Pei Huaizhen personally ordered servants to prepare Princess Qixia’s body for burial and seal her in the coffin. By the time the Emperor learned of all this, the coffin had already been sealed shut.
He flew into an extreme rage and burst into the mourning hall, his first action being to draw his long sword: “Pei Huaizhen, who gave you this authority?!”
Everyone paled in shock, desperately rushing forward to restrain him: “Your Majesty, you mustn’t!”
Their shouts sounded utterly laughable to Pei Huaizhen. Her icy face bore three parts careless mockery: “Your Majesty, Qixia was driven to her death by your own hand. Now you’re making a scene in her mourning hall—do you wish for her to find no peace even in the underworld?”
These words struck the Emperor’s fatal weakness. Yuan Jinfeng’s forehead veins bulged prominently, his appearance terrifying: “What did you say?!”
Female Official Xin hurriedly signaled Empress Pei with her eyes, indicating she absolutely must not add fuel to the fire. His Majesty’s current state of mind was definitely not one that could accept admonishment. If the Empress spoke this way, she would surely completely enrage this man who had just painfully lost his beloved. What if the situation became uncontrollable?
Empress Pei gazed expressionlessly at the furious Emperor, completely unmoved.
Though there wasn’t a trace of a smile on her face, Yuan Jinfeng knew that deep in her heart, she must be blooming with joy. Qixia was dead—dead right before his eyes—and the magnificent love he had proclaimed to Empress Pei had thus turned to ashes. What could Pei Huaizhen give him besides cold, merciless mockery? With Qixia’s death, she was the happiest person behind the scenes.
“It was you—it must have been you. You killed Qixia! She was so kind, she wouldn’t do such a thing. She wouldn’t have the heart to see me in such pain! You woman, your heart is so venomous it’s simply outrageous!” He shook everyone off and pressed his ice-cold sword directly against her pale neck.
One movement and her neck would be severed by the blade’s edge. Everyone trembled with fear, their faces drained of color.
Pei Huaizhen suddenly laughed. Before the floating curtains, dressed entirely in white with a plain, indifferent face, she looked like a white shadow—faint yet clear: “Your Majesty, I thought you were the most devoted and bravest man under heaven. For Qixia you could disregard all the beauties of the six palaces; for Qixia you could declare war on the entire world. But today I’ve discovered that your devotion and bravery are nothing but a tremendous joke. You never understood your beloved, never truly loved Qixia. You are the most selfish man under heaven. How pitiful—that Princess Qixia, such a peerless beauty, would fall in love with a man of such base character as you!”
Yuan Jinfeng stared at her in shock, the sharp sword in his hand clearly trembling.
Pei Huaizhen smiled coldly, pressing her neck closer to the sharp blade, her voice like a winter cicada: “Everyone was forcing her, and you were the chief culprit. If not for you, she wouldn’t have been forced to marry Cui Jing; if not for you, she wouldn’t have had an unhappy marriage and suddenly lost all support; if not for you, she wouldn’t have been forced to enter the palace as a prisoner; if not for you, she wouldn’t have faced universal condemnation; if not for you, she wouldn’t have met an untimely death, buried in the flower pond! Everything was caused by your own hand. Now you say over and over that I’m the one who harmed her. Right now she lies in that coffin—ask her yourself, who truly killed her!”
Yuan Jinfeng instantly recoiled a step in terror, his face deathly pale with fright: “You… you’re speaking utter nonsense!”
“Whether it’s nonsense or not, Your Majesty knows best in his heart! Qixia once said she didn’t want to become a beauty who toppled kingdoms and cities, and even more didn’t want to bring chaos to your empire. For this she was willing to resist unto death. But what about you? What did you do for her? You said you loved her over and over, yet step by step you pushed her toward death. Look at your own hands—they’re completely stained with Qixia’s fresh blood!”
Yuan Jinfeng lowered his head to look at his hands, as if layers of bloodstains had suddenly spread across them. He abruptly threw down the sword and lunged forward like a madman, clutching Pei Huaizhen’s throat tightly: “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up now!”
Pei Huaizhen laughed loudly, laughing with such wild satisfaction: “You can kill me to vent your anger, but can you silence all the voices under heaven? Can you face Qixia’s spirit in heaven?”
Everyone frantically rushed forward to grab the Emperor’s dragon robe, but before they could pull him away, the Emperor suddenly released his grip weakly and collapsed to the ground. Before anyone could react, they saw that this usually cold and ruthless Emperor was actually crying, curled up in a ball as if in ultimate agony!
Pei Huaizhen looked at her husband with a resolute expression and publicly declared to everyone: “Execute all the palace maids and eunuchs who were on duty at Zichen Palace that day. If anyone mentions this matter again, kill them without question!”
The Emperor acted as if he hadn’t heard, his entire body trembling.
At this moment the entire hall was empty. His face was stiff and deathly cold, yet his eyes were unusually bright. He couldn’t help but cough up another mouthful of blood, staining his dragon robe with spots of fresh blood.
Pei Huaizhen withdrew her gaze, clearly telling herself this man was cold and ruthless and didn’t deserve her sympathy. She merely said: “Someone come, help His Majesty return to rest!”
The Emperor was forcibly helped to his feet and led toward the exit, but when he reached the doorway, he suddenly heard the sound of people lifting the coffin. He whipped around abruptly and lunged toward the coffin: “Qixia—”
People didn’t know what he intended to do. They only heard that blood-curdling cry and felt their hair stand on end. But the Emperor merely embraced the coffin, staring blankly without speaking. They tried to pry his fingers open, but somehow he found the strength—his fingernails bled from the force, yet he still clung there motionless.
Empress Pei laughed coldly: “If you wish to follow her in death, there’s no need to rush. After all, the Yuan family only has Your Majesty as the legitimate direct heir. You might as well be patient and wait until a hundred years from now—then you can be buried together with Qixia. I, this Empress, will make room for her!”
Her voice was extremely harsh and merciless, yet Yuan Jinfeng acted as if he couldn’t hear what she was saying at all, showing no reaction whatsoever.
For some reason, seeing this scene made Pei Huaizhen even more furious than before. She snorted coldly, turned, and departed without the slightest mercy.
Time passed swiftly. Just when everyone thought the Emperor would remain devastated from then on, a poisoning case suddenly erupted in the rear palace. The one who nearly fell victim was none other than the only flesh and blood Princess Qixia had left behind. The Emperor rallied in a short time and no longer spent all day clutching Qixia’s belongings in a daze. He returned to court and handled government affairs with his usual swift decisiveness, except that he had become suspicious and paranoid, his conduct even colder and more cruel. Amidst all the chaos, Empress Pei remained completely unresponsive, simply eating, drinking, and sleeping as usual, not taking the matter to heart at all. The Emperor had once suspected that Princess Qixia’s death was related to the Empress, but he also understood that he himself bore inescapable guilt. After interrogating and executing countless palace maids and eunuchs from Zichen Palace, everything in the palace gradually returned to calm.
**In the Empress’s Chambers**
Pei Huaizhen sat before her mirror while Female Official Xin dressed her hair, the abundant black tresses piled into the currently fashionable beauty coiffure. After finishing the arrangement, Female Official Xin picked up a gold hairpin adorned with jewels from the jade tray to place in her hair. Empress Pei shook her head: “No need. Has the Emperor gone hunting?”
“Yes, His Majesty is not in the palace.”
“Pass down the order—today I want to leave the palace for a walk.”
Princess Qixia had been dead for half a year. Now that all had settled like dust, the Empress would forever remain the supreme mistress—no one could shake her position. Yet her face still rarely showed a smile. Today, for some unknown reason, she was in such high spirits that she actually wished to leave the palace: “Where does Your Ladyship wish to go? This servant will immediately order preparations…”
“The Pei residence.”
The Empress’s tone was calm, but careful listening would detect a hint of displeasure within it. Female Official Xin knew this was because the Empress’s biological younger brother, Pei Yuan, hadn’t come to pay his respects for three months. Even when the Empress summoned him, he claimed to be unwell and simply refused to come, which greatly displeased the Empress. When imperial physicians were dispatched to examine him, Pei Yuan was indeed lying in bed looking sickly. The physicians only said his spleen and stomach were unbalanced—they couldn’t detect anything else.
“This servant will immediately notify the Pei residence…” Female Official Xin quickly said.
However, Empress Pei said indifferently: “Forget it. No need to inform Pei Yuan.”
Not notify the Pei residence? This wasn’t proper protocol! Female Official Xin was about to remonstrate, but seeing Empress Pei gazing intently at her own reflection in the bronze mirror, seeming to be in rather high spirits, she dared not say more for the moment.
Pei Huaizhen’s thoughts were no longer on mirror-gazing. She recalled how when Pei Yuan was young, she had been extremely strict in disciplining him, even forcing him to practice martial arts despite his poor health. Over time, he inevitably developed many rebellious thoughts.
This younger brother of hers—Empress Pei sighed softly.
At the gates of the Pei residence, when the guards saw the Empress’s phoenix palanquin arrive, they were immediately thrown into great alarm. They stumbled all the way into the residence to summon people. When the steward emerged, his legs had gone soft with fright. He heard Empress Pei say: “Where is the eldest young master?”
The Pei residence steward trembled: “The eldest young master went to the Imperial Guard camp early this morning. He’s not currently at the residence.”
Pei Huaizhen nodded but didn’t turn to leave. Instead, she walked straight into the residence. The steward gestured to the guards and whispered instructions: “Quickly go to the Imperial Guard camp to find the General. Tell him Her Ladyship has arrived and he must return immediately…”
The entire Pei residence architecture had been built by the Pei family’s ancestors generations ago. All along the way were pavilions, towers, and towering trees, making it appear even more solemn and ancient compared to other residences. Walking past the familiar covered corridors from memory, servant girls knelt one after another in salute, respectfully bowing their heads and calling out “Empress Your Ladyship.” Pei Huaizhen stopped in her tracks: “I haven’t returned to my own courtyard in a long time. Today I’ll go have a look.”
The place where Pei Huaizhen originally lived was located in the most secluded part of the entire Pei residence. Since she entered the palace, it had remained empty, with people assigned daily to clean it. The steward’s heart tightened as he carefully tried to prevent this: “Your Ladyship, that courtyard has been uninhabited for so long, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be suitable for you to go…”
Empress Pei laughed coldly, her icy gaze sweeping across his face. Remembering the Empress’s swift decisiveness before her marriage, the steward realized disaster came from the mouth and dropped to his knees with a thud: “This servant is guilty, this servant spoke too much and provoked Your Ladyship’s displeasure…” As he spoke, he forcefully slapped himself a dozen times until both his cheeks swelled high, before finally hearing Empress Pei say slowly: “Kneel farther away.”
The steward dared not say another word. He lifted his robe hem and knelt to the side. Only then did Empress Pei continue forward.
Walking along, the entire garden bloomed with flowers, peach blossoms competing in splendor. Finally she reached Qingxue Pavilion where Empress Pei had once resided. Entering the pavilion, everything was spotlessly clean, the layout refined and elegant. Empress Pei ordered everyone to remain outside—she didn’t even bring Female Official Xin. She went straight to open the bedchamber and surveyed the room. All the furnishings were exactly the same as before she married. In the vase was a branch of dew-laden pear blossoms, emitting a faint delicate fragrance—clearly people frequently came and went here. On the bedchamber’s curio shelf stood a sky-blue flower-washing vase. She reached out to gently rotate it, and the bookshelf immediately opened, revealing a narrow passageway.
Walking a few steps through the passage, she found a whole different world. Pei Huaizhen breathed a soft sigh of relief. The Pei family had always maintained multiple escape routes—this secret passage had been built over a hundred years ago, merely kept as a backup. Today it was actually being put to use for her enemy.
The mute servant responsible for guarding the passage turned deathly pale upon seeing the Empress.
Pei Huaizhen said indifferently: “Is the person inside?”
The mute servant naturally couldn’t speak, but she didn’t even dare nod or shake her head, trembling like a sieve in terror, not knowing what to do. Pei Huaizhen instantly grew suspicious and kicked her aside, charging straight in!