Not only was Xie Fanghua shocked, but all the kneeling Xie Family members receiving the imperial edict were also struck with disbelief.
Eunuch Deshun spoke calmly as he handed the edict to Xie Ji: "Lord Xie, accept the decree."
Xie Ji knelt on the ground, his hands trembling.
He took the edict.
Eunuch Deshun raised his hand, and immediately, officers from the Ministry of Justice entered to arrest the guilty Concubine Zhao. Terrified, she trembled all over and crawled on her knees behind Xie Ji, her voice choked with sobs: "Master, save me! I was framed! Fanghua is only eighteen, unmarried—how can our daughter become a nun?"
Xie Ji's heart ached as if slashed by a knife.
But imperial authority was supreme. If he dared defy the edict to shield Concubine Zhao today, his political enemies would seize the opportunity to attack him.
Xie Ji did not dare resist. He tightly grasped Concubine Zhao’s hand: "Don’t be afraid. I will find a way to save you. Our Xie Family is loyal and honorable. My elder sister is the revered Empress Dowager—no one dares touch us."
Tears streaming down her face, Concubine Zhao chose to believe him.
For years, under Xie Ji’s protection, she had thought herself invincible, capable of manipulating anyone. But now, with the emperor’s wrath crashing down upon her, she realized that without Xie Ji, she was still just a helpless wine-seller’s daughter.
Without Xie Ji, she was nothing.
"Master, I must go now," Concubine Zhao said tearfully, gazing at him. "Protect our children."
Xie Ji closed his eyes briefly. "I will."
"Mother! Let go of my mother!" Xie Fanghua staggered to her feet, trying to chase after Concubine Zhao, but two gray-capped elderly nuns blocked her path.
Eunuch Deshun informed her: "Second Miss Xie, these are the reverend nuns from Jiguang Nunnery. Today, they will take you to be tonsured."
Xie Fanghua hid behind Xie Ji, clutching his sleeve in fear. "Father! I don’t want to go to the nunnery! I won’t become some wretched nun!"
She was the pampered jewel of the Xie Family, raised in luxury, renowned for her beauty. Her parents had always told her she would enter the palace—to become an imperial consort, even the empress!
Yet now, before she could even step into the palace, a single edict had shattered her dreams.
Xie Ji, who doted on this daughter the most, couldn’t bear it. He asked Eunuch Deshun, "Chief Eunuch, when did my daughter offend Noble Consort Chen? There must be some misunderstanding."
Eunuch Deshun’s voice was icy as he pronounced Xie Fanghua’s crime: "Today in the imperial gardens, the Second Miss Xie spoke disrespectfully to Noble Consort Chen. Shortly after, Noble Consort Chen fell gravely ill with fever and lost consciousness, alarming His Majesty and the Empress Dowager. Lord Xie, your daughter lacks virtue and propriety. That Their Majesties spared her life is already an act of mercy."
Xie Fanghua shrieked, "Lies! I never offended Noble Consort Chen! She must have envied me, feared I would steal the emperor’s favor, and framed me!"
Eunuch Deshun’s expression turned frosty. "Such fine upbringing the Second Miss Xie has."
Xie Ji’s heart sank. He turned and scolded his daughter sharply, "Foolish girl, hold your tongue!"
To slander Noble Consort Chen so recklessly in front of the palace’s chief eunuch was nothing short of suicidal.
Xie Fanghua burst into pitiful tears, tugging at Xie Ji’s sleeve. "Father, I misspoke... but I truly don’t want to be a nun!"
Xie Ji’s heart ached with regret.
For years, he had spoiled Concubine Zhao and their children out of guilt, indulging them excessively. But his indulgence had made Xie Fanghua arrogant and reckless, her ambitions soaring beyond reason.
"Take the Second Miss Xie away," Eunuch Deshun commanded.
The two nuns immediately seized Xie Fanghua’s arms and dragged her out.
Now truly terrified, Xie Fanghua thrashed wildly. "I won’t be a nun! I’m meant to be empress!"
Xie Ji’s eyelids twitched in alarm. He hastily ordered servants to gag her. Overwhelmed by fury, Xie Fanghua’s eyes rolled back, and she collapsed in a faint.
The nuns carried her away.
With both Concubine Zhao and Xie Fanghua taken, Eunuch Deshun departed with the imperial guards after delivering the edict. Xie Ji hurried forward, pulling out a thick stack of silver notes from his sleeve and pressing them into Eunuch Deshun’s hand.
"Chief Eunuch, my foolish wife and daughter are mere women with loose tongues. Please forgive them, and do not let this reach the palace’s noble ears," Xie Ji said placatingly.
Eunuch Deshun refused the bribe with a smile. "Lord Xie is too kind. This servant lives on the imperial stipend and serves His Majesty’s will. I cannot accept private wealth."
His rejection was firm.
With a final warning—"Lord Xie, take care"—Eunuch Deshun left with the guards.
The autumn wind blew, leaving the courtyard desolate. Xie Ji clenched the imperial edict in his hand, his cold eyes fixed hatefully on Eunuch Deshun’s retreating figure. He spat, "Ungrateful eunuch."
With his beloved wife and daughter gone, a dark cloud hung over the Xie Family.
Xie Ji’s secretary rushed in to report, "My lord, Minister Wu entered the palace last night to see the emperor. I fear... he moves against our family."
Xie Ji’s face turned to ice.
...
...
Shen Wei’s illness struck suddenly, and even after days, she showed no signs of recovery.
During her sickness, the court was in turmoil. Patriarch Wu of the Wu Family submitted a memorial accusing the Xie Family of abusing and poisoning the legitimate wife while elevating a concubine above her.
In the Ministry of Justice’s prison, Concubine Zhao, unable to endure the torture, confessed to poisoning Lady Wu.
But she was clever—she never implicated Xie Ji, claiming she acted alone out of jealousy.
She shielded Xie Ji completely, knowing that as long as he was safe, their two sons would remain unharmed.
Rumors spread like wildfire through Yanjing City, turning the Xie Family’s scandals into public gossip and tarnishing their name. The emperor decreed the execution of the wicked Concubine Zhao and permitted Xie Ji and Lady Wu to divorce.
Amid the storm, a pitch-black carriage quietly departed Yanjing City.
Drawn by two swift steeds, the carriage raced down the official road, its windows sealed with black cloth, allowing no light inside.
Within, the Yue Kingdom’s National Preceptor reclined in his seat, shrouded in dark robes, his gaze inscrutable.
He opened a silver-glowing box, revealing a strange object pulsing with rhythmic white light.
The small device, no larger than a sandbag, was encased in a metallic shell inscribed with odd symbols—a precious relic left behind a century ago by Princess Taihua Li Qingxun.
The National Preceptor sighed, his voice as cold and bitter as night waves upon a shore. "I acted rashly."
He should not have come to Yanjing City to see Moxun.
Bringing this object near Moxun had likely caused his minor illness.
