On the Mid-Autumn Festival of the nineteenth year of Emperor Jingming’s reign, families across the land gathered for reunions, but the palace was cold and quiet, with no plans for a grand banquet.
Emperor Jingming was genuinely feeling apprehensive.
With one wave of trouble after another, it was better to keep things low-key; at least that way, there would be fewer unexpected issues.
Even so, a small gathering with the concubines and unmarried princesses of the harem was unavoidable.
Emperor Jingming first went to Cining Palace to sit for a while.
“Time flies; in the blink of an eye, it’s Mid-Autumn Festival again,” he remarked.
“Indeed, it’s time to eat crabs again,” Emperor Jingming smiled in agreement.
The Empress Dowager shook her head, “At my age, I can no longer eat such cold foods. By the way, Your Majesty, where will this year’s palace banquet be held?”
In recent years, as the Empress Dowager grew older, she rarely attended these banquets.
Emperor Jingming hesitated for a moment before replying, “It will be held in Chunhe Palace.”
“Chunhe Palace?” The Empress Dowager immediately sensed something was off.
According to tradition, royal family banquets were always held in Changsheng Hall, and Chunhe Palace couldn’t accommodate so many dragon sons and grandsons.
Emperor Jingming explained calmly, “I asked the Taoist priest, and he said this year’s banquet should not be held in Changsheng Hall.”
The Empress Dowager nodded in understanding.
What had happened at the banquet held in Changsheng Hall not long ago was indeed alarming.
“Chunhe Palace is a bit too small…”
“That’s why we won’t be inviting the Qin Wang and the others into the palace this year; it will just be us celebrating together.”
Unlike the Winter Solstice or the New Year, how the Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated was considered a matter for the emperor’s family. Emperor Jingming didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, and the censors were pleased that the emperor wasn’t extravagant.
The Empress Dowager naturally wouldn’t easily question this for fear of displeasing Emperor Jingming, casually saying, “Since you’re not inviting the Qin Wang and the others, let Rongyang come over. I haven’t seen her in a long time.”
Emperor Jingming felt a headache coming on.
He had previously brushed off the matter concerning his niece and was now troubled about how to explain it to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager quietly observed Emperor Jingming and added, “And Mingyue. Although she doesn’t need to come to the palace to pay her respects to me after her wedding, she shouldn’t just disappear without a trace… Your Majesty, to be honest, my eyelids have been twitching lately…”
“Left eye or right eye?” Emperor Jingming blurted out.
The Empress Dowager was taken aback and frowned slightly.
Was it really important which eye was twitching? Didn’t the emperor understand the implication of her words?
Emperor Jingming felt uneasy under the Empress Dowager’s gaze.
The Empress Dowager turned her wrist, playing with her prayer beads, and asked Emperor Jingming, “Your Majesty, is there something going on with Rongyang and Mingyue?”
Emperor Jingming hesitated.
The Empress Dowager sighed, “It seems I am getting old and useless—”
“Mother, please don’t say that. The matter with Mingyue is quite complicated, and I don’t know where to start.”
“Then take your time; after all, the banquet is in the evening, and we have plenty of time.”
“On the day of the eighth prince’s wedding, Zhu Ziyu came to snatch the bride—”
“What?”
“The common people thought Mingyue and Zhu Ziyu were a pair of lovers, and I became the villain who broke them apart. To avoid misunderstandings, I granted Mingyue and Zhu Ziyu a marriage—”
“What?”
“Then, on the night of the wedding, Mingyue killed Zhu Ziyu and ran away, and she has been missing ever since—”
“What?”
The Empress Dowager stared at Emperor Jingming, dumbfounded.
Having finished his explanation in one breath, Emperor Jingming felt a sense of relief and gently patted the Empress Dowager’s back, “Mother, please don’t be anxious—”
The Empress Dowager rolled her eyes and fainted.
Emperor Jingming quickly glanced around and saw a palace maid standing nearby, looking dazed. He swiftly reached out and pinched the Empress Dowager’s acupoint.
The Empress Dowager slowly regained consciousness, and the palace maid’s startled exclamation finally broke the silence, “Oh no, the Empress Dowager has fainted—”
Empress Dowager: ??
“Be quiet!” Emperor Jingming shouted, sending the palace maid away.
“Your Majesty, is what you just said true?” The Empress Dowager grasped Emperor Jingming’s hand tightly.
Emperor Jingming forced a smile, “I wish it weren’t true…”
The Empress Dowager gradually calmed down, her expression turning cold, “What kind of education has Rongyang given her daughter?”
In the Empress Dowager’s view, Cui Mingyue had cured her illness, and she had arranged for Cui Mingyue to marry the Prince of Xiang, which seemed to balance things out.
Deep down, the Empress Dowager still held some grievances against Cui Mingyue.
Now, upon hearing that Cui Mingyue had killed someone and gone missing, the Empress Dowager was shocked but also felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
That girl was so ruthless; thankfully, she hadn’t married into the Prince of Xiang’s residence.
The Empress Dowager couldn’t bear to think about what would have happened if Cui Mingyue had killed the Prince of Xiang. Where would she put her old face?
Emperor Jingming hadn’t expected the Empress Dowager to accept the reality so quickly, and he secretly felt relieved.
After all, she was the Empress Dowager; the self-control she exhibited was something the concubines of the harem should learn from.
After chatting with the Empress Dowager for a while and confirming that she was indeed fine, Emperor Jingming finally felt at ease to leave.
As soon as Emperor Jingming left, the Empress Dowager immediately ordered, “If Princess Rongyang seeks an audience recently, just say that I am unwell.”
Having raised such a daughter, Rongyang should reflect on her actions.
However, Princess Rongyang had no intention of reflecting.
What should have been a family reunion during the Mid-Autumn Festival was spent alone in the princess’s residence.
In the past, Mingyue would always drag A Yi over early to keep her company…
Faced with a table full of delicacies, Princess Rongyang didn’t touch a single dish and returned to her bedroom to rest early.
She dozed off for a short while before suddenly sitting up, fully awake.
She had a dream in which Mingyue was bleeding from all seven orifices, crying out for her to avenge her…
The dream felt so real that Princess Rongyang’s heart was in turmoil.
Could it be that something had happened to Mingyue?
Yes, Mingyue was just a young girl. Although she had some skills, facing dangers alone was too much.
She had thought that bringing her back would be a death sentence, hoping against hope that her daughter was hiding somewhere safe, but she never expected that something would happen!
People at this time firmly believed in such mysterious matters, and Princess Rongyang hurriedly got out of bed and walked toward the door.
When she reached the door, she stopped again.
She wanted to find Cui Xu and tell him that something had happened to Mingyue, but what good would it do to tell him?
Cui Xu would surely say that Mingyue brought this upon herself.
This man had never cared for his wife and children; his heart was still set on that long-dead woman!
Princess Rongyang felt both hatred and resentment, and the horrific scene of her daughter in the dream made her even more anxious. She tossed and turned all night, using thick makeup to cover the dark circles under her eyes before entering the palace to see the Empress Dowager.
“The Empress Dowager is unwell?” Hearing the palace maid’s words, Princess Rongyang was taken aback and forced a smile, “Then please let the Empress Dowager rest well. I will come to accompany her another day.”
After hitting a wall, Princess Rongyang returned to the princess’s residence and smashed everything in the room.
This was the first Mid-Autumn Festival since Jiang Si married into the Prince of Yan’s residence. Without the need to attend a banquet in the palace, the young couple enjoyed their freedom and comfort.
However, this sense of ease lasted only until the next day when Jiang Si received a letter from Jiang Yi.
Their maternal grandmother, the old lady of the Yining Marquis, was gravely ill.
In the letter, Jiang Yi invited Jiang Si to visit their grandmother at the Yining Marquis’s residence.