Chapter 73
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In the middle of the night, the carriage headed towards the palace.
Jiang Juan had never seen the capital at dawn. He curiously lifted the curtain, finding everything pitch black, with only the Imperial Guards patrolling, their steps in perfect sync.
As he watched, Jiang Juan’s thoughts drifted away again.
According to the plot, after Emperor Hongxing fainted this time, he would be bedridden indefinitely. With the dwindling population in the harem, Emperor Hongxing could only select the Eldest Prince to manage the government.
The Eldest Prince had close relations with Marquis Anping, who was heavily relied upon. Later, during a calamity, the Eldest Prince sent Marquis Anping south, which helped the Marquis gain a certain level of popularity among the people.
However—the Eldest Prince had seemingly offended His Highness.
Marquis Anping had also recently offended His Highness again.
Jiang Juan murmured, “Your Highness, where is your fief? Why have you never mentioned it? How about… we go there tomorrow?”
“No, not tomorrow. After we see His Majesty, how about we leave the capital overnight?”
He seemed to decide on a whim, but the furrow in his brow revealed his worry. Xue Fangli glanced at him and asked, “Why leave the capital overnight?”
“What are you afraid of now?”
Jiang Juan couldn’t tell him about the upcoming plot, so he said nervously, “His Majesty has fallen ill.”
Xue Fangli: “Hmm? So what if he’s ill?”
Jiang Juan:” We’ve offended so many people. Shouldn’t we be fleeing quickly?”
Xue Fangli lowered his head, gently pinching Jiang Juan’s face, and said lazily, “You don’t worry about what you should and get overly concerned about what you shouldn’t.”
“Even if the sky falls, I’ll be here to hold it up for you. What are you afraid of?”
Jiang Juan’s face was squished into a ball. He looked at Xue Fangli, but he wasn’t comforted; he was still very worried.
If His Highness wouldn’t leave, what should he do?
Maybe… he should sneak away by himself?
Sigh, that wouldn’t work.
He needed to find a way to persuade His Highness to leave together.
With a heavy heart, Jiang Juan fell into deep thought, not noticing that Xue Fangli had been watching him all along.
Offending so many people, escape quickly.
Escape from what?
Xue Fangli let out a silent chuckle.
Up until now, he finally understood what the young man had always been worrying about. No wonder, despite never letting him suffer any grievances, the young man was always so scared.
He was afraid of offending people.
He was afraid that if something happened to Emperor Hongxing, they would lose their support and be targeted by others.
Such endearing foolishness.
“I am your support,” Xue Fangli smiled. “No matter how many people you’ve offended, as long as I am here, they can hate you all they want, but they will still have to bow to you with utmost respect.”
“But…”
Jiang Juan still looked worried. He pressed his lips together, unable to voice his concerns. Seeing his expression, Xue Fangli pondered deeply.
He needed to find a way to completely dispel the young man’s worries.
There was nothing to fear, nothing worthy of his anxiety.
Before long, Jiang Juan and Xue Fangli arrived at Yangxin Hall.
They were among the last to arrive, with many people already gathered outside the hall.
The Eldest Prince, Xue Chaohua, was kneeling on the ground, crying out, “Father! Father! You mustn’t have any issues, Father—!”
His cries seemed genuine, but Jiang Juan couldn’t help but ask Xue Fangli quietly, “Didn’t His Majesty just faint? Why does he seem to be crying… crying so seriously?”
Originally, he wanted to say “crying as if in mourning,” but Jiang Juan felt it was inappropriate and changed his wording. Xue Fangli sneered softly, “Afraid that if he cries too softly, Father won’t hear his sincere filial piety?”
Xue Chaohua: “…”
Jiang Juan spoke softly, but Xue Fangli did not lower his voice. Hearing this, Xue Chaohua’s face turned awkward, and he had no choice but to stop crying, cursing internally.
Every time he encountered these two, nothing good ever came of it.
They always had too much to say.
With a creak, the door to Yangxin Hall opened, and Chief Steward Wang walked out, visibly relieved, “His Majesty has awakened and is now out of danger. Your Highnesses and Consorts need not worry.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of an announcement echoed outside.
“The Empress Dowager arrives—!”
“My son, my son!”
Supported by the head palace maid, the Empress Dowager hurried inside. Unlike the concubines and princes, who, despite their worry for Emperor Hongxing, had to wait for his summons, the Empress Dowager needed no such invitation.
Just as she was about to walk straight in, Chief Steward Wang hesitated, “Your Majesty, His Majesty has instructed that if you come, you should return to rest as it is late, and he is not seriously ill.”
The Empress Dowager paused, sorrowfully asking, “My son, do you still refuse to see me?”
There was no response, making Emperor Hongxing’s intentions clear. Chief Steward Wang smiled apologetically, “Your Majesty, please don’t overthink. His Majesty is merely unwell and doesn’t want to risk passing the illness to you…”
“Ten years,” the Empress Dowager said, “You’ve held this grudge for ten years. I gave birth to you and raised you, and all for a woman, you resent me this much!?”
“Wang—cough, cough.”
Inside, Emperor Hongxing finally made a sound. Chief Steward Wang smiled apologetically and rushed inside.
Moments later, Chief Steward Wang reappeared. The Empress Dowager looked at him eagerly, but he turned to Xue Fangli, “Your Highness, His Majesty wishes to see you.”
Xue Fangli acknowledged with a slight nod, signaling to Jiang Juan not to wander off. Jiang Juan nodded in agreement, and only then did Xue Fangli proceed inside.
With a creak, the door to Yangxin Hall closed again. The Empress Dowager gazed at it for a long time, her expression turning somber before she was overcome with anger, gritting her teeth, “My son, you’d rather see this illegitimate child than see me.”
“Cursed star, I should have never spared his life back then. Truly, he’s a cursed star!”
Her tone was filled with sorrow, and she swayed slightly. Imperial Consort Mei quickly stepped forward to support her, and the Empress Dowager, tears in her eyes, lamented, “Everything I did was for my son, all for him. How can he resent me?”
Imperial Consort Mei gently consoled her, “Your Majesty, please don’t be upset. His Majesty will come to understand eventually.”
The Empress Dowager shook her head, still gritting her teeth, “This cursed star, he caused his mother’s death, and now he’s coming for my son. How can he be so… so persistent?”
Jiang Juan had been detained by the Empress Dowager once before, so he knew she was referring to His Highness. He also had some understanding of what the Empress Dowager had done.
The fire at Chunshen Hall seemed to be linked to the Empress Dowager, and later she used the pretext of breaking a curse to imprison His Highness with the corpse of Beauty Yu.
Was this really all for Emperor Hongxing?
Jiang Juan doubted it.
But that was beside the point. The important thing was that Emperor Hongxing refused to see her, yet the Empress Dowager blamed His Highness entirely. It was nonsensical. On the way to the palace, Jiang Juan had been anxious about offending too many people, but now he had a sudden clarity.
Since he had already offended so many, adding the Empress Dowager to the list wouldn’t make much difference.
“Your Majesty…”
Jiang Juan spoke slowly, “You believe in Buddhism, and Buddhism teaches about the three karmas—body, speech, and mind. By cursing His Highness, you are committing a karma of speech, and it’s an evil one. This could lead to rebirth in the three evil realms.”
The three evil realms, also known as hell, made the Empress Dowager furious. “What did you say?”
Jiang Juan assumed she hadn’t heard clearly, so he repeated himself word for word. The Empress Dowager coldly asked, “Are you cursing me to go to hell?”
Jiang Juan replied earnestly, “I’m not cursing you. Since you believe in Buddhism, I’m reminding you not to commit a karma of speech. It’s very serious.”
“You—!”
Jiang Juan remembered something else and asked, “Your Majesty, you say that His Highness caused the death of Beauty Yu. Do you have any evidence? If not, that would be speaking falsely, which is also a karma of speech.”
The Empress Dowager, now even more infuriated, laughed bitterly, “False speech, you seem to know a lot.”
“Your Majesty, don’t take it to heart,” Imperial Consort Mei interjected with a smile. “His Royal Consort does know quite a bit. You mentioned that Cining Palace is lonely. Last time, I saw a four-eared cat and wanted to bring it to you, but the Royal Consort said that since you believe in Buddhism, you shouldn’t keep cats and dogs as pets, as it might lead to bad karma. In the end, he took it home himself.”
She seemed to be advising the Empress Dowager, but in reality, she had ulterior motives. Her words made it appear as if Jiang Juan wanted to keep the four-eared cat, using the excuse that people who believed in Buddhism should not keep pets.
Sure enough, the Empress Dowager’s expression darkened a bit more upon hearing this.
Seeing this, Imperial Consort Mei smirked slightly.
Every time Imperial Consort Mei thought of that pendant, she gritted her teeth in hatred. Xue Fangli had been too overbearing, taking it forcefully from her and then giving it to a beast. Today, since Jiang Juan had walked right into her trap, she intended to take full advantage of the situation.
After a pause, Imperial Consort Meisaid to Jiang Juan, “Why are you contradicting the Empress Dowager? Apologize to her immediately. After all, the Empress Dowager is your elder; how could you speak against her?”
Imperial Consort Mei seemed to be acting as a mediator, but in reality, she was stirring up trouble.
Her words made the Empress Dowager realize that Jiang Juan had no right to speak against her. The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, “Truly ill-mannered. Aren’t you going to apologize to me?”
Apologize for what? The Empress Dowager had said so many bad things about His Highness without ever apologizing. Jiang Juan softly said, “But Empress Dowager, I was just worried you might have forgotten the Buddhist precepts and kindly reminded you. Why should I apologize for that?”
The Empress Dowager asked him, “So according to you, I should be thanking you?”
Jiang Juan thought for a moment and replied, “There’s no need for that. I was just mentioning it in passing, helping others as a form of pleasure.”
The Empress Dowager had intended to be sarcastic, but Jiang Juan’s response left her at a loss for words. She said darkly, “I didn’t realize during our last meeting that you could be so eloquent.”
Was that a compliment? Jiang Juan modestly said, “Not really, I’m not that eloquent.”
The Empress Dowager was truly infuriated by him but couldn’t help but laugh. She stared at Jiang Juan for a long while. She hadn’t intended to provoke that mad dog Xue Fangli again—he was a reckless troublemaker. Last time, just making Jiang Juan copy a few scriptures had almost turned her Cining Palace upside down.
But now, the Empress Dowager couldn’t suppress her anger. Clenching her teeth, she said angrily, “You grew up in the countryside, but you are so lacking in decorum!”
With that, she stepped toward Jiang Juan, raising her hand to slap him—“Empress Dowager!”
A figure flashed, someone stood in front of Jiang Juan, and another person intercepted the Empress Dowager’s slap. This was Jiang Sentao. Simultaneously, Jiang Juan felt someone pulling him back. He turned around and saw it was the Prince Consort Su Feiyue.
As for the person standing in front of him, Jiang Juan didn’t recognize him, but soon learned his identity.
The man cupped his hands and said, “Gu Yunzhi greets the Empress Dowager.”
Jiang Sentao and Su Feiyue also bowed to the Empress Dowager, stepping forward and subtly shielding Jiang Juan. The Empress Dowager frowned and asked, “You all…”
Gu Yunzhi?
Isn’t he Gu Puwang’s father, Prime Minister Gu?
Jiang Juan looked at him, and Gu Yunzhi seemed to sense this. He slightly turned his head, misunderstanding something, and gave Jiang Juan a reassuring look.
“Empress Dowager, what has caused such anger toward a youngster?”
Gu Yunzhi smiled slightly, “It’s not necessary.”
Su Feiyue also nodded and said, “Arguing with him and raising your hand against him will only make you more upset. Empress Dowager, you must take care of yourself.”
Jiang Sentao’s intervention was understandable due to his special status and his connection with Xue Fangli, but Gu Yunzhi and Su Feiyue standing by Jiang Juan’s side truly surprised the Empress Dowager.
She scrutinized them for a moment and then smiled, “I will take care of myself. But he has repeatedly contradicted me, and I thought someone should teach him the palace rules.”
“I see,” Gu Yunzhi nodded. “I always thought the Empress Dowager was wise and wouldn’t punish a youngster without reason, and certainly not someone petty.”
After a brief pause, Gu Yunzhi continued, “Youngsters can be lively, but sometimes this liveliness leads to careless words. It’s just an unintentional mistake, not really a contradiction. Empress Dowager, please don’t take it to heart.”
Gu Yunzhi started with “I see,” but transformed the contradiction into careless words, and finally into an unintentional mistake.
Since it was an unintentional mistake, if the Empress Dowager insisted on teaching him a lesson, it would indeed seem petty.
Flattered by Gu Yunzhi’s words, the Empress Dowager found it hard to argue further. Moreover, Gu Yunzhi was a trusted minister of Emperor Hongxing, so she had to give him some face. Despite her deep dissatisfaction—being pointed out that she would go to hell for her words—she could only smile and say, “Prime Minister Gu is right, youngsters should be lively.”
Gu Yunzhi smiled, “Indeed.”
With Gu Yunzhi and the others clearly protecting Jiang Juan, the Empress Dowager couldn’t make a fuss without losing face. Thus, the major issue became a minor one and then disappeared altogether. The Empress Dowager was still displeased, and Imperial Consort Mei was even more resentful, but there was nothing they could do. Imperial Consort Mei could only grit her teeth in frustration.
Seeing that Emperor Hongxing did not wish to see her, the Empress Dowager stared at Yangxin Hall for a few moments before sighing and gesturing to the head maid, then walked away slowly.
After she had gone, Jiang Sentao asked Jiang Juan, “Are you alright?”
Su Feiyue and Gu Yunzhi also looked at him with concern. Jiang Juan shook his head, “I’m fine.”
However, Jiang Juan felt puzzled. General Jiang and the Prince Consort were saved by his grandfather, so it was understandable that they cared for him. But why did Prime Minister Gu?
Thinking it over, Jiang Juan directly asked, “Prime Minister Gu, did my grandfather……. save you as well?”
Gu Yunzhi was taken aback, then smiled and said, “No, he did not.”
Jiang Juan responded with an “Oh,” feeling even more puzzled. But then, Gu Yunzhi added, “But he did save Puwang.”
Jiang Juan: “……….”
His grandfather truly was an extraordinary person. He loved saving people, but his rescues were incredibly precise—if not a prince consort, then a general; if not a general, then the son of a prime minister.
Jiang Juan was at a loss for words.
After the Empress Dowager left, the hall fell into silence. As it grew quiet, Jiang Juan began to feel drowsy and couldn’t help but yawn.
In this era, with no entertainment facilities, Jiang Juan had grown accustomed to going to bed early and waking up late. He rubbed his eyes a few times, and finally, the doors of Yangxin Hall opened, and Xue Fangli walked out.
Jiang Juan: “Your Highness…”
Xue Fangli glanced at him, his brow furrowing. The young man’s eyes were red at the corners, and his eyes were misty, as if he had been bullied. But Xue Fangli said nothing about it and simply stated, “Father wants to see you.”
Jiang Juan was surprised, “Ah? See me?”
Xue Fangli nodded, “Yes.”
Jiang Juan took a few steps but noticed that Xue Fangli wasn’t following. He asked again, “Your Highness, aren’t you coming with me?”
Xue Fangli replied, “You go first.”
Jiang Juan had no choice but to enter Yangxin Hall alone. Emperor Hongxing was leaning on the dragon bed and smiled upon seeing him, “You’re here.”
Emperor Hongxing said, “Good child, do you remember that day in the hall when I promised to greatly reward Fangli?”
Jiang Juan was puzzled, “That day?”
As soon as he asked, Jiang Juan recalled. Someone had caused trouble at the bookstore, and His Highness reported it to the authorities but was falsely accused. Jiang Juan had spoken up for him—if His Highness hadn’t kindly reported it, the officials wouldn’t have arrived so quickly, and a disaster could have occurred. He shouldn’t have been punished; he deserved a reward, which Emperor Hongxing had promised.
Seeing Jiang Juan’s look of realization, Emperor Hongxing coughed lightly a few times, “Do you remember now?”
Jiang Juan nodded, “Yes.”
Emperor Hongxing sighed, “Later, I thought about it. Whatever I reward Fangli with, he probably wouldn’t like it. How about I reward you instead? But I couldn’t decide on the reward until today.”
Jiang Juan asked curiously, “What is it?”
Emperor Hongxing smiled slightly, “I reward you by making you the Crown Prince Consort.”
At the same time, Xue Fangli walked step by step towards Imperial Consort Mei, his voice extremely cold, “Imperial Consort Mei, it seems my Royal Consort cried. I want to know what happened.”
Author’s Note: Salted Fish Juan: I just yawned qwq
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