“What’s wrong?” Gu Chaobei asked her.

Shen Guiyan watched the crows flying past the window and pressed her lips together: “This subject-consort always feels somewhat unsettled today.”

The National Master had spoken of white-haired great sorrow—it was today, three years from then. Today, her hair had already turned snow white, styled in a bun and adorned with pink peach blossom hairpins and ornaments. It truly was quite beautiful. In fact, because Gu Chaobei praised this white-haired bun so highly, it became fashionable in the palace for a time to dye one’s hair white with pigments, calling it the “Growing Old Together Bun.”

Since the Emperor said he liked it, no one in the realm dared say her hair looked bad. Instead, they envied it greatly. Shen Guiyan also felt content.

“Today is your birthday. What could there be to feel unsettled about?” Gu Chaobei chuckled softly, reaching out to pull her over and personally helping her put on the last flower ornament: “Now there’s nothing that can shake you and me. What is there left to fear?”

Over these three years, the court officials had repeatedly attempted to make the Emperor take consorts, but Gu Chaobei had withstood it. Shen Guiyan’s body was frail, and she’d been gravely ill several times, but she too had endured. People say feelings change with time, yet their affection had only deepened with each passing day—mutual trust, mutual dependence.

If the beginning had been just theatrical words and a misunderstanding that led to their marriage, then each subsequent step had been a heaven-bestowed match that flowed naturally.

Shen Guiyan smiled lightly with pressed lips: “Your Majesty is right. This subject-consort was overthinking. Let’s go to the front hall.”

“Mm.” Gu Chaobei nodded and walked out with her.

A banquet had been prepared in Juhuan Pavilion, extraordinarily lively, just like the banquet for the Empress Dowager’s birthday all those years ago. Shen Guiyan and Gu Chaobei sat in the seats of honor, with civil and military officials below, songs and dances creating a peaceful atmosphere.

“I heard that today the First Prince also prepared a special birthday gift for the Empress.”

“Yes, such a small child, yet they say there’s a great surprise.” Shen Guiwu said with a beaming smile: “He’s been preparing for over a year.”

They just didn’t know what it was.

The National Master hadn’t attended. It was said that before the Empress’s birthday, he’d left the palace to continue his wandering. Grand Tutor Zhou sat beside Empress Dowager Nian, still discussing the selection of talented individuals in the realm.

Shen Guiyan watched the dancers below perform, always feeling her heart remained suspended. Looking around, the First Prince was not present.

“Where is the Prince?” she quickly asked a palace attendant.

The palace attendant answered in a low voice: “The Prince is preparing a performance.”

A few days ago, Baoshan had mentioned that the First Prince had somehow found a master of magic tricks and planned to practice magic to give her a surprise.

Shen Guiyan pressed her hand to her chest and nodded, waiting.

After the dancers, the stage was cleared. Palace attendants carried up two boxes. The adjacent sides of both boxes had been removed, and when put together, they were just large enough for the First Prince to lie inside.

That’s right—Ming Sigu had grown tired of presenting calligraphy and paintings to his mother empress every year. He’d prepared this gift for a year and today would perform magic tricks to present to his mother empress.

Ming Sigu was now six years old. Compared to ordinary children still playing and making mischief, he had already thoroughly read through half a room’s worth of Gu Chaobei’s imperial classics. He’d inherited Shen Guiyan’s natural gifts excellently—especially quick at learning characters and mature beyond his years.

He knew what his mother empress wanted most.

“The First Prince will present a magic trick to the Empress.” The magic master pushed the First Prince forward and said respectfully: “May Your Majesty observe.”

The wind and string music all stopped. Everyone curiously watched the stage, and Shen Guiyan also sat up straight.

Ming Sigu was carried and placed into the two boxes arranged side by side, his head and legs separated. The boxes shifted slightly, and one could still see his waist suspended in the middle.

Folk magic tricks were all quite mystical. This was everyone’s first time seeing one in the palace. Some had already begun speculating: “Could it be that they’ll put the Prince in the box and then make him appear from somewhere else?”

Gu Chaobei chuckled lightly and nodded: “This is indeed interesting.”

The magician circled the stage a few times and brought over two iron plates the same size as the box sides. Just as everyone was puzzled, with a swift motion, he inserted them into the middle between the two boxes.

“Ah—” Everyone was startled, and Shen Guiyan’s face turned pale!

Wouldn’t this iron plate cut a person in half?

The box lid opened, and the First Prince’s head emerged, indicating he was unharmed. His legs, however, rested on the edge of the other box, showing he hadn’t retracted them into one box.

Just as everyone was confused, the magician suddenly separated the two boxes!

Head on one side, legs on the other—this audacious magician had actually cut the First Prince in half alive!

The noblewomen all cried out in alarm. Even Gu Chaobei was shocked, his face ashen as he looked at the magician: “What is the meaning of this?!”

Shen Guiyan was stunned, staring at Ming Sigu’s motionless legs in one box, her eyes reddening.

A nearby palace attendant covered her mouth and whispered: “Could it be that because the First Prince’s legs are crippled, he has no sensation even when they’re cut off?”

Her body trembled. Shen Guiyan turned back, her eyes full of bloodshot veins as she looked at the speaking palace attendant, who was so frightened she immediately knelt down.

Juhuan Pavilion fell completely silent. Everyone dared not even breathe heavily, just staring at the two separated boxes above.

The legs resting on the box edge suddenly moved.

Shen Guiyan stared blankly, thinking for a moment she was seeing things, but the legs slowly moved again.

The magician finally put the two boxes back together, removed the iron plates, and the First Prince actually emerged directly from the box.

He walked out.

Shen Guiyan was dumbstruck, watching the son who could only walk in her dreams being supported by palace attendants. Though with difficulty, he walked toward her step by step.

“This son has never performed the kowtow ceremony for Mother Empress. Grand Tutor Zhou said that one should kowtow to one’s mother to show respect.” Ming Sigu looked at his mother empress, his small face full of seriousness: “This son wishes Mother Empress a happy birthday.”

Having finished speaking, he released the palace attendant’s hand and knelt down before Shen Guiyan on his own.

Gu Chaobei was overjoyed. The officials were also astonished beyond measure, offering congratulations one after another.

Shen Guiyan hadn’t recovered her senses. Instead, her vision grew increasingly blurred. Large drops of tears fell as she looked at her son kneeling properly on the ground, and suddenly she broke into uncontrollable sobs.

All these years, what she could never let go of was Sigu’s legs—afraid he would be sad, and afraid others would look down on him. She’d found many imperial physicians for him, but he refused to cooperate.

When had he secretly learned to walk without her knowing?

Shen Guiyan rose and stumbled before Ming Sigu, embracing him and crying loudly like a young maiden, not a trace of the Empress’s dignity remaining. Yet those around her didn’t laugh at her; instead, they wiped their own tears along with her.

“What is meant to come will still come! Three years from now, your hair will turn completely white, and on your own birthday, you will shed tears throughout the palace!”

That charlatan National Master had always frightened her with white-haired great sorrow, never knowing that the tears shed throughout the palace he spoke of would be shed like this.

Crying and laughing at once, Shen Guiyan held her son, then was embraced by the Emperor. The fireworks arranged outside were set off early into the sky, their thunderous sounds covering her crying as they bloomed into a spectacular radiance within her crystalline tears.

Good people will be rewarded—this is a general principle. Not all good people will be rewarded, but most good people are far more fortunate than bad people, living peaceful and happy lives.

Don’t disbelieve it, and don’t say that bad people are more at ease. You reap what you sow. Those who have a clear conscience, hold fast to their beliefs, remain faithful and true, brave and strong—their luck won’t be too bad.

Gu Chaobei held Shen Guiyan, his chin resting on the top of her head, his eyes containing the entire realm.

Shen Guiyan thought he must be thinking about matters of the kingdom.

Not so. What the Emperor was actually thinking was: his son’s gift was so wonderful, what should he give to compete for favor?

The Historical Records of the Ming Dynasty, over ten volumes, includes a biography of Filial and Ardent Empress, beginning from the very start:

“Shen Guiyan at five could recite the Thousand Character Classic, at six played the zither while composing her own melodies, at seven burned incense while creating poetry, at eight was betrothed to the son of the current Prime Minister. Everyone said this woman was born holding phoenix jade, with heaven-ordained good fortune.”

And the ending was but one line:

“She grew old with the Emperor, lived to sixty years, and was buried in a joint tomb.”