“You’re always so thoughtful,” Ma said, hastily donning the hooded cloak Yuhe handed her. She hurried to catch up with Jiang Changyang, walking shoulder to shoulder with him. Jiang Changyang glanced back at her, sighed softly, and patted her leg reassuringly. “I was worried you’d be cold. Yuhe is a good girl,” he whispered. The couple silently followed the carriage, returning to the city with the two men.
At the Qixia Gate, they found it already closed. One of the two men stepped forward, shouting a few words. Quickly, someone opened the gate, checked their tokens, and allowed them entry. Ma thought she and Jiang Changyang could leave now, but Jiang Changyang gently tugged her reins, signaling her to follow him. They continued behind the carriage, proceeding directly into the city. Whenever someone questioned them, the green-robed man’s token was enough to wave them through.
The group finally halted outside the Danfeng Gate. As soon as the carriage stopped, people rushed forward. A middle-aged eunuch spoke briefly with the two green-robed men, then directed a group to carefully surround the carriage. They gently lifted the golden peony tree, examining it meticulously under the light of over a dozen torches before carrying it inside.
Ma breathed a sigh of relief, thinking their task was complete. She glanced at the gleaming weapons of the palace guards and moved slightly closer to Jiang Changyang. The two green-robed men turned back to Jiang Changyang, finally smiling. The leader bowed and said, “Langzhong Jiang, thank you for your hard work.”
Jiang Changyang shifted his gaze from the crowd at the Danfeng Gate, smiling even more brightly. “General Li, you’ve worked hard as well.”
Li’s smile widened. “All in the line of duty… I apologize for any offense.” He turned to Ma, bowing politely. “I’m a rough man, sister-in-law. Please forgive any impropriety.”
Ma was puzzled by this sudden change in attitude but didn’t show it. She returned their bow steadily, saying, “General Li is too kind.”
Li turned back to Jiang Changyang, speaking loudly, “What now? This task isn’t quite finished until we receive word from inside. Why don’t you and your wife rest in the duty room for a while?”
Jiang Changyang agreed readily. “With a lady present, there might be some inconveniences. I hope General Li can help arrange things.”
Li’s eyes flickered briefly. “Of course, of course. This way, please.” He led Ma and Jiang Changyang to the guards’ rest area nearby. At the door, Jiang Changyang asked Ma to wait outside while he entered with Li. Soon, over a dozen burly guards exited, leering at Ma as they passed. They showed none of the caution typical of palace guards accustomed to noble visitors, instead behaving rather brazenly.
Ma, unused to such blatant scrutiny, felt uncomfortable. She pulled her hood lower, trying to hide in the shadows. Fortunately, the group left quickly, and Jiang Changyang soon emerged to lead her inside. “They’re all rough men with strong odors. Bear with it. Are you tired?”
“It’s been a while since I’ve ridden so long. My legs ache a bit. How about you?” Ma’s greatest desire now was to return home for a hot bath and sleep soundly next to Jiang Changyang.
“Me? I could do this ten more times,” Jiang Changyang smiled slightly, cleaning off a long bench by the window. “Sit here.”
Ma sat down, gently relaxing her leg muscles. She looked up at General Li, who sat silently observing them in the lamplight. Noticing her gaze, Li smiled lightly, half-jokingly saying, “Langzhong Jiang is quite attentive.”
Jiang Changyang, uninterested in responding, merely smiled and sat beside Ma. Sharp-eyed, Ma quickly noticed his jade pendant pouch was missing. She tugged his sleeve gently, pointing it out. Jiang Changyang remained silent for a moment before whispering, “Why do you think they so easily gave up their comfortable room to us?”
Ma chuckled softly, “I thought your influence was enough without needing that.”
“A few days ago, I might have boasted it was,” Jiang Changyang raised an eyebrow, his voice dropping even lower. “But now, I only recognize one person among them. The rest are strangers.”
No wonder those guards seemed so brazen—they were newcomers. Such an urgent demand for the golden peony tree, coupled with changed guards… troubling times indeed. Ma stared worriedly at the blue brick floor, unconsciously gripping Jiang Changyang’s robe tightly under the cover of her cloak. Jiang Changyang glanced at the contemplative General Li across from them, discreetly taking Ma’s hand and shifting slightly to let her lean against him.
Ma was exhausted, nearly falling asleep against him, but conscious of General Li and his companion watching, she feared embarrassing Jiang Changyang. She forced herself to stay awake, pinching herself whenever drowsiness overtook her. After General Li sat stiffly for a while before dozing off in the lamplight, Ma finally dared to close her eyes, leaning against Jiang Changyang.
Jiang Changyang tucked the cloak tightly around her, deep in thought. After an indeterminate time, a faint commotion arose. The Danfeng Gate creaked open heavily, and General Li immediately sat up, his eyes sharp. He rushed out to inquire, “What’s happening?”
Jiang Changyang quickly roused Ma, whispering, “Something’s wrong, I fear.”
Ma’s remaining sleepiness vanished instantly, her heart racing as she looked at Jiang Changyang with a pale face. Sitting atop an active volcano could indeed be fatal.
Regretting alarming her, Jiang Changyang bit his lip and gently stroked her hand. “Don’t be afraid. I suspect it’s the Empress…”
Before he could finish, General Li strode in, his face etched with grief. “The Empress has passed away.”
Ma glanced at Jiang Changyang in surprise, quickly lowering her eyes and standing, composing herself to appear mournful. She couldn’t help but wonder if the golden peony tree had any connection to the Empress’s death. Her imagination ran wild—perhaps the gravely ill Empress had suddenly wished to see the blooming golden peony, and the Emperor, reminiscing about their youthful happiness, decided to fulfill his wife’s desire. So they urgently uprooted the tree and brought it to the Empress’s sickbed, where she gazed upon it before contentedly closing her eyes forever… Or perhaps Jin Buyan had searched far and wide for peonies because the woman who died at Danhua Tower loved peonies, especially the golden and jade varieties. The Empress might have made a final request, and the miserly old Emperor showed her the golden peony to placate her…
But there was little time for such musings. As dawn broke, General Li quietly exchanged words with Jiang Changyang, who then led Ma out to return home. The Empress’s death was a significant event, requiring careful preparation.
Once they were away from prying eyes, Ma quietly asked Jiang Changyang, “This General Li…”
Jiang Changyang replied softly, “He now does the job I once did.”
This explains the strange atmosphere between the two men. While not overtly disrespectful, they both carefully toed a line. Li wanted to assert dominance over Jiang Changyang, who in turn showed a hint of disdain. Ma softly acknowledged this, then asked, “Do you think my golden peony tree was for the Empress to see?”
Jiang Changyang glanced at her, sighing. “I don’t know if the golden peony was for the Empress, but it was certainly requested by His Majesty.” He fell silent again.
Ma didn’t dare disturb his thoughts. His concerns were entirely different from hers—while she pondered the fate of the golden peony tree, Jiang Changyang contemplated the impact of the Empress’s death on court politics, what might happen next, and how to protect themselves and maintain their position.
When the couple arrived home, it was already broad daylight. Wu and the others were anxiously waiting. As soon as they saw them, they hurried to take the horses, reporting in low voices, “Everything you asked for has been arranged. Pan Shi and Lady Bai sent people early this morning to inquire. Should we send word to them?”
Soon, news of the Empress’s passing would spread throughout the capital, but for now, many were still unaware of the palace events. Jiang Changyang also wondered about the message he had asked Pan Rong to convey to Prince Jing yesterday. After brief consideration, he decided to make this trip personally, instructing Ma, “Go back and arrange things. I’ll bring the children home.”
Ma wanted to caution Jiang Changyang to be careful but couldn’t bring herself to say it. She simply stood at the door, watching him leave with Wu and the others. Then she turned back, summoning the household managers to give instructions. All red and green items in the house were to be removed, stored, or hidden to avoid offending anyone’s eyes.
Before long, Jiang Changyang returned with two carriages of people. Zhengr and Xianr, accustomed to their wet nurses, weren’t greatly affected by a night away, eating and sleeping as usual, though particularly happy to see their parents. Ma had no time to comfort the children, hurriedly arranging for Jiang Changyang to leave again. With the Empress’s death, officials needed to gather to mourn, and there was much to be done.
The Emperor, deeply in love with his wife, fell gravely ill. The filial Prince Ning cried so hard at the Empress’s spirit tablet that he vomited blood and collapsed a truly heartbreaking sight. Prince Jing had to attend to the Emperor, show filial piety to his deceased stepmother, and care for his bedridden brother. He was constantly busy, barely finding time to rest. Yet, he proved to be a capable man, skillfully handling various traps set for him.
In the blink of an eye, the Emperor’s condition improved, and the political winds began to shift once more.