A man of slender, handsome build lay quietly on a carved python-patterned sandalwood lounge chair draped in mink fur. He wore a light blue robe embroidered with cloud patterns, cinched at the waist with a jade belt.
His narrow eyes were lightly closed, and his thin lips were slightly pale, bearing the mark of illness.
Xiuyue took the hand warmer, replaced the water with fresh hot water, and handed it to him before going to add more charcoal to the brazier.
The man on the lounge chair rose at that moment.
A sudden gust of cold wind swept into the room, making Xiuyue shiver.
She turned to see her master opening the door. Her heart tightened, and she immediately grabbed a silver fox-fur cloak, shaking it open to drape over his shoulders.
“Your Highness, it is cold outside. Please be careful of your health.”
Fu Jingyi held the hand warmer in one hand and reached out with the other to catch a few snowflakes. His palm was so cold that it took a moment for the snow to melt.
The thick, white snow covering the ground looked as if clouds from the sky had fallen whole; in this moment, it felt as if he were standing amidst the clouds.
“Has the Crown Prince’s carriage entered Jinling Cheng?” he asked.
Xiuyue stood a step behind him, bowing her head. “In response to Your Highness, he likely returned an hour ago. There was a great clamor outside then.”
Everyone had been craning their necks in anticipation of the Crown Prince’s return to the capital.
A year ago, when the Nan Yi people invaded, the Crown Prince had personally led the army to the border. The morale of the border troops soared, and for months, reports of victory arrived one after another. The entire nation was immersed in the joy of peace and prosperity.
Now that the situation at the border was settled, the Emperor had issued a decree summoning the Crown Prince back to court ahead of schedule.
The commoners sang praises for this Crown Prince, calling him a man of justice and integrity, virtuous and wise, who loved his people like his own children—a sage ruler rarely seen in a millennium.
“Your Highness, are you truly resigned to this? It was clearly a frame-up by the Empress, and the Crown Prince incited the officials to fan the flames, nearly leading to Consort Chen being sentenced to death. It was you who knelt in the snow wearing only thin clothes, pleading for the Emperor to investigate and retry the case, which finally cleared Her Ladyship’s name.”
Xiuyue’s voice grew raspy as she spoke. “But because of that, you ruined your health. For the past year, you have been constantly on medicine, and you couldn’t even attend the Qiu Sen. They committed such evil deeds; shouldn’t there be retribution?”
Consort Chen was deeply favored, and her adopted son, the Seventh Prince, was talented in both letters and martial arts, possessing both virtue and looks. Outsiders all said Consort Chen had a limitless future.
However, at this time last year, just as Consort Chen was about to be titled Noble Consort, the Empress searched her palace and found aphrodisiacs.
The Emperor, mindful of their shared history, could not bear to punish her severely. Yet, the Crown Prince led the officials in a long, unyielding kneel-in at the court, accusing Consort Chen of using drugs to bewitch the Emperor and damage his health—a crime against the state that deserved death.
Under the pressure of the ministers’ pleas, the Emperor painfully issued the order for her execution.
Fortunately, the maid who had planted the evidence was found in time. Under severe torture, she confessed to her actions but refused to name the mastermind to her dying breath.
Though the grievance was redressed, rumors now circulated that the Seventh Prince’s frail and sickly body would not last long.
Fu Jingyi gazed at the tall parasol tree in the courtyard. The heavy accumulation of snow had snapped a thick branch.
With a muffled thud, bits of snow splashed lightly.
Fu Jingyi coughed twice, his lips curving into a slight smile.
At the palace banquet held to welcome the Crown Prince, Fu Jingyi arrived neither too early nor too late.
Consort Chen seemed to have been waiting for a long time. As soon as she saw him, she hurried over.
She wore a golden silk pomegranate-pleated long dress with a hem that flowed over three feet behind her. Her ink-black hair was styled in a Wufeng Chaoyang Ji, adorned with a Fengxian Liusu Jin Buyao that tinkled softly with every step she took.
“Feng’er, how has your health been lately?”
Fu Feng, courtesy name Jingyi.
Now, the only person who could affectionately call him Feng’er was Consort Chen.
“Everything is well with your son.”
Although they were mother and son in name, Consort Chen was only eight years older than him. Fu Jingyi’s birth mother had been of low rank and died early; at the age of ten, he was placed under the care of the eighteen-year-old Consort Chen.
Now, Consort Chen was twenty-seven. With skin like jade and eyebrows like green willows, her eyes were like water, still possessing the radiant beauty of a young woman.
Despite the constant favor she received, she had no children of her own.
“That is good.” Consort Chen looked Fu Feng over carefully, and only after ensuring she could see no signs of illness did her expression soften.
She lowered her voice and said, “Now that the Crown Prince is back, you must not stand out in anything. Avoid whatever you can. Nothing is more important than staying alive.”
Fu Jingyi nodded. “I know.”
“The Empress has arrived!”
A loud announcement quieted the hall instantly. Everyone retreated to the sides to pay their respects.
The Empress wore a grand, floor-length scarlet robe and a phoenix crown. Twin threads embroidered a phoenix poised for flight on her garment, gleaming with gold and silver light under the bright hall lamps.
As she passed Consort Chen, her gaze lingered for a moment, showing unconcealed disgust.
Her cold gaze then shifted to Fu Jingyi’s face, like moonlight casting onto a cold river.
“For the Seventh Wang to leave his room on such a frigid day, you will surely be coughing for a long time after you return.”
“Thank you for your concern, Mother Empress. I am fine.”
The Empress wore a thin smile. “I have heard you are used to bland food. I fear your body won’t be able to handle the delicacies on today’s jade platters. Why not leave the palace now and return to your Qi Wang Fu?”
Fu Jingyi bowed his head. “Today is the Crown Prince’s welcoming banquet. Even if I were at death’s door, I would have myself carried here on a stretcher to welcome him.”
The Empress chuckled. “Indeed, this is your duty as a subject.”
“Yes.”
Fu Jingyi was respectful and submissive, his lowered eyes as calm as a tranquil lake.
Previously, Consort Chen had still been able to compete by relying on the Emperor’s favor, but now, due to Fu Feng’s sickly body and her own lack of children over the years, she had lost completely.
Gradually, those who had flattered and approached them turned away, keeping their distance.
Consort Chen was a thorn in the Empress’s side, and he was her adopted son.
If the Crown Prince ascended the throne and the Empress became the Empress Dowager, Consort Chen’s fate might not be much better than that of Lady Qi in the stories.
Many in the Qianyuan Chao had heard such a story: in a distant capital, there was a Lady Qi who enjoyed great favor for a time. After the Emperor passed away, she was turned into a Renzhi by Empress Lü.
Favored consorts who met such a fate were not few.
Consort Chen was self-aware; thus, after Fu Jingyi was titled a Wang and established his own estate, she never summoned him, intentionally distancing herself. Only in situations like today, where meeting was unavoidable, would she offer a few words of care and advice.
Only after the Empress took her high seat on the third tier did the others dare to sit.
“The Crown Prince has arrived!”
Before their seats were even warm, everyone stood up respectfully again to salute the heir apparent as he stepped into the hall.
The Crown Prince was in his early twenties, dressed in a black satin robe with gold trim and a moon-white waistband. His dark hair was secured with a simple mutton-fat jade hairpin.
A thin smile played on his lips, and his eyes were full of high spirits.
Everyone immediately noticed the beautiful woman following beside the Crown Prince.
She wore only a single exquisite pearl hairpin in her hair. Though her clothes were made of fine silk, there was no gold or silver embroidery, nor were there any floral patterns to add splendor. A solitary shade of pure emerald green was considered simple for such an occasion.
Her attire was not flamboyant, as if she had intentionally made it simple, yet her temperament was elegant and her demeanor composed. The Bujin at her waist, nearly silent as she moved, showed her dignified bearing. Naturally, she was no mere girl from a humble family.
No one dared to treat her lightly, for she was the pearl of Grand Preceptor Qin’s palm—Qin Yu.
Fu Jingyi’s gaze paused for a moment when it met hers, then he immediately looked away.
Qin Yu pursed her lips imperceptibly, then stepped forward with poise to pay her respects to the Empress on the high seat.
“The Emperor has arrived!”
With the eunuch’s loud cry, everyone bowed to welcome him. The Emperor laughed loudly and told them to rise.
“I have not held a banquet in a long time. Using the excuse of the Crown Prince’s celebration, let us all gather. Today, there is no need for excessive formality. Do not think of yourselves as subjects; drink your fill and enjoy yourselves!”
The Empress said gracefully, “Since it is a celebration for the Crown Prince, may this consort ask for a favor on his behalf?”