Hu Shanwei immediately understood Empress Dowager Lu’s hint: Palace Director Fan was killed by Emperor Jianwen himself.
During Hu Shanwei’s three years away from the palace, Palace Director Fan had taken over, known for her iron-fisted style. Even when the Embroidered Uniform Guard was at its most arrogant, Commander Mao Qiang gained no advantage against Palace Director Fan.
So when Emperor Gaozhu ordered a complete personnel overhaul of the Eastern Palace, thoroughly severing Crown Princess Consort Lu’s connections with the outside world, Palace Director Fan could definitely achieve a “scorched earth” policy, leaving Lu’s influence without a trace.
Therefore, when Emperor Gaozhu ordered Palace Director Fan to administer poison to Empress Dowager Lu, she had no ability to resist—only one person had the power to intercept that poison halfway: Emperor Jianwen.
Palace Director Fan had both iron-fisted and diplomatic sides, unlike Hu Shanwei who could sometimes be inflexible. If Emperor Jianwen had encountered Hu Shanwei, there would have been no room for negotiation—if Hu Shanwei administered poison, that poison would definitely reach the Crown Princess Consort’s stomach.
But during that sensitive period of imperial transition, based on Hu Shanwei’s understanding of Palace Director Fan… she would compromise under the new ruler’s pressure.
This was why Palace Director Fan immediately resigned after the new emperor’s ascension and left the capital mingling among civilians on merchant ships—because this was a deadly, earth-shattering secret.
So at least half of Empress Dowager Lu’s words were true: Palace Director Fan had abandoned executing Emperor Gaozhu’s final order under Emperor Jianwen’s intimidation.
As for the latter half—that Palace Director Fan was killed by Emperor Jianwen—Hu Shanwei remained doubtful.
Hu Shanwei said: “If truly as the Empress Dowager claims, having escaped death to enter Cining Palace, how could you spare Palace Director Fan? The palace was full of her agents—the Empress Dowager wanted to act but was powerless, unable to strike. But outside the palace was different. The Lu family is a century-old great clan, holding high office since the Song Dynasty. Your ancestor Lu Wenhuan was a Song general. Though your Lu family switched allegiance during the Yuan, becoming a scholarly family, the martial tradition remained. Otherwise, they couldn’t have assisted the Empress Dowager from outside the palace, giving the current emperor half Lu family blood. The Lu family has survived Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, climbing ever higher. For such a family to eliminate a Palace Director who left the palace—what difficulty could that pose?”
“Moreover, I heard in the palace that since Emperor Gaozhu’s death, Palace Director Fan fell ill for two months, palace affairs deteriorating as she focused solely on leaving to recuperate. The Empress Dowager could completely use those two months to stage a comeback, gather supporters, communicate with the Lu family outside, and strike once Palace Director Fan left the palace.”
“After all, if Palace Director Fan died inside the palace, suspicion would inevitably arise. But dying outside, especially in a manufactured accident in the Yangtze River, disappearing with the sunken ship, the Empress Dowager could clear all connections.”
“The Empress Dowager just didn’t expect I would pile up a silver mountain, summoning water experts from across the Ming to salvage the sunken ship and Palace Director Fan’s remains from the Yangtze. The originally airtight murder was exposed by me.”
Hearing this, Empress Dowager Lu couldn’t help showing admiration: “Jingwei filling the sea and finding needles in haystacks are mere legends—I never imagined you’d not only dare think it but actually do it, sifting through Yangtze waters. In this life, I’ve only truly respected two people: Emperor Gaozhu and you, Palace Director Hu. Remember when you proposed changing mourning customs, saying ‘Just because it’s always been done, does that make it right?’—that resonated deeply with me.”
“From a minor concubine in the Eastern Palace to Crown Princess Consort, I refused to accept fate. The Eastern Palace Crown Princess Consort Chang came from nobility and bore two legitimate sons—most people would have given up hope. But I held my breath, working toward the impossible, and finally succeeded.”
Empress Dowager Lu’s expression softened as she took Hu Shanwei’s hand: “Actually, we share many similarities. I’m willing to expose my shortcomings and reveal this deadly secret as my pledge of allegiance, showing sincere intent to secretly ally with Palace Director Hu.”
“Ally with me?” Hu Shanwei vaguely sensed Empress Dowager Lu’s thinking and was shocked: Lady Lu is truly as daring as ever—even now, like a cornered beast, her ambitions haven’t dimmed.
Hu Shanwei feigned ignorance: “Empress Dowager, you’re tired—please don’t speak such confused words again.”
Empress Dowager Lu sneered coldly: “Even the fearless Palace Director Hu has things she dares not do? Didn’t you return to the palace to investigate Palace Director Fan’s death and severely punish the murderer? Palace Director Fan died so miserably—don’t you want revenge? I’m presenting this great gift before you—you dare not accept it? Palace Director Hu, you deeply disappoint me.”
Actually, Empress Dowager Lu wasn’t intimidated by Hu Shanwei. On the contrary, the Empress Dowager, disliked by both Emperor and Empress, struggling in the palace and reaching a dead end, wanted to bind Hu Shanwei to her ship by sharing secrets.
What use was buying off minor soldiers? To do business, gamble big! Empress Dowager Lu had calculated all her life—she wouldn’t surrender so easily. She wanted to use Hu Shanwei to turn her fortunes around.
Seeing Empress Dowager Lu’s confidence, Hu Shanwei remained half-convinced: “The Empress Dowager is more suspicious than anyone.”
Moreover, Emperor Jianwen was her biological son—what overnight grudges exist between mother and son? After quarreling awhile, they’d reconcile. Otherwise, Emperor Jianwen wouldn’t have risked intercepting the poison meant for his mother.
“I bore three sons. The eldest is disobedient and unfilial, but I have two other obedient sons—tell me, who in this world doesn’t want to be emperor?” Empress Dowager Lu suddenly changed expression, becoming aggressive. Her blade remained sharp, sweeping away her previous dejection, eyes blazing with killing intent!
“I endured humiliation, suffering hardships to raise my eldest son, cultivating his talents, committing various underhanded deeds for him, clearing obstacles so he needed only to be a talented scholar, a filial son and grandson. Even commoners say ‘raise sons to prevent old age’—after all my investment cultivating him, what was I seeking?”
Since Hu Shanwei knew this secret anyway and was now on the same boat—she wouldn’t dare spread it—Empress Dowager Lu couldn’t contain herself, her resentment overflowing:
“Wasn’t it so that once he ascended the throne, I’d become Empress Dowager, bringing glory to ancestors, second only to one but above ten thousand, enjoying court worship and universal submission, the pleasure of ‘those who follow me prosper, those who oppose me perish,’ comfortably enjoying my twilight years, venting the frustrations of being a concubine in the Eastern Palace?”
Speaking of her eldest son, Empress Dowager Lu sounded like discussing an enemy: “But once he became emperor, he was no longer the obedient, filial son of before. The Empress became his life—he found his old mother short-sighted and obstructive, dragging him down. I merely asked him to posthumously grant my deceased grandfather the empty title of Duke of Grace—he was about to agree, but the Empress, to appear virtuous, used former Empress Xiaoci’s refusal to ennoble family members to reject me.”
The mother-daughter-in-law resentment ran deep. Empress Dowager Lu poured out her bitterness:
“The Empress comes from a small household—her father is a poor scholar who’d be grateful and content being granted Stable Master. But my father once held the position of Minister of Revenue, a first-rank official with real power at court—how can they compare? Empress Ma is easily satisfied with small gains. The Ma family can be content with their status, but how can the Lu family accept this? His Majesty doesn’t consider that he has today thanks to the Lu family’s secret assistance!”
Empress Ma’s father was granted Minister of the Imperial Stud, managing horses. Since he was also surnamed Ma (horse), and the “Journey to the West” opera was popular throughout the Ming, with Monkey King being recruited by Heaven and granted the horse-tending position of “Stable Master,” Empress Dowager Lu mockingly called Empress Ma’s father the Stable Master.
Now Empress Dowager Lu had torn off her hypocritical mask, revealing herself honestly. Hu Shanwei discovered… the Empress Dowager actually had quite a sense of humor?
Moreover, what the Empress Dowager said… seemed somewhat reasonable? Emperor Jianwen acted too absolutely, without flexibility. They say when one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. Now not only had the Lu family chickens and dogs failed to ascend, but even his own royal family had been decimated by his cuts.
The emperor called himself “the solitary one,” but being “solitary” by title versus becoming truly isolated—stabbing all the relatives around you until you’re genuinely alone, boycotted by both sides—were completely different things!
You eat meat, you should at least let those around you drink some broth. If they can’t even get broth, who are they working so hard for? This violated basic human nature—nobody’s a saint.
Seeing Hu Shanwei’s moved expression, Empress Dowager Lu struck while the iron was hot: “I had conflicts with Palace Director Hu before—that was my fault. I was wrong—I shouldn’t have spread rumors about you and Director Ji. Don’t blame me for being suspicious—you and Director Ji were truly ambiguous then, neither married, standing together like a couple, doing great deeds together, and Director Ji saved you so many times—”
Hu Shanwei shot her a killing glare: Watch your words—I’m now a married woman with a husband and daughter!
Seeing this murderous gaze, Empress Dowager Lu immediately suffered Hu Shanwei PTSD, quickly backtracking: “Fine, fine, I was judging a gentleman’s heart with my petty mind—but now, the ungrateful emperor I raised killed Palace Director Fan. You, a mere Palace Director, can you do anything to the emperor? If the emperor kills, he kills—like crushing an ant. Not only that, you must keep secrets for me and the emperor, because once the emperor knows you know this shocking secret, he’ll do to you what he did to Palace Director Fan…”
Empress Dowager Lu leaned close and whispered: “Kill you.”
Hu Shanwei felt chilled to the bone!
If Empress Dowager Lu spoke truth, Emperor Jianwen would indeed kill her. Because if this matter spread and all court and country knew Emperor Jianwen had disobeyed Emperor Gaozhu’s final edict, other feudal princes would seize this weakness to question his legitimacy.
If it were the former Crown Prince, Hu Shanwei might not believe he could bring himself to kill, but the current Emperor Jianwen had immediately upon ascending eliminated five imperial uncles, forced Prince Xiang’s family to self-immolate, and demoted Princess Qingyang to County Princess Qingcheng. In just three months, the clear-eyed, slightly shy youth in her memory had been corrupted by imperial power, becoming unrecognizable.
Honestly, though Emperor Gaozhu was infamous for killing, Hu Shanwei never feared him because he wouldn’t kill without reason—his actions were always rational, carefully considered after weighing pros and cons.
But Emperor Jianwen was different—like a child playing with fire, first tasting ignition’s pleasure without understanding consequences, recklessly setting fires everywhere without reason or considering results… or lacking ability to accurately predict consequences, always assuming, with no one able to advise or stop him.
Emperor Jianwen was unpredictable, full of sharp energy—those who touched him died. His destructive power was indiscriminate; he couldn’t control himself like Emperor Gaozhu.
Empress Dowager Lu continued her persuasion: “The enemy’s enemy is an ally. The emperor killed Palace Director Fan and might kill you next—will you just sit in the palace awaiting death? It happens I want to replace him with an obedient son as emperor, a filial daughter-in-law as empress, earning my father a duke title so he can be dignified in the underworld.”
“I don’t think highly of others, only Palace Director Hu. If Palace Director Hu cooperates with me to force the palace and change emperors, I’ll avenge you and preserve your life. How about it?”
Hu Shanwei only knew Empress Dowager Lu was bold and ruthless, but hadn’t imagined she’d be cruel enough to spare not even her biological son!
Seeing Hu Shanwei’s surprised gaze, Empress Dowager Lu said coldly: “I’ve long understood that in the rear palace, nothing is more important than power. I suffered for years, wholeheartedly supporting him as emperor, only to have it all come to nothing—forget power, I can’t even get the dignity due an Empress Dowager. The emperor only cares for himself, never considering my feelings. Just after ascending, he dares treat me thus—once his foundation stabilizes, won’t I have no place to stand?”
“To gain power, one must be willing to sacrifice. Reading history, Wu Zetian ascended at sixty-seven, killing two biological sons Li Hong and Li Xian, and beating grandson Li Chongrun to death. When pushed to extremes, I can do the same. I’m only forty-two—I don’t want to be a clay bodhisattva worshipped and manipulated by others. If I’m to be a bodhisattva, I’ll be a true one controlling all living beings.”
“Palace Director Hu, will you assist me? Become my Shangguan Wan’er?”
Hearing the last sentence, Hu Shanwei snapped from shock and almost laughed: Truly, birds of a feather flock together!
Years ago, Crown Prince Zhu Biao had poisoned Prince Lu and was hypocritically arranging funeral affairs in Yanzhou. To silence Hu Shanwei, the Prince held a peach blossom and forcibly flirted: “I’ve always felt you resemble someone—Tang Dynasty’s Shangguan Wan’er…”
“Shangguan Wan’er assisted Wu Zetian. After Wu Zetian’s fall, Shangguan Wan’er married Tang Zhongzong Li Xian, enfeoffed as Bright Consort… Shangguan Wan’er was enfeoffed as Bright Consort at forty-one. Court Lady Hu is only thirty-two now—in the future… the Noble Consort position awaits.”
In a blink, Crown Prince Yiwen had been gone six years, and now Empress Dowager Lu was using “Shangguan Wan’er” to entice Hu Shanwei.
Indeed, Empress Dowager Lu’s rise from concubine to legitimate wife, securing the heir position for her son, was definitely not just luck and beauty. She was bold and ruthless, daring to think and act, willing to take risks. Regardless of whether she had Wu Zetian’s talent and methods, this ambition comparable to Wu Zetian’s impressed Hu Shanwei.