The imperial procession departed from Shanglin Garden and returned to the capital in less than half a day.
The Eastern Palace, bleak and deserted just a few days earlier, suddenly came alive again. Imperial physicians crowded into Gu Changze’s residence, and rewards from Emperor Yan streamed in like water.
Despite his frail condition, Gu Changze dragged himself to the Qianqing Palace the very next day. There, he advised that the matter of the Third Prince’s alleged attempt on the Sixth Prince’s life should be investigated more thoroughly and that no innocent person should be wrongfully accused.
When word spread, people once again praised the Crown Prince’s benevolence and careful conduct, remarking that he truly possessed the bearing of a gentleman and a future ruler.
Worried about Gu Changze’s health, Xie Yao frequently visited the Eastern Palace after returning to the capital, dropping by every few days. The palace servants had become especially warm toward her, hurrying ahead to greet and escort her inside. “His Highness is waiting for you in his chambers.”
Xie Yao stepped inside and was just about to bow when Gu Changze stopped her.
“Only four days remain until our wedding. Miss Xie, shouldn’t you begin getting used to things a little in advance? Surely, after entering the palace, you won’t continue treating me with such formality.”
Xie Yao paused, then straightened up naturally. Seeing that Gu Changze looked much better today, she smiled in return. “If word of that got out, wouldn’t people accuse Your Highness of being lax in enforcing discipline?”
“The rules outside are for the outside world. They hold little sway in the Eastern Palace. My Crown Princess needn’t abide by those rules either.”
His words drew a smile from Xie Yao.
Ever since the incident several days ago and their return to the capital, Xie Yao had become noticeably less restrained around him. During her recent visits to the Eastern Palace to check on Gu Changze, she would often exchange lighthearted jokes with him as well.
“Your Highness looks much healthier today.”
“When happy events are on the horizon, one’s spirits naturally improve. I’m no exception.”
There was a deeper meaning behind Gu Changze’s words. In just a few days, their wedding would take place. The entire palace and the Ministry of Rites were bustling with preparations, and even Prince Xie’s estate had been swept up in the flurry of activity.
The old steward of the manor had wept tears of joy, saying that she had finally found a worthy home. The dowry Prince Xie and his wife had left her before their deaths was by no means small. As this was a royal marriage, Emperor Yan, wishing to demonstrate his favor and regard, had also ordered the ceremonial Six Rites to be properly carried out. Though the preparations had been somewhat rushed, all the proper formalities had been observed.
“The Ministry of Rites has nearly finished preparing everything. If there’s anything you want, you may tell me.” Jiang Zhen handed over the lengthy gift list.
Xie Yao accepted it, glanced through it, and smiled. “When Your Highness is handling matters, I have complete peace of mind.”
This time, she didn’t refer to herself as your subject’s daughter. A smile flickered in Gu Changze’s eyes. “How is your younger sister at the estate?”
“I’ve had the steward looking after her these past few days. She’s almost fully recovered.” Xie Yao had not expected him to remember such a small matter. “Your Highness is always thinking about every little thing. You should pay more attention to your own injuries as well.”
Recently, physicians in the Eastern Palace had been taking shifts day and night. Tonic soups and medicinal remedies were supplied without interruption. Moreover, Gu Changze had anticipated the risks involved in his earlier scheme from the very beginning, and by now his health had improved considerably.
“I still need to keep up my spirits for four days from now. Naturally, I’ll take care of myself.”
Gu Changze curved his lips into a smile.
Xie Yao thought of how, four days later, it would be their wedding day. She lowered her head and pressed her lips together, listening to his words, and suddenly felt her heartbeat quicken.
After returning to Prince Xie’s estate from the Eastern Palace, Xie Yao ran into Steward Hong, who was rushing about, busy with preparations.
The late Prince Xie and his wife had left behind a considerable fortune, and her elder brother had long ago begun preparing a dowry for his younger sister. Naturally, all of it would accompany her into the Eastern Palace. Steward Hong stood with the account books, directing servants as they carried the items out one by one. When he turned around, he noticed Xie Yao.
The young noblewoman was only sixteen this year. Graceful and radiant, with delicate brows and gentle features, she stood quietly to one side. Her appearance bore a striking resemblance to the late Princess Consort Xie, perhaps seven parts alike. Steward Hong still remembered her brilliant coming-of-age celebration the previous year. Standing beside Xiao Min, she had looked every bit a match made in heaven. Who could have imagined that in little more than a year, fate would change so drastically? At the time, he had assumed these dowry items would one day be sent with her to the Xiao residence, under the careful arrangements of the prince and princess consort.
Unaware of his thoughts, Xie Yao watched as the servants carried chest after chest outside. Suddenly, her gaze settled on the contents of one particular box. Inside were the little treasures she had loved as a child: a carved wooden horse, paper kites, revolving lanterns, cloth tigers, and countless other toys packed neatly together. A thin layer of dust covered them.
Noticing her surprise, Steward Hong explained, “The Princess Consort put these away herself years ago. She said that when you grew up, a day would surely come when you’d remember them. Keeping them as mementos wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
Princess Consort Xie had been a cold beauty by temperament, seeming indifferent to almost everything. Xie Yao’s relationship with her had never been as close as that of an ordinary mother and daughter, so it had never occurred to her that her mother would care enough to preserve these things for her.
Xie Yao swallowed hard. Her thoughts drifted back to that night three months earlier. News had arrived from the frontier that Prince Xie had fallen in battle. Before she had even had time to fully grieve, word came from the manor that the Princess Consort had hanged herself.
In a single night, she had lost her father, her brother, and her mother. The faint smile on her lips slowly faded.
Stepping forward, Xie Yao approached the chest to examine the items more closely.
Steward Hong said Princess Consort Xie had sorted and packed them all herself. Some had already become worn with age, but she had carefully mended them, stitch by stitch, before cleaning and storing them neatly together. Her slender fingers lightly brushed over the items.
Xie Yao picked up a sachet, and something tucked inside was caught by the breeze. It fluttered gently through the air before drifting to the floor. It was a slightly yellowed sheet of decorative stationery. Inside was a painting of summer fireflies.
Xie Yao remembered the picture. It had been during the third month she spent at the frontier with Prince Xie. She had secretly slipped away from camp and gotten lost. By unfortunate chance, the two armies were engaged in battle that day. Terrified, she hid alone inside a cave. There, she met someone. He drew her a picture and told her that the fireflies of summer would guide her way. He instructed her to walk toward the brightest light, where the soldiers of Great Sheng would be waiting for her at the end of the road. They would surely help her find her way home. And she had made it back. Yet, to this day, she had no idea what became of that person afterward.
“Miss, a palace matron has arrived with your wedding gown.” Steward Hong’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
Xie Yao rose and headed toward the main hall.
The matron had come to deliver the wedding dress she would wear four days later. Qingyu eagerly crowded forward to see it, chattering nonstop, while Xie Yan also came over with curiosity. Xie Yao simply let them open the box containing the gown.
The moment it was unfolded, a dazzling expanse of brilliant crimson filled their sight, radiant and luminous. The cuffs were embroidered with golden thread, forming an elegant, noble phoenix design. The ornamental fastenings were exquisitely crafted, and the gown itself was made from the finest Liuyun brocade.
A look of amazement flashed across Qingyu’s face as she glanced from the dress to Xie Yao. “If Miss wears this, you’ll surely be the most beautiful bride in the world.” She praised her delightedly, and Xie Yan hurried over as well, showering Xie Yao with compliments.
For a time, the three of them laughed and teased one another, the lighthearted atmosphere washing away some of the tension and danger of recent days. Even Xie Yao’s usually tranquil heart was drawn into their merriment. Looking at the beautiful crimson wedding gown, she felt a touch of anticipation as well.
Meanwhile, Gu Changze was in an exceptionally good mood as he watched the Ministry of Rites complete the last of the wedding preparations. Rising to his feet, he headed out.
“Come. Let’s pay a visit to Third Brother.”
Earlier, the Crown Prince had personally urged that the matter be investigated further. As a result, the Ministry of Justice reopened the case surrounding the incident at West Mountain.
The Third Prince’s former supporters seized the opportunity to mount a counterattack, searching everywhere for evidence to clear his name. Unexpectedly, their efforts backfired. Not only did they fail to uncover anything in his defense, but the Minister of Justice discovered that the servant who had bitten off his tongue and committed suicide behind the Sixth Prince had also been bribed by the Third Prince. Furthermore, the medicine the Third Prince had withdrawn from the palace stores had indeed been used to prepare the poison fed to the Sixth Prince.
The entire empire was watching the case unfold. With the evidence now conclusive, the Sixth Prince’s mother, the Noble Consort, immediately stormed into the Third Prince’s residence to make a scene. The confrontation nearly escalated to the point where she demanded the guards draw their swords and kill him.
The Empress arrived soon afterward. Seeing her son in such a miserable state, she flew into a rage and slapped the Noble Consort across the face.
Meanwhile, the maternal families backing both sides argued fiercely at court. Emperor Yan found himself overwhelmed day after day. In the end, he simply placed the Third Prince under house arrest, stationing heavily armed guards at his gates. But the Crown Prince was now the empire’s most favored and influential figure. Naturally, no guard dared stop him.
Gu Changze entered the residence without the slightest obstruction. Looking at the bleak, silent estate of the Third Prince and at Gu Xiufu lying on the floor reeking of alcohol, he spoke gently: “The floor is cold. Third Brother should take better care of his health.”
Gu Xiufu glared at him. Murderous intent blazed in his bloodshot eyes. “It was you.”
He was not stupid. Once he had thought everything through, he had pieced together the chain of events.
The Sixth Prince’s broken leg had originally had nothing to do with him. He had only meant to push events along and bring about the Crown Prince’s downfall. Never had he expected the disaster to be redirected onto himself. Why had he happened to lose consciousness when he arrived? Why, upon waking, had the evidence been switched? And why had Gu Changze deliberately, whether intentionally or not, steered attention toward the jade pendant?
He did not even know when that pendant had been planted in his residence. More than that, how had there suddenly appeared irrefutable evidence linking him to the Sixth Prince’s injury?
The more Gu Xiufu thought about the pile of crimes that had inexplicably been pinned on him while the true mastermind stood above it all, noble and immaculate, basking in the admiration of the entire realm, the more he wanted to rush forward and kill him with his own hands.
“I truly underestimated you. For all your appearance as a sickly invalid, you’re the one who’s been hiding your strength the whole time.”
Gu Changze merely curved his lips in an unconcerned smile. Looking at Gu Xiufu’s bedraggled state, he continued to speak in the same gentle tone. “I should be thanking Third Brother and Sixth Brother as well.”
Otherwise, he never could have diverted the disaster onto someone else, nor could he have won Xie Yao’s sympathy and ultimately persuaded her to marry into the Eastern Palace.
Fury flashed across Gu Xiufu’s face as he lunged forward again. Gu Changze casually stepped back to avoid him. As he turned and walked away, a cloud of fine white powder drifted from his sleeve.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
On the evening of the seventh day of the third month, the Eastern Palace was ablaze with celebration. Lanterns hung everywhere, colorful silks draped the courtyards, and crimson decorations covered every corner. Everyone was busy preparing for the Crown Prince’s wedding the following day.
After finally watching Gu Changze finish his medicine without protest, Jiang Zhen let out a long sigh of relief. “If Your Highness keeps refusing your medicine, you’ll worry this servant to death first.”
Gu Changze was unconcerned. In the past, he had been alone. Keeping himself alive had been little more than dragging out a miserable existence. But starting tomorrow, there would be a Crown Princess in the Eastern Palace. She would bear his surname, share his fate, and live and die alongside him.
From that moment on, Gu Changze’s life would no longer belong solely to Gu Changze.
A breeze blew in from outside.
Following the lantern light, Gu Changze looked toward the red silk decorations fluttering beyond the doorway. The heart that had long lain dormant and lifeless finally stirred with faint ripples of emotion. Three years ago, he had never imagined that the scenes from his dreams would one day become reality.
“Tomorrow, I…”
“Your Highness!” Hurried footsteps sounded from outside. A guard rushed in and stopped before him, seemingly hesitant to speak.
“Speak.”
Gu Changze was in exceptionally good spirits today. Even the corners of his mouth carried a smile, lacking his usual aloofness.
“The young master of the Xiao family has awakened.”
The instant those words fell, a sharp snap rang out.
Gu Changze had just broken the flower branch he was trimming in half.
Jiang Zhen watched as his expression darkened in an instant. The warmth vanished from his gentle eyes, replaced by a shadowy menace and killing intent he rarely let others see.
Jiang Zhen’s heart immediately sank. Terrified, he dropped to his knees. “Your Highness, you can’t! Tomorrow is your wedding day. There absolutely mustn’t be bloodshed! Young Master Xiao isn’t like other people. Others, if you want to kill them, then so be it. But not him! Think of the Crown Princess! If blood is spilled tonight, then tomorrow’s wedding…”
The anxious babbling echoed through the room.
Gu Changze cast him a glance and said lightly, “I may not be able to kill Xiao Min right now, but killing you should not cause any problems.”
Jiang Zhen’s voice cut off abruptly. His thin frame shrank back immediately, and he did not dare utter another word.
“Besides,” Gu Changze continued, “when did I ever say I was going to kill him?”
He sat down at the desk, picked up a vermilion brush, and began writing swift, flowing characters across a card. “My wedding is a joyous occasion, something the entire realm should celebrate. A single invitation for the Xiao residence simply won’t do.”
He finished writing and handed over the invitation. “This invitation bears both my name and the Crown Princess’s. Deliver it personally to Young Master Xiao tonight. Tell him that tomorrow, he must attend the ceremony at the Eastern Palace and witness the wedding.”