Empress Feng was angry.
Perhaps because she truly hated Noble Consort Xiao Liu, she had never had any affection for Noble Consort Xiao Liu’s children either.
Never mind that Princess Mingcheng and Yongrong were still young.
Though young, they had never been short of tricks.
Especially Princess Mingcheng. At a very young age, she had already been capable of things like mysteriously “breaking out in a rash after eating unknown pastries” inside Empress Feng’s palace.
Incidents like that were minor and harmless, but endlessly irritating.
The mother and daughter were exactly alike.
No, it would be more accurate to say that Princess Baorong had taught them well.
She had raised a younger sister who was calculating and scheming despite her tender age.
Now, seeing Princess Mingcheng crying so miserably, Empress Feng felt no sympathy at all. Instead, she grew wary.
How could there be such a coincidence?
Yongrong had cried himself nearly unconscious. Seeing that he was about to faint, Emperor Yongchang strode forward, scooped him into his arms, and shouted loudly, “Yongrong! Look at me! I am your Royal father!”
The roomful of eunuchs and palace maids dropped to their knees, filling the floor in a dark mass.
Yongrong burst into even louder sobs. “Royal Father! Royal Father, I saw Royal Mother! I want Royal Mother back! I want her to come back and stay with me!”
Emperor Yongchang looked up, sadness crossing his face.
How could a child understand death?
But the dead were dead.
All he could do was comfort him gently. “Yongrong, your Royal Mother has merely gone ahead to a faraway place to wait for us. After a hundred years, when your own time comes, you will naturally see her again.”
Princess Mingcheng cried quietly beside them.
But Yongrong shook his head frantically. “No! That’s not true! That’s not true! My Royal Mother isn’t dead! She’s in the Imperial Garden! I saw her! I chased after her and she kept running. I chased her for so long. I really saw her!”
Xiao Yunting’s eyelid twitched sharply.
Empress Feng’s heart also skipped a beat.
Emperor Yongchang, however, found it both exasperating and amusing. Thinking that even in his sleepwalking, the child could think only of his mother made him seem especially pitiful.
With a sigh, he said softly, “No, Yongrong. You were dreaming. It’s all right. Now that you’re awake, everything is fine.”
“I wasn’t dreaming!” Yongrong shouted, his face flushed red with agitation.
Suddenly remembering something, he pulled a handkerchief from the pouch at his waist.
“Royal Father, look! When I saw her, she was sitting on top of the rockery, propping up her chin and smiling at me. She asked who I was and why I was being so naughty, wandering around in the middle of the night and frightening people. It really was my Royal Mother!”
Unable to control his emotions, he continued, “I, I tried to catch her, but she ran. She ran so fast. In my panic, I grabbed hold of her handkerchief. I chased her for a long way, but then she disappeared…”
Emperor Yongchang accepted the handkerchief and raised an eyebrow before glancing at Xia Yan.
“Go investigate. Find out which palace maid this belongs to.”
Anyone moving about the palace at night had to be someone from within the palace.
The handkerchief bore an intricate design and was embroidered with the character Rong. It clearly belonged to a palace maid.
Most likely, Yongrong had happened to encounter a maid while sleepwalking and mistaken her for his mother.
Patting Yongrong’s head, the emperor said, “Fine, fine. Then we’ll let you see for yourself. You must have mistaken the wrong person.”
Xiao Yunting’s expression grew serious.
He had a feeling things were not so simple.
Empress Feng felt the same.
Unfortunately, with so many eyes watching, and with Emperor Yongchang already having sent Xia Yan to investigate, there was nothing they could do in advance.
Before long, Xia Yan returned with the maid in question.
The moment she saw her, Princess Mingcheng’s eyes widened. “Royal Mother! It really is Royal Mother!”
Emperor Yongchang froze.
Before he could react, Yongrong had already broken free from his embrace, tumbled off the bed, and scrambled toward the young woman.
Throwing his arms around her waist, he cried, “Royal Mother! I missed you so much, Royal Mother! You’ve finally come back!”
Empress Feng sucked in a sharp breath.
Good heavens!
Could there really be someone in the world who looked so alike?
If she had not known with absolute certainty that Noble Consort Xiao Liu had long since died, even she might have believed that Noble Consort Xiao Liu had returned from the grave.
How could they resemble each other so closely?
Xiao Yunting lowered his eyes, concealing the coldness within them.
What a grand performance.
What an enormous chess game.
The palace maid dropped to her knees with a thud, trembling violently. “Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me! Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me! This servant never intended to offend the Little Prince!”
Emperor Yongchang stared at her intently. Then he ordered in a deep voice, “Raise your head.”
Pressing her lips together, the maid nervously lifted her face, still not daring to meet his eyes.
Yet even so, she resembled Noble Consort Xiao Liu almost perfectly.
Emperor Yongchang fell silent.
After her initial shock, Empress Feng could only sneer inwardly.
How ridiculous.
For all these years, Emperor Yongchang had constantly claimed he could never forget Liu Wangfei.
But after Liu Wangfei returned to live at Baiyun Temple, how many times had he actually gone to visit her?
It was Noble Consort Xiao Liu who truly haunted his thoughts day and night.
Clicking her tongue, she leaned toward Xiao Yunting and whispered, “It looks like the palace is about to gain another favored consort.”
Those two children had planned this well.
Bring in a woman who looked exactly like Noble Consort Xiao Liu, have her become a favored consort, and thereafter both sides would enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship.
Empress Feng slowly closed her eyes.
But Xiao Yunting suddenly spoke. “Indeed. What a coincidence. After nightfall, the palace is under curfew. Palace maids and eunuchs are not supposed to wander freely. So how did you happen to appear atop the rockery in the middle of the night?”
Many things could not withstand scrutiny.
Once examined closely, traces of manipulation became obvious.
Emperor Yongchang’s gaze gradually turned cold. “You collided with a prince and wandered about the palace at night without authorization. Go to the Directorate of Palace Discipline and receive twenty strokes of the board!”
Empress Feng was instantly astonished.
She had never expected Emperor Yongchang to be so ruthless.
Not only had he refused to keep the maid, he had not even bothered to ask her name.
How was that possible?
This maid looked ninety-nine percent identical to Noble Consort Xiao Liu, if not completely identical!
Before she could process it, Yongrong suddenly threw himself at Emperor Yongchang’s legs and clung tightly to them. “No! No! Royal Father, please! Please don’t let Royal Mother leave me! I can’t live without Royal Mother! I can’t live without her! Lately I can’t sleep, I haven’t been able to sleep at all…”
He cried so bitterly that anyone who heard him would feel heartbroken.
Princess Mingcheng bit her lip. “Royal Father, Yongrong is still too young. Every day he calls for Royal Mother. Perhaps… perhaps you could keep this palace maid by his side? It would at least give Yongrong something to hold on to.”
Rubbing his forehead, Emperor Yongchang finally turned to the trembling maid. “What is your name?”
With tears in her voice and fear written all over her face, the maid replied, “Reporting to Your Majesty, this servant’s name is Furong.”
‘Pure as a lotus emerging from clear waters, naturally beautiful without adornment.’
She truly lived up to her name.
Want to show your support? Go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! Want to get early access to at least 20+ chapters in advance? Go to my Patreon to join now! :)
