Wang Daxia had wanted to escape from the beginning. Wei Caiwei felt that after this past half year, her husband should have broken his addiction to spoiling their daughter, so the couple hit it off perfectly and ran away in silent understanding before Lu Ying could even speak.

Ding Wu observed every move of the couple, but knowing they aspired to distant rivers and lakes with no interest in national affairs, he didn’t remind Lu Ying and silently watched them leave.

When Lu Ying and Ding Wu rushed to Bansheng, the war between Bu Ta Shi Li and Che Li Ke for Bansheng City had already ended. Fourteen-year-old Bu Ta Shi Li was no match for the well-armed Che Li Ke, suffered crushing defeat, and returned to Hohhot to ask Third Madam for reinforcements.

On the grasslands, the strong prey upon the weak. For Bansheng’s peace, the widow Hasi Tuya married the victorious Che Li Ke, but wouldn’t let Che Li Ke touch Bansheng City. Nominally Bansheng belonged to Che Li Ke, but was actually controlled by Hasi Tuya.

A’duo Si of the Ordos tribe also came to compete for Hasi Tuya’s hand, but seeing this brutal war, A’duo Si chickened out again, unsurprisingly choosing to withdraw once more, sighing to Ding Wu:

“This is just my fate. Che Li Ke’s grandfather An Da Khan stole my fiancée, Che Li Ke’s father Huang Jitai also married her, and now Hasi Tuya has been married by Che Li Ke too. I have nothing.”

Bu Ta Shi Li found his mother Third Madam as backing. Third Madam immediately brought personal troops to fight Che Li Ke, giving him a severe beating to vent her son’s anger.

The second Prince Shunyi Huang Jitai watched helplessly as his wife led troops to fight his son Che Li Ke, saying nothing and sending no troops to help Che Li Ke, quietly playing the puppet.

Third Madam decisively defeated Che Li Ke, but Hasi Tuya had already married Che Li Ke – this fact couldn’t be changed.

Bu Ta Shi Li was indignant. Third Madam said: “I can help you vent anger, but I can’t break the rules. For Hasi Tuya to remarry you, you must become strong yourself to get what you want. What others give you, even if you get it, you can’t protect it for long. In the end, it will still be snatched from your hands. Do you expect your mother to help you snatch women every time?”

Another storm subsided once again.

Three more years passed. Huang Jitai died of illness. To become the third Prince Shunyi, his eldest son Che Li Ke voluntarily divorced Hasi Tuya and married Third Madam – because the Great Ming only trusted Third Madam. Truly an iron Third Madam with flowing Prince Shunyis.

Hasi Tuya returned to single status. Bu Ta Shi Li immediately married Hasi Tuya, who was seventeen years older than him. They held the tent ceremony – this time it wasn’t just political marriage, they truly slept together. Hasi Tuya gave birth to a son, Su Nang Taiji, who inherited Bansheng City after both died.

Of course, these are all later stories. Let’s say Wang Daxia and Wei Caiwei rushed back to the capital to fetch their daughter. The streets were full of altars everywhere, holding grand funeral ceremonies – they learned that Grand Secretariat First Minister Zhang Juzheng had died of illness.

A great minister of his generation, dead from hemorrhoids.

Empress Dowager Li summoned them to the palace. Chen Jingji was now Director of Ceremonies with vermillion brush authority, responsible for imperial approvals, holding high power and authority, but remained humble and courteous without the arrogance of a powerful eunuch.

Chen Jingji briefed them on the current situation in the Forbidden City: “…After His Majesty’s grand wedding, Empress Dowager Li moved to Cining Palace and no longer interferes in government affairs.”

Truly generational cycles – Third Madam continued governing through remarriage, while Li Jiubao had already withdrawn cleanly without clinging to power.

Due to Zhang Juzheng’s death, Li Jiubao was in poor spirits, but having long occupied high positions, her inner thoughts could no longer be read from her expression or eyes.

Li Jiubao was calm as water, showing neither sorrow nor joy. She dismissed everyone, including Wang Daxia, and had Wei Caiwei examine the pulse of a tea-serving palace maid.

After careful examination, Wei Caiwei said: “Congratulations, Empress Dowager. It’s a pregnancy pulse.”

Since Emperor Chenghua’s grand wedding, he still had no heirs. This palace maid had ordinary looks but was about to “win first place.”

Hearing this, Li Jiubao gently closed her eyes, then opened them, dismissed the palace maid, and said to Wei Caiwei: “The court will have great upheaval in coming days. Go see Dowager Consort Shang – we mentioned you just recently. Then leave the palace immediately and depart the capital at once. Don’t come here for several years.”

Li Jiubao’s warning prompted Wei Caiwei to take Wang Daxia and Xia Qiwu from Tongzhou by boat back to Nanjing that very day.

Indeed, once Zhang Juzheng died, the young emperor eagerly seized control and settled accounts with the Zhang family. Zhang Juzheng’s eldest son was even forced to suicide. Former Director of Ceremonies Feng Bao was also confiscated and sent to tend vegetables at the Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing. The court ran with blood.

Hearing that Feng Bao had been demoted to Nanjing, in the rouge and cosmetics shop on Qinhuai River, Wang Daxia sighed with the sadness of a fox mourning a rabbit’s death: “I said we should leave the capital early. Feng Bao was so powerful before the previous emperor’s death, helping Empress Dowager Li defeat Grand Secretary Gao Gong and seizing great power. After ten years, he’s feared by the emperor and sent to tend vegetables at Xiaoling. Fortunately we left early – if still in the capital, we’d probably be settled with by the young emperor too.”

In the previous life, they withdrew at the peak due to Wang Daxia’s poor health, just avoiding disaster. This life, the couple actively avoided the world, avoiding the miserable fate of Zhang Juzheng, Feng Bao and others.

Under imperial power’s crushing force, not a blade of grass grows. No matter how capable a person, none can resist fate’s cycles.

Spending days with rouge and powder companions – such days are quite good.

Forbidden City, Cining Palace.

Li Jiubao summoned Emperor Wanli over. Emperor Wanli thought his mother wanted to plead for the Zhang family: “…Empress Dowager needn’t mention it. These ten years, Minister Zhang was close to the Empress Dowager. Inside and outside the court, there’s been unseemly gossip. If the Empress Dowager pleads for the Zhang family, wouldn’t that confirm the rumors?”

Li Jiubao looked at her young son. Controlling imperial power transforms a person beyond recognition, making them suspicious and paranoid, even fearing their birth mother. After taking personal control, Emperor Wanli seemed like a different person, changing from an obedient child to rebellious and irritable. Having been controlled too strictly as a child, once gaining supreme power he overcompensated, making up for the mischief he couldn’t have in childhood.

Li Jiubao clapped her hands: “Come out.”

Palace maid Wang Shi came out trembling, her belly slightly protruding.

Li Jiubao said: “The Emperor impregnated this palace maid of mine. Her belly can’t hide it anymore and she can’t stay in Cining Palace forever. The Emperor needs to give her status. Regardless of gender, what she bears is your first child. You must treat her well.”

This happened? Emperor Wanli had already forgotten the plain-looking Wang Shi. Impossible – how could I sleep with an ugly girl!

Emperor Wanli vehemently denied: “Empress Dowager, I never did such a thing.”

Wang Shi was so frightened she fell to her knees: “Your Majesty, that night you drank some wine and went to the side hall to rest. This servant was ordered to attend Your Majesty, and Your Majesty then… every word this servant says is true.”

Actually, according to bedchamber rules, the emperor should bestow gifts afterward as proof of favor, recorded in the Palace Records. But Emperor Wanli was drunk and lustful, pulling up his pants and forgetting Wang Shi afterward, leaving nothing but seed.

Li Jiubao produced the Palace Records kept by female officials: “Whether or not, it’s clearly recorded here. Three months ago, you indeed favored Wang Shi in Cining Palace. This concerns imperial bloodline – how could I sit idle?”

Li Jiubao had risen to power through imperial heirs and knew well the difficulty of imperial offspring. Emperor Wanli was in his prime at twenty, still young, thinking he’d have many children in future and not caring about one ordinary palace maid’s belly.

With Palace Records as evidence, Emperor Wanli could only grudgingly accept, sending Wang Shi to the Empress for arrangements, then dismissing the matter from his mind to rest with favored consort Zheng Shi.

Seven months later, Wang Shi bore Emperor Wanli’s eldest son Zhu Changlo.

Four years later, Noble Consort Zheng bore imperial son Zhu Changxun. Emperor Wanli favored Noble Consort Zheng and Zhu Changxun, developing intentions to depose the eldest and establish the younger.

Ten years later, the four-person group’s appointed time arrived again. Xia Qiwu was eighteen.

Xia Qiwu looked particularly similar to her father Wang Daxia’s youthful cross-dressed appearance, with identical interests – both obsessed with mixing cosmetics and powders and how to sell them for good prices.

Matchmakers wore out their doorstep, but Xia Qiwu didn’t fancy any of them, even telling her parents: “I won’t marry. Establish me as a female household head so I can manage my own household alone – wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Wang Daxia and Wei Caiwei exchanged knowing glances. Wang Daxia cleared his throat: “Don’t rush. Before establishing a female household, our whole family will take a trip to the capital to see old friends.”