After leaving the old lady’s room, Madam Meng inquired about her son’s whereabouts.
The household steward, Zhang Da, couldn’t provide an answer. He only said that at noon, the young master was still with him at the dock, counting the items to be loaded onto the ship for tomorrow’s journey. Later, Zhang Da became busy, and when he turned around, the young master had disappeared along with his servant. Where he had gone, Zhang Da did not know.
For this journey north, Jia Fu’s brother, Zhen Yaoting, was naturally expected to accompany them. They were to depart early tomorrow morning, yet now he was nowhere to be found. Madam Meng couldn’t help but complain. Zhang Da blamed himself: “It was my negligence. I’ll send someone to look for him right away.”
Madam Meng sighed, “Never mind, I’m not blaming you. His legs are attached to his own body; we can’t expect you to keep your eyes on him every moment. Just send someone to check the places he usually frequents.”
Zhang Da agreed and hurried away.
Madam Meng then escorted her daughter back to her room, instructed her to go to bed early, and then left.
The night gradually deepened, and the entire Zhen mansion fell quiet.
Early tomorrow morning, they would set off northward.
These days, whenever Jia Fu closed her eyes, memories of her previous life surged like ocean waves in her mind.
Tonight, she was completely unable to sleep.
On this night in her previous life, she remembered that she had also spent a sleepless night, but her mood then was completely different from tonight.
At that time, apart from anxiety, there was more joy and longing for the future.
If she hadn’t died once before, how could the present Jia Fu possibly know that the man she was about to marry—her second cousin Pei Xiu Zhi from the Duke of Weiguo’s mansion—would turn out to be such a cowardly and selfish person who would hand her over to another man?
Regarding the Pei family of the Duke of Weiguo’s mansion that she was about to marry, no one knew more than she did.
The Duke of Weiguo’s mansion had two branches. The Second Madam of the second branch, Madam Meng, was her mother’s sister and had given birth to her third cousin Pei Xiu Luo, and fourth cousin Pei Xiu Hong. Pei Xiu Zhi, the second son, belonged to the first branch under Madam Xin, but like Pei Xiu Luo and Pei Xiu Hong, Jia Fu also called him a cousin.
The Pei family’s most glorious period was over twenty years ago. At that time, the eldest daughter of the old lady of the Duke’s mansion, Wen Jing, outstanding in both talent and appearance, was established as the Crown Prince’s consort. A few years later, the Crown Prince ascended the throne to become Emperor Tian Xi, and she became the Empress. Unfortunately, heaven envied her beauty; the following year, she contracted an epidemic and, after recuperating in the imperial temple for more than a year, passed away.
Although the Primary Empress was gone, the imperial favor toward the Pei family became even more abundant, lasting for nearly twenty years. It was during this period that the Pei family’s eldest grandson and heir, Pei You An, who was gradually growing up, became renowned throughout the capital with his reputation as a young prime minister. The Pei family’s glory was unparalleled at that time.
As they say, the moon waxes only to wane, and prosperity inevitably leads to decline. For the Pei family, misfortune seemed to begin with the Duke of Weiguo’s death.
It happened in the sixteenth year of Tian Xi. At that time, the northern border was restless, and the Duke of Weiguo had been ordered to lead an army to guard the border. That year, he fell ill and died. Pei You An, who had accompanied his father in the military camp, returned with his father’s coffin. Soon after, rumors spread in the capital claiming that Pei You An, after drinking medicinal wine, had forced himself upon one of the Duke of Weiguo’s beautiful concubines. They were caught by a servant, and the concubine committed suicide out of shame and anger. Madam Xin had tried her best to suppress this for her son and attempted to cover up the scandal but to no avail. Eventually, it was reported to Emperor Tian Xi by the Censorate.
The dynasty was founded on filial piety. Pei You An’s consumption of medicinal wine during his father’s mourning period could be forgiven due to his physical condition. However, for a son to commit such a lustful crime while his father’s body was barely cold was unforgivable. Emperor Tian Xi didn’t believe it and personally summoned Pei You An for questioning, intending to exonerate him. However according to rumors, Pei You An remained silent, effectively admitting to the crime. Emperor Tian Xi had no choice but to strip him of his scholarly title and remove his position as heir. He left the capital and the Pei family.
Like a meteor streaking across the sky, the once brilliant and dazzling heir of the Duke of Weiguo’s mansion, Pei You An, disappeared from the public eye, bearing disgrace. That year, he was sixteen.
The Pei family had previously enjoyed such intense imperial favor and had been glorious for so many years that they inevitably attracted jealousy. Such an incident became a topic of discussion behind people’s backs for a time. But this was not the entirety of the Pei family’s misfortune. The palace changes that occurred in the following years were the decisive factors that truly influenced the rise and fall of those high-ranking aristocratic families in the capital.
Two years later, in the eighteenth year of Tian Xi, Emperor Tian Xi fell gravely ill and passed the throne to the eight-year-old Crown Prince Xiao Yu. Because Xiao Yu was young, apart from appointing ministers to assist in governance, the emperor specifically entrusted the Crown Prince to his trusted brother, Prince Shun An, who was to supervise the state and assist in governing until the Crown Prince could rule independently.
Later, there were rumors that just before his death, Emperor Tian Xi specifically instructed Prince Shun An to guard against Prince Yun Zhong, Xiao Lie, who might harbor improper ambitions. He had always been wary of this talented and militarily accomplished royal brother, but Xiao Lie had behaved according to the rules for many years. Combined with Emperor Tian Xi’s somewhat soft character, he had always been hesitant, and the brothers had thus lived in peace.
With Prince Shun An’s tearful kowtowing and promise, Emperor Tian Xi departed in peace. Eight-year-old Xiao Yu became the new emperor of Great Wei, establishing the reign title Cheng Ning, with Prince Shun An as regent.
Two years later, in the third year of Cheng Ning, the young emperor died from an accidental fall from his horse during an autumn hunt. Prince Shun An, renowned for his virtue, was naturally promoted by the court officials to become the new emperor, and Great Wei entered the Yong Xi era.
Prince Shun An’s ascension to the throne was not entirely smooth. Zhang, the Grand Tutor who had been appointed by the late emperor as one of the regents, had a resolute character and directly stated that the young emperor’s cause of death was suspicious, accusing Prince Shun An of plotting against the young emperor. Some even wishfully imagined that the young emperor had not died but had been saved by loyal subjects and had escaped. However, these voices of opposition and questioning were quickly suppressed. With the strong support of another regent minister, Prince Shun An became emperor, killing or demoting a group of old ministers led by Grand Tutor Zhang, and quickly stabilized the court.
Since the Duke of Weiguo’s death many years ago, the Pei family had lost their main figure in the court. Among the younger generation of the Pei family, after Pei You An left the capital, there remained no outstanding individuals. Moreover, with each new emperor comes a new set of officials. The Pei family’s daughter had been the Primary Empress of Emperor Tian Xi, and the Pei family had deep connections with the Tian Xi reign. Although the Duke of Weiguo’s mansion had not uttered a word about Prince Shun An’s ascension to the throne and had shown no hint of opposition, they couldn’t regain their former imperial favor. Emperor Yong Xi was neither cold nor warm toward the Pei family. People in the wealthy circles of the capital all knew that the Duke of Weiguo’s mansion was like a spent arrow, yesterday’s yellow flower, with its prestige greatly diminished. Now they even had to consider the feelings of their in-laws, the Song family, when handling affairs.
The year of Jia Fu’s rebirth was the third year of Yong Xi; Prince Shun An had been emperor for over two years.
She didn’t know how she had returned to the past. Her life had reached its end; in her final moments, she had seen her father again in a vision. When she woke up, she found herself alive again, returned to this day when she was sixteen, the third anniversary of her father’s death.
Some build high towers, others watch high towers fall.
Jia Fu knew that before long, many people in the Great Wei dynasty might once again experience dramatic changes in their fate.
In her previous life, after she married Pei Xiu Zhi, within a year, fraternal strife erupted. Emperor Yong Xi moved against Prince Yun Zhong, Xiao Lie, who then raised an army under the banner of avenging the young Emperor Cheng Ning. Both sides went to war, and half of the Great Wei territory fell into chaos.
And Jia Fu’s fate was completely changed by this war for imperial power among the Xiao family.
At that time, when the war first began, everyone believed Emperor Yong Xi would win. Pei Xiu Zhi, who had successfully inherited the title of Duke of Weiguo, led troops to suppress the rebellion to show his loyalty to the emperor and to earn military merit. Unexpectedly, by the end of the war, Prince Yun Zhong had turned defeat into victory. His army gradually approached the capital, and many in the court began to defect. Pei Xiu Zhi defended Qing Prefecture, a crucial location on the rebels’ path to the capital, but was defeated. After the city fell, he fled with Jia Fu but was captured by Xiao Yin Tang, who was then the heir of Prince Yun Zhong.
What happened afterward goes without saying.
Jia Fu’s beauty was enough to captivate cities.
Pei Xiu Zhi tacitly accepted Xiao Yin Tang’s act of seizing his wife.
But if it had been just this, Jia Fu might still have understood.
What happened next made her completely despair of this man.
After she fell into Xiao Yin Tang’s hands, she threatened to kill herself. Xiao Yin Tang did not force her but kept her by his side. Shortly after, Jia Fu accidentally discovered that Pei You An, who had left the capital many years ago, was now in Prince Yun Zhong’s army.
She and Pei You An had only met a few times in her childhood when she visited the Pei family, and they had no contact otherwise. She called him cousin only because of her relationship with the second branch. She was still young then, and in her impression, this youth, who always carried the bitter scent of medicine, had a slightly pale face and beautiful black eyes that showed a maturity and coldness inconsistent with his age. He was noble and distant. In the eyes of the little girl she was then, he was unattainable. She was even afraid of him; if she happened to meet him on the road and could avoid him, she would immediately stay far away. Although she did not hold much hope, in her circumstances at that time, he was her only hope. She managed to meet him and asked for his help. Pei You An helped her, intervening to reclaim her from Xiao Yin Tang, and returned her to Pei Xiu Zhi’s side.
What made Jia Fu completely despair was her husband Pei Xiu Zhi’s subsequent actions.
Xiao Yin Tang was determined to have her. Although at the time, out of respect for Pei You An, he agreed to let her go, he secretly sent people to hint at his desires to Pei Xiu Zhi.
Jia Fu did not know what he promised or what threats he made. In any case, the outcome was that she was handed over to Xiao Yin Tang by her husband.
That scene still makes her body cold to this day when she thinks about it.
That day, Pei Xiu Zhi set up a small table and drank with Jia Fu. He seemed drunk and stared at Jia Fu intently, with tears flowing down his face.
Jia Fu knew he had always wanted to revive the Pei family’s prestige. Because of this, he accommodated his former in-laws, the Song family, who had risen to power by supporting Emperor Yong Xi’s ascension, suffering many humiliations. Now, ordered to suppress the rebellion, it was a great opportunity to achieve merit, yet it had ended so miserably. The tide had turned, and all his ambitions and dreams had been reduced to ashes.
Knowing his heart was troubled, Jia Fu comforted him in every way. He held her and wept like a child, saying he had failed her and was not worthy of being a man.
Jia Fu did not understand the meaning of his words at that time. Seeing him so distressed, she only blamed herself for being useless, unable to share her husband’s worries, and could only weep with him.
By the end of that night, she was drunk and was carried back to the bedroom by him. When she woke up, she found that the man beside her had changed. Xiao Yin Tang held her in his arms, still in deep sleep, while she was completely naked, with a severe headache.
From that moment, Jia Fu lost her freedom.
She changed from the Duchess of Weiguo to Xiao Yin Tang’s hidden captive, a forbidden plaything that would never see the light of day.
Prince Yun Zhong won the war and once made a grand search for the young Emperor Xiao Yu’s whereabouts, dead or alive. After confirming that he was indeed dead, and since a country cannot be without a ruler, he was supported by civil and military officials to become emperor, known as Emperor Shi Zong. He granted a general amnesty and treated the old ministers of the Yong Xi era leniently, including Pei Xiu Zhi. Jia Fu never saw her former husband again.
Over these many years, Xiao Yin Tang had been extremely fond of her. After he became emperor, merely because her name contained the character “Fu,” he filled the Jin Bi Palace where she lived with hibiscus. In autumn, when the hibiscus bloomed magnificently, it was as beautiful as a celestial palace, just like her name.
So she had to repay him. The final repayment a captive could offer to an emperor was perhaps to be buried with him, to follow him into the underground palace.
Jia Fu’s eyes grew hot, and her nose became congested, making it difficult to breathe for a moment.
The moonlight gradually rose higher, slanting in through the west window. The room was dimly lit, and the faint sound of the night watchman striking his wooden clapper could be heard, emphasizing the stillness of the night.
The end of the Hai hour had arrived.
She sat up from her pillow, her black hair cascading over her shoulders, gently enveloping her body. She sat for a long time, then turned and got out of bed, dressed herself, and went to the outer room.
Tan Xiang slept there. Tonight, the maid on duty with her, Mu Xiang, was snoring loudly, but Tan Xiang slept lightly. Jia Fu called her softly, and she woke immediately.
“Come with me to a place,” Jia Fu instructed.