Within the grand halls and lofty residences, every golden carving and luxurious adornment proclaimed the imperial family’s noble bearing.
“Emperor, Yinger is so frightened.” Jia Yinger fell into the emperor’s arms, looking delicate and pitiful.
Before long, an enraged voice resounded throughout the palace: “Summon the empress!”
The people in the palace hall gloated at her misfortune. They all had the same thought: empress, oh empress, you are going to be punished again this time.
Jiang Yiyun walked calmly and lightly toward Chenming Palace. To her, that place was a hall of slaughter.
The moment she received news that the assassination had failed, she knew she had caused a grave disaster.
The person she wanted to kill wielded overwhelming power. He was also the new emperor Chu Yinheng’s greatest threat, and, more importantly, the enemy she intended to slay with vengeance—Gu Hanjue.
He was the ruthless eunuch who stood below only one person yet above all others, and the factional power behind him was even more formidable.
In outsiders’ eyes, she was the empress and Chu Yinheng was the emperor; as emperor and empress, they ought to share one mind and resist their enemies together. Yet the truth was that they traveled the same path without sharing the same heart.
The failed assassination was partly due to her own oversight. She had left behind clues, causing Gu Hanjue to suspect Chu Yinheng.
She had just learned that Gu Hanjue had not directed his anger at anyone. He had merely issued a verbal warning before leaving Chenming Palace.
He had left, but she had arrived, because the matter was not yet over.
Inside the palace chambers, the young son of heaven gently caressed Noble Consort Li Jia Yinger, favored above all women in the six palaces. With fragrant warmth and soft jade in his arms, bathed in gentle light, he had long since become immersed in the moment.
At that moment, someone blocked part of the gentle light and ruined his mood. The newcomer was none other than the empress he detested most, Empress Jiang Yiyun, despite her breathtaking beauty being no less than that of the woman in his arms.
“Your subject and consort pays her respects…”
“Smack—” The crisp sound of a slap rang through the palace hall.
Jia Yinger sneered and hid herself in the man’s arms, while the maidservant behind her wore an equally brazen expression.
Chu Yinheng shouted angrily, “Useless wretch, look at the fine mess you’ve made.”
“Your subject and consort was at fault and is willing to accept punishment.” Jiang Yiyun’s left cheek was faintly red as she knelt in the palace hall.
She did not explain that this assassination had been tacitly approved by Chu Yinheng.
He had contributed no effort. If something went wrong, it was her fault; if they achieved total victory, he would not grant her even a share of his favor.
This was the emperor she had chosen to follow, her man, her husband.
Therefore, she endured it and accepted it.
“How many times have I told you? That eunuch Gu Hanjue possesses formidable martial arts and holds power over everything. Removing him is by no means something that can be accomplished in one stroke. Although he has no conclusive evidence this time and has already left, he now suspects Me. His visit just now was intended as a warning.”
Jia Yinger’s eyes gleamed as she lightly furrowed her brows. “Emperor, please do not blame elder sister. She did it for the sake of the realm.”
This affected and pretentious manner was utterly repulsive to Jiang Yiyun. She looked directly at Chu Yinheng, waiting for this man—her husband—to order her punishment.
“Since the empress neglected her duties, let her forfeit one year’s salary. Authority over the affairs of the Six Palaces will temporarily be entrusted to Noble Consort Li. Also, tomorrow at noon, go to Chenming Palace and kneel for one hour.”
Chu Yinheng’s heartless words reached her ears. This was the first time authority had slipped from her hands.
“Thank you, emperor.” She gave a shallow curtsy, her eyes devoid of life. Like a wooden puppet, she slowly turned around and quietly left.
Watching her dejected back, Chu Yinheng felt somewhat unwilling to be cruel, but he still did not regret giving her that slap.
From the day of their grand wedding, he had disliked this overly independent and strong-willed woman.
Most importantly, relying on her identity as empress, she repeatedly made things difficult for the woman he cherished in his arms.
Jia Yinger buried her head in the man’s embrace and smiled darkly before pretending to show concern. “Elder sister, please do not blame the emperor for that slap just now.”
Jiang Yiyun paused slightly but did not turn around. After listening to her finish those hypocritical words, she continued walking away.
“Yinger knew the emperor was not that heartless. He must still retain a trace of conjugal affection for elder sister. Otherwise, elder sister’s face would have been swollen beyond recognition by now.” Though spoken intimately, the sourness in her words was unmistakable.
Chu Yinheng sighed deeply. “I did not hold back my anger. Her skin is probably just too thick.” He looked at that lonely figure, and the trace of compassion in his heart slowly dissipated along with her gradually disappearing back.
How could Jiang Yiyun’s skin be thick?! Her true appearance was already swollen and painfully red. When she used medicinal solution to remove the disguise paste from her face, the glaring swelling was revealed.
She gently applied medicine while facing the bronze mirror. Although one side of her cheek had changed shape, it could not conceal her even more extraordinary beauty.
Her long brows curved with tender grace; a slight turn of her starry eyes sent forth rippling allure. Even before her vermilion lips opened, they already possessed an enchanting expression. Dimples at the corners of her lips added to her charm, making her even more captivating. Even the Goddess of Mount Gushe would be no more beautiful.
She sneered and mocked the person in the bronze mirror. What use was such beauty if no one could see it?
This face could never be revealed, and her true identity could never be mentioned.
Only when revenge achieved and the truth was revealed to the world—but that day seemed impossibly distant.
Jiang Yiyun, whose real name was Jiang Tongshan, was the chancellor’s daughter of the Chen Kingdom. She had been the sole recipient of boundless love, but at thirteen, a sudden disaster caused her to fall into the dust.
Chancellor Jiang was falsely accused of adultery with an enemy kingdom and plotting rebellion. What other outcome could there have been? Naturally, his entire household was slaughtered, while she narrowly escaped the calamity.
The Emperor of Li ordered someone to replace her with a condemned criminal, preserving her life. Afterward, she became the adopted daughter of Emperor Wenxian of the Li Kingdom—the princess of li kingdom.
From then on, Jiang Tongshan vanished from the world. There was only Jiang Yiyun.
She often saw Emperor Wenxian sitting alone in the palace hall, silently staring at the woman on the painted screen in a daze. He would gaze for one or two hours at a time. She thought that this must be the woman Emperor Wenxian loved deeply.
Several years later, she became the subject of a marriage alliance. The place she was to marry into was her former homeland, the place that caused her such heartache—the Chen Kingdom.
On the night before her distant marriage, Emperor Wenxian told her everything. The woman on the painted screen was her mother, the woman he had loved deeply.
After learning the truth, she could not sleep all night—not because she missed her family, but because she was moved by Emperor Wenxian’s sincere love.
The ruler of an entire kingdom had loved her mother for so long. That affection moved her deeply. She thought how wonderful it would be if the man she married could treat her in the same way.
On that day, the whole world celebrated. Carrying a trace of expectation, she married the man she was constantly longing for… and six months later, Jia Yinger, the commandery princess of Li, also married into the Chen Kingdom.
Both were women married into the Chen Kingdom from Li, and both were members of the imperial family, yet their circumstances differed completely: one was the empress, the other a noble consort; one was an abandoned wife, the other was the sole recipient of favor…
“Imperial consort.”
The call interrupted her thoughts.
“What is it?”
The junior palace maid reported, “The empress dowager will hold a banquet on the fifteenth of next month and has invited all the imperial consorts to attend.”
“Understood. You may withdraw.” Jiang Yiyun showed no emotion.
The palace maid gave a slight curtsy, then turned around and curled her lips. “Even now she still puts on airs. Does she really think she is the empress? She is nothing but a discarded favorite.”
Jiang Yiyun possessed a foundation in movement technique, so her hearing was naturally far keener than ordinary people’s. She heard every word the junior palace maid said.
“Princess, I will go teach that girl a lesson.”
A black-clad attire woman suddenly dropped from the roof beam and requested Jiang Yiyun’s command.
The black-clad attire woman was named An Luo, a Shadow guard bestowed upon her by Emperor Wenxian.
Jiang Yiyun smiled helplessly. “Forget it. She is only a junior palace maid.”
An Luo said unhappily, “But at the very least, we should let them know that Chenli palace is not a place one can enter and leave so easily.”
“Forget it. The emperor does not favor me, and I cannot fight for this identity or its dignity. Besides, it would be unwise for me to draw too much attention now, lest my identity be exposed.”
“An Luo is displeased. Today, I must make that junior palace maid learn some rules. I will act quietly and leave no trace.”
“Ah!” Jiang Yiyun sighed softly. Looking toward the departing figure, she instructed, “Do not be too heavy-handed.”
After saying that, she once again used disguise paste to conceal her true appearance.
“Princess, princess.” One had left, and two more arrived.
Two women dressed as maidservants came running over. One was named Lian Ying and the other Tao Ying. Both had followed her all the way from Li to the Chen Kingdom and cared for her deeply.
“Princess, why is the empress dowager inexplicably holding some family banquet? Who knows what scheme she is plotting this time.” Lian Ying, dressed in pink, frowned.
Tao Ying beside her also looked worried. “Princess, you must be careful! Everyone in the imperial palace knows how to scheme, and we have nearly fallen into their traps many times.”
Seeing how deeply the two cared about her safety, Jiang Yiyun’s face softened with warmth.
“It is fine. I will deal with whatever comes.”
Lian Ying asked, “Did the emperor summon the princess today to make things difficult for you?”
“Nothing much. He merely reprimanded me a few times and then gave Noble Consort Li the authority to govern the Six Palaces.”
“What?” The two young girls exclaimed in unison.
“It is fine. Without this troublesome title, I can finally rest a little. After all, someone is always watching this authority.”
Tao Ying said, “The emperor is too biased. What is so good about Noble Consort Li? Why does he always favor her?”
Jiang Yiyun’s heart ached. “Because he is the emperor. Loving the beloved’s associates is his prerogative. Do not say such things again.”
Tao Ying nodded seriously, while Lian Ying asked worriedly, “Then what will the princess do from now on?”
“I, Jiang Yiyun, am no one who will swallow insults in silence. If someone offends me, I will certainly repay them. But right now, neither time nor circumstances are on my side, so I can only endure for a while and await my opportunity.” Her delicate hands clenched tightly within her sleeves.
She was wise and sagacious, repeatedly outwitting the schemes of the women in the imperial harem; she was calm and steady, repeatedly receiving Gu Hanjue’s killing moves; she was sentimental, and thus repeatedly lost to the beautiful but shallow Jia Yinger for the sake of this heartless emperor.
Jia Yinger was the commandery princess of Li and the niece of Emperor Wenxian of the Li Kingdom, but Emperor Wenxian was also Jiang Yiyun’s lifesaving benefactor.
Therefore, she found it difficult to strike Jia Yinger ruthlessly and could only stop short each time.
Chu Yinheng doted on Jia Yinger so deeply that the current situation was extremely unfavorable to her.
So what use was intelligence? It could not withstand being too deeply entangled in love…