“Ah, my Consort Jiang, it is not that this servant refuses to help you—His Majesty is truly burdened with affairs of state and cannot see you.”
Though the spring chill bit at the hands of other attendants, Rong Chengguang was sweating with anxiety.
Consort Jiang had lately behaved as though possessed—ignoring His Majesty’s orders, moving directly into Yunchong Hall, and coming daily to Qianqing Palace claiming she wished to visit him. At first, when told he was busy, she left quietly. But today, no matter what was said, she refused to leave, standing outside the palace gates for hours in the cold wind.
Rong Chengguang feared she might fall ill; he pleaded with her desperately, nearly ready to kneel.
Jiang Nian, however, was firm: “Eunuch Rong, you need not persuade me further. Today I will wait here until His Majesty finishes his affairs.”
On her way to Qianqing Palace, she recalled the novel’s plot: the Emperor’s first true encounter with the heroine was at the grand hunting festival, when northern envoys set a trap and he fell into a cliffside cave. At death’s door, it was the heroine who saved him, tended him, and uncovered the envoy’s treachery. That was how their bond began.
Jiang Nian knew she must cut off that thread before it ever formed.
The hunting festival always included seven consorts—a sizable number. But she knew well that unless she begged, Qi Yi would never take her. So today, she had to see him.
At last, Rong Chengguang admitted the truth: “To be frank, Consort Jiang, His Majesty is not in Qianqing Palace. He is in the Empress Dowager’s palace.”
Jiang Nian frowned: “Didn’t His Majesty just leave court? Why go to the Empress Dowager’s palace?”
“The young prince was badly frightened. The Empress Dowager summoned His Majesty to comfort him. It seems he will not return here for lunch. Consort Jiang, you should go back.”
But Jiang Nian thought differently—if Qi Yi was in the Empress Dowager’s palace, she could see him there. Whether the Empress Dowager or Zhao Jing welcomed her was irrelevant. As long as she could reconcile with Qi Yi and block the heroine, she could endure anything.
Inside the Empress Dowager’s palace:
“The death of Consort Jin is shrouded in mystery. You refuse to order an investigation, simply arranging matters as you please. Now look—Zhao Jing weeps like this, and yet you still intend to send him to the hunting festival? Do you mean to kill him?”
The Empress Dowager flung a vase; it shattered, shards grazing the Emperor’s cheek and leaving a thin cut.
The attendants dropped to their knees in terror. Even the Empress Dowager herself was startled, but in her fury, she would not lower her stance.
Qi Yi remained calm, as though unhurt, and replied coolly: “Mother, you exaggerate. Consort Jin took her own life, leaving a note. How is that unclear? As for the hunting festival, Zhao Jing need not attend. However…”
“Yesterday, the Empress and several ministers recommended their sons of suitable age to join the hunt. If you are reassured, I have no objection.”
Zhao Jing’s scandals were no secret; the court had heard whispers. No matter how strong the Zhao family, if Zhao Jing proved unworthy, the crown prince’s seat would be hard to secure. Should other sons outshine him, even his title as imperial heir would be in jeopardy.
The Empress Dowager eyed Qi Yi’s composure, but suspicion gnawed at her. Consort Jin’s death was too strange. Could it have been His Majesty’s doing? Perhaps to avenge Jiang Nian? Yet her spies in Qianqing Palace reported that no special treatment was given to Consort Jiang.
As she wavered, a maid entered: “Your Majesty, Your Ladyship—the Consort Jiang seeks audience.”
The Empress Dowager’s eyes glinted. “Let her in.”
Jiang Nian entered, curtsied: “Your concubine greets the Empress Dowager, His Majesty.” She lowered her head, stealing glances at the three figures.
The Empress Dowager’s face was dark, her mood foul.
Zhao Jing leaned against her, eyes red, glaring at Jiang Nian as though at a mortal enemy.
And His Majesty…
Jiang Nian shifted slightly, stealing a glance from the corner of her eye. His golden crown gleamed, his face as flawless as jade, and the resplendent dragon robe of imperial yellow lent him even greater majesty than usual.
Before she could look longer, the Empress Dowager asked: “Why is it today that Consort Jiang has the heart to visit me here?”
Of course, it was for His Majesty—she could hardly admit she had come chasing him. Jiang Nian thought this, but her lips shaped a graceful reply: “Your concubine heard that Consort Jin took her own life, and thought the Empress Dowager and the young prince must be deeply grieved. I came to offer comfort.”
Comfort was the excuse; flaunting her presence was the truth. The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes, suspicion stirring. Could Jiang Nian have killed Consort Jin? But could a frail woman truly possess such daring? Or had she underestimated her all along—was Jiang Nian a hidden predator in disguise?
While the Empress Dowager pondered, Zhao Jing burst out, his voice raw with rage: “Jiang Nian, stop pretending! You vile woman—was it you who murdered my mother?”
Jiang Nian frowned: “Young Prince, Consort Jin took her own life. There are witnesses and evidence. Do not twist black into white.”
The Empress Dowager held her furious grandson, patting him in feigned gentleness, offering apology: “Zhao Jing has lost his mother. In his grief, he speaks wildly. Consort Jiang, do not take offense.”
Jiang Nian had no wish to quarrel with the boy, so she answered smoothly: “The Empress Dowager is right. I would not stoop to contend with a child. But the young prince is at an impressionable age, easily misled. He must be guided well, lest he be led astray and disappoint both Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager’s hopes.”
She did not argue—but neither would she swallow insult in silence.
The Empress Dowager’s fingers twitched, her smile forced. Zhao Jing, enraged like a lion, broke free from her arms and shoved Jiang Nian hard: “Wretch! You may not speak of my mother that way. It was you—you envied her, so you killed her!”
Why was it Consort Jin who died, and not Jiang Nian? Now the whole court knew he had tried to burn her alive, and all blamed his parents. His own father had scolded him harshly.
All his life, Zhao Jing had been indulged, never treated so. And all because of Jiang Nian. If not for her, he would not be punished, and Consort Jin would not be dead. His fists clenched, fury consuming him. “Jiang Nian, go to hell!”
“Your Ladyship, beware—!” The shove numbed Jiang Nian’s back, and darkness swam before her eyes. Before she could recover, she saw Zhao Jing rushing at her with a short blade.
The knife came within half an inch—she seized it barehanded. Blood gushed, pain clearing her mind. She kicked Zhao Jing away: “Impudent!”
He stumbled, fell, then scrambled up, clutching a heavy vase, ready to smash it at her. The Empress Dowager’s sharp cry froze him in place: “Zhao Jing! No more madness.”
A matron took the vase, coaxing him away.
With such chaos, the Empress Dowager abandoned pleasantries: “Consort Jiang, the young prince was frightened and unbalanced, hence his actions. Your wound looks grave—summon the imperial physician at once.”
But before the order was carried out, Qi Yi rose: “Your son has affairs of state. I will visit again another day.”
The Empress Dowager nodded: “Very well. State matters are urgent. I will not detain the Emperor for lunch.”
Jiang Nian stood stunned. The brocade curtain lifted, and the spring wind rushed in, chilling her further. She was wounded. And Qi Yi… left in haste without even waiting for the physician, without even a glance at her.
Later, a maid asked: “Empress Dowager, now that Consort Jiang has gone, will you permit the young prince to attend the hunting festival? Do you no longer suspect His Majesty?”
The Empress Dowager fingered her prayer beads, a smile curling at her lips: “If a man’s beloved were stabbed before his eyes, which man could resist saving her? Yet the Emperor left before the physician even arrived. This proves he could never have killed Consort Jin for Jiang Nian’s sake. Impossible. At the hunting festival, if harm comes to Zhao Jing, I will have no doubts left.”