The enthronement ceremony was over. Everything had settled. With the court stabilizing, the ministers started turning their minds to something new—
They began urging her to marry.
“Your Majesty is now already past the age of twenty-five, yet remains unmarried. At present, the royal bloodline has no heirs, and Great Qian has no successor. I urge Your Majesty to widely open the selection of consorts, so that the imperial lineage of Great Qian may grow and continue.”
“We beseech Your Majesty to begin the selection of consorts and extend the royal lineage!”
“We beseech Your Majesty to begin the selection of consorts and extend the royal lineage!”
In the imperial study, Feng Lezhen threw the tenth memorial urging her to marry onto the desk, then turned and casually chatted with Fan Gonggong.
“These old relics—weren’t they just saying a woman ascending the throne was a violation of propriety? It’s barely been a few days, and now they’re already pushing me to hold a consort selection. They really do adapt quickly… And this ‘past twenty-five’—where did that come from? I’ve heard of ‘past fifty,’ but never ‘past twenty-five.’ Do they just want to make me sound older?”
Fan Gonggong chuckled. “Your Majesty is in your prime. Don’t mind what they say.”
Feng Lezhen let out a dry laugh. “It’s not like I can completely ignore them—they submit these memorials every single day. It’s enough to drive me mad.”
“Then… does Your Majesty truly plan to hold a selection?” Fan Gonggong looked uncertain. “If it’s a male selection, I’ll need to think things through carefully. After all, when women enter the palace, the first step is having a matron verify their… status. But for men, how would we even verify…”
Seeing that he was genuinely fretting, Feng Lezhen couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t trouble yourself over that. I don’t plan to go along with them anyway.”
She had just ascended the throne. If she rushed into a consort selection now, who knew how many snakes and monsters those people would try to sneak into the palace? Absolutely unacceptable.
“Well… if we can’t ignore them entirely, but also don’t intend to follow their wishes, then… is Your Majesty listening to them or not?” Fan Gonggong asked, sounding a little exasperated.
Feng Lezhen looked down at the stack of memorials and fell quiet for a moment. “What do you think I should do?”
“I believe Your Majesty already has a plan,” Fan Gonggong said with a respectful bow.
Feng Lezhen smiled faintly. “We’re just chatting. No need to stand on ceremony.”
Fan Gonggong hesitated, then finally said, “Your Majesty’s marriage affects the balance between the inner palace and former imperial factions. It requires careful thought… Forgive this servant for speaking boldly, but though you have ascended the throne, your foundation is still not yet solid. A well-matched marriage could strengthen your position. But if it’s a poor match, it might backfire.”
“So after all that, you’ve said nothing at all.” Feng Lezhen couldn’t help laughing. “You’re a sly old fox.”
Fan Gonggong chuckled awkwardly, looking a bit sheepish.
Feng Lezhen suddenly thought of Chen Jinan. After entering the palace, she had originally asked him to stay, but he had worried it might be improper and reflect badly on her, so he insisted on remaining at the general’s residence. Since the enthronement ceremony, aside from court sessions, they’d hardly seen each other.
Now that the court’s pressure to marry was growing, he hadn’t come to the palace in two days. She wondered what he thought about all this… Her brow furrowed slightly, just as she was about to speak.
Fan Gonggong spoke up first. “The general’s residence has had quite a few visitors these past few days.”
Catching the implication in his words, Feng Lezhen looked at him thoughtfully.
Fan Gonggong cleared his throat. “Quite a few people have gone to ask him how to win Your Majesty’s favor.”
Though she and Chen Jinan had never made a public display of their relationship, neither had they gone out of their way to hide it. With the entire court now pressing for a consort selection, it was no surprise that some would seek him out. Still…
“He’s the only close aide I have right now. If those people aren’t trying to curry favor with him, but instead go pestering him with these ridiculous questions… Aren’t they worried he’ll throw them out?” Her expression turned subtly amused.
“You may not know this,” Fan Gonggong explained, “but General Yang holds military power. In the eyes of those people, it’s only a matter of time before he returns to the South. If he teaches them how to win Your Majesty’s favor and they succeed in entering the palace, that’s one more connection for General Yang within the inner court. To them, it’s a win-win situation.”
In short: forming factions and currying private favor.
Feng Lezhen was well acquainted with these political games, but she hadn’t expected Chen Jinan to one day become their target. She couldn’t help but find it amusing. “Jinan must be getting pestered to death.”
“General Yang…” Fan Gonggong hesitated, but ultimately decided to speak frankly. “He entertains those guests every day—and quite attentively at that.”
Feng Lezhen raised her brows in surprise.
“If Your Majesty is curious, why not summon General Yang to the palace and ask him directly?” Fan Gonggong suggested tactfully, stopping short of saying too much.
Feng Lezhen considered it, then shook her head. “Not today. By the time I finish reviewing these memorials, it’ll be well into the night.”
Fan Gonggong agreed with a smile.
Feng Lezhen picked up another memorial, thinking she might summon Chen Jinan tomorrow or the day after. She didn’t believe him to be the type to form private factions, but if even Fan Gonggong had heard these rumors, others likely had as well.
No one openly forms factions—if he wasn’t trying to hide it, it must mean he had nothing to be ashamed of. She needed to find a chance to ask him clearly what was going on.
She made that plan, but the next day turned out to be even busier, leaving her no time to think about Chen Jinan. Instead, Fu Zhixian came to the palace a few times—each visit no longer than half an hour. Two out of the three times he didn’t even get to see her, but he didn’t seem to mind. He simply wandered through the imperial garden, then left at his own pace.
The fourth time, Feng Lezhen finally managed to spare him a glance. Fu Zhixian smiled at her immediately.
She sighed in exasperation. “What exactly are you trying to do?”
“Nothing at all. I just came to see you.”
She had already been enthroned for days, yet he stubbornly still addressed her as “Your Highness.” If others heard, he’d be impeached eight hundred times over. Feng Lezhen let out a cold laugh and ignored him.
Fu Zhixian, sensing it, said nothing more. He simply sat quietly, gazing at her features—as if, just as he claimed, he’d come merely to look at her.
After half an hour, he rose.
“Your Highness, I’m leaving now,” he said.
Feng Lezhen didn’t even lift her head. “Tomorrow I’ll be very busy. You likely won’t be able to see me.”
Fu Zhixian stared at her bowed head and slender shoulders for a while, then smiled faintly. “Perfect. I don’t plan to come tomorrow.”
Feng Lezhen frowned. His tone felt strange. She looked up, only to catch sight of his back slowly retreating.
That single glance left her restless for the rest of the night. She even dreamed of their first meeting—back then, Fu Zhixian had just lost his parents, his face thin and sallow from mistreatment by the elder members of the Fu family. But even then, one could see he was a beautiful child, especially his eyes. Though she had only been seven, she was old enough to tell beauty from ugliness—and while she hadn’t shown it on her face, she had been quite taken with him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone out of her way to help him.
In the distance, a bell tolled softly.
Feng Lezhen slowly opened her eyes. Ah Ye, Qin Wan, and the others were already kneeling beside the bed, waiting.
A new day had begun—and with it, another round of court with those old officials.
Feng Lezhen sighed, pushing down the unease in her heart and got up to dress.
As expected, the morning court was still filled with marriage petitions. Having slept poorly, her mood was especially irritable. In the end, she left early with only one sentence: “I have my own plans.”
Since ascending the throne, this was the first time she had left court before it concluded. From below, Chen Jinan’s gaze followed her, a trace of concern in his eyes.
Ah Ye hurried after Feng Lezhen. Once back at the sleeping quarters, she finally asked, “Your Majesty, why were you so upset today?”
“I don’t even know. Just irritated,” Feng Lezhen rubbed her brow. “Probably didn’t sleep well.”
“Then why not nap a bit and deal with the memorials afterward?” Ah Ye suggested.
Feng Lezhen pressed her lips together. “Forget it. I’ll stay up.”
With that, she headed directly to the imperial study. Ah Ye had no choice but to follow.
She stayed in the study for most of the day, and finally finished reviewing the memorials. Just as she was about to summon several ministers to discuss state affairs, a young eunuch reported that Qin Gugu had arrived.
Recently, Qin Wan had been handling many affairs of the inner palace and rarely interrupted Feng Lezhen while she worked. Feng Lezhen paused. When Qin Wan entered, she asked why she had come.
Qin Wan hesitated, as though debating whether to speak.
“Speak freely,” Feng Lezhen said gently, sensing her reluctance.
Qin Wan was silent for a moment, then sighed. “It’s not a major issue… But this servant suddenly heard that the Fu family is holding a funeral today. I thought it strange, so I felt it necessary to report it to Your Majesty.”
“A funeral?” Feng Lezhen frowned. “For whom? Why haven’t I heard of it?”
“They say it’s for the late Master and Mistress of the Fu family. They passed under dishonorable circumstances, so the family didn’t plan to hold a grand ceremony. But not holding one at all would be improper, so only a few of the Fu clan elders were invited. I just heard about it myself…”
Before Qin Wan even finished, Feng Lezhen sprang to her feet and rushed outside without a second thought. “Ah Ye, prepare the carriage! I’m going to the Fu residence!”
Ah Ye had never seen her so flustered before and froze momentarily—until Qin Wan gave her a push and she scrambled off to fulfill the order.
Not long after, a carriage sped off toward the Fu estate.
Ever since the death of the Fu family’s patriarch, the family’s fortunes had visibly declined. The imperial plaque once bestowed by the late emperor had long gone unpolished, covered now in a thick layer of dust. Weeds had begun to sprout from the cracks in the stone pavement out front. The entire compound exuded a deep, lingering sense of decay.
Ah Ye was the first to get off the carriage. She led the guards and rammed open the old wooden gate—then immediately widened her eyes in horror.
The once-elegant and refined courtyard was now draped in white mourning banners, all of them spattered with red blood. Corpses lay scattered across the flowerbeds, open ground, and even the pond. A rough glance revealed dozens of bodies, each one with expressions of fear and panic frozen on their faces. Some hadn’t even managed to close their eyes before death.
What kind of h*llish slaughter was this?
Ah Ye considered herself someone who had seen her share of bloodshed, but even she was shaken by the sight. Instinctively, she turned to look at Feng Lezhen—only to see her utterly calm, as if she had long expected it.
“Your Majesty…”
She struggled to speak, but Feng Lezhen paid her no mind and walked straight into the courtyard. The accompanying guards moved to protect her, but Ah Ye waved them off and followed behind her alone.
The mistress and servant walked one after the other through the courtyard until they reached the main hall.
The doors were open. Two black lacquered coffins sat in the center of the hall, surrounded by scattered corpses and dried blood.
Fu Zhixian sat on a kneeling mat before the coffins, slowly drinking from a wine jug, letting the blood on the ground stain its surface. Feng Lezhen stopped and gestured for Ah Ye to leave. She hesitated for a moment but obeyed, leaving the spacious hall with only the two of them remaining.
“I remember telling you before—I would avenge your grievances,” Feng Lezhen said flatly.
“I also told Your Highness, I would take care of my own vengeance. After all…” Fu Zhixian didn’t look back, but the lifted lines of his cheekbones made it clear he was smiling. “Not everyone gets the chance to kill their enemies twice.”
“Madman,” Feng Lezhen said softly, her gaze falling once more on the corpses scattered around the hall.
All of them were members of the Fu family.
In that moment, she finally understood why he had been coming to the palace so often these past few days. Likely, it had been to create the illusion that he was still favored, still enjoying glory, so that when the court was distracted by urging her to take consorts, these clan members would willingly obey him and attend this so-called funeral.
A hundred-year-old noble family, with countless branches who once took part in persecuting Fu Zhixian’s parents, seemed to have lost all memory overnight—forgetting the hatred that had festered since they drowned his mother in a pond while he was only six. They had dared dream that his rise would bring them honor.
And now, they died for it.
“They were still dreaming of rising to the top—right up until the moment they died,” Fu Zhixian said, sounding extremely pleased.
Feng Lezhen was silent for a moment. Then she said, “Get up. Come back to the palace with me.”
Fu Zhixian turned slightly. “Killing one’s clan is a capital crime. Is Your Highness going to shield me?”
“With me here, you won’t be harmed,” Feng Lezhen replied calmly.
Fu Zhixian gave a short laugh, but then changed the subject. “All the ministers are urging you to start a selection for palace consorts. What does Your Highness think?”
Feng Lezhen frowned—he was avoiding the issue. “Fu Zhixian…”
“I suppose you won’t agree, will you? You’re the first empress regnant in history. Those officials might pretend to be loyal, but they’re all desperate to get their sons into the palace, praying you’ll bear them a child, so they can use the excuse of ‘securing the dynasty’s succession’ to pressure you into abdicating,” Fu Zhixian said, pouring himself another cup of wine. “To win a country without shedding blood—it’s a temptation even Lord Yu might not resist.”
“My maternal grandfather did try to send someone into the palace, but I stopped him. He’s since given up,” Feng Lezhen replied, knowing full well he was trying to distract her—but still following his lead.
When it came to him, he could always redirect her thoughts effortlessly.
“It’s only temporary. If you show even the slightest wavering, he’ll be the first to act. But if you delay too long in giving an answer, you’ll have no peace,” Fu Zhixian said. “The best solution now is to marry someone formally—quiet the court for now. Then, when you’ve dealt with these ambitious schemers and shown them that even if their sons become your child’s father, this kingdom still belongs to you alone—only then can you revisit the issue of a consort selection.”
“Mn, I understand,” Feng Lezhen said softly. She could tell he was thinking entirely of her wellbeing.
Fu Zhixian fell silent for a moment. “So that’s your plan as well.”
Feng Lezhen didn’t deny it.
Fu Zhixian smiled again.
He was always fond of smiling, but today he smiled even more than usual. Watching his back, Feng Lezhen suddenly felt uneasy. Before she could step forward, he spoke again.
“As for your choice of imperial husband—you should choose carefully. But there’s no need to tell me who it will be.”
Feng Lezhen paused, then gave a bitter smile. “How can such a thing stay hidden? You’ll know sooner or later.”
Fu Zhixian’s figure trembled slightly, as if he wanted to turn around—but he held himself back.
They were silent for a long while before Fu Zhixian slowly said, “I… won’t know.”
Feng Lezhen’s head shot up. Without thinking, she rushed forward—and in that instant, Fu Zhixian’s body tilted and fell, collapsing into her arms.
His face was flushed, his breathing erratic.
Feng Lezhen held him tightly and shouted toward the door, voice sharp and urgent, “Someone—summon the imperial physician!”
Ah Ye was the first to charge in. When she saw Fu Zhixian’s condition, she froze, eyes wide. Only when Feng Lezhen called out to her again did she snap out of it and run outside without hesitation.
“Fu Zhixian… if you dare die on me…” Feng Lezhen clutched his robe tightly, her voice shaking uncontrollably.
Fu Zhixian gave a faint smile, struggling to lift a hand and touch her face. “I really don’t know… whether Heaven has treated me kindly or cruelly. It gave me the best parents in the world, only to take them early… gave me the best teacher, only to make me repay that debt… with the best person I’ve ever had—you…”
Blood welled at the corner of Fu Zhixian’s lips. That splash of red stung Feng Lezhen’s eyes—she nearly wiped it away with rough force.
His lips were reddened from her scrubbing, lending him a kind of ravaged beauty. He closed his eyes briefly, then looked at her again. “The chance to be reborn… not too early, not too late… came right after betrayal. So I could see the living you once more. The price, though… was a shattered mirror…”
“What shattered mirror? What nonsense are you talking about?” Feng Lezhen snapped, eyes reddening with fury. “Shut up and wait for the imperial physician. As long as you survive this, I’ll give you as many mirrors as you want!”
Her words made Fu Zhixian laugh—then suddenly, a gush of blood poured from his mouth, dyeing both him and Feng Lezhen red in an instant. She wiped at it frantically, but couldn’t clean it away. At last, she broke down and screamed, and when she looked at him again, there was hatred in her eyes.
“You’re doing this on purpose…” Her tone was steady, but her voice trembled so violently it was barely comprehensible. “You resent me for not giving you the title of imperial husband—so you chose to die in front of me. This is revenge…”
Fu Zhixian tried to speak, but more and more blood surged up from his throat. Finally, all he could do was shut his eyes in pain.
“Fu Zhixian, you are not allowed to die! I order you not to die!” Feng Lezhen shook all over as she held him like a drowning person clutching at driftwood. “Where is the physician?! Where is he?!”
“…Your Highness…” Fu Zhixian finally stopped coughing blood. He even managed to open his eyes, as if things were improving.
Feng Lezhen hurried to reassure him, “I’m here. I’m right here!”
“No matter… how many people you love in this life, how many consorts you take into your palace, I want to be…” He breathed weakly, eyes filled with longing, “…your first imperial husband. Even if it’s in name only… I still want… a place in your heart. No matter who else enters it in the future, I want you to always remember me.”
Feng Lezhen’s mind went blank. She could only nod desperately. “As long as you live, I’ll agree to anything. Anything…”
A faint smile lifted the corners of Fu Zhixian’s mouth. Through her eyes, it was as if he saw something long past.
“Your Highness…” he murmured, “…go ahead and hate me. From the moment we met until now… across two lives… eighteen years… I’ve always been the one who loved you… the most selfishly.”
His beautiful eyes began to lose their light, no longer carrying the charm they once did. Feng Lezhen panicked and called his name again and again, but he didn’t seem to hear her. His lips kept moving, as if trying to say something.
“What are you saying? What are you saying…” Feng Lezhen trembled, lowering her head to press her ear against his lips.
“…I’m sorry…” Fu Zhixian’s voice was faint, distant as if from another lifetime. “…for not saving you… I’m sorry…”
He slowly closed his eyes. At the moment of death, he made no declarations of love. Instead, he still clung to regret—regret that in their past life, she had died just a few steps away from him.
Night fell. Above the prosperous capital, a grand display of fireworks lit up the sky. One burst after another, brilliant and deafening. The common folk flooded the streets to witness the rare spectacle.
Then the fireworks faded, and silence returned.
When Chen Jinan arrived, Feng Lezhen sat numbly on the floor, soaked in blood, the body in her arms already cold. Ah Ye stood nearby, eyes red and swollen. When she saw him, tears fell silently down her cheeks.
Chen Jinan lowered his gaze, walked calmly to Feng Lezhen, and knelt before her. “Your Majesty, let me take you back to the palace.”
Feng Lezhen’s eyelashes trembled. She looked at him in a daze.
“I’ll take you home,” he said again.
It was only then that she seemed to come back to herself. When she opened her mouth, her voice was hoarse. “But… what about Fu Zhixian?”
“Ah Ye will take care of him,” Chen Jinan replied gently.
Ah Ye scrubbed at her face and nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll see to it…”
Her voice suddenly caught. Just looking at that cold body made it impossible to even say “Lord Fu.” Just the thought of it sent a sharp pain through her heart.
“I’ll see to it,” she repeated, but dared not lower her head again.
Feng Lezhen looked down quietly at Fu Zhixian’s closed eyes.
Chen Jinan said nothing more. He gently separated them, then carried her on his back, step by step, out of the Fu residence.
“From the very beginning, this is what he was like,” Feng Lezhen murmured against his neck, like the times they whispered during their escape.
“What do you mean?” Chen Jinan responded to her every word.
“He seemed easygoing, indifferent about everything. But really… he couldn’t tolerate a single flaw. Couldn’t accept the smallest imperfection.” She tightened her arms around his neck. “A few days ago, he came to make a deal. He wanted to be my imperial husband. I rejected him…”
She suddenly stopped talking.
“And then?” Chen Jinan gently prompted.
“Then… after a few days, I suddenly understood. Even if I agreed, he wouldn’t have entered the palace.”
“Why not?” Chen Jinan shifted her slightly higher on his back, making her more comfortable.
“Because that’s the kind of person he is… from the very beginning…” she repeated. “He knew we couldn’t go back to what we once were. Even if we married, it wouldn’t be the same. And if he couldn’t have exactly what he wanted… he’d rather destroy it. Better to burn it down than let time grind it away, until we both forgot.”
“He did it on purpose. Died on purpose. Died in front of me at the best possible moment…” Pain twisted her face. “He wanted to make sure I could never forget him. He didn’t die—he just found another way to live on.”
Chen Jinan could feel the damp warmth against his neck. He steadied her even more, taking a quiet side path. Feng Lezhen clung to him tightly, arms squeezing the breath out of him, but he said nothing. He simply let her hold on.
“Chen Jinan,” she whispered.
Chen Jinan: “I’m here.”
Feng Lezhen buried her face against his neck. “How did you know I was here? Did Ah Ye tell you?”
Chen Jinan paused for a moment before replying softly, “It was Lord Fu’s guard who called me.”
Feng Lezhen’s eyelashes trembled, brushing lightly across the back of his neck like tiny bristles.
“The guard said that Lord Fu instructed—if you didn’t go to the Fu residence, I should handle the aftermath and not let you see his body. But if you did go… he told me to bring you home.” Chen Jinan’s voice was low.
The back of his neck was damp again. Her breathing behind him became strained, as though she couldn’t breathe at all.
After a long time, she whispered, “Mm. Let’s go home.”
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