He knew.
How could he not know?
Imperial authority reigns supreme. As the Son of Heaven, a single word could determine a person’s fate and their very life. To contend with the Emperor over a woman was like a praying mantis trying to halt a carriage — little better than walking toward one’s own death.
If he were wise enough, he would weigh the costs and abandon this notion entirely.
But he could not do it.
He could not let go — and he did not want to.
First it had been Empress Xu, and now the Emperor himself. They sat high above the rest, and in doing so they disposed of those around them as a matter of course. Were those of humble station simply meant to live out their days in despair and helplessness?
No. He refused to accept that as his fate.
“Forgive me, Elder Sister. I cannot let go — I cannot bring myself to look away and do nothing.” Wei Yan’s deep and still gaze was filled with remorse. “I am truly sorry. My selfishness, I fear, may one day implicate you.”
Wei Jieyu was still for a moment, then slowly loosened her grip on him and sat down.
Wei Yan stepped forward and knelt before her. “When you were brought into the palace by Empress Xu, I was left alone outside the walls, frightened and adrift. Later, you became one of the Emperor’s consorts, and I entered the Imperial Medical Academy to study medicine.”
“All these years, others have seen only our glory — how the two of us rose above our station in a single step. Who knows how bitterly we have lived, how utterly without choice?”
“I know you never envied wealth or splendor, never wished to be a consort. You had already given your heart to someone, and were only waiting for that person to come and ask for your hand. But without warning, your outstanding looks caused you to be taken right off the street. From that day on, you walked a path that was never truly your own to choose…”
Wei Jieyu’s whole body trembled, and tears flooded her eyes in an instant.
“There is a secret I have never once told you. All these years, the reason I never married — there is a reason for it.”
Wei Yan drew a long breath and gave voice to the secret he had kept buried in his heart. “Empress Xu harbored improper intentions toward me for a long time. When she proposed to bestow a daughter of the Xu family upon me in marriage, it was nothing more than a test. As for Luzhu — because she cared for me, Empress Xu regarded her as a thorn in her side. Later, Empress Xu quietly moved against Luzhu in secret. That is why Luzhu died so young.”
Wei Jieyu’s face turned instantly white. She looked at Wei Yan in disbelief. “What are you saying? Empress Xu… she harbored such filthy designs? You and Princess Changping are of an age — and she is barely younger than our own mother. How could she have conceived of such a thing?”
No wonder Wei Yan had refused to marry all these years.
No wonder Empress Xu had always shown Wei Yan such particular favor.
So that was how it was.
Wei Yan had endured and said nothing all along — and when it came to it, everything he had done was for her sake. What man could have borne such humiliation?
Thank heavens Empress Xu had already fallen from power and could no longer threaten Wei Yan. Otherwise, would he truly have been condemned never to marry?
The more Wei Jieyu turned it over in her mind, the more frightened she felt. Tears fell in streams. “A’Yan — something this important — why did you never tell me sooner?”
Wei Yan’s voice was low. “This kind of thing — for one, it was too difficult to put into words. For another, telling you would have served no purpose. Had you given anything away in Empress Xu’s presence, she would never have been able to tolerate you. Better, under such circumstances, to keep you in the dark as well.”
“All these years, I made a silent vow in my heart to do everything in my power to protect you and An Ya — to spare you even the smallest grief. Even at the cost of my own life, I would not have hesitated.”
A faint catch entered Wei Yan’s voice. “Forgive me, Elder Sister — I must go back on that vow. There is a young woman in my heart whom I cannot release. I cannot stand by and watch her suffer.”
“All those years ago, I could not save you. Now, I intend to stake my life on an attempt to save her.”
“Forgive me…”
It was the first time since his tenth year that Wei Yan had wept before her.
Wei Jieyu felt as though a knife were turning in her heart — overcome with grief and pity, but most of all a helpless and profound sorrow. Tears blurred her vision. The words “forgive me” rang in her ears without ceasing.
Wei Jieyu wept for a long while, as though she might cry out every last trace of suffering from all these years.
Being a man, Wei Yan lost control of his emotions for a moment, then regained his calm and composure quickly enough. He wiped his own tears with his sleeve, then took out a handkerchief and gently dried the tear tracks from Wei Jieyu’s face. “Elder Sister, it is right for you to reproach me — scold me to vent your feelings, if you wish.”
Wei Jieyu stifled her sobs for a time before her heart settled enough to speak. “We are blood siblings — the closest people each of us has in this world. What need is there for such formal words between us?”
“A’Yan, do as you must. I will not stand in your way any longer. If there is anything you need from me, you need only ask. The palace has no empress now, and I currently oversee the running of the inner court — whatever needs doing here is far easier to arrange than before.”
Wei Yan looked at Wei Jieyu with deep gratitude. “Elder Sister — I told you all of this today because I did not wish to keep it hidden from you any longer. Not because I wished to drag you into these troubled waters.”
“Carry on as though you know nothing of this. Should the day ever come when things go wrong, you will have done nothing — and the Emperor is not the sort of man who disregards old ties and shows no mercy. You and An Ya will at the very least be able to keep your lives…”
“Stop.” Wei Jieyu cut him off with firm resolve. “If one day I were to do something that might be considered a grave transgression — would you truly stand aside and do nothing?”
Wei Yan fell silent.
Wei Jieyu looked at him steadily. “Tell me honestly — that incident where Empress Xu was caught by the Emperor consorting with the attendant Xu Chun — did you have a hand in that as well?”
There were certain things that had puzzled her, that she had never quite been able to make sense of — until now, when one piece came clear and all the rest suddenly followed.
For instance: Empress Xu had always been a woman of careful habits. How, then, had she repeatedly summoned Xu Chun to spend the night?
For instance: The Emperor had seldom set foot in the Palace of Pepper Fragrance in recent years. On the rare occasions he did, he would always send a verbal decree ahead through an attendant to announce his coming. So why, on that particular night, had he gone so quietly, and arrived at precisely that moment?
The Emperor had no wish to get to the bottom of that shameful affair and had chosen to keep it buried in obscurity.
Although Wei Jieyu had sensed clouds of suspicion all around, she would never have been tactless enough to raise such things before the Emperor. But today, having heard Wei Yan’s astonishing secret, a great many connections had suddenly taken shape in her mind.
Wei Yan said nothing — which was as good as admitting it.
Wei Jieyu drew a sharp breath. “Your nerve is beyond all reckoning. How could you dare do something so audacious? Were you not afraid that if it came to light, not only would you have failed to bring down Empress Xu — you would have plunged yourself into peril instead?”
Wei Yan answered without evasion. “Of course I was afraid. But some things must be done even when one is afraid. Otherwise, one is condemned to spend a lifetime on tenterhooks, trembling with anxiety.”
What kind of life would that be?
Wei Jieyu was quiet for a moment, then gave a soft sigh. “What you say makes sense. It is I who have been too timid and small-hearted.” She paused, then added, “And yet — the Emperor is nothing like Empress Xu. To rescue someone from the Emperor’s grasp will require long and careful deliberation. Rash action of any kind must be avoided. You must promise me you will not risk yourself lightly.”
Wei Yan gave her his solemn word.