"But if you don't confess, the Empress Dowager will kill you anyway. Do you want to die now, or take the blame and have a chance at survival?"
Die if she spoke, die if she didn't.
For Consort Rong, neither was a good choice. The Empress Dowager's machinations behind the scenes were enough to condemn her to death a thousand times over.
Consort Rong reached back and gathered her scattered hair to the front, using her hands like a comb to smooth it out. She smiled at Pei Wu and said, "Alright, I confess..."
Pei Wu smiled back at her: "That's more like it! The wise adapt to circumstances. Once the Emperor promotes me, I'll certainly plead for mercy on your behalf."
She smiled smugly, clearly seeing herself as a power player deftly maneuvering between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
So this was the person the Empress Dowager had found to replace her and Consort Shu?
She was indeed a rare beauty, more composed than either herself or Consort Shu, willing to bide her time without demanding status until now.
She was stronger...
But the Empress Dowager had repeatedly spoken of restoring the Wu family, of bringing her brother and mother back from Ningguta.
Her current actions seemed less about the Wu family and more about securing her own position, determined to cultivate a favored consort like Jiang Xinyue.
Aunt, she wants to control the harem, doesn't she?
Under the guise of restoring the Wu family, she had made her and Consort Shu obey her every word. Now that the two sisters had outlived their usefulness after committing numerous misdeeds, she wanted to groom new talent.
Hah!
The Empress Dowager underestimated her. She wasn't a fool like Consort Shu, to be played like a puppet.
"Before that, I'd like to see my aunt one last time. Would you be so kind as to relay my request, Miss Pei?"
"The Empress Dowager doesn't have time to see you now. Whatever you have to say, you can tell me. I'll make sure to pass it on to Her Majesty."
So she thought that once Consort Rong took the blame, she was as good as dead, and didn't even want to waste time on her?
If her aunt wouldn't honor their familial bond, she couldn't blame her for being ruthless.
"Then please convey this message to the Empress Dowager for me: I wish her success in controlling the harem and achieving supreme honor."
During the previous Emperor's reign, she had dominated the harem through her son, truly believing herself to be the master of palace intrigue. But she failed to see that the previous Emperor never liked her. If she hadn't been the birth mother of his only son, she probably wouldn't have even attained the rank of consort.
She had climbed to power on the back of her son, but her ambition had grown too large. She now believed she should be the one controlling both the court and the harem.
The Emperor was exiling the Wu family, executing the Song family, guarding against the Zhu family, favoring officials without powerful backgrounds, emphasizing the imperial examinations, and valuing talent...
How could such an Emperor allow a mere woman to manipulate him?
The Empress Dowager would never get her way. She might as well give her one last push.
With the passing of the Empress, a pall of gloom fell over the palace.
Consort De, knowing she was in the crosshairs, deliberately kept a low profile to minimize her presence.
Jiang Xinyue hadn't anticipated the Empress's resolute decision to end her life. She had planned to push Consort Rong to the forefront, making everyone believe that Consort Rong was the Emperor's true love, with Consort Shu merely a scapegoat.
She hadn't expected the Empress to sacrifice her life for the Fifth Prince's sake, helping her deal with Consort Rong in the process.
Her plan was now unnecessary, and instead, Consort De had become the "murderer" who drove the Empress to her death.
Now, everyone in the palace was saying that if Consort De hadn't falsely accused the Empress of poisoning the Third Prince, the Empress would never have died.
The Old Lady of Duke of Cheng's Mansion's cane strike was seen as a deliberate attempt on the Empress's life.
People always sympathize with the weaker party, and now the Empress was no longer just weak, but deceased.
The Duke of Cheng's household would face difficult days ahead.
Jiang Xinyue had merely asked the Emperor one question: "The Old Lady of Duke of Cheng's Mansion is truly vigorous for her age. I've heard that her tiger-headed cane can strike down foolish rulers above and corrupt officials below. Is that really true?"
The Emperor responded by pushing her down onto the bed with his finger: "Only you would dare ask me such a treasonous question. Try imagining what would happen if anyone else asked me that."
The result would be fatal.
Jiang Xinyue quickly sat up and clung to the Xuanwu Emperor's arm, pouting: "Is it true though?"
"What?"
The Xuanwu Emperor stared at her: "Are you afraid I'll become a foolish ruler one day and be beaten to death by the Old Lady of Duke of Cheng's Mansion?"
"How could that be?"
Jiang Xinyue glared at him angrily: "Your Majesty could never be a foolish ruler! If she dared to strike you, I'd kill her myself. I don't care about tiger heads or snake heads."
"Although I know your sweet words are meant to make me dizzy with affection, I still fall for it."
The Xuanwu Emperor removed her from his arm and sat her properly on the bed, saying sarcastically: "Don't worry, the Duke of Cheng is most adept at reading the situation. Yesterday, he personally delivered the tiger-headed cane to the palace, returning it to me. He also had the old lady remove her mourning clothes and kneel at the palace gates to pay respects to the Empress."
If he hadn't done so, the Duke of Cheng feared his mother might not even keep her life.
The Emperor noticed Jiang Xinyue's small sigh of relief. Thinking she was anxious about the Empress's affair, he put his arm around her shoulders and said: "Have I put you in a difficult position by arranging for the Fifth Prince to stay here?"
When the Fifth Prince grew older, if someone with ulterior motives stirred up trouble, he might believe that Jiang Xinyue was responsible for his mother's death and the loss of his promising future.
Keeping him close was an unstable threat to Jiang Xinyue.
"Your Majesty, I..."
"Your Majesty, Fen Yun is here with the Fifth Prince requesting an audience."
Before she could finish her sentence, Fen Yun had arrived with the Fifth Prince.
During the Empress's mourning period, the Emperor was not supposed to be intimate with his consorts. He hadn't spent the night in Hexi Palace, but had made an appearance at Taihe Hall early in the morning before coming here. He had planned to have breakfast with Jiang Xinyue before going to Taihe Hall together.
Fen Yun knew this and had timed her arrival accordingly.
"Let her in."
The Emperor went out and sat in the flower hall. Jiang Xinyue hurriedly dressed, not wanting others to think she was disrespectful to the Empress.
It was still quite early. The consorts should all be getting up around this time to go to Taihe Hall and offer incense to the Empress.
However, Fen Yun was close to the Empress, and the Fifth Prince was young and pitiful. They couldn't appear too relaxed and comfortable when others were in their deepest grief.
Even Consort De was keeping a low profile. Jiang Xinyue couldn't allow people to say she lacked respect.
By the time she was dressed and emerged from behind the screen, Fen Yun had already led the Fifth Prince to kneel in the flower hall: "Your Majesty, this servant humbly requests your permission for the Fifth Prince and myself to accompany the Empress's body to the Eastern Mountain for burial in the imperial tomb, and to keep vigil there for the Empress."
This was a bold and somewhat presumptuous request.
The Fifth Prince was a royal offspring. Only the Emperor could decide his whereabouts. How could a mere maid have any say in the matter?
