The day after Pu Zhu gave her thanks at court, news came pouring in from all directions.

The choice for Crown Princess was also settled — Yao Hanzhen, daughter of Marquis Yao.

In her previous life, not long after Pu Zhu became Crown Princess, Yao Hanzhen had also entered the Eastern Palace. This time around, through a chain of misunderstandings, Pu Zhu was marrying Prince Qin, and the position of Crown Princess had fallen to Yao Hanzhen instead.

This was likely the Emperor’s final choice, made with the aim of keeping the imperial relatives in check. The Princess Imperial and Empress Shangguan — that aunt and sister-in-law pair, locked in their long and ongoing silent struggle — had won a decisive and resounding victory in this particular round.

Huaiwei came directly to the Guo household that same day. The moment he saw Pu Zhu, he was bursting with rage, and his very first words were that he wanted to sever his bond of brotherhood with Li Xuandu.

“He deceived me! He told me that if I married you as my princess consort, he would kill you. And now he’s the one marrying you as his princess consort?”

When Huaiwei was small, he had once watched a wedding among his clanspeople and, full of curiosity, asked the old nurse beside him what it meant to get married. The old nurse told him that to get married meant for a man and a woman to sleep together holding a small lamb, and from that day on they would be together forever. This explanation had lodged itself in his memory and never left.

Now, thinking that from this day forward she would be sleeping beside Li Xuandu holding a little lamb — with no share of it for him — how could he not feel furious and wronged? He finished venting and his eyes reddened, tears nearly spilling over.

Pu Zhu had her attendants bring food and coaxed him for quite a while, until he was somewhat mollified.

Huaiwei glanced behind him to make sure no one was nearby, then leaned in and whispered: “Elder sister, that man is dull as stone and very fierce — he’ll certainly treat you badly. I’ve already thought it through. If you don’t want to be his princess consort, I’ll go back and tell grandmother I want to leave. I’ll hide you in my carriage and take you away to Silver Moon City in secret! Once we’re there, I can protect you — you can do anything you like!”

“I mean it! I came here especially to tell you this!”

He seemed afraid she wouldn’t believe him and widened his eyes to emphasize it once more.

“And your A’mu too! She can come with us! That way you won’t be separated, and she can cook for me every day!”

He said all this, then bit into a piece of flatbread and turned to look around.

“Where’s A’mu? How come she’s not here?” he mumbled, his mouth stuffed full.

Pu Zhu’s heart had been full of gloom and resentment, yet Huaiwei’s naive but deeply sincere words moved her.

They genuinely moved her.

Thinking of A’mu, she held back the urge to cry and smiled: “This is an imperial decree — it cannot be defied. Besides, becoming the Consort of Prince Qin is also very good. Your Silver Moon City, elder sister will certainly visit — but not now. There will be a chance later.”

Huaiwei was very disappointed and muttered: “All right then — but elder sister, you must go!”

Pu Zhu said: “I will, for certain. I must also meet your mother, the Grand Princess Imperial.”

Only then did Huaiwei finally brighten a little.

Pu Zhu thought of the accident he had suffered in her previous life, and reminded him once more — he must not associate with Han Chijiao again, and absolutely must not go out to play with him.

“I know, I know! I heard Nanny Chen talking with grandmother — my nephew has been confined to the house, not a single step allowed outside!”

Pu Zhu could only hope Han Chijiao would be kept locked up — the longer the better; it would be best if he never came out at all.

Huaiwei played for half the day until the attendants who had accompanied him from the palace urged him on, and only then did he bid her a reluctant farewell. Before leaving, he said: “Elder sister — if he mistreats you in the future, remember to tell me right away. I’ll help you beat him back!”

Pu Zhu could not help but laugh, and nodded with a smile.

After seeing Huaiwei off, the smile left her face.

From the moment she had left the palace yesterday until now, she had been thinking over what her next steps ought to be.

This wretched Emperor had used A’mu to threaten her. She resented him to the core — how could she possibly be content to let herself be manipulated by him?

What was more, thinking it through carefully — even if the Emperor truly intended to spare her life in the end and reward her for her service, even if Crown Prince Li Chengyu’s feelings for her could withstand the test of time and separation, even if he could ultimately bear the pressure of taking a woman who had once been his uncle’s consort into his inner court — given the Emperor’s apparent support for him, how could he allow a woman capable of exerting such profound influence over the Crown Prince to remain alive?

The more the Crown Prince clung to her, the less the Emperor would be able to tolerate her existence.

Though deep in her heart, letting go of the familiar path she had always known filled her with regret and a kind of grief, she could not help it — she had to abandon Crown Prince Li Chengyu and consider a different road, one she had never before contemplated: Li Xuandu.

The advantages of this new path were plain to see.

She knew from her previous life that he was the ultimate victor. Now she had been decreed to marry him as his princess consort — this was a tremendous, natural advantage.

However, if she wished to smoothly rise from princess consort to empress dowager, as Jiang had done before her, she first needed to claim the position of Empress. And that hurdle would not be easy to clear by any natural progression.

There are no walls in this world without cracks. The Emperor’s true motives in decreeing this marriage today — even if they could be concealed for a time, they could not be concealed forever. What was more, Li Xuandu was no fool. If he were to learn the truth, forget the position of Empress — she would not even know how she would die.

The only way to avoid that situation was to let him know the truth of the decree herself, and reach an agreement with him as early as possible — one that would be to her advantage.

But the chips she currently held to bargain with him were far too light.

Simply acting as a double agent — even if he agreed now, compelled by circumstance, to guarantee her standing, who could assure her that he would not go back on his word in the future? Given the depth of his contempt for her, Pu Zhu had no confidence at all that she could control him emotionally — let alone the way she had been able to manage Li Chengyu. That was nothing but a dream.

If in the future she helped him ascend to the throne ahead of time and he then went back on his word — even if she had borne him a son, it would be useless.

To be set aside as Empress was merely a matter of a single command.

Plan before acting, or fail for lack of planning — she had to prepare for the worst.

So, if she wished to consolidate a pact between Emperor and Empress, the only path was to increase her own worth — to have support and backing in the future that would make it impossible for him to break the agreement and move against her at will.

And so a new question followed immediately: as an orphaned girl, who could serve as her support and backing in the future?

She had been pondering this question since last night, after returning from the palace. She had nearly sunk into despair — but now, with Huaiwei seen off and the thought lingering for a moment longer, a name suddenly came to her.

Jiang Yi. It had to be Jiang Yi.

Jiang Yi had been on good terms with her late father, and there was the rapport she herself had already cultivated with him. She could use the present moment to find a way to draw closer to him — to ask Jiang Yi to take her as his adopted daughter and build a stable, personal bond.

Given the relationship between Li Xuandu and the Jiang family, if he one day came to power, he would certainly make important use of Jiang Yi. Jiang Yi would be a pillar of the nation — of that, Pu Zhu was absolutely certain. And so, with an adoptive father as her patron, it would not be so easy for him to simply set her aside. Once a son was born and made Crown Prince, the last remaining task would be to outlast him.

Based on Pu Zhu’s experience, emperors generally did not live long — the reasons being either excessive indulgence, or an excess of mental strain.

She would open his harem for him, generously filling it with beauties who posed no background threat to herself. This would earn her a reputation for virtue and magnanimity, while also encouraging him toward indulgence — hastening his early death.

If he happened to be restrained in matters of women, that was also not a great problem. That would simply make him a diligent emperor — and if he was diligent, then every day there would be more tasks than could ever be finished: memorials from every commandery and region requiring urgent attention, piling up on his desk without end. The exhaustion of heart and mind would lead just as easily to an early death.

Outliving him, she could become Empress Dowager, standing on the foundation he had built for her and their son, doing her utmost to assist her son in ruling — becoming a figure like Jiang had been.

Of course, all of that was talk for later; there would be time to discuss it in the future. For now, the two most important matters before her were these:

First — reach an agreement with him.

Second — join forces with him against the Emperor.

Reaching an agreement should not be too difficult; Pu Zhu felt confident about this. For a prince who had harbored ambitious schemes since the age of sixteen and participated in an attempted coup — a man now biding his time in reluctant obscurity — gaining a companion who could help him at a critical moment was something he had no reason to refuse.

The difficult part was dealing with the Emperor.

The Emperor commanded the world and could summon a million soldiers with a single decree. Looking back at her previous life, Li Xuandu’s eventual success in his enterprise had also contained an element of chance. For instance, when he was wounded, had he been found by someone else at that moment, he might already have been dead.

Even being reborn did not mean everything would be within her control.

Any small, seemingly insignificant variable could have an enormous impact on the final outcome.

This was a painful lesson Pu Zhu had finally come to understand.

In this lifetime, seizing the throne was not something that could be accomplished in a single stroke. It would require taking enormous risks, and the variables involved were far too difficult to predict.

For now, what mattered was this: after the wedding, she would disclose her identity to him and gain his trust. After negotiating the terms, she would wait for Jiang — the anchor that kept the current situation in balance — to fall ill with plague and die, as she had in the previous life. With that, the brothers would lose their restraining force and turn on each other. She could then use her own position to help Li Xuandu fill in the gaps and perfect the assassination plan from the previous life — not merely to wound the Emperor this time, but to kill him outright.

If all went smoothly, perhaps he would not need to wait ten years to become Emperor, as he had in the previous life. This also meant she herself could ascend to the position of Empress sooner.

As for Li Chengyu…

Her mind’s eye conjured the scene from a few months ago at the He Xi Garrison Commander’s residence — herself and him, discussing music beneath the flowering trees. A trace of guilt and regret rose in her heart.

But there was no help for it. This truly was fate — a string of misfortunes and misunderstandings, with no other choice. As a way to make amends, if it were ever possible to spare his life in the future, she would certainly do her utmost.

Pu Zhu went over everything from beginning to end once more, sweeping away the previous oppression and despondency that had weighed on her chest. Her whole body was once again filled with fighting spirit.

The Emperor of Xiaochang had calculated against her first, laid hands on someone she could not allow him to touch, and cut off every path she had. He had only himself to blame if she now stood on Li Xuandu’s side.

All roads lead to the same end.

As long as she achieved her goal in the end, it made no difference who she married.

The Prolonged Peace Palace stood to the east within the capital’s imperial compound — the court officials called it the Eastern Palace.

Li Chengyu had resided in the Eastern Palace since his first marriage at the age of sixteen. The northern wing of the Eastern Palace was the Crown Prince’s private residence; the southern wing housed the offices of his staff officials.

In ordinary times, the Eastern Palace was very quiet — as the Crown Prince’s palace, it carried a certain aura of solemnity. Yet at this moment, from within a bedchamber in the northern wing, an unusual sound could be heard.

Li Chengyu was pacing like a caged beast, back and forth inside the bedchamber. Suddenly, as if he had made up his mind, he turned sharply and strode toward the door.

“Your Highness, you cannot go —”

Sun Liangdi, who had been standing nearby, rushed forward in a panic to stop him. Seeing that words would not dissuade him, she threw her arms around his arm with all her strength.

She was the first woman in the Crown Prince’s life, the daughter of Sun Ji, an official of the Eastern Palace staff. She had entered the Eastern Palace before the Crown Prince’s first marriage to Consort Shangguan at the age of sixteen.

“Let go!”

Li Chengyu shook off Sun Liangdi with great force. She could not keep her footing and fell heavily to the ground. Looking up, she saw Li Chengyu nearly crossing the threshold of the hall. Disregarding the pain, she crawled toward him and seized his foot from behind with both hands, weeping as she pleaded.

“Your Highness, calm yourself! Things have come to this — the imperial decree has been issued. You cannot defy it…”

Li Chengyu’s eyes were red, as though he had not heard her. He pulled his foot free from her grasp and continued walking out with great strides.

Sun Liangdi knew she could not stop him. She sat on the ground, tears streaming unceasingly, praying in her heart that the person she had sent just now to alert the Empress would arrive in time.

Li Chengyu walked to the hall entrance and was about to step out — when he came to a sudden halt.

A middle-aged woman in palace robes was approaching at a swift pace from the opposite direction, a retinue of palace attendants behind her. It must have been too urgent — even the peacock fan bearers and ceremonial escort that served as her honor guard were absent.

Empress Shangguan had arrived. She ordered everyone to withdraw, stepped inside the hall herself, and closed the door.

“Mother…”

Li Chengyu murmured her title in a low voice.

“Where are you going? What do you intend to do?”

The Empress asked.

Li Chengyu clenched his teeth for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and said loudly: “I heard earlier that Father Emperor intended to betroth Pu-shi to me as Crown Princess. Why has he now suddenly decreed her marriage to the imperial uncle? Mother, you have no fondness for the Yao family girl either! Why did you not dissuade Father Emperor?”

“And so what exactly do you intend? To go and demand an explanation from His Majesty?”

“If I do not understand clearly, I cannot eat or sleep in peace…”

Crack — a sharp, clear slap rang out, cutting off Li Chengyu’s words.

The slapped Li Chengyu stared at his mother in shock.

Empress Shangguan’s face was flushed with fury. The pearl-tipped golden phoenix hairpin inserted in her hair trembled slightly. She pressed her voice low and pointed at the Crown Prince, chiding him fiercely: “I see you grow more and more useless with every passing day! You’ve barely accumulated a little prestige, with all the officials now singing your praises — and you want to undo it all yourself? I’m telling you, do not think your position as Crown Prince is so secure! Your brother, the Prince of Liu, and the Hu family behind him are all waiting for you to make a mistake and invite ridicule! I won’t stop you — you can go right now! Make the biggest scene possible, let your Father Emperor grow disgusted, let all the civil and military officials know — that this great Crown Prince, all for the sake of one woman, would defy the Emperor’s commands. Let’s see just how capable you are!”

Li Chengyu’s body slowly crumpled. He sank, powerless, to his knees on the ground, lowering his head.

The Empress slowly exhaled, and said coldly: “If you wish to hold your position as Crown Prince securely, then you must know what is weighty and what is trivial. Has your Grand Tutor Guo Lang not taught you these things all along? Stay in the palace like a good boy, and prepare for your wedding!”

Li Chengyu watched the silhouette of the Empress as she stepped out of the hall and departed. His expression was rigid, and he did not move.

The Court of Imperial Sacrifices quickly selected auspicious wedding dates for both the Crown Prince and Prince Qin.

The Crown Prince’s marriage discussion had been ongoing for some time, and the Eastern Palace was in urgent need of a Crown Princess. It was also a second marriage, and all things were to proceed with haste. Considering the good fortune of holding two weddings together, the double ceremony date for uncle and nephew was set for three months hence.

Prince Qin’s wedding was set for the twelfth day of the ninth month; the Crown Prince’s was two days later.

Following this, the officials from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices responsible for imperial weddings and the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court began making frequent visits to the Yao and Guo households to finalize the procedures and protocols for the two weddings.

In the capital, the festive atmosphere of the Grand Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration had not yet fully faded before two imperial weddings arrived one after the other. For a time, the lanes and streets of the city were full of people discussing nothing else.

No matter how reluctant the Guo family was to become entangled with Li Xuandu, they had taken Pu Zhu back into their household — so they had no choice but to swallow their objections and carry on. Madam Yan put on a forced smile every day and busied herself managing the preparations on Pu Zhu’s behalf.

Pu Zhu quietly made a trip to Wanfu Inn and hired Baibi to go on her behalf to Wugong County. About a month later, the reply came. She slipped out on a pretext to the inn and was told that the family she had been looking for had moved away more than a month ago. According to the neighbors, the family had suddenly come into a great sum of money and relocated the entire household — but no one knew where they had gone.

Since the Emperor intended to use A’mu to control her, he would certainly not harm A’mu. What was more, the one who had taken her away was A’mu’s own son — who, acting on instructions, would presumably not ill-treat her.

Pu Zhu instructed Baibi to continue investigating the whereabouts of that family, with orders to inform her immediately the moment any news came to light.

On the road back, Pu Zhu comforted herself. But the moment she thought of A’mu — out there somewhere unknown — she could not help but shed tears, and in this sorrowful state she made her way back to the Guo household.

She wiped away her tears and replaced the gauze veil over her face. Attended by her accompanying maidservant, she stepped down from the carriage — and was about to enter the gate when she suddenly heard someone call out in a low voice from behind: “Young mistress!”

The voice was somehow familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

Pu Zhu turned and saw a thin, dark-skinned young man running up behind her, and she was startled.

It was Fei Wan, the street-smart young man from He Xi.

How had he ended up in the capital?

Pu Zhu brought him into the gatehouse of the Guo household. Seeing that his clothes were ragged and he looked far thinner than before, bedraggled and wretched, she asked what had happened, and he said he had not eaten properly in several days. She quickly ordered someone to fetch food.

Fei Wan shook his head and said urgently: “I’m fine. I found out where young mistress was and came looking for you — I want to ask for your help in finding Cui Xuan!”

Fei Wan explained that more than two months ago, Cui Xuan had been summoned to the garrison commander’s office and had not been seen since. Fei Wan and his dozen-odd companions grew uneasy and went to ask Yang Hong — who told them, somewhat evasively and with evident discomfort, that Cui Xuan had apparently been taken to the capital, though he did not say who had taken him or under what circumstances.

Almost all of Fei Wan and his companions were orphans who had grown up alongside Cui Xuan from childhood. Their bond ran deep. Learning of his probable destination and feeling that something was wrong, they immediately set out after him — enduring a long and grueling journey until they reached the capital. But in a place as vast as the capital, what means did a dozen or so border commoners have of finding anyone? In the end, they thought of Pu Zhu. After asking around in many directions, they had finally found their way here.

“Young mistress, please help us find out where he is!”

Fei Wan knelt on the ground and kowtowed.

Pu Zhu agreed at once, told him to rise, ordered food to be brought for him, and gave him some money to find lodgings for himself and those who had come with him. Fei Wan left with deep gratitude, and Pu Zhu, after a brief moment of thought, guessed where Cui Xuan was likely to be.

A few days before, the palace had sent several palace maids to the Guo household under the name of gifts, saying they were for Pu Zhu’s use. Among them, an older steward-woman surnamed Huang was the person Shen Gao had arranged to serve as a liaison and errand-runner for Pu Zhu.

That same day, Pu Zhu had Nanny Huang go and inquire about Cui Xuan’s whereabouts, conveying her request. That evening, a reply came from Shen Gao — he was not pleased. He scolded her for making contact over such a trivial matter and lectured her at length. Afterward, he agreed to release Cui Xuan, and said that since Cui Xuan was her old acquaintance, he would arrange a position for him — entry into the Imperial Guard — and told her not to create unnecessary complications in the future, to wait peacefully for the wedding and do her work for the Emperor.

Pu Zhu knew there was no reason for Shen Gao to deceive her in such matters. Though she did not know whether being kept in the capital would be a fortune or a misfortune for Cui Xuan, knowing that he should be safe at this moment, she let out a breath of relief.

The wedding was still more than a month away. What was coming would come, in its own time.

She waited for that moment to arrive.