“Today, Lord Xu led this slave to inquire about the list of people entering and exiting the Imperial Pharmacy…”
The young eunuch recounted the events smoothly, going through the list step by step. Emperor Yuanjing remained silent, his eyes deep in thought. It was unclear whether he was listening attentively or his mind had wandered elsewhere.
“The last person on the list was from Jingxiu Palace, the head palace maid of Imperial Consort Chen. Lord Xu took this slave to question her but was turned away.”
Hearing this, Emperor Yuanjing’s frozen gaze flickered slightly, as if some of his attention had been drawn back.
“With no other choice, Lord Xu went to Shaoyin Palace to seek help from Princess Lin’an…”
The young eunuch, recalling Xu Qi’an’s instructions, continued naturally: “After questioning Lang’er from Jingxiu Palace, Lord Xu’s expression became extremely troubled. He seemed unwilling to stay any longer and left hastily with this slave, without even drinking tea…”
“But before we could leave Jingxiu Palace, Lang’er returned and said Imperial Consort Chen invited Lord Xu for a brief meeting to thank him for solving the Imperial Consort Fu case. Lord Xu initially refused, but Lang’er forcibly detained him.” The young eunuch paused briefly before continuing:
“Afterwards, Imperial Consort Chen dismissed everyone. This slave couldn’t enter the room and could only wait in the courtyard…”
“Wait!”
Emperor Yuanjing’s eyes fully regained their alertness. He interrupted the young eunuch, staring at him and pondering for a few seconds before slowly asking, “She dismissed everyone?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“What did they say in the courtyard?”
The young eunuch replied, “This slave was too far away to hear clearly. I could only watch from a distance as Lord Xu and Imperial Consort Chen talked inside.”
Emperor Yuanjing placed his right hand against his lips, appearing deep in thought. Suddenly, he said, “You mentioned earlier that after questioning Lang’er, Xu Qi’an’s expression became extremely troubled?”
Before the young eunuch could respond, the old eunuch’s expression changed slightly as he scolded, “You little dog, what have I taught you?”
When reporting, never mix in subjective emotions or try to mislead His Majesty. Be fair and objective.
Emperor Yuanjing raised his hand, interrupting the angry old eunuch.
Seeing this, the young eunuch gained some confidence: “It was indeed very troubled.”
Emperor Yuanjing nodded, pondered for a moment, and then asked, “Xu Qi’an wanted to leave, but Lang’er forcibly detained him?”
“…Yes.”
The young eunuch sensed a change in Emperor Yuanjing’s attitude and cautiously added, “Lord Xu said he was investigating the case by imperial decree, fulfilling his duty, and that Her Highness need not thank him.
“Lang’er said if Lord Xu didn’t meet with Her Highness, he wouldn’t be able to leave Jingxiu Palace.”
Hearing this, a glint seemed to flash in Emperor Yuanjing’s eyes. This time, he thought for a long while. The bedchamber was eerily quiet, with the two eunuchs, old and young, holding their breath, afraid to disturb the deeply contemplative emperor.
Finally, Emperor Yuanjing spoke slowly: “When Xu Qi’an left… what was his mood like?”
Xu Qi’an had instructed the young eunuch on this point, but he didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he pretended to think for a moment before saying:
“Lord Xu left the palace looking very preoccupied.”
To increase credibility, he added, “Usually when leaving the palace, Lord Xu would chat with this slave, all animated and lively. But today was particularly different; he didn’t say a single word.”
Emperor Yuanjing waved his hand.
“You may leave,” the old eunuch immediately said.
After the young eunuch left the bedchamber, Emperor Yuanjing sat silently for a long time before saying, “Go, bring Lang’er from Jingxiu Palace to me.”
The old eunuch acknowledged and slowly withdrew from the bedchamber.
…
The old eunuch led a squad of guards through the layers of palace walls in the last light of dusk, arriving at Jingxiu Palace.
The eunuch guarding the gate recognized the emperor’s close attendant from afar and approached, saying, “Please wait a moment, this slave will go inform Imperial Consort Chen…”
“I’m in a hurry,” the old eunuch said, slapping him aside and entering the courtyard with the guards. As they passed through the outer courtyard, they heard bursts of crying coming from the inner courtyard.
The old eunuch stood in the inner courtyard and called out loudly, “Imperial Consort Chen, this old slave seeks an audience.”
From Imperial Consort Chen’s room, a palace maid with slightly reddened eyes emerged, speaking softly, “Her Highness invites you in.”
The old eunuch followed the palace maid into the room and saw Imperial Consort Chen sitting in a large chair, holding a silk handkerchief and occasionally wiping her eyes, her face full of sorrow.
“What has happened to Your Highness?” the old eunuch asked in surprise.
“One of my servants suddenly fell ill just now and passed away. The imperial physician couldn’t save her,” Imperial Consort Chen said sorrowfully.
“This…” the old eunuch consoled, “My condolences, Your Highness. What was the palace maid’s name?”
“Lang’er.”
“!!!” The old eunuch’s expression froze.
“Why has the Old Companion come to my Jingxiu Palace?” Imperial Consort Chen asked softly.
The old eunuch forced a smile, “His Majesty sent this old slave to comfort Your Highness. His Majesty knows you’ve been worried and frightened these past days.”
Imperial Consort Chen turned her head away, lamenting, “Can’t His Majesty even come to see this humble consort himself?”
The old eunuch laughed dryly a few times, making no comment on the consort’s complaint.
He chatted idly with the consort for a while, then casually asked, “That Lang’er wasn’t very old, was she?”
Although Lang’er was a long-time resident of Jingxiu Palace, Emperor Yuanjing hadn’t favored his consorts for over a decade or two, so the old eunuch had little impression of this unfortunate palace maid who had died prematurely.
“A poor child,” Imperial Consort Chen’s face showed sorrow.
The old eunuch seized the opportunity, “Let this old slave go take a look.”
He had another identity as the Chief Steward of Internal Affairs, overseeing the palace eunuchs and maids. However, this position was a nominal one that came with his role as Emperor Yuanjing’s close attendant.
The Deputy Chief Steward was the one who truly held power.
After all, the Chief Steward of Internal Affairs was too busy to constantly attend to the emperor.
Bidding farewell to Imperial Consort Chen, the old eunuch was led by a palace maid to the southern wing, where he saw Lang’er lying on the bed, her face pale.
“Has an imperial physician been called to examine her?”
“Yes, sir. The physician said it was a brain ailment, beyond treatment.”
The old eunuch stared at Lang’er for a long time before ordering, “Hand her over to me.”
He commanded the guards to take Lang’er’s body away and hurried back to report.
Returning to Emperor Yuanjing’s bedchamber, he found the old emperor still sitting behind the large desk draped in imperial yellow silk, expressionlessly staring at the door.
Seeing the old eunuch cross the threshold, he showed no reaction.
“Your Majesty, Lang’er is dead…” the old eunuch said in a low voice.
After a very long time, Emperor Yuanjing let out an “Mm,” showing neither joy nor sorrow from his position at the pinnacle of power where he had overlooked half a century.
…
The next day, Emperor Yuanjing convened another court assembly. In the dim light of dawn, civil and military officials entered the Meridian Gate in an orderly fashion. Some remained in the square outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, while others stood on the white marble steps leading to the hall.
Only a small portion entered the great hall. In the words of storytellers, these were collectively known as: “The august gentlemen atop the imperial court.”
After the officials had entered the hall, Emperor Yuanjing emerged from behind the throne a quarter of an hour later and sat on his dragon throne.
After the normal proceedings between monarch and ministers, the Minister of Justice stepped forward and announced loudly: “Your Majesty, the Three Judicial Offices have verified that the Empress was indeed the mastermind behind the Imperial Consort Fu case.
“The Shangguan clan is unworthy of their position. The Empress plotted against a fellow consort and framed the Crown Prince. We request Your Majesty to punish her severely.”
The Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review immediately stepped forward to second the motion.
Inside the hall, civil and military officials, as well as some nobles, all voiced their agreement, creating a wave of sound.
This meant they had already come to an agreement yesterday. Deposing an empress was not as significant as deposing a crown prince, which would be a matter concerning the foundation of the state. Deposing an empress was merely the emperor’s family affair. As long as there was justification and evidence proving the empress had indeed lost virtue, rather than the emperor simply tiring of her, the officials had no reason or need to stop it.
The only issue related to deposing the empress was the status of the Fourth Prince. It should be noted that the Fourth Prince was Emperor Yuanjing’s only son born of the empress, and many had placed their bets on him.
Those who hadn’t voiced agreement were the Fourth Prince’s faction.
Before Emperor Yuanjing could respond, Wei Yuan stepped forward, and the hall immediately fell silent.
“Your Majesty, there are hidden truths in the Imperial Consort Fu case. The Empress was not the mastermind; the true culprit is Huang Xiaorou. She caused the death of Imperial Consort Fu, then deceived the Crown Prince into going to Qingfeng Palace, fabricating this case.”
As soon as Wei Yuan finished speaking, a professional critic, the Supervising Secretary, jumped out to refute:
“Nonsense! How could a mere palace maid orchestrate such a shocking case? Moreover, why would Huang Xiaorou frame the Crown Prince? Wei Yuan, what do you take His Majesty for? What do you take the august gentlemen of the court for?”
After speaking, he added: “I request Your Majesty to execute this scoundrel.”
Other ministers began to rebuke Wei Yuan, and the hall became chaotic for a moment.
The old eunuch, holding a whip, lashed it forcefully, producing a sharp “crack” on the ground. He shouted, “Silence!”
Only then did the hall quiet down.
The Minister of Justice and the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review looked at Wei Yuan with cold smiles. Other officials also looked at Wei Yuan, some with sneers, some with mockery, and others with confusion and helplessness. The latter came from the Fourth Prince’s faction.
Wei Yuan ignored the surrounding gazes and the Supervising Secretary’s curses, saying, “Yesterday, Bronze Gong Xu Qi’an, who is in charge of the Imperial Consort Fu case, discovered that Huang Xiaorou had once been pregnant…”
Before he could finish, the hall erupted in an uproar.
Palace maid Huang Xiaorou had been pregnant?!
In the palace, apart from the guards, the only one who could impregnate a woman was Emperor Yuanjing. It certainly couldn’t be the guards; those who served in the inner palace were all fiercely loyal to the royal family, carefully selected elites.
Moreover, they often worked in teams, monitoring each other, with no possibility of having affairs with palace maids.
That left only one possibility…
At once, the august gentlemen of the court couldn’t help but look at Emperor Yuanjing with meaningful gazes.
Emperor Yuanjing’s stern face twitched slightly. He coldly looked at Wei Yuan, who had deliberately paused, and said in a deep voice:
“Wei Yuan, continue!”
Wei Yuan slowly said, “After investigation, it was discovered that the one who defiled Huang Xiaorou and impregnated her was the current Imperial Uncle, Shangguan Ming…”
Next, Wei Yuan told a story to the court officials, a story he had embellished:
Palace maid Huang Xiaorou was assaulted by the Imperial Uncle and unfortunately became pregnant. She secretly had an abortion afterward, harboring resentment in her heart. After years of endurance, she finally conceived a plot.
Taking advantage of her position as Imperial Consort Fu’s personal maid, she quietly damaged the railing of the watchtower. When Imperial Consort Fu was drunk, she tricked the Crown Prince into going to Qingfeng Palace, setting up the most shocking scheme in the inner palace in over a decade.
Upon hearing about the Imperial Consort Fu case, the Imperial Uncle realized Huang Xiaorou was involved and, fearing his beastly act would be exposed, sought help from Fengqi Palace.
Only then did the Empress learn of the Imperial Uncle’s unconscionable deed. Considering their blood ties, she tearfully took the blame for the Imperial Uncle.
Finally, Wei Yuan concluded the case: “That’s how it happened. The Imperial Uncle has already confessed. Your Majesty can interrogate him at any time.”
“Preposterous,” the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review snorted coldly, bowing as he spoke, “Your Majesty, according to this humble official’s knowledge, Huang Xiaorou was murdered. If everything was planned by her, then who is the murderer?”
The officials echoed his sentiments.
Wei Yuan explained calmly, “Huang Xiaorou had accomplices who helped her set up the scheme, using the pretext of framing the Crown Prince to implicitly accuse the Empress.”
Hearing this, many officials’ minds stirred, each forming their own conjectures.
Without the incident of the Imperial Uncle defiling Huang Xiaorou, anyone would have believed the Empress confessed because the evidence against her was conclusive.
But with the Imperial Uncle’s confession, the case took an unexpected turn.
Whether the Empress was innocent or not was beside the point; with the Imperial Uncle’s confession, there was room for debate.
The Fourth Prince’s faction, recovering from their earlier setback, stood up one after another to speak, declaring their stance, supporting Wei Yuan, and denouncing the Imperial Uncle.
Gradually, only two voices remained in the hall: the verbal battle between the Crown Prince’s faction and the Fourth Prince’s faction. The Fourth Prince’s faction was led by the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, while the Crown Prince’s faction was composed of various smaller, disorganized parties.
Among the major factions, there might have been some secretly supporting the Crown Prince, but they would never openly show it. The big players always stay hidden beneath the surface.
After a heated debate, Wei Yuan spoke loudly, “We request Your Majesty to make a decision.”
The arguments ceased, and the officials echoed, “We request Your Majesty to make a decision.”
Wei Yuan’s memorial had been submitted to the palace the day before. Usually, for court discussions, memorials were submitted to the palace a day in advance, so Emperor Yuanjing had already seen the Imperial Uncle’s confession.
If Emperor Yuanjing wanted to end the Imperial Consort Fu case in today’s court session, he could make a final judgment now. If not, he would order further investigation.
Seeing the officials stop arguing, Emperor Yuanjing finally spoke, slowly saying, “Shangguan Ming has caused chaos in the inner palace. He is sentenced to immediate execution! The Empress, knowing but not reporting, is equally guilty. However, considering her regard for blood ties, it is understandable. The Empress is ordered to reflect on her actions in seclusion for three months.”
The officials thought this was the end, but Emperor Yuanjing paused, then continued, “The Crown Prince, drunk and trespassing in Qingfeng Palace, showed a lack of propriety. He is ordered to reflect on his actions in seclusion for half a year. Imperial Consort Chen, for encouraging the Crown Prince to drink, leading to this great disaster, is demoted to Consort Chen.”
The hall fell silent.
The officials looked around in confusion, unable to understand why the Empress, involved in the case, was to reflect for three months; the Crown Prince for half a year; while Imperial Consort Chen, uninvolved throughout, was demoted from Imperial Consort to Consort, dropping two ranks.
Could this case be related to Imperial Consort Chen… the seasoned officials thought.
…
Shortly after the court session ended, the old eunuch went to Fengqi Palace and Jingxiu Palace separately to convey the imperial edict.
Upon hearing the news, the Empress fell over her desk, weeping bitterly.
Consort Chen received the edict with a rigid expression. As soon as the old eunuch left, she swept all the items on the table, including the imperial edict, to the floor.
Amidst the clattering sounds, Consort Chen’s prominent chest heaved violently, her elegant oval face turning blue with anger.
She gritted her teeth and spat out: “Wei Yuan…”
Then, clenching her fists, she said word by word: “Xu Qi’an!”
By now, she had realized that His Majesty’s drastic change in attitude must be related to yesterday’s events.
The old eunuch’s unexpected visit yesterday, under the pretext of comfort, wasn’t problematic in itself. But considering today’s changes in court, it wasn’t hard to guess the underlying reason.
His Majesty had become suspicious of her…
And she had only exposed herself to Xu Qi’an, leading her to deduce that it must have been that damned boy who had played some trick behind the scenes.
After all her careful scheming, she had been outmaneuvered by a mere Bronze Gong.
A few minutes later, the sound of things being thrown about could be heard from the room again. The palace maids and servants in the courtyard remained silent as cicadas in winter.
…
The day after the Imperial Consort Fu case concluded, Xu Qi’an finally found his beloved little mare.
This horse had a turbulent fate. On that day, after narrowly escaping death and being chased away by its owner, it ran and ran until it was encountered by the Imperial Blade Guards on patrol.
Seeing the mark on the horse’s rump, the Imperial Blade Guards thought, “Isn’t this our horse?” So they took it back to their camp.
This horse was indeed a military horse exclusively used by the Imperial Blade Guards. Second Uncle had obtained it at a low price through his connections. After riding it for a few years, he gave it to his nephew to ride.
Subsequently, the Night Watchmen’s Office learned from the Imperial Blade Guards on duty in that area that day that they had indeed “found” a horse, and following this lead, they recovered Xu Qi’an’s beloved little mare.
That morning, Xu Qi’an was eating breakfast with his family in the hall.
The little bean sprout had a day off from school today, and she was overjoyed, eating her breakfast with great relish.
“One day off, and you act like you’ve found a treasure. I’ve never had a daughter as stupid as you in my life,” Aunt said disapprovingly.
“You only have two daughters in total,” Second Uncle defended his young daughter, but not daring to openly argue with Aunt, he could only subtly counter her words.
“You have the nerve to say that. Lingyin is so stupid because she takes after you.”
As expected, Aunt repeated her old tune, blaming Second Uncle for why Xu Lingyin wasn’t bright.
“But I just don’t want to study,” Xu Lingyin said pitifully.
“Lingyin, you’re not stupid. Don’t listen to your mother’s nonsense,” Xu Qi’an said, patting her head, remembering a method his teacher had taught him in his previous life.
“In the future, when you don’t want to study, just imagine there are two people in your brain…”
“Ah? There are people in my brain?” Xu Lingyin was shocked, covering her head with her chubby hands.
“…Imagine, Big Brother said imagine,” Xu Qi’an took a deep breath and said kindly, “One little person doesn’t want to study, then the other little person should say: I like studying, I like studying.
“Over time, you’ll come to like studying.”
“Self-suggestion!” Xu Xinnian nodded slightly, commenting, “It’s quite effective. When I used to study late into the night and became really tired, I would suggest to myself that I didn’t want to sleep. It worked well.”
Hearing this, with her own son backing it up, Aunt immediately became hopeful about her nephew’s method and said, “Lingyin, give it a try?”
The silly Xu Lingyin tilted her head and thought for a long time, then slowly nodded.
“How is it?” Aunt quickly asked, actually caring most about this young daughter.
“One little person in my brain says, ‘Don’t want to study, don’t want to study.’ The other little person says, ‘Okay, okay.'”
“…” Aunt held her forehead in her hand.
“Maybe she really isn’t suited for studying. Aunt, don’t force her,” Xu Qi’an consoled.
“The spring imperial examination is the day after tomorrow, right?” Second Uncle suddenly said.
“Yes!” Xu Xinnian nodded solemnly.
Aunt immediately peeled a boiled egg for her son and said, “With our Xinnian’s knowledge, passing the imperial examination is a certainty. Husband, it’s time for the Xu family to bring glory to our ancestors.”
Although Xu Qi’an was now favored by Wei Yuan and had connections with the princess, he was still ultimately a martial artist.
In this era where “all pursuits are low, only studying is high,” being listed on the golden roll of successful candidates was truly a way to bring glory to one’s ancestors.
Regarding this, even Xu Lingyue, who favored her eldest brother, agreed with her mother’s view, believing that the Xu family’s hope of bringing glory to their ancestors rested on Second Brother’s performance in the spring imperial examination.
“Second Brother, whether our Xu family can join the ranks of the gentry depends on you,” Xu Lingyue smiled as she put food on Xinnian’s plate.
Xu Xinnian raised his chin proudly.
How infuriating, when will martial artists be able to stand tall? Can this world get any better? Everywhere is filled with discrimination against martial artists… Xu Qi’an sighed inwardly.
Recalling his conversation with Wei Yuan the other day, the martial arts system had been perfected and passed down generation after generation to reach today’s nine ranks. But even now, the martial arts system hadn’t reached its end.
The path beyond the ranks had yet to be explored.
Therefore, there was no existence of a Martial God in the martial arts system.
“Logically, it shouldn’t be like this. Most people follow the martial artist path, and with such a large base, there should be geniuses emerging. With accumulation over generations, it’s impossible not to produce a Martial God. Well, it’s too early to consider this issue. I’d be happy if I could reach the fourth rank in this lifetime.”
After breakfast, Second Uncle, holding his helmet and wearing his sword, was about to leave.
“Wait, Second Uncle, you’re the elder of the family. You should stay at home today,” Xu Qi’an called out to him.
Second Uncle turned back in confusion, “Is today some kind of festival?”
Aunt shook her head.
Xu Lingyue and Xu Xinnian looked at Xu Qi’an in bewilderment.
Xu Qi’an looked at Aunt, raising his proud chin, “Today isn’t a festival, but it is the day the Xu family brings glory to our ancestors.”