Lu Jingfei never imagined that her penchant for ostentation would be her undoing. Her casual outings with over a hundred attendants meant loyalty couldn’t be guaranteed across such a large retinue. The more servants there were, the greater the vulnerabilities—it took only one to speak up for her secrets to unravel.
Huang Jin ordered Wei Caiwei to examine the unconscious Lu Jingfei, then wrapped up the remnants of the telescope and presented them to the Jiajing Emperor.
As both the Supervising Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs and Chief of the Eastern Depot, Huang Jin worked with an efficiency rivaling Lu Bing’s. In the time it took for the emperor and Lu Bing to finish dinner and sip tea, the evidence was already secured.
The Jiajing Emperor barely glanced at it. Truthfully, he didn’t need proof to conclude that Prince Jing had been spying on the palace maids and was caught by Wang Daxia. His disappointment in Prince Jing ran deep—what he once perceived as filial piety now seemed calculated and deceitful, even more detestable than Prince Yu’s behavior.
Neither of his sons was worthy; both lacked reverence for their sovereign father. If Prince Yu’s defiance was overt in words and actions, Prince Jing’s was hidden in his heart—two sides of the same coin.
With evidence now firm, the former facade of paternal affection and filial devotion dissolved into cold calculation. The Jiajing Emperor declared, "Today’s incident on Qionghua Island is to be sealed. Officially, state that White Lotus Sect infiltrators caused chaos, killing innocents. All the maidens from the Selection Palace are to remain in the court for service. Ensure the wounded—whether with broken legs or scarred faces—are well cared for. They will stay in the palace for life."
To prevent any leaks, the Jiajing Emperor mandated that all forty-nine maidens be retained, with none dismissed.
Huang Jin promptly acknowledged the order.
"Lu Jingfei is unwell. Let her recuperate quietly in the Palace of Celestial Favor henceforth. Without my explicit decree, she is not to leave."
This amounted to house arrest for Lu Jingfei.
"Prince Jing is twenty-three and has been married for seven years. A man should establish his household and domain—by both state law and family rules, he must depart for his fief. He shall relocate to my former residence, the princely estate in Anlu, Hubei. I have always cherished that land; entrusting it to him puts my mind at ease."
Thus, Prince Jing was exiled to Hubei, far from the capital!
The Jiajing Emperor indeed held deep affection for Anlu, even dedicating a section by the West Lake in the Imperial Garden to cultivate southern rice, evoking idyllic scenes of harvests and croaking frogs.
Building a new princely manor would take at least three years, but the emperor was impatient to remove Prince Jing from his sight. Using the investiture as pretext, he effectively banished him.
The Anlu estate in Hubei was ready and fully equipped, sitting vacant. Prince Jing’s household could move in directly—hardly a harsh treatment.
"Inform Prince Jing that he need not enter the palace to give thanks. With autumn skies clear in September, he must depart promptly for Anlu, escorted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Moreover, all current guards and attendants of Prince Jing’s household shall remain in the capital. Huang Jin will select new staff for the fief."
The Qionghua Island incident, with thirty-seven dead and nine injured, was thus resolved with the Jiajing Emperor’s detached composure.
As for Wang Daxia, Lu Ying, and others, there were neither rewards nor punishments. In Lu Bing’s view, this was the best outcome. He resolved inwardly: I will never assign Wang Daxia to palace duties again! That fellow is a magnet for trouble—wherever he goes, chaos follows!
Noting Lu Bing’s evident weight loss, the Jiajing Emperor said, "Foster brother, you’ve toiled enough today. With matters settled, return home early and rest."Lu Bing bowed and said, "Your humble servant takes his leave."
"Wait." The Jiajing Emperor remembered an unresolved matter. "Wang Daxia is the son-in-law your wet nurse favors, isn't he? I see Yingniang shares a mutual affection with him—they often practice martial arts together, and today she repeatedly risked her life for Wang Daxia. Yingniang is no longer young. Settle their marriage soon so your wet nurse can set her mind at ease."
Children always seem better in others' families. Though the Jiajing Emperor and Prince Yu tormented each other, and he now despised Prince Jing, he held a fondness for Lu Ying.
In truth, given the Jiajing Emperor's typically ruthless methods, an insignificant figure like Wang Daxia—who had stumbled upon royal scandal, albeit unintentionally—would ordinarily face certain death. Only Lu Ying's affection for him had stayed the Emperor's hand.
This was the last vestige of softness in the Jiajing Emperor's heart.
When it came to romantic gossip, the Emperor was no different from commoners in the northern city—equally lovestruck, interpreting everything through the lens of romance to justify his conclusions.
If Wang Daxia weren't her beloved, why would Lu Ying repeatedly throw herself in harm's way to save him? She'd even risked alienating Consort Lu Jing and Prince Jing.
Hearing this, Lu Bing thought: What nonsense! How could I ever bear to marry my precious daughter to this troublemaker!
But after years serving his sovereign, Lu Bing understood perfectly: without Lu Ying's protection, Wang Daxia would have died countless times for this catastrophe.
To preserve the fool's head, Lu Bing had no choice but to acquiesce. "Wang Daxia does show promise," he said, "but he's still young and impulsive. I dare not entrust my daughter to him yet—he requires further testing. This concerns Yingniang's entire future. Her temperament differs from ordinary women, so I must deliberate carefully."
Marital matters ultimately rested with parents. The Jiajing Emperor nodded. "Wang Daxia is indeed somewhat rash. Let him gain more experience."
"Both of them are too impetuous for the imperial palace," Lu Bing added. "They need tempering. I'll take them out of the palace for now. Once properly disciplined, I'll send them back to serve Your Majesty."
Today's events had only concluded safely because Consort Lu Jing and Prince Jing had repeatedly overstepped, breaching the Emperor's bottom line. The perpetually suspicious monarch—who had deposed three empresses and distrusted his own flesh and blood more than his ministers—had allowed Lu Ying and Wang Daxia to escape unscathed after such a massive blunder.
But such luck wouldn't hold forever. Given Wang Daxia's talent for trouble and Lu Ying's fiery temper, there would inevitably come a day when even Lu Bing couldn't shield them.
The Jiajing Emperor approved the arrangement.
Lu Bing hastily gathered the youngsters to leave, but the troublemaker Wang Daxia resisted. "Doctor Wei is still in the palace."
You reckless fool! Lu Bing nearly succumbed to apoplexy, smacking the back of Wang Daxia's head. "Don't drag Doctor Wei into this! Get lost now!"
Lu Ying interjected, "Father, speak calmly. Don't hit him—he's covered in injuries."
Four months earlier, Wang Daxia had been chased by the Embroidered Uniform Guard from Drum Tower West Diagonal Street all the way from Daxing County to Wanping County, nearly shot dead by Guard Zhou Xiaoqi at the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen. Now he'd been hunted through the hills by Prince Jing's guards, his Flying Fish Uniform torn to rags, barely covering his body. Only his face remained presentable.
"You shut up too!" Lu Bing roared, warning Lu Ying: "If you disobey me, you might find yourself married to Wang Daxia by tomorrow!"
Translator's Notes:
Maintained all proper nouns and titles as specified in the glossary
Preserved the sarcastic/ironic tone in descriptions (e.g., "祸水" as "troublemaker")
Kept cultural terms like "湿兄" (wet nurse's son) and "伴驾御前" (serve before the imperial carriage) contextually accurate
Retained the novel's characteristic blend of formal historical language and modern narrative voice
Ensured consistency in character relationships and political nuances
Handled martial arts terminology ("切磋武艺") and imperial hierarchy references appropriatelyWang Daxia and Lu Ying exclaimed in unison, "What? Absolutely not!"
Lu Bing had finally found their Achilles' heel. "If you don't want to get married, come back with me immediately. No more dawdling in the palace."
Cornered, they obediently followed Lu Bing out of the palace.
Qionghua Island, Moon Palace.
It had been another exhausting day. The Jiajing Emperor watched as his foster brother descended the mountain and left the island. Huang Jin draped a crane-feather cloak over the emperor's shoulders. "Your Majesty, the island gets heavily foggy at night. Let's return."
The Jiajing Emperor said, "I noticed my foster brother looked somewhat frail and isn't eating as much as before. Tomorrow, go through my inner treasury and send him all the rare medicinal herbs you find."
Huang Jin acknowledged the order. Seeing the emperor in low spirits, he sought to lift his mood. "Lady Shang is still waiting in the bedchamber."
Ah, seeing my foster brother almost made me forget that young beauty.
The Jiajing Emperor thus returned to his palace. Entering the bedchamber, he detected the scent of food overpowering the usual ambergris fragrance.
Shang Qinglan remained clad in her silver-red feathered robe, sitting cross-legged on the dragon bed. A small table was placed on the bed, and Shang Qinglan was holding a rice bowl, eating her meal.
She ate with great relish, showing an excellent appetite. The simple meal of four dishes and a soup was already half-finished. As she was picking the last few grains of rice from her bowl, she noticed the emperor's arrival and hastily set down the bowl. Following the etiquette taught by Granny Song, she stood on the bed and bowed.
The Jiajing Emperor asked, "Why are you eating here?"
Shang Qinglan replied, "Your Majesty instructed this humble consort to remain here and not move about before you left, saying you would return shortly. I dared not disobey. By evening, I was truly starving, so I had the palace servants serve the meal here."
She was an obedient girl. The Jiajing Emperor asked, "Are you full?"
Shang Qinglan said, "I am full."
The Jiajing Emperor took her hand. "Come down and attend to my bath."
Barefoot, Shang Qinglan was led by the emperor to the bathhouse Huang Jin had prepared earlier. The Jiajing Emperor spread his arms. "Undress me."
Shang Qinglan had never undressed anyone before and grew nervous. She began by untying the emperor's sash, but in her fluster, she pulled it into a tight knot. The more she tried, the tighter it became, until her fingers could no longer loosen it.
Growing anxious, with faint sweat beading on her forehead and nose, she simply knelt and used her teeth to undo the knot.
The emperor's old candle was simultaneously lit, ready to illuminate the red makeup.
Having finally passed the first hurdle, Shang Qinglan pulled the sash free, then stood to untie the fastenings under the emperor's arms. Her hands had just touched the knots when her legs suddenly left the ground. With a soft gasp, she found herself lifted into the emperor's embrace.
Warm spring waters washed over jade-like skin, a pear blossom pressing upon begonia petals. After a sudden storm of passion, crimson begonia petals drifted into the hot spring pool.
The maiden rose with delicate weakness, having just received imperial favor.
Meanwhile, in Fengcheng, north of the desert, at the Khanate Court.
Hearing that her foster mother was looking for her, Jin Ying, the Mongol tribe's foremost beauty and princess who was preparing her dowry for marriage, entered the large tent.
The tent was empty—her mother wasn't there. As Jin Ying turned to leave, she found the tent door had been locked from the outside.
Footsteps sounded behind her. Jin Ying turned and quickly knelt in respect. "Grandfather."It was Anda Khan, the leader of the Left Wing Mongols. His daughter had married Jin Ying’s father and became Jin Ying’s adoptive mother. The princess’s daughter was granted the title of Junjun, and Jin Ying, deeply favored by her adoptive mother, also received this title. Thus, Anda Khan was considered Jin Ying’s maternal grandfather.
Anda Khan personally helped her to her feet but did not let go of her hand for a long time. "From now on, do not call me grandfather. Become my Hatun instead."
The two aging rulers of the north and south, the Jiajing Emperor and Anda Khan, had both, as if by tacit agreement, fallen under the spell of the young beauty’s Pomegranate Skirt.
Author’s Note: The level-ten melodrama you asked for has been unleashed. Can you handle it?
OpenNovel