Pei You’an followed the footprints in the snow, chasing in one breath to the back mountain, where he saw a black figure ahead leveraging momentum to move nimbly, leaping up to climb the wall over ten feet high, its form spider-like and extremely agile.
Beyond the wall lay an old forest. Once the figure escaped, on such a snowy night, it would be nearly impossible to track.
Without stopping, Pei You’an hurled his long sword forward with all his might. The sword flew like a snake, cutting through the air toward the black figure. Just as the person reached the top of the wall and was about to leap over, the sword tip caught up, piercing his shoulder. The figure paused and fell from the wall.
A guard arrived in pursuit and, seeing the person struggling to rise from the ground and still attempting to escape, subdued him. Pei You’an hurried forward, bent down, and quickly gripped the person’s jaw. With a forceful squeeze of his fingers, accompanied by a faint “crack,” the person screamed in agony as his entire jaw dislocated, and a broken wax ball rolled out from his mouth.
…
In the rear palace chambers, Madam Zhou had not slept all night.
Today was an early court session, and though it was nearly the fifth watch, the Emperor had still not returned.
Her people had not sent back any news either.
This was the second time since the night of the Crown Prince’s wedding that Xiao Lie had secretly left the palace in the dead of night.
Madam Zhou was now certain that the place the Emperor had gone that night must have been that location in Ci’en Temple.
She could also deduce that the Emperor’s excursion tonight, in all likelihood, was just like the previous time—to the same place.
She was not unaware of the consequences should her spying on the Emperor’s movements be discovered, but she could not suppress this desire.
The princesses from Goryeo and Annam would soon be welcomed into the palace and established as consorts. Not only that, but after spring began, the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Clan Court would oversee the selection of palace ladies, and the imperial harem would continue to fill.
Madam Zhou understood that this was no longer the Wuding Prince’s mansion. For over twenty years, she had been the only woman in her husband’s life, but that situation would never return. Soon, there would be women around the Emperor who were younger and more beautiful than her. From now on, even though she would still lead the imperial harem with her lofty position, only she would understand the bitterness that came with it.
But if it were only this, it would be bearable. Madam Zhou would never be foolish enough to risk danger simply because the Emperor was expanding his harem.
For years, her heart sickness born of suspicion had made her sense an unusual danger in what would otherwise be the most ordinary action of the Emperor expanding his harem.
First, the Crown Princess spoke wild, careless words, causing an unexpected disaster. Although they had barely managed to smooth it over, both the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince had fallen from Xiao Lie’s favor afterward. Before one wave had settled, another arose—her brother’s excessive methods failed to curry favor and only brought humiliation to the Zhou family, again implicating the Crown Prince.
In truth, when Xiao Lie first ascended the throne, those idle ministers from the Ministry of Rites had cited classics and submitted memorials suggesting the Emperor expand his harem. But at that time, Xiao Lie had dismissed them all, citing that with state affairs unsettled, he had no interest in the inner palace.
The Emperor’s acceptance of the proposal to establish his harem at this time could not possibly be as simple as it appeared on the surface.
If before the Emperor had merely been dissatisfied, then now, perhaps the true beginning of the Crown Prince’s danger had arrived.
Xiao Lie was in his prime years, with plenty of time ahead of him. If he changed his mind, who in this world could stop him?
From that year, when he brought the sixteen-year-old Pei You’an to Wuding, perhaps out of a woman’s intuition, Madam Zhou had sensed that Xiao Lie’s feelings toward this so-called son of an “old friend” were extraordinary.
And the root of all this might lie in that courtyard at Ci’en Temple.
Now, even if just for her son’s sake, she had to clarify everything about the Emperor.
To ensure nothing went wrong, she had been extremely careful. Not even the Crown Prince knew about it. The person she sent was a guard who had been secretly employed by her since their time in Wuding. If discovered, he would certainly take poison and commit suicide on the spot—of this, she was certain.
Madam Zhou lay down fully clothed and finally drifted into a hazy sleep, only to be suddenly awakened by a nightmare. She sat up with a start, finding that dawn had already begun to break. Hurriedly, she summoned Dame Lin to inquire about matters. The palace servants went out as commanded, but moments later, instead of Dame Lin entering, the sound of footsteps came from outside the hall.
Those footsteps were unusually heavy, striking the ground one after another, growing louder, as if containing suppressed anger, vibrating the eardrums.
Who else in this palace would walk like this?
Madam Zhou’s heart suddenly raced. She quickly climbed down from the phoenix bed and had only gone a few steps when she saw the palace servants kneeling in unison outside the hall. The hanging curtain suddenly rippled as someone forcefully lifted it, accompanied by the faint sound of golden hooks falling to the ground. Xiao Lie’s figure appeared before Madam Zhou.
Madam Zhou abruptly stopped, meeting Xiao Lie’s gloomy gaze. Her heart sank rapidly, yet she steadied herself and forced a smile: “Your Majesty is not attending the morning court—have you come here for something?”
Xiao Lie coldly said: “You are quite bold, daring to send someone to spy on me! From this moment, you will move out of Kunning Palace and relocate to the Northern Garden. Without my permission, you are not to take even half a step outside!”
Having spoken, Xiao Lie turned and strode away. Cui Yinshui, leading several robust eunuchs, bowed to Madam Zhou and said: “Your Highness, these are His Majesty’s orders, and this servant must obey. Please leave the palace now, and let this servant escort Your Highness to the Northern Garden.”
The Northern Garden was hundreds of li outside the imperial city, near the imperial tombs. It was built during the founding of the dynasty by the first Emperor. Though the forbidden garden was vast, the palace chambers were rudimentary. In those days, whenever sacrifices were made to ancestors, the founding Emperor would lead the imperial family there to live modestly for a month in remembrance. After the founding Emperor’s death, this custom was gradually abandoned, and the Northern Garden fell into disuse. Twenty years ago, Emperor Tianxi moved there to escape the plague that swept the entire city and lived there for almost a year. Now, the Northern Garden was essentially like a cold palace for banished consorts.
Madam Zhou’s hands and feet turned ice-cold, her face instantly pale. Watching the Emperor’s retreating back, she suddenly cried out, pushed Cui Yinshui aside, and ran up to grab the Emperor’s sleeve.
“On what evidence does Your Majesty make such claims? I don’t know what wrong I have committed! What do you mean by spying on Your Majesty’s whereabouts? I have been falsely accused! I am not afraid to confront my accuser!”
Xiao Lie turned his head to stare at Madam Zhou, narrowing his eyes: “Not only has the investigation been completed, but even without living witnesses, who else in the palace besides you would know that I left the palace last night?”
He nodded, smirking coldly: “In this vast harem, only you and the Eastern Palace are of consequence. If not you, very well, then it must have been the Eastern Palace’s doing. If you wish to stay, stay as you please. I will now order an investigation of the Crown Prince!”
Xiao Lie pulled back his sleeve and strode away. Madam Zhou fell to the ground, reaching out to grab the Emperor’s leg, crying out: “Your Majesty, this has nothing to do with the Crown Prince! It was my fault! I admit my error! I should not have been so confused as to commit such a mistake. I beg Your Majesty, considering that I have served you for more than twenty years, to forgive me this once!”
The Emperor said through gritted teeth: “Spying on the Emperor’s movements—this one act alone would be enough for me to strip you of your position as Empress! I will not touch your position, but from now on, you will go there and recuperate properly. We need not see each other again!”
Xiao Lie pulled his leg free from the Empress’s grasp and, filled with anger, moved to continue forward.
Madam Zhou exclaimed: “Your Majesty! When the late Emperor passed away, your elder brother was suspicious of you, and upon his ascension, he confined you to Wuding. In the second year of Tianxi, you secretly left the border without telling me where you were going and did not return for half a year. If it hadn’t been for me concealing it in every way, could you have your position today?”
Xiao Lie angrily said: “Earlier, to protect the Crown Prince, you used witchcraft accusations to deceive and mislead your sovereign. Do you truly think I have become senile and can be manipulated at will? At that time, I only spared you out of consideration for twenty years of blood ties! I didn’t expect that you would not show the slightest restraint! Today, I still remember our marriage vows from years ago, which is why I’m leaving you some face one last time! Say no more. Just go. From now on, there is no need to return to the palace ever again!”
Xiao Lie strode away.
Madam Zhou lay on the ground, her eyes fixed on the Emperor’s departing figure, tears flowing unceasingly.
Cui Yinshui waited for a moment, then looked to the eunuchs. Two of them came forward, one on the left and one on the right, kneeling to help Madam Zhou up from the ground, saying: “Please forgive us, Your Highness. We servants are just following orders. Please don’t blame us. It’s best to go quickly to avoid incurring His Majesty’s wrath…”
Madam Zhou raised her hand, and with several “slaps,” each eunuch received a blow to the face. After slapping them, she supported herself and slowly got up from the ground. Wiping away the tears on her face, she stared coldly at Cui Yinshui and said: “No matter how low I have fallen, I am still the Empress of Great Wei! I can walk on my own. How dare you vile slaves humiliate me?”
Cui Yinshui cried acknowledgment and slapped himself on the face, bowing as he said: “This servant is guilty. This servant punishes himself! How would this servant dare to disrespect Your Highness? If Your Highness is willing to relocate on your own, that is ideal. This servant is deeply grateful.” He straightened up, his face turning cold as he called out: “Why are you all still kneeling? His Majesty has decreed that Her Highness the Empress, concerned about the drought in various provinces this year and the hardships of the people, has voluntarily moved to the Western Garden to pray for blessings at the mausoleum. Get up and prepare for Her Highness’s relocation!”
The palace servants rose, looking as if they had lost their parents. Madam Zhou’s face was deathly pale. She turned and looked back at the palace she had not lived in for very long, then finally stepped forward.
She walked out of the Kunning Gate and saw the Crown Prince and Crown Princess kneeling by the roadside to see her off.
She fixed her gaze on the Crown Prince, staring intently. Though she could not speak, she believed that her son would surely understand the message in her heart at this moment.
One careless move on her part had angered the Emperor, resulting in her expulsion from the central palace and banishment to the Western Garden.
The Emperor of today was no longer the Cloud Prince of Wuding. His imperial might was unpredictable, and he showed no mercy when changing his mind.
Just now, when she heard those ruthless words sentencing her to the Western Garden come from his mouth, for a moment, she almost could not control herself. The resentment and dissatisfaction suppressed in her heart for more than twenty years nearly burst forth.
But in the end, she forcibly swallowed it back. Everything was for the Crown Prince.
Now she wanted her son to be even more patient—at least until he could confront this ruler of the world, he must not lose his composure.
In those days, at Emperor Tianxi’s grand wedding, the young Xiao Lie had followed the late Emperor’s decree and married her, having a son with her. For more than twenty years, even though there had been no other women by his side, Madam Zhou knew clearly that this man had a heart of iron and stone. He had never loved her and would never be moved by her tears. This time he had sent her away, and soon new women would enter the palace. Without her son, she might never be able to return to the central palace in this lifetime.
Fortunately, there was still the Crown Prince.
Sooner or later, she would return, walk through this northern main gate of the central palace, and take back everything that was originally hers today.
She stared at the Crown Prince like this, walking past him step by step.
Alas, the sad thing is that fate often plays tricks on people. It gives hope, but in the end, it is often just to make people experience more deeply the doubled pain of that hope being shattered.
At this moment, Madam Zhou did not know that this would indeed be the last time she would walk through the Kunning Gate.
…
Xiao Yintang stared at his mother’s gradually retreating figure, his gaze gloomy. His shoulders moved slightly as if he was about to rise from the ground, but was held down by Zhang Fengtong beside him.
“You must not act impulsively! Mother is already out of favor. Even if you go before His Majesty to speak for her, His Majesty will not listen, and may instead direct his anger at you. Fortunately, Mother still holds her position as Empress. The Crown Prince should be patient now and act when the opportunity arises. I believe this is also what Mother would wish.”
Zhang Fengtong spoke hurriedly in a lowered voice.
Xiao Yintang glanced at her, pulled his hand away, rose from the ground, and walked straight toward the Eastern Palace.
…
That day, all the civil and military officials of the court learned of the Empress’s relocation to the Western Garden to pray for the people’s welfare, and all were shocked. The Ministry of Rites issued a statement praising her. The officials privately discussed and speculated, and although they still didn’t understand the details, they vaguely knew that after Zhou Jin, Empress Zhou had also completely fallen from the Emperor’s favor.
People avoided the Zhou family’s gate. The Zhang family, perhaps feeling a kindred pain, had the elder Zhang Fugning illness and not going out for several days. Beneath the calm surface of the court, invisible undercurrents flowed silently.
The main branch of the Pei family, however, had become lively these days.
The Empress was said to have relocated to pray for blessings, but who didn’t know that the Emperor could no longer tolerate her? Moving against her was tantamount to embarrassing the Crown Prince. It was said that new consorts would soon enter the palace, making the future truly unpredictable.
Madam Xin regretted allowing her son to marry Zhou Jiao’e, but what was done was done. Now she could only accept her misfortune. Though she still didn’t dare to show her displeasure to Zhou Jiao’e, she was no longer as accommodating as before, and her expression had become quite unpleasant. Pei Xiuzhi had lost all patience. Zhou Jiao’e’s threats, even while holding her belly, were ineffective. The house was filled with constant crying and quarreling. Finally, Madam Xin, not wanting to be secretly laughed at by the second branch, ordered the courtyard gates to be closed, using pregnancy care as an excuse, and forbade Zhou Jiao’e from leaving the courtyard at will. Zhou Jiao’e also seemed to finally realize that her backing had suddenly diminished by half. Thinking that she would rely on the son in her belly in the future, she gradually became more restrained and began to take care of her pregnancy. Finally, peace returned to the household.
The end of the year passed in such a hurry.
When spring arrived, Jiafu began to pack her belongings.
Just a few months ago, Madam Meng, who had returned to Quanzhou, sent a letter mentioning that Grandmother Hu had contracted a fever in late summer. Although she had recovered, by autumn her health had weakened. At that time, the Elderly Madam of the Pei family was also seriously ill, and Jiafu was too preoccupied to attend to both. She could only reply with a letter, sending some medicinal herbs along with it to show her filial piety. Now that the New Year had passed, Pei You’an was in mourning at home with finally no pressing matters and had passed the intense mourning period. Learning that Hu’s health was not as good as before, he had proposed a few days ago to take advantage of the spring to personally accompany Jiafu back to Quanzhou to visit her family.
In a few more days, in Quanzhou during March, the city would be filled with blooming coral trees, a sight impossible to find in the capital. Jiafu had deep feelings for the place where she was raised, and by the end of last year, she had already harbored such a wish. However, having just passed the intense mourning period, and with Pei You’an closing his doors to visitors these past few months, spending his days in the study either reading, painting, or teaching her to read, seemingly passing his days leisurely, Jiafu could sense that he always had his thoughts which he never revealed to her. She found it difficult to speak up and kept her wishes suppressed in her heart. She hadn’t expected that he would see through her and take the initiative to suggest accompanying her back to Quanzhou.
Jiafu was overjoyed and excited, packing her things early and choosing an auspicious day. Day and night she looked forward to it, and finally, on the day of departure, with fair weather and a gentle breeze, she and Pei You’an bid farewell to Madam Xin. Jiafu brought along Dame Liu, Tanxiang, Muxiang, and others, while Pei You’an was accompanied by Yang Yun and several other attendants. The group, totaling more than ten people, reached the dock, boarded a large ship, and with the south wind that already carried a hint of warmth blowing in their faces, set sail southward.