If what Consort Rong said was true, then... wouldn't that mean the current Empress Dowager is the Emperor's mother-killing enemy?
Back then, the former Emperor adored Noble Consort Jing, just as Emperor Xuanwu had cherished his Virtuous Consort. He truly treasured her like a delicate flower, afraid she might wilt in his mouth or shatter in his hands.
Yet such a beauty, who enjoyed the Emperor's utmost favor, died in the year when the Emperor loved her most. She suffered a hemorrhage due to excessive grief after giving birth to a stillborn princess.
Noble Consort Jing was only twenty-two years old when she died.
The former Emperor himself passed away from exhaustion before turning thirty. It's hard to say this wasn't partly due to his longing for Noble Consort Jing.
"If Empress Dowager Aunt still wants to accuse me of talking nonsense, she might as well let the Emperor search Cining Palace!" Consort Rong played her trump card: "The Empress Dowager knows her sins are grave. She even built a secret small Buddhist shrine in a side room behind her bedchamber. She switched the little princess's body with a dead cat and enshrined it in that small shrine. The Empress Dowager burns incense there daily, hoping the little princess will be reborn into a good family in her next life."
Upon hearing this, despair filled the Empress Dowager's eyes. She collapsed into her chair and fainted as her vision went black.
Jiang Xinyue glanced at Pei Wu. She knew Pei Wu had visited Consort Rong at the Investigative Bureau and then returned to Cining Palace to report Consort Rong's situation to the Empress Dowager.
The current predicament was likely due to Pei Wu deliberately acting as an intermediary, making Consort Rong believe the Empress Dowager wanted her to be a scapegoat and take all the blame.
Then she told the Empress Dowager that Consort Rong had been captured on purpose and still had a backup plan, advising the Empress Dowager not to interfere lest she ruin Consort Rong's scheme.
The information gap caused misunderstandings between the two women.
Fortunately, there were no telephones or mobile phones in ancient times. Otherwise, Pei Wu's lies to both sides would have been easily exposed.
The Empress Dowager never dreamed that Pei Wu had entered the palace not to gain the Emperor's favor and bring glory to her family.
She was there to cooperate with the Emperor, overthrow the Empress Dowager, and then leave the palace to find the man she truly loved.
What did it matter if the Princess of Ruyang didn't want her as a daughter-in-law?
Even though she wouldn't become the heir's wife, the heir had rejected all the potential brides arranged by the Princess of Ruyang, including Pei Wu's younger sister.
Reportedly, her grandfather felt so ashamed that he had hurriedly married off her sister to a distant place.
She probably never imagined that the good marriage she tried so hard to steal would fail because she couldn't win the heir's true affection!
What should have been a memorial service for the Empress turned into a trial for the Empress Dowager, thanks to her outburst and the Emperor's intention to amplify the matter.
This part didn't concern Jiang Xinyue, so she naturally returned to Hexi Palace to play with the Fourth Prince and the little one.
As May was coming to an end, the weather was getting hotter. Fortunately, the Empress was to be buried in early June. The coffin would likely be transported to the imperial mausoleum in the next few days.
Otherwise, if it remained in Taihe Hall, the Ministry of Internal Affairs would have to be more frugal with ice this year.
Perhaps due to lack of sleep, Jiang Xinyue's right eyelid kept twitching.
The Fourth Prince's childish voice could be heard from Hexi Palace: "Little Dumpling, this story teaches us that we should bravely admit our mistakes and not lie. Children who lie will have their noses grow very, very long, and Mother will be able to tell right away."
Qian Sheng chuckled, "Fourth Prince, the Sixth Prince has fallen asleep. He can't hear your story."
"He can hear," the Fourth Prince replied seriously. "Mother said this is called a bedtime story. Even if Little Dumpling is asleep, the story can't be interrupted. He's still listening. Grandpa Qian, if you say that, Little Dumpling will be sad."
Qian Sheng coaxed him, "Alright, alright. It's Grandpa's fault. Grandpa apologizes to the Sixth Prince."
"Mm-hmm." The Fourth Prince nodded like a little adult. "Father said that knowing one's mistakes and correcting them is the greatest good. Little Dumpling won't be angry with Grandpa."
Little brat, how would you know what "the greatest good" means?
You probably can't even write all those characters yet!
The Sixth Prince was about to turn two months old. Although he still spent more time sleeping than awake, he was now awake much more often compared to when he was in confinement.
"Does Little Satisfaction want to go study at the Princes' School with your Third Brother?" Jiang Xinyue asked.
"Mother!" The Fourth Prince ran over and hugged Jiang Xinyue's leg. "Mother, can I... can I also go to the Princes' School? But they said my status is too low, and I can't go to school like Father's other children."
"Times have changed," Jiang Xinyue said, her brow revealing the air of one in power. "You must learn to forget the people and things of the past. Those who looked down on you and bullied you wouldn't dare appear before you in this lifetime. Doesn't that prove your noble status? Little Satisfaction, you need to be confident. Mother believes in you. You are more excellent than anyone else."
Light returned to the Fourth Prince's eyes. "I want to go study at the Princes' School. Third Brother said Big Sister and Second Sister don't go to the school anymore, and he feels very lonely. Also, he's sick now and can't speak. I'm afraid others might bully him."
He himself had been bullied by eunuchs and palace maids before. What if there were such people at the Princes' School too?
He wanted to protect his Third Brother.
Princes typically began their education at six years old. The Fourth Prince was about to turn six this year, so it was time to send him to the Princes' School to learn something.
However, during the period of national mourning, it wasn't appropriate to discuss this with the Emperor. It was better to wait until the Empress's coffin was transported to the imperial mausoleum before bringing it up.
In Taihe Hall—
The scene of officials prostrating themselves in grief was vividly depicted on paper.
A youth wearing a sky-blue brocade robe was seriously sketching the grand funeral rites of the Empress.
The robe looked expensive—a pure, light blue soft gown with silver floral patterns as the base. Large lotus patterns appeared faintly on the blue fabric, outlining a beautiful youth of ambiguous gender.
His appearance was extraordinary, worthy of being called a handsome young gentleman. His noble aura added a layer of sacred light to his youthful charm, making people feel he could only be admired from afar, not to be trifled with.
Having finished drawing the scene of officials kneeling in Taihe Hall, he was now leading two young attendants, braving the scorching sun to sketch the scene of noble ladies waiting outside.
The sunlight gilded his body, and the light blue brocade robe, slightly faded to white, reflected dazzling light, making him appear even more otherworldly, as if he were a celestial being.
When that fairy-like youth looked over, the ladies of various families felt that even the fierce sun in the sky had softened, giving them a sense of spring breeze.
"Master Xie, please take a rest and have some water!" Even the young eunuch found it strange. While others were sweating profusely, this newly arrived palace painter, Master Xie, looked cool and refreshed without a single drop of sweat on his face. Just looking at him made people feel as if they had drunk a large bowl of ice water, feeling utterly refreshed.
Xie Chenghui smiled and politely declined, "Thank you for your kindness, but I'm not tired. I need to report back to the painting academy soon, so it's better to finish the painting quickly."
His voice was clear and bright, like a mountain spring striking rocks—crisp and pleasant to hear.
Although all present were married ladies from official families, those with less self-control felt their hearts flutter and faces flush at the sight of him.
