Love and Crown

The harem did not remain unsettled for long after the chaos. The news of the emperor's severe illness was suppressed the next day, and Xiao Huan resumed court meetings and handled state affairs as usual after just a few days of rest.

During this time, Zhang Zhuduan, whom Xiao Huan had promoted, steadily managed grain distribution, repaired dikes, and arranged relief for refugees, gradually quelling the disaster in the Jianghuai region that had seemed on the verge of spiraling out of control.

Meanwhile, the war situation at Shanhai Pass also took a turn. The Jurchens, blocked outside the pass by Qi Chengliang and unable to make progress despite prolonged fighting, saw their initial unstoppable momentum slowly wane.

However, the Jurchens had now replaced their tribal alliance's triangular banners with bright yellow imperial flags. Kumoer, the leader of the Shatai tribe, declared himself emperor, establishing the state of Chengjin, with the intent of inheriting the territory of the Great Jin and reclaiming the northern half of the empire under Jurchen rule.

This made the Jurchens' military campaign an outright rebellion. The mighty Great Wu Empire, which had long intimidated neighboring states and received their tributes, could not tolerate such open defiance. The Grand Secretariat and the Ministry of War were embroiled in endless debates, even proposing the emperor's personal expedition to the front lines.

Yet the harem remained a picture of tranquility. The Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated modestly with a palace banquet, where the concubines joined hands to pray for the soldiers at the front, embodying virtue and harmony.

As the days grew colder, the deep autumn of the capital arrived in the blink of an eye.

Under the overcast sky, I sat by the green gauze window reading, feeling a chill in my hands and feet. I was just considering whether to have someone bring in a foot warmer when Jiao Yan rushed in excitedly.

Her nose was red from the cold as she hurried to my side, blinking mysteriously. "Empress, guess what good thing happened to me?"

"Hmm? Did you sneak something delicious from the Imperial Cuisine kitchen?" Xiaoshan, who was embroidering a sachet nearby, chimed in. The girl loved food and assumed everyone else's good fortune revolved around tasty treats.

"No, Sister Xiaoshan only thinks about eating," Jiao Yan retorted bluntly. Having spent so much time with me, she had become as unruly as Xiaoshan, showing no deference even though Xiaoshan was the head maid of the Palace of Gathered Elegance.

"Ah? Then what is it?" Xiaoshan asked, wide-eyed with curiosity.

"Empress, you guess," Jiao Yan said, smiling slyly.

Seeing her so elated, I grew intrigued. Setting my book aside, I rested my chin on my hand and thought. "Did your mother send you a message?"

Jiao Yan's smile instantly faded as she looked down at her toes. "With all the unrest this year, who knows how my mother is faring."

"Not that?" I shook my head with a laugh. "Then I can't think of anything else."

"I knew even the Empress wouldn't guess," Jiao Yan said triumphantly, having thoroughly teased us. She revealed, "I've found a Master."

Now I was curious. "A Master?"

"Yes," Jiao Yan replied. "Didn't you say my martial arts were too weak? So I sought out a great master to teach me."

"A great master?" I couldn't imagine who in the palace could be called a master capable of teaching Jiao Yan anything. At a loss, I smiled. "And what will your Master teach you?"

"Incense Making," Jiao Yan said, pulling a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve. She uncorked it, and a wisp of pale pink smoke curled upward, alive and ethereal, coalescing in midair into the shape of a rose—exquisite, translucent, and dreamlike.At the same time, the room was filled with a fresh scent of roses. Unlike ordinary fragrances, this floral aroma was naturally elegant, making one feel as though they were standing in a rose garden after the rain, surrounded by dew-laden blossoms.

Jiao Yan waved her hand to disperse the smoke and sealed the bottle. The fragrance vanished instantly, leaving Xiaoshan and me in a daze, wondering if we had just dreamed it all.

“How was that? Impressive, right?” Jiao Yan looked even more pleased with herself. “This is just a casual incense my Master made to freshen the room. She says incense isn’t just for masking odors or altering scents—it can also bewitch minds, control consciousness, and even kill or save lives as easily as turning a hand.”

“Where does your Master live? What’s her name?” The mention of killing and saving lives was far beyond the skills of a mere perfumer. If I guessed right, this person was an expert in poisons and gu sorcery. Who would have thought such a person was hidden deep within the palace?

“My Master lives in the Hall of Heroic Splendor. I only met her because I got lost and stumbled there by accident.” Jiao Yan didn’t hide anything from me and answered frankly.

The Hall of Heroic Splendor was located in the northwest corner of the inner city. In the previous dynasty, it was used to enshrine Buddhist statues for the imperial consorts to worship. But since Emperor Taizong of our dynasty disdained superstitions, it had fallen into disuse and was rarely visited. In front of it stood the Palace of Longevity and Peace, known as the Cold Palace. Could this person be a former imperial consort who had been demoted?

Curious, I asked Jiao Yan, “Could you take me to meet your Master?”

“Of course!” Jiao Yan agreed readily. “I told my Master that Her Majesty the Empress is kind and the best person in the world. She even said she’d love to meet you.”

“Really?” Excited to have something to do, I jumped off the couch. “There’s nothing else planned today—let’s go now, shall we?”

“Great!” Xiaoshan, who hated boredom the most, clapped her hands in agreement.

“You stay here and guard the house,” I teased Xiaoshan, patting my clothes without bothering to fetch an outer robe. Grabbing Jiao Yan’s hand, I dashed out the door.

Xiaoshan wailed inside, but Jiao Yan and I were already far away.

The Hall of Heroic Splendor wasn’t close. After passing through several narrow corridors and entering the Heroic Gate, the vast square before the hall came into view.

The open grounds were lined with exotic flowers and rare herbs, their unknown fragrances drifting through the air. An autumn breeze swept past, causing the blooming poppies at my feet to sway gently. If I hadn’t known this was the Hall of Heroic Splendor, I would never have believed such a place existed within the Forbidden Palace.

“Master, I’ve brought Her Majesty the Empress to see you!” Jiao Yan had already run ahead along the stone path winding through the flowers, calling out at the half-open hall doors and waving at me. “Your Majesty, hurry up!”

I responded and walked over slowly.

As I reached the entrance and peered inside through the open doors, I froze in surprise. The person standing at the stone table inside, fiddling with a mortar, wasn’t the white-haired, weathered old woman I had imagined—but a young girl in white.

She looked no older than fourteen or fifteen, with jet-black hair cascading straight down to her waist, glossy as a mirror. Her hands, gripping a bronze pestle, were as pale and flawless as jade. The sunlight streaming into the hall cast a delicate, porcelain-like glow on her face. Her features were exquisitely beautiful, and for some reason, I felt as though I had seen her somewhere before.This girl, delicate as a glass doll, seemed as if even a loud voice might shatter her.

When she saw me, she merely turned slightly, her indifferent eyes fixed on me, never pausing the copper pestle in her hand.

I wasn’t sure whether to address her as “miss” or something else, so I simply smiled.

“You’re the Empress, aren’t you?” the girl suddenly spoke. Her voice was sweet and crisp, yet beneath that sweetness lay a chilling sharpness, like icicles clashing.

“Yes, I am,” I nodded in reply.

“Master, this is Her Majesty the Empress. She’s very kind,” Jiao Yan quickly chimed in from the side.

“The Empress—is she the woman the Emperor loves?” The girl didn’t look away, her gaze still locked onto mine as she pressed on.

“The Empress is the Emperor’s wife,” I answered, softening my tone as I realized she wasn’t being insolent but simply unfamiliar with social conventions.

“A wife—isn’t that the woman her husband loves?” she persisted.

“Sometimes yes, sometimes no,” I replied, unsure how to answer this girl who seemed untouched by worldly concerns. I smiled and asked, “Have you always been alone in this place? Aren’t you afraid?”

“‘Sometimes yes, sometimes no’—how complicated.” She ignored my question entirely, seemingly fixated on whether I was Xiao Huan’s beloved. After repeating my words, she lifted her head and asked again, “So, are you?”

“You’d have to ask the Emperor to know for sure,” I said with a laugh, stepping closer.

Now near enough, I saw that the stone table was covered in various spices, vibrant in color and diverse in shape. A transparent glass bottle housed a cluster of tiny glowing blue insects, their small antennae slowly brushing against each other as they crawled along the bottle’s surface.

“Those are ice silkworms. Don’t let their size fool you—a whole group can produce an ounce of silk,” the girl explained, her cold voice finally betraying a hint of emotion when speaking of her creations.

“Ice silkworms? The ones mentioned in The Classic of Mountains and Seas ? They actually exist?” I was surprised.

“Mm,” she replied offhandedly, gesturing toward a cluster of plants outside the hall. “That’s Asarabacca. It’s hard to cultivate—I tried for three years before it finally took root.”

I took in the hall’s furnishings—small boxes and cloth sacks piled everywhere, dried herbs and leaves draped over the statues of Buddha. “Ice silkworms and Asarabacca—both legendary things. I never thought they were real.”

“Of course they’re real. I’m not like you people, always lying,” she retorted coldly, reaching out to stroke the bottle of ice silkworms with affection. “I’ve raised them for ten years. Soon, I’ll have enough silk to weave a fireproof robe.”

“Master, why would you need a fireproof robe?” Jiao Yan interjected.

“Isn’t the successor of the Xiao family’s Vermilion Bird lineage most skilled in controlling fire?” the girl said, scrutinizing me once more. “Are you really not the woman he loves?”

This time, standing closer, I noticed her strikingly bright eyes—they were actually double-pupiled. Intrigued, I asked, “What’s your name?”

“My name?” The girl smiled faintly, revealing a hint of girlish shyness for the first time. “I’m Ying—the ‘Ying’ in ‘fluorescence,’ the one with fire beneath it.”"Ying?" The one with fire in her name... Gazing at her delicate yet strangely familiar face, a peculiar feeling rose in my heart. After a brief pause, I asked, "What's your surname?"

"Surname?" The girl seemed to recall something, hesitating before answering softly, "Such things... it doesn't matter. Whatever surname the emperor has, I'll take that."

Whatever surname the emperor has, she would take.

The suspicion in my heart immediately took shape, recalling an old palace incident from over a decade ago.

During the late emperor's reign, he exclusively favored Consort Liu, resulting in few heirs—only the current Empress Dowager's son, Xiao Huan, then a prince, and no princesses. In the eleventh year of Delun's reign, the emperor drunkenly favored a palace maid who later became pregnant.

But Consort Liu was jealous and couldn't tolerate other women around the emperor. The maid was hastily granted the title of Cairen and sent to live in a remote palace. Later, it was rumored she gave birth to a baby girl, yet strangely, this was never recorded in the imperial genealogy.

A few years later, the Cairen hanged herself. After the late emperor passed, Consort Liu became Empress Dowager, and the harem became her domain. The baby girl was never heard of again.

Since Emperor Taizong's time, the Vermilion Bird branch of the Xiao Clan, which inherited the throne, bore descendants—male or female—with distinctive double pupils as their mark. Moreover, all their names contained the radical for "fire."

This girl was named Ying and had double pupils—she must be that palace maid's daughter. Though she carried the Xiao Clan Vermilion Bird lineage, she grew up alone in this sunless Hall of Heroic Splendor.

At this realization, all doubt vanished. Moreover, upon closer inspection, her features bore a striking resemblance to Xiao Huan's, which explained why she looked familiar.

I stepped forward and took her hand. It was late autumn, and the northern chill was already biting, yet she wore only a thin, unlined cotton robe. Her hands were shockingly cold. Rubbing her slender shoulders, I asked, "Didn't they send you winter clothes?"

"Winter clothes? What are those?" Ying fluttered her butterfly-like lashes.

"Jiao Yan, when we return, bring two of the fur coats prepared for me this year by the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau. Give them to your Master as a token of respect for your apprenticeship," I instructed Jiao Yan.

Jiao Yan happily agreed.

Ying rested her head on my shoulder and softly closed her eyes. "So warm... Are you really not his beloved woman?"

Patting her shoulder, I glanced around the room filled with incense and burners—there wasn't even a bed. Yet, in truth, there was little I could do for her within the harem.

"I like you. I really hope you're not his beloved woman," Ying murmured, hugging me tightly.

Returning from the Hall of Heroic Splendor with Jiao Yan, before nightfall, Xiao Huan summoned me to the Hall of Mental Cultivation for dinner.

This was the first time he had privately summoned me since my last visit during his illness. Puzzled, I quickly changed and went over.

Upon arrival, I found Xiao Huan had already arranged the meal and was waiting at the table. The weather had turned cold, and a small red-clay stove stood beside the table, warming a silver basin with a pot of his favorite Bamboo Leaf Green Wine.I performed the customary salute and took my seat at the table, smiling. "What brings Your Majesty to summon this humble consort today?"

He returned the smile, shifting his gaze toward me. "Empress, you visited the Hall of Heroic Splendor today, didn't you?"

I nodded, quirking the corner of my mouth. "I just left there not long ago, and Your Majesty already knows? News travels fast in this palace."

Ignoring my sarcasm, he reached over, took hold of my sleeve, and rubbed the fabric between his fingers before bringing it to his nose. With a chuckle, he said, "Night-blooming jasmine mixed with soft poison ivy. Empress, you've already walked through the gates of hell once today."

I blinked, confused. "What?"

Still smiling, he lifted the wine pot from the silver basin on the stove and poured some into a cup on the table. Dipping his finger into the wine, he flicked a droplet into the air. Instantly, a spark burst into flame, and within its glow, a wisp of purple smoke first condensed into the shape of a night-blooming flower before transforming into a slender, graceful tree—then vanished just as quickly.

I had never seen Xiao Huan display such skills in front of me before and couldn't help asking, "What was that?"

"A method to incinerate poison with fire," he replied, withdrawing his hand. "While you were in the Hall of Heroic Splendor, Ying first poisoned you with night-blooming jasmine, then neutralized it with the opposing toxin of soft poison ivy. Though you're unharmed, traces of both poisons linger on you. Ying only knows how to concoct poisons but has never learned how to neutralize them."

I arched a brow. "So it seems you're quite skilled at neutralizing poisons?"

He smiled, half-joking. "Ying invents a new poison to test on me every few days. If I didn't know how to handle them, Empress, you might have long since lost sight of me."

What an unusual pair of siblings—the elder brother keeps his younger sister confined to a side palace for over a decade, while the sister exhausts every means to poison him.

I cleared my throat to mask my expression and gestured to the dishes on the table. "Your Majesty, the food is getting cold. Let's eat."

As if oblivious to my reaction, he simply smiled. "Empress, please help yourself."

I said nothing more. The dishes suited my taste, and since I was rather hungry, I ate heartily despite Xiao Huan's presence.

Xiao Huan barely touched the food, merely swirling his wine cup as he slowly finished the entire pot of Bamboo Leaf Green Wine.

His appetite was truly meager. Both times I had dined with him, he ate little, yet his cup was never empty. No wonder his health never fully recovered.

Though, as empress, I had a duty to care for him, I chose not to comment and pretended not to notice.

After the meal, as we sipped tea, he rose, leaning on the table, and smiled at me. "The Empress may return to her palace now."

I looked up at him. In the twilight, the gentle curve of his profile exuded an indescribable serenity.

Perhaps it was because I had seen Ying earlier, but gazing at this face so similar to hers, I found myself impulsively saying, "Allow this consort to stay and attend Your Majesty tonight."

Realizing my blunder, I hastily added, "I only thought... since Your Majesty had previously promised me... and with Your Majesty so occupied with state affairs lately, I didn't dare presume... So today..."

While I scrambled for words, he simply chuckled. "Very well. However, tonight I must discuss military affairs regarding Shanhai Pass, which will likely run late. The Empress may have to wait long into the night."

I quickly replied, "It's no trouble. This consort will wait for Your Majesty."He paused and smiled. "If you can't wait, you can sleep first."

I nodded, then suddenly remembered and hurriedly added a curtsy. "This concubine obeys the decree."

He smiled again without another word, turned, and left.

Of course, I didn't sleep first. After washing up, I lay in the rear hall, listening to the tick-tock of the Western mechanical clock by the bed, its sound resembling raindrops on leaves, gradually calming my heart.

It didn't feel like I waited long before the door creaked open, and light footsteps approached.

I quickly sat up from the bed, offering a charming smile. "Has Your Majesty arrived?"

Xiao Huan walked to the bed and looked at me with a smile. "The Empress hasn't slept yet?"

When I woke from a dazed dream, my body ached slightly. The sky was already bright, and the space beside me was empty—Xiao Huan must have left early for court.

Should I leave now? Even an empress with the privilege of staying the night after being favored is expected to discreetly depart by morning.

Could I possibly wait here for Xiao Huan to return, like an ordinary couple, to wash and have breakfast together? Besides, with court affairs so busy these days, who knew when he'd finish morning court?

Rubbing my neck, I sat up and called out softly. A palace maid entered immediately.

This young maid had bright eyes and smiled upon seeing me. "Has the Empress awakened? Would you like to bathe and change? Breakfast is ready."

Seeing me still languid and silent, she teased with a sly grin. "The Empress looks radiant this morning. Was His Majesty gentle last night?"

Gentle? It seemed so. It hadn't hurt as much as the matrons had warned me, and when I drifted off to sleep, my head had rested on a strong arm.

But gentleness seemed to be something Xiao Huan never withheld—at least, I'd never seen him be ungentle with any woman.

Perhaps not just the imperial consorts, but nearly every woman in the palace, except for Jiaoyan, believed him to be a refined and cultured gentleman, as flawless as jade.

The clearest proof was this young maid confidently asking me how gently he'd treated me.

Seeing her expectant expression, I could only nod and smile. "His Majesty was very gentle."

The maid's words grew even sweeter. "May the Empress be blessed with fortune and soon bear a Dragon Child." She retreated briskly to summon other maids to help me wash and dress.

Once everything was nearly done, the first maid, noticing I hadn't bathed, mentioned that Feng Wufu had prepared breakfast and asked if I wished to eat at the Hall of Mental Cultivation before returning.

Shaking my head, I rose from the dressing table to return to the Palace of Gathered Elegance. Though the bed had been empty when I woke, the lingering warmth remained in the sheets, and the faint scent of Dragon's Brain from Xiao Huan still clung to me.

A sudden thought crossed my mind: Maybe a lifetime like this wouldn't be so bad.

Just as I reached the door, I was surprised to see Xiaoshan standing at the base of the steps outside.

Her expression somber, Xiaoshan stood in the chilly morning breeze, a trace of sorrow flickering between her brows.

A cold gust made me shiver, fully rousing me. "Xiaoshan? What brings you to the Hall of Mental Cultivation?"

"Miss," Xiaoshan took two steps toward me, tears glistening in her eyes. "The master sent word... Master Luo passed away last night."I felt a bit unable to comprehend her words: "What?"

"Miss, Mr. Luo passed away last night..." she repeated, but Xiaoshan suddenly stopped speaking and stared blankly at me. "Miss, please don't be sad..."

"Do you know who did it?" The calm voice that asked didn't sound like it came from me.

Xiaoshan seemed momentarily stunned before answering, "No one saw clearly, but the body..." She glanced at the palace maids and eunuchs nearby, then continued, "was taken away by the Imperial Bodyguard's Venom Battalion."

Xiao Huan... A bitter taste spread in my mouth as sudden grief welled up from the depths of my heart: Xian Xue was dead. I had planned to find time to visit him outside the palace, but now that would never happen. This person... was gone...

"Young mistress..." Xiaoshan took another step toward me before abruptly stopping. She knelt behind the bowing palace maids, "This servant pays respects to Your Majesty."

Silence fell instantly, no one spoke.

I took a deep breath. When I turned around, a bright smile was already on my face: "Your humble consort pays respects to Your Majesty."

All I could see was the hem of that person's black Court Robe. After a pause, a gentle and composed voice sounded: "Rise."

I lifted my gaze inch by inch—cloud-patterned boots, jade belt, crown—the formal court attire wrapped around a tall, slender frame, dignified and noble.

Resting my eyes on Xiao Huan's face, I smiled: "Your Majesty, a person very dear to me passed away last night."

Looking at me, he also smiled: "Is that so? My condolences, Empress."

Still smiling, I met his gaze: "Your Majesty, may I ask if there's someone you wish to kill but cannot?"

Not losing an ounce of his smile, he shook his head: "I generally don't think about killing people."

"Indeed," I laughed, "Your Majesty is the ruler of a nation, the supreme sovereign. Every word you speak is an imperial decree—how could there be someone you wish to kill but cannot?"

Still smiling, I continued: "Some time ago, an elder I loved dearly died at someone's hands. Last night, another person I loved dearly died at the same person's hands. Your Majesty, tell me—should this person be killed?"

Meeting my gaze calmly, he didn't answer my question. Instead, he smiled faintly, his voice still flawlessly elegant and polite: "The Empress hasn't had breakfast yet, has she? Would you like to dine here?"

"No need. I wish to return to my palace." I smiled and bowed, "May Your Majesty enjoy peace. I take my leave first."

Still smiling, he nodded: "As you wish, Empress."

I rose with a smile and brushed past him.

Just as I was about to leave the Hall of Mental Cultivation, his voice suddenly sounded again: "Empress, stay a moment. I just remembered—after this night, there's a bowl of medicine you must drink."

As he spoke, a eunuch presented a tray before me. Lifting the lid revealed a gilded cloisonné bowl from which dark medicinal liquid emitted curling steam.

Recognizing the scent that wafted over, I clenched my fists. With my limited knowledge of medicine, I could still identify what this was.

The most common yet coldest thing in the palace—this was a bowl of contraceptive medicine.

Unlike other dynasties that sought numerous heirs, since its founding, the Great Wu dynasty strictly controlled imperial concubines' engagements to avoid succession conflicts. If the Emperor deemed a concubine unsuitable to bear his heir the morning after their night together, it was customary to present her with such a bowl.

However, as Empress, being required to drink this medicine after the first night—I was likely the first in history.Taking a deep breath, I forced back the moisture in my eyes, picked up the bowl of medicine before me, and drank it all in one gulp.

The bitter liquid slid down my throat. I threw the enamel bowl to the ground and, without sparing Xiao Huan another glance, strode out of the palace.

Xiaoshan followed silently behind me. I didn’t look back, walking steadily down the long corridor.

The icy morning wind brushed against my cheeks, chilling the tear tracks on my face—so cold it stung.

Suddenly, I felt the urge to laugh mockingly. Gentleness? This was what the ever-gentle, ever-smiling Emperor had done—after killing that woman’s former lover, he kept her in his bed, and even on the morning she first woke, forced her to drink a bowl of contraceptive medicine.

The lingering warmth in my arms that had made me reluctant to rise had long since vanished. Walking through the biting wind, I curled my lips into a sneer. Xiao Huan, from now on, you owe me another life.