“Don’t worry, Sister-in-Law will stuff you with…”
Night.
The wind roared as if it wanted to uproot trees, and the torrential rain raged as if it wanted to tear off roofs. The downpour battered the winding mountain paths as a magnificent, luxurious carriage wandered aimlessly through them.
The rain was so heavy and lashed the face so fiercely that it was impossible to see the path ahead. Emperor Wenkang could not even drive the horses properly, so Li Niang had to take the reins and guide the carriage forward.
Emperor Wenkang sat inside the carriage, waiting for Li Niang, occasionally poking his head out to take a glance.
With the wind and rain howling fiercely, Li Niang turned her head back to look at him, smiling as she said, “The rain is too heavy. Let’s find a place to rest, and once you wake up, I will take you home.”
Emperor Wenkang suddenly felt filled with curiosity and anticipation for Li Niang’s home.
There were no pursuers that night; they were not running for their lives, no accidents occurred, and they did not encounter any landslides. Their carriage seemed to be driving toward a brighter future.
However, while Emperor Wenkang was getting better, Ning Yue certainly was not.
“How is Her Imperial Sister-in-Law doing?”
Outside the inner chamber of the Wutong Palace amidst the pouring rain, Ning Yue grabbed the imperial physician as he emerged and fired off questions.
The physician had also rushed over in a hurry, completely drenched by the rain. After performing a diagnosis in his soaked state, he stepped back out into the palace’s outer room and reported to the princess, “Replying to Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress has suffered from a chill entering her body and has fainted from shock and rage. For now, she has yet to wake up and will need to rest in bed for seven full days before she can fully recover.”
Ning Yue stood there dumbfounded.
Just a moment ago, she had been a spirited little peacock, but in the blink of an eye, poof, she had turned into a drowned chicken.
And really, Ning Yue could hardly be blamed. Her Imperial Brother had run away and Her Imperial Sister-in-Law had fallen ill, so no matter which princess was standing here, she would have had to stay put for a while.
That night, wind and rain screamed wildly while chaotic events unfolded one after another. Her Imperial Brother had eloped and Her Imperial Sister-in-Law had fainted from anger, leaving only Ning Yue behind to hold down the fort.
Being pushed onto the stage out of sheer necessity, Ning Yue hurriedly and frantically began taking charge. First, she ordered people to treat Her Imperial Sister-in-Law, and then she mobilized the Imperial Guard to search for Emperor Wenkang.
Fearing that Emperor Wenkang’s disappearance would trigger widespread turmoil, Ning Yue did not dare to directly state that Emperor Wenkang had run away. Instead, she claimed that a civilian woman had run away, and sent people out in all directions to search. Alas, the world was vast and the terrain was wide, combined with the torrential mountain rains, not a single trace of him was found all night.
Ning Yue was so anxious that blisters were literally popping out inside her mouth!
After finally dragging herself through to the morning of the second day, Her Imperial Sister-in-Law woke up and the rain stopped, but Ning Yue felt as though she was about to faint herself.
Upon waking up, Yan Lingyi first coaxed Ning Yue gently, then immediately began sending people out to search the entire mountain range for Emperor Wenkang.
However, just as bad luck would have it, landslides and mudslides occurred, leaving zero traces after the rain. No matter how they looked, the man seemed to vanish completely. For three consecutive days, such a large, grown man acted as though he had simply evaporated from the face of the earth.
Since the person could not be found, they could only temporarily announce to the outside world that Emperor Wenkang was severely ill, glossing things over on the surface for a while.
Behind the scenes, however, both Yan Lingyi and Ning Yue were extremely anxious. Yan Lingyi combed the mountains in frantic circles, yet simply could not find him, while Ning Yue was so worried that she had not slept for two nights, aging several autumns in appearance.
A nation cannot go a single day without a ruler, and a household cannot go a single day without a master. The imperial lineage of the Great Jin was extremely thin; the previous generation had only the late Emperor and the Prince of Qi. The late Emperor had died young, and the Prince of Qi had fought on the battlefields for many years, leaving his body battered with chronic illnesses from which physicians said he did not have much time left. Thus, by this generation, there were only Emperor Wenkang and Ning Yue remaining, without even any collateral branches. Once news of the Emperor’s disappearance leaked out, no one could predict what kind of massive turmoil it would spark.
Moreover, Emperor Wenkang had only been publicly declared severely ill for three days when a letter arrived from the palace. The Empress Dowager, unable to set her mind at ease regarding Emperor Wenkang, issued a special decree commanding Emperor Wenkang to hurriedly return to court once he recovered his health. Along with the decree, she had the senior head maid deliver a medical book to Yan Lingyi, instructing Yan Lingyi to take good care of Emperor Wenkang through the words of the head maid.
Emperor Wenkang was the Empress Dowager’s only son, and she doted on him immensely, truly fearing he would melt if held in her mouth or break if held in her palm. At the slightest sign of trouble, the Empress Dowager would rush over to question them. Most of the time, whenever the Empress Dowager could not bear to scold Emperor Wenkang, she would turn around and scold Yan Lingyi instead.
Regardless of why her son fell ill, as long as her son was sick, it meant you, the daughter-in-law, had failed to do your job properly. The Empress Dowager would forever be the very first person to discipline Yan Lingyi.
In the eyes of the Empress Dowager, Yan Lingyi was simply a pair of perfectly tailored boots prepared for her son.
These boots had to fit comfortably and securely so that her son could step on them for the rest of his life. The moment Yan Lingyi showed even the slightest bulge or area that did not fit properly, the Empress Dowager would immediately pick up the hammer named national righteousness and the honor of the Yan family to personally come over and beat some sense into Yan Lingyi.
Lingyi, my child!
When that hammer came crashing down, it always seemed to carry a hint of a sigh.
Your aunt is doing all this for the sake of the Yan family, and for your own good.
If you only showed a bit of sense, your aunt wouldn’t treat you this way.
Such events had already been played out thousands of times in the past. As usual, Yan Lingyi accepted the medical book bestowed by the Empress Dowager, stating that she would study it carefully, take good care of Emperor Wenkang, and immediately set off to return to Jianye once Emperor Wenkang recovered.
Only then did the senior head maid depart with satisfaction.
Upon hearing this news, Ning Yue nearly passed out on the spot.
Her Imperial Brother was only sick, and yet the Empress Dowager was already coming to discipline Her Imperial Sister-in-Law. If she found out that Her Imperial Brother was lost, wouldn’t the Empress Dowager beat Her Imperial Sister-in-Law to death?
Whenever Ning Yue thought about how her imperial sister-in-law had fainted from anxiety over this matter, she felt an overwhelming wave of injustice on her behalf. It was her imperial brother who had run away on his own accord, not something her imperial sister-in-law did wrong. Why did all the consequences have to fall on her imperial sister-in-law?
Ning Yue felt a searing heartache for Yan Lingyi and made a special trip to Wutong Palace that night to check on her.
That night, when Ning Yue arrived at Wutong Palace, she found that all attendants within the hall had been dismissed, leaving the surroundings deathly quiet and chillingly desolate.
The intertwined tree branches overhead overlapped to form a massive spider web, hanging quietly in the night as it patiently waited for some prey to crash right into it.
Oblivious to any danger, Ning Yue walked past the covered corridor and saw her imperial sister-in-law’s personal maid, Zhilan, carrying a dagger into the inner hall.
Ning Yue called out, but Zhilan acted as though she had not heard, walking swiftly into the hall.
Following closely behind, Ning Yue looked through a layer of gauze curtains and saw her imperial sister-in-law kneeling on the floor. Zhilan held the dagger aloft, presenting it to her imperial sister-in-law, and cried out with a trembling voice, Your Majesty.
That single title trembled at the end, sounding desolate and bitter, instantly evoking a sense of foreboding.
What on earth were they trying to do?
Holding her breath, Ning Yue poked her head forward and saw her imperial sister-in-law inside the curtains slowly sitting up.
She could see her imperial sister-in-law’s lean and slender shoulders, resembling a crane perched amidst overlapping golden silks. The firelight reflected like water onto the gauze curtains, and even just her silhouette carried a breathtaking, dazzling allure.
Just as Ning Yue was about to speak, she suddenly saw her imperial sister-in-law take the dagger and make a move to plunge it into her own neck!
Imperial Sister-in-Law! Terrified out of her wits, Ning Yue bolted forward and shrieked, What are you doing, Imperial Sister-in-Law?
The gauze curtains fluttered away, revealing Yan Lingyi’s figure.
Clad only in a thin layer of undergarments, her imperial sister-in-law was kneeling barefoot on the floor, her back turned to her. Her thin spine drooped weakly, a sight that tugged sharply at the heartstrings.
Imperial Sister-in-Law! Ning Yue’s hands shook uncontrollably, frightened out of her mind.
Today, the senior head maid came here demanding to see Emperor Wenkang, but I blocked her by claiming he was already asleep and telling her to check again tomorrow. But tomorrow, there is simply no way to block her off any longer. Once tomorrow arrives, this entire matter will be exposed. Yan Lingyi’s eyes were filled with profound sorrow. Ning Yue, if we cannot find His Majesty, I have no face left to face the Empress Dowager, and can only choose death to end it all.
A heavy shock struck Ning Yue’s heart.
Her imperial brother had dropped such a massive burden and simply left as he pleased, practically driving her imperial sister-in-law to her death!
Caught in a terrible dilemma, she wished she could die in her imperial sister-in-law’s place.
This servant has a method that can temporarily delay today’s crisis. Right at this moment of desperate distress, Zhilan knelt down at the side, raised her head, and gazed into Ning Yue’s innocent face, guiding her step by step. However, it requires the Princess’s assistance.
Hearing this like music to her ears, Ning Yue hastily raised her head and asked, What method?
She completely failed to sense anything amiss with her imperial sister-in-law, nor did she realize that she was stepping step by step into a meticulously crafted trap.
In Ning Yue’s eyes, her imperial sister-in-law was the number-one loyal subject of the Great Jin and would never betray the imperial family or the Great Jin under any circumstances, which was why she asked without a shred of defense.
And to a certain extent, that was indeed true. Yan Lingyi never betrayed the imperial family from beginning to end; she always placed the Great Jin above all else.
Zhilan chimed in from the side, Since the Princess looks so remarkably similar to Emperor Wenkang, Your Highness can temporarily impersonate Emperor Wenkang for a few days. Once we locate His Majesty, we can simply switch back.
Impersonate? Ning Yue’s eyes widened in shock. Before she even had a chance to retort, she heard Yan Lingyi say, No!
Yan Lingyi’s face was painted with heartache. How could Ning Yue ever do such a deceptive thing? Rather than that, I might as well just die here and lay everything out clearly, so as not to implicate Ning Yue.
Kneeling on the floor beside them, Zhilan also kowtowed, sobbing tearfully, If the Empress dies, this servant will not wish to live either!
For a moment, the entire Wutong Palace was filled with an atmosphere of sorrow and grief. Ning Yue’s nasal passages felt as though they had been stuffed with sour apricots, stinging and aching, bringing her tears right to the verge of falling.
Imperial Sister-in-Law. Ning Yue knelt down on the ground alongside her, wiping away a tear with her sleeve. Like a little kitten drenched in the rain, she sniffled and sobbed, Imperial Sister-in-Law, please don’t die. I will pretend to be my brother. Let me try.
The little princess, with her nose reddened from crying, looked pitiful and endearing. As she cried, she even let out a small hiccup, and a stray lock of hair fell beside her cheek, trembling slightly with her movements.
Meanwhile, Yan Lingyi, whose face had been filled with sorrow just moments ago, gradually withdrew her expression. Her face was still the same face, and she was still the same person, but her eyes held only a profound, dark chill.
A moment later, Yan Lingyi raised her eyes, gazing at Ning Yue with an affectionate, loving expression before raising her hand to gently brush away the strands of hair from Ning Yue’s face, tucking them behind her ear.
Good sister, Yan Lingyi sighed softly. Trust your sister-in-law, everything will be fine very soon.
In her past life, Emperor Wenkang had used Princess Ning Yue as a scapegoat to die in his place. In this lifetime, Yan Lingyi would literally use Princess Ning Yue to replace every single aspect of him. Every action has its predestined karmic retribution; the debts of the past life must be repaid in this one.
So what if she was a woman? A woman could also be an emperor, and she would do an even better job than Emperor Wenkang!
Didn’t Emperor Wenkang want freedom? Didn’t he want true love? She would grant them both to him. Since the two of them loved each other so much, letting them stay together could also be considered doing a service for the people!
As for the throne, the responsibilities, and the imperial power that Emperor Wenkang so despised, she would take them all.
She wanted to see whether this country could truly fall without Emperor Wenkang around.
According to the trajectory of her past life, the Prince Regent would not survive this month, and three months after his death, the Empress Dowager would also fall gravely ill and pass away. Ever since the Empress Dowager’s death, Emperor Wenkang had indulged in wine and women, leaving the imperial court and harem practically managed entirely by Yan Lingyi.
In this lifetime, as long as she survived these three months, everything else would be nothing to fear.
To her, the emperor was merely a symbol of ritual and protocol, a pawn for the court’s chess game. As long as she remained the Empress, and as long as that jade seal symbolizing supreme authority was firmly grasped in the palm of her hand, she could bring peace and prosperity to this vast land. As for who sat upon the dragon throne, whether it was a puppet reigning through inaction, a figurehead with an empty title, or a woman draped in a man’s skin, none of it mattered.
She had no intention of handing power back to anyone else. She was convinced that no one else could do a better job than her. Since that was the case, why couldn’t it be her?
A hot-blooded shell birthed endless ambition. That night, Yan Lingyi wove a vast web within Wutong Palace, preparing to flip it over and encapsulate the entire Great Jin.
Since she couldn’t prop others up in her past life, in this lifetime, she intended to prop herself up.
Well, of course, Ning Yue herself did not know about any of this.
She was still young, and though she was a bit willful and fond of beauty, she didn’t have much courage. Terrified by her imperial sister-in-law’s actions, she kept crying and buried herself in her imperial sister-in-law’s arms, letting her stroke her head to comfort her.
Being stroked by her imperial sister-in-law felt wonderful. Her spine tingled with a warm, numb sensation, and her mind gradually grew hazy. Nestled against her imperial sister-in-law’s knees, she slowly drifted off to sleep.
The young girl’s cheeks were plump, puffing up slightly as she slept, with half-disheveled wisps of hair drooping beside her cheeks, making her look utterly harmless.
Yan Lingyi gently caressed her cheek, looking at Ning Yue as though looking at her, yet also as though looking at the jade seal of the Great Jin.
Completely oblivious and never one to harm others, Ning Yue thus became the sharpest blade in Yan Lingyi’s hands.