From Fu Garden came piercing cries. Xu Zhengchun turned instinctively, but the eunuch at the Empress Dowager’s side quickly shut the door, reminding him sternly, “Fu Garden is a forbidden place in the palace. Guard Xu, you must watch carefully. Do not leave your post without permission, lest you betray the Empress Dowager’s and His Majesty’s intentions.”
Xu Zhengchun pressed his lips together, bowed low: “This servant will strictly obey His Majesty’s command.”
Satisfied, the eunuch nodded and helped the Empress Dowager into her phoenix palanquin. “Lift the palanquin! Return to the palace!”
The grand procession of Cining Palace attendants followed behind, fading from Fu Garden. Xu Zhengchun straightened, his gaze shadowed. Beside him, a young guard fretted: “Consort Jiang was beaten so badly. Should we not report to His Majesty?”
Though the eunuch had tried to block them, the cries and blows had been clear. Through the crack of the door, they had glimpsed Consort Jiang collapsed in her maids’ arms, her back bloodied.
His Majesty had said that unless Consort Jiang attempted escape, no reports were needed. But this—this seemed far graver than escape. Yet the eunuch’s words had been plain: a warning not to mention it before His Majesty.
One was the Empress Dowager: the other, Consort Jiang. What should they do?
Xu Zhengchun hesitated, then chose as always—to remain at his post outside the gates.
The young guard, seeing this, wisely held his tongue. Still, regret gnawed at him. If Consort Jiang had not been so reckless, she would not have fallen to such a fate. In the past, His Majesty would never have let her suffer so. She had clung to the wrong branch.
Midwinter.
The palace was bitterly cold. Xiao Tao rubbed her hands, coughing as she stoked the smoky black charcoal, grumbling: “The Household Bureau is bold indeed. These days, they send only low‑grade coal. Do they not fear punishment?”
Lian Zhi sighed helplessly: “Since the Empress Dowager struck our mistress, word has spread through the harem. Those sycophants in the Bureau now send not only poor coal, but leftover scraps for food.”
Xiao Tao’s voice rose: “I don’t mind the coal, nor the scraps. But our mistress is different. If not for the imperial physicians’ timely aid, she might have died. Now she nurses wounds, yet has neither warmth nor proper food. How can she heal?”
The smoke thickened, stinging their eyes. Xiao Tao wiped her tears, choking: “It’s all my fault. If I had taken the beating from the young prince, our mistress would not have suffered again and again. It’s all because of me…”
Xiao Tao, though usually brash and wild, was the most sentimental at heart. Seeing her cry, Lian Zhi’s eyes grew damp as well. “Don’t say such things. What matters now is caring for Her Ladyship. Fan the smoke away—don’t let it choke her. I’ll go to the small kitchen and prepare something warm for her to eat.”
“Got it.” Xiao Tao fanned the fire, her eyes red—whether from tears or smoke, she could not tell.
Jiang Nian had been awake for some time, overhearing their conversation. Her heart was a tangle of emotions. She had lost the Empress Dowager as her supposed support. Not only the Household Bureau, but even the attendants of Fu Garden dared to defy her. When Xiao Tao scolded them for negligence, they sneered: “A discarded consort, fussing over nothing. Who knows—perhaps His Majesty will order her death in a few days.”
Xiao Tao, furious, wanted to strike them, but they threatened: “Lay a hand on me, and I’ll go straight to the Empress Dowager for justice.”
Afraid of causing more trouble, Xiao Tao flushed red and forced herself to stop. Such incidents were countless.
What worried her most was the selection of palace beauties. The heroine, Li Yinyao, had already entered the harem and been granted the title of *Meiren*. If Jiang Nian could not leave Fu Garden to see His Majesty and win back his heart, she might truly be bullied to death. Her back wounds had healed somewhat. As long as she did not strain, the pain was bearable. But even so, Fu Garden was heavily guarded. How could she possibly get out?
After her beating, Xu Zhengchun had only summoned the imperial physicians. He showed no sign of relenting. Pleading with him was useless, and the guards would never trust her.
Jiang Nian’s thoughts churned. After a few bites of food, she returned to her couch. The palace was bitterly cold. She shivered under her quilt until it warmed, then drifted into uneasy sleep.
Nightfall.
Jiang Nian felt unwell, her nose stinging. Drowsiness weighed on her, and she thought she must have caught a chill. She pulled the quilt tighter, ready to sleep.
Just as she began to doze, Xiao Tao burst in, breathless: “Your Ladyship, wake up! There’s a fire—we must get you out!”
Imperial Study.
Rong Chengguang paced outside, clutching his whisk, deeply anxious.
Moments ago, a guard had reported that the Fu Garden consort was in peril again—this time, her very life at stake. He longed to inform His Majesty, but inside the study, several ministers were discussing grave affairs of state. He dared not interrupt. Sweat was about to drip down his neck when His Majesty suddenly called him.
“Rong Chengguang.”
“Your Majesty!” Rong Chengguang lifted his eyes. The man seated upon the dragon throne wore a dark dragon robe, his face cold as carved ice. Beneath his sword‑like brows, those black eyes were fathomless. A single sharp glance made Rong Chengguang’s legs weaken.
“Tea.”
The voice was frigid, devoid of emotion. Rong Chengguang suppressed his fear, prepared the tea, and withdrew to the side. The chamber was silent. The ministers seemed stymied by the matter at hand, each brooding with grave expressions.
Qi Yi sipped his tea quietly. Rong Chengguang, gauging that His Majesty’s expression was not yet stormy, dared to test: “Just now, the guards reported—Fu Garden has suffered a fire.”
The air grew colder. The ministers stiffened, trembling as they watched His Majesty, terrified he might erupt in fury. Rong Chengguang’s heart pounded, his body trembling.
Compared to their panic, Qi Yi remained utterly calm, no emotion flickering across his face. He leaned slightly, long fingers tapping the armrest of the throne.
*Tap, tap…* Each sound made heads bow lower.
The Chancellor, seeing the ministers’ fear, snorted: “Consort Jiang has used her tricks countless times. Your Majesty, in my humble view, this matter need not concern you.”
Qi Yi lifted his eyelids but gave no reply.
“A month ago, Consort Jiang struck the young prince. Had the Empress Dowager not intervened, Your Majesty’s only son might have died at her hands. In my opinion, why not take this chance to grant her death? It would bring peace to both harem and court.”
“The young prince could then have a mother who truly loves him, no longer forced to live under another’s roof, suffering humiliation.”
Zhao Yuan met Qi Yi’s gaze directly, without fear. His Zhao clan had won great military merit, was kin to the Empress Dowager, and held the only prince. He did not believe Qi Yi would dare defy him.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” another minister chimed in. “Over the years, Jiang Consort has committed countless grave errors—even dared to assassinate you. She has no heart. I say we follow the Chancellor’s counsel and remove her.”
One after another, ministers bowed and echoed the call. With new beauties entering the palace—many daughters of officials—each sought to clear away the obstacle.
The hall was so silent that a pin could be heard. Only the incense smoke rose straight upward. Upon the throne, those unfathomable eyes swept slowly across the kneeling ranks, and every bowed back sank lower under their weight.
Zhao Yuan’s brows furrowed, clearly displeased with Qi Yi’s indifference. He was about to speak again when an urgent report came from outside.
“Your Majesty! Fu Garden has suffered a fire. Consort Jiang may be trapped inside. No news yet.”
No news—most likely ill fate. Zhao Yuan smirked, stepping ahead of the Emperor to bark: “She is but a discarded consort. Shall Your Majesty personally go to save her? Withdraw at once! We ministers still have weighty matters to discuss.”
Xu Zhengchun remained kneeling, unmoved. First, he obeyed only His Majesty—since the Emperor had not spoken, he would not act on the Chancellor’s command. Second, guilt weighed on him. When Consort Jiang was punished harshly before, he had not reported it. Now, with the fire, perhaps her injuries had kept her from escaping.
Seeing him still standing firm, Zhao Yuan grew furious. He was the Chancellor—if the Emperor ignored him, so be it. But for a mere guard to defy him publicly was intolerable.
Zhao Yuan’s face darkened, his voice icy: “Guard Xu, Consort Jiang has schemed against His Majesty time and again. Now she stirs up fire—surely plotting harm once more. By siding with her, do you mean to commit regicide yourself?”
The word struck like thunder. The ministers, already uneasy, nearly collapsed. Even with the Chancellor’s power, to utter “regicide” before the throne was reckless.
Xu Zhengchun knew the danger. If the Emperor grew angry, his life would be forfeit. If he withdrew now, he might survive. If he persisted, death was certain. No man does not value his life. Xu Zhengchun was no exception. Yet… he lifted his chin, his eyes meeting the Emperor’s.
“Your Majesty, Consort Jiang has suffered greatly of late. Not long ago, the young prince deliberately pushed her into the water, then beat the maid who saved her. Later, he killed the cat Your Majesty gifted her and threw its corpse in her face. In anger, Consort Jiang struck the young prince, for which the Empress Dowager punished her with ten strokes. Forgive my boldness, but I believe this fire has nothing to do with her.”
The ministers were stunned. If true, then the Empress Dowager had been gravely unjust. Should Consort Jiang perish in this fire, the Empress Dowager’s punishment would be complicit in her death—a shame beyond measure.
Zhao Yuan’s face turned iron blue. He roared: “You are but a guard! How dare you slander the Empress Dowager? If Consort Jiang truly suffered injustice, why did she not appeal to His Majesty? What right have you to speak for her? I see you have long been bribed, scheming to weaken imperial dignity!”
“That is because I stopped her!” Xu Zhengchun straightened, his voice ringing. Then, turning to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, Consort Jiang cried to see you many times. It was I who thought she plotted against you, and so I refused her, concealing the truth. This time, I come not for Consort Jiang but to speak plainly, with a clear conscience. As for Consort Jiang…”
“Your Majesty, I await only your command!”