The Fifth Prince's status was indeed awkward.
If he were merely the son of Court Lady Lan from Yanqing Palace, he wouldn't have lived until today. If he were the Empress's son, the Empress wouldn't have met her current fate.
The Emperor wasn't kind to his consorts, but he retained some fatherly affection for his children. Otherwise, the Empress wouldn't have thought that giving evidence of Consort De harming the imperial heirs to Jiang Xinyue was better than giving it to the Emperor.
She feared the Emperor would pity the Third Prince and thus not punish Consort De.
Now the Fifth Prince had undeservedly gained the status of a legitimate son. With the Empress dead, his position became too conspicuous.
The Xuanwu Emperor frowned, "You want my son to guard the imperial tomb in the eastern mountains? How dare you!"
Terrified, Fen Yun pressed her forehead to the floor. Though summer had arrived, the Emperor's frown sent a chill through her bones. She trembled, "This slave deserves death, but I have no other choice. Your Majesty, before my mistress passed, she held my hand and made me promise to take good care of the Fifth Prince as he grows up. Staying in the palace would indeed mean Senior Concubine Xian's care, but I... I dare say, the palace is fraught with danger. It's already difficult for Senior Concubine Xian to protect herself, let alone protect the Fourth Prince and Sixth Prince as well."
She raised her head slightly, looking at the Emperor pleadingly, "It's not that this slave doesn't trust Senior Concubine Xian, but rather that I don't trust anyone else besides her."
This included the Fifth Prince's biological father, the Emperor who stood above all others.
Fen Yun kowtowed again, "The Fifth Prince is young and lacks the ability to discern right from wrong. If ill-intentioned people were to incite him, this slave would fail the Empress's last wish. Your Majesty... the person the Empress worried about most before her death was the Fifth Prince. This slave begs Your Majesty... begs for your gracious permission."
Such treasonous words couldn't have been spoken while the Empress was alive. But with the Empress just deceased, the Emperor inevitably recalled those brief, sweet moments from when they first married.
His heart softened a bit towards Fen Yun.
However, even so, he was still displeased.
It was like when someone else criticizes your child - only you can say they're not good, but if others say it, you feel offended.
Moreover, Fen Yun was just a slave, yet she dared to imply that in the entire harem, apart from Jiang Xinyue, there wasn't a single good person.
The long silence made Fen Yun sweat profusely. The Fifth Prince, with his eyes wide open, looked at the Xuanwu Emperor in confusion and fear, wanting to cry but holding back his tears.
Sudden misfortune affects children's psychology the most.
Jiang Xinyue was about to walk out when she suddenly saw the Fourth Prince leading the Third Prince, peeking outside.
The Third Prince also saw Jiang Xinyue and silently tugged at the Fourth Prince's sleeve, pointing at her.
When the Fourth Prince looked over, Jiang Xinyue nodded at him and glanced at his father, signaling him to go over.
The Fourth Prince finally mustered the courage and walked in, holding the Third Prince's hand, "Your children pay respects to Father Emperor."
The Third Prince knelt beside the Fourth Prince, his eyes constantly darting towards the Fifth Prince, filled with inexpressible guilt.
Jiang Xinyue observed the Third Prince's behavior and inwardly sighed. This child probably already knew that the person who poisoned him was his own mother, otherwise he wouldn't have that look in his eyes.
The Emperor showed a faint smile and beckoned to the Third Prince and Fourth Prince, "Why aren't you two playing with Little Dumpling? What are you doing here?"
For some reason, Consort De hadn't restricted the Third Prince from coming to Hexi Palace.
Perhaps she understood that Jiang Xinyue was a person with principles.
The rumors about Senior Concubine Xian wanting to harm the Third Prince thus crumbled on their own.
The Fourth Prince hugged the Emperor's leg and wheedled, "Little Dumpling fell asleep! Nanny Xiang said we shouldn't disturb his sleep, so when we heard Fifth Brother was here with Mother Concubine, we came to play with him."
As he spoke, his voice grew quieter, "Father Emperor, did Fifth Brother do something wrong to make you unhappy? Please don't be mad at him. He just lost his mother, he's so pitiful!"
Having once lost his own mother and suffered bullying in a remote palace, he could empathize deeply with the Fifth Prince.
The Third Prince also tugged at the Xuanwu Emperor's sleeve, shaking it vigorously while pointing at the Fifth Prince and Fen Yun, shaking his head desperately.
Fen Yun glanced behind the screen and saw a glimpse of black robe embroidered with subtle patterns. Her throat tightened, and she bowed slowly towards Jiang Xinyue's direction.
Empress, you didn't trust the wrong person.
Seeing two of his favorite sons being kind-hearted, magnanimous, and friendly towards their brother, willing to plead for the Fifth Prince, whatever displeasure remained in the Xuanwu Emperor's heart dissipated.
"Rise!"
Fen Yun kept her head lowered, took two steps back, and helped the Fifth Prince up as well.
At this moment, Jiang Xinyue finally emerged from behind the screen and walked straight to the Emperor. She patted the Third Prince's head with her left hand and the Fourth Prince's cheek with her right, causing both little ones to blush.
"Your Majesty, it's not entirely impossible for the Fifth Prince to go to the imperial tomb."
The Emperor thought, does Xinyue also not want to raise the Fifth Prince? Didn't the Empress entrust the Fifth Prince to her care?
"When the Fifth Prince reaches seven or eight years old, after Fen Yun has taught him to discern right from wrong, we can bring him back, can't we?"
Jiang Xinyue offered the best solution, "By then, the Third Prince and Fourth Prince will be older. Let them attend the princes' school together with the Fifth Prince. Even if someone tries to sow discord between me and the Fifth Prince, I think it won't be so easy. The Fifth Prince is a noble prince of the royal family, how could he spend his entire life guarding the imperial tomb? Fen Yun, what do you think?"
This idea aligned perfectly with Fen Yun's thoughts. Jiang Xinyue had given such a big step down, how could she object? She naturally agreed repeatedly.
The Xuanwu Emperor recalled how the Empress had held his hand before her death, begging him to ensure the Fifth Prince's lifelong safety and happiness. He sighed, "Since you all say so, if I object, it would make me seem unreasonable. Then let the funeral procession escort the Fifth Prince to the eastern mountains when they take the Empress's coffin to the imperial tomb. When he turns eight, I will send someone to bring him back to the palace."
The heavy stone weighing on Fen Yun's chest finally fell away. She knelt on the ground, kowtowing until her forehead bled, "This slave thanks Your Majesty and Senior Concubine Xian. At the imperial tomb, this slave will pray daily to the ancestors for Your Majesty and for Great Yan's blessings."
In Taihe Hall—
"Why hasn't Senior Concubine Xian arrived yet?"
"Now that the Empress is gone, Senior Concubine Xian is the highest-ranking consort in the harem. It's normal for her to be a bit proud. How could she be punctual like us?"
Consort Jiang snorted coldly and said to the speaking consort, "You know Senior Concubine Xian is now the highest-ranking favored consort, yet you dare to speak disrespectfully. There's no hope for someone as stupid as you. No wonder you're not favored and your rank is low."
She had achieved her great revenge, the Empress was dead, so she no longer had any reservations.
Don't say she's heartless. Back when the Empress schemed against her, she also pushed her to the brink of death.
It was merely an eye for an eye.
