Ji Cheng hadn’t seen Shen Che for several days. His mysterious comings and goings surely meant he was up to some clandestine activities. However, Ji Cheng knew that only Shen Che could answer her questions about the palace’s secrets.
Ji Cheng had visited San Hao Residence several times before finally catching Shen Che.
“Nan Gui told me you’ve been coming every day. Did you miss me that much?” Shen Che sat down opposite Ji Cheng. “The weather’s getting warmer, so this secret room feels a bit stuffy now.” Although there were air vents, it was indeed quite stifling. In winter, it was fine as the secret room was warmer than outside, requiring no brazier to keep warm.
Shen Che stood up and extended his hand to Ji Cheng. “Let’s go.”
Ji Cheng stood up, puzzled, and placed her hand in Shen Che’s palm without questioning. She now wanted to play the role of a confidante, hoping only that Shen Che wouldn’t tire of her too soon, or it wouldn’t be fun anymore.
It was Ji Cheng’s first time using the secret passage to reach Jiu Li Courtyard. The entrance to the passage was behind Shen Che’s wardrobe, leading directly to his living quarters.
Like San Hao Residence and Si Bing Residence, Shen Che seemed to prefer the simplest furnishings, saving on furniture wherever possible. There was no couch or chairs, only rush mats and cushions, stripped down to the bare essentials.
In front of the room was a small, shallow pond with lush aquatic plants and a few koi fish swimming lazily. It looked less like the residence of a Duke’s heir and more like a hermit’s dwelling.
No maids were attending in the room, just Shen Che and Ji Cheng. Ji Cheng took a deep breath, feeling that it was indeed better above ground, much fresher.
“When I’m not here, you can come up by yourself. If you need to move your things up, ask Nan Gui to help you. If you need anything, just pull the bronze bell beside you, and Ni Shang will come up,” Shen Che said, as if Ji Cheng were not his secret “lover” but a proper Second Madam.
Shen Che wasn’t embarrassed, but Ji Cheng couldn’t be so brazen.
Shen Che seemed a bit tired and lay down beside Ji Cheng. “You brew the tea today. Old Zhang has finished processing the tea we picked last time. It was just delivered yesterday.”
Following Shen Che’s instructions, Ji Cheng found the new tea, set up the wind stove and tea set, and began to boil water.
“Massage my temples for me,” Shen Che said, resting his head on Ji Cheng’s lap and placing her hands near his ears.
Ji Cheng looked at her somewhat long nails, wondering if she could pierce Shen Che’s temples, but then thought his skin was probably too thick for that.
“What’s going on with the Wang family?” Ji Cheng asked in her softest voice, fearing Shen Che might keep her in suspense.
“Why did your voice suddenly become so pleasant?” Shen Che opened his eyes. “Afraid I won’t tell you?”
Ji Cheng remained silent; Shen Che was up to his tricks again.
“I had a bit of a headache, but hearing your gentle voice relaxed me completely. Why don’t you read something to me?” Shen Che sat up, found a book, and handed it to Ji Cheng before lying back down on her lap.
Ji Cheng couldn’t understand why Shen Che was so annoying, constantly testing her patience. Admittedly, Ji Cheng’s patience had improved considerably. She opened “The Spring and Autumn Annals” and began reading a random passage, only to be interrupted by Shen Che after one sentence. “Make your voice softer, and add some emotion.”
Ji Cheng wanted to throw the book at Shen Che’s face, but the consequences of hitting him would be severe. So she just shook her leg and said, “I’m going back.”
Shen Che nuzzled Ji Cheng’s abdomen. “You’re angry so easily?”
“You’re hurting my leg,” Ji Cheng said coldly.
“Alright, Ji Cheng, your temper has improved,” Shen Che sat up and looked at her.
Ji Cheng rubbed her thigh and started walking towards the secret passage entrance. Shen Che grabbed her wrist. “Okay, okay, I was wrong, alright? I’ll tell you everything now, is that okay?”
Ji Cheng knew when to stop pushing. If she acted too coy, Shen Che might stop playing along, which wouldn’t be good.
Shen Che pulled Ji Cheng onto his lap. She struggled a bit, unused to this, but Shen Che’s hands didn’t budge an inch, showing no sign of letting go. Ji Cheng had no choice but to give in.
The copper kettle on the stove began emitting large amounts of steam; the water was ready. Seeing that Shen Che wasn’t moving, Ji Cheng had to kneel up to make the tea. Shen Che took the opportunity to fall back, resting his hands behind his head on the lazy chair.
“Is the Wang family’s situation because of Wang Yue Niang?” Ji Cheng asked Shen Che.
“Hmm, how did you guess it was her?” Shen Che inquired.
Ji Cheng turned her head and said, “Imperial Consort Wang has been in the palace for so many years and has managed to remain standing. She’s unlikely to do something that would anger the Emperor so much. The Wang family hasn’t had any major incidents recently, so I guessed it must be Wang Yue Niang who caused trouble.”
Shen Che tapped Ji Cheng’s nose. “You’re quite clever. Wang Yue Niang had an affair with a palace guard, and the Emperor found out. Because it couldn’t be brought to light, they’re saying she died suddenly.”
Ji Cheng tilted her head, thinking. “That’s not all. You surely haven’t told me everything.”
“Oh?” Shen Che raised an eyebrow.
Ji Cheng handed Shen Che a cup of brewed tea. “Even if Wang Yue Niang had an affair with a guard, Imperial Consort Wang is still in the palace. She gave birth to the Crown Prince; she shouldn’t have met such a sudden end. Even for the Crown Prince’s sake, the Emperor wouldn’t investigate and exterminate the entire Wang family.”
Shen Che leaned in and pecked Ji Cheng’s lips, then, as if unsatisfied, bit down hard once more. Only then did he say while still holding Ji Cheng’s lip, “You are good at guessing. Of course, there’s more to the story.”
Ji Cheng leaned in to listen. Although her ear was ticklish and numb from Shen Che’s actions, the hidden information was so explosive that Ji Cheng ignored all discomfort.
“You’re saying Wang Yue Niang drugged the Emperor, making him… making him impotent?” Ji Cheng thought Wang Yue Niang dared to do anything. “Is she insane?”
“She’s not insane, just desperate,” Shen Che said.
The child Wang Yue Niang was carrying wasn’t Emperor Jianping’s. Although the Emperor could still perform in bed, it was entirely dependent on medication. He had long lost the ability to impregnate women, and even if there was a pregnancy, the child would likely be unhealthy and miscarry before three months.
Wang Yue Niang’s child belonged to the guard Cui Chuang, whom she had met at the Southern Palace. As for how Cui Chuang and Wang Yue Niang became involved, there’s no need for details. Wang Yue Niang had experienced the horrors of Tianxiang Tower and then served Emperor Jianping, an old man who refused to acknowledge his age and used some rather extreme techniques. Her experiences were far from normal.
Cui Chuang was the only one who gave her a sense of normalcy. In the dark and hopeless harem, even a hint of color could entice someone as desperate and slightly unhinged as Wang Yue Niang.
When Wang Yue Niang became pregnant, Emperor Jianping was naturally delighted and showered her with favors. Although the Emperor was physically inadequate, he particularly wanted to prove that he was still vigorous. Even though Wang Yue Niang was pregnant and couldn’t serve him below, she still had to use her mouth to please him.
Cui Chuang said he couldn’t bear to see Wang Yue Niang suffer such humiliation and wanted to die alongside the old Emperor. How could Wang Yue Niang watch her beloved go to his death? Yet she was deeply moved by Cui Chuang’s willingness to die for her.
So the two devised a plan to make the old Emperor permanently impotent, thus eliminating future troubles. The child in Wang Yue Niang’s womb might even inherit the throne one day.
With such a grand prospect before her, Wang Yue Niang dared to take the risk. She carefully prepared a bowl of soup and sent it to Emperor Jianping.
When the Emperor noticed the changes in his body, he summoned the Imperial Physician for a diagnosis. The cause and effect of the matter were quickly uncovered. Wang Yue Niang and her lover naturally met with sudden deaths, and because Emperor Jianping could no longer perform, his anger spread far and wide. Anyone who reminded him of the detestable Wang Yue Niang had to die.
Ji Cheng was quite concerned about Emperor Jianping’s health. Now that he was impotent, she wondered if there were any other side effects. “How is the Emperor’s health now? Are there any…”
“He’s fine. The Emperor’s body wasn’t suitable for intimate activities anyway. The Imperial Physician had already checked his pulse and said that if he could restrain himself from women, he could easily live another five years. But if he couldn’t control himself, it would only be a matter of one or two years,” Shen Che said.
The more Ji Cheng heard, the more suspicious she became. “Was that guard arranged by you?”
So he had instigated Wang Yue Niang to drug Emperor Jianping to protect the Emperor’s health? And since Shen Che was well-versed in medicine, it was most appropriate for him to prepare the drug.
Ji Cheng looked into Shen Che’s eyes and knew she had guessed correctly. No wonder he allowed Wang Yue Niang to enter the palace and gain favor. He was waiting for Wang Yue Niang to win Emperor Jianping’s heart so she could carry out the plan. Given Wang Yue Niang’s personality, how could she have survived so long in the palace without being eliminated by Imperial Consort Wang or Consort Huang if Shen Che hadn’t been protecting her from behind the scenes?
This way, the Wang family was eliminated effortlessly, without Shen’s family having to expend a single soldier.
Oh, not quite. They did sacrifice one pawn, that guard Cui Chuang.
“He volunteered. He had a blood feud with the Wang family, who had destroyed his entire clan. Using his death to ruin the entire Wang family was something he begged me for,” Shen Che said.
This was the karmic retribution of the world. How could the once-mighty Wang family have imagined that one day they would be destroyed by a member of the Cui family, whom they could have crushed like an ant in the past?
“What happened to Wang Si Niang?” Ji Cheng asked further.
Shen Che handed his teacup to Ji Cheng, who poured him another cup before hearing him say, “Wang Si Niang fled from the temple when she heard the news.”
“Fled?” This wasn’t the answer Ji Cheng wanted to hear.
Shen Che smiled, “Yes, fled. Do you want to see Wang Si Niang’s fate? She offended more people than just you.”
Ji Cheng didn’t want to see how miserable Wang Si Niang was. It would be unpleasant to look at. She just wanted to ensure Wang Si Niang wouldn’t talk too much. “I don’t want to see. I’m just afraid she won’t change her ways.” Even in hell, she might drag others down with her.
Shen Che turned the teacup in his hand. “You don’t need to worry about that.”
Wang Si Niang, whose every move had once attracted countless attention, now had few who cared about her whereabouts. Dying without a trace, she probably couldn’t rest in peace.
With her mortal enemy now eliminated, Ji Cheng strangely felt little satisfaction. Some consequences were irreversible; the deaths of a hundred Wang Si Niangs and Su Yuns couldn’t change that.
After pouring another cup of tea for Shen Che, Ji Cheng said, “I should go back now.”