“Your Majesty…” Consort Chen looked at the Emperor. Although she said nothing, her bright eyes showed some worry, as if she truly concerned herself with the realm and its mountains and rivers. The Empress moved her lips, a flash of helplessness crossing her face, but remained silent.
“Good, I shall watch you burn the incense now!” the Emperor said to the Director.
The Director lowered his head and instructed his subordinates to bring forth the supplication incense. The supplication incense was made extremely thick, about the size of a small pillar. Throughout the dynasties, emperors only burned supplication incense to question heaven when encountering great omens of misfortune. Once the supplication incense was lit, the star observation platform was immediately surrounded by warm smoke. The Director knelt down and kowtowed heavily three times toward the supplication incense, saying: “May heaven bestow its grace and send down warnings. Today there are double stars flanking the moon, with a demon star manifesting in the world. We beseech heaven’s clear knowledge to reveal where the demon star lies!”
Blue smoke curled upward, gradually disappearing into the pitch-black night sky. Jiang Ruan’s lips curved in a smile, her hands folded across her chest. The wind gently lifted her jet-black hair. Dressed in plain white robes with absolutely stunning beauty, she was like a beautiful evil spirit from hell, carrying hatred as she descended gracefully.
Xiao Shao’s gaze fell on the kowtowing Director, his expression pausing slightly.
Suddenly, exclamations arose from the crowd.
Consort Chen’s eyes slowly relaxed, like a clear spring from Jiangnan overflowing with water, full of gentle joy.
“Sister Wang, how could your body…” The voice gradually grew louder.
The smile in Consort Chen’s eyes came to an abrupt halt.
They could see that the female family members had already become alarmed, retreating one after another, leaving only Lady Wang alone in the middle. At this moment, her plain-colored dress was completely crimson from top to bottom, as shocking as blood. The red color was still continuously spreading, gradually expanding from her chest to her entire body, more and more, until she looked like someone fished out of blood water. The palace family members fled in panic, leaving only Lady Wang frantically patting her own dress, murmuring: “How could this happen… No, how could this happen?”
Consort Chen suddenly looked down at Jiang Ruan beside Empress Dowager Yide. Jiang Ruan seemed to sense her gaze and turned to meet her eyes, revealing a slight smile. That smile was gentle and composed, instantly illuminating her charming features, yet her eyes seemed to contain endless mockery and provocation. Jiang Ruan nodded at her, and Consort Chen’s body stiffened somewhat.
The Emperor roared: “Demon woman! Seize her!”
Guards swarmed forward and subdued Lady Wang without much effort. Lady Wang hadn’t expected such a sudden change to befall her body and was already in complete mental chaos. After being seized, she shouted unwillingly: “Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This humble consort is innocent! This humble consort is innocent!”
Consort Shu covered her heart and said: “What innocence? Everyone here, high and low, has witnessed heaven’s warning. You are clearly this demon star bringing calamity. How truly frightening.”
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty,” Lady Wang knew that once identified as a demon star, her fate would likely be too horrible to bear. Her gaze fell on Jiang Ruan beside Empress Dowager Yide, not far from the Emperor. Jiang Ruan stood gracefully in white robes, her clothing spotless without a trace of blood. What was happening? It should have been Jiang Ruan, so how did it become her? Lady Wang suddenly understood—it must be Jiang Ruan. It must be her who tampered with the clothing. Otherwise, how could the person who suffered the incident have switched?
“Your Majesty, Princess Hong’an framed this humble consort!” Lady Wang said through gritted teeth: “It was Princess Hong’an! She tampered with this humble consort’s clothing! Your Majesty, this humble consort is truly innocent!”
“Silence.” But it was Empress Dowager Yide who coldly shouted: “Speaking nonsense—what does this have to do with Hong’an!”
“Since this concerns Hong’an’s reputation, Lady Wang must demand an explanation, and Hong’an is not afraid to confront Lady Wang.” Jiang Ruan bowed to the Emperor on the high seat: “Imperial Father, yesterday Lady Wang brought clothing from the Clothing Hall to your son’s palace, and your son received it. But according to Lady Wang’s words, your son framed Lady Wang, yet Lady Wang’s clothing never passed through your son’s hands.” She looked at Lady Wang with a half-smile and said: “Hong’an wants to ask Lady Wang how she framed Lady Wang. Lady Wang’s clothing has absolutely nothing to do with Hong’an. From entering the star observation platform until now, Hong’an has always stayed far away from Lady Wang. If Lady Wang claims framing, please provide evidence. Otherwise, it’s baseless slander!”
This series of questions left Lady Wang speechless. Indeed, she was the one who had taken the clothing to Jiang Ruan, and Jiang Ruan hadn’t touched her clothing. But somehow, she was the one who ended up in trouble? Could it be… Lady Wang suddenly looked toward Consort Chen. Was it her?
Consort Chen saw Lady Wang’s expression clearly and inwardly called her a fool, looking back coldly. When Lady Wang met those cold eyes, she couldn’t help but shiver. Her entire family still depended on Consort Chen’s support to get through difficult times. If she angered Consort Chen, no one in the entire household would have good days. She could only swallow this bitter loss, though it was truly bitter to swallow.
She knelt down, thinking that since it was death either way, being tortured to death as a demon star was worse than ending it quickly herself. She suddenly went mad and bit the guard holding her. The guard had seen her gradually calm down and relaxed his vigilance. Caught off guard by this bite, he couldn’t stop her in time. Lady Wang had already drawn the guard’s sword and slashed it across her own throat.
No one had expected her to suddenly make such a move. A line of blood splattered, and Lady Wang’s body softly collapsed, her eyes wide open, staring in Jiang Ruan’s direction.
This naturally focused everyone’s attention on Jiang Ruan, feeling that Lady Wang died with unresolved grievances. Even though Jiang Ruan’s questioning had been flawless, people now inevitably had some doubts.
Xiao Shao’s gaze turned cold. This was Lady Wang’s purpose—to splash dirty water on Jiang Ruan even at the cost of her life. Perhaps Consort Chen, seeing her dedication, would care for the Wang family after her death.
A guard went forward to check Lady Wang’s breathing and knelt to confess his fault. The Emperor was furious—first, the good star observation had seen blood, and second, the country manifesting a demon star was truly inauspicious. He looked at the already terrified Director: “What should be done about this matter?”
The Director was stunned. Coming to his senses, his body couldn’t help shaking even more violently. Today’s events shouldn’t have happened this way. When the so-called demon star became Lady Wang, things spiraled out of control. The current situation was beyond his expectations, and he didn’t know how to resolve it. However, the show had to go on, so he said tremblingly: “In reply to Your Majesty, the demon star has perished. Heaven will bless the people of Jin Dynasty.”
The Emperor was clearly unsatisfied with this answer. Looking at Hui Jue, who had been standing silently to one side throughout, he said: “What insight does the National Teacher have?”
Hui Jue sighed, showing some compassion on his face. He slowly walked to Lady Wang’s corpse, placed his hands over her eyes, and when he removed them, the originally wide-open eyes of the deceased had closed. He silently closed his eyes, pressed his palms together, and seemed to recite a rebirth sutra.
After finishing, he bowed to the corpse: “Amitabha.”
Consort Shu couldn’t stand this and said coquettishly: “Though the National Teacher is compassionate, why bow to a mere demon star? Such a demon star deserves death. If the National Teacher recites rebirth sutras, wouldn’t that bring calamity to the entire Jin Dynasty?”
“Silence.” The Emperor was furious. He had always trusted Hui Jue greatly and naturally wouldn’t refute his actions. But Hui Jue sighed and turned to bow to the Emperor: “Your Majesty, this benefactor was not a demon star.”
“What do you mean?” the Emperor urgently asked.
The Director on the ground couldn’t help but shudder, while Consort Chen on her seat paused and looked up toward Jiang Ruan.
Jiang Ruan stood quietly beside Empress Dowager Yide. Hearing Hui Jue’s words, her expression remained unchanged, as if nothing could enter her ears. The smile on her lips seemed carved there, gentle and harmless, yet chilling to the spine. Consort Chen’s heart sank with an ominous premonition.
Hui Jue shook his head without speaking, only the sorrowful expression on his face deepened.
Before he could finish speaking, the cry of a night owl came from the sky. How could there be a night owl on the well-maintained star observation platform that was usually swept and organized daily? While everyone was wondering in surprise, they saw a black shadow flash across the sky. The shadow was extremely fast, only sweeping over everyone’s heads. Since there were no archers on the star observation platform, they couldn’t shoot the thing down with one strike.
“Ah!” Consort Shu screamed. The black shadow appeared to be a bird, with something clutched in its claws. When it flew over Consort Chen’s head, it released its grip, and the object fell right into Consort Chen’s arms. This was what made Consort Shu scream!
The Empress’s eyes moved slightly: “Quickly protect the Consort!”
Guards hurried forward to pick out the object. Consort Chen was also startled, but she had always been able to endure. Though her face showed slight alarm, she ultimately steadied herself and didn’t do anything unseemly.
The guard who picked out the object was shocked after seeing what was on his sword and stood frozen, not knowing what to do. Others around, curious about the scene, craned their necks to see what it was.
Seeing the guard’s expression, Consort Chen’s heart already sank, and after seeing the object clearly, her vision blurred and she nearly fainted.
The thing on the ground was still bouncing continuously—a slender body covered in scales, clearly a snake. The snake’s scales were grayish-yellow, and there seemed to be four protrusions on its body, as if it were about to grow snake feet.
“The golden dragon manifests…” someone murmured.
Consort Chen hurriedly looked at the Emperor’s expression and saw his face was iron-blue, watching the writhing snake on the ground while forcibly suppressing his emotions.
Hui Jue’s voice resonated leisurely across the star observation platform: “The year star devours the moon, bringing great mourning. The female master kills the ruler, changing positions.”
Like a doomsday prophecy, it rang like thunder in everyone’s ears. Hui Jue pressed his palms together, truly like a sacred and devout disciple listening to Buddha’s will. Consort Chen’s body went limp and finally couldn’t support herself, falling to the ground. Both the Emperor and Empress’s expressions changed dramatically, and Empress Dowager Yide tightly clenched her fists. A tense atmosphere permeated the palace family members.
Only Jiang Ruan revealed a very faint smile at the corners of her lips.
The golden dragon falling on the Consort, the female master killing the ruler—if there had been some fortunate reasoning before, Hui Jue’s words could be said to have heavily nailed into everyone’s hearts.
Xuan Li immediately stepped forward and knelt urgently beside Consort Chen, kowtowing heavily to the Emperor several times: “Imperial Father, how could Mother Consort be a demon star? Imperial Father, something must be wrong somewhere. Your son is willing to guarantee with his life that Mother Consort is definitely not some nation-destroying demon star!”
The Emperor stood up and slowly walked to Consort Chen, who had fallen to the ground. Consort Chen didn’t beg for mercy or claim innocence. She quietly looked at the Emperor, revealing a gentle smile at the corners of her lips.
Tianzhu’s eyes flashed with surprise, thinking this Consort Chen was indeed different from ordinary people. If it were other consorts, they would probably be making a great fuss by now. But she neither accused others like Lady Wang nor begged the Emperor for mercy. Just this normal smile could make the imperial heart hesitate.
Indeed, looking at the woman before him, the Emperor’s expression showed some confusion. In the deep palace, perhaps only Consort Chen could make him feel as if he had walked into the gentle tranquility of a Jiangnan water town. Yet this very woman was now a demon star in the world, threatening to shake the foundation of Great Jin!
Imperial achievements had never tolerated mercy. After just a moment’s hesitation, the Emperor’s face had already completely shed his earlier uncertainty. He said indifferently: “Someone, send the Consort to the Cold Palace.”
“Imperial Father—” Xuan Li was shocked and was about to speak more, but Consort Chen grasped his hand and shook her head: “Imperial son, listen to your Imperial Father.”
A flash of reluctance passed through the Emperor’s eyes, and he couldn’t help calling Consort Chen’s given name: “Lian’er…”
Consort Chen quietly prostrated herself, her voice as gentle and pleasant as before: “If I can do something for the Great Jin Dynasty’s realm, this humble consort’s death is insignificant. I only wish for the world’s people to be well, and this humble consort has no complaints.”
What moving words, how righteously spoken. All the palace family members present were somewhat moved, even Empress Dowager Yide sighed softly. Jiang Ruan raised an eyebrow—Consort Chen was truly good at acting. Even now, her face showed no panic. Was she certain that Xuan Li would eventually save her?
Seeming to sense a gaze falling on her, Jiang Ruan turned around and met Xiao Shao’s concerned eyes. Seeing her look over, Xiao Shao pressed his lips together and nodded almost imperceptibly.
Jiang Ruan lightly nodded. In today’s events, she ultimately hadn’t appeared on the surface. She had only provided guidance from behind, but Hui Jue impressed her. Without some real ability, one couldn’t climb to this position. Over these years, she had underestimated Hui Jue.
The Emperor painfully waved his hand, and several guards came down to take Consort Chen away. Just sending her to the Cold Palace without taking her life—the Emperor still remembered old feelings. However, the Cold Palace had always been inseparable from the phrase “piles of white bones.” If they wanted to secretly dispose of someone, it would be quite simple. What the Emperor’s action ultimately meant and what outcome would occur in the future remained unknown.
When Consort Chen passed by Jiang Ruan, she paused and smiled: “The Princess’s outfit today is truly beautiful.”
“Your Ladyship is too kind.” Jiang Ruan laughed lightly. The mockery in that gaze made the previously calm Consort Chen have a moment of madness, almost unable to maintain her original smile.
How could she not smile beautifully when watching a self-clever person fall into the trap?
“I hope the Princess can remain this beautiful forever,” Consort Chen said through gritted teeth.
“I hope Your Ladyship can see that day,” Jiang Ruan didn’t yield either.
This behavior from Consort Chen fell into Xuan Li’s eyes. Xuan Li was startled, narrowed his eyes to study Jiang Ruan, and slowly clenched his fists.
…
A perfectly good ritual ceremony ended with unexpected changes that no one had anticipated. Lady Wang died a violent death, and Consort Chen suddenly became a manifested demon star, sent to the Cold Palace. The Chen Duke’s family knelt outside Jingyang Palace for an entire night. Chen Duke collapsed from exhaustion, but Xuan Li continued.
But the Emperor seemed determined, accompanied by the Empress, and paid no attention to the outside affairs. Consort De and Xuan Hua were overjoyed. Originally, the Empress was not formidable, and Consort Shu only had a daughter. With Xuan Li losing Consort Chen as his support, his power was almost halved. The son of a demon star still wanting to compete for succession was pure delusion. If there came a day when the Crown Prince was changed, the position of heir apparent would naturally belong to the Fifth Prince.
Not only did Xuan Hua think this way, but many in the court who had been undecided after this incident expressed their positions and stood with the Fifth Prince. Even some who originally belonged to Xuan Li’s side defected to Xuan Hua after this incident.
Succession struggles changed in an instant. The fall of the palace’s most favored Consort Chen also gave many opportunities to the rear palace consorts. Moreover, with new palace ladies about to be selected into the palace, court ministers began evaluating their daughters.
The Director of the star observation platform and the Spiritual Platform Officer were all dismissed for dereliction of duty and fined large sums of money. As members of the Imperial Observatory, they had failed in their supervision duties. If National Teacher Hui Jue hadn’t been present that day, it would have certainly caused great chaos.
After this incident, Hui Jue claimed he had revealed too many heavenly secrets and retreated to a Buddhist hall for seclusion. The Emperor became even more respectful toward him, and his position unconsciously became more stable.
When Lu Zhu told Jiang Ruan about these inquiries, she said: “In any case, those Imperial Observatory people are now all getting their just deserts. It’s truly satisfying.”
The Imperial Observatory people had colluded with Consort Chen, wanting nothing more than to splash dirty water on her that day. They hadn’t expected Hui Jue to emerge midway. The Biluo fragrance on the clothing had already been removed by Tianzhu using scent-adjusting wash, while the spice on Lady Wang’s body was handed over to Jin Er and Jin San to deliver as gifts. Jin Er and Jin San were much more capable than the guards at the consorts’ residences, especially at handling such private matters with ease.
Chen Duke had knelt outside Jingyang Palace for a night. On the surface, it appeared respectful, seeking mercy for Consort Chen, but in the Emperor’s eyes, it was a blatant provocation. The Chen family had already angered the Emperor. Perhaps Chen Duke hadn’t realized it yet, but eventually, he would regret what he did today.
Consort Chen had wanted her life, but she didn’t want Consort Chen to die so early. Just like Xia Yan, as long as Consort Chen lived, she could forever create a stain on Xuan Li’s life. This filial son Xuan Li—she wondered if he would, like the Jiang siblings, personally kill his own mother.
However, in her previous life, everything Xuan Li did revealed his attachment to Consort Chen. If he remained a filial son in this life, he definitely wouldn’t commit matricide. Then all Xuan Li could do was advance his succession plans.
Without Consort Chen behind him, she wondered if he could manage as well as before. But with the current sudden change in circumstances, Xuan Li should easily make mistakes.