The palace didn’t remain in chaos for long after the incident. By the next day, news of the Emperor’s grave illness had been suppressed, and Xiao Huan only rested for a few days before resuming court sessions and handling state affairs as usual.

During this period, Zhang Zhuduan, who had been promoted by Xiao Huan, managed the grain distribution, dike repairs, and refugee settlement with a steady hand, gradually calming what had threatened to become an uncontrollable disaster in Jianghuai.

Meanwhile, at the Shanhai Pass front, the tide of war had turned. The Jurchen were stalled outside Shanhai Pass by Qi Chengliang, unable to break through despite prolonged fighting. Their initially unstoppable momentum had slowly diminished.

However, the Jurchen had now replaced their tribal alliance’s triangular banner with an imperial yellow flag. Kumor, the leader of the Shatai tribe, had declared himself Emperor and named his state Cheng Jin, signifying his intention to inherit the Great Jin Dynasty’s legacy and bring the empire’s northern half back under Jurchen rule.

This effectively made the Jurchen campaign an outright rebellion. How could the Great Wu Empire, which had long commanded the respect and tribute of neighboring states, tolerate such blatant provocation? The Cabinet and Ministry of War argued endlessly each day, with even proposals for the Emperor to personally lead troops being put on the agenda.

The inner palace, however, remained peaceful. The Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated modestly within the palace, with the consorts coming together to pray for the soldiers at the front, displaying wisdom and harmony.

The weather grew colder day by day, and the capital’s deep autumn arrived in the blink of an eye.

Under cloudy skies, I sat reading by the gauze window, feeling the chill in my hands and feet. Just as I was considering having someone bring a foot warmer for the room, Jiaoyan came running in excitedly from outside.

Her nose was red from the cold as she rushed up to me, blinking mysteriously: “Empress, guess what wonderful thing happened to me?”

“Hmm? Did you manage to steal some delicacies from the imperial kitchen?” Little Shan, who was embroidering her sachet nearby, interjected. This girl loved food so much that she assumed everyone’s good fortune must involve getting something tasty to eat.

“No, Sister Shan only thinks about food.” Jiaoyan cut her off bluntly. Having spent more time with me, she had become somewhat unrestrained like Little Shan, showing no deference even to the head palace maid of Chuxiu Palace.

“Oh? Then what is it?” Little Shan asked with great curiosity, her eyes wide.

“Empress should guess.” Jiaoyan smiled with narrowed eyes.

Seeing her so delighted, I became interested and set down my book, resting my chin on my hand to think: “Did you receive a letter from your mother?”

Jiaoyan’s smile immediately crumpled as she looked at her toes: “With the unrest everywhere this year, who knows how my mother is doing.”

“Not that?” I shook my head with a smile. “Then I can’t guess.”

“I knew Empress wouldn’t guess it.” Jiaoyan grinned triumphantly. Having built up enough suspense, she revealed: “I’ve taken a master.”

“A master?” I was curious now.

Jiaoyan replied: “Yes, didn’t you say my martial arts were too basic? So I’ve taken a truly skilled master.”

“A skilled master?” I couldn’t think of anyone in the palace who could be considered highly skilled enough to teach Jiaoyan anything. Unable to guess, I just smiled and asked, “What will your master teach you?”

“The art of incense.” As Jiaoyan spoke, she pulled out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve. When she removed the small stopper, a wisp of pale pink smoke rose gracefully, seeming almost alive as it coalesced in mid-air to form the shape of a rose, delicate and ethereal, hovering between reality and illusion.

At the same time, the room filled with a fresh rose fragrance, unlike ordinary incense. This floral scent was naturally subtle and elegant, making one feel as though they were suddenly standing in a rose garden after rain, surrounded by flowers heavy with dew.

Jiaoyan waved her hand to disperse the smoke and stopped the bottle. The fragrance vanished instantly, leaving Little Shan and me somewhat dazed, unsure if we had just experienced a dream.

“How was that? Amazing, right?” Jiaoyan grew even more proud. “This is just a casual incense my master made for scenting rooms. My master says incense isn’t just for masking odors—it can be used to confuse minds, control spirits, even kill or save people, all as easy as turning your hand.”

“This master of yours, where do they live? What’s their name?” What Jiaoyan had just said about killing and saving went far beyond what an ordinary incense master could do. If I guessed correctly, this person was an expert in poisons and venoms, and I hadn’t expected such a person to be hidden deep within the palace.

“My master lives in Yinghua Hall. I accidentally got lost and stumbled upon that place, that’s how I met master,” Jiaoyan answered frankly, hiding nothing from me.

Yinghua Hall was located in the northwest corner of the inner city. During the previous dynasty, it housed Buddhist statues for the imperial consorts to worship, but in the current dynasty, it had been abandoned since Emperor Taizong didn’t believe in spirits and gods. It was rarely visited now. The Shouan Palace, known as the Cold Palace, was right in front of Yinghua Hall. Could this person living in Yinghua Hall be a demoted consort from the previous emperor?

Thinking this, I grew curious and said to Jiaoyan: “Could you take me to meet your master?”

“Of course!” Jiaoyan agreed readily. “I told Master that the Empress treats people with kindness and is the best person in the world. Master said they wanted to meet you too.”

“Really?” Having something to do, I jumped off the soft couch. “There’s nothing else today, shall we go now?”

“Yes!” Little Shan, who hated being bored, quickly clapped in agreement.

“You should stay and watch the house,” I teased Little Shan, patting down my clothes. Without letting her fetch an outer garment for me, I pulled Jiaoyan and bounded out the door.

Little Shan wailed dramatically inside, but Jiaoyan and I had already run far away.

Yinghua Hall wasn’t close. After passing through several narrow corridors and entering Yinghua Gate, a spacious plaza appeared before the hall.

The vast grounds were filled with exotic flowers and strange herbs, their unknown fragrances permeating the air. An autumn breeze swept past, causing the blooming poppies at my feet to sway gently. If I hadn’t known this was Yinghua Hall, I would never have believed this place was within the forbidden palace.

“Master, I’ve brought Empress to see you!” Jiaoyan had already run ahead along the stone path between the flowers to the half-open hall doors, calling out loudly. She waved to me, “Empress, come quickly!”

I responded and walked over slowly.

Reaching the entrance, I peered through the open doors and was startled. The person arranging a stone mortar at the stone table inside wasn’t the white-haired, weathered old woman I had imagined, but a young girl in white.

The girl looked only fourteen or fifteen, with black hair falling straight to her waist, scattered across her back, and gleaming like a mirror. Her hands gripping the bronze pestle were white as jade. Sunlight filtering into the hall reflected off her face with a luster like fine porcelain. Her features were as beautiful as a painting, and for some reason, I felt I had seen her somewhere before.

This girl who looked like a glass doll seemed so delicate that even speaking loudly might shatter her.

Seeing me, she merely turned slightly, regarding me with indifferent eyes while continuing to work with the pestle.

I wasn’t sure whether to call her miss or something else, so I just smiled.

“You’re the Empress, aren’t you?” The girl suddenly spoke. Her voice was sweet, but despite its sweetness, it carried a chill like colliding icicles.

“Yes, I am,” I nodded in response.

“Master, this is Empress. She’s kind,” Jiaoyan quickly added from the side.

“The Empress is the Emperor’s beloved woman?” The girl didn’t shift her gaze, staring directly into my eyes as she continued questioning.

“The Empress is the Emperor’s wife,” I could see she wasn’t being deliberately disrespectful, but rather completely unfamiliar with social customs, so I softened my voice to explain.

“Wife, isn’t that the man’s beloved woman?” The girl persisted.

“Sometimes yes, sometimes no.” I wasn’t sure how to answer this otherworldly girl, so I just smiled. “Have you always stayed alone in this place? Aren’t you afraid?”

“Sometimes yes, sometimes no, how complicated.” The girl ignored my questions, seemingly very interested in whether I was Xiao Huan’s beloved. After repeating my words, she looked up and asked again, “So are you?”

“That’s something you’d have to ask the Emperor to know,” I said with a smile, stepping closer to see the stone table covered with various incense materials of different colors and shapes. A transparent glass bottle even contained small bugs that emitted a blue glow, slowly crawling along the bottle walls and touching each other with tiny antennae.

“Those are ice silkworms. Small as they are, a group can produce one or two silk threads,” the girl explained. Speaking of her creatures, her icy voice finally showed some emotion.

“Ice silkworms? The ones mentioned in the Classic of Mountains and Seas? These exist?” I was somewhat surprised.

“Yes,” the girl casually pointed to a cluster of plants outside the hall. “That’s du heng. Very difficult to grow. It took me three tries over three years to succeed.”

I carefully examined the hall’s arrangement. The spacious hall was filled with various small boxes and cloth bags, while dried leaves and herbs hung all over the Buddhist statues. I commented, “Ice silkworms and du heng are both legendary things. I never thought they existed.”

“Of course they’re real. I’m not like you people who always tell lies,” the girl responded coldly, lovingly stroking the bottle containing the ice silkworms. “I’ve raised them for ten years now. Soon I’ll have enough silk to weave a fire-proof robe.”

“Master, what do you need a fire-proof robe for?” Jiaoyan interjected.

“Isn’t the Vermilion Bird branch of the Xiao family most skilled with fire?” The girl said, raising her head again to study me carefully. “Are you not his beloved woman?”

Now that we were closer, I could see her startlingly bright eyes had double pupils. My heart stirred, and I asked, “What’s your name?”

“My name?” The girl smiled softly, showing girlish shyness for the first time. “I’m called Ying, the ‘ying’ from fluorescence, the one with fire below it.”

“Ying?” The one with fire below… Looking at her beautiful yet familiar features, a strange feeling arose in my heart. I paused, then asked, “What’s your surname?”

“Surname?” The girl seemed to recall something, pausing before speaking carefully, “That sort of thing… whatever. I’ll use whatever surname the Emperor has.”

Whatever surname the Emperor has.

My suspicions immediately took shape as I recalled palace events from over a decade ago.

When the previous emperor reigned, he favored Consort Liu exclusively, resulting in few offspring—only Prince Xiao Huan, born to Consort Liu who is now the Empress Dowager. He didn’t even have a princess. In the eleventh year of Delun, the previous emperor had intimate relations with a palace maid while drunk, and she became pregnant afterward.

But Consort Liu was jealous and couldn’t tolerate other women around the emperor. That palace maid was casually given the title of Talented Lady and assigned to live in a remote palace. Later it was said she gave birth to a baby girl, but strangely this matter existed only in rumors, and the baby girl was never recorded in the genealogy.

A few years later, that Talented Lady hanged herself. After that, the previous emperor passed away, Consort Liu became Empress Dowager, and the inner palace became her domain. The baby girl was never heard of again.

Since Emperor Taizong, the Vermilion Bird branch of the Wu Dynasty’s Xiao family had a distinctive trait—every generation’s children, male or female, were born with identifying double pupils. Moreover, whether male or female, their names always contained a fire radical.

This girl called Ying had double pupils, so she must be the princess born to that palace maid years ago. Though she received the name of the Xiao family’s Vermilion Bird branch, she was left to grow up alone in this sunless Yinghua Hall.

Thinking this, I had no more doubts, especially since I had noticed this girl’s features were seven or eight parts similar to Xiao Huan’s, which explained why she looked familiar.

I went over and took her hand. It was late autumn now, and the northern cold was already severe, yet she wore only a single layer of cotton clothing without even padding. Her hand was shockingly cold. I rubbed her thin shoulders and asked, “Haven’t they sent you winter clothes?”

“Winter clothes? What are those?” Ying blinked her butterfly-wing lashes.

“Jiaoyan, when you go back, bring two of the fur coats the Clothing Bureau prepared for me this year to give to your master. Consider it your apprenticeship gift,” I instructed Jiaoyan.

Jiaoyan happily agreed.

Ying rested her head on my shoulder and gently closed her eyes: “It’s so warm… are you not his beloved woman?”

I patted her shoulder lightly while looking around the room filled with various incense materials and burners. There wasn’t even a bed here. But ultimately, there was little help I could offer her within the inner palace.

“I like you. I hope you’re not his beloved woman,” Ying finally said, hugging me.

After returning from Yinghua Hall with Jiaoyan, before nightfall, Xiao Huan sent someone to summon me to dine with him at Yangxin Hall.

This was his first private audience with me since I had last visited him when he was ill. I found it strange but quickly changed and went over.

When I arrived, I found Xiao Huan had already had the meal prepared and was sitting at the table waiting for me. As the weather had turned cold, a small red clay stove was set up beside the table with a silver basin on top warming a pot of wine—by the scent, it was the bamboo leaf green wine he favored.

I paid my respects and sat at the table, smiling: “What made Your Majesty think to summon this consort today?”

He smiled too, turning his gaze to me: “Empress, you went to Yinghua Hall today, didn’t you?”

I nodded, quirking my lips: “Word travels fast in the palace—you knew so soon after I left there?”

Ignoring my sarcasm, he reached over and took my sleeve, feeling the fabric between his fingers before bringing it to his nose to smell. He smiled: “Night-blooming jasmine with soft meadowsweet—Empress, you’ve already had one foot in the gates of hell.”

I was startled, not understanding his meaning: “What?”

Smiling, he lifted the wine pot from the silver basin on the stove and poured it into the cup on the table. Then he dipped his finger in the wine and flicked a drop into the air. Instantly, a spark of fire bloomed, and within its light, a purple smoke first condensed into the shape of night-blooming jasmine then transformed into a graceful flowering tree before quickly disappearing.

I had never seen Xiao Huan display such skills before me and couldn’t help asking: “What was that?”

“A method of burning away the poison,” he smiled, withdrawing his hand. “When you were at Yinghua Hall, little Ying first poisoned you with night-blooming jasmine, then used the opposing poison of soft meadowsweet to neutralize it. Though you’re unharmed, traces of both poisons remain. Little Ying only learned how to make poisons, never how to neutralize them.”

I raised an eyebrow: “It seems you’re quite knowledgeable about neutralizing poisons?”

He smiled, half-jokingly: “Little Ying creates a new poison to use on me every few days. If I didn’t understand this much, Empress might not be able to see me anymore.”

What an interesting pair of siblings—the brother keeps his sister locked in a side hall for over a decade, while the sister constantly tries to poison her brother.

I cleared my throat to hide my expression and pointed at the dishes on the table: “Your Majesty, the food is getting cold. Let’s eat.”

He seemed not to notice my expression and smiled: “Please, Empress.”

I said nothing more. The dishes suited my taste well, and I happened to be hungry, so despite Xiao Huan’s presence, I ate quite a bit.

Xiao Huan barely ate anything, just turning his wine cup and slowly finishing the pot of bamboo leaf green wine.

His appetite was truly small. Both times I had dined with him, I hadn’t seen him eat much, though he never let go of his wine cup. No wonder his illness never truly improved.

As Empress, though I had a duty to care for him, I didn’t want to say much and simply ignored it.

After finishing the meal and tea, he stood up supporting himself on the table and smiled at me: “Empress may return to her palace now.”

I looked up at him. In the twilight, his profile was soft and peaceful, with an indescribable gentleness.

Perhaps because I had seen Ying today, looking at this face so similar to hers, I found myself speaking as if possessed: “Let this consort stay tonight to serve Your Majesty.”

Immediately feeling awkward, I tried to recover: “This consort remembers Your Majesty’s previous promise, but you’ve been busy with state affairs, so this consort didn’t dare presume. But today…”

While I was still wracking my brains for words, he smiled: “That’s fine, but I need to discuss the military situation at Shanhai Pass tonight, which will run very late. I’m afraid the Empress will have to wait long.”

I quickly said: “It’s no matter, this consort will wait for Your Majesty.”

He paused, then smiled: “If you get tired of waiting, sleep first.”

I nodded, then remembered myself and hurriedly added a bow: “This consort accepts the imperial command.”

He smiled again without speaking and turned to leave.

Of course, I didn’t sleep first. After washing up, I lay in the inner hall, listening to the western clock by the bed tick-tocking like raindrops on leaves, my heart gradually settling.

It didn’t feel like I had waited very long before the door creaked open and light footsteps approached.

I quickly sat up in bed, putting on an alluring smile: “Has Your Majesty arrived?”

Walking to the bedside and looking at me, Xiao Huan smiled: “The Empress hasn’t gone to sleep yet?”

When I woke from my hazy dreams, my body was somewhat sore and it was already quite bright outside. The bed beside me was empty—Xiao Huan must have already gone to morning court.

I should leave, shouldn’t I? Even for the Empress who had the right to stay overnight, it was proper for a favored consort to disappear by herself the next morning.

Otherwise, could I wait here for Xiao Huan to return, to wash up and have breakfast together like a normal couple? Besides, with state affairs so busy lately, who knew when he would finish morning court?

I rubbed my neck as I sat up and called out softly. A palace maid immediately entered from outside.

This young palace maid’s eyes were bright, and she smiled upon seeing me: “Has the Empress awakened? Would you like to bathe and change? Breakfast is ready.”

Seeing me still lazy and quiet, she smiled somewhat mischievously: “The Empress looks well. His Majesty was gentle last night, wasn’t he?”

Gentle? I suppose he was. That moment hadn’t been as painful as the matrons had warned me about, and when I drifted off to sleep, my head rested on a strong arm throughout.

But gentleness seemed to be something Xiao Huan never withheld. At least I had never seen him be anything but gentle with any woman.

Perhaps not just the imperial consorts—almost every woman in the palace, except for Jiaoyan, considered him refined and cultured, a gentleman as precious as jade.

The clearest example was how even this little palace maid was certain in asking me how gentle he had been with me.

Seeing the palace maid’s expectant face, I could only nod and smile along: “His Majesty was very gentle.”

The palace maid grew even sweeter: “May the Empress be blessed with good fortune and soon be with imperial child.” She retreated lightly, calling the waiting maids to help me wash and dress.

When everything was nearly done, the first maid who had entered, seeing I had no intention of bathing, said that Feng Wufu had breakfast prepared and asked if I wanted to eat at Yangxin Hall before returning.

I shook my head in refusal and stood up from the dressing table, ready to return to Chuxiu Palace. When I had awakened earlier, though the bed beside me was empty, the bedding still held remnants of warmth, and even now I carried some of Xiao Huan’s sweet musk fragrance.

A thought suddenly occurred to me: perhaps spending a lifetime like this wouldn’t be so bad.

I had just reached the door when I unexpectedly saw Little Shan standing at the bottom of the steps outside.

Little Shan, her expression contained, stood in the cold morning wind with a hint of sorrow in her features.

A cold gust made me shiver, truly waking me up: “Little Shan? What are you doing at Yangxin Hall?”

“Miss,” Little Shan took two steps toward me, tears glinting in her eyes, “Master sent word that… Master Luo passed away last night.”

I felt I couldn’t understand her words: “What?”

“Miss, Master Luo passed away last night…” Little Shan repeated but then fell silent, staring at me blankly. “Miss, don’t be sad…”

“Do you know who did it?” The flat voice that asked didn’t sound like my own.

Somewhat stunned, Little Shan answered: “No one saw directly, but the body…” she glanced at the palace maids and eunuchs nearby, but continued, “was taken away by the Imperial Guard’s Gu Battalion.”

Xiao Huan… A bitter taste seemed to spread in my mouth as grief surged unexpectedly from my heart: Xian Xie was dead. I had been planning to find time to visit him outside the palace, but now that would never be possible. This person… was gone…

“Miss…” Little Shan took another step toward me, then suddenly stopped and knelt with the bowing palace maids: “This servant pays respects to Your Majesty.”

No one spoke. The moment turned deathly still.

I took a deep breath, and when I turned my head, a brilliant smile was already on my face: “This consort pays respects to Your Majesty.”

I could only see the edge of his dark court robes before me. After a pause, his gentle, calm voice rang out: “Rise.”

Raising my gaze inch by inch—cloud boots, jade belt, crown—the morning court attire wrapped his tall frame, making him look upright and noble.

Stopping my gaze on Xiao Huan’s face, I smiled: “Your Majesty, a dear relative of this consort passed away last night.”

Looking at me, he also smiled: “Is that so? My condolences to the Empress.”

Smiling, I looked into his eyes: “Your Majesty, may I ask if there is anyone you want to kill but cannot?”

His smile not diminishing in the least, he shook his head: “I usually don’t want to kill people.”

“Yes,” I smiled too, “Your Majesty is the ruler of the nation, supreme sovereign. Every word is an imperial decree—how could there be anyone you want to kill but cannot?”

Smiling, I continued: “Some time ago, an elder dear to this consort died at someone’s hands. Last night, another person dear to this consort died at the same person’s hands. Your Majesty, should this consort kill this person?”

Meeting my gaze steadily, he didn’t answer my question, only smiled faintly, his voice still impeccably refined and courteous: “Empress hasn’t had breakfast yet, would you like to eat here?”

“No need, this consort wishes to return to her palace.” I smiled, bowing: “Your Majesty take care, this consort will take her leave first.”

He continued smiling and nodded: “As the Empress wishes.”

I rose with a smile, brushing past him.

Just as I was about to leave Yangxin Hall, his voice suddenly rang out again: “Empress, wait. I remember there’s a medicine the Empress must drink after this night.”

Following his words, an attendant brought a tray before me and lifted the lid. In the gold-traced enamel bowl, black medicinal soup released wisps of steam.

Smelling the wafting scent, I clenched my fists. Even with my limited knowledge of medicine, I could tell what this was.

The most common and coldest thing in the palace—this was a contraceptive medicine.

Unlike dynasties that sought many heirs, since its founding, the Great Wu Dynasty strictly controlled the inner palace’s bedchamber affairs to avoid the troubles of many sons fighting for succession. If the emperor decided the morning after that a consort was unsuitable to be the mother of a future prince, she would be given contraceptive medicine according to custom.

However, for an Empress to be required to drink this medicine after her first night—I must be the first.

Taking a deep breath and forcing back the moisture in my eyes, I picked up the bowl before me and drank it all at once.

As the bitter medicine slid down my throat, I threw the enamel bowl to the ground and left the palace without another glance at Xiao Huan.

Little Shan followed silently behind me. I didn’t look back as I walked down the long corridor.

The cold morning wind blew across my cheeks, against the tear tracks on my face, bringing a bone-chilling wetness.

Suddenly I wanted to laugh bitterly: Gentle? This was what that forever gently smiling Emperor had done—after killing that woman’s former lover, he kept her for the night, then even made her drink contraceptive medicine on her first morning after.

The lingering warmth in my chest that I had cherished upon waking had completely dissipated. Walking in the cold wind, I lifted the corners of my mouth high: Xiao Huan, from now on you owe me another life.