In the ninth month, Li Yuniang gave birth to another daughter.
"Ah Yin takes after you, and this little one will surely resemble you too," Magistrate Zhou said, holding his newborn daughter while sitting beside his wife.
Li Yuniang smiled as she looked at her husband.
Both husband and wife came from humble backgrounds. When he passed the imperial examination at the county level, many sought to arrange marriages for him, but he was captivated by her beauty. As for Li Yuniang, she admired her husband's handsome appearance and literary talent. Thus, they married and worked together to build their life.
Life in the capital was not as easy as they had imagined. While her husband had been a notable figure in their small county town, in the capital, he was at the bottom of the hierarchy. Coupled with his honest and somewhat dull nature, he often offended people without even realizing it. Despite serving as a capital official for ten years, he remained a minor ninth-rank official. However, Li Yuniang did not mind. They now had savings, a house, and three children. As long as her husband treated her well and raised their children properly, she was content.
"What should we name this child?" Li Yuniang asked her husband.
Magistrate Zhou thought of the hibiscus in their courtyard and smiled. "Let's call her Ah Fu. May she grow as beautiful as you, like a flower."
Li Yuniang shot him a playful glare. "Such smooth talk. I'm already thirty."
Magistrate Zhou gazed at his wife's still fair and delicate face. Perhaps it was the fine food in the palace or the fact that she no longer did rough work, but over the years, her complexion had become even fairer than before. There wasn't a single wrinkle on her face. If she didn't mention it, who would believe she had already given birth to three children?
"If I say you're beautiful, then you are. Age has nothing to do with it. Even when you're seventy or eighty, as long as I enjoy looking at you, you'll still be beautiful," Magistrate Zhou said with a laugh, fine wrinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes. His role as a minor capital official had not been easy.
Li Yuniang felt a pang of heartache. If she had stayed at home, she could have helped him navigate difficulties when they arose.
At times like this, she felt a tinge of regret. How wonderful it would be if she could leave the palace for good. Though she was reluctant to part with the Seventh Prince, with a husband and three children at home, Li Yuniang still preferred to stay with her family.
Of course, these were merely fleeting thoughts. Once the Lantern Festival passed and it was her turn to return to the palace, Li Yuniang put aside such distractions. The palace was a treacherous place that allowed no divided loyalties. Outside, she cared for her husband and three children. Inside the palace, with everything at home already settled, she could focus wholeheartedly on serving the Seventh Prince.
Upon entering the palace, Li Yuniang first went to pay her respects to Consort Zhuang. After inquiring about her recent circumstances, Consort Zhuang dismissed her to the princes' quarters.
Li Yuniang reacquainted herself with the palace staff at Yunhai Residence before heading to the kitchen—the prince particularly enjoyed her steamed soup dumplings.
The Seventh Prince was unaware that she would return that day.
After his lessons in the imperial study concluded, the Seventh Prince went as usual to Yikun Palace to pay his respects to Consort Zhuang.
Consort Zhuang first reviewed her son's studies and found him as unremarkable as ever. She had grown accustomed to this and merely smiled faintly, casually remarking, "By the way, Lady Li has returned to the palace."
The Seventh Prince remained as reserved as always, showing no visible signs of delight.
Seeing this, Consort Zhuang waved her hand, indicating that her son could leave.
The eleven-year-old Seventh Prince was taciturn, rigid, and uninteresting, always adhering strictly to routine in everything he did. Yet today, his steps back to the princes' quarters were slightly quicker than usual.As soon as he returned, without needing to summon her specifically, Li Yuniang came to pay respects to her master according to protocol.
The Seventh Prince hadn't seen his wet nurse for a long time. He couldn't send anyone to inquire about her well-being outside the palace, but now that they met, he noticed she looked no different from when they parted last year. Relieved to see she seemed to be doing well, he felt at ease.
After exchanging formal greetings, the Seventh Prince smiled and asked, "Wet Nurse, did you have a younger brother or sister?"
Li Yuniang replied with a smile, "A little girl. Her father named her Afu."
Afu, Afu.
The Seventh Prince silently repeated the name twice, finding it lovely. Since his wet nurse was beautiful, he thought little Afu must be pretty too. Unfortunately, confined to the palace, he couldn't go out to meet her or the other two children in the wet nurse's family.
That evening, the Seventh Prince ate an entire steamer basket of xiaolongbao and felt rather stuffed.
Consort Zhuang knew her son was closer to Li Yuniang, even if he didn't show it openly.
If Li Yuniang weren't potentially useful to her, Consort Zhuang would never have allowed her back into the palace.
Consort Zhuang's heart was filled with hatred—hatred for the Empress who had killed her eldest son. The minor consort exposed by Emperor Jiande was merely a scapegoat; the Empress was the true mastermind behind it all.
No longer expecting her second son to distinguish himself on his own, Consort Zhuang resolved to eliminate the other outstanding princes for his sake.
What Consort Zhuang was plotting, the Seventh Prince didn't know, and Li Yuniang—who never left Yunhai Residence—knew even less.
By the time the Seventh Prince and Li Yuniang caught wind of it, the Second Prince had narrowly escaped harm, with all evidence pointing to Consort Zhuang.
The Empress went before Emperor Jiande, weeping bitterly, and begged him to uphold justice.
@Infinite Good Literature, all in Jinjiang Literature City
Among the imperial consorts, Emperor Jiande held Consort Zhuang in special regard.
When Consort Zhuang first entered the palace, Emperor Jiande adored her beauty. Later, after she bore two princes, with the Third Prince being exceptionally intelligent, steady, and sensible, he became Emperor Jiande's favorite among all the princes, further elevating Consort Zhuang's status. But after the Third Prince's death last year, though Emperor Jiande rarely visited Consort Zhuang, he still held pity for her in his heart, ensuring Yikun Palace received its share of tributes.
This time, however, if Consort Zhuang had truly attempted to harm the Second Prince, Emperor Jiande would not tolerate it.
Emperor Jiande headed straight for Yikun Palace.
Consort Zhuang was speaking with Li Yuniang.
She had indeed intended to harm the Second Prince, but her agents had failed to take his life. Fortunately, the key perpetrator had committed suicide. As long as Consort Zhuang denied involvement and Emperor Jiande was inclined to show mercy, there was still hope. Yet she dared not presume the Emperor would honor their past affections, so she had summoned Li Yuniang.
Li Yuniang, still unaware of the situation, arrived at Yikun Palace. When Consort Zhuang inquired about the Seventh Prince's recent daily life, Li Yuniang answered in detail.
Before they could speak much, the Emperor arrived in a fury. The palace attendants had barely announced him when Li Yuniang had no time to withdraw before Emperor Jiande strode in.
Having lived in the palace for so many years, this was Li Yuniang's first time facing the Emperor.
Like the other palace servants, she hurriedly knelt, forehead touching the ground, not daring to look up.
Emperor Jiande paid no attention to the servants, immediately confronting Consort Zhuang. Though she had prepared her defense and stubbornly denied the accusations, Emperor Jiande was not easily deceived. The evidence presented by the Empress all pointed to Consort Zhuang, who also had the strongest motive.If Consort Zhuang had directly framed the Empress, Emperor Jiande might have turned a blind eye as long as the Empress remained unharmed. However, the Second Prince was his most valued son after the Third Prince and the heir he envisioned for the throne. Any harm to the Second Prince would jeopardize the Great Qi’s stability—how could Emperor Jiande tolerate Consort Zhuang endangering the crown prince?
The two argued incessantly. Emperor Jiande, lacking Consort Zhuang’s sharp tongue and unwilling to feign her hypocritical demeanor, grew increasingly furious. In a fit of rage, he raised his hand and struck Consort Zhuang across the face.
Consort Zhuang, calculating her move, collapsed in front of Li Yuniang.
Li Yuniang had been terrified ever since she overheard the dispute between the emperor and consort. If Consort Zhuang were convicted, the Seventh Prince’s position in the palace would become even more precarious!
Now, as Consort Zhuang fell before her like a wilted flower, Li Yuniang’s protective instincts surged. She scrambled on her knees to Consort Zhuang’s side, kowtowing repeatedly without looking up. "Your Majesty, Her Consort could not have done this! I beg Your Majesty to see the truth!"
She kept her head bowed, and Emperor Jiande, without a close look, aimed a kick at her.
Consort Zhuang swiftly pushed Li Yuniang aside, taking the blow herself.
Li Yuniang fell to the ground, staring back at Consort Zhuang in disbelief.
Emperor Jiande had not expected Consort Zhuang to value a palace maid so highly, and suspicion stirred within him. His gaze naturally shifted to Li Yuniang. Though her hair was slightly disheveled and her face pale with fear, her mature beauty and allure cut through his raging anger, imprinting her loveliness softly upon his heart.
Emperor Jiande stared at Li Yuniang, momentarily captivated before frowning. Who was she? Why had he never seen her in Yikun Palace?
Li Yuniang, recovering from Consort Zhuang’s unexpected act, lowered her head and crawled over to support the consort.
Consort Zhuang, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth from the emperor’s kick, leaned weakly against Li Yuniang. With tearful eyes, she gazed at Emperor Jiande. "Your Majesty, my son was murdered, and now someone seeks to frame me. If you believe me, I will defend myself. If not, life holds no meaning—only poor Hui’er, left alone and helpless…"
At this, Consort Zhuang grasped Li Yuniang’s hand and sobbed, "You are Hui’er’s wet nurse. All these years, you’ve cared for him tirelessly, and I’ve seen it all. When I die, I entrust Hui’er to you."
Unaware of Consort Zhuang’s ulterior motives, Li Yuniang feared the consort’s conviction. Clutching Consort Zhuang, she pleaded anxiously with Emperor Jiande for justice.
Emperor Jiande’s eyes shifted between Consort Zhuang and Li Yuniang’s faces.
Consort Zhuang’s tears reminded him of the wrongfully deceased Third Prince.
Li Yuniang’s presence stirred Emperor Jiande’s lust.
At his age, mere beauty no longer moved his heart, though his body still yearned for youthful allure. Yet, what Emperor Jiande truly craved was to relive the impulsive excitement of his youth. Burdened with state affairs, he had no time to court beauties or pursue pure emotions—compared to that, raw stimulation was far easier to obtain.
But Emperor Jiande cared for his reputation. He could not carouse outside the palace nor openly select women of unusual status to enter his harem. Someone like Li Yuniang was perfect: she resided in the princes’ quarters, and by feigning visits to the Seventh Prince, he could easily seize the opportunity.At this moment, Emperor Jiande gave no thought to whether Li Yuniang was willing or not—he was the sovereign, and what woman could refuse him?
Two conflicting emotions surged simultaneously, swiftly suppressing the emperor's rage.
He reasoned that Consort Zhuang's attempt to harm the Second Prince stemmed from the devastating blow of losing the Third Prince, compounded by the Empress constantly provoking her. In a moment of desperation, she sought revenge through the Second Prince—a motive that could be understood. Fortunately, it was a false alarm: the Second Prince remained unharmed, and this lesson would surely deter Consort Zhuang from repeating such actions.
With the emperor's bias already settled, subsequent investigations naturally yielded no evidence against Consort Zhuang.
Consort Zhuang narrowly escaped punishment, leaving the Empress grinding her teeth in fury.
Emperor Jiande paid no heed to the schemes brewing between the two women. After the incident had completely died down within the palace, on a warm spring day when flowers bloomed and the princes were exempt from studies, the emperor impulsively decided to visit the princes' residence accompanied only by two eunuchs.
The Eldest Prince had already been enfeoffed and moved out of the palace. The Second Prince would relocate the following year, making him the eldest currently residing there, with eight younger brothers beneath him.
Emperor Jiande summoned all the princes to examine their studies. During his critiques, he was particularly harsh with the Seventh Prince, then—as if intending to reprimand him privately—sternly took the Seventh Prince to Yunhai Residence with a darkened expression.
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