Chi Can walked to the baby girl’s side, gazing intently at her features.

The tiny infant had not yet fully developed, but her features already vaguely resembled those of the Eldest Princess Changrong.

His slender fingers traced the outline of the baby girl’s features as Chi Can thought: This ugly little thing does bear some resemblance to her mother after all. What will she look like when she grows up?

“Do you know that surviving won’t be easy?” Chi Can murmured.

This baby girl’s existence was living proof of the imperial family’s absurdity—a thorn in the Grand Empress Dowager’s eye and flesh.

Aunt Dongyu had been driven to her death. Who else would lose their lives because of this in the future?

The Grand Empress Dowager—

Thinking of Empress Dowager Yang, Chi Can gradually clenched his fists.

She was his maternal grandmother, the pillar supporting his willful existence until now. Yet if he could choose, he would rather have been born into an ordinary family than experience the heartless coldness of the imperial household.

When Empress Dowager Yang heard the news of Dongyu’s martyrdom, she remained silent for a moment, then sneered coldly: “Worthless thing!”

Laixi lowered his head and remained silent.

“Where is Can’er?”

“The young master visits that child every day.”

A flash of confusion crossed Empress Dowager Yang’s eyes.

She had thought Can’er harbored deep hatred for that child and wished to eliminate her quickly. Could she have been mistaken?

Can’er was a clever child who surely could guess the real reason behind Dongyu’s suicide. So his daily visits to see that child were conveying to her his intention to protect the child?

This speculation greatly displeased Empress Dowager Yang. Considering that Chi Can was the grandson she had always cherished, she temporarily suppressed that murderous intent.

Time flew by like a shuttle. The new emperor’s mourning period had ended, and soon the New Year arrived. The era name was changed to Taixiang, making this the first year of Taixiang.

Under Empress Dowager Yang’s urging, the new emperor’s wedding was also put on the agenda.

In the third month of spring, when grass was growing and orioles were flying, Emperor Taixiang held his grand wedding, taking a daughter of the Yang family as empress.

The excitement of the imperial wedding need not be elaborated—the entire capital seemed immersed in joy, sweeping away the gloom of national mourning.

However, on their wedding night, Emperor Taixiang looked at the empress in her phoenix crown and bridal veil and became troubled.

At present, he seemed to have no interest whatsoever in sleeping with women. Whenever he approached a woman, he would recall that night of the great fire—women’s panicked screams and frantic running, and Li Shi’s push in his nightmares.

The heavy phoenix crown pressed down so heavily that the empress could barely lift her head, but with Emperor Taixiang showing no movement, she could only endure it.

Time passed bit by bit, and the candlestick holding dragon-and-phoenix wedding candles as thick as a child’s arm gradually accumulated pools of wax tears.

The empress finally couldn’t help but softly call out: “Your Majesty, shouldn’t we drink the nuptial wine?”

Emperor Taixiang saw he could delay no longer and nodded to the ritual official.

Soon, a pair of dragon-and-phoenix cups tied with red silk was brought forward.

Under the ritual official’s guidance, the emperor and empress drank the nuptial wine. Female officials attended the empress as she removed her phoenix crown and bridal veil, and the imperial couple each went to bathe and change clothes.

The empress, now wearing bright red undergarments, was helped by palace maids to sit back on the dragon-and-phoenix carved bed, quietly waiting for His Majesty’s arrival.

The night gradually deepened, and footsteps finally could be heard outside.

The empress breathed a slight sigh of relief and straightened her posture.

Emperor Taixiang entered, commanded all the palace maids to withdraw, and sat down beside the empress.

“Your Majesty—” The empress felt nervous and called out with a flushed face.

Emperor Taixiang took the empress’s hand, his eyes half-closed: “I seem to be somewhat drunk. Let’s sleep.”

The empress watched helplessly as Emperor Taixiang collapsed and soon began snoring softly, leaving her dumbfounded.

His Majesty seemed to have only drunk one cup of nuptial wine—was he drunk from just that?

The empress, her heart full of complex emotions, sighed and quietly lay down beside Emperor Taixiang.

According to custom, for a month after the imperial wedding, His Majesty should rest in the empress’s chambers. But people were surprised to discover that even after a month of marriage, the emperor still did not flip the tablets of other concubines. He either slept at the empress’s place or in his study.

Empress Dowager Yang naturally welcomed this development.

The palace already had two princes and two princesses. What mattered most now was for the empress to bear a legitimate son soon and secure her position, so that their Yang family could be stable. Never mind that His Majesty only refrained from favoring other concubines for just over a month—it would be even better if he didn’t flip other concubines’ tablets for a year or two.

When the empress came to pay her respects, Empress Dowager Yang specifically pointed this out: “Empress, at this time you must not think about maintaining a reputation for virtue and virtue by persuading His Majesty to share his favors equally. While His Majesty is exclusively devoted to you now, getting pregnant early is what truly matters.”

The empress could only smile bitterly in her heart upon hearing this.

In the more than a month since the grand wedding, His Majesty hadn’t even touched her. She bore the reputation of exclusive favor yet remained a virgin—to whom could she voice such bitter suffering?

Seeing the empress’s strange expression, Empress Dowager Yang thought she couldn’t understand the situation and took her hand, speaking earnestly: “You are the empress, and newly married. The harmonious union of emperor and empress is a blessing for the nation—no one without eyes would speak against this. When you become pregnant, then suggest that His Majesty share his favors equally. At that time, others will only praise your virtue and magnanimity. Don’t be foolish now.”

The more the empress listened, the more upset she became. She reluctantly nodded: “I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Grand Empress Dowager.”

Empress Dowager Yang smiled: “You are my grand-niece. If I don’t care for you, who will?”

Empress Dowager Yang patted the empress’s hand as she spoke: “Go now, take good care of His Majesty. As for those concubines and the princes and princesses born of concubines, they’re all worthless things beneath notice. You needn’t keep them in mind.”

“Yes.” The empress nodded obediently.

However, what Empress Dowager Yang called “those worthless things beneath notice” would soon become the most heart-wrenching matter.

During those days when spring turned to summer, many people in the palace contracted wind-heat symptoms, with increasing numbers developing fevers. Soon, the eunuchs serving the Second Prince discovered that the Second Prince had developed a fever.

The new emperor, having been childless for many years, valued his children differently from ordinary emperors. When the Second Prince fell ill, it was no small matter, and imperial physicians were quickly summoned for consultation.

But what puzzled all the imperial physicians was that though the Second Prince only had wind-heat symptoms, his body grew weaker day by day. On the fourth night, after a series of convulsions, he passed away.

Emperor Taixiang was devastated and severely punished two imperial physicians. But before his mood could recover, a eunuch rushed in to report urgently: “Your Majesty, the Second Princess has developed fever symptoms!”

“What? The Second Princess is also running a fever?” Emperor Taixiang felt as if a heavy hammer had struck his heart, nearly unable to stand. He shouted sternly: “Immediately summon the imperial physicians for consultation. If anything happens to the Second Princess, I’ll have their lives!”

The imperial physicians tremblingly went to the Second Princess’s chambers to examine her. Emperor Taixiang, extremely worried, simply moved to the Second Princess’s chambers to keep watch.

With His Majesty present, the imperial physicians felt even greater pressure. Yet the Second Princess exhibited only wind-heat symptoms, and after medication, she showed no signs of improvement.

“Useless! All of you are useless!” Emperor Taixiang angrily kicked over a chair.

At this moment, hurried footsteps could be heard, and a eunuch with a pale face rushed in, falling to his knees and unable to speak.

“Speak!” Emperor Taixiang commanded sternly.

“Your, Your Majesty, the First Prince is… is no more…”