Traveling day and night, heading straight to the capital.

Along this journey, there were already various rumors among the people about the Emperor’s serious illness. Everyone said the Empress had accidentally fallen from a cliff while praying for blessings, that the realm might change hands, and that the throne would most likely return to the original Crown Prince, Prince Qing.

These messages were likely deliberately spread by Jinglan’s people, positioning himself as the sole successor. Combined with his decent performance as regent over the past half year, if news of the Emperor’s death were to come now, all the court officials would probably support him as the new emperor without hesitation.

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t believe that wise elder brother had become what he was now.

Why did I always feel that this way of doing things was quite similar to Feng Li’s style? But hadn’t I witnessed Feng Li die before my very eyes?

I asked: “Did Jingyan say anything else to you that day? Anything more detailed?”

Cheng Tiezhong said: “His Majesty didn’t say too much to this servant. He instructed this servant to find the Princess in Guangling and bring the Princess back to the palace for a meeting. His Majesty has words he wants to say to the Princess personally.”

I nodded. “It seems he has something he needs to tell me face to face.”

Cheng Tiezhong paused, then added: “However, Prince Qing might not allow the Princess to enter the palace now. Even if you do enter, he would stay by the Princess’s side and wouldn’t give the Princess a chance to be alone with His Majesty.”

“There will be a way,” I said, gazing at the prosperous scenery of the capital ahead. “Let’s go.”

Returning to the capital, the first person I naturally needed to find was Chief Tao Yuan of the Mingjian Division. Tao Yuan had received advance notice of my return. When we crossed into the underground passage and saw him, he knelt solemnly: “This old man has finally waited for the Princess’s return.”

It seemed the situation in the capital had reached a state of fire and water. Unfortunately, the Mingjian Division had existed in name only since father’s reign. No matter how much he wanted to serve the court loyally, he was powerless to intervene in court affairs, so he had been hoping against hope for my return to the capital.

I had Cheng Tiezhong recount everything that had happened. The more Tao Yuan listened, the more shocked he became. In his anger, he nearly dispatched all the Mingjian Division personnel to storm the palace and capture Jinglan. I shook my head: “With merely a thousand people, we can’t touch elder brother at all. Given the current situation, even if we told the court officials that His Majesty was harmed by elder brother, they would probably not only refuse to attack elder brother, but might even scheme against us for elder brother’s sake…”

Cheng Tiezhong didn’t understand: “How can there be such logic in the world?”

“Seeking profit and avoiding harm is human nature,” I said. “If I had other brothers who could bear this worldly burden, perhaps some court officials would be willing to fight alongside us. But given His Majesty’s current condition… even if the officials have the heart, what could they do? Elder brother sees through this point precisely, which is why he acts so recklessly. Do you really think those scheming old officials can’t see that this year’s upheaval isn’t coincidental?”

Hearing this, Tao Yuan nodded: “Throughout history, those who killed brothers to usurp thrones are hardly few… As long as they believe this person is worth allegiance and capable of ruling the realm, they won’t necessarily care whether his methods are honorable…”

Cheng Tiezhong slammed the table hard: “Then are we just going to sit and wait for death…”

“Not necessarily.” I looked up at Cheng Tiezhong. “Didn’t you say His Majesty wanted you to bring me back to the capital to see him alone in the palace?”

Cheng Tiezhong nodded: “His Majesty said… he has words he must tell Your Highness personally…”

“It seems this is the key to bringing down elder brother…” My hand moved to my temple. “Getting into the palace to see my younger brother isn’t difficult, but once I enter, elder brother probably won’t give me another chance to leave…”

Tao Yuan sighed: “But concealing this matter from Prince Qing won’t be easy either. Secret reports from the palace say that since Eunuch Cheng disappeared, the attending eunuch by His Majesty’s bedside has been replaced by Eunuch Li. That Li Jun is completely Prince Qing’s man. It’s said that the slightest disturbance around His Majesty gets reported to Prince Qing immediately. Whether court officials or palace consorts, anyone wanting to visit His Majesty is either turned away on grounds that His Majesty needs quiet rest, or Prince Qing personally responds. Even if we eliminate Li Jun, if Prince Qing doesn’t receive news for a while, he’ll become suspicious, and the Princess would find it hard to escape…”

I stood and walked forward a few steps, then stopped and turned back to Tao Yuan: “Chief Tao, do you think… is there a possibility of bringing His Majesty out of the palace?”

Tao Yuan’s whole body shook, and Cheng Tiezhong stared wide-eyed: “This, this this this…”

I said: “Elder brother won’t easily leave the palace now, but if I arrange to meet him, he’ll naturally come to the appointment. At that time, even if something happens in the palace, Li Jun would have difficulty getting the message out…”

Tao Yuan immediately said: “This approach is inappropriate. Not to mention the extreme danger of the Princess meeting Prince Qing alone, even with His Majesty’s current condition, even if we secretly moved him out of the palace overnight, he could hardly endure the bumpy journey…”

“Chief Tao speaks truly, so I was thinking…” I lowered my voice and slowly revealed my strategy.

After hearing it, Tao Yuan was silent for a long time, finally saying: “Though dangerous, it might be worth trying.”

Arranging to meet Jinglan wasn’t difficult.

I only needed to let him know I had returned to the capital. Caught unprepared, he probably wouldn’t want me entering the palace, so he would naturally come to meet me himself.

I dressed very low-key in men’s clothing and strolled to the palace gates. Just as Cheng Tiezhong had said, the palace guards had been completely replaced with new people who naturally didn’t recognize me. Seeing me wanting to enter the palace, they quite reasonably blocked me outside.

I cupped my hands: “I’m an old friend of Prince Qing. Could you gentlemen do me a favor and announce my presence?”

The lead guard said fiercely: “Nonsense! Prince Qing handles countless affairs daily—how can commoners like you meet him just because you want to! If you know what’s good for you, get lost!”

Handling countless affairs… Even a mere gatekeeper described Jinglan this way. It seemed his position in the palace far exceeded my imagination.

I pulled out two gold ingots from my sleeve and pressed them to the guard. This blatant bribery not only failed to move them but increased their anger. They threatened to arrest me for attempting to breach the palace gates. Just as we were pushing and shoving, suddenly a voice came from nearby, shouting: “Stop!”

Hearing his voice, the several gatekeepers were startled and hurriedly made way, trembling: “Lord Sun, there’s a troublemaker here trying to break into the imperial palace, claiming to be Prince Qing’s old friend. No matter how we drive him away, he won’t leave…”

The newcomer had originally been imposing, but seeing my face clearly, his whole body shook and he blurted out: “Prin…”

“Lord Sun, you’ve come at just the right time,” I cut off his words. “This young master wants to enter the palace to see Prince Qing, but they blocked me. What do you think should be done?”

This Lord Sun was naturally Sun Xuan, commander of the palace guard. Sun Xuan was someone I had personally promoted to be by Jingyan’s side as a prince’s bodyguard. During the Prince Kang case in the great hall, he was the first to kneel before me—how could he not recognize me? However, according to Cheng Tiezhong, Jinglan had somehow even made Sun Xuan his own man. So today I deliberately caused trouble with the palace guards at this hour, calculating that the guard patrol would change shifts with the gatekeepers at the wei hour, allowing me to “coincidentally” encounter Sun Xuan.

Sun Xuan was clever enough to see I was intentionally concealing my identity and didn’t expose me. Instead, he scolded those guards: “Do you know this young master is Prince Qing’s honored guest!”

Hearing this, the guards finally believed without doubt and knelt down in panic, begging Sun Xuan’s forgiveness. I smiled graciously: “Lord Sun, it was my rashness not to arrange for someone to lead the way beforehand.” I gestured to Sun Xuan: “How about we speak privately?”

Sun Xuan nodded and followed me to a corner outside the palace gates, then saluted properly: “Princess, how… how did you come to be here?”

I sighed helplessly and lowered my head: “You must have heard that the Prince Consort and I have been missing for so long. We had intended to retire and no longer concern ourselves with court matters, but hearing His Majesty was seriously ill, I was extremely anxious and rushed to the capital… But I truly don’t wish to be involved in court politics now, so I concealed my identity. I never expected that even the palace gatekeepers no longer recognize me…”

Sun Xuan understood my meaning: “The Princess wants me to bring you into the palace?”

“What, can’t be done?”

“That’s not it… actually entering the palace isn’t difficult, but since the Princess doesn’t wish to reveal your identity,” he hesitated momentarily, “Prince Qing is currently in the imperial study discussing politics with various ministers, but now anyone wanting to see His Majesty must go through Prince Qing… I’m afraid my authority…”

I gave him a meaningful look. It seemed Jinglan had indeed prepared for this—probably all the palace guards would rush to report to him upon seeing me. Sun Xuan felt somewhat guilty under my stare. I nodded slightly: “Elder brother is cautious in his affairs. If I were someone impersonating another, rashly going to see the Emperor would indeed be improper… How about this: please trouble Lord Sun to make a trip to inform elder brother. I’ll wait quietly at Yueyang Restaurant for news. How about that?”

Sun Xuan cupped his hands: “Princess, please wait a moment. I’ll immediately seek audience with Prince Qing.”

I knew well that once Sun Xuan went, given Jinglan’s way of handling things, before probing my intentions, he wouldn’t give me a chance to enter the palace to see Jingyan. He would most likely come out of the palace himself to see me. In other words, from this moment on, this contest had already begun.

Ancient music drifted through Yueyang Restaurant, with scholars and refined gentlemen coming and going as always. I reserved a private room by the window, ordered two small dishes with a pot of wine, and waited quietly.

When the sun slanted west and dusk fell, I was growing somewhat tired of waiting when the curtain was suddenly lifted. That figure in brocade robes stood before me—still the heroic and upright bearing of old. For a moment I was dazzled, unable to distinguish between youth and present, hearing only his soft voice: “Xiangyi…”

I stood up, my eyes involuntarily misting: “Elder brother.”

He seemed to struggle to control his emotions, dismissing his two attendants for now. As soon as he entered the private room, he embraced me tightly. After a long while, he said: “These two years, where exactly did you go?”

Such genuine emotion made it truly difficult to imagine this person would use such poisonous methods against his own brother. My fingers paused in the air, then I patted his back: “Haven’t I returned now…”

Jinglan slowly released his hold: “I heard from Sun Xuan that you returned because you were worried about His Majesty’s condition…”

I nodded, unable to help clutching his sleeve anxiously: “How is younger brother? What do the imperial physicians say?”

Jinglan lowered his head, seeming to hesitate, then gently shook his head: “The imperial physicians say… His Majesty’s illness has been with him since birth. For twenty years they’ve been seeking a cure, but unfortunately to no avail. The cold he caught half a year ago worsened his condition. Now… let alone getting out of bed to walk, even when awake, speaking a few sentences is extremely difficult…”

I sat down, tears streaming uncontrollably. Even knowing Jinglan was here to test me, since he spoke this way, Jingyan was probably truly at death’s door. “I want to enter the palace to see younger brother…”

Jinglan nodded slightly, his voice gentle and soft: “He just took medicine and fell asleep. Come with me to the palace, and tomorrow when he wakes, go see him.”

I looked up at him. His expression showed no flaws, identical to the caring elder brother of childhood. I wiped my tears and had him sit beside me, filling the wine on the table: “Very well. It’s still early—keep me company for two cups before we enter the palace.”

Elder brother, this would be our last harmonious drinking and conversation.

Initially I had intended to delay, giving the Mingjian Division enough time to proceed according to plan. But unexpectedly, Jinglan also seemed unwilling to return to the palace too early. We chatted about recent years—he spoke of the court’s balancing acts and scheming, while I joked about the daily necessities of small villages and towns, just like ordinary siblings reuniting after a long separation.

We drank for over an hour.

When Jinglan asked why Song Langsheng hadn’t come with me, I smiled bitterly: “Elder brother, you know he fled the military camp without having his military registration removed. His Majesty doesn’t pursue it out of consideration for me, but those old court officials might not see it that way…”

Jinglan nodded: “I understand. It’s just that with His Majesty’s poor health now, I thought if you were willing to return, you could help ease His Majesty’s worries…”

I waved my hand, interrupting: “I’m no longer any princess. Elder brother, please don’t mention this again.”

Jinglan looked at me thoughtfully: “Very well.”

The music at Yueyang Restaurant had changed from “Guangling San” to “Fisherman and Woodcutter’s Dialogue.” When the final note of the strings was plucked and transitioned to “Beautiful Evening,” this was what I had arranged with Tao Yuan from the beginning—when this piece played, it would signal that the Mingjian Division had completed the first move.

Fireworks suddenly burst in the quiet distant sky, blooming gracefully outside the window with petals falling like rain. Though this was common in the capital, I noticed Jinglan’s brow furrow extremely briefly. Though it was only a momentary change, he still calmly finished the wine in his cup and gently set it down: “Originally when I left the palace today, besides seeing you, I had some important matters to handle. Why don’t you wait here while I handle things, then I’ll come back to take you to the palace.”

I nodded: “Elder brother, go handle your affairs first. I’ll wait for you.”

He smiled slightly, then stood and left. I turned to look out the window below—Jinglan mounted his horse and hurried away with several attendants, heading toward the palace.

At this moment, a restaurant server had already lifted the curtain and entered, asking with a smile: “That gentleman just left—will this young master settle the bill or add more wine to continue sitting?” As he spoke, he placed a note from his sleeve into my palm.

I unfolded the note and read: “Following instructions, five carriages departed in five different directions. Even if Prince Qing dispatches pursuers widely, he won’t be able to determine which carriage His Majesty is in for a short time. Prince Qing brought ten attendants today, with four still remaining downstairs watching the Princess. When to act, awaiting orders.”

I returned the note to the server, who immediately swallowed it, then asked again: “Will the guest settle the bill or continue sitting?”

I slowly stood: “Settle the bill.”

The city gates were closed, and the entire city was filled with searching soldiers.

After leaving Yueyang Restaurant, I boarded a carriage heading straight to the imperial palace. Those Qing Wang attendants in the restaurant had already been dealt with. In other words, when Jinglan finished searching the capital and returned to Yueyang Restaurant, he would realize this deception was orchestrated by me.

This was naturally a strategy to lure the tiger away from the mountain.

With Jingyan seriously ill and bedridden, with eunuchs constantly guarding outside his chambers, truly removing him from the imperial palace would be impossible without a flawless plan and sufficient time. So from the beginning of our discussions, Tao Yuan had rejected this proposal.

I said: “Chief Tao, have you considered that perhaps we don’t need to take His Majesty away from the palace? We only need to create the illusion that His Majesty has disappeared, making Prince Qing believe someone has spirited His Majesty away overnight. He would certainly personally lead troops in pursuit, and during this time, even if we killed Eunuch Li Jun and those informants loyal to Prince Qing, Prince Qing couldn’t receive news immediately. And I would only need to enter the palace to see His Majesty alone once.”

Tao Yuan frowned in thought: “How can the Princess be certain Prince Qing would personally give chase? He could completely wait in the palace for news.”

I smiled slightly: “Having schemed and planned to this point, what does he most eagerly await now? That would be waiting for Jingyan’s death. But if he sees me suddenly appear in the capital, once I enter the palace and discover something amiss, he must eliminate me. But he knows all too well in his heart that I’m far less easy to deal with than Jingyan.”

Tao Yuan finally understood my meaning: “The Princess means that if Prince Qing suddenly sees the Princess, he would first try to delay the Princess. But if he happened to hear that His Majesty had been taken from the palace, he would go with the flow and kill His Majesty during the pursuit, then blame it on others. Only then could he rightfully ascend the throne.”

I said: “My elder brother has been meticulous since childhood. The more critical the moment, the more he naturally needs to handle things personally.”

Even I couldn’t have imagined that after being away from court politics for nearly two years, my ability to predict accurately remained—Jinglan truly led troops to search the capital thoroughly.

During this palace-wide chaos, I used Cheng Tiezhong’s palace token and, with the Mingjian Division’s arranged disguise, successfully infiltrated the imperial palace.

At such a time, naturally no one would pay attention to a small eunuch like me, nor would anyone think that the missing Emperor had never left his chambers at all.

All of Jinglan’s informants near the sleeping quarters had disappeared without a trace, replaced by eunuchs and palace maids from the Mingjian Division. As I approached His Majesty’s chambers step by step, no one came forward to stop me. Time was pressing, so I couldn’t worry about much and simply entered the room.

The room was silent with dim candlelight. I slowly walked toward the dragon bed, faintly seeing a pair of hollow incense balls hanging between the curtains. The faint fragrance of medicine lingered, but the bed was empty.

I walked to the bedside, lifted the bedding spread at the bed’s edge, moved the bed board’s position, and reached for the mechanism.

The stone wall the bed leaned against opened in response. The other end was also a chamber level with the bed, carpeted with thick rugs. Someone leaned against the wall, slowly opening eyes that had been tightly closed upon hearing the movement, turning slightly to look at me.

Moonlight crossed the window, making his refined features appear even more haggard.

It was naturally my younger brother, Xiao Jingyan.

This was the truth behind the so-called Emperor’s disappearance. The bed’s mechanism had originally been installed during father’s lifetime. During those years when his health fluctuated, sometimes he had to review memorials and secret reports while bedridden. Later, when documents piled up like mountains and even the small table beside the bed couldn’t hold them all, father simply created this small chamber, mainly used to store things he didn’t want others to see easily. Actually, not many people knew this secret. Besides Jingyan and me, only mother knew how to operate the mechanism. As for elder brother… when the chamber was built, he had already been expelled from the capital—how could he think of such a hiding place?

A thin mist rose in Jingyan’s eyes as he said with great effort in an almost inaudible voice: “Imperial sister… you’ve returned…”

That call of “Imperial sister” made my heart catch. I opened my mouth, feeling tears streaming down continuously. He slightly propped himself up, trying to move his body out. I quickly climbed onto the bed to support him, and wherever my hands touched were his weak, sickly bones. Instantly, the last string in my heart snapped: “How did you become so thin…”

With my support, he leaned back against the bed. I used soft pillows to prop him up so he could sit more comfortably. He reached out to wipe away my tears: “You’ve actually gained quite a bit of weight…”

I barely managed not to cry aloud: “It’s Imperial sister’s fault. I shouldn’t have abandoned you and left. I should have properly warned you about elder brother’s parentage. I…”

“Imperial sister,” he gently patted the back of my hand, “Jinglan’s parentage… father… told me long ago…”

Seeing my shocked expression, he smiled faintly, saying in a weak voice: “Father said this parentage secret was something Jinglan himself didn’t know. Since childhood, the person I most admired was Imperial brother. I thought as long as I kept this secret, he could stay by my side as my good Imperial brother… I was confused. I forgot… the more he didn’t know his true parentage, the more he would remember he had once been the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, and the more he would hate that everything that belonged to him had been taken by me…”

I looked at him bewildered: “He hates you? Did elder brother say these words to you?”

He nodded gently: “During my poisoned unconsciousness, Jinglan would often sit quietly by my bed, sometimes for an hour, sometimes for half a day… He had countless opportunities to let me die without a trace… but he didn’t. He… he talked to himself, telling me he originally hadn’t intended to kill me, only wanted me to fall into long unconsciousness, but hadn’t expected my body couldn’t withstand the Ruangu San poison… But having taken this step, he could no longer turn back…”

“Ruangu San… it really was Ruangu San…” I murmured. “Younger brother, is Jinglan… the Feng Li from back then?”

Jingyan looked at me with surprise, then slowly nodded: “…He told me himself…”

So the cousin who was killed by Song Langsheng’s sword in Prince Ruì’s mansion was also Jinglan’s body double in his escape scheme? So the person who years ago killed the entire escort agency, hunted Jun Jinzhi’s family, plotted the official boat explosion, created floods in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and used Cai Mi to drive wedges between Song Langsheng and me, repeatedly forcing us into desperate situations—was really Jinglan?

So Song Langsheng’s guesses that day had been completely correct. Both Jingyan and I had been blinded by emotion!

My whole body trembled more and more violently: “What do you mean ‘originally belonged to him’? If he wanted to be emperor, he shouldn’t have abandoned everything for a woman in the first place. But he did leave, so dashingly, dumping the burden of our ailing father and the empire entirely on our shoulders! And then what? When his woman died and he felt lost with nowhere to turn, did he start coveting the imperial power and wealth he once disdained?!”

Jingyan pressed down on my constantly trembling hands. Though it was a very light force, it seemed to carry heavy weight: “Imperial sister… don’t be angry, and don’t despair… From the moment we learned the truth, he was no longer our elder brother…”

I froze.

Jingyan stared at me, repeating word by word: “He was never our imperial brother to begin with.”

I lowered my head slightly, struggling to control my emotions: “You’re right, he was never our imperial brother… But we have no evidence. How can we make the civil and military officials believe that Jinglan isn’t father’s son…” At this thought, I suddenly remembered someone: “That’s right, the Empress Dowager knows the truth. When she and father exchanged the babies, there couldn’t have been no traces left! Only the Empress Dowager’s words would carry the most credibility…”

Jingyan said: “Imperial sister, that Empress Dowager is no longer the mother we knew… Originally the Empress Dowager strongly opposed my conferring Jinglan as Prince. But one day, somehow she stopped opposing it and became extremely caring toward Jinglan… I had suspicions and sent people to investigate secretly, but then I fell seriously ill. Only later did I learn that this Empress Dowager is fake…”

I felt like I was hearing the most absurd thing in the world: “The Empress Dowager is fake? How… how is that possible? No matter how powerful Jinglan is, how could he find someone to replace the Empress Dowager?”

“The facts are before us. I have no choice but to believe…”

If Jinglan could even replace the Empress Dowager in the palace at will, his hidden forces had reached an immeasurable extent—truly unimaginable. I looked at Jingyan: “Before coming today, I thought you could no longer move or speak. Now seeing that though you have difficulty moving, you can still make sounds—if so, why not reveal the truth before all the ministers during morning court and bring Jinglan to justice? No matter how carefully Jinglan plans and wins over important court officials, he’s ultimately just a prince, while you are the current Son of Heaven! You control the armies and hold the power. Younger brother, what exactly are you afraid of? Why do you hesitate to act?”

Jingyan stiffened slightly, the corners of his lips unconsciously curving up. He coughed twice and said slowly: “Imperial sister… from when I used my last strength to send Cheng Tiezhong to Guangling to find you until you appeared here today… during this time… I… have been unable to move or speak, and even… could barely open my eyes… The Ruangu San poison has long spread throughout my limbs and bones…”

“Then… then how can you now…”

“I prepared a medicine. When taken, whether someone is severely poisoned or terminally ill, they can recover consciousness for a short time…” He paused: “However, when the time comes… death follows…”

I felt my whole body going limp. I gripped the bed corner, unable to speak for a long time: “Since you couldn’t move, how did you… how did you take this medicine?”

“The Mingjian Division.” Jingyan smiled slightly: “Father said he gave the Mingjian Division to Imperial sister, but… cough cough, but the whole realm belongs to me. How could Tao Yuan at the Son of Heaven’s feet refuse an imperial command…”

The bed curtains fluttered in the wind. I looked at him in disbelief, mist rising in my eyes again: “Who gave you permission to die? Who allowed you to wake up this way? Xiao Jingyan… how can you give up your life like this without even trying… how can you do this…”

“I couldn’t hold on much longer. I couldn’t just sit and wait without doing anything…”

I gripped his arms tightly: “But I don’t want you to die. You are father’s last bloodline. If you die, what will I fight Jinglan with? Even if I win, who will inherit this vast realm?”

Jingyan said softly: “There is someone…”

“You mean your son still in swaddling clothes?” I bit my lip: “When in this world has an infant ever ascended the throne as emperor? Not to mention Xiao Jinglan—even all the court officials wouldn’t be convinced by that child. Do you understand?”

He looked up at me like cold stars in the night sky: “Imperial sister… what I meant… wasn’t my child, but father’s…”

I was stunned: “What does this mean? Our several imperial brothers aren’t all…”

He said: “The eldest imperial brother…”

I was confused: “Xiao Jinglan clearly wasn’t born to father…”

He pondered for a moment: “Didn’t mother indeed give birth to a baby that day?”

“But wasn’t that baby born yellow and emaciated, with the imperial physicians saying he wouldn’t live three days?”

“No… that baby didn’t die.” Jingyan said word by word: “They… all thought that baby would surely die. After replacing him with the imperial aunt’s child, that child… lived.”

I was speechless: “If that baby was still alive, why did father need Jinglan to replace him?”

Jingyan closed his eyes and said slowly: “Though that baby was said to be dying… father and mother still held a sliver of hope… To keep it secret, they had the wet nurse by mother’s side secretly take him out of the palace that night… Unexpectedly, as soon as the wet nurse left the palace, she disappeared, and the baby vanished too… From then on, father believed the child had died on the way and never searched again… But many years later, by chance, he learned of his existence again…”

I listened in a daze.

He panted slightly: “Father originally had no intention of having that prince living among the people return to the palace. If it weren’t for our imperial brothers dying one after another, the court situation becoming unmanageable… and my physical condition… father ultimately had concerns… Perhaps father had long anticipated today’s situation… cough cough cough… for the stability of Daqing’s realm…” He coughed hard twice. I patted his back: “Younger brother means father later found that prince and secretly maintained some kind of contact with him?”

Jingyan struggled to calm his breathing and nodded slightly.

I asked: “Who is he?”

Jingyan shook his head: “Perhaps father worried that I would eliminate that person after ascending the throne to secure my own position… Father didn’t tell me clearly about this…”

“Then would this person voluntarily step forward, expose that Jinglan isn’t a prince by birth, and replace him?”

Jingyan shook his head again: “…It seems he won’t now… Otherwise, all these years, when I re-established Jinglan as Prince Qing, how could he not have appeared…”

Hearing this, no matter how slow I was, I couldn’t miss his implication. So that day, Jingyan had made Jinglan a prince because he feared that true eldest brother in his heart, wanting to block his path back by giving Jinglan the title.

This foolish younger brother—how could he handle this matter so stupidly? How could he not think that if this prince lost among the people truly coveted the throne, he would have restored his imperial status when father was still alive? How could he choose to harbor such thoughts after father’s departure?

If this were the past, I would certainly scold him severely regardless of hierarchy. But now he was leaning against me like this, seeming to return to childhood when he looked pitiful after doing something wrong—how could I bear to say a harsh word?

I said: “Jingyan, sister promises you… I’ll do everything I can to find that prince and protect the Xiao family’s realm…”

Jingyan choked up, lowering his eyes and gripping my clothes: “…I know sister has only wanted to find a suitable husband like other princesses and live peacefully since childhood… If not for me, father wouldn’t have pushed sister into such a position in your prime years… Imperial sister, what you’ve done for me… I’ve never dared forget…”

The wind gently blew, swirling overhead. Afraid he’d catch cold, I adjusted the fur robe on his shoulders: “Don’t say these things anymore… You understand my heart, and how could I not know yours?”

He pressed my hand: “But what I’m about to say next, sister must remember firmly…”

He took a deep breath, then leaned close to whisper: “Before father died, he actually left two succession edicts… One passed the throne to me, the other to that brother whose identity we still don’t know…”

I looked at Jingyan in shock: “How… how is this possible?”

“Father told me this personally…”

“But… two edicts… if they both appear, which would be considered authentic?”

Jingyan said: “Mine takes precedence… while the one for our brother states that if I meet with misfortune or poor health, after my death, the throne passes to him… That edict not only identifies him clearly but will explain the prince-swapping incident in detail…”

I was stunned for a long while before saying: “Father’s foresight and planning truly has no equal… Since father was willing to let you know of that edict’s existence, he had no reason not to tell you where it was hidden. Otherwise, telling you would be meaningless…”

“Exactly… I’ve always known… where that edict is hidden… but I’ve never gone to look…” Seeing my furrowed brow, he smiled weakly: “I was afraid that if I looked, I’d violate the oath I made to father and couldn’t help but eliminate the threat…”

I looked up at Jingyan: “But you ultimately did nothing, didn’t you?”

No wonder Jingyan was so terrified of that unknown brother. If the edict stated he would succeed after Jingyan’s death, then if he harbored certain thoughts and harmed Jingyan, he could naturally take over legitimately. From this perspective, did father truly trust this brother’s character, or did this brother not even know of the second succession edict’s existence?

“Since younger brother holds such an edict, why fear Jinglan? You could secretly tell trustworthy ministers and have them publicly read the imperial decree. Why wait for me to return to do this? If I hadn’t returned…”

Jingyan said: “This was father’s personal instruction to me… The second edict… must be read publicly by Imperial sister…”

I was surprised: “Why?”

Jingyan’s color gradually drained from his lips: “This mystery… Imperial sister will have to… uncover personally…”

He struggled to gather his strength and slowly pulled out a bright yellow silk scroll from behind him: “This is the edict I wrote personally… recording where father’s edict is located, commanding officials to follow the late emperor’s decree… After my death, as long as Imperial sister brings my edict to court, the realm… won’t fall into Xiao Jinglan’s hands…”

As he spoke, his eyes slightly closed. I stared at him, not daring to blink, afraid that if I blinked, he would close his eyes and never open them again: “Jingyan…”

Jingyan smiled slightly at me, showing a dimple: “The time hasn’t come yet. I won’t fall asleep so quickly… just… a bit tired…”

At this moment, someone outside gently knocked three times: “Your Majesty, Princess, Chief Tao sent fireworks signals—Prince Qing is returning to the palace. If we delay further, we won’t be able to leave…”

Jingyan pressed the scroll into my hands: “Imperial sister… go quickly…”

I gripped his sleeve tightly: “I don’t want to…”

Tears filled my eyes. Jingyan gently wiped them away: “Being able to see Imperial sister one last time… puts me at peace… Only I regret not being able to see the Empress… and my premature child once more…”

The person outside urged again. Jingyan slowly pushed me away: “If you don’t leave now, everything will be wasted… You are my, father’s, and Daqing’s last hope… Go…”

I ultimately left the imperial palace in such haste, not even having time to bid Jingyan a final farewell.

The cold wind was bone-piercing. Leaving the palace again, all the city’s bustling scenes seemed suddenly erased, and heaven and earth fell into sudden solemnity.

Under the Mingjian Division’s arrangements, I avoided the layers of strict searches in the capital and returned to the Mingjian Division’s most secret hideout.

This underground chamber, even filled with candlelight, was more suffocating than the darkest night.

I couldn’t imagine what Jingyan would think about, how lonely he would be, lying alone in that vast sleeping chamber, slowly closing his eyes, slowly departing.

I curled up on the ground, reading Jingyan’s edict over and over again, finally burying my head in my knees, unable to stop trembling all over.

This night was destined to be sleepless.

News of the Emperor’s death reached the common people two days later.

It was said that when people in the palace found Jingyan, he had already passed away peacefully in his sleep. Immediately, throughout the palace, inside and outside the court, there was mourning and wailing. But behind that grief, more conspiracies stirred restlessly.

Now the court officials entrusted everything to Jinglan to handle, including the auspicious timing for the Emperor’s burial, condolences, funeral rites, and various ceremonies—all had to be submitted to him for review. Though the court hadn’t explicitly stated it, they clearly regarded Jinglan as the sole heir to the throne.

For several days, Xiao Jinglan had spread search agents throughout the imperial city, but he didn’t dare openly state whom they sought. Those foot soldiers didn’t clearly understand what kind of person they were supposed to capture. Even if I walked openly on the streets, they couldn’t detect anything amiss.

I thought this was perhaps Jinglan’s final warning to me—all the capital’s military forces were under his control; the realm was decided.

Actually, until now, Jinglan’s governing attitude remained modest and courteous, which further confirmed Jingyan’s words—Jinglan didn’t know his true parentage. He still considered himself my eldest brother, believing that though I might be angry with him, I wouldn’t gamble with the realm and state, since he thought he was the Xiao family’s only remaining bloodline.

From this perspective, he would likely be “entrusted with heavy responsibility” by the ministers before the coffin on the day of the funeral procession. He would have no choice but to shoulder the burden of ruler for the sake of the realm—everything natural and logical, with no one objecting.

Unfortunately, he had miscalculated this crucial point, making his plan impossible to complete.

Worldly affairs change in an instant.

I had never imagined that one day I would stand opposite the eldest brother I had most revered since childhood.

On the day of Jingyan’s funeral, I entered the palace in disguise under the Mingjian Division’s arrangements. After changing into mourning clothes, I slowly entered Yanfu Palace where the coffin was placed, in my capacity as eldest princess.

Inside and outside Yanfu Palace, civil and military officials stood everywhere.

When the eunuch outside loudly announced “Princess Xiangyi arrives,” everyone turned to look, watching with disbelief as I appeared from nowhere, approaching step by step.

The hall was hung with white drapes. I walked to the palace entrance and immediately saw the coffin in the center of the hall and Jinglan kneeling beside it with a mourning sash around his waist.

He slowly stood and looked at me, his unfathomable eyes holding indescribable emotions.

Until this moment, he hadn’t been able to prevent me from entering the palace. Now that I had taken this step, no one in the world could stop a sister from mourning her younger brother.

I paused briefly, then slowly crossed the threshold. Though the important ministers in the hall were greatly surprised, they quickly recovered and made way for me, nodding and bowing slightly.

Jinglan seemed to tremble as if seeing me for the first time, saying sorrowfully: “Xiangyi, you’ve returned…”

I didn’t respond to him but walked directly to the coffin. Jingyan lay there quietly, his face peaceful as if merely sleeping. I remembered what he told me that night: being able to see Imperial sister one last time puts me at peace.

Among all the princes, he had the most ordinary talents. Perhaps he wasn’t a good emperor, but he was my best younger brother.

Yet I couldn’t accompany him to his final moment.

I arranged my robes and knelt on the cushion, kowtowing deeply.

The hall fell silent. After I completed the prostration ritual, I heard someone say: “His Majesty governed wisely and loved the people compassionately—truly Daqing’s blessing… But heaven envied his talent, and he departed early, truly Daqing’s misfortune. We ministers are all heartbroken… However, the Great Liang harbors wolfish ambitions, eyeing our Daqing territory covetously… A nation cannot go a day without a ruler…”

The speaker was Minister Yang Zhuoyi, both Minister of War and Jingyan’s father-in-law, the Empress’s father. He now held a pivotal position at court, able to stand equal with Chief Cabinet Minister Zhao Gengnian. I didn’t know what agreement Jinglan had reached with him to make him speak for Jinglan, but from this alone, it wasn’t hard to guess that this Minister Yang not only didn’t know his daughter had been harmed by Jinglan, but also didn’t know his daughter had survived with the dragon heir. Only thus would he speak so definitively before all the civil and military officials in favor of establishing Jinglan to inherit the throne.

“…I believe Prince Qing is the only choice for the new ruler…”

Having spoken, he knelt with a long bow: “I, Yang Zhuoyi, nominate Prince Qing to succeed to the throne…” At the same time, nearly half the court officials also knelt one after another. Though Zhao Gengnian looked puzzled and quite hesitant, given the general trend, he really couldn’t find a more suitable candidate. Advanced in years, even with a clear mind, he had no choice but to follow and kneel.

Jinglan naturally had to hypocritically decline, but with such unanimous voice from the court officials, presumably he would ultimately “have no choice” but to shoulder this worldly burden.

Throughout this, I hadn’t uttered a sound.

I stood up at the moment when they spoke with one voice, unanimously recommending Jinglan as emperor.

When I rose, the several old ministers kneeling nearby were startled. Yang Zhuoyi couldn’t help but remind: “Prin… Princess… now Prince Qing is the succession choice…”

I turned to glance at Yang Zhuoyi: “Succession? Succeed to what?”

The hall fell into momentary deathly silence. I turned back and looked up at Jinglan, slowly curving my lips: “As long as I, Xiao Qitang, don’t acknowledge it, he cannot succeed to this imperial throne!”