For a moment, Consort Jin stood stunned. Then she regained her senses, rose from the ground, and rushed forward, embracing Consort Jiang with a look of tender concern. “Elder Sister, how could you be so foolish? Even if you do not care for His Majesty, you should not throw away your life. If something happened to you, how could your younger sister go on living?”
Her embrace seemed affectionate, like a sister’s devotion, yet in truth it separated Jiang Nian from the Emperor and shifted blame—making it appear that the fire had been set by Jiang Nian herself in an attempt to escape, and that others were wrongly accused when discovered.
Truly, a poisonous consort.
The crowd’s expressions shifted, their eyes toward Jiang Nian filled with disgust. But Jiang Nian ignored them all. She looked past Consort Jin, fixing her gaze on Qi Yi. Unlike the others, his eyes held no loathing—only calm, with a faint trace of *so it is, after all*.
Her heart clenched, emboldening her. She slapped Consort Jin across the face. “I have His Majesty’s favor—why would I risk my life? It is you, Consort Jin, who dares to pin the crime of arson upon me. Where do you place the palace rules?”
Consort Jin clutched her cheek, stunned. She could not believe Jiang Nian had struck her in public. Though her rank was lower, even the Empress herself would not dare slap a consort before the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the ministers.
Hatred burned in her heart, but she lowered her eyes, feigning meekness. “Yes. I spoke out of turn. I should not have told His Majesty. Elder Sister may punish me as she sees fit.”
So it seemed Jiang Nian struck her only to avoid punishment. No wonder their once-close bond had soured into enmity. Poor Consort Jin—so devoted, yet repaid with betrayal.
The Empress Dowager stepped forward, supported by her maids, her face full of compassion. “Perhaps Consort Jiang was frightened, and so spoke rashly of me and the young prince. Let it be. I shall think of her as still young and ignorant. Yi’er, you must attend court tomorrow. Return early to rest. Consort Jiang will be cared for by me and Consort Jin—we will not allow her to act recklessly again.”
Her words dripped with kindness, her gaze upon Jiang Nian even tinged with pity. To any onlooker, she seemed incapable of cruelty. Consort Jin appeared gentle, the Empress Dowager benevolent—surely none would make Jiang Nian suffer. And yet, given all the harm she had done to His Majesty, letting her near him again might bring disaster.
The crowd’s opinion of Jiang Nian grew darker still.
Seeing Qi Yi silent, the Empress Dowager’s attendants surrounded Jiang Nian, gripping her hands firmly. “Consort Jiang, come with us. The Empress Dowager knows you were frightened—she has ordered calming soup prepared. The young prince has been crying, worried for you.”
Qi Yi’s figure receded farther and farther. Cold seeped into Jiang Nian’s bones. No—if she could not reach him tonight, she would never have another chance. She could not be led away.
The thought of never seeing him again filled her with dread. She broke free of the attendants, ran forward, and clung to Qi Yi, trembling. “I don’t want anyone else—I only want Your Majesty.”
Terrified he might truly abandon her, her fragile calm shattered. She wept anew. “I know I have done many wrongs before. I will change. Please, Your Majesty, do not cast me aside.” Her tears soaked the dragon robe at his chest. Qi Yi frowned at the spreading dampness.
Was she not always close to Consort Jin, devoted to the Empress Dowager, doting on Prince Jing? What had come over her tonight? Why was her heart so unstable?
His brows furrowed. He neither pushed her away nor embraced her. Rong Chengguang, ever perceptive, barked orders to the servants: “What are you standing around for? It’s freezing—take Consort Jiang back to the Yangxin Hall and tend to her well. If she catches a cold or is harmed, your heads will answer for it.”
The maids carefully supported Jiang Nian. Qi Yi did not stop them. Rong Chengguang, sensing he was right, added firmly: “Guard Consort Jiang well. Without His Majesty’s command, she is not to leave for any place.”
Even the Empress Dowager could not intervene now.
Qi Yi’s silence was tacit consent, leaving the Empress Dowager no room to object. She could only stand aside, her face dark with displeasure.
With no attendants pulling her back, Jiang Nian moved reluctantly, each step heavy, turning three times for every one she took—like a bride sending her husband off to war. At last, she walked some distance away, only to turn back again.
This time, she did not cry. She merely clutched the Emperor’s sleeve and whispered: “Your Majesty… will you come to see me tonight?”
Qi Yi was silent for a moment. Then he pulled free the wrinkled sleeve and said coldly: “I have state affairs to attend. I will not go to Qianqing Palace. If you dislike it, you may stay elsewhere.”
At times of heavy duty, he might lodge in the Imperial Study—but Jiang Nian knew this was his way of refusing to be with her. Still, being in Qianqing Palace was better than nothing; at least it kept her close to him.
“No. I only wish to be near Your Majesty. I will not go anywhere else.”
Whether he believed her or not, she knew that after such a scene, further pleading was useless. She let the maids support her away.
Consort Jin, her face swollen and her steps limping, left the Empress Dowager’s palace, clutching Ying Que’s hand with venom.
“That Jiang Nian—truly blessed by fate. Even such a great fire could not kill her.”
Not only had she survived, but she had also seen the Emperor again, and now lodged in Qianqing Palace. With Fu Garden burned, she might even use this as an excuse to be reassigned closer to His Majesty. So the fire Zhao Jing had set at her urging had become Jiang Nian’s bridal gift.
She had not only been struck by Jiang Nian but also punished by the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace. If Zhao Jing had not pleaded for her, she might have died there.
“Your Ladyship, ever since Consort Jiang fell into the water, she seems like a different person. Could she truly have awakened to something?”
“How could that foolish brain of hers awaken to anything?” Consort Jin sneered. “She has only suffered a few days of hardship, so she clings to His Majesty. Once Jing’er shows her concern in a few days, she will surely turn back. Do not forget—she has always longed to flee the palace to find that so-called gentleman. She will not give up so easily.”
It was said that Jiang Nian and that young man shared deep affection. Otherwise, why would she, at the height of her favor, madly attempt to escape the palace to elope with him—even to the point of trying to assassinate the Emperor?
Such feelings could not be cast aside so quickly. Consort Jin believed Jiang Nian’s current desperation was only because they had treated her harshly of late.
“Enough. Hurry back and apply medicine. If scars remain on my face, how will I win His Majesty’s favor?”
“Yes, Your Ladyship.”
The winter night was heavy with frost. From the Cining Palace to Consort Jin’s residence at Cuiwei Palace was far, and only Ying Que’s lantern lit the way. The silence pressed in, and Consort Jin’s heart grew uneasy. She gripped Ying Que’s hand tighter.
At the corner, a shadow leaped out. Consort Jin shuddered, then relaxed when she saw who it was.
“Eunuch Rong—it’s you?”
Rong Chengguang smiled lightly. “His Majesty sent me.”
His Majesty? Could it be that her words had not been overheard, and the Emperor pitied her for being struck by Jiang Nian, sending comfort through Eunuch Rong?
It must be so. Why else send him?
Her heart leaped with joy. The pain in her face and legs seemed to vanish. She quickly knelt in gratitude. “This concubine thanks His Majesty for his concern.” She nudged Ying Que, offering a heavy purse of silver to Eunuch Rong. “Please, Eunuch, convey my respects to His Majesty.”
Her eyes shone with hope, head bowed low. But Rong Chengguang’s next words struck her like a bucket of cold water: “Alas, I fear tonight Your Ladyship will find no peace.”