Heart-rending sobs filled the Pepper Room Palace.

All the strength seemed to drain from Princess Changping’s body at once. She crumpled to the floor beside the bed and wept.

It was over. She had no more hope of any kind.

Empress Xu wanted to lift her hand to stroke Princess Changping’s hair. Her arm rose trembling into the air, then fell back down lifelessly. Tears poured ceaselessly from her eyes.

Prince Yan looked at his mother and elder sister, both dissolved in tears, and a flash of cold ferocity and fury passed through his eyes — yet his voice was, unexpectedly, perfectly calm. “Your Majesty, Elder Sister — things have come to this point. No amount of weeping will change anything. It is better to think about what is to be done from here on.”

Princess Changping wept in despair. “What is there to do? That Ciyun Convent — it may be called a convent, but it is nothing more than a prison. Once I enter the Ciyun Convent, coming back again will be no easy matter.”

With Empress Xu deposed, she was no different from a discarded woman within the palace walls. There was no counting on her.

Who else could save her in the future?

Prince Yan heard the meaning beneath Princess Changping’s words, and pressed his thin lips together. “There is still me,” he said coldly.

Princess Changping’s weeping halted. She turned to look at Prince Yan.

That once willful and overbearing Prince Yan — after enduring this succession of blows — had not been crushed by them. If anything, he had grown considerably calmer and more composed. He stood now with his back straight and his spine erect, like a tree that was on the verge of growing tall enough to shelter others from wind and rain.

“There is still me,” Prince Yan repeated, his voice low and firm. “As long as I have not fallen, Your Majesty will be able to preserve her life within the palace. And no one will dare to mistreat you in the Ciyun Convent.”

“Bear with things for a time. One day, I will come to escort you out of the Ciyun Convent with great ceremony, and restore Your Majesty as well to her former standing and glory!”

This declaration moved both Princess Changping and Empress Xu deeply.

Empress Xu looked at her only son with a gaze filled with complex and unutterable feelings. She said softly, “It is I who have implicated the both of you. From now on, you will be alone — your mother can be of no help to you whatsoever. Be careful. You must be very careful…”

Prince Yan said lightly, “Your Majesty need not worry. I understand clearly how difficult the road ahead will be. I will endure it.”

With Princess Changping confined to the Ciyun Convent and Empress Xu deposed within the palace, it was, without a doubt, a devastating blow to Prince Yan’s faction. The collapse of morale and the defection of followers was almost inevitable.

To accomplish great things, one must first learn to endure in adversity.

Princess Changping stopped weeping as well, and wiped her tears with her sleeve. “Sixth Brother, I was foolish before. I will not cause you any more trouble in the future. I will stay in the Ciyun Convent without making any disturbance — and wait for you to come and bring me home one day!”

Prince Yan’s heavy and oppressive mood was not in the least relieved by Princess Changping’s words.

He knew her temperament far too well.

Staying quietly in the Ciyun Convent without causing a scene — that was simply impossible for her. But no matter how troublesome she was, he had no way of simply abandoning her.

Prince Yan did not linger long, and left shortly after.

Princess Changping stayed in the Pepper Room Palace through that night, keeping Empress Xu company until morning.

The following day, just as dawn was barely beginning to lighten the sky, Eunuch Ding led a company of guards to the palace and said respectfully, “Your Highness the Princess, this servant has been dispatched by the Emperor’s orders to escort Your Highness to the Ciyun Convent.”

Princess Changping had been weeping all night, and her voice had long since gone hoarse. She now straightened her back with haughty pride, composing herself with the bearing proper to a princess. “I wish to return to my residence to collect some clothing, jewelry, and personal articles.”

Eunuch Ding maintained his respectful expression. “The Ciyun Convent is fully furnished with everything needed. There is no need to bring additional luggage.”

A flash of anger lit Princess Changping’s eyes, and she said stiffly, “I wish to take my leave of Father Emperor.”

Eunuch Ding’s face showed a look of difficulty, and he sighed. “This servant has no intention of making things harder for Your Highness. It is only that the Emperor was so enraged yesterday that he coughed up blood and fainted, and has been confined to his bed recovering. If Your Highness were to go to him now, the Emperor might well be driven to anger once more. This servant takes the liberty of humbly imploring Your Highness to depart now!”

Princess Changping: “…”

Princess Changping trembled with rage, her face flushed crimson.

This insolent wretch! In ordinary times, he bowed and scraped before her without end — but now that he saw her fallen from favor, he actually dared to put on airs before her!

Had this been her old self, she would have thrown all caution to the wind and made a tremendous scene first before doing anything else.

But now… Princess Changping bit her lip fiercely in frustration, and swallowed back the torrent of curses that had been on the tip of her tongue. Prince Yan had said it himself — she must endure now.

If she could do nothing else, she could at least stop bringing trouble and turmoil down upon Prince Yan!

Princess Changping gave a single contemptuous snort, and in the end said not another word as she followed the guards and boarded the carriage.

Eunuch Ding was in quite a pleasant mood.

Who was Princess Changping? She had once terrorized the palace, feared by all. He was the Emperor’s most relied-upon chief eunuch, fawned upon and flattered by everyone. And yet when it came to Princess Changping, had he not bowed and scraped before her like a dog?

Now, the wheel of fortune had turned. He could finally hold his head up!

What did it matter that she was the Empress? What difference did it make that she was a princess?

When they enjoyed favor, they stood high above all others, sought after by everyone. Once they fell from grace, they were like stray dogs — anyone could trample them underfoot. Without the Emperor’s love and goodwill, they were nothing.

Only the young Prince Yan remained — and he alone could not hold things up.

Eunuch Ding inwardly calculated to himself that he ought to look for more opportunities in the future to ingratiate himself with the Crown Prince and the Crown Grandson.

The Ciyun Convent was situated on a mountain in the western outskirts of the capital.

The place was remote and largely untrodden, and deeply quiet. The Ciyun Convent had been deliberately constructed halfway up the mountainside, and outside the convent walls, dozens of guards kept permanent watch!

The carriage jolted and shook for the better part of a day before finally arriving at the foot of the mountain.

To ascend, the remaining mountain path had to be climbed on foot.

Princess Changping stepped down from the carriage and looked up at the steep mountain path. The color drained from her face. She had been raised in pampered luxury all her life, always carried by carriage or sedan chair wherever she went — she had never been subjected to such hardship.

Eunuch Ding watched with cold indifference and a smile that did not reach his eyes. “Your Highness the Princess, it would be best to set out quickly. If we dawdle any longer, I fear we may not reach the Ciyun Convent before dark, and Your Highness would have to spend the night in the mountains. There are said to be some rather ferocious wild beasts up here…”

Princess Changping shuddered, and indeed did not dare to linger further. Under the “escort” of the guards, she began to climb.

The mountain path was rugged and uneven. Her delicate feet quickly developed blisters, sending sharp stabs of pain with every step. She stumbled and fell at one point, scraping the skin from her palms. The pins in her hair had come half-undone, tumbling loose around her ears.

Princess Changping had never been in such a sorry state in all her life.

Tears welled up again, she knew not when.

A tide of despair washed over Princess Changping’s heart.

From this day forward, this was the place where she would live. No fine garments or beautiful dress, no handsome palace eunuchs, no Lu Hong… nothing at all. What was she to do?

Sixth Brother had said he would come for her one day. But before that day arrived, how long would she have to stay here? How could she possibly endure it?

She was filled with regret.

Genuine, bitter regret.

Had she known things would come to this, she truly ought never to have let herself fall so deeply for Lu Hong, nor should she ever have raised her hand against the Prince Consort!