Happy birthday to my good friend and translation checker, StackedSnowflake! Her broad knowledge of Chinese history has greatly helped me in translating this novel. Thank you, Snowy!
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Translation: marchmallow
They were not the only ones who found it difficult to sleep, but the master of Kunning Palace, Empress Chen, as well.
Whether in public or in private, the Jianping Emperor had always treated his main wife with due respect. This time, however, even if the Imperial Noble Consort were to balk him, nothing could obstruct from charging resolutely towards Kunning Palace.
When he arrived there, he said nothing. He simply tossed the man he had found in front of Empress Chen.
The man had withstood innumerable bouts of interrogation and had already been subjected to so much torment, so he divulged the entirety of the story. Initially, Empress Chen was still questioning what kind of narrative the Jianping Emperor would bring with him to tell her that evening, but after hearing everything, her face could not help but turn wan.
She longed to remonstrate, to at least say something, but it seemed as though all the words were stuck in her throat, and not a single one would escape her mouth.
It was not until the Jianping Emperor flounced out with a flick of his sleeves that she recovered the sound of her voice.
“Your Majesty, this concubine really doesn’t know anything about this. You can’t just believe this person’s one-sided statement and assert that it was this concubine who did it. What Mother did has nothing to do with me. Your Majesty……”
Unfortunately, the Jianping Emperor was already nowhere in sight. She collapsed to the ground in utter incredulity, disregarding the apprehension of the palace maids and eunuchs around her. A while later, she rose to her feet and mumbled to herself, “This matter has nothing to do with me. Mother, yes, only Mother can save me. Make haste and send someone to the Chen family to deliver the message.”
Fu Chun took her arm to assist her up and said, “Your Majesty, the palace gate has already been locked. There is no way to leave the palace.”
“Go, quickly think of a way. Go, ah!” Empress Chen shouted hysterically. While shoving Fu Chun, she cried out, “Quickly leave. Only Mother can save me. You, quickly go.”
“Your Majesty, there really is no way to leave the palace at this time. Your honored self must not worry too much and be patient. After daybreak, this servant will send someone out of the palace. This servant will personally go, alright? Your honored self mustn’t be so anxious.”
Fu Chun condoled for a considerable period of time, but Empress Chen so negated her utterances that Fu Chun had no choice but to insist that if she would keep on causing such a ruckus, word would leak, and things would be rendered impossible to tidy up.
The Jianping Emperor had made use of the night to come, clearly with no intent to spark a huge disturbance. If Empress Chen persisted to cause a furor, what would happen next was hard to say. After all, there were countless sleuths and spies in the palace, and no one could also dare guarantee that their own palace was free of filth.
“Then, you must remember that you will personally leave the palace after daybreak.”
Empress Chen’s body quivered relentlessly as she spoke to Fu Chun. When had Fu Chun ever seen here like this? She was acutely aware that everything was over, and whatever they did next would be futile. Perhaps only the Chen family possessed the capability to save Her Majesty.
After dawn, as soon as the palace gates were opened, Fu Chun hastily grabbed the Kunning Palace’s tablet and left the palace.
When she arrived at the Chen family and gave a comprehensive account of the whole affair, the Chen family was immediately thrown into disorder.
Duke Cheng’en never expected that such an incident had transpired, as he was still so young then. Once the Chen family’s men reached the age of six, they would move to the front courtyard to preclude any consequence of being raised in the hands of women. He knew of Concubine Wang, that his father had doted on her, and that he had lost a concubine-born younger sister.
But it was precisely just that. His mother had not once mentioned a word about it. He never anticipated the truth of the matter to be like this.
Of course, a person of status as eminent as his would not be so credulous of such testimonies. He immediately sought Old Madam Chen and recounted everything. Upon studying Old Madam Chen’s expression, what else could he not understand?
Sure enough, the sins committed in the past were now to be paid back.
Perhaps others didn’t know, but the Chen family very well knew that the mutual affection between the Emperor and the Empress had long been dwindling away to almost nothing due to the crown prince’s and the palace’s affairs. Empress Chen could maintain her present honor because she was the Jianping Emperor’s first empress and primary wife, so he still acknowledged her prestige on these grounds.
They had garnered a bit of sympathy from the Emperor by taking advantage of the plight over at the First Prince Manor. It was just that, with the Imperial Noble Consort severing ties with them, hatred brewed in the hearts of those at the Chen family, compelling them to act through clandestine means. This aroused the Emperor’s wariness and led him to aid Empress Chen in suppressing the Imperial Noble Consort’s prominence.
However, the occurrence of this incident now was tantamount to reminding the Jianping Emperor that the first wife he had once believed to be forgiving and magnanimous was actually hypocritical and vicious. It was clear that the two of them, mother and daughter, did wrong to the person in question, yet they contrarily put on a show of indirectly accusing the Jianping Emperor of favoring the concubine and doing away with the wife, painting the Imperial Noble Consort as some domineering and merciless fiend.
With this, how could the Jianping Emperor not be livid? The outcome was too perilous, and it might subsequently enkindle graver consequences in the future, consequences that no one dared to think about.
No matter how badly the Chen family wanted the Imperial Noble Consort’s recognition, they were also unwilling to part with or cast away the position of empress.
Duke Cheng’en and Old Madam Chen, the mother and son pair, were bereft of speech; one was tottering with a deathly pale complexion, while the other lost all strength in utter consternation. In any case, after all was said and done, Duke Cheng’en was not an unfilial person. After consoling the Old Madam with a few words, he dashed out in a flurry to think of a way.
……
The room was so quiet that if a needle were to drop, everyone would hear it.
Liu mama ushered forward and softly advised, “Old Madam, regardless of how things are, you mustn’t neglect your health. Your honored self hasn’t yet eaten the morning meal. How about let this old slave ask someone to bring you something to eat? No matter how anxious you are, you have to eat before you can think of a solution.”
Old Madam Chen said nothing. She just sat there unmoving with a pensive look on her face.
“Old Madam, you mustn’t blame yourself,” implored Liu mama with a sob. She had been with the Old Madam all her life and was still staunch and devoted up until present.
Old Madam suddenly moved and patted her hand. “I’m not blaming myself for anything. I have lived a long life. I have sons, daughters, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren. I have what others have as well as what others don’t. I am content.”
Her bearing was calm and her manner of speaking was rather tranquil, appearing as though nothing had happened. Liu mama had a foreboding that something was about to transpire. As a matter of fact, she was right.
After all, Old Madam Chen had maintained her position as matriarch for this long. She was not a mindless woman.
Things having reached this stage, she knew very well that only she could solve this matter, and only she could save her daughter and her large family.
Come afternoon, noticing how few people there were within sight, Old Madam Chen quietly left the Chen Manor and entered the palace, inciting a mighty uproar.
*
Old Madam Chen was Empress Chen’s mother. Other titled women needed to hand over their paizi1 before entering the palace and could only come in after being summoned by a person from within, but she didn’t need to.
She pressed forward unopposed into the palace, but instead of heading to Kunning Palace, she marched towards Xianfu Palace.
The Imperial Noble Consort was right in the middle of her nap when a sudden cacophony erupted outside.
By the time she received the report and donned her outerwear, it had already reached an unmanageable state.
Old Madam Chen, the esteemed mother of the Mother of the Nation, knelt outside the Xianfu Palace’s gates and beseeched the Imperial Noble Consort for forgiveness and atonement.
The palace maids and eunuch serving the Imperial Noble Consort were not foolish. As soon as it happened, Qian Ru directed someone to help support Old Madam Chen up. No matter what, the palace maids and eunuchs first needed to find a way to get Old Madam Chen inside, then they would figure out what to do next. However, Old Madam Chen was determined to keep kneeling. She was already old, around seventy years of age, so no one dared to do anything to her.
“Your Ladyship, it is I, this ignorant woman, who has eyes but failed to see. I was the one who had done wrong. The Empress had nothing to do with it. How old was she back then? If Your Ladyship has any animosity or complaints, do not hesitate to seek this old woman for revenge. The Empress absolutely must not be implicated.”
The chaos in Xianfu Palace had already attracted the attention of many. Several palace maids and eunuchs in nearby palaces had craned their necks from outside the palace gates to peer at the spectacle. Not long after, Noble Consort Hu arrived, as well as Consort Shu and Consort De.
Noble Consort Hu feigned surprise and urged Old Madam Chen beside her, “Old Madam, what is your honored self doing? Why won’t you just say what the problem is? There really is no need to be like this.”
“Precisely. The Imperial Noble Consort is mild in nature. By no means is her temperament unreasonable or unforgiving. If you have anything to say, your honored self must get up first.”
After rushing out in haste, the Imperial Noble Consort, with a coat haphazardly draped over her shoulders, trembled in rage from head to foot.
Old Madam Chen’s actions did not appear to be mere affectations. No matter how others tried to persuade her, she refused to rise. Whenever someone approached her to offer support, she would repeatedly wave her hand and push them away, not at all exhibiting the conduct expected of an old madam, but rather exhibiting the unruliness of a village woman creating an unreasonable scene and encumbering those around her.
“Aiya, how can this be? Someone come and invite Her Majesty the Empress.”
Hearing her spout such words, Old Madam Chen, who had since been feigning ignorance, finally seemed to have heard it.
“Don’t invite the Empress. This has nothing to do with the Empress. This entanglement is only between me and the Imperial Noble Consort. Imperial Noble Consort, this old lady is here today to apologize to you. If Your Ladyship harbors any resentment and grievances, just seek this old lady for revenge. Do not lash out at the Empress.”
Confronted with Old Madam Chen’s obstinance, Noble Consort Hu, Consort Shu, and several other imperial concubines turned around and instead tried to persuade Imperial Noble Consort, saying that regardless of what happened to have caused such a scene to this extent, she must first forgive the other, bid servants to urge her up, and then see how things would go from there.
What did they know? If considering the rancor the Imperial Noble Consort was harboring, and scrutinizing the old lady whose body looked like half of it was buried in the ground, the grievances between the two could not clearly be stated in a single sentence. How could she forgive?
Not everything could be fixed by playing pretend. Everyone had a bottom line that no one could touch.
The Imperial Noble Consort was so enraged that her face paled, and she tottered as if on the verge of collapse. Seeing how terrible the situation was, Qian Ru ordered someone to invite the Jianping Emperor, but no news came.
The reason why the Imperial Noble Consort was behaving like this was to make the Noble Consort Hu and the others, who desired to see the world plunged into chaos, understand something. As the flames were constantly being fanned, the scene was awfully chaotic for a time.
*
Feng Sheng deliberated over and over, ultimately deciding to make a trip to the palace.
In the end, Prince Wei was a man. His mind was not as delicate as that of a woman. He naturally did not understand that sometimes, when affronted by a major occurrence, a woman would be more likely to abandon herself to emotion. She feared that the Imperial Noble Consort’s mind contained no good thoughts.
Facts had proven that this was the right thing to do. Feng Sheng entered the palace, and in tow were Zhi Qiu and Jin ge’er, who was nestled in the wet nurse’s embrace. They made headway to Xianfu Palace. Along the path, they ran into palace maids and eunuchs who were scurrying about with startling celerity. Listening to their discreet prattles, it seemed that something had transpired in Xianfu Palace.
Witnessing this, Feng Sheng could not afford to delay and briskly quickened her pace.
When she reached Xianfu Palace, the scene was in utter disarray. She did not care to further survey the scene and hurried towards Qian Ru, inquiring in whispers about what had happened.
Qian Ru roughly explained the situation. They had sent someone to invite His Majesty, only that the Jianping Emperor was still discussing official business with cabinet ministers, so the news was not delivered. Probably because the Imperial Noble Consort was so angry, she simply bolted back inside and neither cared to inquire nor to hear, leaving them there to inflict a pandemonium.
“Princess Consort, what does your honored self think should be done about this matter?”
What could be done? It was evident that Old Madam Chen wanted to take on the burden all by herself, sparing no effort to separate Empress Chen from the matter at hand. Amidst it, she wanted to elicit the Imperial Noble Consort’s disgust, damaging her reputation in the process. Today, regardless of the truth, the Empress’s mother knelt down in front of the Imperial Noble Consort under the watchful eyes of many. The Imperial Noble Consort’s image would be perceived as evil and vicious for having compelled the other party to such a despaired state, leaving her without a choice but to make this deprecatory gesture.
At morning court the next day, several cabinet ministers would, in all likelihood, accuse her of misconduct.
……
Noble Consort Hu, Consort Shu, and Consort De had all left, probably gleaning that the Jianping Emperor was still occupied at present, and that their presence there was too conspicuous. It might also be that he had gone to Kunning Palace, but no one really knew. Outside the palace gates, even more palace maids and eunuchs watched the animated scene with great intrigue.
Jin ge’er had never seen such a spectacle before. The fat boy, who was originally courageous, was frightened and began wailing. The wet nurse anxiously tried to coax him, but she was unable to.
As Feng Sheng watched the scene unfurl before her eyes, fire rushed straight to her head. This place was clearly Xianfu Palace where the Imperial Noble Consort resided, but it was now as tumultuous as a vegetable market. Over there, palace maids and eunuchs who were ordered to urge Old Madam Chen to get up were now on their knees before her to beg her to stand. The old woman paid them no regard and persisted kneeling there, lamentably entreating the Imperial Noble Consort to forgive her.
She picked up Jin ge’er, held him in her arms and appeased him, while at the same time pondering about a way to resolve the matter.
“Go and ask someone to summon the imperial physician. Tell him that Her Ladyship fainted out of anger and exasperation.”
Qian Ru replied in astonishment, “Princess Consort, can we really say that? Will it not sound like an unsought confession? It obviously has nothing to do with Her Ladyship, but now it will make her seem like she’s guilty.”
Feng Sheng’s eyebrows creased, and she pursed the corners of her mouth. “Just do it. Listen to me. Ask someone to go and pretend to be stricken with panic.”
“But……” Qian Ru was still extremely hesitant, but upon seeing Feng Sheng’s solemn countenance, she recalled that the Imperial Noble Consort had once commended the Princess Consort for being a very intelligent person. More than that, the Imperial Noble Consort started ignoring everyone after she had gone in. There was really no other way, so she clenched her fists and nodded in assent.
After Qian Ru left to heed her order, Feng Sheng bid Zhi Qiu and the wet nurse carrying Jin ge’er to go in and accompany the Imperial Noble Consort, while she herself strode towards Old Madam Chen.
1 牌子 (paizi): a tablet carried by officials and envoys to signify certain privileges and authority. They enabled nobles and officials to demand goods and services from civilian populations.
