“Audacious!”

The chessboard on the table was violently overturned. Dozens of chess pieces clattered and rolled across the floor, their echoes reverberating endlessly through the hall. Even the guards standing outside the hall heard the commotion within and trembled, secretly speculating what the person inside could possibly have said to provoke the Emperor’s great fury.

Qiu Xinran prostrated herself on the ground. Chess pieces rolled beside her forehead, but she dared not move. After a long while, the hall gradually quieted down, though the unsteady breathing of the person seated above could still faintly be heard. She knelt on the cold floor for so long that the blood in her hands and feet gradually stopped flowing, until finally she heard murmuring from above: “Son brings disaster upon father… calamity will surely follow… Who taught you these words?”

Qiu Xinran reported respectfully, “The diviner does not speak for herself, but only speaks of heaven’s will, absolutely without personal motive.”

Another unbearable silence filled the hall. After a long while, the person seated above finally spoke, sounding extremely weary: “Withdraw.”

Qiu Xinran stood up gently and quietly withdrew from the hall. As she turned to close the hall doors, her gaze fell upon that lofty old man on the steps. He looked like a statue trapped upon the dragon throne. With the closing of the hall doors, the Emperor was left alone in the supremely exalted yet empty palace.

She walked quickly between the red walls and green-tiled palace walls. Only after emerging from the palace walls that blocked out the sky on all sides did she feel the cold sweat on her back gradually dry.

Outside the palace, a carriage waited in a concealed spot. She hurried forward. He Zhong had been waiting inside for her for quite some time. Seeing her arrive, he showed some impatience: “We agreed on the hour of the Monkey…” Halfway through his words, he finally noticed her complexion and swallowed the rest: “What’s wrong with you?”

Qiu Xinran shook her head and patted his shoulder: “Take me back first.”

He Zhong glanced at her with some concern, lifted the carriage curtain to instruct the driver outside. After the carriage had traveled some distance, Qiu Xinran drank a mouthful of hot tea and her complexion improved somewhat: “Did you find out any news?”

He Zhong picked out the key points to tell her: “The day before yesterday, Lord Zhou took that white jade earring into the palace. I heard that after the Empress saw it, her expression changed, but she claimed it only looked familiar and couldn’t remember whether she’d actually gifted it to Concubine Xu.

“That’s nothing unusual—after all, it’s been so many years. But when Lord Zhou was leaving, the Empress kept the earring, saying she wanted to think about it more carefully, that perhaps she’d remember eventually. What do you think she means by this?” He Zhong looked utterly puzzled, while Qiu Xinran’s expression showed understanding: “If she took the initiative to ask to keep the earring, it means she must remember its origins. Saying she doesn’t remember is just an excuse.”

He Zhong still couldn’t figure it out: “What exactly are the earring’s origins that would make the First Prince so wary?”

“These are all just my guesses,” Qiu Xinran sighed. “When the Ninth Princess was alive, she gave me a white jade finger ring. The pattern on the earrings matches the ring—they should be a set of lovers’ jewelry. The woman wears the earrings, the man wears the ring, taking the meaning of ‘butterfly loves flower.’ The Ninth Princess once said the Empress recognized that ring, but clearly it wasn’t a gift to Concubine Xu, so it must have belonged to the First Prince. I guess he met Concubine Xu outside the palace, fell truly in love and gave her the earrings, and the two pledged themselves for life. But after he returned to the capital, when Concubine Xu entered the palace for the selection, by some twist of fate she was chosen as an imperial consort. Concubine Xu had feelings for him and couldn’t bear to discard the earrings, but she also couldn’t let anyone discover them, so she kept them secretly hidden all along. Xiao Song saw she never wore them and thought she disliked the earrings, which is why she dared to secretly take them out of the palace. She never imagined they were such important items.”

He Zhong listened in stunned amazement: “Can there really be such coincidences in this world?”

Qiu Xinran thought with bitter amusement: Wasn’t it too much of a coincidence? When Li Hantai arranged to meet Concubine Xu in the palace, he probably deliberately brought that ring to rekindle old feelings. But unexpectedly Li Hanyuan happened upon them, and in the confusion she picked up the ring. Fortunately, he was a cautious person and had already erased the characters engraved on the inside of the ring early on. That way, when wearing the ring, if people asked about the whereabouts of the earrings, he could claim he’d carelessly lost them, and to avoid causing misunderstandings, he’d erased the characters on the inside, wearing it as an ordinary ornament.

He Zhong stroked his chin, puzzled: “But if it’s really as you say, and the Empress has already guessed that the First Prince had an illicit relationship with Concubine Xu, why would she claim not to recognize those earrings?”

Qiu Xinran said calmly, “So many years have passed, and Concubine Xu died long ago. Dragging out this palace scandal over a pair of earrings benefits no one. How would the Empress be willing to do such thankless work? This way she can both sell Noble Consort Shu a favor and hold leverage over her—who knows what benefits it might bring her in the future.”

He Zhong clicked his tongue, somewhat annoyed: “So after all this fuss, we’ve been busy for nothing?”

Qiu Xinran shook her head: “I used Xianyi’s hands to present that white jade earring before the Empress precisely to make her harbor some suspicion toward Noble Consort Shu and her son. Everything must be done gradually. If the Empress is unwilling to stand up for Concubine Xu, it would be different if it were the Ninth Princess.”

What a pity to let her know about those past events in this way. She sighed inwardly—for a mother, this truth coming eight years late was truly too cruel.

He Zhong perked up: “You plan to tell the Empress about what happened back then?”

Qiu Xinran said, “Some things can only be learned by chance, otherwise it inevitably makes people suspect there are ulterior motives behind it.”

He Zhong couldn’t understand her convoluted reasoning and wasn’t patient enough to try. He only asked, “So what do we do next?” Somehow, without realizing it, he’d started saying “we.”

Qiu Xinran smiled without answering and asked instead, “Has Miss Han sent a reply?”

“She agreed to meet with you.” Speaking of this, He Zhong showed slight hesitation. “Are you confident she’ll definitely help us?”

“I don’t have that confidence.” Qiu Xinran closed her eyes and leaned gently back against the cushions in the carriage, saying softly, “But I believe in the Ninth Princess.”

She looked somewhat weary. He Zhong thought about how these past few days since the Marquis had gone missing, she’d been the one making all the plans, truly presenting an appearance of wholehearted dedication. Whenever he thought of this, his emotions were complex. Watching her lean against the cushions with closed eyes to rest, he felt rather uncomfortable and lifted the curtain to sit outside.

·

Not long after that day, Qiu Xinran finally remembered why Emperor Xuande had suddenly summoned her for divination—because in five more days would be the Grand Sacrifice Ceremony. The palace held a Grand Sacrifice Ceremony once every five years and a Minor Sacrifice Ceremony once every three years—it couldn’t be called anything but solemn.

During the Grand Sacrifice Ceremony, many monks would be invited to accompany and chant sutras. Though Qiu Xinran wore white robes, her reputation for divination was known far and wide, and she was Bai Jingming’s disciple, so this time she’d also gained qualification to accompany the imperial procession.

The matter of her divination that day in Yongming Palace had long spread throughout the court. Everyone knew Emperor Xuande was fond of consulting spirits and gods. Seven years ago he’d believed Qiu Xinran’s divination and sent Xia Xiuyan to lead troops into battle—who knew if seven years later he might believe another of Qiu Xinran’s divinations to determine the Crown Prince?

Unfortunately, apart from the two of them, no third person knew what was discussed in the hall that day. Learning that Qiu Xinran would also attend the ceremony, countless eyes and ears fixed on her, hoping to glean something from her.

During the ceremony, the Emperor would personally go to the sacrificial platform to pray for blessings, usually staying at the Tiansi Temple three days in advance. Ever since this year’s rumors spread that the Emperor wished to establish the Eastern Palace, civil and military officials all speculated whether at this ceremony Emperor Xuande would bring imperial princes up the mountain for the sacrifice.

Unexpectedly, Emperor Xuande did indeed select princes to accompany him up the sacrificial platform, but two princes would ascend the mountain together—the First Prince Li Hantai and the Second Prince Li Hanyi. At the same time, Emperor Xuande also appointed the Third Prince Li Hanling and Fourth Prince Li Hanxing to remain at Tiansi Temple to receive the officials’ homage.

This decree greatly disappointed everyone. These four princes were born to the Empress, Virtuous Consort De, Noble Consort Gui, and Noble Consort Shu respectively. No matter how one looked at it, the bowl of water was held perfectly level. No one could discern the imperial intent. The earlier rumors about establishing the Eastern Palace seemed to have become baseless speculation once again. Only Qiu Xinran, hearing of this matter, understood in her heart: that divination had ultimately still influenced Emperor Xuande.

Before the ceremony, she entered the palace to receive the court robes and ornaments to be worn on the day of the ceremony. Passing by the Imperial Garden, she heard voices from within. Amid the laughter, one woman’s laugh was particularly crisp. She turned to look through the flowers and trees. Han Ling sat among the gathering in a light-colored long dress, her features delicate and her manner refined. Several consorts and princesses nearby seemed to be playing a drinking game. She must have just lost a round. Qiu Xinran saw her turn to the Empress and say, “Aunt, you must help me.”

A young princess said in a childish voice, “Mother Empress has always been fair in her actions. Sister Han, this makes things difficult for her.” One could see the Empress clearly cherished this niece very much. She also joked a few words. Han Ling came forward to sit beside the Empress and said coquettishly, “No, I’ve been penalized three times. Aunt must add some prize before I’ll agree.”

The Empress lightly tapped her nose and said to everyone, “Look at this person—clearly she lost herself, yet now she has the cheek to ask for rewards.”

The consorts at the side all covered their mouths and laughed. The Empress asked, “What prize do you want?”

“I don’t dare ask for anything good. Aunt, whatever you reward me with is fine. Even ordinary rouge and jewelry would be more than I deserve.”

“You’re certainly not greedy.” The Empress said with feigned displeasure. Han Ling observed her expression from the side, about to say something more, when she suddenly heard her say, “In that case, I recently obtained a pair of white jade earrings that would suit your outfit today quite well. How about I reward you with those earrings?”

Han Ling’s eyes brightened, as if she hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly.

Qiu Xinran stood outside the flowers and trees. The maid leading the way saw her suddenly stop and turned back with some surprise, seeing her gaze focused intently on the Imperial Garden, her eyes deep, not knowing what she was thinking. When everyone in the garden heard the Empress mention white jade earrings, they all maintained normal expressions. When the palace maid came forward holding a tray, a pair of white jade earrings stood out prominently against the red velvet cushion. Noble Consort Shu glanced over. Her gaze first paused, then her expression changed slightly. Though she quickly concealed it, one could tell she’d obviously also recognized the earrings’ origins.

Her probing gaze fell on the Empress, but she saw the other’s expression remained unchanged, seated in the center, not glancing her way even once, continuing to exchange soft words with those beside her. She leaned slightly to one side and forced a smile: “These earrings are quite beautiful. Sister, where did you get them?”

The Empress smiled slightly: “A few days ago the Court of Judicial Review sent over some jewelry, saying it had flowed out of the palace. The other pieces were all collected by the Treasury Bureau, but when I saw this pair of earrings at a glance, I felt an indescribable familiarity, so I selfishly kept them.” When she said “indescribable familiarity,” there seemed to be some hidden meaning. Noble Consort Shu’s heart trembled, but she still had to pretend nothing was wrong and echoed, “I see. No wonder the Empress likes them—I also find them pleasing at first sight.”

Han Ling had been sitting quietly at the side all along, but at this moment suddenly turned to look toward the outside of the Imperial Garden, feigning surprise: “Oh? Who is that?”

This question drew quite a few people to crane their necks and look over. Qiu Xinran was instantly exposed to everyone’s view. The maid behind her was somewhat flustered, but she calmly stepped out from behind the flowers and trees and bowed to everyone. Seeing it was her, the Empress showed a moment of surprise, but quickly smiled and summoned her forward to ask, “Daoist Qiu, what brings you to the palace today?”

Qiu Xinran answered respectfully, “In two days is the Grand Sacrifice Ceremony. This subject entered the palace to first hear the etiquette instructress explain some rules, lest I make errors that day.”

The Empress nodded, “The ceremony rituals are complex—it’s indeed necessary to memorize them in advance.” After saying this, she noticed Qiu Xinran’s gaze occasionally drifting toward the velvet cushion held by the palace maid at the side, and couldn’t help asking, “Does Daoist Qiu also like these earrings?”

Qiu Xinran hastily withdrew her gaze, displaying an expression of impropriety and apologizing, “Your Majesty misunderstands. This subject only found these earrings somewhat familiar, which is why I couldn’t help looking a few more times.”

Upon hearing this, the Empress became genuinely interested: “You also find these earrings familiar?”

“This subject looked incorrectly,” Qiu Xinran smiled in denial. “What this subject has seen should have been a white jade finger ring that somewhat resembled these earrings. I mistakenly remembered wrong.”

When Qiu Xinran was about to exit the palace gates, she could still recall that after she’d finished speaking those words, Noble Consort Shu had nearly failed to maintain her composure for an instant. She couldn’t help but want to laugh inwardly. She walked slowly along the palace pathway. Before long, a small carriage caught up from behind and stopped beside her. Han Ling sat inside the carriage—it seemed the small banquet in the Imperial Garden had already dispersed.

“Daoist Qiu hasn’t left the palace yet?” Han Ling smiled slightly. “Perfect timing. The Empress would like to invite you to Xihe Palace.”

Qiu Xinran made a deep bow toward her, her words carrying double meaning: “Thank you, Miss Han.”

“A small matter—I’m not doing this for the Daoist.”

Qiu Xinran smiled with pursed lips and said again, “Then I thank Miss Han on behalf of the Ninth Princess.”

Han Ling’s gaze held deep meaning. As she lowered the curtain, she said softly, “If the Daoist hasn’t deceived me, it is I who thank you on behalf of A-Jiu.”