Feng Caiwei bit her lip, but the tears on her face had already vanished.
Empress Feng calmly leaned forward to hang the brush back on its rack. Her lips curled coldly as she said, “Do you know how long I’ve lived here without leaving?”
Feng Caiwei widened her eyes and looked at the Empress, faintly puzzled.
“Decades! Not one or two years, not three or four—decades,” the Empress said flatly, looking her in the eyes. “Over the years, I’ve had moments when I could barely endure it. But I always knew that even the slightest misstep would become an excuse to depose me. So I never took a single step too far.”
She raised her hand to massage her brow. “Now you come here saying these things—clearly, you just want me to help you get rid of that girl from the Qi family, isn’t that right?”
Feng Caiwei panicked and shook her head. “Your Majesty, that’s not what I meant…”
“Enough!” Empress Feng cut her off without hesitation. Her voice was cold. “I will not do anything for you. Yunting is a capable, ambitious child. If I were to harm someone he cares about, what kind of person would that make me?”
Feng Caiwei felt a cold chill spread through her.
She had come to hear a clear word of support from the Empress—but what had the Empress just told her?
Seeing her stunned expression, the Empress’s tone softened slightly. “Caiwei, you need to understand—whoever Yunting likes, I will support him. Surely you’re not still dreaming of being his one and only?”
Feng Caiwei froze. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.
“If that’s really what you think,” the Empress said coolly, raising an eyebrow, “then you’ve truly disappointed me. The Feng family has disappointed me!”
“Did you see Liu Wangfei?” she went on. “Back when she and the Emperor were in the fiefdom, how deeply in love were they? For her, he refused to take any concubines. Even after he became emperor and returned to the capital, for a long time I was the only empress in the palace.”
Feng Caiwei began to understand what the Empress was getting at.
“But what happened in the end?” The Empress’s tone grew even more calm. “After Noble Consort Xiao Liu entered the palace, how much of that love for Liu Wangfei remained?”
Hoping a man will be faithful for life—that was a joke to begin with.
So when Xiao Yunting said he wouldn’t have multiple wives and concubines, Empress Feng had always dismissed it as childish talk.
“What’s the use of love?” the Empress said sternly. “Being drawn to beauty in youth is human nature. Falling for someone because they’re attractive or new is easy. But real life is about rice, oil, salt, and vinegar—not love.”
The words of someone who had lived through it all rarely registered with those who hadn’t.
Feng Caiwei had her own pride.
What she wanted was an Imperial Grandson whose heart, mind, and eyes were completely hers.
Who he would like in the future—that was for the future.
But she also knew what the Empress liked to hear, so she only asked softly, “Then… what should I do now?”
“That’s easy. What does any of this have to do with you?” Empress Feng gave a slight smile. “If Yunting really likes her that much, then naturally he’ll formally propose marriage. When that time comes, we’ll deal with it.”
She looked at her calmly. “As for you, what you should do now is pull yourself together and focus on your own matters.”
Feng Caiwei’s head throbbed.
She understood the Empress’s unspoken meaning: don’t concern yourself with who Xiao Yunting likes—just make sure you become Imperial Grandson Consort in name.
But that… wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t want a hollow title with no real connection.
Of course, none of that could be said aloud.
She sat there and looked at the Empress for a long while before finally saying, “I understand, Your Majesty.”
The Empress had her stay for a meal and said, “I’m not feeling very well today. I’ll have someone call Yunting over. You can massage me in the meantime.”
Feng Caiwei immediately understood, her eyes widening as she quickly agreed.
She truly couldn’t wait any longer.
The best moment had already been ruined by Qi Yuan. Now that the Empress was handing her a golden opportunity, she had to seize it and make Xiao Yunting notice her!
—
Before long, Xiao Yunting had just finished reviewing memorials with Emperor Yongchang and was preparing to leave the palace when a eunuch from the Empress’s residence stopped him, saying the Empress was unwell.
He rushed to the Empress’s quarters and sent for Imperial Physician Hu and Chief Medical Officer Sun.
When the Empress saw him, she merely smiled. “It’s not that serious. Just an old headache flaring up again. Caiwei happened to be here and lit some incense for me, then massaged a few pressure points. I’m feeling much better now.”
As she spoke, she called out, “Caiwei, come greet His Highness.”
Feng Caiwei’s heart pounded like a drum. She had rehearsed this scene countless times in her mind, but when it finally arrived, she was still overwhelmed with nerves. She struggled to maintain her usual grace and composure as she stepped forward and knelt. “Greetings to Your Highness the Imperial Grandson.”
Xiao Yunting waved his hand casually, not even looking at her closely. He turned to the Empress and said, “Let the physicians examine you anyway. This chronic headache of yours needs proper treatment.”
Feng Caiwei clenched her fists tightly. An unspeakable sense of humiliation surged through her.
After everything she’d done—she still wasn’t worth a second glance?
She took a breath and couldn’t help speaking up: “Your Highness.”
Xiao Yunting looked at her, and only then did she speak softly: “Her Majesty’s headache does require long-term care. I may have a remedy.”
Xiao Yunting looked surprised, but didn’t show much emotion. “If you have a method, then discuss it with the physicians.”
He paused, then looked at the Empress and said, “By the way, Royal Grandmother—if she truly does have a cure, then I’ll ask Royal Grandfather to grant her the title of County Princess and have her marry honorably as a younger sister.”
Both the Empress and Feng Caiwei froze.
They had not expected Xiao Yunting to say that.
To him, though, it seemed entirely reasonable. A favor should be repaid. If Feng Caiwei really could cure the Empress’s headaches, then this was the perfect reason to request a title from the Emperor.
Using a County Princess title to return that favor—that would settle the debt, wouldn’t it?
Feng Caiwei instantly went pale.
Even Empress Feng frowned slightly. “That’s a bit premature.”
Feng Caiwei gripped her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, yet she felt no pain.
She said in a low voice, “Your Highness, that is a reward I cannot accept. I was too young to decide anything for myself back then. If there’s any reward to be given, it should go to my father and grandfather.”
Xiao Yunting wasn’t particularly surprised. He merely glanced at her and said, “Whether you could decide or not doesn’t matter. You still took a risk. Emotionally and logically, it’s only right to reward you. And don’t worry—I won’t forget your father and grandfather either.”
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