A burst of laughter drifted from the Emperor’s bedchamber, only to be quickly muffled. The attendants standing outside the door remained perfectly still, as if they had heard nothing.
“Your Majesty, truly – you didn’t see the look on the Empress Dowager’s face just then.”
Consort An raised a hand to cover her mouth. Though the laughter was stifled, the delight in her eyes still overflowed.
The Empress glanced at her.
“You speak as if you saw it with your own eyes,” she said.
The words left Consort An somewhat embarrassed.
“One can imagine well enough,” she replied, then added with a touch of anxiety as she looked at the Empress, “Perhaps this time, Your Majesty will become the Empress Dowager…”
The Empress smiled faintly.
That would indeed be wonderful, but nothing in this world comes so easily.
Prince Ping is dead, the Imperial Consort has lost her mind, His Majesty has fallen ill – yet even all that failed to frighten the Empress Dowager to death. Would the cries of a few beaten eunuchs be enough to scare her to death?
“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has already awakened,” she said, the trace of a smile still lingering on her face. “But her condition is of little concern to me. What brings me joy is that the illness of Duke Jin’an has truly been cured.”
If it’s cured, then it’s cured. How could there be any doubt about that?
Consort An frowned, not understanding.
“Indeed, and with Lady Cheng at his side, His Highness surely won’t fall ill again,” she said with a smile.
The Empress nodded.
“Yes, as long as he has Lady Cheng by his side, I am at ease,” she said. “I can wait in peace.”
“Wait for what?” Consort An asked.
The Empress glanced at her.
“To die,” she said.
…
The news of Duke Jin’an’s recovery had already spread throughout the capital.
“…he even conducted the wedding ceremony himself, so of course he’s well.”
“…with Lady Cheng, the disciple of an immortal, conducting the auspicious ritual, even the King of Hell would have to step back…”
The chatter and laughter downstairs were lively and noisy, but the person inside the private room reached out and pulled the window shut, instantly quieting the space.
“So you’re saying that when the Empress Dowager visited Duke Jin’an’s residence back then, the duke truly was on the brink of death?” someone in the room asked.
The private room was sparsely occupied by four or five people, all dressed in simple robes and casual attire, yet their demeanor and manner of speech betrayed their identities as officials.
“Indeed, his burial garments were already being prepared,” another person replied with a nod.
The “garments,” of course, referred to burial robes.
“After being dead for so long, could Lady Cheng really have brought him back?”
“How could that be possible!”
“He must have been feigning death…”
“It’s hardly unheard of for imperial clansmen to feign madness or death to avoid suspicion or escape punishment. Pretending to be dead isn’t all that rare.”
Laughter and conversation filled the room, until someone lightly cleared their throat.
“Being revived after being dead for an hour is hardly unusual.”
Being dead for an hour and being brought back – and that’s not unusual? Everyone turned to look at the speaker.
“Lady Cheng has even revived someone who had been dead for half a day,” Han Yuanchao said with a faint smile.
Half a day!
The crowd murmured in astonishment, looking at Han Yuanchao with surprise.
“So, Yuanchao, have you witnessed it yourself?” someone asked.
Han Yuanchao nodded with a smile.
“It was my aunt,” he said. “Five years ago, she was moments away from burial when Lady Cheng brought her back.”
None of those present had ever heard of such a thing, and for a moment, they were all stunned.
So such matters truly did exist.
“…After all, didn’t the Crown Prince of Guo also lie dead for half a day before being revived by the divine doctor Bian Que?” someone chimed in with a knowing smile.
That was true indeed. The ailments in this world are strange and varied, and the wondrous methods for curing them emerge one after another.
“…But the Crown Prince of Guo had suffered from a ‘corpse syncope’ condition, while Duke Jin’an was poisoned.”
“So what? If illness can be cured, why not poison?”
The hall grew noisy as arguments broke out. Han Yuanchao listened with a faint smile as he sipped his wine. Just then, someone leaned in beside him.
“Brother Yuanchao,” the person asked, curiosity evident in his tone, “so you and Lady Cheng have known each other for five years?”
Han Yuanchao shook his head.
“No, I didn’t know her back then,” he replied with a smile.
The man nodded, then suddenly paused, reaching out to grip Han Yuanchao’s arm.
“You didn’t know her then?” he repeated, his eyes lighting up. “Does that mean you got to know her later?”
Later…
Han Yuanchao’s grip on the wine bowl tightened slightly as he hesitated, then he lowered his head with a faint smile.
“Of course I came to know her,” he said, lifting his gaze. “The Cheng name is renowned throughout the realm – who doesn’t know of it?”
Just as the conversation was underway, the door was pulled open, and someone hurried in. Those in the hall greeted the newcomer in surprise.
“You’re late! Quick, quick – three cups as penalty for yourself!”
The man waved his hand dismissively.
“Stop with the drinks for now – something major has happened,” he said urgently. “Duke Jin’an has had over a dozen servants beaten to death and their bodies dumped at the gates of several officials’ residences.”
Beaten to death!
Killing servants indiscriminately is a crime!
And over a dozen at once!
The hall erupted in uproar.
Han Yuanchao’s wine bowl trembled in his hand, and his brows furrowed.
Taking lives…
…
“Absurd!”
Chen Shao threw the teacup onto the small table with a clatter, startling the maids in the room, who hastily lowered their heads and retreated. The maids and servants outside the corridor also hurried away.
“What kind of behavior is this?!”
Chen Shao’s anger still smoldered. He slapped the table and shouted.
“He was wronged and harmed – it’s understandable he’d be so furious,” said Madam Chen. “I had assumed he was forced to drink the poisoned wine as a last resort, but to think he was actually poisoned…”
She couldn’t help but lift her hand to wipe away tears.
“Anyone in his place would find it unbearable.”
“There are things one should do and things one should not,” Chen Shao said sternly. “Punishment should follow the law. What difference is there between him beating those people to death and those who harmed him? Tyrannical, lawless, and he even dared to send those half-dead people into the palace to frighten the Empress Dowager! What is he trying to do?”
“Duke Jin’an is not the tyrannical sort,” Madam Chen insisted. “He has always been respectful, courteous, kind, and amiable. Every minister at court knows this – since childhood, he’s been a well-liked boy. This incident surely couldn’t have been his intention…”
As soon as these words were spoken, Chen Shao abruptly stood up.
Not his intention?
Then…
Indeed, this hardly seemed like Duke Jin’an’s usual conduct. Such a tyrannical, “all who stand in my way shall die” attitude was unmistakably…
Could it be her again?
Old Master Chen couldn’t help but glance toward the screen.
If Duke Jin’an’s poisoning truly resulted from being deliberately poisoned, then certain matters would need to be reconsidered – for instance, the death of Cheng Si-lang.
Old Master Chen reached out and stroked the small table.
For someone to die on the same day wasn’t unusual in itself; what was unusual, however, was that it happened to be a member of Lady Cheng’s family…
It seems this is indeed the case.
The victim of Duke Jin’an’s poisoning was not just himself – there was also Cheng Si-lang, an innocent person dragged into it.
Cheng Si-lang, a man for whom she was willing to spend a fortune just to bring a smile to his face…
Old Master Chen let out a soft sigh.
“This matter has only just begun,” he said slowly, his gaze shifting to the world beyond the door. “Do not forget – outside the Eastern Gate, there stands a stele without words.”
In the late summer, waves of fervent discussion swept through the capital, one after another.
This time, the focus of conversation was no longer Cheng Jiao-niang alone – Duke Jin’an had also entered the spotlight.
First came news of their wedding, followed closely by Duke Jin’an’s death and miraculous revival, with a swift return to normal health. Before these events could even spread far, word emerged that Duke Jin’an had been poisoned by a hidden plot, and that he had beaten over a dozen servants to death and had their bodies dumped before the gates of numerous households.
“…I do not know who plotted against me, so I simply had them all beaten to death. In any case, failing in their duty to serve me well is a crime deserving of death…”
It was said these were Duke Jin’an’s own words.
“Rather kill wrongly than let one go free” – such a stance, and the killing itself, could have been handled discreetly within his own residence. Yet he chose to cast the bodies before others’ doors – a brutal and brazen act that shocked all who heard of it.
Several senior officials immediately rushed to the palace, kneeling and weeping before the Emperor in protest.
The court was in an uproar, the capital seethed, and within less than a day, a blizzard of impeachment memorials descended upon the Empress Dowager’s desk.
Gao Lingjun pushed himself up to get off the bed. At once, the Lady of State Qi, his favorite concubine, and the maids gathered around him began to cry.
“Master, please lie back down and rest.”
Gao Lingjun impatiently brushed them aside.
“I’m fine,” he said.
The weeping in the room grew louder.
Separated by the curtain, the advisors outside also felt compelled to dissuade him.
“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is urgently requesting your presence to discuss how to handle Duke Jin’an. Perhaps, Master, you could simply send instructions with the attendants,” one advisor suggested.
Gao Lingjun’s brows furrowed.
Was this a matter that could be resolved by just passing on a few words?
This was the Empress Dowager, not the Imperial Consort of the past.
The Imperial Consort, though stubborn and self-assured, had at least been clear-minded. The Empress Dowager, however, had lived a life of ease since childhood, shielded by the late emperor, respected by the current emperor, and protected externally by their Gao family. She had never faced a predicament like this before.
She could not be soothed by just anyone saying a few words.
“I’m fine,” Gao Lingjun said. “Didn’t the imperial doctors say as well? This was a sudden surge of anger that brought on the blood – now that it’s been expelled, I’ll be fine.”
The Lady of State Qi burst into loud sobs.
“How can we trust the imperial doctors? It was Lady Cheng!” she cried. “Master, Shi’si-lang is still bedridden and unable to rise!”
Gao Lingjun felt so enraged he nearly coughed up another mouthful of blood.
He had always mocked that woman for courting the fame of being an immortal’s disciple, believing it would eventually bring a fatal blow upon her. Not only had he refrained from restraining her, he had even stirred the waters. Yet never did he expect that instead of the girl facing that fatal blow, they themselves would be the first to be struck by the very reputation they had helped inflate.
“Shi’si is perfectly fine – so many imperial doctors and pharmacists have said there’s absolutely nothing wrong with him. He’s just groaning and pretending to be dead!”
Unable to contain his fury any longer, Gao Lingjun roared.
“Have him dragged out of his room and thrown out! Let’s see if he truly can’t survive!”
He pushed aside the weeping women.
“Attendants! Prepare the carriage – I’m going to the palace!”
Compared to the clamorous turmoil outside, Duke Jin’an’s residence – the very place that had sparked it all – remained as calm and undisturbed as ever.
Laughter drifted from the room. Standing beneath the corridor and chatting with the maids, Su Xin couldn’t help but glance back, the smile on her lips deepening a little more.
“Ever since the Princess Consort arrived, His Highness has not only recovered his health but laughs more often as well,” said one of the stewardesses.
“Yes, the Princess Consort truly has a gift for lifting spirits,” Su Xin replied with a gentle smile.
Is that so? This Princess Consort, who appears so cold and reserved, speaks so sparingly, and seems devoted either to martial arts or to reading and writing – how can she be the one to lift spirits?
The stewardesses exchanged smiles tinged with a hint of curiosity.
Just how does she bring about such heartfelt laughter?
As they spoke, they saw Eunuch Jing hurrying in.
Su Xin promptly announced his arrival and watched as he entered.
Not long after, laughter spilled from inside once more, mingling with Eunuch Jing’s animated voice.
“Your Highness, Princess Consort, you truly are remarkable.”
The stewardesses exchanged glances and, following Su Xin’s cue, offered their salutes and withdrew.
Su Xin lifted the curtain and stepped into the room. There, she saw Duke Jin’an and Cheng Jiao-niang seated opposite each other in the eastern chamber while Eunuch Jing spoke with lively gestures.
“Just as you anticipated, we had people keeping watch around the clock. Most households showed no unusual movements, except for the Gao residence. Though they acted discreetly, we still discovered that the number of bodies they carried out for burial yesterday exceeded the ones we sent by several. Moreover, they summoned many imperial physicians over the past two days, as well as some outside doctors. They claimed it was to treat the old lady of the Gao household, but it is said that both Young Master Gao and Master Gao are also unwell…”
At this point, Eunuch Jing’s face was beaming with delight.
“Master Gao and Young Master Gao are truly models of filial piety – so worried upon hearing of the old madam’s illness that they themselves fell sick. It makes for quite a heartwarming story.”
Doctor Li, who had just finished the pulse diagnosis and had yet to leave, glanced toward Cheng Jiao-niang.
In contrast to the animated Eunuch Jing and the smiling Duke Jin’an, Cheng Jiao-niang remained calm as ever as she slowly sipped a bowl of tea.
Though she wasn’t smiling at the moment, Doctor Li’s mind drifted back to the faint smile she had worn that day.
“A hidden loss? This is not what I’d call a hidden loss.”
Indeed, since His Highness had not been killed by them, it could hardly be considered just their “hidden loss.”
“So this is what a hidden loss really means,” he murmured softly.
