The carriage stopped outside the palace gates, where Cui Yinshui personally placed a footstool beside it. Jiafu alighted and was escorted into the palace, winding through numerous corridors until she reached the same hall where she had come with Pei You'an to express gratitude the morning after their wedding. She entered and paused in the outer chamber. Cui Yinshui asked her to wait briefly before hurrying inside. Moments later, he returned and guided Jiafu further in. At the entrance to the inner chamber, he announced softly, "Your Majesty, Zhen has arrived."
Li Yuangui emerged, signaling for Cui Yinshui to withdraw. Grateful for Li Yuangui's discreet arrangements on Pei You'an's behalf but unable to express her thanks here, Jiafu curtsied to him. Li Yuangui hastily stepped aside and whispered, "Follow me," before turning to lead the way inside.
Steadying herself, Jiafu followed him in. The emperor, clad in dragon robes, sat upon the same huanghuali chair with chi-dragon carvings as before. He appeared thinner, his expression stern and devoid of the previous benevolence. Feeling his gaze upon her, Jiafu lowered her head and knelt upon a cushion laid on the floor, performing the kowtow.
Li Yuangui withdrew, leaving only Jiafu and the emperor in the hall. The emperor bade her rise and asked indifferently, "Li Yuangui said you wished to see Us. What is the matter?"
Jiafu expressed her gratitude but remained kneeling. "Your Majesty, this guilty subject's wife seeks an audience to humbly beg Your Majesty's mercy—to allow her to accompany her husband to the northern frontier. My husband has offended Your Majesty. If he had been executed, I would have collected his remains. Now, by Your Majesty's grace, his life has been spared. Since ancient times, husband and wife are one. This guilty wife willingly shares his punishment and wishes to accompany him."
As she spoke, she discreetly observed the emperor's expression. Though his demeanor remained cold, there was no sign of anger. She kowtowed again and continued, "Beyond my desire to share his fate, I dare not deceive Your Majesty—I am also deeply concerned. The northern frontier is bitterly cold, with harsh winds and sandstorms. I have heard that by the eleventh month, the land is buried in snow and ice. My husband has been frail since childhood. In recent years, he has endured the hardships of military campaigns and constant travels. In the two years since our marriage, the time he has spent at home can be counted on one hand. Already exhausted in body and mind, he now faces exile to that desolate place, with no one to tend to his needs. I fear he will lack warm clothing and bedding, and his old ailments may return. Should the worst befall him, it would betray Your Majesty's mercy in sparing his life."
Her words, though intended to remind the emperor, also reflected her genuine fears. Her eyes reddened with unshed tears.
"He brought this upon himself! We gave him multiple chances, which he disregarded!"
The emperor finally spoke, his tone no longer as indifferent as before, his voice slightly raised.
Seeing his faint agitation, Jiafu lowered her head further. "Before my grandmother passed away, she dismissed everyone and spoke to me of my husband's origins. Though he is known as the eldest son of Duke Wei's Mansion, he was in fact adopted by my father-in-law from an unrelated brother. His birth father, due to unavoidable circumstances, could not raise him, and his mother tragically died of postpartum hemorrhage two days after his birth—his origins are pitiable indeed. Grandmother said she regarded him as her own grandson. Knowing his frail health, her only worry upon her deathbed was for him. She charged me to care for him in her stead, no matter what. I gave her my word and now dare not abandon him. I beg Your Majesty's mercy once more—allow me to accompany him, fulfilling both my duty as his wife and the promise I made to Grandmother."
Silence filled the hall. The emperor did not speak.While waiting, Jiafu stole a glance at the emperor. Seeing his gaze fixed and motionless, she surmised that her earlier words must have stirred memories of his visit to his grandmother. She lowered her head once more.
"Tell Us, where did you obtain this? Do you know its origin?"
After a long silence, the emperor finally spoke again, his voice low and heavy.
Jiafu looked up and saw the orchid-patterned jade pendant, which the emperor had somehow retrieved, now clenched in his hand. His dark, inscrutable gaze bore into her.
This pendant had been given to her by Pei You'an when he came to Quanzhou, claiming it was left by his father on his deathbed.
But after learning of Pei You'an's true origins, Jiafu suspected there was more to it.
She had previously discreetly inquired among the Pei family's elders and learned that Pei Wenjing had adored orchids since childhood. In her youth, before marriage, her courtyard had been filled with them. She was also skilled in painting, and Old Madam Pei still preserved one of her early works, signed with the seal "Wulan Qiujun." This further convinced Jiafu that the orchid-carved pendant must be Pei Wenjing's relic.
Upon arriving in the capital, desperate to see the emperor but repeatedly denied, Jiafu recalled this relic and decided to present it.
Given the emperor's past closeness with Pei Wenjing, Jiafu believed he would recognize the pendant. Though unsure of its exact connection to him, the emperor's reaction now confirmed her intuition—not only did he recognize it, but it likely held profound significance for him.
She replied, "Your Majesty, this pendant was given to me by my husband as a betrothal token."
"If so, why have you brought it before Us? What is your intent?" the emperor pressed, his expression tense, his tone edged with sharpness.
Jiafu answered, "Your Majesty, this was also my late grandmother's instruction. She said that if my husband ever faced calamity, I should present this pendant to Your Majesty, trusting that for the sake of old friendship, You would aid him. When my repeated requests for an audience were delayed, I recalled her words and dared to offer the pendant. I do not know my husband's crime, nor dare I ask, but I presume it must be grave, for Your Majesty's wisdom would not be so provoked otherwise. I do not plead for his pardon—only to accompany and care for him, lest misfortune befall him."
The emperor sat silently for a moment, his expression gradually softening. After a pause, he suddenly asked, "Did Old Madam Pei ever speak to you of anything else regarding this pendant?"
Jiafu looked up and saw the emperor's intense gaze, tinged with tension. Lowering her eyes, she said, "Grandmother only mentioned that in her final days, my husband's birth mother clutched this pendant in her hand until her last moments, when she placed it solemnly in his swaddling clothes..."
She trailed off.
"Did she tell you... whether You'an's mother bore any resentment before her death?"
The emperor leaned forward, his voice unsteady.
Jiafu shook her head. "Grandmother was very frail then and spoke only a few words before stopping. I dared not press further. Only..."She lowered her head and said softly, "But as this condemned official's wife thinks, if any woman clings tightly to an object on her deathbed, it must be because her heart is filled with longing—longing for the person connected to that object. How could there be hatred? Moreover, she deliberately left it for her child. Surely, she hoped this object would protect the child, ensuring a life free from calamity and pain, filled with joy and peace."
The emperor remained motionless, his expression caught between joy and sorrow, with faint tears glimmering in his eyes. After a long silence, he rose from his seat, clutching the jade pendant, and left Jiafu behind as he slowly walked out, his footsteps gradually fading away.
Jiafu dared not rise, remaining alone, kneeling in the vast hall.
Moments later, footsteps sounded behind her. Li Yuangui hurried in and, seeing Jiafu still kneeling, personally helped her up, a smile on his face. "Zhen, good news! His Majesty has granted your request and allowed you to go along."
In truth, Jiafu had merely spun those words based on her own guesses, playing along with the emperor's sentiments. Even if she had been wrong, she believed Pei Wenjing, watching from the heavens, would understand her intentions and not blame her. Now, hearing that the emperor had finally relented, she was overjoyed, holding back tears as she thanked Li Yuangui.
Li Yuangui said, "I am but a servant—how dare I accept your thanks? His Majesty just remarked that you are more reasonable than Lord Pei, which greatly pleased him. After all, they were once ruler and subject, and Lord Pei had his merits. You must know how His Majesty treated Lord Pei in the past. His Majesty said Lord Pei harbored disloyalty this time, hence his unforgivable crime. When you go, explain this clearly to him: loyalty to the sovereign is like filial duty to a father. If he repents, His Majesty will pardon him, and you and your husband may return soon."
Jiafu nodded at every word, her heart yearning to set off immediately. Li Yuangui seemed to notice and smiled. "Then let us not delay. Pack your belongings, and I will arrange for someone to escort you as soon as possible."
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