Emperor Jiajing was critically ill. Though the Forbidden City had sealed the news and ordinary people didn’t know what was happening in the palace, Grand Commander Zhu Xizhong of the Five Military Commissioners and Zhu Xixiao, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had already strengthened the capital’s defenses. Even the Five Cities’ Military Commissioner’s night patrols had added extra personnel. The tension before a change of regime still hung over the capital.
In a daze, Wei Caiwei arrived at the Yuxi Palace in the Forbidden City, serving as the head female official there. In her previous life, Yunde Palace had been reduced to rubble when Consort Shang Shou and Emperor Jiajing set off fireworks on the bed, and she had followed Consort Shang Shou to live in Yuxi Palace.
Emperor Jiajing had fallen ill on the memorial day of Lu Bing and remained unconscious. Shang Qinglan was the first to discover the unconscious emperor and immediately had Eunuch Wang of the Eastern Depot rush to inform Prince Yu and Chief Grand Secretary Xu Jie to prepare for the succession.
Eunuch Wang sealed off the Western Garden. Consort Shang Shou pretended nothing had happened, continuing her daily meals as usual and even setting off fireworks in the Western Garden at night, as if Emperor Jiajing were still there playing with her.
But paper cannot contain fire. Consort Lu Jing in the palace had bribed the Taoist priests in the Western Garden and planted spies among them. The priests noticed that each time they offered elixirs, they couldn’t see Emperor Jiajing in person. Sensing something amiss, they secretly informed Consort Lu Jing.
Consort Lu Jing immediately feigned illness as an excuse to have Prince Jing enter the palace to see her, when in reality, mother and son were secretly plotting to seize the throne.
According to clan law, Prince Yu was the eldest son, and Prince Yu had Li Jiubao bear him a pair of children, while Prince Jing had no heirs. Chief Grand Secretary Xu Jie had always been a supporter of Prince Yu, so Prince Yu would certainly inherit the throne in the end.
Consort Lu Jing and Prince Jing made one last desperate attempt. They bribed a minor squad leader from the Eastern Depot, who came to Yuxi Palace with Eunuch Wang’s token to find Wei Caiwei, falsely claiming that Wang Daxia had urgent matters to discuss with her.
A voice in Wei Caiwei’s heart told her, “Don’t go! This is a trap!” But her feet still followed the squad leader as if possessed by a ghost.
Wei Caiwei arrived at Yuanming Pavilion. Eunuch Wang wasn’t there, but she saw Consort Lu Jing and Prince Jing.
Prince Jing used both benefits and threats to persuade her, saying with both carrot and stick: “I hear Palace Supervisor Wei is the apple of Eunuch Wang’s eye. If Palace Supervisor Wei points south, Eunuch Wang would never go north. If Palace Supervisor Wei scolds a chicken, Eunuch Wang would never beat a dog. We want to cooperate with Eunuch Wang to create the false impression that Prince Yu is raising troops to force the palace in rebellion. I and Eunuch Wang will rescue the emperor in time, kill the rebels and Prince Yu. In the future, Palace Supervisor Wei and Eunuch Wang’s positions will remain unchanged, with endless wealth and honor. You food-sharing couple will continue serving the court anyway, and it doesn’t matter who sits on the dragon throne – we’re all members of the Zhu family. Whatever Prince Yu can give you, I, Prince Jing, will give ten times over! Palace Supervisor Wei, please consider it.”
Wei Caiwei pretended to value her life and agreed to cooperate with Prince Jing: “…However, he and I are merely a dew-drop marriage. Among the food-sharing couples in the palace, how many can last long? Using me as a bargaining chip might not carry enough weight. Why not release me, and I’ll persuade Consort Shang Shou to cooperate with you.”
Prince Jing hesitated somewhat, but Consort Lu Jing didn’t trust Wei Caiwei: “That fox spirit Shang Qinglan who bewitches the ruler – the two of us together can’t outmaneuver her. Don’t create complications. Stick to the original plan.”
So Prince Jing used Wei Caiwei’s life to threaten Wang Daxia, cooperating in name but actually forcing Wang Daxia to submit, or else they would kill Wei Caiwei.
Wang Daxia went along with their scheme, pretending to agree with Prince Jing, then cooperated with Shang Qinglan, using a body double who resembled Prince Yu to stage a “palace forcing” drama, luring Prince Jing to bring troops to “rescue the emperor.”
Prince Jing fell into the trap and indeed brought troops to “rescue the emperor.” Then the real Prince Yu appeared with the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Imperial Horse Supervisor’s Strong Man Battalion to rescue the emperor, catching Prince Jing and the rebels like turtles in a jar.
In the end, Prince Jing died in the “chaos,” and Consort Lu Jing took poison and killed herself.
This was a diversionary tactic. Wang Daxia took the Eastern Depot’s men to the poorly defended Yuanming Pavilion to rescue Wei Caiwei.
Wei Caiwei had been drugged and was weak all over. Wang Daxia lifted her onto his horse, having her sit in front while he used his body as a shield for her, riding at full gallop.
Eunuch Wei from Prince Jin’s residence desperately shot a poisoned crossbow bolt at Wang Daxia’s back. Wang Daxia was hit by the arrow but endured the pain and continued running forward…
The voice in Wei Caiwei’s heart cried out again: “Tell him to stop quickly! He’s been poisoned! Suck out the poisoned blood immediately, or there will be endless trouble! He’ll be tied to medicine bottles for half his life, constantly ill, dying at forty-seven!”
“Wake up! What are you dreaming about? Your forehead is all sweaty.” Wei Caiwei awakened from the nightmare to find Wang Daxia patting her face.
Wang Daxia was right there before her, alive and vigorous. He had just returned from duty at the Forbidden City and hadn’t even removed his armor before coming to see her.
Wang Daxia pinched her nose: “You can really sleep – your afternoon nap lasted until dark. What will you do if you can’t sleep tonight?”
Wei Caiwei threw her arms around him, pressing her face against the cold armor, yet feeling secure.
In this life, Consort Lu Jing had fallen early and was confined to the cold palace like a living dead person. Prince Jing had been sent to his fief in Anlu, Hubei, and had already been dead for two years. Eunuch Wei, who had shot Eunuch Wang with the poisoned arrow, had already eaten dancing mushrooms and died dancing.
Prince Yu’s ascension to the throne faced no obstacles or suspense – they only needed to wait for Emperor Jiajing to breathe his last. Wang Daxia would never again be shot by a poisoned arrow while protecting her, his body slowly eroded by residual poison, dying young.
All potential threats had been resolved in advance. No one could hurt Wang Daxia anymore.
“What’s wrong with you? What did you dream about? My armor is cold as ice – don’t let it freeze you.” Wang Daxia cupped Wei Caiwei’s face, covering the armor with his large hands and pressing her cheek against his palm so the armor wouldn’t touch her.
Wei Caiwei spoke against his palm: “I don’t remember. It seemed like I dreamed you were in some danger, but I was powerless to help.”
Wang Daxia rarely saw Wei Caiwei’s vulnerable, frightened side and comforted her: “Dreams are always opposite to reality. I once dreamed I couldn’t find a wife and would die alone, but in reality, I have a wonderful wife like you who would be hard to find even with a lantern.”
Wei Caiwei shook her head: “It wasn’t you searching for me with a lantern. It was me who went to great lengths to find you, befriend you, and make you fall in love with me. You are the greatest reason I came to this world.”
Because of the obsession from her previous life, she could return to before he castrated himself.
Wang Daxia couldn’t understand her words but was quite pleased: “You were born for me, and I was born for you. We’re a pair made in heaven. No wonder when I first saw you, I felt you looked familiar, as if I’d seen you somewhere before.”
Wei Caiwei said: “I really knew you before I met you. On my first day in the capital, before moving into this house, I… had a dream. I dreamed of entering the palace as a female official and becoming food-sharing spouses with a castrated eunuch. We supported each other through thick and thin. The eunuch was poisoned while saving me and died young. I followed him in death before his spirit tablet.”
“When I first saw you at the wonton stall, I felt you looked familiar – you resembled the eunuch in my dream…”
“Impossible!” Wang Daxia felt a chill in his crotch upon hearing this, as if Little Wang had vanished. He couldn’t help but reach down to check. Fortunately, it was still there!
Wang Daxia pointed at Little Wang and said: “How could I bear to cut off such a magnificent treasure? No matter what happens or what difficulties I face, I, Wang Daxia, will never cut off my family jewel for carrying on the ancestral line. If I cut him off, wouldn’t you become a living widow? Stop thinking such nonsense and get up for dinner.”
Seeing Wang Daxia’s shocked expression, Wei Caiwei thought: Indeed, you still can’t tell a man afraid of ghosts about past and present lives – he would have a breakdown.
The Wang household next door sent over food boxes. Wang Daxia removed his heavy armor and ate with Wei Caiwei, bringing up Emperor Jiajing’s condition again: “…He still hasn’t awakened today. The imperial physicians say his chances are poor. The Ministry of Rites has secretly begun preparing for the funeral to ward off bad luck. I hope His Majesty can live until New Year’s Eve so we can hold our wedding.”
Ever since Emperor Jiajing fell critically ill, Wang Daxia had been in a constant state of anxiety. First, he feared that during the power transition there would be trouble requiring more bloodshed – he wasn’t afraid of fighting enemies, but he hated having blood on his hands during his wedding period, which was inauspicious. Second, he feared the emperor would die before he and Wei Caiwei could marry, forcing their wedding to be postponed yet again.
Seeing Wang Daxia’s nervous state, Wei Caiwei warmed a pot of wine for a few drinks after dinner to help him relax.
Wang Daxia had no heart for drinking and was quite melancholy: “I really regret getting excited and sending out the wedding invitations so early. What’s spilled can’t be gathered up – it’s awkward to change the date now. If the invitations hadn’t been sent out yet, we could move the wedding up a few days.”
In her previous life, Wei Caiwei and Eunuch Wang had married early, becoming food-sharing spouses without this anxiety. But the previous life had its own troubles and dangers – marrying was easy, but spending a lifetime together was difficult.
In this life, it was exactly the opposite – marrying was difficult, but perhaps spending a lifetime together would be easier.
Wei Caiwei knew this time they would definitely have to postpone for a hundred days. Anyway, Wang Daxia had already completed his mourning period and had no family obligations. Even if they couldn’t marry during the three months of national mourning, they could do other things in advance.
Without a word, Wei Caiwei pushed Wang Daxia down on the couch and kissed him. She didn’t know if Wang Daxia became invigorated, but Little Wang was already excited, eager to unsheath like a sharp sword ready to test its edge again.
Half an hour later…
Wei Caiwei once again felt that judging by bedroom performance, Wang Daxia wasn’t as good as when he was castrated. After three years, this sword still looked decent on the outside but wasn’t very useful – it always missed the target, couldn’t hit the vital points. It was like the left hand rubbing the right hand, like scratching an itch through one’s boot. No matter how long you rubbed, what was the use? It wasn’t for keeping warm!
Tasteless to continue, yet not particularly regrettable to abandon. Wei Caiwei wanted to end it and reached toward the bedside table for the sheep’s intestine soaking in warm water.
“No!” Wang Daxia suddenly remembered a shameful scene from the past and became instantly alert, catching Wei Caiwei’s restless hand.
Wei Caiwei really missed the past skillful Eunuch Wang. Truly, what you gain in one area, you lose in another – like how blind people can’t see but have exceptional hearing. Wang Daxia had all five limbs intact but lacked technique. He had gone through all thirty-six sword techniques, but they were all just flashy moves without “killing power.” If only Eunuch Wang and Wang Daxia could be combined into one person…
Of course, this was impossible. You can’t have both fish and bear’s paw – people can’t be too greedy. Wei Caiwei had no choice but to teach him hand by hand: “Come out first, watch me do it myself.”
Author’s Note: Eunuch Wang, Wang Daxia: Who do you actually like?
Banxia: I like both.