Chapter 291: Confinement in the Eastern Palace

Chapter 291: Confinement in the Eastern Palace

Bei Jingchu stepped forward, her footsteps echoing in the empty cell, echoing in the silence.

After leaving, Zhou Huanjiu accompanied her into the palace.

Bei Jingchu did not take the sedan chair, as it was too slow.

The two of them held hands, holding up their slightly heavy skirts as they ran along the palace road, heading towards Xuanshi Hall.

Zhou Huanjiu went to Renshou Hall to find the Empress Dowager.

The palace road was long, something she felt even as a child.

As she grew older, it didn't seem as lengthy, and she could walk it quickly.

But today, it felt as long as ever.

Out of breath, they arrived at Xuanshi Hall, and as they reached the door of the imperial study, her forehead was wet with sweat.

The heat was trapped inside her clothes, with no way to escape.

Eunuch Jiang approached, "Oh my, Your Highness! Why have you arrived in such a state?"

"Has something serious happened?"

Bei Jingchu said directly, "Eunuch, I need to see Father. Is he free?"

"Please wait a moment, I will go ask."

Shortly after, the door opened again, and Jiang Zhixian welcomed her, "Your Highness, please come in."

Although she saw her father every day, this time she was actually nervous.

The open door looked like a dark abyss, with the shadowy figure of her father seated inside.

The black dragon robe radiated a subtle solemnity.

Beiqin's words echoed in her ears, "Don't go, listen to me."

She clenched her fist, her nails digging into her flesh, causing a bit of pain.

She should cut her nails when she gets back, her thoughts scattered, and she relaxed a little.

Bei Jingchu walked in, lifted her skirt, and knelt down, asking Father for an exception.

He just looked up and asked, "Why should I make an exception?"

"The law is the law, there are no exceptions."

The sunlight was warm, but the chill was biting.

"Jinruo has already begged me, wanting to take Beiqin back under her name, severing ties with Bei Jinwan."

Behen chuckled, a laugh Bei Jingchu had often heard before, a laugh of extreme exasperation.

"How naive, as long as he was Bei Jinwan's son for even one day, this kind of implicated crime cannot be forgiven."

He asked Bei Jingchu, "What do you think the law is?"

She replied, "It is a tool to punish the guilty and maintain the stability of the imperial court."

"Since you know this, what kind of foolishness are you engaging in?"

"All so-called punishments are just for show to the world!"

"Kill one to warn a hundred, kill a chicken to scare the monkeys!"

"Does it matter if he is innocent? Does it matter if he is the biological child of a rebel?"

"As long as he is even remotely connected to a rebel, he cannot be spared."

"Under harsh punishment, there are endless people who breed greed. If one is soft-hearted, how can one accomplish great things!"

As he spoke, the emperor stood up, walked down the steps, his voice filled with barely concealed anger: "It was not easy for you to cast aside your inexplicable compassion, but I see that you are still too soft-hearted towards those close to you."

"Bei Jingchu, you are not a bodhisattva who pities all living beings and sits alone on a high platform; you are the Crown Prince of Dayue!"

"Nothing and no one is worth your care except for Dayue."

"I remember telling you when you were young that if you ever compete for power with your siblings in the future, I hope you will spare their lives."

"Now I tell you, if they commit treason, you will also exterminate their entire family, leaving no descendants alive."

"If they repeatedly defy your warnings and compete for power with you, kill them as you must."

Behen exuded a strong aura of lethal intent.

He had always been gentle and loving, far from the tyrant depicted in the original story.

Only now could one realize that he was truly a ruthless and cruel person, a superior emperor by nature.

Bei Jingchu was momentarily at a loss for words, then Eunuch Jiang came in to report: "Your Majesty, the Director of the Armory, Zhou Huanjiu, seeks an audience."

"Denied."

After saying this, he added: "Anyone closely associated with Beiqin is not allowed to enter the palace before his death."

His gaze swept over Bei Jingchu, and he ordered: "The Crown Prince is unwell; let him rest in the Eastern Palace for half a month."

"Without an edict, he is not permitted to leave."

Bei Jingchu walked out in a daze, the guards were already stationed at the door, escorting, no, escorting her back to the Eastern Palace.

Zhou Huanjiu looked at her in confusion, walked over, and asked: "What... happened?"

Bei Jingchu avoided her eyes, "Father is determined to take the lives of everyone in Princess Xianning's residence, afraid I might interfere."

"Before the execution, he has confined me to the Eastern Palace."

"Why did you return so early? What about the Empress Dowager...?"

Zhou Huanjiu said despairingly: "Auntie Hui said that the Empress Dowager is seriously ill and is not receiving visitors."

"I don't know if I'm right, but I suspect it might be an excuse."

"I knelt outside Renshou Hall, wanting to request an audience."

"Then Auntie Hui told me... told me not to do anything futile."

"I thought there was hope since His Majesty agreed to meet you here."

"Why is it like this? Is there really no way to work this out?"

Is there?

No.

Bei Jingchu stayed quietly in the Eastern Palace, marking the days as they passed.

As the sun rose and the moon set, day after day went by, and her friend’s execution date loomed closer.

At least he had money; her pouch was stuffed with gold, ensuring he’d be comfortable in prison.

If he stayed calm, he might even live comfortably.

Every day, with nothing to do, he was free from the endless grind of official duties.

It was a real shame that the money she’d lent out would never come back.

It cut her deeply.

One day, Lei Nian'er couldn’t take it anymore and hugged her, her heart full of pity.

"Your Highness, I’ll distract the guards and get you out. Let’s storm the execution ground and save him."

Bei Jingchu leaned into her embrace, her voice soft, "Sure, but instead of one death, it’ll be a massacre."

......

The silence was deafening.

They waited in tense silence until the day the gates of the Eastern Palace finally swung open.

In the afternoon, the spring sun was unusually brutal.

Another blazingly hot, sunny day.

Bei Jingchu stretched her stiff body, her bones creaking from disuse.

"Let’s go. It’s time to collect the body."

Life went on as usual, except the role of Taizi Zhanshi now stood empty.

Except that the young man who’d arrogantly sipped from his tea mug during court meetings was gone.

Except that dealing with problems became harder without someone to turn to.

Except that Zhou Huanjiu disappeared even deeper into her lab, barely seen.

Princess Guangde took vows as a Taoist nun and retreated to a secluded temple.

For the first time since her birth, Bei Jingchu had a falling-out with her Father—so severe that she was confined.

Some who thought they knew better began to watch, and even Eastern Palace officials turned into opportunists, flocking to other factions.

Those who kicked her while she was down were everywhere.

Like the Zhang family, the Third Prince’s maternal relatives, who saw their chance.

In Yanjia Palace, Consort Zhang instructed her son, "Use this time to make yourself more visible to your Father."