Pei You'an followed the footprints in the snow, chasing all the way to the back of the mountain. Ahead, a dark figure was leveraging the terrain, scaling the towering wall over ten feet high with spider-like agility.
Beyond that wall lay the dense forest. If the figure escaped into it on such a snowy night, tracking them would become nearly impossible.
Without slowing his pace, Pei You'an hurled his longsword forward with all his might. The blade shot through the air like a serpent, just as the figure reached the top of the wall and prepared to leap over. The sword's tip struck true, piercing the figure's shoulder and causing them to tumble down from the wall.
A guard arrived moments later and subdued the struggling figure as Pei You'an approached swiftly. Kneeling down, Pei You'an gripped the figure's jaw firmly and applied pressure. With a faint "crack," the figure screamed in pain as their jaw dislocated, and a broken wax pill rolled out from their mouth.
...
In the imperial palace's inner quarters, Zhou Shi remained sleepless through the night.
Though it was an early court day, nearing the fifth watch, the emperor had yet to return.
Her informants had also sent no word.
This was the second time since the Crown Prince's wedding night that Xiao Lie had secretly left the palace late at night.
Zhou Shi was certain that Xiao Lie's destination that night had been Cien Temple.
She could also deduce that tonight, the emperor had likely gone to the same place again.
She was well aware of the consequences if her spying on the emperor's movements were discovered, yet she couldn't suppress this urge.
Soon, princesses and noble daughters from Goryeo and Annam would be brought into the palace and enfeoffed as imperial consorts. Moreover, come spring, the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Clan Court would oversee the selection of new concubines, further expanding the imperial harem.
Zhou Shi understood that this was no longer the Wu Ding Prince's residence. The days when she alone had her husband's attention for over twenty years were gone. Younger, more beautiful women would soon surround the emperor. From now on, even as she presided over the harem with lofty status, the bitterness would be hers alone to bear.
Yet if this were all, Zhou Shi wouldn't have been reckless enough to take such risks merely over the emperor expanding his harem.
Years of suspicion had made her sense something ominous in what should have been a routine imperial practice.
First, the Crown Princess's reckless words had caused an incident. Though it was eventually smoothed over, both the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince had clearly fallen out of Xiao Lie's favor since then. Before that storm had settled, her own brother's overzealous actions had backfired, humiliating the Zhou family and implicating the Crown Prince once more.
In truth, shortly after Xiao Lie's ascension, idle officials from the Ministry of Rites had already submitted memorials urging the emperor to expand the harem, citing classical precedents. But back then, Xiao Lie had dismissed them all, citing unsettled state affairs.
The emperor's decision to establish a harem now couldn't possibly be as simple as it appeared.
If before the emperor had merely been dissatisfied, now might mark the true beginning of the Crown Prince's peril.
Xiao Lie was in his prime with years ahead of him. If he changed his mind, who in this world could stop him?From the day he brought the sixteen-year-old Pei You'an to Wuding, perhaps due to a woman's intuition, Zhou Shi had sensed that Xiao Lie treated this so-called "son of an old friend" with extraordinary care.
And the root of it all might lie within the courtyard of Cien Temple.
Now, even if it was just for the sake of her own son, she had to uncover everything about the emperor.
To ensure no mishaps, she acted with extreme caution, keeping even the Crown Prince in the dark. The person she sent was a guard she had secretly employed since their time in Wuding. If the mission failed, he would immediately take poison to avoid capture—this she was certain of.
Zhou Shi lay down fully dressed and finally drifted into a fitful sleep, only to be jolted awake by a nightmare. She sat up in alarm, realizing dawn had already broken, and hurriedly summoned Granny Lin for news. The palace maids went to carry out her orders, but moments later, instead of Granny Lin entering, heavy footsteps echoed from outside the hall.
The steps were unusually heavy, each thud growing louder as they approached, resonating with suppressed fury, pounding against her eardrums.
Who in this palace would walk like that?
Zhou Shi's heart raced as she scrambled off the phoenix bed. She had barely taken a few steps when she saw the palace attendants kneeling in rows on the ground. The drapes were violently swept aside, golden hooks clattering to the floor, and Xiao Lie's figure appeared before her.
Zhou Shi froze mid-step, meeting the emperor's dark, piercing gaze. Her heart plummeted, but she steadied herself and forced a smile. "Your Majesty, why have you come here instead of attending the morning court? Is there something you need?"
Xiao Lie replied coldly, "You have quite the audacity, daring to spy on me! From this moment onward, you are to leave Kunning Palace and move to the Northern Gardens. Without my permission, you are not to take a single step outside!"
With that, he turned and strode away. Cui Yinshui, accompanied by several burly eunuchs, bowed to Zhou Shi and said, "Your Highness, we must obey His Majesty's decree. Please prepare to leave the palace at once. I will escort you to the Northern Gardens."
The Northern Gardens lay hundreds of miles outside the imperial city, near the royal mausoleums. Originally built by the founding emperor, the vast grounds housed only crude structures. During his reign, the emperor would lead the royal family there for a month of austere living to honor their ancestors. After his death, the tradition faded, and the Northern Gardens fell into neglect. Over twenty years ago, the Tianxi Emperor had retreated there to escape a city-wide plague, residing there for nearly a year. Now, the place was as desolate as the cold palace.
Zhou Shi's limbs turned to ice, her face draining of color. Staring at the emperor's retreating figure, she suddenly let out a cry, shoved Cui Yinshui aside, and chased after Xiao Lie, grabbing his sleeve.
"Your Majesty, what proof do you have of these accusations? What crime have I committed? Who says I spied on Your Majesty? I have been slandered! I demand to face my accuser!"
Xiao Lie turned to glare at her, narrowing his eyes. "Even if I hadn't uncovered the truth, who else in this palace besides you would know I left last night?"
He nodded coldly. "Now that the harem is left with only you and the Eastern Palace in power, if it wasn't you, then it must have been the Eastern Palace. Stay if you wish. I shall have the Crown Prince interrogated at once!"Xiao Lie yanked back his sleeve and strode away. Zhou Shi threw herself to the ground, reaching out to clutch the emperor’s leg once more, crying out in despair, “Your Majesty, this matter has nothing to do with the Crown Prince! It is this concubine’s fault! I admit my wrongdoing! I should not have been so foolish as to make such a grave mistake. I beg Your Majesty, for the sake of the twenty-odd years I have served you, to spare me this once!”
The emperor gritted his teeth. “Spying on the emperor’s movements—this crime alone is enough for me to strip you of your position as empress! I will not remove your title, but from this day forth, you are to retire and recuperate. We need never meet again!”
Xiao Lie pulled his leg free from the empress’s grasp and stormed off in fury.
Zhou Shi wailed, “Your Majesty! When the late emperor passed away, your elder brother grew suspicious of you. Upon ascending the throne, he confined you to Wuding. In the second year of Tianxi, you left the borders without informing me of your destination and did not return for half a year. Had I not covered for you then, would you have achieved what you have today?”
Xiao Lie roared, “Earlier, to protect the Crown Prince, you conspired to deceive your emperor under the guise of witchcraft! Did you truly believe I had grown so senile as to be manipulated at will? At the time, I tolerated your actions out of consideration for our twenty years of kinship, allowing you to reform! Yet you showed not the slightest restraint! Today, it is only for the sake of our past marital bond that I leave you with some dignity! Say no more—leave at once. From now on, you shall never set foot in the palace again!”
With that, Xiao Lie strode away.
Zhou Shi lay sprawled on the ground, staring wide-eyed at the emperor’s retreating figure, tears streaming uncontrollably.
After a moment, Cui Yinshui exchanged a glance with the eunuchs. Two of them stepped forward, kneeling on either side to help Zhou Shi up, murmuring, “Forgive us, Your Highness. We are merely following orders. Do not blame us. It would be best to leave quickly, lest His Majesty’s wrath fall upon us…”
Zhou Shi raised her hand— slap, slap —each eunuch received a stinging blow to the face. Having struck them, she pushed herself up from the ground unaided, wiped the tears from her face, and cast a cold glare at Cui Yinshui. “No matter how low I have fallen, I am still the empress of Great Wei! I can walk on my own—how dare you lowly slaves humiliate me?”
Cui Yinshui exclaimed, “Ah!” and promptly slapped himself across the face, bowing deeply. “This servant is guilty! I punish myself! How could I dare slight Your Highness? It is for the best if Your Highness relocates willingly. This servant is endlessly grateful.” Straightening, his expression turned icy as he barked to the others, “Why are you all still kneeling? By His Majesty’s decree, Her Majesty the Empress, moved by this year’s droughts across the provinces and the hardships of the people, has voluntarily chosen to move to the West Garden to guard the imperial tombs and pray for blessings. Rise at once and prepare for Her Highness’s relocation!”
The palace attendants scrambled to their feet as if mourning their own parents. Zhou Shi’s face was deathly pale as she turned for one last look at the palace she had inhabited for such a short time. Finally, she stepped forward.
As she passed through the Kunning Gate, she saw the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess kneeling by the roadside to bid her farewell.
Her gaze locked onto the Crown Prince, staring intently. Though she could not speak, she believed her son would understand the unspoken words in her heart.
A single misstep had provoked the emperor’s wrath, and now she was banished from the Imperial Harem, exiled to the West Garden.
The emperor now was no longer the King of the Clouds of Wuding. His divine will was inscrutable, his heart as fickle as the heavens.Just moments ago, when she heard those heartless words ordering her banishment to the West Garden come from his lips, for an instant she could barely restrain herself. The resentment and bitterness she had suppressed for over twenty years nearly spilled out.
But in the end, she forced it all back down. Everything was for the Crown Prince.
Now she needed her son to be even more restrained. At least until he could stand against the ruler of this realm, he must not lose his composure.
Back when the Tianxi Emperor married, the young Xiao Lie had also obeyed the late emperor's decree to take her as his wife and father her child. For over twenty years, though no other woman stood by his side, Zhou Shi knew this man had a heart of stone. He had never loved her, nor would her tears ever move him. This time he was sending her away, and soon new women would enter the palace. Without their son, she might never return to this hall of the Imperial Harem again.
Fortunately, there was still the Crown Prince.
One day, she would surely return, walking through this northern gate of the Imperial Harem to reclaim everything that rightfully belonged to her today.
With this thought, she stared at the Crown Prince as she walked step by step past him.
Yet pitifully, fate often plays cruel tricks. It gives hope only to make the eventual shattering of that hope all the more painfully profound.
At this moment, Zhou Shi didn't know this would indeed be the last time she walked through the Kunning Gate.
...
Xiao Yintang watched his mother's retreating figure with dark eyes, his shoulders tensing as he made to rise from the ground. But Zhang Fengtong beside him pressed down on his hand.
"Don't act rashly! With Her Majesty already lost, even if you plead for her before His Majesty, he won't listen. It might only bring his wrath upon you instead. Fortunately, Her Majesty retains her position as empress. The Crown Prince must bide his time now and wait for the right moment to act. This must also be Her Majesty's wish."
Zhang Fengtong spoke rapidly in hushed tones.
Xiao Yintang shot her a glance, shook off her hand, stood up, and turned directly toward the Eastern Palace.
...
That same day, when all court officials learned of the empress's relocation to the West Garden to pray for the people's blessings, none were not astonished. The Ministry of Rites issued a formal statement. Though the ministers privately speculated, none could discern the full truth. Yet they faintly understood that following Zhou Jin, Zhou Hou had now completely fallen from the emperor's favor.
People avoided the Zhou family's doorstep. Perhaps the Zhang family feared they might be next—Old Zhang had been claiming illness these past few days. Beneath the calm court surface, invisible undercurrents surged silently.
Meanwhile, the Pei family's main branch had been in turmoil these days.
Though called a relocation for prayers, everyone knew the emperor could no longer tolerate Zhou Hou's presence. Moving against her was tantamount to humiliating the Crown Prince. With rumors of new consorts soon entering the palace, the future remained uncertain.Madam Xin deeply regretted having allowed her son to marry Zhou Jiao'e, but what was done could not be undone. Now she could only resign herself to her misfortune. Though she still dared not show her temper toward Zhou Jiao'e, her tolerance had worn thin, and her expression grew noticeably darker. Pei Xiuzhi, too, had lost all patience—Zhou Jiao'e's threats while cradling her belly no longer worked. The house was filled with endless wailing and quarrels day after day. In the end, Madam Xin, unwilling to become the laughingstock of the second branch of the family, ordered the courtyard gates shut. Under the pretext of nurturing the pregnancy, she forbade Zhou Jiao'e from leaving the courtyard at will. Zhou Jiao'e seemed to finally realize that much of her backing had suddenly vanished. Contemplating her future reliance on the son in her belly, she gradually restrained herself and began focusing on her pregnancy. The household finally quieted down.
Thus, the year's end passed in a hurried blur.
With the arrival of spring, Jiafu began packing her belongings.
Several months earlier, Meng Shi, who had returned to Quanzhou, had sent a letter mentioning that Grandmother Hu Shi had contracted a fever in late summer. Though she recovered from the illness, her health appeared to weaken after autumn. At the time, the Pei family's elderly matriarch was also gravely ill, leaving Jiafu unable to attend to both matters. She could only reply with a letter, enclosing some medicinal herbs as a token of filial piety. Now, after the New Year, with Pei You'an in mourning at home and finally free of obligations, and having passed the period of intense mourning, he learned of Hu Shi's declining health. A few days prior, he had taken the initiative to propose accompanying Jiafu back to Quanzhou for a visit, taking advantage of the spring season.
In a few more weeks, by March, the city of Quanzhou—both within and beyond its walls—would be awash with blooming coral trees, a sight rarely seen in the capital. Jiafu held deep affection for the place where she had been born and raised. By the end of the previous year, she had already harbored the thought of returning, but with the mourning period just ended and Pei You'an—though seemingly at leisure, engrossed in reading, painting, or teaching her—clearly preoccupied with his own unspoken concerns, she found it difficult to voice her wish. She kept it buried in her heart, never expecting that he would notice and offer to accompany her back to Quanzhou.
Overjoyed, Jiafu eagerly packed her belongings and selected an auspicious date, counting the days until their departure. Finally, on a clear and mild morning, she and Pei You'an bid farewell to Madam Xin. Accompanied by Liu Momo, Tanxiang, Muxiang, and others, with Pei You'an bringing along Yang Yun and a few more attendants, their party of over a dozen arrived at the docks. Boarding a large ship, they set sail southward, carried by the gentle, balmy southern breeze.
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