Chen Yufu shook her head repeatedly. "The sachet is a peace charm my sister-in-law sought for me after my father passed away. A master told me that I must let the charm soak in the sunlight at intervals. By absorbing the pure energy of heaven and earth, it would ensure my continued favor in the inner palace and a life without worry. How could it be... how could it be used to transmit messages? It’s impossible..."
The Empress turned around. "You can soak up sunlight anywhere. Have you never wondered why it had to be the Imperial Garden?"
"My sister-in-law said the Imperial Garden has the best energy, and that being there would allow the charm to absorb the purest and most masculine energy to protect me—"
"Hmph, what a complete fool," the Empress interrupted.
Chen Yufu was suddenly struck by a splitting headache, but a moment later, her mind seemed to clear.
Her sister-in-law had sought the charm for her after her father died. Around that time, her brother, who had previously shown little interest in her, would ask from time to time if the Emperor’s favor toward her remained as constant as ever.
It was also during that period that the number of women in the inner palace grew. Women from the Jiang family entered, then the Wang family, the Yang family, and so on. Finally, the highly anticipated woman from the Feng family entered to take the position of Empress and wield the phoenix seal.
The Emperor’s affection for her grew increasingly perfunctory.
So, it turned out that everything had left a trail.
It was just that she had been blinded by occasional sweet words, periodic rewards, the prestige of being the head of a palace, and the intoxicating allure of supreme power. She hadn't seen the truth.
Little did she know, to an Emperor perched on high, these things were nothing more than empty talk! And she had truly lived her life as a joke.
The Empress did not linger. Just as Nanny Qin prepared to open the door, Chen Yufu suddenly said, "Feng Qing was murdered by the Emperor."
Her voice was soft and low, but both the Empress and Nanny Qin heard her clearly.
A buzzing sound filled the Empress’s ears, and her mind went blank. Years ago, she had investigated everyone who could possibly have been involved, including the Emperor, but she had found not a shred of evidence.
She glanced at the nanny. The nanny understood; she peered through the crack in the door and saw that Grand Eunuch Xia was not at the door, but in the courtyard. Relieved, she stood guard at the entrance.
A single glance was all it took for mistress and servant to understand each other.
The Empress returned to her seat, keeping her voice as calm as possible. "Do you think I would believe you?"
"I am not lying to you; it really was the Emperor. I only found out about it by chance later on."
Chen Yufu now hated the Emperor to her very bones. Fearing the Empress wouldn't believe her, she blurted out, "The Emperor has long wanted to eradicate the Feng family, fearing that one day you would restore your glory and seize power from the Ji clan. That is why he murdered Feng Qing, the brightest of your generation, forcing you, the only remaining daughter, to enter the palace."
She caught her breath and continued, "Do you know why Princess Anyang was born with a deficiency? It was the Emperor’s doing after he discovered you were pregnant. How could he possibly allow a daughter of the Feng family to carry on her bloodline? He only allowed you to conceive to ensure you could never bear children again. Your vitality was severely damaged during childbirth; not only is the Princess weak and sickly, but you can never conceive again. The Emperor wanted the Feng family line to end completely through you."
"What kind of poison did the Emperor use on my sister?" The Empress remembered examining her sister's body; she had been certain it was a sudden, incurable illness. There were no signs of poisoning.
"I don't know the exact poison, but I know the Emperor obtained it from a man called Kunshan. Everything I said is true, I..."
"Silence! You are babbling nonsense."
The Empress stood up. "I will pretend I never heard a word of this today. Take care of yourself."
"Feng Wan... Empress... Em—"
*Clap.* The door slammed shut.
Chen Yufu’s head was splitting, her spirit dazed. One moment she felt as if she had returned to her life before entering the palace; the next, she saw the Chen family being marched to the executioner’s block. Then, she seemed to see Feng Wan mocking and ridiculing her. She muttered in a state of madness, "I wasn't babbling... I wasn't babbling..."
***
Council Hall.
The Emperor sat at his dragon desk, reviewing memorials. Seeing Grand Eunuch Xia return, he asked, "What did Chen Yufu say to the Empress?"
"She said the reason she went to the Imperial Garden to soak the sachet in the sun was because she heard the garden had good feng shui and pure, masculine energy, and that the sachet would absorb it to ensure your favor for her would never wane."
"Hmph! I am the Son of Heaven; the purest energy between heaven and earth resides in me. Ignorant, foolish woman!"
Grand Eunuch Xia kept his head bowed, his back drenched in cold sweat. Seeing that the Emperor asked nothing further and returned to his scrolls, he let out a sigh of relief.
***
In the evening, Xie Jiuli prepared to go to the Imperial Palace herself to investigate the Imperial Garden.
Qiushan returned. "Eldest Miss, I have investigated the assassination attempt on the Emperor during the hunt as you requested. There is indeed something strange."
He produced an arrowhead. "I found this embedded in a tree at the hunting grounds. The shaft had snapped, so no one else noticed it."
Yutang took the arrowhead. She froze when she saw the unique barbs on it. She hurriedly presented it. "Mistress..."
It was a barbed sleeve arrow unique to the Wei family of Fengyun City. And the Wei family was... connected to Young Master Ying.
Young Master Ying had someone assassinate the Emperor?
As this thought emerged, cold sweat broke out on Yutang’s back. Setting aside why Young Master Ying would want to assassinate the Emperor, did the subsequent rebellion of the Chen family have anything to do with him? If it did—then was the frame-up and imprisonment of Princess Anyang also his handiwork?
She looked sharply at her mistress.
Xie Jiuli stared at the arrowhead on the table, her phoenix eyes calm. A moment later, she looked up. "Continue the investigation. Whoever was involved in framing Anyang—no matter who they are—kill them."
After Qiushan withdrew, Yutang hesitated. "Mistress... Young Master Ying shouldn't... he shouldn't..." She suddenly stopped, unsure how to continue.
Without evidence, all speculation remained just that. But the truth was that the Wei family's barbed arrow had appeared at the hunting grounds. This meant that Young Master Ying or Wei Ci was in the Capital.
Hadn't they returned to Fengyun City? Why were they suddenly back? They would have known her mistress had entered the Capital by simply paying attention to the recent events in the city. Just as others didn't know these unique barbs belonged to the Wei family, she and her mistress did. By the same token, Young Master Ying's people would know it was her mistress who had crippled those young nobles.
They knew each other's methods and capabilities too well. If they were to become enemies in the future...? Yutang didn't dare to think any further. She looked at her mistress, her heart filled with worry.
Xie Jiuli had changed into a crimson robe and donned her silver mask. Seeming to guess Yutang’s unspoken words and her inner thoughts, she said lightly, "I have already repaid the debt of saving my life to Ying Yuan, so we owe each other nothing."
Owe each other nothing.
Future relations—whether as friends or enemies—would no longer be hindered by considerations of gratitude. As for knowing one's enemy—that was another matter entirely.