“Chapter 17: Shared Sorrow”

"Chapter 17: Shared Sorrow"

"Zhu Yan returned to Fu Hua Palace in a daze."

"Along the way, Qu Gu noticed something was off with Zhu Yan."

"Having been by Zhu Yan's side for years, Qu Gu guessed the reason. Back in the sleeping quarters, looking at the fourth prince in Zhu Yan’s arms, she softly reminded, 'Your Ladyship, you have the fourth prince with you.'"

"Zhu Yan, staring at her son already asleep, unconsciously held him tighter until he squirmed uncomfortably, showing signs of waking and calling for mother. Zhu Yan then realized she was hurting her son, loosened her grip, and gently soothed, 'Mother is here, sleep peacefully.'"

"Gently stroking her son’s back with her hand."

"In the Da Yu Dynasty, princes were treated differently than princesses. To have their own fiefdoms, princesses must be born to the Empress or be extremely favored, whereas princes, regardless of favor, were granted fiefdoms and titled as kings upon reaching the age of fifteen, with the size and wealth of their lands varying."

"Even the smallest kingdom included a governor’s mansion."

"Moreover, to secure the heir's position, all princes except the crown prince were required to leave the capital and govern their fiefdoms upon turning fifteen."

"Once the Emperor passed away, the crown prince would ascend the throne, and all princes, regardless of age, would be titled as kings and proceed to their fiefdoms after the mourning period."

"A recent example was the Emperor’s youngest brother, King Zhang Heng of Changshan, who lost his father at three and left the capital at five with his mother, the former Lady Guo of Emperor Xian, now the Dowager Queen of Changshan, who was only twenty-one."

"Thus, two years ago, when Zhu Yan barely survived childbirth to deliver Ah Ji, she breathed a sigh of relief."

"At that time, she even thought it would be better if the Emperor died sooner, so she wouldn’t have to stay in the palace."

"Unexpectedly, it was the crown prince who died first, not the Emperor."

"The crown prince was born to Empress Yuan."

"The Emperor’s first wife, Empress Yan, died in childbirth, but this didn’t affect the establishment of the crown prince’s position. In the Da Yu Dynasty, because of the founding Empress Dowager and the Princess Royal’s formidable strength, the entire empire from top to bottom valued legitimate birth over concubines, adhering to the primogeniture system, especially valuing the status of the first wife."

"The Emperor, being the ninth son but a legitimate child, was appointed crown prince, surpassing his older brothers to inherit the throne."

"After ascending the throne, the Emperor’s first decree was to posthumously confer the title of Empress to his first wife and appoint his second son as the crown prince to solidify the dynasty’s foundation."

"Unfortunately, life is unpredictable."

Last year, the seven-year-old Crown Prince passed away from typhoid, followed shortly by the death of the eight-year-old eldest prince from a cold.

The succession to the throne was clear.

After entering the palace, Zhu Yan had reviewed the history of the Dayu dynasty. From the founding emperor to the current Emperor, including five generations, all had succeeded the throne as legitimate sons. Therefore, even after the Crown Prince's death, Zhu Yan had never harbored any expectations for her son to assume that position.

Zhu Yan's greatest wish was for her son to grow up safely, be titled a prince, and govern his own fiefdom as soon as possible.

The Emperor was still young, and so was Empress Liu.

In the event of the Emperor's premature demise, the succession would follow the order of seniority, with her son Ajie having three princes ahead of him.

If it ever came to that.

There was also the principle of 'sons favored by virtue of their mothers'; the third prince would still precede in the line of succession.

"Your Highness, don't overthink it, His Majesty is still here."

"Yes, with His Majesty, Lady He can be rapidly promoted or instantly thrown into the dungeon." Zhu Yan's words were tinged with sarcasm, leaving Qu Gu at a loss for words.

Qu Gu could only respond with an awkward laugh, "Your Highness is wise, Lady He cannot compare to you..."

"Stop with these useless words."

Zhu Yan tucked her son’s blanket around him and stood up to leave. Walking out of the sleeping quarters, reflecting on the night’s events, especially the scene of Lady He being dragged away, she was greatly affected by the similarity of their situations. Reaching the main hall’s entrance, she suddenly asked Qu Gu, "Where were you tonight?"

"His Majesty commanded me to visit the North Palace and question Su Shuren," Qu Gu reported truthfully, as the Emperor had not instructed her to conceal anything.

Zhu Yan was somewhat surprised, "What did the inquiry reveal?"

"'Nothing came out of the interrogation.'"

"Qu Gu shook her head, repeating what she had reported to the Emperor, 'Lady Su's behavior changed significantly after entering the palace. Despite being a very careful and deep thinker, she slipped up in front of Your Ladyship, exposing her flaws. But one thing was clear – she seemed to understand the Emperor very well.'"

"Hearing this, Zhu Yan felt a pause in her heart. The Emperor was suspicious by nature; when he favored you, everything was fine, but when he disfavored you, everything became irritating. She thought to herself with self-mockery: So, this is the real reason the Emperor disposed of Su Wan Qing."

"Thinking this way, she felt much more at ease."

——

"Tonight was New Year's Eve."

"Zhu Yan stayed up until midnight, instructing the servants to set off long strings of firecrackers outside the gate of Fu Hua Palace to ward off evil spirits before going to sleep."

"That night, the palace gates remained open."

"Inside Fu Hua Palace, lights were bright everywhere."

"The next morning."

"Before dawn, at the beginning of the Mao hour, the Emperor came to visit Fu Hua Palace."

"On New Year's Day."

"There was a grand court assembly at Han Yuan Hall. The Emperor didn’t stay long, 'I have taken Tian Tian with me. Last night, the Empress looked after Ah He. This morning, she exempted everyone from paying respects. It’s started snowing again, cold and freezing. You better not go out today.'"

"'Tonight, at the beginning of the Xu hour, I’ll have fireworks set off over the Fu Rong Pond. You can watch them directly from your palace.'"

"Fu Hua Palace was located in front of the western garden's Fu Rong Pond."

"Also, because Zhu Yan liked fireworks, for the past few years, on New Year's Day and Lantern Festival evenings, fireworks were set off over Fu Rong Pond for half an hour."

"'I am leaving.' After saying this, the Emperor suddenly lifted the curtain. Zhu Yan, caught off guard, found herself meeting the Emperor's gaze."

"A pair of peach blossom eyes, affectionate and tender."

"Seeming to gaze, seeming joyful."

"The first day of the New Year thus intruded into Zhu Yan's vision."

"Silver hooks swayed, and the lamplight flickered."

"Amidst a soft chuckle, the precious curtain fell, separating the inside from the outside. Another instruction followed, 'It's still early; rest a little more.' Listening to the fading footsteps, he soon left."

"However, Zhu Yan's sleepiness was completely disrupted."

"With the Emperor’s words, Zhu Yan did not leave her room. In the morning, she sent Qu Gu to Feng Yi Palace to inquire about the third prince Zhang He's condition. Qu Gu returned with bad news, '...The royal physician said he injured his tendons and nerves. His right hand is practically useless, and he'll struggle even to hold a pen in the future.'"

"'When I was returning, I encountered Consort Wei hysterically trying to go to the violent criminals' cell to confront Lady He. The Empress had her stopped,' Qu Gu added."

"Zhu Yan felt heavy-hearted upon hearing this."

"This was indeed not good news."

"'Can Lady He survive?'"

"'During the New Year festivities, the palace won’t execute anyone. She should live until after the Lantern Festival,' Qu Gu replied. She didn’t say that if it weren’t for the New Year, Lady He would have lost her life last night."

"'Qu Gu, you’ve been in the palace a long time, don’t you think there’s something off about this? Lady He, a new concubine without children or favor, what motive would she have to harm the third prince?' Zhu Yan's gaze was sharp as she fixed it on Qu Gu."

"Qu Gu fell silent, her tone uncertain, 'Your Ladyship, are you thinking of getting involved in this matter?'"

"Zhu Yan didn't deny it, 'You know what I mean.'"

"'As you command,' Qu Gu responded."

"Zhu Yan then remembered another recent rumor, 'Is Lady Deng of the Northern Palace really insane?'"

"Qu Gu shook her head, 'I don’t know. I didn’t see Lady Deng when I was in the Northern Palace last night.'"

"Hearing this, Zhu Yan felt that the palace had been under an unlucky star this past year. First, the crown prince died, then the eldest prince, and now the third prince has met with an accident. Her son Ah Ji is the only healthy prince left in the palace... Zhu Yan suddenly felt a sense of foreboding."

"Author’s Note:"

"Update for the 2nd, rolling around begging for support with collections~~"