“Selfish?” Consort Xu opened her eyes wide, looking at her in astonishment: “Is Consort De actually scolding the Empress Dowager to her face?”

Hua Chun paused, frowning: “This concubine has no intention of scolding the Empress Dowager. I am simply speaking the truth. If the Empress Dowager condemns this concubine purely out of personal preference, disregarding His Majesty’s feelings just to make things difficult for this concubine, then that is selfish.”

“Very well.” The Empress Dowager nodded, slapping the edge of the bed: “Look what the Emperor has spoiled — someone bold enough to speak to Us like this!”

The atmosphere in the hall instantly turned tense, and the palace attendants standing nearby all stared straight at Hua Chun. Yuejian frowned and softly tried to soothe her: “Empress Dowager, please don’t get too worked up, you are still recovering.”

“She’s clearly here to anger Us to death!” The Empress Dowager glared: “Relying on that belly of hers, thinking We wouldn’t dare punish her! In this palace, when it comes down to it, Our rank is higher than hers! Just for what she said today, We have every reason to make her kneel outside for an hour!”

“Empress Dowager!” Yuejian was startled: “Consort De is still with child, how could she possibly kneel for that long?”

Hua Chun frowned, inwardly cursing — she had put armor on her belly today, but hadn’t brought knee guards. Would there be time to send Qing Niao to fetch some now?

“This concubine does not mean to speak ill of Consort De either.” Consort Xu sat by the Empress Dowager’s bed and said in a low voice: “But without rules, nothing can be accomplished. Consort De’s conduct today was indeed improper. An hour of kneeling may be too much — half an hour would suffice, enough to teach a lesson while also showing the Empress Dowager’s magnanimity.”

The Empress Dowager glanced at Consort Xu, well aware that this woman held a grudge against Consort De, but her suggestion happened to suit her own intentions, so she might as well go along with it.

“Consort Xu speaks sensibly.” she said: “Consort De has gone too far today. It would be unreasonable not to punish her. Go kneel outside for half an hour!”

Yuejian frowned, wanting to speak up on Consort De’s behalf, but seeing the Empress Dowager’s pale, tense face, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. She could only lead Hua Chun outside, secretly slipping her a cushion.

“Thank you.” Hua Chun nodded to her, then knelt down.

Qing Niao looked very worried: “Can you really kneel that long?”

“That’s easy to handle.” Hua Chun’s expression was serious, but her tone was playful: “When I get tired, I’ll just pretend to faint! I’m no fool — who would actually kneel a full hour for her?”

Qing Niao nodded. In half an hour the Emperor should be finishing court as well; though her mistress had been somewhat in the wrong today, the Empress Dowager hadn’t exactly held the moral high ground either — the Emperor should still take her side.

Just as she had knelt down, Consort Xu came back out, wearing an utterly innocent expression, and crouched in front of Hua Chun: “Consort De, please don’t hold this against this concubine. This concubine only knows the Empress Dowager’s health is poor and mustn’t be angered, so I simply went along with her words.”

Hua Chun glanced at her and replied with two words: “Ha. Ha.”

Consort Xu, naturally unable to grasp the essence of this modern expression, took it as Hua Chun trying to ease the tension, and continued with a smile: “As long as the Consort doesn’t blame this concubine, this concubine will help take care of the Empress Dowager on your behalf.”

“Just take good care of her yourself.” Hua Chun said: “No need to say it’s on my behalf.”

To pin such a responsibility on her right from the start — what if something went wrong while caring for the Empress Dowager? Would the blame then pile onto her as well?

Consort Xu was stunned, glanced at her in surprise, then turned and went back into the main hall: “Empress Dowager, Consort De seems to have become a different person, completely without her former modesty and sensibility.”

“Oh?” The Empress Dowager half-opened her eyes, her face full of illness.

“The Consort De of before often came to pay respects, helped deliver things for His Majesty — even this concubine felt she was quite filial. Who would have thought that the Consort De of today would show you such disrespect. Just now this concubine made a polite remark, saying I’d help care for you — do you know what she said?”

“She said caring for you had nothing to do with her!”

The Empress Dowager tensed, her brows furrowing deeper, and she looked at the attendant beside her: “Did she really say that?”

The attendant thought about it — it did seem that was roughly what had been said — and nodded.

Her eyes darkened, and the Empress Dowager stared at some point for a long while, then closed her eyes: “Truly a menace.”

She did favor having imperial heirs, and was willing to support a consort who bore a prince to rise to the throne — but only on the condition that the consort was obedient. A consort like Consort De, who showed her no respect at all and even harbored hostility toward her, was useless no matter whose child she carried. Not only did she bring no benefit, she was a hidden danger.

“Yuejian.” the Empress Dowager spoke, her voice low: “Go out of the palace and find some old contacts. When the Emperor finishes court, have him occupied with state affairs in the Zichen Hall a while longer.”

“…Yes.” Yuejian bowed her head.

Consort Xu’s eyes brightened slightly, and she secretly clenched her palm in delight.

The Empress Dowager’s ruthlessness had once been notorious in the harem. It was only after the Emperor’s ascension that she had reined in all her viciousness and put on a kindly appearance. But exactly how she had climbed to the position of Empress and then Empress Dowager — there were no shortage of rumors circulating in the palace. Some said the most favored Consort Zhuang back then had died at the Empress Dowager’s hand. Some said the late Emperor too had been sent off by her.

True or false, no one dared underestimate the methods of a woman surnamed Ning who had secured both the position of Empress and Empress Dowager. Previously, out of concern for the imperial heir, she had not moved against the Hua family — but now, the pretense had finally been torn away.

Then she would just wait to watch the show unfold.

Hua Chun hadn’t even knelt for ten-odd minutes before her back and waist began aching. She glanced at Qing Niao and made a gesture.

Qing Niao understood at once, letting out a well-timed cry and reaching to support her. Hua Chun let herself go limp along the momentum, collapsing into her arms.

“What happened?” An attendant nearby came over to look. Qing Niao cried out urgently: “The Consort has fainted!”

The attendant was stunned, hurried into the main hall to report, and soon came back out saying: “Move the Consort to the side hall.”

Qing Niao nodded, scooped Hua Chun up, and with Hua Chun’s arm slung over her shoulder, carried her toward the side hall.

Once lying comfortably on the couch, Hua Chun secretly flashed Qing Niao an “OK” sign. Qing Niao suppressed a laugh and reached over to rub her knees, then heard an attendant outside say: “Come with me, go fetch the medicine.”

Rui’er and Qing Niao both answered and went out together. Hua Chun let out a soft breath of relief, stretched her waist a little, then closed her eyes to rest.

She figured she could stay “unconscious” right up until the Emperor left court — after that she should be safe.

Just as she was feeling proud of her own cleverness, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching the door.

Probably an attendant from the Empress Dowager’s palace, coming to check on her condition.

Hua Chun kept her eyes closed, trying to keep her breathing steady.

The footsteps reached her bedside, paused for a moment, and then she felt a chill sweep over her.

Something was wrong!

She snapped her eyes open and instinctively rolled to the side, but her movement wasn’t fast enough — the figure swung a long sword straight down at her belly.

“Help!” Hua Chun screamed, watching in horror as the sword came down, her face turning pale.

There was no one else in the room. Even the guards outside who heard the scream and came running wouldn’t make it in time. The figure in black, seeing the strike land — though it felt somewhat odd — saw the sword had plunged into Consort De’s belly and, considering the job done, immediately turned to flee.

“Your Highness!” Aunt Yuejian rushed in from outside, sending people to chase the assassin while running toward Hua Chun, supporting her against her own body. Seeing the sword lodged in her belly, she gasped sharply.

Such a vicious strike — the blade had sunk right into her belly!

“Summon the imperial physician, quickly, summon the imperial physician!”

Hua Chun didn’t dare even breathe, staring blankly at her own belly. Chaos erupted outside; Rui’er and Qing Niao rushed back as well, both frozen in shock.

“Where is he?” Once she recovered herself, Hua Chun calmly asked.

Qing Niao shook her head, looking blankly at the eunuch nearby. The eunuch answered, dazed: “Couldn’t catch him…”

An assassin managing to strike even inside the Huiming Palace, and still uncaught? Hua Chun pressed her lips together, glanced at Yuejian, then reached down and pulled the sword out of her belly, tossing it to the ground before sitting upright.

“Your Highness!” Yuejian was scared half to death: “Your belly!”

“I’m fine.” Hua Chun shook her head: “Fortunately I brought along a bit of caution today.”

Yuejian didn’t understand, or perhaps was too frightened to process what she meant.

Consort Xu, hearing the commotion, hurried over too, her face full of anxiety though her eyes gleamed with malicious delight. She rushed forward and asked: “Your Highness, are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Hua Chun answered flatly.

Consort Xu froze — how could this be fine? Hadn’t the sword plunged straight into her belly?

“The imperial physician is here!” came a shout from outside. Yuejian snapped back to herself and hurriedly had the physician come check Consort De’s wound at the bedside — only to see Hua Chun raise her hand and say: “No injury here. Instead of worrying about me, you’d be better off actually catching the culprit.”

The whole room fell silent in shock as they watched Hua Chun untie the outer robe of her palace attire while speaking, and pull out an oversized winnowing basket from against her belly.

Everyone: “……”

The basket had a slash cut into it, but fortunately its quality held, and with a layer of cotton cloth inside as well, it had perfectly protected Hua Chun’s belly.

Consort Xu was stunned, staring at the basket for a long moment before finally coming to her senses, opening her mouth without knowing what to say.

The Empress Dowager was still waiting for news in the main hall, her face carrying an expression of one who had weathered a thousand storms. Hearing footsteps, she asked: “Is she dead?”

Yuejian walked in, shaking her head with a complicated expression: “Still alive.”

Still alive?! The Empress Dowager was instantly unsettled, sitting up and frowning at her: “What do you mean, still alive? With such a severe wound, how could her belly possibly be intact? Which physician has such miraculous skill?”

Yuejian pressed her lips together, saying softly: “She wasn’t injured.”

How could she not be injured! The Empress Dowager frowned, staring seriously at Yuejian for a good while, until the latter helplessly produced a winnowing basket: “Consort De was wearing this. She truly wasn’t hurt.”

Staring at the object for a long while, the Empress Dowager finally exhaled, lowering her head and muttering: “We always said she was deep and cunning — the Emperor wouldn’t believe it — and now she actually strapped something like this to her belly…”

Yuejian said nothing. This didn’t seem to have much to do with being cunning — it was simply a matter of being extremely cautious.

And fortunate that she was so cautious, or today’s calamity would have been unavoidable.

“Empress Dowager, what should be done next? Consort De intends to pursue the assassin with full force.”