Wanwan listened, every word crystal clear. Yin Ge hadn’t expected her to come to West Sea Park, so her conversation with the maid should contain no falsehoods.
So that’s how it was—sending his own concubine to seduce the Emperor while he played the role of enduring humiliation, investing a bit of face to gain the benefit of marrying a princess. What a brilliant scheme indeed!
She had originally begun to believe him. Seeing him suffer the cold in wind and snow, she thought he was treating her with genuine sincerity. Who knew that after going full circle, this was the result.
Her hands resting on the low table clenched into fists, trembling uncontrollably from suppressed anger. Tonghuan feared she might be hurt emotionally and looked at her with a face full of worry. At this moment, any words of comfort would seem pale—her pain was visceral, and no one could take her place.
Wanwan felt wretched inside. Looking back now, all her anguish seemed laughable. She had long ago become someone else’s prey, yet she was still feeling sorry for him, making excuses for him.
She stood up. Tonghuan came to support her but was pushed away. She straightened her skirts and walked directly into the rear hall. With a wave of her hand, the curtains on the phoenix floor screen flew high. The person behind the curtain turned to see it was her and was severely startled, immediately frightened pale.
Her gaze moved down to rest on Yin Ge’s slightly protruding belly: “And wanting to be crown prince too—what lofty ambitions you have!”
Yin Ge dropped to her knees with a thud, crawling on the floor and kowtowing repeatedly: “This servant… this servant spoke nonsense. Your Highness must not take it seriously. This servant didn’t know… didn’t know Your Highness had arrived and failed to greet you properly. Please forgive this servant’s transgression…”
Wanwan’s heart had gone cold, so her words naturally carried cruelty. She sneered: “Our dynasty forbids reckless discussion of succession. Even the harem doesn’t dare harbor improper thoughts, let alone you! If your words just now were brought to light, even His Majesty probably couldn’t protect you.”
Yin Ge was scared out of her wits. She had always known this young mistress was quietly shrewd, understanding everything in her belly. Just from what she said to the Emperor in the Imperial Garden last time, the Emperor still felt apprehensive when mentioning her. Falling into her hands, there would be no good outcome.
Dizzily recalling what exactly she had said just now, this reflection was no small matter—immediately she broke out in another cold sweat. Yin Ge could ignore who became empress or crown prince, but could she be so tolerant and magnanimous about marriage matters that affected her directly? Yin Ge glanced at the maid beside her, who was already kneeling and trembling. Hoping she would seek rescue from the Emperor was impossible. In this situation, if the Grand Princess wanted to punish her, she was just a nameless, statusless woman—wouldn’t she be at her mercy?
She kowtowed incessantly: “Beg Your Highness… beg Your Highness for the sake of the child in this servant’s belly, spare this servant this once. Though this servant erred, the child is innocent…”
Wanwan regarded her with contempt, saying coldly: “You needn’t use the child to curry favor. The palace has over ten legitimate princes—nephews are what I lack least. Listen carefully: I can spare your life, but you’d better tell the truth. Were those words you just spoke actually fact? Did you truly reach this point with His Majesty through the Prince of Nanyuan’s arrangements?”
Yin Ge’s head felt enormous. This matter seemed to have entered a dead end—any answer carried risk. If she exposed the Prince of Nanyuan, who knew how he would deal with her in the future. But if she tried to fool the Grand Princess now, not to mention what she might do in her fury, just thinking of Xiao Duo backing her was enough to make her tremble with fear.
She prostrated herself, weeping inconsolably: “Your Highness, this servant is like a blade of grass, with shallow vision and thoughtless speech. In a moment of pride, I spoke without thinking, just wanting to raise my own status. Why should Your Highness take such joking words seriously? If you ask me to explain now, I can’t make sense of it—it’s all my one-sided story. How can I account to you?”
“Those words are evasive. You’ve now achieved success and should naturally hold your head high and look down on others. The Prince of Nanyuan is your former master. Former masters are inferior to new ones, yet instead of looking down on him, you say he’s calculating. What’s the logic in that?” When Wanwan asked these questions, her thinking was clear. Actually, she already had her answer in her heart but still felt unwilling, not daring to believe she had fallen into someone else’s trap. This world was too complex—knowing a person’s face but not their heart. If he was skilled at maneuvering, she could believe that, but that he could actually give away his own concubine, not only deceiving her but playing even the Emperor in his palm—what audacious courage!
Yin Ge was an insignificant chess piece, she knew. They couldn’t say who was using whom—at most they were accomplices. If the Prince of Nanyuan was truly so formidable, even lending her courage, she wouldn’t dare expose him directly. So she changed the subject to probe indirectly: “If you won’t speak, I won’t force you. I’ll just ask one question: when you came to the capital at Mid-Autumn, whose idea was it originally?”
This was already showing leniency. Yin Ge understood that if she continued to stubbornly resist, she’d probably be dead with her unborn child tomorrow. After weighing options repeatedly, she had to give up, saying tremblingly: “In response to Your Highness, it was… the Prince of Nanyuan’s idea.”
Indeed, she and Yin Luo weren’t originally close—why would she eagerly send herself here, offering warmth to a cold reception? Since it was the Prince of Nanyuan who wanted her to come along, everything made sense.
Wanwan stood with lowered sleeves, like having fought a fierce battle—the undergarments on her back were soaked with sweat. Her situation had become very awkward. The marriage edict had already been proclaimed throughout the realm; breaking the engagement would only make her a laughingstock. Even if Yin Ge was bait the Prince of Nanyuan set to marry the princess, the Emperor had taken the hook and Yin Ge was pregnant—these were facts that couldn’t be changed. So now she could only move forward, not retreat, because the Emperor would never permit it under any circumstances.
As she left Taisu Hall, she raised her head. Snowflakes fell on her face, but she felt no cold at all. Tonghuan held an umbrella for her, asking carefully: “What does Your Highness plan to do next?”
She looked north, vaguely able to see the upturned eaves of North Pond, tightening her cloak: “Go north to see His Majesty.”
The Emperor’s meditation lasted a very long time. She waited there for two full hours without forcing her way in to request audience, nor did her emotions fluctuate greatly. Tonghuan worried constantly, afraid she might lose control at this moment and create an irreconcilable situation. But she seemed to have grown up in an instant—the composure of imperial family had been established perfectly, no longer needing guidance.
She tucked her hands inside her sleeves, standing in the long corridor watching the sky: “How many days has it been snowing?”
Tonghuan said: “Today is the fourth day.”
She sighed: “Today’s rain and snow are too heavy. I’m afraid more disaster reports will reach the capital.” After a pause, she asked: “How many days until New Year?”
Tonghuan forced a smile: “Xiao You is already preparing the Laba porridge. Today is the eighth day—over twenty days until New Year.”
She made a sound of acknowledgment, nodding slowly. Time passed so quickly—year after year, all wasted.
Finally, the Emperor’s voice came from behind. She turned to see him wearing a cloud brocade robe, barefoot with disheveled hair. If he wore a sword at his waist, he’d really look like Lü Dongbin. He stood in the doorway beckoning: “Come, come. Isn’t it cold outside? You’ll fall ill again.”
Wanwan entered his meditation chamber. The sandalwood incense was too strong, mixed with the smoky atmosphere of candles, making her eyes tear up.
The Emperor rolled up his sleeves to wipe her tears. At this moment, he didn’t seem like a supreme ruler at all, but like when they were children depending on each other. But her tears couldn’t be wiped dry no matter how he tried. Only then did he realize she was truly crying. He felt extremely guilty but had nothing to say.
Wanwan wiped her nose and said with lowered head: “I lost composure. I just can’t bear to leave my brother. The day of marriage draws nearer—in the future, there probably won’t be opportunities to stand face-to-face with my brother like this.”
The Emperor was dejected: “That’s the unfortunate thing about being a girl—sooner or later you must leave home to marry someone else. But don’t be afraid. You have a place to stay in the capital. I’ll have Director Xiao arrange the Princess Manor beautifully for when you return to visit family.”
Today she had originally come to discuss the Princess Manor. Before coming, she had planned to say it wasn’t necessary to be so troublesome—everything should be kept simple. But after what just happened, she had to reconsider her allegiances.
“For the mansion in Jinling, please also order proper preparations, brother. Propriety cannot be abandoned—we can’t let the censors criticize.”
The Emperor nodded repeatedly: “Rest assured about this. I’ve already sent orders to the provincial administration—everything must be magnificent above all.” As he spoke, he led her to sit down: “Making you wait so long today was my mistake—I miscalculated the time…”
She suddenly grasped his sleeve: “I have some heartfelt words to share with brother.”
The Emperor’s heart skipped a beat as he said awkwardly: “As long as it’s not about breaking the engagement, anything can be discussed.”
Wanwan couldn’t help but smile bitterly. She’d guessed correctly—he wouldn’t retract his order. She had long abandoned that hope. Now all she could do was try to turn the tide within her capabilities. Since the Prince of Nanyuan could deploy Yin Ge to lurk beside the Emperor, what else was impossible?
She took a breath and spoke eloquently: “Brother and I were born of the same mother. I still remember when brother carried me to catch dragonflies and was scolded by Father. After all these years, I’ve kept it in my heart and never forgotten. Brother wants me to marry the Prince of Nanyuan—I dare not disobey brother’s wishes. It’s just that after a long time, I’ll miss brother. You must take good care of yourself in the capital. Father once said that Second Brother was simple yet cultured, gentle yet principled, possessing a gentleman’s bearing. So I beg brother to stay close to loyal ministers and distant from treacherous flatterers, and guard against those around you as well.”
The Emperor looked at her obscurely: “I know that in your heart, I’m ultimately someone with dissolute behavior, unworthy of being this emperor.”
She said no: “You are my flesh and blood. You have real talent and learning. If you applied this learning to governing the world, why worry that our Great Ye wouldn’t become strong! But brother, the four seas are not peaceful now. Internally we have the Mo’er Kan rebels causing chaos; externally the Tatars are rising to disturb our borders. To resist foreign invasion, we must first secure internal stability—we’ve heard Father say this since childhood. Now I must also advise Your Majesty: the central palace remains empty, and establishing an empress is urgent. The Prince of Nanyuan’s secondary consort—forget about making her empress, she shouldn’t even be allowed through the palace gates. Brother is the model for all people—how many eyes throughout the realm are watching you! Speaking of what I shouldn’t say, no matter how you arrange things, it’s better than parading through the streets and giving people cause to gossip.”
This impassioned speech had long exceeded the understanding of a fifteen-year-old child. The Emperor looked at her and for a moment felt she was a stranger. Yes, this affair had caused quite a stir, after all involving a Grand Princess. Fortunately, she was grown now—letting her understand political cruelty was necessary tempering for all imperial family members.
He gripped her hand firmly: “Wanwan, everything you’ve said to brother today, brother has remembered completely. I promise you—the Prince of Nanyuan’s secondary consort will never enter the palace gates. You can be completely assured of this. Betrothing you to the Prince of Nanyuan was also after deep consideration. After all, you are my only sister. I often think whether this decision is right or wrong. You told me that the late emperor repeatedly warned you against marrying into the Yuwen clan, but I don’t think so. Nanyuan now stands alone in power, with wealth approaching that of the capital—this is not good. Since we now have this opportunity, why shouldn’t I seize it and make good use of it?” His eyes burned as he looked at her: “I can trust no one now except you. So I’m sending you to marry in Nanyuan—you’ll help brother keep close watch on him, so I can rest easy in the capital. The realm passed from father and elder brother to my hands cannot be lost in my generation. So even if I bear some infamy, I accept it. Originally you shouldn’t know these things, but since you’ve opened the topic, I won’t hide it. You and I are both descendants of the Murong clan. Protecting this eternal foundation is not only my responsibility as Murong Gaogong, but also yours as Murong Jun.”