[The State of Madness Revealed]
In court, the situation surrounding the impeachment of the Minister of Rites grew increasingly severe. The subordinate had turned on his direct superior, continuously exposing the sordid affairs the Minister had hidden in the shadows.
The Emperor was incensed. He handed the investigation over to the Supreme Court of Justice, while a secret decree was simultaneously dispatched to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard had previously held minor clues regarding the Minister’s corruption, but before they could investigate thoroughly, someone had already dragged the whole mess into the light.
Qi Hanzhou frowned slightly as he received the secret decree. His eyes swept over the details, lingering for a long time on the list of officials from the Ministry of Rites. Seeing the young General Qi’s look of confusion, his deputy couldn’t help but remark, “We’ve been wanting to investigate the Ministry of Rites for a while. Doesn’t this secret decree give us the perfect opportunity? But why did the Minister’s scandals pop up just now?”
“Because of Hu Buyu. Hu Buyu is closely tied to the First Prince, so the balance of the court has shifted,” Qi Hanzhou said, his brow furrowing deeper. He knew exactly how the Hu family had ended up on the First Prince’s boat—the variable was that rainy night at Huguo Temple. From the interception of the Hu women to the First Prince leading the guards to save Hu Buyu, it was all that person’s handiwork. One could say Hu Buyu was pushed into the First Prince’s camp by him alone.
Sharing a carriage and leaving the palace together didn’t mean much on their own. But in court, with countless eyes watching, the Emperor praising the First Prince because of Hu Buyu—that was the problem.
If Hu Buyu had never made it to the capital, nothing would have happened. But once he arrived and established a foothold, certain people in court could no longer sit still.
“The mastermind behind the assassination must have known Master Hu was a confidant of the Emperor,” the deputy mused. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent so many dead-eye assassins after him.”
Qi Hanzhou replied, “Only a few truly knew. What entangles the court are the factions. The Crown Prince is young; they won’t stand by and watch the First Prince’s arrogance grow unchecked.”
“Then the ones who tried to kill Master Hu… were they the Crown Prince’s faction?” the deputy asked, startled.
“Not necessarily.” Qi Hanzhou’s voice was cold. All evidence pointed toward the Crown Prince’s faction, but in the struggle between parties—both overt and covert—one could not jump to conclusions.
The Minister of Rites had been recommended by Prince Yongjia; he was a staunch supporter of the First Prince. Factional warfare in the Great Yuan was nothing new. Lately, the Crown Prince had fallen into trouble while the First Prince rose on the favorable winds. The Crown Prince’s faction had been suspiciously quiet, making no moves. Without a doubt, Hu Buyu was the one who shattered the balance… And when balance is shattered, some seek to restore it.
“Why the Ministry of Rites? If they wanted to snuff out the First Prince’s momentum, wouldn’t the Ministry of Revenue be better?” the deputy asked. The Ministry of Revenue was the First Prince’s core stronghold; hitting them there would be a blow to the bone.
Qi Hanzhou destroyed the secret decree. “Because the second-in-command at the Ministry of Rites is the rising star, Vice Minister Ning—the maternal family of the Sixth Prince.”
“A single spark can set a whole line of ships ablaze.”
In his mind, the image of the rain-drenched prince from that night appeared. Those eyes, devoid of joy or sorrow under the lightning’s flash, seemed to reappear before him. Ying Fusheng must have known that pushing Hu Buyu forward would shatter the court’s equilibrium. During this time, the Ning family was highly valued and the Sixth Prince was heavily favored; they were the perfect targets for a “two birds with one stone” strike. Yet he did it anyway, pushing his own maternal family to the edge of the blade. ‘Why?’
‘…Unless the Ning family is a target he has set up long ago.’
‘Last year’s palace banquet!’
Qi Hanzhou’s gaze turned sharp. “Is the Sixth Prince in the palace?”
The deputy was stunned, but reacted quickly: “He was out a few days ago, but he’s been in the palace lately… Hey! Young General, where are you going?”
……
It was the season for spring outings. In the Imperial Garden, the Crown Prince had finally been released after two months of confinement. When Consort Ning received the news, she was so overjoyed she barely reacted at first, and the haggardness of several days eased slightly. Perhaps due to the mess in the Ministry of Rites, Vice Minister Ning had mentioned it several times to His Majesty; this time, Cining Palace sent word specifically to lift Consort Ning’s confinement for the spring outing.
A command from the Empress Dowager meant the situation was improving. Consort Ning ordered Bi Zhu to prepare early in the morning.
Bi Zhu was secretly worried; Consort Ning’s mental state had been deteriorating lately. “Your Highness, regarding the outing…”
Consort Ning looked at herself in the bronze mirror, completely deaf to the anxiety in Bi Zhu’s voice. She frowned. “What about the outing? Why are you standing there in a daze? Hurry and do my hair.”
All the palace consorts, princes, and princesses participated in this Imperial Garden outing. Before the appointed hour, the garden was already nearly full. When Ying Fusheng arrived, he saw Consort Ning from a distance. Unlike when he went to pay respects at Weiyang Palace, her complexion was unusually improved.
Consort Ning had dressed with specific intent, wearing simple, plain clothing without many ornaments. However, upon closer inspection, the lingering exhaustion between her brows was still visible. Her careful styling made her appear like someone recently recovered from a long illness, inviting sympathy.
Ying Fusheng knew his “mother” cared most about how others perceived her. Previously punished by the Empress Dowager, she felt stifled and resentful, but she knew that only by adopting a humble posture and acting submissively could she easily win pity. If she hadn’t been stealing quiet glances at the Crown Prince while conversing with other consorts, her performance would have been a perfect ten.
“I see you have spent this time in self-reflection and cultivation; it seems you have cleared your mind,” the Empress Dowager said slowly upon seeing her.
Consort Ning’s eyes held a faint tint of blue-gray, masked skillfully by powder. She said, “During this time, I have been eating vegetarian meals and chanting sutras to pray for blessings, keeping your teachings close to my heart.”
“That is good.” The Empress Dowager glanced at her briefly, her peripheral vision catching Ying Fusheng’s arrival. “Little Sixth is here?”
Ying Fusheng had been walking toward them for a while, silently watching Consort Ning’s performance. After paying respects to the Empress Dowager, he stepped to Consort Ning’s side and softly called out, “Mother.”
Many gazes shifted toward them. Seeing Ying Fusheng approach, Consort Ning suppressed her internal loathing and gently put her arm around him. She pulled his outer cloak tighter to block the cold wind, appearing every bit the caring mother, even having Bi Zhu bring a hand warmer. “Though it’s getting warmer, your health comes first.”
The Empress Dowager looked at Ying Fusheng. Seeing the child standing close to Consort Ning and the mother showing concern, the Dowager’s prejudices softened slightly. “It’s late. Let us move.”
Empress Xu stood to the side with the Crown Prince and the Eighth Prince. The Eighth Prince wanted to approach Ying Fusheng, but seeing his elder brother the Crown Prince standing here, he hesitated and merely kept looking toward him. Ying Fusheng gave him a single glance before shifting his attention to someone else.
After two months of confinement, the Crown Prince appeared much steadier. He still maintained his gentle, “spring breeze” demeanor, but the outward emotions he used to show toward Ying Fusheng were gone. He stayed by Empress Xu’s side, no longer crowding around the Empress Dowager as he used to. Consort Ning likely hadn’t seen the Crown Prince in a long time; the suffocating resentment in her heart dissipated upon seeing him, though she only dared to observe him secretly as he followed Empress Xu.
Through her days of isolation, Consort Ning found that seeing the Crown Prince did not ease her longing; instead, it made her desire to see him even stronger. Bi Zhu constantly monitored her state, occasionally providing cover for her mistress.
When others weren’t looking, Consort Ning let go of Ying Fusheng’s hand, her previous concern vanishing instantly. She saw the Crown Prince walking away with Empress Xu and instinctively wanted to lean toward them, her pace quickening. Bi Zhu hurriedly whispered a reminder: “Your Highness!”
“Mother?” a voice sounded.
Consort Ning snapped back, realizing she had almost lost her composure. For a fleeting second, she thought the “Mother” had come from the Crown Prince, but she turned to find Ying Fusheng standing beside her, a worried expression on his face. Her gaze fell on his features. Since the night at Huguo Temple, she had been unable to sleep, her mind filled with that similar silhouette whenever she closed her eyes.
Ying Fusheng used to be frail and sickly, often lying in bed with a face full of illness and a timid expression. But after recovering in Cining Palace, his complexion had improved, and with the “sickly air” gone, his facial features became extremely prominent. Consort Ning increasingly felt that those eyes looking up at her were overlapping with the way Empress Xu often looked down at others.
A faint, clean scent wafted over—likely the smell of medicine from Ying Fusheng’s body. Unconsciously, Consort Ning stared at his face, the malice in her eyes gradually spreading.
Bi Zhu saw that Consort Ning’s posture was off and reminded her again: “Your Highness!”
Ying Fusheng looked back at her with confusion. Consort Ning’s expression gradually cooled. Although she was forcing herself to stay alert, her sleep over the last half-month had been poor. Thinking of the Crown Prince’s confinement while Ying Fusheng enjoyed favor, the nameless fire in her heart could not be suppressed. She told herself to be patient; there was no evidence, and no one would discover the child-swap. Even if they noticed Ying Fusheng looked nothing like her, his face still resembled the Emperor—it was only natural for a son to resemble his father.
‘Just wait a little longer, until he returns to Weiyang Palace.’ She forced herself to remain steady as she followed the outing procession, her mind mapping out her schemes.
The Imperial Garden was vast, with a water pavilion in the center connected to the Moon-Viewing Pavilion by a bridge over a murmuring stream.
Ying Fusheng kept his eyes on Consort Ning. She appeared normal, but her steps were fitful, alternately slow and hurried. In the distance, several consorts were already looking over, scrutinizing her. Her nominal father, Vice Minister Ning, was currently in the spotlight, and Consort Ning had even been released early from the punishment that had enraged the Empress Dowager. Before, she had been a non-entity who didn’t compete, but she was different now.
“Mother, are you alright?” Ying Fusheng asked.
Consort Ning feared others seeing her abnormality. “Of course I am…”
Ying Fusheng looked at her with concern, then shifted his gaze toward the rear. Consort Ning, currently a bundle of nerves masquerading as caution, instinctively looked where he was looking. She discovered several consorts were indeed peeking at her. She had always managed her reputation carefully and obsessed over the judgmental looks of others, especially after rumors spread of her offending the Empress Dowager. Seeing more than one person sizing her and Ying Fusheng up, her hard-won composure began to crack.
‘What are they looking at? Why are they looking at me and him? Have they discovered something?’
Suddenly, there was movement ahead. Consort Ning looked over.
Empress Xu, who was standing beside the Empress Dowager, turned her head slightly. As her gaze drifted toward Consort Ning and Ying Fusheng, Consort Ning’s physical reflexes acted faster than her mind. She instinctively reached out, intending to shield Ying Fusheng’s face and block those prying eyes. Unexpectedly, her sudden movement brushed against Ying Fusheng as he walked; he stumbled, losing his balance.
With the melting snow and the warming spring air making the ground damp and slick, Ying Fusheng appeared to slip. His waist struck the bridge’s guardrail, and he flipped backward over the edge.
Consort Ning froze, rooted to the spot in a daze.
“The Sixth Prince has fallen into the water!” someone screamed.
The crowd gasped as they saw a figure splashing in the lake. Guards immediately dived in to save him, pulling him out of the water. Fortunately, with so many people around, the rescue was instantaneous; he had only choked on a bit of water. Hearing Ying Fusheng coughing, Consort Ning finally snapped back to reality. She rushed forward to show concern, but after only a few steps, whether out of panic or a mental block, she caught Ying Fusheng’s gaze. In that fleeting second, she felt as if she were back on that winter night a year ago, seeing the look in his eyes the moment he woke up after drowning…
As Ying Fusheng looked at her, Consort Ning’s footsteps faltered.
The onlookers saw the Sixth Prince look up, followed his gaze, and saw a distinct trace of fear on Consort Ning’s face.
‘Why does she have that expression?’
Consort Ning stared fixedly at Ying Fusheng’s face and the mocking light in his eyes. The others mistook the Sixth Prince’s silence for shock from the fall, completely failing to notice the lack of maternal affection in his gaze. No one was looking at him; everyone was focused on Consort Ning’s bizarre behavior.
Empress Xu immediately sent for the Imperial Physicians. As she hurried closer, she saw Consort Ning standing still, the look she gave Ying Fusheng being particularly unsettling. While her behavior at Huguo Temple could be dismissed as exhaustion or a trance, there was no mother on earth who looked at her child with such hostility and dread.
The Empress paused briefly until a maid called Consort Ning back to her senses. Only then did the Consort belatedly run to Ying Fusheng’s side, pushing through the onlookers to check his condition.
Ying Fusheng’s gaze had already returned to normal. As Consort Ning put on a show of concern, she was unaware of the shifting expressions on the faces of everyone around her.
“What happened!?” The Empress Dowager’s face was grim. Seeing Ying Fusheng shivering from the cold, her expression hardened, and she swept a freezing glare across the crowd.
A prince falling into the water during a spring outing with so many people present? The servants scrambled to beg for mercy while the consorts hesitated. One consort whispered, “Just now, I saw Sister Ning reach out, and then the Sixth Highness fell.”
Consort Ning blurted out instantly, “Nonsense!”
She was certain the bastard had slipped on his own. Because her voice was too loud—and due to her recent lack of sleep and depleted energy—her shriek carried a hint of madness. The consort who had spoken was frightened and scrambled back two steps. But following that remark, many realized they had indeed seen Consort Ning reach out abruptly. While it wasn’t certain she had pushed him, why had she reached for him so suddenly? He had been walking perfectly fine…
The area fell silent. Ying Fusheng kept his eyes half-lidded, his gaze unreadable. After her outburst, Consort Ning’s reason returned. She grew flustered, realizing she had lost her composure and screamed like a commoner.
“Sister Ning, why so agitated?” Consort Yun asked.
Consort Ning had always been low-profile in the palace. Compared to the coquettish Consort Yun, she was overly cautious and maintained good relations with most people, usually speaking in soft tones. This brief exposure of her true temperament was a jarring contrast, and the way the other consorts looked at her began to change.
“Sister Ning’s state is quite odd…”
“Yes, she was never like this before.”
“She’s been strange lately. Last time I went to Weiyang Palace…”
The whispers seemed amplified; the judging gazes felt like needles in her back.
‘No, it shouldn’t be like this.’ Consort Ning was in total disarray. She was only a few steps from Ying Fusheng, half-collapsed on the ground. When she looked up, she saw him watching her. His eyes were exceptionally calm, as if he had long anticipated her pathetic display. There was none of his usual dependence in those eyes; it was exactly the look Consort Ning hated most—the same condescending gaze used by Empress Xu.
An uncontrollable rage surged through her. The nightmares of the past few weeks blurred with reality, making her lose her sense of time and place.
“It is cold out here,” Empress Xu said suddenly.
The Crown Prince stepped forward. “Hurry and take Sixth Brother to a warm place.”
Hearing the Crown Prince’s voice, Consort Ning looked up frantically, but her current appearance was wretchedly disheveled. The Crown Prince didn’t even look at her as he walked away.
The Imperial Garden was a scene of chaos. The Empress Dowager ordered people to care for the Sixth Prince, while Consort Ning sat slumped on the ground, her eyes vacant. If she had previously managed a facade of motherly concern, her current state was completely broken. She looked at the people around her, then at the heavily bundled Ying Fusheng, her face contorting between a grimace and a blank stare—a sight the other consorts had never witnessed.
Even Consort Yun, who had just provoked her, couldn’t help but frown.
“Help Consort Ning up.” Empress Xu surveyed the surroundings. This was the Imperial Garden, filled with guards and servants; for a high-ranking Consort to lose her composure so publicly was a disgrace to the Royal Family. At her word, the servants hurried to pull Consort Ning to her feet.
The Empress Dowager’s mood had reached its lowest point. Auntie Yu had already sent people to change Ying Fusheng out of his wet clothes.
As the wind picked up, the crowd was dismissed, and the main group moved to the heated interior of the Moon-Viewing Pavilion.
Just as the Imperial Physician arrived, another shout rang out—
“The Emperor arrives—”
News of the incident had reached the Emperor immediately. When he entered, he saw a pavilion full of turmoil, gathered consorts, and a disheveled Consort Ning.
Qi Hanzhou accompanied the Emperor, as he happened to be nearby when the incident occurred. Entering the pavilion, he saw the chaos from a distance. He followed the Emperor inside but kept a respectful distance at the perimeter. His gaze pierced through the crowd to find the Sixth Prince, who was wrapped in thick furs and sipping warm soup.
The boy looked frozen, his face deathly pale… If Qi Hanzhou hadn’t already uncovered the Ministry of Rites affair or seen this person’s sharp, calculating face at Huguo Temple, he too would have been deceived by his current appearance.
“What is going on?” the Emperor asked.
Eunuch Rong explained in a low voice that the Sixth Prince had just recovered after being rescued and claimed he had simply lost his footing and slipped.
Consort Ning had never lost her composure like this before. For years, she had held her position as an Noble Consort with impeccable etiquette and conduct; there was never a flaw to be found. Many had seen the Prince fall into the water just as she reached out, but whether he was pushed or slipped remained unknown. However, not a single person present believed it was an accident. The Empress Dowager had witnessed her strange behavior more than once, and Empress Xu had seen her lose her cool at Huguo Temple. Once could be dismissed as a trance, but twice or thrice? That could no longer serve as an excuse.
The Empress Dowager sat in the center, her face looking exceedingly grim. As the Emperor listened to the reports, his gaze fell upon the kneeling Consort Ning. Her hair ornaments were in disarray; she no longer possessed her usual dignified air.
“Imperial Physician Chu,” the Emperor said, his expression unreadable. “Examine Her Highness.”
“Your Highness, allow me to take your pulse,” Physician Chu said as he took her wrist.
Consort Ning didn’t know how things had spiraled to this point. Her first instinct was to pull her hand away from the physician, but seeing the Emperor’s cold face, she was forced to extend her arm. It was as if she finally realized this was reality and not a dream. Sensing that everyone was suspicious of her state, a look of panic crossed her face.
As the physician took her pulse, his brows furrowed deeply. He detected a lingering scent on her person. “Has Your Highness used any external substances recently? For instance, incense?”
A maid reported that Consort Ning’s recent daily life and diet were normal, “But Her Highness has been lighting soothing incense frequently of late.”
The halls of her palace were filled with the scent of soothing incense day and night. Recalling this now, Consort Ning realized she did indeed wake up from nightmares after using it. She felt as though she had found the cause for her loss of composure. “Yes, it’s the soothing incense… Your Majesty, please seek justice for me! Someone is trying to harm me!”
“Where did the incense come from?” the Emperor asked.
Bi Zhu, who was standing by Consort Ning, hesitated before she had to speak: “It was sent by the Sixth Highness.”
‘What did Consort Ning mean by this? That the Sixth Prince sent soothing incense to harm her!?’
Empress Xu immediately looked toward Ying Fusheng. Upon hearing Consort Ning’s words, his face turned even paler in an instant.
The Emperor turned his head. “Little Sixth, is this true?”
Ying Fusheng did not deny it. Instead, he forced himself to stand steady and explained: “I did indeed send soothing incense to Mother. She has been fatigued for a long time, and the incense helps one sleep soundly… This is the same incense I use daily.”
He was of frail health and often suffered from night terrors when ill. The servants of Cining Palace all knew this; the soothing incense was provided by the Imperial Physicians. Out of concern for Consort Ning’s health, the Sixth Prince had frequently asked the physicians for extra portions to send to Weiyang Palace.
Many present were well aware of this.
In a daze, Consort Ning remembered that Ying Fusheng had indeed been bringing things over recently, and soothing incense was what he brought most. To avoid suspicion and show her “maternal longing,” she had told everyone about the incense. To prove she cared for Ying Fusheng, she had ordered it lit and had used it continuously.
If she insisted the incense was the problem, she was effectively accusing her own son of harming her. “No, that’s not what I meant.”
But no one was listening to her explanations anymore. Consort Ning’s current state bordered on madness—first her bizarre behavior when the Prince fell, then her claims of being harmed, and finally accusing the very incense her own son had sent. The consorts who had children of their own frowned; how could a normal person believe a gift from their child was a murder weapon? If someone were actually being poisoned, they would usually suspect other items; they wouldn’t point the finger so resolutely at a child’s gift like Consort Ning just had.
Qi Hanzhou frowned slightly and turned to order an attendant to go fetch the incense.
The incense burners were changed every few days, and Weiyang Palace was filled with many burners and plenty of agarwood [1]Agarwood, also known as oudor aloeswood, is a dark, fragrant resinous heartwood from Aquilaria trees, formed when the tree gets infected by a specific fungus, creating a defense mechanism with a … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1539184_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1539184_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });).
The attendants brought back all the incense burners from Weiyang Palace, along with the unused soothing incense, and handed them to the physician for inspection. Consort Ning and Bi Zhu stood frozen, staring at the incense as if facing a deadly enemy. After identifying the components carefully, the physician gave his conclusion after a long moment: “Reporting to Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with the soothing incense.”
If the incense was fine, and her diet and daily life were fine, then where did Consort Ning’s madness come from!?
“Men,” the Emperor commanded. “Thoroughly search every corner of Weiyang Palace.”
Consort Ning’s face turned deathly pale instantly!
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