If you’re going to help someone, you should help them all the way. Having agreed to Hua Xiayu’s request to leave, she had to leave cleanly, without causing her any trouble—otherwise it wouldn’t count as truly sincere help.

“You…” He Chang’an frowned, gazing at her deeply for a long moment, his tone somewhat low. “You don’t like it here?”

“No, wherever Second Brother is, that’s my home,” Hua Chun smiled, her words sweet as honey. “So even if I go stay at the detached palace, if you have time to visit, it’s all the same.”

With things so chaotic lately, how could he possibly find time to visit her at the detached palace? He Chang’an felt quite uneasy—at the Marquis’s residence, he could at least protect her constantly, but at the detached palace, she’d be outside his protection.

Still, the Emperor would surely arrange things properly.

After a moment of silence, He Chang’an nodded, having people pack her things and prepare a carriage to see Hua Chun off.

“Rui’er will go back to the palace to report to His Majesty. Her Highness and I will head straight to the detached palace,” Qing Niao said. “Her Highness’s belly can’t take the carriage ride back and forth.”

“Yes.” Rui’er nodded. Qing Niao contacted the Marquis of Gongyu to arrange a guard escort, and they accompanied Hua Chun all the way to the detached palace on the outskirts of the capital.

This place was usually used for escaping summer heat, and it was somewhat cool now. Since they’d come on short notice, it hadn’t been properly prepared, so Hua Chun spent the day watching Qing Niao lead the palace staff there in a flurry of activity.

Rui’er returned that evening, saying quietly, “His Majesty says he knows. He’s currently ill and can’t leave the palace to see you.”

“Worse again?” Hua Chun grew worried. “What did the imperial physician say?”

“The physician said what His Majesty has probably isn’t smallpox, but for some reason the high fever won’t go down. He’s currently recuperating in Purple Dawn Hall.”

Frowning slightly, Hua Chun felt worried, but with the palace under lockdown now, she couldn’t even go back if she wanted to, and fearing for the child in her belly, she could only stay put obediently.

News traveled far more slowly to the detached palace than at the Marquis’s residence, so much that everything she heard had already happened a day prior—like the court officials jointly petitioning to eliminate a threat to the nation, or the Emperor, furious even while ill, sending the captain of the guard to watch over her at the detached palace, afraid she might be harmed.

“This servant is a bit worried,” Qing Niao frowned. “Repeated slander can melt metal, accumulated calumny can crush bones. Even though His Majesty has always trusted you, if people keep whispering bad things in his ear every day, over time His Majesty might inevitably start to listen.”

“If that really happens, we’ll just run away,” Hua Chun said. “If we can’t go back to the modern world, the two of us can live in seclusion in the mountains.”

Qing Niao was startled. “You… don’t want His Majesty anymore?”

“I’m just saying, in case,” Hua Chun said. “If he could stop trusting me to that degree, then there’d be no point in staying anyway—might as well have the two of us sisters live our own good life.”

Qing Niao felt rather moved. She’d thought people in love only had eyes for their beloved, never expecting her own mistress to think this way too.

“But, the situation in Great Liang keeps getting worse,” she said, pressing her lips together. “If sacrificing this servant alone could bring peace back to the realm, wouldn’t that be worth it?”

Hua Chun rolled her eyes hugely at her. “Where did you pick up this noble, self-sacrificing, worried-about-the-nation-and-people attitude from? Not to mention you have no direct connection to these disasters at all—even if you did, would you truly go and die?”

Qing Niao nodded gravely. “Better that than causing you and His Majesty to be kept apart, unable to be together, and causing the common people to suffer endlessly.”

“Don’t be foolish,” Hua Chun said. “Even if the King of Hell truly exists, we can’t be completely superstitious about it! We should focus on scientific development! When these disasters come, we should face them head-on, not offer up a human sacrifice.”

“The problem is, this isn’t the modern world. There’s no medicine here, and smallpox has an extremely high mortality rate,” Qing Niao frowned. “Even if we wanted to face it, we might be powerless to do anything.”

Hua Chun fell silent.

“Never mind,” after a moment, she took a deep breath. “Just make sure you stay put and behave, that’s all.”

Qing Niao was the only friend she’d had since childhood. The two of them had done countless things together—when they were young, they’d said they’d get married together, buy houses right next to each other, so they could always stay close.

Now they hadn’t even gotten married together—was she supposed to just watch her go die too? What kind of joke was that—superstitious nonsense couldn’t be believed!

Qing Niao opened her mouth to say more, but Hua Chun had already turned and walked into the inner hall to rest.

Over the following days, Yanjing gradually grew desolate, refugees fled the city, while the outskirts near the capital grew more crowded. Quite a few angry commoners threw stones toward the detached palace—though they couldn’t actually hit Hua Chun, hearing the cursing outside left no one feeling good.

Staring at her own palm for a long while, Qing Niao clenched her fist, and one night, took her waist token and entered the palace.

The Emperor’s lips were pale as he leaned back in the dragon throne, eyes closed, his mind full of one person’s voice.

“This guilty official, Hua Jinghua, is willing to bear the full weight of my crimes—I only ask that Your Majesty not implicate the Hua family.”

“This guilty official has no regrets. If there is a next life, I only wish never to meet Your Majesty again.”

“Yuwen Jie, look me in the eye—can you truly bear to let me go?”

…

When had she said these words? Why did he always feel he’d heard them before, yet also as if he hadn’t? The Emperor frowned, rubbing his temples. That girl at the detached palace—how was she doing, he wondered. She should be nearing her due month by now.

“Your Majesty.” Eunuch Qin entered. “Qing Niao requests an audience.”

Qing Niao? The Emperor was startled, quickly saying, “Let her in.”

Qing Niao entered Purple Dawn Hall with her head lowered, immediately kneeling. “Please have everyone else withdraw, Your Majesty.”

His heart tightened, and Yuwen Jie quickly waved for the others to leave, frowning as he asked her, “Has something happened to your mistress?”

“My mistress is fine, she’s already gone to sleep. This servant has come because there’s a matter concerning the realm that this servant wishes to discuss with Your Majesty,” Qing Niao took a deep breath, speaking earnestly. “Please hear this servant out.”

Slightly startled, the Emperor pressed his lips together, studying her for a moment before saying, “Speak.”

“If Your Majesty wishes for Great Liang to return to normal, you may try using this servant,” Qing Niao said. “Have Master Zhili perform his rites upon this servant.”

“Why?” Yuwen Jie asked, not understanding. “What connection do you have to this national calamity?”

“…This servant carries a heavy yin energy. A fortune-teller once said this servant was born to bring calamity, a danger to those around her,” unable to explain directly, Qing Niao had to phrase it differently. “If you don’t believe it, Your Majesty may have Master Zhili come examine this servant.”

A danger to those around her? The Emperor paused. “And what of her?”

She’d always been by Hua Chun’s side—did that pose no risk?

“Her Highness is perfectly fine, but this servant truly is no longer fit to continue serving by her side,” Qing Niao closed her eyes. “This servant begs Your Majesty to grant this wish.”

The Emperor pressed his lips together. He didn’t know the story between Hua Chun and Qing Niao, only that the two shared a close bond, deep affection between mistress and servant, so he could understand why Qing Niao would care so much for Hua Chun’s sake.

Since she was so willing, then trying it couldn’t hurt.