Early the next morning, Jiang Ruan rose very early. Seeing this, Xiao Shao asked puzzledly, “Why not sleep a bit more?”
“I’m going to the palace to see Pei’er,” Jiang Ruan said. “These past few days have probably not been easy for him either. There are some matters I need to discuss with him.”
Xiao Shao naturally wouldn’t stop her. After a moment of silence, he said, “The capital isn’t peaceful. Let Jin Yi and Jin Er accompany you.” The Southern Border people’s true intentions hadn’t been fully investigated yet—perhaps they had some hidden moves. But Jiang Ruan shook her head, refusing his suggestion: “That’s not necessary. Jin Yi and Jin Er have their own tasks. I’m only going to the palace today and won’t stay long. With Tianzhu by my side, nothing will happen. Besides, the Southern Border people are busy hiding right now—why would they expose their identities? Don’t worry, I’ll return soon.”
Xiao Shao hesitated. Since Jiang Ruan insisted so strongly, and he had always followed her wishes, he said no more. He only gave Tianzhu a few additional instructions. Jiang Ruan smiled slightly and stood before Xiao Shao. Xiao Shao also had to go out today—his Brocade Guard affairs were increasingly complex, and he also needed to analyze Southern Border’s secret deployments. He had to go to the Tianji Camp early in the morning. Seeing him, Jiang Ruan took the initiative to smooth out the wrinkles on his sleeves.
Xiao Shao was slightly startled. Though Jiang Ruan was now very intimate with him, except for paying attention to small details when analyzing people’s hearts, she was never particular about trifles elsewhere. Her taking such initiative this early morning made him feel somewhat flattered.
“You…” He paused, saying nothing. Jiang Ruan herself wasn’t short, but she appeared particularly petite before Xiao Shao. Looking up at him, she had to stand slightly on her tiptoes to reach Xiao Shao’s collar. Xiao Shao gazed down at her, and she appeared extremely serious, so his expression gradually softened, his eyes overflowing with tenderness he himself didn’t notice.
After Jiang Ruan finished tidying up, she looked up to see Xiao Shao staring intently at her. This youth’s eyes were naturally beautiful—extremely deep and bright, cold as ice, usually with very pale expression. But when looking at someone so carefully like this, one felt he was so beautiful it was dizzying. It seemed all the world’s romantic charm was reflected in these autumn-water-like gentle eyes. Beauty could bewitch people—even though this person was her bedside companion, Jiang Ruan sometimes still found herself staring absent-mindedly. She often thought that there probably wasn’t anything in the world Xiao Shao couldn’t accomplish, as long as he was willing to use his beauty as a weapon.
Like at this moment, Jiang Ruan stared somewhat dazedly at Xiao Shao who was so close, not noticing the cunning that flashed quickly through the youth’s eyes. Immediately after, Xiao Shao bent down and lightly pecked her at the corner of her mouth.
“Ahem,” Jiang Ruan suddenly came back to her senses, feeling somewhat annoyed at herself for being momentarily dazzled by beauty, and also not knowing what to say about Xiao Shao’s sudden action. After a long while, she glared at Xiao Shao and stepped back: “There are people here.”
Tianzhu and the others had already very tactfully turned their heads away at the same time, seemingly even suppressing laughter. Jiang Ruan felt helpless. Xiao Shao touched her head and said, “Come back early. I have nothing pressing today and will return early. We can go out for a walk.”
That Xiao Shao, in the midst of all his busyness, still had time to walk with her—Jiang Ruan naturally agreed, smiling: “Alright.”
He said nothing more and walked out. Lian Qiao smiled: “The Young Master and Young Madam have such a good relationship. As that saying goes, ‘We only envy mandarin ducks, not immortals.’ I think even those story books sold in bookshops don’t have couples so perfectly matched by heaven.”
Lu Zhu also smiled, but as she smiled, she became somewhat melancholic, thinking of her situation with Jin Er and feeling a headache. Jin Er had naturally explained the matter to her and apologized. The anger in Lu Zhu’s heart had actually long dissipated—she wasn’t an unreasonable person. For Lu Zhu, Jiang Ruan always came first; she had absolute loyalty to her mistress. So since Jin Er did it for the entire Prince Jinying’s mansion, and also for Jiang Ruan, she naturally had no complaints. Lu Zhu was broad-minded and never dwelt on such matters, but Jin Er… Her gaze dimmed somewhat—he couldn’t get past his own internal barriers, as if there was always a barrier between them that he refused to speak about.
While thinking this, Butler Lin walked in, holding a pile of account books. Seeing that Jiang Ruan and the others appeared to be going out, he was startled and asked, “Is the Young Madam leaving the mansion?”
“Going to the palace for a visit,” Jiang Ruan smiled. “Just put the account books on the table. I’ll continue looking at them when I return.”
Butler Lin complied, but Lu Zhu stared at Butler Lin somewhat dazedly, seeming to be thinking about something. After a moment, she suddenly clapped her hands and laughed: “I wondered why he looked different today! Butler Lin looks much younger, even the wrinkles on his face seem shallower, and he seems fairer too? Butler Lin, did you apply rouge?” Lu Zhu said this while trying to pinch Butler Lin’s face: “Which shop did you buy this rouge from? It works so well. Oh, Butler Lin, you haven’t fallen for some young lady, have you? Is that why you’re dressing yourself up like this? Hey, if you have, shall I go speak for you?”
Lu Zhu’s string of words poured out, leaving Butler Lin speechless. After a pause, he said, “Silly girl, what nonsense are you spouting! I’ve told you before—this old man was once a dashing and elegant gentleman. How many young ladies and wives were smitten with this old man! What rouge? This old man is a grown man—would I need such things? This is natural beauty that cannot be hidden!”
Lu Zhu stuck out her tongue and giggled without responding to his words. But Jiang Ruan, hearing this, examined Butler Lin carefully again. Indeed, Butler Lin looked much younger today. Though this change wasn’t dramatic, it still gave one a refreshing feeling. Jiang Ruan knew Butler Lin’s past and thought that his former elegance must have been quite remarkable. But in this world, all beauties eventually become white bones, and appearance is ultimately illusory. That Butler Lin could abandon the external beauty that everyone pursued showed he was a person of great wisdom, worthy of encouragement.
Her thoughtful gaze falling on Butler Lin made him involuntarily get goosebumps, feeling uncertain about what Jiang Ruan was thinking. Feeling somewhat guilty, he quickly said a few words and went out to prepare horses for Jiang Ruan.
…
When Jiang Ruan and her party arrived at the palace, they first went to sit with Empress Dowager Yide at Cining Palace. Empress Dowager Yide still appeared as decisive and vigorous as always, but between her brows was an undisguisable air of weariness. The woman who had once rode horses and wielded swords during the Eight Princes’ Rebellion finally showed signs of old age under time’s ravages. With the Emperor now seriously ill, Empress Dowager Yide had to forget her identity as a mother and focus first on pacifying officials and disciplining the harem. The great waves of succession struggle were hidden beneath a calm surface. Empress Dowager Yide couldn’t possibly be unaware—maintaining the overall situation under such circumstances was extraordinarily difficult.
Jiang Ruan didn’t have deep feelings for Empress Dowager Yide. When she had initially approached her, it was only to use the Empress Dowager to elevate her own status. But the current situation was different—Empress Dowager Yide was, after all, Xiao Shao’s blood grandmother. Whatever she had done in the past, from current appearances, she hadn’t forced Xiao Shao to do anything. Through subtle inquiries, Jiang Ruan had also discerned Empress Dowager Yide’s attitude—she wouldn’t let Xiao Shao sit on the emperor’s throne.
After talking with Empress Dowager Yide for a while, Jiang Ruan went to Xuan Pei’s palace. Everyone in court now knew that Jiang Ruan and Xuan Pei had deep affection for each other. Where would such affection come from between siblings who became family halfway through life? Everyone understood clearly—it was all Jiang Ruan representing Prince Jinying’s mansion in supporting Xuan Pei’s side. Today, when she entered the palace to visit the Southern Garden, there would surely be many eyes secretly watching her. Jiang Ruan knew this, but this was precisely the effect she wanted to achieve.
Upon entering the Southern Garden, Xuan Pei was still practicing calligraphy. Seeing Jiang Ruan arrive, he was first surprised, then overjoyed, immediately throwing down his brush and rushing forward: “Moth… Princess Consort.”
Jiang Ruan smiled slightly. Everyone in Xuan Pei’s hall was his own people, but it was still somewhat inconvenient. Xuan Pei waved his hand, sending everyone else out. Jiang Ruan also had Lian Qiao and the others guard outside while she sat down with Xuan Pei first.
Xuan Pei was quite happy—it had been a long time since he’d seen Jiang Ruan. Seeing her now naturally made him very pleased, and he began asking questions all at once: “Why hasn’t Mother Consort come to see me? The palace has been quite lively recently, with entertainment every day. I thought Mother Consort would surely take the opportunity to see me during the excitement, but I waited and waited and never saw anyone. Instead, that Prince Jinying occasionally enters the palace uninvited. Is my Southern Garden a place where people can just barge in as they please!” By the end, his tone carried indignation, clearly very dissatisfied with Xiao Shao. Xuan Pei and Xiao Shao were truly a pair of adversaries. Jiang Ruan didn’t know why Xuan Pei would find fault with Xiao Shao in every way, but taking it as childish temperament, she smiled: “Entering the palace rashly might bring you trouble. After His Majesty fell ill, I imagine your days haven’t been easy either. He hasn’t caused you trouble, has he?”
“He” naturally referred to Xuan Li. Mother and son both understood. Xuan Pei raised an eyebrow and said with animated expression: “How would he dare cause me trouble? He’s just a coward hiding in his shell. Now he wishes he could seal himself away completely. At such a critical juncture, he won’t make any mistakes. Even if I went and spat on him right now, he’d still say it was brotherly affection and wouldn’t punish me.”
Jiang Ruan: “…”
Xuan Pei’s speech now unconsciously carried some roguish qualities—she didn’t know who he’d learned this from. Jiang Ruan’s gaze unconsciously drifted toward Mingyue standing to the side. Though Mingyue was arranged by Xiao Shao for Xuan Pei, Mingyue was formerly with the Brocade Guard. The Brocade Guard had always fought through piles of corpses—with Mingyue staying with Xuan Pei daily, he had inevitably picked up bad habits. Xuan Pei’s external image was supposed to be that of a refined and elegant young imperial prince, but the way he spoke was like a bandit. Jiang Ruan began to suspect Xiao Shao’s motives for sending Mingyue.
But Xuan Pei wasn’t wrong. Xuan Li was naturally a cautious person. Precisely because he hadn’t gained the throne through entirely legitimate means, he had to pay more attention to others’ opinions. So he wouldn’t let people find even the slightest fault, especially now when he had to present the appearance of a wise ruler. Even if he really wanted to make some move, he absolutely wouldn’t dare do so openly or make too much commotion.
Looking at Jiang Ruan, Xuan Pei suddenly remembered something: “Mother Consort, you came to find me today—has something happened?”
“Pei’er,” Jiang Ruan collected her thoughts and looked at the youth before her, “do you want to be emperor?”
In the palace full of ears and eyes, speaking such words so boldly was rather too audacious. But Jiang Ruan wasn’t worried, because Xuan Pei was no longer the foolish, ignorant Xuan Pei from her previous life. The Southern Garden’s defenses could be described as airtight. After Jiang Ruan finished speaking, she stared intently into Xuan Pei’s eyes.
Xuan Pei was slightly startled, then lowered his head, bit his teeth and said, “Mother Consort… I… want to be emperor.”
“Good.” Jiang Ruan nodded. Xuan Pei was stunned again, raising his head to look at Jiang Ruan. He had thought Jiang Ruan would be angry or show some other expression, but he never expected her to be so calm. Because of their experiences in the palace during her previous life, Jiang Ruan and he had endured too much pain together, all stemming from human desire. Now that he wanted to be emperor, it was because he wanted to become stronger. Perhaps only then could he protect those he wanted to protect, could he completely shelter Jiang Ruan under his wing. But in others’ eyes, he was merely pursuing his own ambition and selfish desires. Xuan Pei didn’t dare imagine how Jiang Ruan would view him.
But Jiang Ruan simply gave such a light “good,” without even a word of denial. Xuan Pei looked at her in confusion: “Mother Consort, aren’t you angry?”
“In this world, anything you want—go take it. What you can’t get—fight for it, seize it. But Pei’er,” Jiang Ruan looked at him, “what you want, I will help you obtain.”
Xuan Pei’s eyes grew hot, and he almost shed tears, but he knew he couldn’t cry. He was grown up now—he couldn’t be as lost and ignorant as in his previous life, making Jiang Ruan worry. He bit his teeth, forcing back the tears. In this palace of cold human relationships and fickleness, having someone tell you “What you want, I will help you obtain”—what an difficult thing this was to say.
Mother Consort, what you want, I will also help you obtain. Xuan Pei thought silently. He heard Jiang Ruan’s voice continue: “So Pei’er, can you tell me where you’ve hidden the imperial edict?”
Xuan Pei was shocked, looking at Jiang Ruan somewhat at a loss. Just from that one glance, he knew the secret he wanted to hide could no longer be concealed. He said dejectedly, “How did Mother Consort know?”
“Just from observing your plans. Your arrangements in court have always been thorough, always of the offensive type. But these past few days you’ve slowed down. It couldn’t possibly be that Xuan Li made you change your mind. I know you’re a child with your own ideas—once you’ve decided on something in your heart, you’ll keep doing it. I imagine from the beginning of this life, your goal has been that position.” Jiang Ruan paused before continuing: “And a few days ago when Xuan Li’s people killed Eunuch Li, thinking it over, it’s all because of the imperial edict. But if the edict named you as crown prince, why would you be so unsettled?”
“Pei’er, the name on the edict isn’t yours, but Xuan Li doesn’t know this, does he?” Jiang Ruan asked calmly.
Looking at Jiang Ruan’s gaze, in her previous life Jiang Ruan had always looked at him gently, her eyes showing unhesitating protection and love. The woman before him now had undergone a complete transformation in this life, no longer showing her former weakness. She treated others with surface warmth but inner coldness, but only when facing him did she remain consistently gentle. Even though this gentleness now contained some sternness, Xuan Pei knew he couldn’t lie to Jiang Ruan—no kind of concealment would work.
“That’s right, but Mother Consort only guessed half correctly.” Xuan Pei said in a low voice: “Father Emperor’s edict does indeed clearly state that I should be made crown prince, but…” Xuan Pei bit his teeth: “He made two edicts.”
Jiang Ruan was suddenly shocked. She asked, “Whose name is on the other edict?” By this point, she had actually guessed who that person was. It seemed that at this moment, all her previous doubts connected to form a complete plan. And Xuan Pei lived up to expectations, providing that answer: “Prince Jinying, Xiao Shao.”
“I see…” Jiang Ruan murmured. Now she finally understood all of the Emperor’s schemes. That ruler truly wasn’t as incompetent as he appeared on the surface—perhaps even his surface incompetence was just an act. Perhaps he had already discovered that Xuan Li had been poisoning him earlier and was now just going along with the plan.
But why? The reason was naturally Xiao Shao.
Two imperial edicts—one with Xuan Pei’s name, one with Xiao Shao’s name. If Xiao Shao truly refused to accept the edict no matter what, he would let Xuan Pei ascend the throne to ensure absolute security. But Xuan Pei’s edict would certainly not appear unless absolutely necessary.
No wonder—no wonder in her previous life Xuan Li had also resorted to poison. At that time, Xuan Li already had no rivals left in court to block his path to the throne, yet the Emperor still showed no intention of making him crown prince. The reason was simply Xiao Shao. Xuan Li had sensed the intention and knew the Emperor had no intention of making him crown prince, but not knowing the reason, he slaughtered all his brothers cleanly, then struck before the Emperor could announce the edict. One move, clean and neat—ascending the throne naturally and legitimately without a single bad rumor.
But he hadn’t expected that the Emperor never intended to hand the realm to any of his sons. His gaze had always been fixed on Xiao Shao. So when Xuan Li ascended the throne and Xiao Shao returned to the palace, prepared ministers would produce the edict, Xiao Shao would eliminate the traitor, prove his identity, and unify the realm with complete legitimacy.
Now the Emperor wanted to repeat the same trick, not expecting that everything would be different this time. Xuan Pei had grown into someone capable of contending with Xuan Li, while Xiao Shao simply didn’t want to accept this position.
Xuan Pei was silent for a while before saying, “Mother Consort, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hide it from you, it’s just… I didn’t know what to do.” His feelings were complicated. If Xiao Shao became emperor, Jiang Ruan would naturally be empress—that would certainly be good too. But Xuan Pei felt unwilling. Should he hand over what he had worked so hard for? And should he, who had sworn to protect Jiang Ruan, end up only watching her be protected by someone else? Moreover, Xuan Pei didn’t trust Xiao Shao at all. If Xiao Shao gained great power and then treated Jiang Ruan poorly, what then? With all these thoughts swirling in Xuan Pei’s mind, Jiang Ruan had noticed something amiss.
“You don’t need to worry,” Jiang Ruan touched his head. “Xiao Shao has no intention of being emperor. This position still belongs to you. I will help you, and Prince Jinying’s mansion will stand behind you.” This was a promise.
Though he had already anticipated this possibility, when these words came from Jiang Ruan’s mouth, Xuan Pei’s heart still couldn’t help but surge with excitement. He suppressed his excitement and looked at Jiang Ruan with confusion: “But Mother Consort, why would Father Emperor want to make Prince Jinying the heir?”
When he saw that edict, the shock in his heart was simply indescribable. But no matter how he investigated, he could never discover the reason. It seemed all origins had been erased, disappearing completely and cleanly, without leaving even a trace of possibility. Xuan Pei said, “Mother Consort, could it be… that he’s also Father Emperor’s son?”
Thinking it over, this seemed the most logical guess. The Xuan family’s realm couldn’t be taken by outsiders, and if the Emperor made Xiao Shao heir, it could only mean Xiao Shao was also of royal blood. But how could Xiao Shao be the Emperor’s illegitimate son? Could it be that Princess Consort Jinying and the Emperor… Xuan Pei’s thoughts wandered far. Suddenly Jiang Ruan tapped his head, probably guessing what he was thinking. Both amused and exasperated, she said, “It’s not what you’re thinking. Stop imagining nonsense.”
“Then…” Xuan Pei was about to ask more.
“This matter has a long history,” Jiang Ruan interrupted him. “If you really want to know the reason, go ask Xiao Shao yourself. If he agrees, then I’ll tell you.” Xiao Shao’s background wasn’t a light topic. Even telling Pei’er this way seemed somewhat inappropriate to Jiang Ruan. If Xiao Shao was willing, they could discuss it then.
Hearing this, Xuan Pei’s face fell: “Everything has to be asked of him. Mother Consort, you’re not really going to follow that ‘three obediences and four virtues’ nonsense, are you? He’s just a mere Prince Jinying. I don’t care about his secrets—I naturally have ways to find out.” He spoke stubbornly.
Jiang Ruan smiled: “Alright, what I need to ask you now is: where is that edict, and who exactly is the person you’ve placed beside the Emperor?”
For Xuan Pei to so easily obtain news of the edict, he must have had someone close to the Emperor providing information. Originally Jiang Ruan thought Xuan Pei had won over Eunuch Li, but now Eunuch Li was dead. If it had really been Eunuch Li, the secret would probably have been discovered by Xuan Li’s people too. But Xuan Li’s people showed no particular activity—undoubtedly, Xuan Pei’s person wasn’t Eunuch Li at all. Who could it be?
“It’s Mu Xirou,” Xuan Pei said. “The edict is with her. Father Emperor trusts her, so hiding the edict with her wouldn’t arouse suspicion.”
“Mu Xirou?” Jiang Ruan was somewhat surprised. The palace’s famous cold beauty—Jiang Ruan had once suspected Mu Xirou’s identity. For a beautiful woman to be so excessively cold yet still gain the Emperor’s favor, she must have some methods. It couldn’t be that simple. But later, seeing that Mu Xirou did nothing and didn’t participate in the harem’s murky waters at all, Jiang Ruan relaxed, thinking she was just a woman who didn’t want to enter the palace but had no choice, stubbornly maintaining her principles.
Now Xuan Pei was saying that Mu Xirou was his person?