Shen Wei sighed at the end of her words: "Lady Wu is truly pitiable. Poisoned early in her pregnancy, she suffered repeated miscarriages, leaving her body severely weakened. Now, poisoned again, she won’t live past three months... If Concubine Lan learns the truth, she’ll be heartbroken."
Li Yuanjing didn’t care whether Lady Wu was pitiable or not.
Lately, he had been scheming to suppress the Xie Family, slowly stripping away their power. Over the years, the Xie Family had been selling official titles and exploiting the common people—evidence of their crimes had long been uncovered by the imperial guards, piled high like a mountain.
But they lacked a spark to ignite the downfall of the Xie Family.
Upon hearing the gossip Shen Wei shared, Li Yuanjing immediately found the key to breaking the stalemate.
He wrapped an arm around Shen Wei’s slender waist, his thin lips curving slightly. "Poisoning the mistress of the house is a crime punishable by death. Tomorrow, I will order the Ministry of Justice to investigate and ensure justice for Lady Wu."
Shen Wei promptly flattered, "Your Majesty is most wise."
...
...
Late at night in Huayang Palace.
Crash—
A vase shattered on the floor, fragments scattering everywhere. Concubine Lan clutched a letter from her mother, collapsing to the ground in heart-wrenching sobs.
"Mother..."
"Why... Why is the truth like this..."
In the letter, Lady Wu poured out her grief in every word, recounting how she had been deceived by her husband.
[Over twenty years ago, the Xie Family’s eldest daughter was named Empress. For a time, the Xie Family basked in glory, poised to rise even higher. But no one expected Empress Xie to suddenly cut ties with her family, even joining the late emperor in suppressing them.
Xie Ji, the young head of the Xie Family, fell in love with a wine-seller’s daughter, Lady Zhao, and the two pledged themselves to each other. But under family pressure, Xie Ji was forced to marry the noble-born Lady Wu.
On the day of Xie Ji and Lady Wu’s wedding, Lady Zhao drank herself into a stupor at the tavern. In her drunken state, she was taken to bed by a lecherous patron and defiled.
Lady Zhao was shattered and nearly took her own life. When Xie Ji learned of this, he was both heartbroken and furious, blaming Lady Wu for everything.
Xie Ji pretended to care for Lady Wu, but in truth, he despised her. He refused to consummate their marriage, instead drugging Lady Wu every night and sending a servant to take his place in her bed.
After Lady Wu became pregnant, Xie Ji secretly fed her abortifacients, causing her to lose child after child. Concubine Lan, Xie Fanglan, was actually the daughter of Lady Wu and one of those servants.
With Lady Wu’s body too damaged to bear a son, Xie Ji covertly elevated the wine-seller’s daughter, Lady Zhao, to the status of concubine.
For years, Xie Ji feigned indifference toward Lady Zhao in public, but the two often met in secret, swearing undying love.
By the time Lady Wu uncovered the truth, she was already terminally ill.]
In the room, Concubine Lan wept uncontrollably, her fingers cut by the sharp shards, blood staining the floor.
The maid Tong'er, eyes reddened, knelt beside her. "Mistress, please don’t grieve... Heaven sees all. Evil will be repaid with evil."
Concubine Lan shook her head in agony. "Tong'er... I—I’m actually the daughter of a servant. My mother, a woman of noble birth, suffered such humiliation... My father, his heart is so cruel, so cruel. How could such a vile man exist in this world..."
Concubine Lan closed her eyes.
She remembered her father’s kind and affectionate smile when she was young, the gentle embrace of Concubine Zhao. Xie Ji had doted on her, eager to give her the finest things in the world.
He always said: [Fanglan, you are your father’s most beloved daughter, the hope of the Xie Family. When you grow up, you will become the noble Empress.]
He had played his part too well.
Who could have guessed that his tenderness was nothing but a mask? Over the years, Xie Ji had instilled in Xie Fanglan the belief that "family comes first," only to throw her into the palace as a stepping stone for Xie Fanghua’s own ascent.
"Tong'er, what should I do?" Concubine Lan slumped to the floor, letting out a cry of despair.
She saw no hope, only pain and misery flooding her heart, her tears falling unchecked.
The next day, at Xie Mansion in Yanjing City.
The most beautiful autumn chrysanthemums in the morning garden were carefully picked by maids and placed on a tray, delivered to the chambers of the Xie Family’s second daughter, Xie Fanghua.
Before a silver mirror, Concubine Zhao smiled tenderly as she pinned a pink-purple chrysanthemum into Xie Fanghua’s dark hair.
"Lovely. My daughter is truly beautiful," Concubine Zhao murmured with satisfaction. "Once your father returns to the capital the day after tomorrow, I’ll discuss with him the right time to send you into the palace."
Xie Fanghua’s red lips curved. "Mother, don’t worry. Your daughter will surely capture His Majesty’s heart."
Her resemblance to Noble Consort Chen, both in looks and interests, would ensure the emperor’s favor by association.
Xie Fanghua added, "Mother, I heard Noble Consort Chen sent imperial physicians to examine Lady Wu yesterday. I’m afraid they might uncover something."
Concubine Zhao waved a hand dismissively. "One of the physicians is old, muddle-headed, and greedy—a thousand taels of silver bought his silence. The other is young and inexperienced. I watched him take Lady Wu’s pulse, and he didn’t even place his fingers correctly. Clearly, he’s a fraud with no real skill."
Two useless physicians wouldn’t find anything.
Xie Fanghua relaxed.
Concubine Zhao continued dressing her daughter as if polishing a prized work of art. Suddenly, a young maid rushed in, flustered. "Madam! Something terrible has happened!"
Concubine Zhao’s hand slipped, smudging Xie Fanghua’s eyebrow.
"What’s all this commotion? Where are your manners?" Concubine Zhao snapped.
The maid gasped, "An edict from the Empress Dowager has arrived!"
Concubine Zhao froze. The Empress Dowager?
It was well known that while the current Empress Dowager was born into the Xie Family, she had long been at odds with them. For years, she had never lifted a finger to help them.
A sense of foreboding rose in Concubine Zhao’s chest. She hurried out to the mansion’s entrance to receive the decree.
The messenger was Nanny Qian, the Empress Dowager’s most senior attendant. Behind her stood a palace sedan, flanked by four eunuchs.
"Nanny Qian, forgive my lack of preparation. What decree does Her Majesty send?" Concubine Zhao asked deferentially.
Nanny Qian’s voice was icy. "The Empress Dowager, deeply concerned about Lady Wu’s illness, has ordered me to escort her into the palace for treatment."
Concubine Zhao’s breath hitched.
Take Lady Wu into the palace?
She quickly protested, "Nanny Qian, my sister is too ill to even rise from bed. She truly cannot—"
"What? Does a mere concubine dare defy an imperial decree?" Nanny Qian’s gaze was sharp as a blade, showing no respect for a lowly concubine.
She strode past Concubine Zhao, palace attendants in tow, heading straight for Lady Wu’s chambers.
Concubine Zhao clenched her handkerchief in secret.
She hated Nanny Qian’s expression—that look of superiority, of disdain.
Years ago, when Concubine Zhao had sold wine in the tavern, every noble guest had looked at her the same way: mocking, belittling.
As if she were nothing but an insect.
And Concubine Zhao refused to stay beneath anyone’s feet.
She had toiled and schemed, racking her brains to become a revered concubine of the Xie Family, believing she was on the verge of soaring to great heights. Yet today, a single icy glance from Nanny Qian shattered Concubine Zhao’s hard-earned pride into pieces.
Nanny Qian acted with swift efficiency, soon bundling the gravely ill and unconscious Lady Wu into a sedan chair to be carried into the palace.
“Madam, what should we do?” the young maid asked anxiously.
Concubine Zhao took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on the yellowing leaves of the parasol tree by the gates of Xie Mansion. Calmly, she replied, “Send a letter to the master at once. Trouble is brewing in the household.”
