Emperor Yongji’s face was also etched with concern; gesturing for Xu Chen not to rise and bow, the Emperor urged her to remain seated.
Lu Qiuci hastened forward once more to help Xu Chen back to the head of the bed.
“Has the imperial physician examined you? Where are you injured, and is it serious?”
Perched at the bedside, the Emperor adopted the guise of a loving mother, her voice soft and gentle. Had Xu Chen not immediately realised what games this ruler was playing upon her arrival, she might well have been taken in by such a performance.
Just like the original host, she had been pampered into a state of utter idleness, still believing that the Emperor deeply loved her, and that any severity or criticism was merely born of a mother’s frustration at seeing her child fail to live up to her potential. The truth was stark.
Xu Chen saw it clearly: whilst Emperor Yongji indulged the original host in her daily life, she simultaneously suppressed her capabilities with all might. This had caused the original host to develop a capricious and erratic temperament, whilst also rendering her indecisive and timid, ultimately preventing her from ever amounting to anything.
All this was because the original princess was simply not the heir apparent Emperor Yongji had in mind. Only by rendering her useless and causing the entire court to despise her could she legitimately depose the Crown Princess and install the imperial daughter of her own choosing.
As for why she went to such lengths, it was naturally because Emperor Yongji was incompetent.
Empress Yongji was not the sort of emperor who could rule the court with an iron fist; on the contrary, the stability of her regime relied heavily on the capable ministers and capable officials within the court. Indeed, her ascension to the throne had been facilitated by the power of the late Empress, the original owner’s biological father.
In the current court, the legacy of the late Emperor’s consort still held sway, and those stubborn ministers who advocated for the succession of the eldest son had not entirely abandoned Princess Xu Chen. Consequently, Emperor Yongji had no choice but to continue playing out the charade of a loving mother and dutiful daughter.
Xu Chen: “The guards at the residence fought to the death to protect me. Your humble daughter has merely sustained an injury to her arm. The imperial physician has examined it and declared it to be of no great consequence; with a period of rest, I shall be well.”
“Mother Emperor, has the Jinwu Guard captured those assassins? This daughter intends to have them flayed and stuffed with straw, then executed by slow torture!”
Her expression was grim and ruthless, but the Emperor Yongji was not at all surprised by this; after all, Xu Chen’s current cruel nature was entirely the result of her deliberate indulgence, step by step. One might even say she was delighted by it.
Emperor Yongji merely felt a touch of awkwardness.
General Li Yang of the Imperial Guard had knelt in full armour outside her palace gates before dawn to beg for forgiveness, for they had turned the capital upside down yet failed to find even a single strand of hair belonging to the culprits.
Her Majesty was furious and had already demoted Li Yang. Were it not for the immense influence behind her—her mother being the Duke of An, a founding minister who had passed away peacefully only last year—the heinous crime of the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince alone would have been sufficient for Her Majesty to have her head cut off.
Failing to apprehend the assassins made Emperor Yongji feel that, in the eyes of Xu Chen, she had lost some of the dignity befitting a sovereign and a mother.
“Rest assured, Your Highness. These are but a few petty thugs; I shall certainly apprehend them to vent your anger.”
“Li Yang has failed in her duties, and I have already punished her. Zhao Jing will now take over the investigation into the assassins; my child need not worry.”
Zhao Jing was Li Yang’s superior, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, and also the Grand General of the Imperial Bodyguard Troops. The fact that she had been tasked with this matter likely stemmed from the fact that the Emperor was also frightened by these bandits who had managed to break into the Princess’s residence to carry out an assassination attempt.
After all, the Eastern Palace and the Imperial Palace were not very far apart; the Eastern Palace was right next to the Emperor’s Yongming Palace.
Emperor Yongji did not love the original owner; today’s visit was merely to maintain an image of valuing Xu Chen. Furthermore, with the sudden assassination attempt at the Eastern Palace and all her spies planted around Xu Chen having lost contact, she felt uneasy and thus came personally to investigate the true situation at the Princess Dowager’s residence.
Now that she saw Xu Chen was still the same as before, it seemed the assassination attempt was genuine, and she was put at ease.
It was a pity, however, that the informants she had planted in the Eastern Palace had all been lost.
Although the Emperor Yongji’s suspicions had been allayed, Xu Chen had not yet fully achieved her objectives. Therefore, she could not allow the Emperor to leave just like that; she had to extract further benefits from this encounter.
So she spoke up: “Mother Emperor, there is no need to trouble General Zhao. This daughter wishes to investigate this matter personally.”
“I beseech Your Majesty to entrust the assassination case to me. Anyone who dares to attempt an assassination in the Eastern Palace must have the backing of some powerful faction. Unless we root them out completely, I shall be unable to rest easy; I fear I shall live in constant fear and anxiety, with no peace of mind for the rest of my days. I implore Your Majesty to grant my request.” She spoke with great earnestness.
The Emperor Yongji’s eyelid twitched suddenly.
For no apparent reason, her thoughts turned to her beloved—the Noble Consort Chun and the Sixth Princess.
If anyone desired Xu Chen’s death above all others, it was surely the Chun Noble Consort, for should Xu Chen die, his daughter, the Sixth Princess, would become the undisputed Crown Princess.
Her Majesty the Empress Yongji knew full well that, due to the smooth sailing of recent years, both her beloved Chun Noble Consort and her own imperial daughter had grown somewhat impatient.
The Consort Chun had been so favoured by her that he had grown somewhat arrogant, having repeatedly suggested to her that the time had come to depose the Crown Princess.
Only Emperor Yongji herself understood how profound the influence left by Xu Chen’s biological father—the late Lord of Great Zhou—remained. As long as that legacy had not been completely eroded, they could not depose the Crown Princess.
Therefore, she had repeatedly rejected the Consort Chun’s proposals, insisting that they must wait a little longer.
Her Majesty could not help but suspect: could it be that Noble Consort Chun and the Sixth Princess had conspired behind her back to orchestrate this assassination attempt?
If it were indeed their doing, it would explain why the Imperial Guards had failed to apprehend the assassins!
Her mind in turmoil, Her Majesty immediately refused in a stern voice: “No!”
Could she really allow Xu Chen to investigate this? What if she uncovered something? How would she manage the fallout?
Xu Chen looked as though she had been thoroughly startled; her eyes narrowed in fear as she gazed at Empress Yongji, no longer daring to speak.
Upon further reflection, Empress Yongji realised she was overreacting out of concern. The current situation was favourable to them; Chun Gui Jun and the Sixth Princess need only wait—the position of Crown Princess would be theirs sooner or later, and there was absolutely no need for them to put themselves in danger.
There must be someone else behind the arrangement of the assassins.
Her expression softened slightly. Seeing Xu Chen’s face full of fear, a faint, almost unprecedented pang of guilt welled up within her for the second time.
Just then, she caught sight of Lu Qiuci, who had been kneeling by the bedside attending to her, and abruptly changed the subject:
“Is this a young attendant from your household?”
Lu Qiuci hastened to pay his respects to Emperor Yongji: “This servant pays his respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy eternal health and longevity.”
Xu Chen interjected: “Mother Emperor, he is this humble one’s lawful consort.”
“The lawful consort whom Your Majesty bestowed upon this humble princess—this humble princess… holds him in the highest regard.”
For some reason, even though he knew it was a pretence—that Xu Chen was merely putting on a show—Lu Qiuci, prostrate on the floor, still felt a faint warmth stir within him.
Emperor Yongji, who had just worn an expression of satisfaction, said, “That you and your consort living in harmony and mutual respect brings me the greatest joy.”
“A moment ago, I thought it might be one of the young attendants from your household. To have cared for my daughter so attentively is indeed a sign of great dedication; bestowing the title of secondary consort shall serve as a reward.”
“Since one is a noble consort, let us not dwell on such matters. I shall bestow a hundred taels of gold as a reward.”
“As for the investigation into the assassin, how could a Crown Princess possibly take charge of such matters herself? I have my own arrangements; I shall not allow you to suffer needlessly.”
“Once the assassin is captured, you may deal with them as you see fit. Is that acceptable?”
Xu Chen lowered her eyes and, with a hint of reluctance, replied, “Your humble child obeys.”
Empress Yongji was satisfied and departed the Eastern Palace. From start to finish, she had shown no concern for Xu Chen’s injuries, nor had she truly inquired of the imperial physician as to what further medicine Xu Chen might require, or how long the pain would last before fully recovering.
Though, of course, Xu Chen had never been injured in the first place.
The moment Emperor Yongji departed, every trace of fear, indignation, and filial devotion vanished from Xu Chen’s face in an instant, like morning dew in the sun, as though it had never existed.
Once the Emperor’s footsteps had faded completely, a slow smile curled at the corners of Xu Chen’s lips. The Emperor deemed Lord Chun’s arrogance presumptuous, yet was she herself any different?
Last night’s assassination attempt at the Princess’s residence had resulted in all her planted informants going missing, leaving the entire affair shrouded in mystery. Even so, merely by casting a glance today, the Emperor had dispelled any lingering doubts.
She had concluded that Xu Chen—that good-for-nothing she had personally raised to be useless—was absolutely unconnected to the assassination. As for the possibility that Xu Chen had orchestrated the whole affair herself, the Emperor Yongji had not even given it a second thought.
The suspicion that weighed on her mind lay more with the old followers of the late Empress who remained in Xu Chen’s entourage.
After the Emperor departed, the room fell into a heavy, oppressive silence. Lu Qiuci couldn’t help but look at Xu Chen, only to see her suddenly extend a hand towards him and praise him: “Your performance just now was quite good.”
“You have surprised me.”
Lu Qiuci’s confusion now felt like a tangled ball of silk with no end in sight, yet he dared not ask, nor did he dare to speculate on the true nature of the relationship between this imperial mother and daughter.
Xu Chen wore two faces, one in public and one in private; which of them was the real her?
He knew only that he must obey the Crown Princess. For within the Crown Princess’s residence, she was the sky—his sky.
“This servant only wished to ease Your Highness’s burdens and ensure your satisfaction. I have never given any thought to anything else.”
Xu Chen fixed him with a gaze that made his heart race even faster. She neither said she believed him nor that she did not; she merely stated, “From now on, in my presence, you may refer to yourself as ‘I’.”
“I do not care for the term ‘your servant’.”
Lu Qiuci pursed his lips slightly and immediately replied obediently, “Yes, Your Highness.”
Xu Chen summoned Lin Yi and instructed, “Uncle Lin, take my Consort Lu back to rest. Also, select a capable young attendant and assign him to serve Lord Lu in his chambers.”
“Select some fine jewellery and garments to send over as well. The hundred taels of gold bestowed by Her Majesty—draw them from the treasury at once and send them to the Yuhua Courtyard.
Lin Yi immediately replied with a smile: “Yes, Your Highness. I shall ensure everything is arranged to the Lord’s satisfaction.”
Lu Qiuci was about to leave with Lin Yi when he couldn’t help but turn back to look at Xu Chen. Whether it was his expression or his gaze, he appeared timid, yet his actions were so courageous—it always took Xu Chen by surprise.
Xu Chen already had plans for how to handle this husband who had come to her so easily. Seeing this, the affection was not withheld; with a gentle hand, Xu Chen stroked the top of the other’s head.
“An assassin infiltrated the mansion last night, and there are still many matters awaiting my attention; I cannot spare the time.”
“But I shall visit you tonight, at the Princess’s residence. You shall not be left wanting.”
Lu Qiuci’s heart, which had been drifting like a water lily, suddenly settled at that moment, much like a kite that had been adrift, not knowing where it would end up, suddenly being tethered by a string.
Even if that string appeared so fragile.
“Then I shall wait for Your Highness.”