Gu Jiu followed Zhang shi and Xie shi back into the side hall.
A faint unease lingered in her chest.
As she glanced around, she suddenly, unexpectedly, caught sight of Pei Yun.
Pei Yun… had returned to the capital?
Before she could think further, they had already entered the side hall.
Zhang shi noticed Gu Jiu’s expression and assumed she was nervous. She leaned closer and whispered comfortingly, “Don’t worry, it’s fine.”
Gu Jiu gave a slight nod. “Thank you, da bomu.”
Xie shi frowned. After sitting down, she couldn’t help glancing repeatedly at Gu Jiu.
She couldn’t make sense of it – why did the Empress show such particular favour toward Gu Jiu?
It was very strange.
Could it be Wei lao furen’s doing again?
Xie shi quietly asked Zhang shi, “Dasao, what do you think lao furen would say in front of niangniang?”
“Of course, only auspicious words.”
Xie shi paused, then asked again, “Then the reason niangniang asked about Xiao Jiu must also be because of lao furen?”
Zhang shi replied softly, “You needn’t overthink it, dimei. Just wait quietly.”
Xie shi felt a touch of disappointment.
Truth be told, Zhang shi herself wasn’t sure what was happening in the main hall, nor could she guess Empress Cui’s intentions.
She could only wait until the palace banquet to ask the other ladies of the hou fu – perhaps they would know.
The Empress, fatigued, received the court ladies as quickly as possible.
Afterwards, she was escorted away by palace maids.
The rest of the gathering moved to Chenghui Hall.
The banquet was to be held there.
With the Empress absent, the atmosphere in Chenghui Hall became much livelier.
At last, the guests no longer had to sit stiffly in their seats – they could move about freely, chatting in small groups.
Gu Yue was desperate – she had been holding it in for a long time and could hardly endure.
She tugged at Gu Shan’s hand. “Si meimei, will you come with me to the privy?”
Seeing her sister’s anxious expression, Gu Shan quickly informed Xie shi and Zhang shi.
Xie shi frowned, scolding in a low voice, “I warned you during the New Year’s dinner yesterday – eat and drink less, and for heaven’s sake don’t drink water after waking. Did you forget again?”
Gu Yue was on the verge of tears from urgency.
Zhang shi intervened quickly. “Dimei, don’t worry.”
She called a young palace maid over, handed her a pouch, and asked her to lead Gu Yue to the restroom. Gu Shan accompanied her sister as well.
Xie shi reminded Gu Shan, “Keep an eye on your san jiejie. As soon as she’s done, return at once – no lingering.”
Gu Shan bowed and hurried after Gu Yue.
Zhang shi said to Gu Jiu, “Xiao Jiu, if you also need to go, just tell me.”
Gu Jiu smiled. “Thank you, da bomu, I’m fine.”
For the sake of the day’s formalities, Gu Jiu had forced herself not to drink a drop of water for five or six hours. At this moment, she only felt thirsty, not pressed.
Zhang shi then spotted the three other sisters-in-law from the hou fu and hurried over to greet them. Xie shi followed as well, eager to pry for information.
Taking the chance, Gu Jiu slipped through the crowd and made her way toward Pei Yun.
Pei Yun had also seen her, and smiled warmly as she walked forward to meet her.
“Pei jiejie, it really is you!” Gu Jiu said, her face alight with delight.
Pei Yun glanced around and hushed her. “Shh. I only returned to the capital a few days ago. Gu meimei, I heard about everything. I never thought my mother would go to your fu with a marriage proposal, only to go back on her word. Don’t hold it against her.”
Gu Jiu smiled sweetly. “Jiejie worries too much. If you hadn’t brought it up, I would have already forgotten.”
Pei Yun clasped Gu Jiu’s hand. “I’ll persuade my mother to change her mind, and send a matchmaker to your household again.”
“Absolutely not!”
Gu Jiu grew anxious the moment she heard this. “Pei jiejie, marriage depends on fate. Since furen has already withdrawn, let the matter end here. Don’t bring it up again.”
Pei Yun looked puzzled. “Then, Gu meimei, are you angry? Or do you not think my san ge is worthy?”
“Neither. I simply don’t wish to marry so soon – I’d like to stay at home for another couple of years.”
Pei Yun suddenly understood. Gu Jiu’s thoughts were much like her own had once been.
She herself had fled to the northwest to avoid marriage.
But after more than half a year there, things had not turned out as she had imagined.
And she was growing older – she could not delay any longer.
Pei Yun had thought it through, which was why she had returned to the capital, ready to accept her fate.
She said to Gu Jiu, “Gu meimei, let me say a few more words – you won’t find me bothersome, will you?”
Gu Jiu nodded. “Please go ahead, Pei jiejie.”
Pei Yun said, “I understand not wanting to wed too early. But if you come across a suitable match, you should seize it firmly.
“The capital seems full of young talents, but truly suitable ones are very few – sometimes none at all. If you are fortunate enough to meet one, don’t let the chance slip by.”
Gu Jiu blinked, then smiled. “Thank you for the reminder, Pei jiejie. I’ll keep your words in mind. But for now, I haven’t met such a match.”
Pei Yun smiled knowingly. So, Gu Jiu clearly didn’t wish to marry into Lu hou fu. Perhaps her elders had advised her – saying it wasn’t a good match, or something of the sort.
Since Gu Jiu had made her stance clear, Pei Yun would not press the matter.
“I hope you’ll have your wish fulfilled, Gu meimei.”
“Thank you, Pei jiejie. And I hope the same for you – that you’ll marry the man of your heart.”
Pei Yun lowered her head, her expression dim. “And what sort of man could be called the man of one’s heart?”
Gu Jiu considered her words carefully before replying, “Everyone has their own standard. It differs from person to person.”
“What kind of man is the ideal husband in Gu meimei’s heart?”
Gu Jiu gave a shy smile. “I’ve never really thought about it seriously. Roughly speaking – someone with good character, who is reasonable, and whose family background is simple. But I suppose I’ll never meet such a man.”
[T/N: Xiao Jiu, oh, Xiao Jiu. You’ll be sorely disappointed.]
Pei Yun teased her, “Just the condition of a ‘simple family’ alone rules out ninety-nine percent of men. As for the few remaining, I doubt they’d measure up in character or reason. So, Gu meimei, your standards aren’t just high – they’re extremely high.”
Gu Jiu laughed, her brows arching. “That’s why my thinking is too naïve. When it comes to marriage, best leave it to fate.”
Pei Yun gave a bitter smile, her eyes shadowed with worry. “I truly envy Gu meimei for being able to take things so lightly.”
Gu Jiu grew thoughtful. “Has Pei jiejie run into some trouble?”
“The one I fancy doesn’t fancy me. Does that count as trouble?”
Ah!
Gu Jiu suddenly understood.
She comforted Pei Yun, “There are countless men in the world, Pei jiejie. Why tie yourself to one crooked tree? If he doesn’t want you, it’s his loss. It only proves he has no eye – indeed, he must be half-blind.”
At that very moment, in the Taiji Palace, Liu Zhao suddenly felt his nose itch. He nearly sneezed, rubbed it, and managed to hold it back.
Haha –
Pei Yun covered her mouth and laughed. “You called him a crooked tree… pfft! If he heard that, he’d be furious.”
Gu Jiu chuckled. “Pei jiejie wouldn’t tell him, would you?”
Pei Yun nodded. “Of course not. But your way of comforting me is truly unusual. After hearing you, I already feel much better. The world hardly revolves around him – why should I?”
“Exactly. As the saying goes, ‘Why cling to one blade of grass, when there are flowers everywhere under heaven?’”
Pei Yun laughed again. “Gu meimei, you really are amusing. To call women flowers and men grass – it actually fits. Thank you, truly. I feel so much lighter now. Time is short today, but another day I’ll send you an invitation – we’ll sit down and chat properly.”
Gu Jiu’s eyes curved in a smile. “As long as Pei jiejie doesn’t mind my careless words.”
“You worry too much. You speak beautifully.”
Because of the setting, their conversation soon ended and they went their separate ways.
Gu Shan escorted Gu Yue back to the main hall. Gu Yue looked refreshed and cheerful again.
But Xie shi didn’t let her off, scolding her harshly.
Gu Yue felt so wronged she nearly burst into tears.
“Do you not see what occasion this is? If you dare cry, I’ll break your legs.”
Gu Yue quickly swallowed her tears. “Nü’er wouldn’t dare cry.”
Xie shi snorted. “Mind the rules. Don’t wander about. Stay at my side.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Gu Jiu wisely stayed away.
In the crowd, she found Gu Mei. “Mei jiejie, you have worked hard today.”
“Xiao Jiu meimei has worked hard too.”
They exchanged smiles.
For the New Year’s audience, everyone had laboured heavily. Now, they were only forcing themselves to keep their spirits up while socialising.
Quietly, Gu Jiu asked, “Mei jiejie, when the Empress niangniang called us sisters forward in the Weiyang Palace main hall – she didn’t mean anything by it, did she?”
Gu Jiu had been worried about this all along, afraid of hidden implications.
Gu Mei replied, “Niangniang must have done it on a whim. No deeper meaning.”
“That’s good. That’s good.”
Gu Jiu finally felt relieved. As long as she hadn’t drawn the Empress’s eye, all was well.
Inside the sleeping chambers of Weiyang Palace, coughing rang out again and again – so fierce it seemed her very organs would be hacked out – making all the attendants’ hearts twist with dread.
A palace maid hurried in carrying a bowl of medicine. “Niangniang, the medicine is here.”
“Cough, cough… cough, cough… pffft – ”
A spurt of fresh blood gushed forth. The maids and eunuchs panicked as if the heavens had collapsed.
“Niangniang, are you all right?”
“Niangniang is spitting blood! Quickly, summon Wang taiyi!”
“Niangniang, please lie down!”
For a moment, Empress Cui’s mind went blank. Her gaze fixed dully on the fresh blood staining the carpet.
She had spat blood. Actually spat blood.
“What are you panicking for! Bengong is not dead yet!”
Her sharp rebuke instantly silenced everyone.
Taking a handkerchief from a maid, Empress Cui calmly dabbed the corners of her mouth.
It was all blood.
Dark red blood – enough to chill the soul.
The Empress gave a bitter smile. “Seems like bengong doesn’t have much time left.”
Wang taiyi entered with his medicine chest. At the sight of the blood, even he trembled with fear.
“Niangniang, please extend your hand so weichen may take your pulse.”
Empress Cui extended her right hand. “Do not be nervous. Take your time.”
Cold sweat streamed down the taiyi’s forehead.
He kept his face expressionless as he took her pulse, but his heart pounded violently.
When he finished, he bowed low. “The previous prescription must be altered. Weichen will write a new one.”
The Empress fixed her gaze on him. “Speak. What of bengong’s body? How long do I have left?”
The taiyi went pale, and fell to his knees with a thud. “Please, niangniang, spare me, spare me…”
“Speak the truth, and bengong will let you live. Otherwise – you know the fate of those in the harem.” Her eyes darkened as she bore down on him.
Sweat dripped down his brow, bead by bead.
“Weichen, weichen…”
“Speak. Whatever the outcome, bengong can bear it.”
Gritting his teeth, the physician said, “Niangniang’s body is already like a lamp whose oil has run dry. At any time, it could…”
“How long can you keep bengong alive?” Empress Cui cut him off. She didn’t want vague words of imminent death – she wanted a concrete time.
Wang taiyi, trembling with fear, looked up at Empress Cui.
Empress Cui scolded sharply, “Speak – how many days can bengong live?”
“Niangniang, the life-preserving medicines are fierce and violent. Taking them will cause unbearable suffering.”
Empress Cui’s face was calm as she said, “In this life, what hardships has bengong not endured? Now bengong only wishes to know – how many days do I have left?”
Wang taiyi dared to answer, “If treated according to the prescription, at most five days remain. If you take the life-preserving medicine, supplemented with acupuncture, at most half a month.”
“Only half a month of time… how urgent it is,” Empress Cui sighed.
Inside the bedchamber, all the palace attendants fell to their knees.
The air suddenly grew silent. No one dared to speak, not even to breathe loudly.
Empress Cui let out a cold laugh. “Go, summon the Crown Prince here. Bengong has words for him.”
At that moment, a maid entered cautiously and said, “Niangniang, His Majesty has arrived, along with the Crown Prince, the princes and the imperial grandsons.”
Empress Cui smiled faintly. “Clean up the floor first. Then let His Majesty enter.”
The palace attendants hurried to work – changing carpets, cleaning away all traces.
The maid said nervously, “But His Majesty has already reached the palace gate. This servant fears she cannot stop him.”
Empress Cui’s eyes widened. “Tell His Majesty that if he does not wish bengong to die today, then he must not rush in.”
The maid’s face turned ashen. She bowed and hurried out.
Kaiyao Emperor had heard that the Empress was unwell, so he rushed through the New Year’s Day greetings with the court ladies. He abandoned his ministers midway and led the princes and grandsons to Weiyang Palace to see her.
But upon reaching the bedchamber, they were blocked by palace attendants.
“Niangniang requests that Your Majesty wait a while before entering.”
Kaiyao Emperor frowned. “Absurd! You dare block zhen’s path?”
All the attendants fell to their knees. “We beg Your Majesty’s pardon – this is niangniang’s command. She says if Your Majesty does not wish her to die today, then you must not rush in.”
Kaiyao Emperor’s expression shifted, his face darkening as he kept silent.
The Crown Prince turned pale, asking urgently, “How is muhou? Where is Wang taiyi? Send for all the taiyi at once!”
At once, an attendant took the order and ran to summon them.
“Enough noise. Come in, all of you. Bengong will not die just yet.”
The Empress’ voice came from within the chamber.
Kaiyao Emperor snorted coldly, then led the princes and grandsons inside.
The bedchamber had been completely renewed: a fresh carpet laid, the bedstead scrubbed clean, and new bedding replaced.
Empress Cui had changed out of her court robes into lighter home attire.
She leaned against the bed, her face flushed with an unhealthy redness.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty, chenqie cannot rise to greet you.”
“Do not concern yourself with such empty courtesies.” Kaiyao Emperor stepped forward, sat at the bedside, and held her hand.
The emperor, in his early sixties, was stout with age, his beard thick. At first glance, one might mistake him for a benevolent elder.
But in truth, from prince to sovereign to aged emperor, he had walked across mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Beneath his feet lay countless bones – the ancient aristocratic clans of centuries had been destroyed at his hand, erased from the flow of time.
Of his ten-odd brothers, most were dead or deposed. Only two or three still lived. The rest had all become cannon fodder along his road to imperial power. Not one escaped.
For such an emperor, ‘benevolence’ did not exist. Cruelty and paranoia were his truest portraits.
Those he hated were doomed to die – not just one, but entire families wiped out.
Those he trusted could drain the national treasury, be cursed by both officials and commoners, and still live in splendour.
But once they lost his trust, their deaths would be more miserable than any other official’s.
Empress Cui looked at Kaiyao Emperor and smiled faintly.
They had been married since youth – husband and wife through decades of storms, from young to old.
As for whether they had ever truly loved – Empress Cui could no longer recall. That was a matter from decades past. Who still remembers the girlish stirrings of youth?
But one thing she knew for certain: countless times she had wanted to kill Kaiyao Emperor.
And she believed he, too, had wanted countless times to depose her as empress.
For decades, husband and wife had lived as enemies yet companions. Now in their old age, those knots of resentment still could not be undone.
Empress Cui said, “Thank you, Your Majesty, for coming to see chenqie. Chenqie’s body fails me, and I have troubled Your Majesty.”
“We are husband and wife. To speak so formally is needless.”
Empress Cui lowered her head with a faint smile. Husband and wife – they had long grown used to acting, and forgotten how to speak with sincerity.
“Your Majesty, chenqie will not last much longer. I fear I will not survive this year.”
The Crown Prince staggered at her words, looking helpless and stricken.
Empress Cui glanced at him lightly, then ignored him.
Kaiyao Emperor comforted her, “Empress, you must be at ease and take care of yourself. Zhen still hopes that you may accompany zhen for many more years.”
“Chenqie also wishes to remain by Your Majesty’s side, but time waits for no one.”
“Do not let your mind wander. If the taiyi are incompetent, zhen will summon famed doctors from all under heaven to treat you.”
Empress Cui smiled faintly. “Your Majesty’s concern – chenqie understand it well.”
Leave a Reply