? This is His Highness’s living quarters – naturally, he should be brought here.”
Eunuch Jing looked at him with a trace of suspicion.
“What exactly are you scheming?” he muttered under his breath.
Cheng Jiao-niang, upon hearing their purpose, did not refuse. Ban Qin immediately led the maids and attendants to tidy the bed, carefully settling Duke Jin’an on it.
This time, even before Cheng Jiao-niang had to remind them, Eunuch Jing took the initiative to lead the others in respectfully withdrawing.
Master Gu, who had been standing outside the corridor behind the curtain, hesitated repeatedly before finally stopping in his tracks.
“Princess Consort,” he said, bowing outside the lowered curtain, “Everything will depend on Your Highness’s care.”
Cheng Jiao-niang gave a soft hum in acknowledgment.
But Master Gu still hadn’t left. He seemed to struggle with his words, holding back yet wanting to speak.
“Is there something else?” Ban Qin asked.
Master Gu clenched his teeth and bowed once more.
“It’s just… His Highness is still weak from illness. I beg Your Highness to… be gentle,” he said.
At that moment, Su Xin happened to walk out of the side room. Having just dealt with household matters until her mouth felt parched, she still had half a sip of tea in her mouth. Hearing his words, she choked and sprayed it out.
What – what does he mean by that?! What kind of person does he think our mistress is?! Utterly absurd!
Translator’s Notes:
[1] Yin is associated with feminine, dark, passive, and receptive energy. Yang is associated with masculine, bright, active, and creative energy. This phrase means gathering Yin (feminine energy) to supplement Yang (masculine energy). This refers to a male absorbing energy from a female to enhance his own vitality or longevity – often discussed in historical or mystical contexts like Taoist sexual practices.
Yayyyy. Thanks alot