“I said long ago that Your Ladyship may not be so clear about your own situation.” Qingxia looked at these three mother and daughters with a light smile, along with the crowd of guards outside who were facing a great enemy, saying carelessly: “Don’t you think we now need to have a proper, serious talk? Otherwise, I can’t guarantee that when they rush in, I won’t accidentally throw another knife.”
“You—you’re assassinating Mother Empress! The Court of Judicial Review won’t let you go! Your entire family will be exterminated!”
Qingxia smiled faintly at Princess Hongxiao and said with a laugh: “Princess Hongxiao, your words are wrong. First, I come from Nanchu, and my family and relatives are all Nanchu subjects. What qualification do you have to exterminate families? Or do you think this entire world belongs to the Qin surname? Second, even if I don’t act, you were going to charge me with attempted assassination anyway. Since the crime is already established, might as well go all the way—why should I be a wrongful ghost when I could drag someone down with me before dying? Third, you mother and daughters act arrogantly in the rear palace with ruthless methods. How would I, a mere common citizen, enter the inner palace to overreach myself by assassinating Consort Yao, who has no relationship with me whatsoever and plays no positive role in Great Qin’s government? Even the most pig-headed person would first think you’re framing and slandering me. Today you’ve dug up old almanacs and palace regulations, using various means to threaten and coerce—that’s evidence. In the current situation, unless you immediately beat me to death right here in Shuiyao Hall, if this goes to the Court of Judicial Review, it’ll be a mutual destruction scenario where no one gains any advantage.”
Consort Yao’s expression was grim, her face turning green. She glanced at her daughter kneeling on the ground and said gravely: “What exactly are you?”
Qingxia laughed. “Of course I’m the Eastern Qi Crown Princess who defected from Eastern Qi, the dissolute concubine expelled from home by Nanchu’s Great Emperor, the disaster-bringing beauty who caused two nations to battle at Bailu Plains. Your Ladyship didn’t know?”
Qingxia slowly stepped forward, grabbed Princess Ankang, and amid the terrified screams of Consort Yao and Princess Hongxiao, quickly reset the princess’s arm.
“Doesn’t Your Ladyship feel that today’s actions were rather thoughtless?” Qingxia slowly sat in a nearby soft chair, picked up the tea bowl lid and suddenly threw it backward. With a whooshing sound, it tightly shut the door. The guards outside panicked and cried out, but hearing no summons from Consort Yao, they didn’t dare enter rashly.
“Prince Xuan defied His Majesty at Bailu Plains, but undeniably, he brought back more advantageous intelligence about Penglai Valley and forced Xichuan’s Great Emperor to promise two open horse markets. Merits and faults balanced out, his achievements actually exceed by far. Now no one brings up Zhuang Qingxia’s name to attack Prince Xuan, simply because they don’t want to dampen His Majesty’s spirits. But you, Consort Yao, want to meddle in this matter at this time, putting on airs as Prince Xuan’s birth mother. If you beat me to death tonight or hand me over to the Court of Judicial Review, Zhuang Qingxia’s name will be placed on the main hall, and naturally people will catch wind and use this matter to attack Prince Xuan. Disregarding elders, disrespecting royal commands, despising imperial authority—does Your Ladyship know what crime this is? Do you know how many articles such crimes can spawn?”
Qingxia sat in her chair, neck straight, speaking eloquently: “Moreover, Your Ladyship’s attempt at marriage alliance with Nanchu is merely to find Prince Xuan a strong backing and external support. In the short term, this is indeed a profitable deal. But have you considered that once the two nations go to war, with Princess Jiayun as the reigning mistress of Prince Xuan’s mansion, where will it place Prince Xuan? If she bears Prince Xuan’s children in the future, where will it place Prince Xuan’s offspring? Throughout dynasties of hereditary nobility, would the descendants of Great Qin’s Prince Xuan actually be the bloodline of the rebellious traitors who once split Qin? The Crown Prince’s power is weak, His Majesty is advanced in years, and the heir apparent’s position is unstable. Your Ladyship, put yourself in their shoes—if it were you, would you establish Nanchu royal bloodline as national heir? If Prince Xuan falls, can Your Ladyship and the two princesses still live as now in silk and jade, without worries, receiving admiration and flattery from the entire six palaces?”
“Princess Ankang acts domineeringly in the rear palace, bullying the weak. Your Ladyship has always been arrogant and made enemies everywhere. If not for having a good son to back you up and clean up after you constantly, ask your conscience—could you still stand here today speaking so arrogantly to me? Now the Qin clan’s incense burns brightly with prosperous descendants. Throughout dynasties, when emperors ascend the throne, they do nothing but eliminate dissidents and kill marquises and princes who threaten them. Forced by circumstances, Prince Xuan has already reached high position and simply cannot withdraw. With his sickly body, he exhausts himself maintaining Great Qin’s prosperity while being mentally and physically drained, carefully guarding against cold arrows and assassination attempts from all sides. Not only do you fail to share his worries, stabilize the rear palace, ally with beautiful childless concubines, or win over His Majesty’s heart, you instead point your spears at your own doorstep? Is this clever or foolish?”
Princess Ankang flew into rage, forgetting her pain after healing, shouting loudly: “You’re insolent!”
“I’ve long been insolent—are you only learning this today?” Qingxia turned around sharply and shouted angrily: “Today’s actions are nothing but ignorant women’s unreasonable troublemaking! Previously, out of respect for Prince Xuan, not wanting others to find fault with Prince Xuan’s mansion, I endured everything and repeatedly retreated. Taking an enemy general’s head among a million troops is still easy for me, let alone you few powerless, foolish women. If I wanted to leave, even if you laid heaven and earth nets, you’d be powerless to stop me. Similarly, if I wanted to take your lives, even if you hid in the deep palace, you’d still die without intact corpses overnight. I love Qin Zhiyan, so I respect his parents and relatives. But respect is built on mutual foundation. If you continue pressing, I absolutely won’t endure indefinitely. If others don’t offend me, I won’t offend them. Everyone’s goal is the same—for Zhiyan’s good. No need to tear faces and make him unhappy. Better to calmly shake hands and make peace. When we meet in the future, there’ll be steps to descend gracefully. Does Your Ladyship agree?”
Consort Yao’s face was livid. After a long time, she finally said through gritted teeth: “I truly underestimated you.”
“You did indeed underestimate me.” Qingxia smiled faintly and said coldly: “Whether you call me a disaster-bringing beauty, a bewitching demon, or fickle-hearted, I just want to tell you—not everyone can be a disaster-bringing beauty. At minimum, you cannot, your daughters cannot. I achieved it, so I have my own support and abilities. You—whether you accept it or not.”
With that, Qingxia gracefully bowed and said with a light smile: “The deep palace is inconvenient for lodging common women. This common woman takes her leave. Before departing, I have one more word to offer: if you ladies lack the ability to help him, you’d best behave properly. If you continue making trouble and stirring up waves like this, even birth sons will grow weary. Imperial city affections between parents and children are already thin—please conduct yourselves well, Your Ladyship.”
No longer paying attention to the dumbfounded mother and daughters, Qingxia turned and walked out of Shuiyao Hall. All along the way, palace attendants and eunuchs surrounded and stood, but none dared step forward to obstruct her. Lights blazed brightly, palace walls stood majestically. Cold wind howled through Taihe Palace, startling flocks of cold crows from the eaves. Black wings swept across the sky, scattering the cold mist in midair. Qingxia wore blue and white striped brocade robes, her cloud-like hair pinned high, neck straight, her thin, pale cheeks bearing knife-carved sculptural beauty. She stood beneath the parasol trees of the inner palace, looking up at the full moon in the sky, feeling only icy heart vessels and worldly loneliness.
Zhiyan, are those your relatives? Your mother, your sisters, and those scheming brothers—with your illness-ridden body, how do you endure these cold arrows and schemes hidden in false sentiment? Such an arrogant, domineering mother, such sisters who rely on others’ power, such inconsiderate family members—having them is worse than having none!
Qingxia suddenly remembered that night three years ago in the southernmost palace, when a woman in brocade robes cursed her loudly, struggling and clamoring like a madwoman. Compared to Consort Yao, that Consort Xiao who, for her ideals, to make her son ruler of the world, didn’t hesitate to sacrifice her life, abandon her responsibilities as a mother, abandon all her son’s love for her, and had no good reputation even after death—she was perhaps slightly more noble. Though from beginning to end, she had chosen the wrong way to love.
The imperial palace truly was a place that devoured people. Here there was no kinship, no warmth, only cold stones everywhere, with corruption and scheming growing in every crevice. Thus it created Chu Li’s dark personality, and also created Qin Zhiyan’s indifferent countenance.
And now, she too must survive here, don masks of hypocrisy, and fight them to the death.
Qingxia smiled coldly. Her entire life seemed born for struggle—this was her destiny, impossible to escape. She raised her head slightly and said coldly: “Come then! I will not admit defeat!”
Since there’s no paradise under heaven, let me carve out my own paradise with these hands. Never again will anyone have the ability to snatch anything from my grasp!
Chaotic hoofbeats suddenly sounded ahead. Qingxia raised an eyebrow, wondering if Consort Yao truly had the courage to eliminate her. Just as she prepared to counterattack with full alertness, she saw a handsome man in moon-white robes racing urgently from the distance—sword-like brows, starry eyes, furrowed brow. If not Qin Zhiyan, who else could it be?
The corners of Qingxia’s mouth curved in a smile, warmth immediately surging through her heart. She stood in place with a beaming smile, waving and calling softly: “Zhiyan, I’m here.”
Instantly she was pulled into a cold embrace. Qin Zhiyan’s hands were very cold—colder than Qingxia who had knelt in the cold wind for five hours—but his breathing was hot, rapid breaths spraying on Qingxia’s head, carrying slight wine scent and pleasant medicinal fragrance. Held in Qin Zhiyan’s arms, Qingxia said in a muffled voice: “Zhiyan, did you drink wine? You’re ill—you can’t drink wine.”