The night grew thick and silent.
In the Council Hall, a member of the Shadow Guards—the elite force serving the Emperor alone—knelt and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, ever since you returned to the palace, I have been keeping a close watch on the Duke Chen estate and Noble Consort Chen as you commanded. We have discovered something."
He took a bundle of letters from his tunic, along with a small, worn-looking sachet. "These are the correspondences between the Duke’s estate and Noble Consort Chen."
Grand Eunuch Xia presented the letters. The Emperor glanced at the sachet before opening the letters. "All family correspondence between the inner palace and the maternal clans is secretly vetted by palace officials before delivery. What is the issue here?"
As the Emperor finished speaking, the Shadow Guard knelt lower. "At first glance, these letters appear entirely mundane, containing only standard inquiries after one another's well-being. However, when held up to candlelight, several of them bear a faint petal mark at the signature line—identical to the mark found on the criminals outside the Capital."
The Emperor quickly spread out all the letters, and Grand Eunuch Xia hurried to bring a candle closer. Under the flickering light, the petal mark was indeed visible at the end of several letters.
"The eldest son of the Chen family, Chen Sangtian, also has a petal mark over his heart," the Shadow Guard continued. "However, I verified it personally; his is a birthmark, not something applied later."
The Emperor’s fingers trembled as he held the papers. He meticulously re-examined the letters bearing the mark, then turned his gaze to the unremarkable sachet. "Did you find anything in the Imperial Garden?" The letters with the petal marks all mentioned carrying a sachet into the Imperial Garden, whereas the others did not.
"I found nothing unusual in the Imperial Garden," the Shadow Guard replied. He rose, moved forward respectfully, and held the sachet near the candlelight. A faint, previously hidden petal pattern began to shimmer on its surface. "Your Majesty, under direct sunlight, the mark becomes even more vivid."
The Emperor slammed his hand onto the imperial desk, his voice like a thunderclap. "Guards!"
Commander Lin Hui of the Imperial Guard entered the inner hall. "I pay my respects, Your Majesty."
"Surround Yufu Palace immediately. Do not let a single fly escape."
"By your command, Your Majesty."
No sooner had Lin Hui left the hall than Xiao Qianyue, Commander of the Imperial City Bureau, entered. He presented the intelligence he had gathered over the past few days.
"Your Majesty, I learned from a confidant of Qiao Kun that in his youth, Qiao Kun was saved by the late Duke Chen and lived in the Chen estate for a time. The late Duke had even promised to marry... Noble Consort Chen to him. Later, when the Noble Consort entered the palace, Qiao Kun joined the Imperial City Bureau through a rigorous selection process, but he continued to work for the Chen family in secret. When the Chen family realized you were suspicious of them, they instructed Qiao Kun to present evidence of Princess Anyang’s rebellion to divert your attention."
"The Chen family is truly audacious!" The Emperor’s rage surged like a roaring beast.
Xiao Qianyue continued, "Fearing exposure, the Duke ordered Qiao Kun to set fire to the secret prison, and then had him silenced to ensure there would be no proof left behind. Having finally seen through the Duke’s ruthless nature, a dying Qiao Kun sought out his confidant to seek atonement. He wrote this confession and ordered his confidant to hang his body on the gates of the Chen estate, determined to expose the Duke’s treasonous ambitions even in death."
Grand Eunuch Xia took the confession from Xiao Qianyue and presented it. The Emperor sat on the dragon throne, reading the document and the testimony of the confidant. His expression grew increasingly dark.
*Crash!*
The inkstone on the desk was sent flying. Xiao Qianyue knelt, trembling with fear.
"Lead the Imperial City Bureau to raid the Chen estate. Every person aged eight or older, regardless of gender, is to be thrown into prison and executed in three days!"
"By your command!"
Xiao Qianyue’s "confession" was, in fact, something he had fabricated himself. While he knew that a closer inspection would reveal its flaws, he understood that the Emperor had been looking for a reason to move against the Chen family for a long time. Furthermore, the Duke had never treated him or the Imperial City Bureau with respect, openly calling him a dog. If he was a dog, then he would use the Emperor’s power to tear the Chen family apart.
The Emperor stood, his imperial robes rustling as he descended from the dais. His voice was cold and biting: "To Yufu Palace."
-
The moonlight was eventually swallowed by dark, drifting clouds, as if the entire Capital were shrouded in an impenetrable black curtain.
At Yufu Palace, Noble Consort Chen had yet to take revenge for the Empress’s previous assault and the drugging that had left her in a daze, when the palace was suddenly surrounded by the Imperial Guard.
Ever since the Emperor had failed to rebuke the Empress in public, treating the matter lightly, and had ignored the injuries sustained by the Third Prince, the Noble Consort had lost hope in the Emperor. The arrival of the Imperial Guard confirmed her suspicion that he had long been wary of her and her family.
She took a deep breath, hatred stirring in her heart. They had been childhood sweethearts, deeply in love. The Emperor had promised her everything except the position of Empress and vowed to protect her family. That was why she had told him that her brother wished to see the Third Prince named Crown Prince. Her brother had no intention of rebellion—he only wanted the succession secured early! The Chen family would never revolt, yet the Emperor had broken his word!
She sat quietly, her eyes filled with feigned affection as the Emperor entered. "Why has the Emperor surrounded Yufu Palace with the Imperial Guard?" Her voice remained as gentle and coquettish as ever, yet she did not rise.
"Fu'er, the Chen family has committed treason. Do you know your crime?" The Emperor did not chide her for her lack of protocol; his tone was icy.
"Treason? How could my brother possibly commit treason!"
The Noble Consort finally rose, stepping toward the Emperor, her eyes rimmed with red. "I have never harbored any disloyalty toward you, but what of you, Your Majesty? When the Empress had me beaten, you didn't even ask why. You didn't even care who hurt the Third Prince!"
She laughed coldly. "This title of Noble Consort is truly a farce. We were childhood sweethearts. Was all that affection and the intimate whispers in the dark just to trick me into—"
*Slap!*
The Emperor struck her across the face. "The Empress is the mother of this nation; for her to strike or scold you is an honor. There are many who grew up with me in this city; are they all my childhood sweethearts? You ignorant wretch!"
"Hahaha..."
The Noble Consort fell to the ground, laughing manically. Everything she had believed in was merely a fantasy of her own making, and she had destroyed the Chen family because of it. When they were useful, she was the Emperor’s one true love, cherished in his palm; when they were not, she was an "ignorant wretch."
-
The night faded, and the eastern sky began to turn white.
The Duke Chen estate had committed treason and attempted to frame Princess Anyang. Every member of the Chen family aged eight and above was thrown into prison, to be executed in three days. Noble Consort Chen was stripped of her title and cast into the Cold Palace to await her fate. The Third Prince was demoted to commoner status and thrown into the penal colony to survive as he might.
The news spread through every street and alley of the Capital overnight, plunging the city into terror. Soldiers from the Garrison were conducting house-to-house searches.
The reason: during the raid, the Duchess, Xu Shi, and her eldest son, Chen Sangtian, had caught wind of the situation and fled under the cover of darkness.