Feng Lezhen sat and let Ah Ye comb her hair, while Fu Zhixian leaned lazily against the doorframe, smiling as he spoke: “Just now, my uncle came in person. Said he’s prepared breakfast specially for Your Highness and invited you to join him in the main hall.”
“See, this is why your Fu family is going downhill. If your grandfather were still in charge, and heard that I spent the night in your room, he would’ve at least written eight or ten memorials to the late emperor. But your uncle? He’s trying to curry favor instead.” Feng Lezhen looked into the mirror and, satisfied with her appearance, rose and headed out.
“He must’ve gone to great lengths. Is Your Highness really not going?” Fu Zhixian asked.
Feng Lezhen replied, “If I don’t go, will he starve?”
Fu Zhixian chuckled, but before he could say more, she added, “And you’re not to go either. Dining with the man who drove your parents to death—don’t you find it disgusting?”
“Understood. I shall obey Your Highness’s teachings.” Fu Zhixian gave a proper bow.
Feng Lezhen shot him a sideways glance and walked out. Chen Jinan followed quietly, not sparing a single glance at Fu Zhixian.
Qin Wan had long been waiting at the back gate of the Fu residence. When she saw two carriages had arrived, she immediately directed Chen Jinan to the second one.
“Your Highness.” Qin Wan offered her hand and helped Feng Lezhen into the first carriage.
As the carriage set off, Feng Lezhen leaned against a soft cushion and looked at the dark circles under Qin Wan’s eyes: “You didn’t sleep all night?”
“I hadn’t finished what Your Highness instructed, so I didn’t dare,” Qin Wan said respectfully.
Feng Lezhen sighed: “It wasn’t that urgent.”
“Qing Wangfei has been bedridden for years and nearly died this year. Fortunately, a physician surnamed Shen saved her, and only then did she recover a bit. Not long after, someone from the palace came. Then Qing Wangfei started throwing a grand lotus banquet,” Qin Wan said gravely.
Feng Lezhen played with the cup on the small table thoughtfully: “That doctor—does he have any ties to the palace?”
“He arrived in the capital just over ten days ago, supposedly searching for ancient records on epidemics. Qing Wangfei found him by chance.” Qin Wan answered.
Feng Lezhen nodded. “So she was cured, and someone in the palace saw value in her, thus approached her.”
“Then the events at the lotus banquet… was that the palace’s person’s doing….” Qin Wan hesitated, then cautiously asked, “Though Qing Wang was killed by Your Highness, the one in the palace was certainly involved. Why is Qing Wangfei cooperating with him?”
“Because she’s weak,” Feng Lezhen said as the carriage rocked gently. She looked down at the water spilling through her fingers. “If I were the one sitting in that position now, then the person she hated would be him.”
Qin Wan was silent for a moment. “About yesterday… did Lord Fu know?”
“If he had, things wouldn’t have gone so far.” Feng Lezhen curved her lips, but there was no smile in her eyes.
“Then I don’t understand,” Qin Wan frowned. “I’ve been watching both the Fu family and the palace. Their connections have only grown stronger lately. It’s almost certain that Lord Fu is working for that person in the palace. If that’s the case… why would that person keep him in the dark and set a trap like this?”
“Even if Fu Zhixian is his man, he’d never fully trust him.” Feng Lezhen pinched her brow, her tone casual.
“What was his purpose in setting this trap? Surely it wasn’t just to delay…” Qin Wan trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something.
Right now, the court was locked in a fierce debate over the canal project, tensions stretched to the breaking point. Though Her Highness wasn’t directly involved in court affairs, her influence was enough to tip the scales. If what happened yesterday had succeeded, the Liang family would surely demand an explanation from Lord Fu, and that would inevitably involve Her Highness. As long as she was busy dealing with the aftermath, she would naturally have less energy to focus on court matters.
“He actually thought… Her Highness would prioritize romance over state affairs.” Qin Wan gave a wry smile.
“Which is why I say—he’s stupid,” Feng Lezhen sighed. Still, it did reveal one thing: he hadn’t yet formed the intent to kill her. After all, if the plan had succeeded, even if she protected Fu Zhixian, she would likely feel some resentment. In the future, it would be much harder for Fu Zhixian to use his role as her fiancé for political leverage.
It was only because Fu Zhixian had chosen death over betrayal in the past, and because the lotus banquet trap failed, that the later Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet confrontation was even possible. Otherwise, using such a valuable chess piece merely to stall her briefly—what a waste. No wonder he and Qing Wangfei made such an easy alliance. As for Fu Zhixian’s engagement to Liang Yue’er in the previous life, it was likely just compensation from the emperor to the Liang family.
Now that some truths had come to light, Feng Lezhen finally felt a hint of satisfaction.
“I heard that last night, Lord Fu threatened suicide to get out of Qing Wang’s residence safely,” Qin Wan said quietly.
Feng Lezhen returned from her thoughts. “Mm.”
“If he has feelings for Your Highness, then why serve the very emperor who wants you dead? But if he doesn’t care, why would he rather die than touch another woman?” Qin Wan shook her head. “This servant truly doesn’t understand him anymore.”
“What’s there not to understand? Of course he has feelings for me—and I for him as well.” A faint smile touched Feng Lezhen’s eyes.
“But…”
“But feelings are one thing,” she said, letting go of the cup in her hand. “If our paths differ, we cannot work together.” The cup clattered onto the table and shattered in two.
After returning to the Eldest Princess’s residence, she first went to take a nap. Once fully awake, she summoned Qin Wan and headed for the secret prison.
The secret prison was located in the far west courtyard—the most secluded part of the estate. They passed through gardens, crossed small bridges, and turned down several corridors before finally arriving at the prison gates. As it was underground and summer now, a chill hit Feng Lezhen the moment they approached the door. She immediately frowned and pulled her clothes tighter around her.
“Shall I fetch another cloak, Your Highness?” Qin Wan asked softly.
Feng Lezhen shook her head and walked in directly. Qin Wan quickly followed.
“Are we certain he’s mad?” she asked.
“I’ve used several methods to test him. It’s confirmed—he’s truly lost his mind,” Qin Wan said respectfully.
Feng Lezhen said nothing more, only quickened her pace.
Before they even reached the cell, a series of pitiful wails echoed out. She turned to Qin Wan.
“I didn’t torture him,” Qin Wan explained.
“Who is it?!”
A hoarse, shrill voice rang from inside.
Feng Lezhen stepped into the dim light, her smile poised as she looked at the white-haired old eunuch. “Fan Gonggong, it’s been a long time.”
The old eunuch stared blankly at her for a while before finally speaking, timidly, “L-Little Princess?”
“Hengkang has grown up. Only you still call me ‘Little Princess,’” she said with a gentle smile.
The old eunuch swallowed, his hands trembling as he reached for her face. Qin Wan instinctively moved to protect her, but Feng Lezhen stopped her with a glance.
She stood still, allowing the old eunuch’s hand to draw closer and closer. Just as the filthy fingers and cracked nails were about to touch her, he suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud and began kowtowing frantically.
“Your Majesty spare me! Spare me! This servant won’t say anything, won’t say a word—Your Majesty, please!”
The ground was soon stained with blood from his forehead. A foul stench of urine followed. Qin Wan quickly called someone to restrain him and supported Feng Lezhen as they exited.
“He’d been mute and senseless in the countryside, not speaking at all. Only after returning to the capital did he slowly begin to talk. Even so, he claimed to remember nothing. Only now, seeing Your Highness, did he finally say more,” Qin Wan whispered.
Cries still echoed behind them. Feng Lezhen lowered her eyes. “Lay down several blankets for him, wrap the walls so he doesn’t injure himself again. Feed him well—three meals a day, properly tended to.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Qin Wan paused, then asked, “Shall we bring in a doctor?”
Feng Lezhen frowned. “Ordinary doctors are useless. But those skilled in medicine are usually tied to noble families. If word got out, it’d be disastrous…”
A figure suddenly came to mind. Her tone slowed. “But if it’s a newly arrived doctor in the capital, with no connections—and excellent medical skills—it should be fine.”
Qin Wan asked, “Your Highness is referring to…”
“The one from Qing Wang’s residence,” Feng Lezhen said directly.
Qin Wan immediately understood.
She would handle summoning the doctor. Feng Lezhen, on the other hand, no longer remained in seclusion. Invitations and letters soon poured in like snowflakes—nine out of ten about the canal. She replied to each one, summoned her advisors for discussions, and by the time each meeting ended, it was always deep into the night.
“Your Highness used to keep a low profile. Why the sudden change?” Ah Ye asked, confused.
Feng Lezhen rubbed her temples, weary. “To let certain people know—I’m not happy.”
Ah Ye didn’t understand, but soon an imperial edict arrived: the emperor had not seen his elder sister in days and missed her dearly. She was summoned to the palace for a banquet.
“See? Some people are already getting anxious.” Feng Lezhen smiled, changed into her formal robes, and headed to the palace.
The Great Qian imperial palace sat at the northernmost part of the capital. From the Eldest Princess’s residence, one had to pass the imperial guard’s drill grounds, the busiest market, and a vast square before the palace gates even came into view. The journey took nearly an hour.
Each time Ah Ye accompanied her to the palace, she couldn’t help but grumble silently that when the late emperor granted Her Highness this estate, he only considered how grand the house was—completely ignoring the distance to the palace. A trip back felt like traveling to a distant land. It was nothing short of a long trek.
Feng Lezhen always smiled wordlessly whenever she heard such complaints from Ah Ye, but this time she said, “If I lived too close, what if one night I got the urge and stormed the palace to kill the Emperor?”
Ah Ye thought for a moment. “Your Highness isn’t the impulsive type.”
Feng Lezhen chuckled and reached out to pinch her cheek.
The carriage soon stopped in front of the palace gates. According to protocol, Feng Lezhen alighted with Ah Ye and followed the palace attendants on foot toward the inner palace.
To get to Longhua Hall, where the Emperor resided, they had to first pass through a long palace path, then the lush Imperial Garden, and continue past the Imperial Library, the Reflection Pavilion, and the Council Hall.
It was mid-summer, and the heat was stifling. Ah Ye soon grew irritable. She glanced at Her Highness—though Feng Lezhen always claimed she didn’t fear the heat, a thin sheen of sweat had still formed on her brow. They had been walking for quite a while and had just exited the palace path, about to enter the garden.
Ah Ye couldn’t help but want to ask the attendant why no sedan had been prepared for Her Highness, but before she could speak, she caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye—something was flying straight at Feng Lezhen.
“Your Highness, watch out!” Ah Ye’s face changed as she pulled Feng Lezhen behind her protectively.
At almost the same moment, something hit the ground where Feng Lezhen had just been standing—it was a flower, dusty and wilted.
“I picked that flower with great effort. Is this how Your Highness treats it?”
An innocent-sounding voice called down from the trees. Feng Lezhen looked up and met a pair of wolf-like gray-blue eyes.
Want to show your support? Go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! Want to get early access to at least 10+ chapters in advance? Go to my Patreon to join now! :)
