At noon on the eleventh day of the twelfth month, a thunderous proclamation shook the entire city of Linan. The Emperor issued an edict announcing to the world that the Empress and Crown Prince had fled the palace and conspired with the Northern Garrison Army in rebellion.
Simultaneously, His Majesty revealed that Prince Rui Yan Chi had helped them escape, committing the grave crime of falsifying military orders to deceive the court. The Emperor issued three consecutive decrees: first deposing the Empress and Crown Prince, then stripping Yan Chi of his princely title, and finally charging all three with high treason alongside the Northern Garrison Army.
After establishing their crimes, the Emperor appointed Duke Weiguo Peng Huaichu as Commander of the Northern Expedition Army, with Prince Cheng Yan Qi as Military Advisor, to march north against the Northern Garrison Army. Additionally, the Emperor dispatched Deputy Commander Lin Xie of the Imperial Guard with several thousand troops to pursue Yan Chi who had fled the capital.
The rapid succession of urgent decrees from the palace left the entire city of Linan stunned. While news of the Empress and Crown Prince had spread over several days, how had Prince Yan Chi, who had just celebrated his grand wedding the previous day, been charged with treason the very next day?!
When the Imperial Guards surrounded Prince Rui’s mansion, they discovered that aside from the servants assigned by the Internal Affairs Office for the wedding arrangements, none of Yan Chi’s close attendants remained. In the vast residence, only the original furniture, decorations, and book collections remained—all valuables, confidential documents, and correspondence had vanished. More surprisingly, the new Princess Rui was also on the wanted list. As this news spread, the Imperial Guards proceeded to the Zhongyong Marquis Manor.
This time, the Marquis and his three sons were all arrested and imprisoned, with their manor surrounded by Imperial troops.
The Zhongyong Marquis Manor, already implicated in the Empress and Crown Prince’s treason, now found itself deeply entangled with Prince Rui’s household. Though the female corpse found in the southern city’s fire had been identified as Crown Princess Qin Chaoyu, the Zhongyong Marquis Manor could not escape blame. In an instant, the manor fell from its position among the capital’s nobility into disgrace.
By the time news reached the Anyang Marquis Manor in the afternoon, the Grand Princess immediately fainted. Upon regaining consciousness, she took Yue Ning to the palace, intending to see the Emperor but was politely refused. Left with no choice, the Grand Princess took Yue Ning to Shoukang Palace, where they found only the Ninth Prince Yan Sui lying at the Empress Dowager’s bedside. The Empress Dowager lay on her bed, barely breathing and appearing near death.
The Grand Princess’s eyes reddened. “Sister-in-law, what is happening?! How did Yan Chi and Wan’er become involved in this?”
The Empress Dowager’s face was deathly pale, her breathing weak, but her expression remained unchanged at these words. Lady Chen, watching with concern, dismissed everyone, including Yue Ning and Yan Sui, before explaining about Yan Chi’s palace visit the previous night. Upon hearing this, the Grand Princess was both shocked and enraged. “What?! His Majesty intended to move against them?! Why?! Why indeed! Yan Chi wasn’t even with the Shuoxi Army, he merely held a position in the capital. What harm could he have done?!”
The Empress Dowager closed her eyes, tears wetting her eyes’ corners, and tremblingly grasped the Grand Princess’s hand. “I have failed them. Go back, don’t ask or discuss this. If only I weren’t so ill, I… I have failed them…”
Seeing the Empress Dowager’s condition, the Grand Princess’s fury subsided. The Emperor was the Empress Dowager’s child, and despite her senior status, how could she influence the Emperor’s decisions? Besides, with the edict already proclaimed to the world, what could be done now?!
The Grand Princess’s heart raced wildly, her wind ailment threatening to flare up. Lady Chen, with tears in her eyes, said, “Grand Princess, please heed the Empress Dowager’s advice. With today’s events and the Empress Dowager’s grave illness, His Majesty hasn’t visited or sent anyone. His Majesty… seems like a completely different person. The Empress Dowager can’t help in this matter, and Prince Rui has no choice but to leave. Now that His Majesty has issued the edict, Great Zhou… will truly fall into chaos! No matter whom the Empress Dowager cares for, she cannot speak up now. What’s most important is your and the Empress Dowager’s health. Only by preserving your health can you see the day when things improve.”
With the edict issued, the entire nation would regard them as traitors—how could things improve?!
The Grand Princess grew dizzy with anxiety but knew she was powerless. Seeing the Empress Dowager’s condition, she could only gather her strength and agree.
Outside the inner hall, Yan Sui was quietly speaking with Yue Ning. “I saw him last night. He came to bid farewell. I don’t know anything else, but he said he was coming to take Qin Wan away…”
The snow had stopped afternoon, though it had been the heaviest snowfall since winter began, covering the entire palace in white mourning clothes. Looking at the blanket of white, Yue Ning felt a chill in her heart, yet she could only whisper with the young Yan Sui. “Did she tell you anything?”
Yan Sui pressed his lips together, first shaking his head, then adding, “A few days ago, she told me to take care of myself in the palace…”
Yue Ning’s heart jumped at these words. Thinking back, Qin Wan’s tone when mentioning Yan Ze had also been strange, as if she had sensed or known something, speaking as though she might never have another chance. A chill ran down Yue Ning’s spine. Soon after, the Grand Princess emerged from the inner hall.
The Grand Princess’s eyes were red and her expression distraught as she took Yue Ning’s hand. “Let’s return.”
“Grandmother, what did the Empress Dowager say?! How could Yan Chi and Qin Wan…”
Before she could finish, the Grand Princess tightly gripped Yue Ning’s hand. “Say no more, we’ll discuss it when we return.”
Yue Ning swallowed her words, saw Yan Sui back into the hall, and accompanied the Grand Princess out of the palace. Once in their carriage, the Grand Princess slumped against the carriage wall. “Send word to your brother immediately, tell him to leave Shuoxi and return to the capital at once. Yan Chi and Qin Wan have aroused the Emperor’s suspicion, perhaps concealing some earth-shattering matter. His Majesty shows no regard for relationships this time—we can only protect ourselves.”