After Emperor Liang departed, Xiao Cong was also led away.
Consort Chen was still simmering with anger. She coldly instructed the palace servants who came to collect Xiao Cong, "Watch him closely. If there is no serious issue, there is no need to report back to me."
The sight of that wretched boy only incensed her further, and she did not breathe a word about summoning an imperial physician to examine him.
Once Guanju Palace had regained its tranquility, Consort Chen leaned against a soft couch, her face etched with exhaustion.
Ye Liujin stepped forward to massage her shoulders, remarking as if in passing, "Today was all thanks to Prince Yu. Otherwise, Nuanxiang might have…"
Consort Chen nodded in agreement, a complex look in her eyes. "Prince Yu possesses much of the Late Emperor’s bearing. If Great Liang is handed to him in the future, the people will surely prosper and the nation will grow strong."
"However," Consort Chen added, unable to hide her concern, "it seems His Majesty’s heart is leaning toward breaking his word."
This matter touched upon a secret well-known within the imperial court.
Emperor Liang’s throne had not been inherited from his father, but from his elder brother.
Years ago, the Late Emperor had summoned Emperor Liang to the Taijidian traveling palace. The two brothers had enjoyed a spirited conversation, drinking and clinking glasses late into the night, before the Late Emperor personally saw Emperor Liang out.
The next morning, when the eunuchs pushed open the palace doors, they found that the Late Emperor had already breathed his last.
The court fell into chaos.
The greatest question became who would inherit the throne.
Empress Dowager Shen had appeared in Xuanzhengdian holding the one-year-old Xiao Zhaoyan. For the Late Emperor’s legitimate son to ascend the throne was the only orthodox path.
Yet, the "pure stream" officials of the court felt that if a mere infant ascended the throne, the Shen family would ultimately be the ones in power. They feared that interference from the consort kin would inevitably lead to disaster, and thus they pushed for Emperor Liang to take the throne.
To everyone's surprise, this move gained significant support.
Empress Dowager Shen had cursed Emperor Liang for having treacherous intentions and deliberately murdering the Late Emperor. She sat on the steps of Xuanzhengdian, declaring that if Emperor Liang wanted the throne, he would have to step over her body.
She was the biological mother of the Late Emperor and also the biological mother of Emperor Liang. No one dared to show her the slightest disrespect, and for a time, the situation was at a standstill.
But a country cannot go a single day without a ruler.
In the end, it was Grand Tutor Shen who stepped forward with a proposal: Emperor Liang would ascend the throne, but he must appoint Xiao Zhaoyan as the Crown Prince.
Emperor Liang agreed immediately. He knelt before Empress Dowager Shen, tears streaming down his face, and promised that he would treat Xiao Zhaoyan as his own son in the future.
However, as fate would have it, on the very day Xiao Zhaoyan was invested as Crown Prince, he fell into a high fever and lost consciousness. No medicine could cure him.
In her desperation, Empress Dowager Shen carried the dying Xiao Zhaoyan to the Sitianjian.
Nangong Yi, the Jianzheng of the Sitianjian and National Preceptor of Great Liang, performed a divination.
The hexagram indicated that the Crown Prince was too young to withstand the immense blessings of the Eastern Palace.
Left with no choice and acting out of desperation, Empress Dowager Shen approached Emperor Liang once more. They changed Xiao Zhaoyan's title to Prince Yu and bestowed upon him the rank of Shangshuling.
In Great Liang, it was tradition that if there were no Crown Prince, the Prince holding the position of Shangshuling would be the most senior.
Though it was absurd to grant a one-year-old child the position of Shangshuling, the move secured Xiao Zhaoyan’s status.
The situation was settled, and for many years, all remained peaceful.
It was only when Xiao Zhaoyan reached adulthood and officially assumed his duties as Shangshuling, leading the officials of the Six Ministries, that the atmosphere began to turn subtle.
Emperor Liang had four sons of his own; how could he truly want to pass the throne to Xiao Zhaoyan?
Yet, internally, Empress Dowager Shen protected Xiao Zhaoyan as if he were the apple of her eye, while externally, the loyalists of the Late Emperor watched on like hawks.
Even if Emperor Liang wanted to do something, he had no way to strike.
Seeing Consort Chen’s melancholy, Ye Liujin smiled and said, "With Empress Dowager Shen and the Shen family present, how could His Majesty easily change his mind?"
In her past life, as long as Empress Dowager Shen was alive, everything had remained stable.
The turning point for all the tragedies had begun when Empress Dowager Shen died of illness in Jianzhang Gong.
Ye Liujin took a deep breath. In this life, she had to preserve Empress Dowager Shen's life no matter what.
"The Empress Dowager went to Cifang Si to pray for blessings. Counting the days, she should be returning soon."
Consort Chen’s casual remark made Ye Liujin’s heart tremble slightly. She asked, "Then what about Sister Shen?"
"Don't you usually dislike her?" Consort Chen asked in surprise. "Why have you changed your tune and started calling her 'Sister' today?"
Ye Liujin’s smile was slightly forced.
"I have finally seen Rong Chan’s true colors. In the past, she always told me that Sister Shen looked down on me in her heart. Now I see that it was Sister Shen who looked down on her."
The words Rong Chan had spoken today were full of holes. Ye Liujin didn't believe them, and His Majesty believed them even less.
But His Majesty’s heart was, after all, biased toward the Rong family. If it weren't for the need to stabilize the Ye family for now, His Majesty might have even felt it was better for Xiao Cong to marry Rong Chan.
"It is for the best that you can understand."
Consort Chen looked at Ye Liujin with eyes full of affection. Her brother and sister-in-law had passed away early, and although this child was raised by her side, her temperament was exactly like her Father’s.
She was as stubborn as an ox, headstrong and sensitive. She wouldn't listen to what others said and could only wait until she figured things out for herself.
"About your Nuanxiang…" Consort Chen paused and sighed softly. "Don't be sad. Later, Aunt will—"
Just as she was about to comfort Ye Liujin, she saw that the girl's face remained calm and indifferent.
"Aunt, I don't like Nuanxiang," Ye Liujin sniffled. "She was always using Elder Sister and Elder Brother to lecture me."
"Sometimes what she said wasn't entirely wrong, but I have Aunt to guide me. How was it her place to preach?"
Consort Chen was overjoyed; the child had finally come to her senses.
"I told you long ago she wasn't a good person, yet you protected her every time. But it’s fine now. Later, Aunt will pick a good one for you."
"I want someone who knows martial arts."
Ye Liujin wasn't polite at all, leaning in and looking at Consort Chen with a beaming smile.
"Nonsense. The palace attendants all come from Yeting. Where would Aunt find someone who knows martial arts for you?" Consort Chen scolded her in words, but her gaze was extremely doting.
Ye Liujin would not yield. "Aunt Feng Yi knows it."
"Feng Yi was sent by your grandfather. How can the people from Yeting compare to her?"
"Then I'll write a letter to Elder Sister and have her send a powerful person to me."
"You're getting more and more ridiculous," Consort Chen tapped her forehead. "Your Elder Sister is guarding Longxi. How could you trouble her with such a trifle?"
Ye Liujin held Consort Chen's hand and acted spoiled. "Aunt, please help me."
Her candid manner made Consort Chen's heart melt completely. She pulled the girl into her arms. "Alright, alright, Aunt will have someone keep an eye out."
"Hmm? Where is your begonia hairpin?" Consort Chen's gaze fell upon her empty hair bun.
Ye Liujin reached up but didn't feel the hairpin, and she was also stunned. Did it really fall into Taiye Pond?
"It probably fell out." It was her favorite hairpin, and she felt a touch of regret in her heart.
"Never mind. Another day, Aunt will have the Zhizaosi craft several new styles of hairpins for you."
"Mhm."
Ye Liujin rolled into Consort Chen's embrace, but she couldn't help muttering to herself. She wondered if it was still at Taiye Pond. It was a birthday gift from Longxi; it would be a pity to lose it.
The night was silent, and a bright moon hung in the sky. Lanterns had been lit early in Yu Wangfu.
In the study, Xiao Zhaoyan sat under the candlelight, stroking an exquisitely crafted hairpin of twin begonias. A tiny character, "Jin," was engraved at the end of the hairpin, clearly displaying the affection Longxi had for her.
Recalling the person he had seen during the day, a smile played on his lips, and his handsome face softened slightly. She was clearly a little kitten with bared claws, yet she insisted on pretending to be a quiet rabbit.
Begonia-patterned hairpins, clothes embroidered with begonias, and frequent walks in the Begonia Garden. She truly had a special fondness for begonias.
"Prince," a figure flashed into the study. "News has come from the palace. Consort Chen has ordered Yeting to select two maids with martial arts skills from outside the palace."
Xiao Zhaoyan placed the begonia hairpin into a fine nanmu box, his eyelids lowering as a smile spread across his face.
"Personally select two decent candidates and send them to Yeting."
"Yes."