Empress Dowager Wu had long suspected Jiang Yunshu's clear and innocent demeanor was an act. Just moments ago, with a few deft words, she had effortlessly dismissed all the palace maids from the room.
She must have noticed Yunque, who bore a striking resemblance to her, and didn’t want Xie Lin to see her.
Empress Dowager Wu seethed inwardly. She had waited so long for this opportunity, only for it to slip through her fingers once again...
After Xie Lin and Jiang Yunshu left, Empress Dowager Wu slapped Yunque across the face. "Useless!"
"After all the time I spent training you, you couldn’t even make the Chief Eunuch glance your way."
Yunque clutched her cheek, bowing her head in submission.
But no matter how obedient Yunque appeared, it did nothing to quell Empress Dowager Wu’s fury.
Her gaze swept over Yunque’s expensive robes and jewelry before she coldly ordered, "Such fine clothes and ornaments wasted on you. Strip her of everything!"
Fear flashed across Yunque’s face as she begged, "Please, Your Majesty, have mercy—"
The Empress Dowager remained unmoved, summoning maids from outside the hall to carry out her command. Several maids surrounded Yunque—some pinned her down, others tore off her robes, while the rest removed her jewelry...
By the end, Yunque’s hair was disheveled, her body clad only in undergarments, tears streaming silently down her face.
The hall was filled only with palace maids—only women witnessed Yunque’s humiliation. Though her chastity remained intact, the shame was unbearable, making her wish for death.
Kneeling on the cold, hard floor, Yunque pleaded, "Please, Your Majesty, give me another chance..."
Empress Dowager Wu scoffed. "A hundred chances wouldn’t help."
Xie Lin hadn’t even spared Yunque a glance, ruining all of the Empress Dowager’s plans. Naturally, she was furious.
After punishing Yunque severely, Empress Dowager Wu asked, "Do you know why I punished you today?"
Yunque whispered, "Because this lowly maid failed in the task Your Majesty assigned..."
Slap! Another sharp strike landed on her face. The Empress Dowager glared at her and repeated, "Why did I punish you?"
Yunque hesitated, then tentatively answered, "Because... because my attire today was improper?"
Empress Dowager Wu nodded. "Good, you understand now. How dare you imitate the Chief Eunuch’s favored one?"
"Remember this punishment well—don’t make the same mistake again!"
Yunque bowed in acknowledgment, her heart icy with dread. She knew the Empress Dowager’s words weren’t just for her, but for everyone present.
From now on, no matter who asked, she would have to say she was punished for copying Jiang Yunshu’s style—that it was entirely her own doing, with no connection to Empress Dowager Wu.
In fact, the Empress Dowager had punished her harshly for it.
"This lowly maid will remember," Yunque replied.
But no matter how submissive Yunque was, Empress Dowager Wu had no intention of letting her off.
"Fengyi Palace has no place for a maid like you," she declared. "You are banished to the Laundry Bureau."
Yunque was nothing more than a useless pawn now. The Empress Dowager wanted her gone—far away, with no ties left between them.
Unable to resist, Yunque was sent to the most grueling and exhausting place in the palace. She didn’t fear hardship—she only prayed she could survive in the Laundry Bureau... and that Empress Dowager Wu wouldn’t silence her permanently.
For now, the Empress Dowager had no plans to kill Yunque—at least not until Jiang Yunshu was dealt with.
Two deaths in a row would be too conspicuous.
If Yunque kept quiet, letting her live was acceptable. But she could no longer stay in Fengyi Palace. The sooner she was sent away, the better.
Yunque wept loudly all the way to the Laundry Bureau—partly from genuine despair, partly because she knew the Empress Dowager wanted her humiliation to be public.
That night, Empress Dowager Wu lay in bed, replaying the day’s events in her mind, satisfied that she had left no loose ends.
Her scheme to use Yunque to seduce Xie Lin had been carefully concealed—only she and her most trusted maids knew of it.
Today, she had openly punished Yunque and expelled her from Fengyi Palace.
Even if Xie Lin and Jiang Yunshu investigated, this was all they would uncover.
Empress Dowager Wu had acted impeccably, maintaining the "friendship" she claimed with Jiang Yunshu.
When word of this reached Jiang Yunshu, she might even come to thank her... and that would be another opportunity.
But she still hadn’t decided how to eliminate Jiang Yunshu safely.
She had heard of Xie Lin’s ruthlessness—she couldn’t afford to leave even a trace of suspicion.
After all, her goal was to secure Xie Lin’s protection for herself and her son.
This was about their future, not suicide.
She needed to plan carefully... As she pondered, her hands slid beneath her pillow—
And suddenly, her fingers brushed against something unfamiliar.
Startled, she sat up and discovered, to her shock, a letter hidden beneath her pillow.
Who could have placed it there without her noticing?
Her heart pounded as she unfolded the letter and read the first line by the dim bedside light.
Panicked, she glanced around. Who had infiltrated her chambers?
Only her personal maids were allowed in her private quarters—had one of them betrayed her? The thought sent a chill down her spine.
No, she trusted them all. Then... had someone slipped into her palace undetected?
Terror gripped her as she stared at the doors and windows.
Outside, the night was silent—no sound from the maids on watch.
The shadows of trees swayed in the wind, dark and ominous, as if concealing a lurking figure...
Shivering, Empress Dowager Wu forced herself to read the letter, its contents even more horrifying than its mysterious appearance.
Xie Lin... he was actually...
Her hands trembled as she reread the letter countless times, committing every word to memory.
Then she held it over a flame, watching as the fire consumed the paper entirely.
With a sharp exhale, she blew out the lamp. Lying in the darkness, her eyes wide with awe, she realized:
Whoever had delivered this letter wielded unimaginable power.
Both the method and the message filled her with dread.
But at least... they had chosen to help her.
Didn’t that mean they were on her and the young emperor’s side?
Then, inspiration struck.
She had been struggling to find a way to eliminate Jiang Yunshu—now, the answer was in her hands.
The letter had revealed a method—one that didn’t require her direct involvement.
Even if Xie Lin investigated, he would find no trail leading back to Fengyi Palace.
If this plan succeeded, Jiang Yunshu would be doomed.
Empress Dowager Wu smiled confidently in the darkness. Though the messenger was shrouded in mystery, it was clear they were aiding her and the young emperor.
As for the person to carry out the task, Empress Dowager Wu quickly made her decision. She would have Yunque do this one last thing.
She summoned Yunque, knowing full well that assigning her this task would ensure her complete obedience. Yunque’s entire family lived outside the palace, their lives firmly in Empress Dowager Wu’s grasp.
What she now demanded of Yunque was entirely different from her original intentions… but who could blame her when Yunque had failed to seduce Xie Lin?
Empress Dowager Wu thought coldly—this was Yunque’s fate, and she had no one to blame but herself.
Days later, while Yunque was working in the laundry bureau, a letter was suddenly slipped into her sleeve.
She hid it nervously, waiting until she was alone to open it.
Before she could even finish reading, Yunque’s face turned deathly pale, her entire body trembling uncontrollably.
What Empress Dowager Wu demanded of her would surely cost her life… yet she dared not disobey, for defiance would mean the deaths of her entire family outside the palace…
Tears fell onto the letter, smudging the ink.
Suddenly, Yunque snapped back to her senses and burned the letter to ashes.
Three days from now, on the Mid-Autumn Festival—that was when she was to act…
Yunque looked up at the moon, its slender crescent soon to become full.
In three days, it would be the last time she ever saw the Mid-Autumn moon.
---
This year, Jiang Yunshu had made a special request to the imperial kitchens in advance—no five-nut filling in the mooncakes!
The kitchens cautiously inquired about her preferences, and Jiang Yunshu casually listed a few, adding that they shouldn’t be too sweet or too greasy.
In her past life, she had avoided mooncakes entirely to maintain her dancer’s figure—their calorie count was simply too high.
Now, she allowed herself a bite or two, but having rarely eaten them before, she wasn’t sure what fillings she liked. She could only specify that she disliked overly sweet or oily flavors.
The imperial chefs frowned in frustration. They preferred clear instructions over vague requests.
Since Jiang Yunshu couldn’t name her favorites, the kitchens had no choice but to nervously prepare several varieties.
Fortunately, Jiang Yunshu ended up enjoying all the flavors they sent.
The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, she left the palace to visit Yun Residence, bringing along an assortment of mooncakes from Weiyang Palace’s kitchens for Concubine Qiao to sample.
Concubine Qiao had finally regained some weight, returning to her old habit of eating only until seventy or eighty percent full and avoiding snacks outside meals.
Thus, she sampled the mooncakes with restraint before setting them aside for the children being raised at Yun Residence.
Jiang Yunshu frowned. "Those children are still nursing—how can they eat mooncakes?"
Concubine Qiao looked surprised. "Did the Chief Eunuch not tell you? A few older boys were brought in recently."
"Some are three years old—they can certainly handle softer mooncakes."
Jiang Yunshu shook her head in disbelief. She had no idea Xie Lin had taken in more children!
Xie Lin didn’t strike her as the type to compassionately adopt orphans…
Why, then, did he keep picking up children?
Jiang Yunshu followed Concubine Qiao to see the children. The newest arrivals were the oldest—each bright-eyed, clever, and well-behaved.
After playing with Concubine Qiao’s white cat for a while, it was soon time to return to the palace. Reluctantly, Jiang Yunshu bid her farewell.
Concubine Qiao, far more composed, simply nudged her onto the carriage. "Enough. We’ll see each other again soon. Go on back."
Jiang Yunshu rode back to the palace, dismounting at the gates before leisurely returning to Weiyang Palace on her horse, Zaoren.
She was currently enamored with riding and hated to dismount. Zaoren, too, loved carrying her, and their tacit understanding grew with every lap they took around the palace grounds.
The moon rose steadily, nearly full on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, casting its silvery glow.
Suddenly, a flash of white darted past Jiang Yunshu’s vision.
Her eyes widened. "Was that… a rabbit?"
A maid confirmed, "Indeed, it was."
Jiang Yunshu’s interest piqued. "Where did this little rabbit come from?"
"Could it be the Jade Rabbit descending from the moon for the festival?"
"Come, let’s follow it!"
Knowing hoofbeats would scare the creature away, Jiang Yunshu dismounted and tiptoed after it.
Before she knew it, she had wandered into a secluded part of the palace.
With her entourage of attendants and guards, she wasn’t afraid—until she overheard two maids whispering in the shadows.
"Did you know about the Chief Eunuch’s origins?" one murmured.
"He and the Late Emperor were brothers…"
"The Chief Eunuch was the Empress’s son, born to be crown prince. But fate twisted, and he was castrated into a eunuch…"
Jiang Yunshu’s blood ran cold. Without hesitation, she turned to leave!
She didn’t know if this was a main storyline or a side quest—she only knew it was one she never wanted to trigger.
Who would willingly unlock the "Chief Eunuch’s Secret Origins" quest?!
Yet even as she fled at full speed, she was too late.
She turned—and collided with a solid chest.
Looking up, she met Xie Lin’s stormy expression.
Immediately, she raised her hands in oath. "Chief Eunuch, I heard nothing just now."
Xie Lin’s gaze bore into her. "What, precisely, did Her Highness not hear?"
"That I was the Late Emperor’s brother? Or that I was the Empress’s rightful heir?"
Jiang Yunshu nearly wept. Why was he repeating it?!
Was he ensuring she died an informed ghost?
Before entering the palace, she had heard the horror stories of Xie Lin’s wrath.
Once, in a fit of rage, he had executed over a hundred people in the courtyard before the Palace of Eternal Joy—flaying them, tearing sinew from bone.
The bricks had been soaked so thoroughly in blood that even after half a month of scrubbing, the stains remained.
That courtyard was where the emperor convened court.
For days, officials had watched as the blood darkened from crimson to black, breathing in its metallic stench… Their terror of Xie Lin reached its peak.
From then on, the Nine-Thousand-Year-Old’s word held more power than the emperor’s edict.
The court feared Xie Lin far more than they feared their sovereign.
