Soon, Yu Wan realized that she did not have the time to worry about her second brother’s mood because Uncle Wan had brought back heavy news—the marriage of the princess of Xiongnu had been decided. Her fiancé was the Fifth Prince.
It was not too surprising. There were only three princes of the right age. The biological mothers of the Second Prince and the Fourth Prince were both high-ranking consorts. The Fifth Prince’s biological mother was Concubine Yu. Her status was not noble enough, and her maternal family was not powerful. The Fifth Prince himself did not have any ambition to seize the throne. No matter how one looked at it, he was the most suitable candidate.
In order to express his appreciation for this marriage, the Emperor conferred the Fifth Prince as Prince Cheng. The Fifth Prince was the first among the brothers, but he could not be happy because he was going to marry a fierce woman from the Xiongnu.
The wedding date was set for next month. As the new wife of the royal family, Yu Wan would attend the wedding banquet that day. This meant that she had a lot of rules to learn. The intensity was not inferior to her second brother entering the Directorate.
Before this news could be digested, another even more shocking thing spread in the palace early the next morning—the Fengshai Palace was on fire.
In the dead of the night, all the palace servants had rested. When they discovered it, the fire had already spread to the Empress’s bedchamber. The bedchamber had been burned down, and the Empress was also injured. The huge Fengshai Palace had turned into ruins in the fire.
Yu Wan was standing by the flowers in the front yard when she heard about this from Uncle Wan. She wanted the kitchen to boil some rose brine for the three little fellows. Her hand that was holding the scissors paused and she asked Uncle Wan, “Where is the Empress now?”
Uncle Wan replied, “She’s temporarily staying in Zhaoyang Palace.”
The conversation with Yan Jiuchao in the palace suddenly flashed across Yu Wan’s mind.
“She wants us to help her get out of the Fengshai Palace.”
“This is not difficult. Go and tell the Empress that within three days, it will be as she wishes.”
Today happened to be the third day.
There was no such thing as a coincidence in the world. Yan Jiuchao must have done something to the Fengshai Palace. She had secretly guessed what method Yan Jiuchao would use, but she did not expect it to be such a simple and crude move. With the fire burning down Fengshai Palace, the Empress, who had not seen the light of day for ten years, finally came out openly.
This method sounded simple, but it was not so easy to set such a big fire in the palace without anyone knowing.
“Your Young Master is really…” Yu Wan couldn’t help but laugh. She didn’t know how to describe Yan Jiuchao, but it was undeniable that she was stunned by him again.
This was only the beginning. Although Yan Jiuchao had helped the Empress leave Fengshai Palace, whether she could stay outside forever depended on the Empress’s own ability. She hoped that she would not disappoint her and Yan Jiuchao.
In the bedchamber of the Zhaoyang Palace, the female doctors filed out with basins of blood. The Emperor walked in and looked at the imperial physician kneeling in front of the bed to change the Empress’s dressing. “How is the Empress?”
The imperial physician turned around and bowed. “Your Majesty, Her Majesty’s injuries are serious. I don’t dare to make a rash conclusion for the time being.”
The Emperor frowned.
Eunuch Wang gave the imperial physician a look, and the imperial physician picked up the first aid kit and left with Eunuch Wang. The palace servants also tactfully left, leaving only the Emperor and the dying Empress in the huge bedchamber.
The Emperor came to the bed and stood quietly for a while. The Empress choked and coughed. The Emperor frowned and reached out, but before he could touch the Empress, he saw her slowly wake up.
The Empress opened her eyes weakly and looked at the man in the bright yellow dragon robe. “…Your Majesty?” Her voice was hoarse and her lips were dry. She was already past her prime. She had aged a little more under her injuries.
The harem had never lacked women, but there was only one wife. The Emperor could not love the Empress, but the Empress was the legitimate one. This was something that no palace concubine could compare to.
“How do you feel?” The Emperor asked coldly.
The Empress said weakly, “I’ve frightened Your Majesty. I’m fine.”
The Emperor frowned. “The female envoy said that you had already escaped. Why did you rush back?”
The Empress looked at the Emperor affectionately and raised her arm under the blanket with difficulty.
The Emperor noticed her clenched fists and subconsciously reached out. The Empress placed a palm-sized pouch in his hand.
The pouch was already some years old. The corners were furry and the color had faded. The embroidery on the surface had become extremely smooth. It was obvious that it was often touched by others.
The Emperor opened the pouch. Inside were two bundles of hair tied together with a red string.
His heart seemed to have been hit by something. His thoughts instantly returned to the night of his wedding with the Empress many years ago. At that time, he was not even the Crown Prince. He was just a weak prince who had just left the Cold Palace and had yet to stabilize his foundation in the court. She was the daughter of the Grand Tutor. He had climbed up the social ladder with her. He still remembered the way she cut a bunch of black hair on his head. She was frightened and asked him if she had cut too much. He saw her carefully put away their hair and put it into the pouch, revealing a young girl’s bright smile.
“Why would you…” The Emperor’s throat worked. “Run back for this thing?”
The Empress’s tears flowed down from the corner of her eyes, but there was a smile on her lips. “I don’t regret it. I can die without regrets after being your wife.”
The Emperor gripped the pouch tightly and took a deep breath. “Don’t say depressing things. I’ll get the imperial physician to treat you well.”
The Empress did not say anything else to discourage him. She only looked at the Emperor and said, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor took the pouch away.
The Empress knew that she had won the bet. The moment the Emperor left the bedchamber of the Zhaoyang Palace, the affection on the Empress’s face disappeared. In the sunlight, she regained her cold expression.
Of course, a little compassion was not enough for the Emperor to forgive the Empress’s sin. However, just as the Emperor got someone to investigate the cause of the Fengshai Palace’s fire, some rumors spread in the palace.
“Have you heard? Back then, Noble Lady Liu was originally recuperating in the bedchamber. It was Worthy Consort who asked someone to call her to the imperial garden. If she didn’t go to the imperial garden, she wouldn’t have eaten that plate of poisonous snacks. She and the prince in her stomach might have survived.”
“There’s such a thing?”
“The person who should have suffered was Worthy Consort Xu, but Worthy Consort Xu pulled Noble Lady Liu as her scapegoat.”
“Is she so vicious? If someone wants to harm her, she can just expose them. Why did she harm the innocent Noble Lady Liu?”
“Noble Lady Liu is close to the Empress. Back then, we all suspected that the Empress was pretending to treat Noble Lady Liu well, but in fact, she was looking for an opportunity to secretly harm Noble Lady Liu’s child. It seems that we were all wrong.”
That’s right, they had no chance to verify it. When these rumors reached the Emperor’s ears, he got someone to drag a few palace maids out and beat them to death. From then on, no one in the palace dared to gossip about this matter. However, although the rumors were suppressed, the seed in the Emperor’s heart quietly sprouted.
“Yes, I was the one who poisoned her, but I didn’t want to harm Noble Lady Liu’s child! I’m the Empress, and Your Majesty’s children are also my children. Why would I harm my own children? So what if I snatched her son to raise him? She’s just a noble lady. Who can say anything? Noble Lady Liu’s fetus is no threat to me. I have no reason to harm him!”
These were the Empress’s words back then. The Emperor could not accept that the gentle and virtuous wife had become an evil woman. He was also angry at the arrogance in her words. No matter who the person she really wanted to harm was, he did not want to forgive her.
It was not that the Empress had not accused Worthy Consort Xu, but the personal palace maid of Noble Lady Liu had testified that Noble Lady Liu had gone to the imperial garden by herself and had nothing to do with anyone. Therefore, the Emperor thought that the Empress had poisoned Noble Lady Liu first and framed Worthy Consort Xu later.
“When did the rumors about Worthy Consort Xu and Noble Lady Liu spread?” The Emperor asked.
“Two days before the fire,” Eunuch Wang said.
“Was the arsonist?”
“Yes, it’s a secret guard. He… He didn’t have time to say. He committed suicide by taking poison.”
If the secret guard accused Worthy Consort Xu, it would arouse the Emperor’s suspicion, but he died without a word.
The Emperor looked thoughtful. “What do you think?”
“I don’t dare to say anything,” Eunuch Wang whispered.
“Just say it!” The Emperor said coldly.
“…Yes.” Eunuch Wang broke out in cold sweat. “I feel that if the rumors are true, and the Empress did want to scheme against Worthy Consort Xu back then, but Worthy Consort Xu saw through it first and pulled Noble Lady Liu as a scapegoat, then Worthy Consort Xu’s schemes are a little terrifying.”
The Emperor narrowed his eyes. “So you mean that this time, it’s not the Empress’s ruse, but Worthy Consort’s? When Worthy Consort heard the rumors, she thought that she couldn’t hide the matter of Noble Lady Liu anymore and was worried that I would favor the Empress again, so she decided to burn the Empress to death?”
Eunuch Wang did not say yes or no. He only sighed slowly and said, “The Empress has lost favor for ten years. She can’t set off such a fire.”
“But what if someone set it for her?” The Emperor said coldly.
Eunuch Wang’s eyebrows twitched.
The Emperor slammed the table and said, “Call that brat over!”
Eunuch Wang went to the Young Master Manor with a headache and invited this little ancestor to the imperial study.
“Young Master, can’t you… not cause trouble for a day?”
Eunuch Wang almost knelt down in front of Yan Jiuchao. One who could not settle down for a day, this would be referring to him!
“His Majesty is inside. You-you can go in.” Eunuch Wang sent him to the door of the imperial study and sighed before leaving.
Yan Jiuchao sat in his wheelchair, looking arrogant.
The Emperor was furious when he saw him. When he thought of what he had done, he became even angrier. He glanced at his wheelchair and said, “Are you done pretending?!”
“No,” Yan Jiuchao said.
The Emperor picked up an inkstone and was about to hit Yan Jiuchao’s head when Eunuch Wang ran in in shock. “You can’t smash him! Your Majesty, calm down!”
The Emperor was trembling with anger. He threw away the inkstone and sat down. “Speak! Did you set off the fire in the Fengshai Palace?!”
“Yes.” He admitted it without hesitation.
The Emperor, who had thought of a hundred ways to force a confession: “…”
Eunuch Wang couldn’t bear to look at him anymore. Was he stupid? He admitted it without being punished?
The Emperor suppressed his anger and said in a cold voice, “Why did you do that?”
Yan Jiuchao remained silent.
The Emperor said angrily, “Yan Jiuchao, I can give you a Princess Consort now!”
“For the golden seal,” Yan Jiuchao said with a compromising expression.
The Emperor’s anger paused, and he frowned with a complicated expression. “You mean… the Empress threatened you with the golden seal?”
Yan Jiuchao sighed. “It’s not a threat. It’s just a deal.”
The Emperor gritted his teeth. “You’re making a deal with my woman in my harem. Yan Jiuchao, you really have the guts to admit it!”
Yan Jiuchao did not say anything.
The Emperor snorted coldly. “But there’s nothing you can do if you don’t admit it. You set such a big fire in my palace. Do you really think I can’t find out? I don’t understand. For a woman, you actually… Do you really care so much about her?”
“Has His Majesty never cared so much about someone?” Yan Jiuchao asked.
The Emperor was stumped. This might be the madness in their family. Back then, for Prince Yan…
The Emperor closed his eyes and forced himself not to remember what happened with the late Emperor. He changed the topic and his voice became much more haggard. “…Why is the Empress such a person?”
A moment ago, he was still moved by her snatching their wedding gift in the fire. Now that he knew that everything was a scheme, he felt an indescribable disgust. He originally thought that even if she did something wrong, she was at least sincere to him. From the looks of it, he had been stupid.
“How are you going to punish me, Uncle?”
“Of course I have to punish you!”
However, he had not thought of how to punish him. He was in a terrible mood. He told Yan Jiuchao to get lost and return to the Young Master Manor first. Without his decree, he was not allowed to take half a step out of the manor.
On the way out of the palace, Eunuch Wang said earnestly, “Young Master, why did you confess? His Majesty actually can’t find out about you. I… I’ll try my best to put in a good word for you.”
Yan Jiuchao did not answer him. Instead, he asked, “Eunuch Wang, do you know why His Majesty hasn’t dealt with the Empress all these years and has only imprisoned her in the Fengshai Palace?”
Eunuch Wang thought for a while. “His Majesty was concerned about their marital relationship back then.”
Yan Jiuchao nodded. “That’s right. That’s why His Majesty can’t be ruthless to the Empress, nor can he bear to use her. However, from today onwards, His Majesty will have the heart to do so.”
His Majesty would still let the Empress regain her favor, but it was not because he wanted to reconcile with her, but to keep Worthy Consort Xu in check. To Yan Jiuchao, compared to a favored Empress, a chess piece Empress was naturally easier to control.
Eunuch Wang, who had come to his senses, sighed. “Young Master, you’re really hard-hearted.”
