Li Yuanjing’s thin lips curled upward. "If there’s anything you don’t understand, both I and the Empress Dowager can guide you. What is there to fear?"
Shen Wei wrapped her arms affectionately around Li Yuanjing’s neck, her dark, gleaming eyes brimming with undisguised adoration. "With Your Majesty by my side, I fear neither mountains of blades nor seas of fire."
The late spring night carried a slight chill, and a faint fragrance lingered around Shen Wei.
Li Yuanjing’s throat tightened, his pupils darkening slowly. Shen Wei always had a way of igniting his desire effortlessly, drawing him into an intoxicating abyss.
His large hand encircled Shen Wei’s slender waist as he leaned down, claiming her with fervor.
The room filled with warmth, while outside, the crabapple blossoms in the courtyard bloomed under the cover of night.
...
...
The next day, during the morning court session, a dozen newly appointed officials from humble backgrounds jointly submitted a memorial, vehemently denouncing the Tantai family. They exposed the family’s crimes—oppressing the common people, murder and arson, and the illegal trade of salt and iron.
After court, the Emperor summoned the Head of the Tantai Family and Madam Tantai.
Eunuch Deshun stood at the entrance of Chang’an Palace, straining his ears to catch the Emperor’s intermittent outbursts of anger and the Tantai family’s feeble attempts at justification from within.
After roughly an hour, movement could be heard inside the hall.
The Head of the Tantai Family supported Madam Tantai as they staggered out, their robes drenched in sweat, their faces etched with the relief of having narrowly escaped disaster.
The Empress had committed a grave mistake. To preserve her position as the nation’s mother and the Tantai family’s glory, they had been forced to surrender vast tracts of fertile land, hand over privately owned salt and iron mines, and relinquish over thirty crucial official positions—cutting deep into their wealth—just to barely secure the Emperor’s mercy.
Madam Tantai did not leave the palace immediately. Instead, leaning on her cane, she made her way to Kunning Palace to see the Empress.
...
Kunning Palace.
In just one night, the entire Kunning Palace had lost its former splendor. The Empress’s personal attendants—her chief maids and eunuchs—had all been executed, while the remaining palace servants were banished to the laundry house to perform hard labor.
Rumors spread like wildfire through the palace.
Some claimed the Empress had been punished for mistreating Princess Wan'er. Others whispered that the Tantai family’s illegal salt and iron trade had implicated her. A small faction even suspected the Empress had fallen prey to evil spirits, rendering her too ill to be seen.
In any case, the Empress had "fallen ill" and was ordered to rest in seclusion. The Emperor appointed Consort Chen to temporarily manage the inner court alongside Consort Shu.
Supported by the Old Matron, Madam Tantai walked slowly into Kunning Palace.
The Empress was pacing frantically, her hair unkempt, a string of prayer beads clutched in her hand. At the sound of footsteps, she looked up and burst into tears at the sight of her white-haired mother. "Mother! You and Elder Brother must save me!"
The Old Matron closed the door behind them.
Madam Tantai raised her hand and delivered a resounding slap across the Empress’s face.
The Empress reeled, her ears ringing. She stared at her mother in disbelief. "You—you struck me! No one has ever dared to strike me!"
Madam Tantai was trembling with rage. "You fool! I should never have given birth to you! Poisoning Consort Chen was bad enough, but you even dared to target the Empress Dowager! If this spreads among the common folk, where will the Tantai family’s dignity be? How will history record this? Who would dare marry our daughters in the future?"
Madam Tantai seemed to have aged a decade overnight.
The Empress had lost all sense! Why couldn’t she have remained content with her position as the nation’s mother? Instead, she resorted to clumsy schemes to harm the imperial consort and the Empress Dowager.
Now, her recklessness had made her the weak point through which outsiders could attack the Tantai family.
The newly appointed officials from humble backgrounds had seized the opportunity to vilify the Tantai family, while other noble clans watched coldly, waiting to carve up their assets once they fell.
Clutching her stinging cheek, the Empress protested tearfully, "Mother, you don’t understand what I’ve endured! The moment that vile Shen woman returned to the palace, she monopolized the Emperor’s favor, with her general brother shielding her. She has two sons—I have only one! If I hadn’t acted first, she would have destroyed me!"
The Empress was terrified.
She couldn’t bear the thought of returning to those bitter days in the prince’s residence, confined to a small prayer room with nothing but her prayers to keep her company.
Madam Tantai nearly fainted from fury. "Fool! Fool! Fool!" she spat three times.
The Tantai family had produced such an imbecile!
She was worrying over imaginary threats and digging her own grave.
The Empress wept harder. "I did it all for the Tantai family! If Shen Wei isn’t removed, how will Cheng Zhen ever ascend the throne? Mother, you and Elder Brother must find a way to restore the Emperor’s trust in me!"
Madam Tantai closed her eyes briefly. The Old Matron quickly patted her back, helping her regain her composure.
After a long pause, Madam Tantai finally spoke, her tone slightly gentler. "Your brother and I barely managed to secure your position as Empress. For now, you will remain in Kunning Palace to reflect on your actions. Do not cause any more trouble."
The Empress froze. "Mother, will I ever regain control of the inner court?"
Madam Tantai’s gaze was inscrutable. "You are still the Empress. Once the Emperor and the Empress Dowager’s anger subsides, your brother and I will find a way to assist you. Shuya, listen to me—do not stir up any more trouble in the coming months."
The Empress’s frantic heart finally settled.
At least she still had her family’s support. There was still hope for her to rise again.
"It’s getting late. I must leave now. Stay here and behave yourself." Without another word, Madam Tantai turned and left, leaning on her cane as the Old Matron guided her out.
The Empress stumbled after her, calling out, "Mother, I’ll await your good news!"
The vermilion doors of Kunning Palace slammed shut behind them.
The Empress’s eyes widened as the world beyond the palace gates narrowed to a sliver before vanishing entirely—locking her away in solitude.
It felt as if she had been cut off from the world, condemned to remain trapped within these walls forever.
Clutching her prayer beads, the Empress muttered to herself, "I still have my family... Once the storm passes, I’ll deal with Shen Wei."
...
Outside Kunning Palace, the palace corridors stretched endlessly.
Madam Tantai’s face was weary, her eyes flickering with a mix of disgust and sorrow. "I should never have married Shuya into the imperial family," she murmured bitterly.
Her excessive indulgence had nurtured a reckless fool.
Still, it wasn’t too late to pull back from the brink.
She turned to the Old Matron. "Is Yinxue prepared?"
The Old Matron nodded. "Rest assured, Madam. Miss Yinxue is peerless in beauty and talent, sharp-witted and graceful. Tomorrow night, during the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet, she will perform. She is certain to catch the Emperor’s eye."
The Empress was beyond redemption.
Last night, the Tantai family had hastily devised a new plan—to send Tantai Yinxue, a daughter from the second branch, into the palace to divert the Emperor’s favor from Consort Shu and Consort Chen.
The Emperor was in his prime. If the new consort could bear him a few sons, the Tantai family would have fresh hope.
