The Empress Dowager's fury was extraordinary, and the entire bedchamber instantly grew tense.
Lin Zhen had already risen to her feet along with the Empress.
"Mother, please calm your anger." The Empress Dowager was still unwell, and now she had flown into a rage—this could hardly be good for her health.
The Empress inwardly regretted her words… Strictly speaking, she should not have brought up the matter of the garden to the Empress Dowager, not only provoking her anger but perhaps also making it seem to others that she was deliberately stirring up trouble, as if she were trying to put the Duke Cheng'en's household in a bad light.
Yet she knew all too well that since the Empress Dowager had already thought of bestowing this imperial garden upon Lin Zhen, the matter could not be separated from the Duke Cheng'en's household and the Emperor.
Though they were bound by blood, the Empress Dowager had never been on good terms with the Duke Cheng'en's household. The fact that the Emperor was inclined to grant the garden to the Duke Cheng'en's household made it clear that he favored the Duke more.
Had she let the Emperor be the one to broach this with the Empress Dowager, it would likely have enraged her even further and harmed her health all the more.
She sighed inwardly and merely urged the Empress Dowager not to be angry, but the Empress Dowager was trembling with fury.
Seeing the Empress secretly signal to her, Lin Zhen coaxed the Empress Dowager, saying, "I understand Mother's anger—it is because Mother cherishes the Prince and me in her heart."
The Empress Dowager's every thought was to pull good things toward the Prince Fu's household, yet now the Duke Cheng'en's household was undermining the Prince Fu's household, contending against them.
Was the Empress Dowager's anger not also anger on behalf of the Prince Fu's household?
If Lin Zhen did not stand with the Empress Dowager at this moment—if she were to yield for the sake of her own reputation, or to curry favor with the Duke Cheng'en's household by surrendering the garden—then she would be trampling all over the Empress Dowager's good intentions.
As for being called "thoughtless," or the possibility of offending someone by insisting on contending… Lin Zhen felt there was no need to overthink such things.
There were those without conscience who, no matter how much one tried to please them or dared not offend them, would never think well of one or regard one differently for it.
"I know the kindness Mother holds for me and the Prince, but I beg Mother to take care of her health and not to vex herself over those who are none of our concern." She knelt before the Empress Dowager's couch, and when she looked up, her eyes were already faintly reddened. She said softly, "Before the Prince passed, his every thought was of Mother's health and happiness—and that is my wish as well. Ever since I entered this household, Mother has treated me so well. When you grieve, your daughter-in-law's heart aches all the more. And since Mother is now the protector of me and the household, please take a little more pity on me."
She was frail and pitiful, the very sight of her stirring sympathy.
The Empress Dowager had seen much of the world and was long accustomed to all manner of people speaking flattering words before her.
Yet rarely had anyone so candidly regarded her as their pillar of support.
The fire of her anger gradually subsided under such soft entreaties. She lowered her head, her gaze complex as she looked at the beautiful woman kneeling before her, so delicate and touching.
Such a young child, yet bearing so many responsibilities.
When handling matters, she was steady and composed, with the bearing of a proper Princess Consort.
But when facing her mother-in-law, she would lean on her, timid like a young girl.
Yes.
If even this old woman were to fall and be unable to protect her, what would she do?
"You're right. It's not worth ruining my health over those people—no doubt they'd be celebrating. For Jing'er's sake, for yours… I won't let them have their way." If this child no longer had her, how pitiful would that be?
The Empress Dowager's anger faded. She raised her hand and gently stroked Lin Zhen's hair, saying softly, "The Emperor cannot be relied upon. Your sister-in-law the Empress treats you with sincerity, but she cannot overrule the Emperor either—she is not her own mistress…"
The Empress could look after Lin Zhen, but she was no match for the Emperor.
Only the Empress Dowager herself, as the Emperor's birth mother, could rebuke him… It was not that the Empress Dowager was being critical of the Emperor at this moment, or unfairly blaming him.
Rather, as an elder brother, knowing full well that the garden had been built by the Empress Dowager for Prince Fu, he had still readily agreed to someone else's request for it—clearly showing that he did not hold his own brother Prince Fu in his heart, nor did he care about Prince Fu's line.
If he treated his own brother so coldly, then with the brother dead, could the Emperor possibly have any regard for the family of orphans and widows he left behind?
They were all her children, and the Emperor's callous treatment of Prince Fu brought tears to the Empress Dowager's eyes.
She said softly, "From now on, lean on your mother-in-law, and on your sister-in-law the Empress…" Even if she were to pass away before this child, the Empress was kind and virtuous, and would still look after her within her means.
But while she was still here, let the child rely on her all the more.
"Your daughter-in-law will heed Mother's words." Lin Zhen, soft and delicate, spoke with tears in her eyes, then turned her head to the Empress beside her and said shyly, "My sister-in-law and I are family, so I won't stand on ceremony with you."
There was not a trace of the fierce, commanding woman who had confronted the gaggle of nursemaids in Ping'an's courtyard back at the manor.
With just a few words she had calmed the Empress Dowager's anger, and her intimacy with the Empress put the latter at ease, warming her heart.
They watched as the Empress Dowager leaned back against the headboard once more and summoned a female official, saying calmly, "Issue my edict. Issue it now. Say that the Princess Consort of Fu is filial, and bestow the Suzhou garden at the Western Hills upon the Princess Consort of Fu."
The Duke Cheng'en's household wanted to beg the Emperor for the garden, did they?
She then issued an imperial edict first, to see whether the Emperor would go against his own mother for the sake of his beloved maternal uncle.
"Thank you, Mother Empress."
Sigh.
Lin Zhen slowly dabbed at the corner of her eyes and let out a soft sigh.
It wasn't that she deliberately came to plunder the palace's treasures day after day.
The truth was, if she didn't take these fine things, they would end up in the hands of the Duke Cheng'en's household anyway… so it was better to benefit herself.
"Don't be afraid of the Duke Cheng'en's household either." The Duke Cheng'en's household held considerable influence in the capital. Being the Empress Dowager's natal family and seemingly favored by the Emperor, they were not to be trifled with.
But the Empress Dowager clearly harbored deep resentment toward her own family, showing no affection even for her own elder brother, the Duke Cheng'en—there even seemed to be some old grudges between them.
Worried that young Lin Zhen might fear offending the "maternal uncle" of the Duke Cheng'en's household, the Empress Dowager comforted her, saying, "With Mother here, if anyone troubles you, just tell Mother. I will never let you suffer any grievance."
She had already said twice that she wouldn't let Lin Zhen suffer any grievance—clearly she cared deeply.
And as she spoke, the Empress Dowager thought gloomily to herself that she must strive to recover her health and get better.
She had been unable to bear the loss of her youngest son, falling gravely ill ever since, and would remain heartbroken in the future.
But she still needed to care more for the living…
Lin Zhen did not notice the Empress Dowager's complicated expression and softly acknowledged her words.
She quickly changed the subject, telling the Empress Dowager about her life among the common folk.
That was the life of ordinary people, and the Empress Dowager naturally listened with a smile.
She listened to what life among the people was like, whether the common folk were living in peace and contentment.
As she listened, she recalled Lin Zhen's background—born into a noble family yet raised in the streets—and couldn't help but feel even more pity and affection for her.
"My child has suffered." What moved her even more was that this girl had endured hardships from a young age, shouldered the responsibility of supporting her family, and yet faced injustice without hatred, remaining a fair and kind-hearted girl.
Just like her Jing'er… also the same.
Having suffered so much hardship in this world, yet still willing to face everything with a kind heart.
This voice was full of maternal love. Lin Zhen was momentarily startled, then lowered her eyes.
The elder before her was like a true mother, genuinely feeling for her.
If at first she had been filial to the Empress Dowager because of Prince Fu's request and her own search for protection, now she felt that the Empress Dowager was like her own late mother.
Both were her mothers.
"A’Zhen will be coming to the palace often from now on. Mother Empress should rest for now, and I would also like to speak with A’Zhen privately about some personal matters." Lin Zhen was now someone close to the Empress Dowager's heart, and the Empress sat nearby without any jealousy, her eyes equally gentle.
But the Empress Dowager's health was still weak, and she dared not let her overexert herself. Seeing them talk for a while, she smiled and urged them to rest.
The Empress Dowager had just resolved to take good care of herself, so she nodded slightly in agreement.
She was also willing to let Lin Zhen, who had lost her husband, grow closer to the Empress, so that the Empress might protect her in the future. She instructed Lin Zhen, saying, "In these days since Jing'er's passing, you have labored day and night. You care for this one in your household, and worry about that one in your household… but you must also care for yourself more."
Lin Zhen quickly acknowledged this, rose to take her leave, and walked out of the Empress Dowager's palace together with the Empress, following her toward her own palace.
They were escorted into the Empress's grand hall, where a cool, refreshing breeze immediately greeted them, dispelling the stifling heat of the journey.
"Come, try my fruit nectar—it's the most refreshing thing." The Empress smiled and took Lin Zhen's hand, leading her to the seat of honor in the hall, where they sat facing each other.
Since Lin Zhen had married into the imperial family, she had always received the Empress's kindness, and she felt especially close to her. Hearing this, she didn't stand on ceremony and accepted the fruit nectar offered by the palace maid, drinking it slowly.
Once the heat had been dispelled, she hesitated for a moment before speaking softly to the Empress, "I come from the streets and have only just entered the imperial family. I should not be so presumptuous as to trouble my sister-in-law. But I am truly puzzled, and I fear that without knowing the depths of things, I might cause Mother Empress difficulty in the future."
"You want to ask about the Duke Cheng'en's household?" The Duke Cheng'en's household was the Empress Dowager's closest kin, yet the Empress Dowager seemed to despise them.
Some matters might be common knowledge among the nobility and imperial clan, but Lin Zhen had no connection to the nobility whatsoever, so she was naturally completely in the dark.
She only knew that the Empress Dowager disliked the Duke Cheng'en's household.
She couldn't ask the Empress Dowager about this, and even asking the Empress was somewhat overstepping her bounds.
But the Empress actually appreciated Lin Zhen speaking so frankly with her—it showed that Lin Zhen had no reservations in her presence.
Yet thinking of her own current situation, the Empress sighed inwardly, suppressed her own melancholy, and mustered her spirits to offer Lin Zhen some guidance, lest Lin Zhen make a mistake when dealing with the Duke Cheng'en's household in the future—even if it didn't upset the Empress Dowager, it might provoke the Emperor's wrath.
She set everything else aside and ordered all the attending palace servants to withdraw before speaking softly, "This is an old grudge from the late Emperor's reign. Strictly speaking, we are of the younger generation and should not presume to discuss the elders and the late Emperor, but speaking of it… while you were among the people, you must have heard of the late Emperor's tale of the two empresses, the 'Ehuang and Nüying' story, haven't you?"
"I have heard of it."
Lin Zhen naturally knew of this, for it was hardly a secret—it was known throughout the realm, and had even been woven into countless storybooks for all to read.
As far back as the previous emperor's reign, the so-called tale of Ehuang and Nüying referred to the fact that in the late emperor's palace there had been an Empress and a Imperial Noble Consort—two cousins from the same family.
The Empress of that time was none other than the current Empress Dowager, the wife who had shared hardship and joy with the late emperor since his days as a prince. She bore him sons and daughters, and her eldest son was installed as heir to the Eastern Palace.
As for the other—the one welcomed into the palace after the late emperor ascended the throne, cherished like a pearl in his palm—she was a younger cousin from the Empress's maternal family. Lavished with favor throughout the harem, she was bestowed by the late emperor the title of Imperial Noble Consort, holding a rank equal to that of a deputy Empress.
It was said to be a tale of harmony between sisters.
The Duke Cheng'en's mansion, which had yielded both an Empress and a Consort, basked in boundless glory for a time.
But as Lin Zhen reached this point in her account, her expression subtly darkened.
"And I also know," she said, "that the common folk all say this Imperial Noble Consort poisoned the late emperor and our Prince—is that not so?"
Why was Prince Fu so frail of body, and why, at such a young age, had medicine lost all power to save him?
It was precisely because that favored Imperial Noble Consort had administered poison, striking him down with a fatal toxin when he was no older than Ping'an is now, thus cutting short his life in his prime.