The Emperor took the Empress’s hand and led her toward a nearby chair, his tone seemingly solicitous yet probing, "The Cold Palace is damp and cold. Wan’er, you have lingering illnesses, and besides, Chen Yufu may not necessarily confess just because she sees you."
"I cannot be certain, but I wish to ease the Emperor’s burdens. Furthermore, since the Chen family plotted treason and even framed our Anyang, I cannot go to the prison to settle scores with the Chens, so is it not permitted for me to go to the Cold Palace to offer Chen Yufu a few cold words?"
As she spoke, the Empress withdrew her hand, her clear phoenix eyes carrying a faint trace of petulance.
"I did not say it was not permitted."
The Emperor took her hand again, finding her skin exceptionally smooth and tender. Moreover, he was quite fond of the faint, lingering scent of jasmine that emanated from her. "Take Grand Eunuch Xia with you, so that in case Chen Yufu, like a cornered dog, tries to lash out, you will not be harmed."
"I shall obey the Emperor," the Empress replied with a beaming smile.
Once she stepped out of the Council Hall, the smile vanished from her face. Nanny Qin stepped forward quickly, blocking Grand Eunuch Xia’s line of sight, and produced a handkerchief to wipe her mistress’s slender fingers.
"The smell of jasmine makes me feel—"
"Your Highness, pray, speak with caution."
Nanny Qin glanced at Grand Eunuch Xia, who was following at a close distance, and cut off the Empress’s soft mutterings. It was not just the Empress who found the scent nauseating; even she felt a wave of nausea and lingering fear at the smell. Back then, it was because of this very scent that the Empress had nearly lost both her own life and that of her child.
***
Cold Palace.
Chen Yufu had shed her magnificent robes; she was disheveled, her spirit broken, huddled in a corner. She muttered to herself over and over, "The Emperor loves me... We were childhood sweethearts... He built Yufu Palace just for me because he doted on me most... The Emperor loves me... loves me..."
With a creak, the door opened.
Seeing the Empress, radiant and dignified, Chen Yufu sneered, "Have you come to see the joke I’ve become?"
"I am merely here out of kindness to inform you of the Chen family’s fate."
The Empress’s voice was devoid of emotion as she walked toward a chair. Grand Eunuch Xia, quick to observe, wiped the chair with his sleeve before saying respectfully, "This servant will wait outside."
The Empress sat down. She spoke in a calm tone, "You may not know this yet, but the Emperor has already issued an order: in three days, every member of your Chen family over the age of eight, regardless of gender—over a hundred souls in total—shall be beheaded in public. Oh, and because you were thrown into the Cold Palace the moment things turned, no one has been able to bring you the news."
Noble Consort Chen was struck with shock. She shook her head repeatedly, "Impossible... absolutely impossible... The Emperor promised me that even if the Chen family committed an offense, he would deal with it leniently. The Emperor would not break his word. He wouldn't... he wouldn't... The Emperor loves me..."
She looked up sharply, "You are lying to me! It must be that the Emperor found out my brother had no intent to rebel, and you were so incensed that you have come here to spout nonsense. Feng Wan, you are nothing but an Empress in name only. If not for your surname being Feng, this position would be mine! I am the one the Emperor loves most!"
"At a time like this, you are still talking about the love of a Son of Heaven? How laughable!" The Empress curled her lips.
These words caused the huddled Noble Consort Chen to tremble violently. The Emperor’s coldness that day at Yufu Palace, and his heartless words, echoed in her mind once more. The Emperor did not love her; he had simply needed to utilize the Chen family to stabilize his court. Now that he had no need for them, she meant nothing to him.
She suddenly stood up, attempting to rush outside.
"Thud!" Nanny Qin kicked her to the ground.
She broke down, screaming at the top of her lungs, "I want to see the Emperor! I want to see the Emperor!"
"The Emperor will not see you. If he had any intention of doing so, why would he strip you of your title? Every servant in Yufu Palace was executed the moment you were sent to the Cold Palace. And at this very moment, Yufu Palace has likely been razed to the ground."
Chen Yufu clutched her head, huddled in the corner, her mind drifting back to the past. Yufu Palace had been named by the Emperor himself; it was the only palace in the imperial grounds named after a consort's maiden name. Even the furnishings inside had been overseen by the Emperor, decorated exactly to her tastes. It was all proof of the Emperor’s exclusive devotion to her.
Originally, her father had not wanted her to enter the palace and had already found a suitable husband for her. At the time, she had been blinded by the Emperor’s sweet nothings, forgetting that their "childhood friendship" was merely her following behind the daughters of the Feng, Jiang, Wang, and Yang families from a distance. She had watched as the Emperor drank and composed poetry with Prince Beichen, the young master of the Xie family, young Master Lu, and other noble scions.
It was only later that she had the opportunity to approach their group, though they never liked to include her, only occasionally allowing her to tag along.
Until one day, the Emperor suddenly found her. He said he had noticed her long ago and had been enamored with her; he claimed that they were childhood sweethearts and that he had dreamed of marrying her since they were young.
Lies and power caused her to easily believe those deceitful words, and she willingly entered the palace. Her father, helpless, could only compromise, exhausting himself to assist the Emperor in securing his throne, even driving Prince Beichen out of the Capital, never to return.
Thinking of it now, it was so ironic—talking of love with the Son of Heaven was nothing but a fool’s dream! In the political climate of that time, the young Emperor had just ascended the throne and needed support. The neutral Chen family had been the best choice. Perhaps, long ago, when her father passed away, the Emperor had already been waiting for a chance to wipe out the Chen family—he just lacked a suitable excuse, until...
Chen Yufu could no longer hold back her tears; her eyes were filled with madness and despair. She was near collapse, "It was I who harmed my brother, harmed the Chen family. If I hadn't been obsessed with the Emperor's love, I never would have told him that my brother intended to install the Third Prince in the Eastern Palace... Hahaha... it was me... I ruined the Chen family... I am the sinner of the Chen family... a sinner..."
The Empress and Nanny Qin exchanged a glance. No wonder the Emperor had been suspicious of Duke Chen; once he held the evidence, he had acted with such swift, thunderous force that he gave no court official a chance to speak. So it was the Noble Consort’s mindless whispering that had destroyed the Chen family and implicated Anyang as well.
"And my son? What of the Third Prince? Did the Emperor blame him..."
"He was demoted to a commoner and thrown into the penal slave quarters to fend for himself," the Empress did not hide the truth. "In a place like the penal slave quarters, combined with the Third Prince's frail health, he likely won't last many days."
Noble Consort Chen clutched her head and wept bitterly, her entire body shaking violently, "It can't be... my son will be fine... my son..."
The Empress’s tone was filled with hidden meaning, "Your 'good' sister-in-law, Xu Shi, and your eldest brother, Chen Sangtian, have both gone missing. Your 'good' big brother, Duke Chen, long ago anticipated this outcome and made his preparations. The only ones he left without a way out were you and your son!"
She rose to her feet. "It is a fact that Duke Chen harbored treasonous intent, but you were kept in the dark by the Chen family as if you were a fool."
There is no cruelty quite like killing the spirit!
"What do you mean by that? You cannot leave... Feng Wan, what do you mean?"
Noble Consort Chen, her mind reeling, tried to grab the Empress like a madwoman, but she was intercepted by Nanny Qin.
The Empress paused as she reached the door. "The letters from the Chen family to you, and your visits to the Imperial Garden with a sachet every so often—they were merely using you to pass messages to certain people within the palace."
"That's not true... my brother wouldn't..."