Chapter 199: Curse

Chapter 199: The Curse

The enthronement ceremony lasted until evening, and following the distribution of rewards to the ministers, a grand banquet commenced.

With neither an empress nor a dowager empress in the harem, no one was in charge of the noblewomen's banquet. Emperor Zhaoxin initially wanted to invite Consort Wen, who still resided in the Chang Le Palace, to preside over the event, but she politely declined.

In the end, this role fell to the Azure Phoenix Lord, Qing Lord Phoenix Roost. Though unconventional, it was preferable to having no one in charge.

Now fully titled the Azure Phoenix Lord Protector of the Nation, Qing Lord Phoenix Roost was only the second person in the Yu Dynasty to bear the title "Protector of the Nation." The first was the founding emperor's aunt, who was granted the title Grand Princess Protector of the Nation. She was a remarkable figure who once defended a city of 300,000 people against enemy forces for three months while the founding emperor led his army on an expedition. The second was the founding emperor's son, who was skilled in martial arts from a young age and followed his father on campaigns. He was later granted the title Azure Phoenix Lord Protector of the Nation.

These two luminaries rose during the tumultuous wars of the founding era. After the establishment of the Yu Dynasty, generations of princesses and Azure Phoenix Lords were raised in the deep palace, living lives of luxury, and no such remarkable figures emerged again.

After more than a century, the Yu Dynasty witnessed the rise of another Azure Phoenix Lord Protector of the Nation. Following the distribution of rewards, many astute individuals began to entertain new ambitions.

Phoenix Roost, the Azure Phoenix Lord, was born to a foreign Hu woman, making his bloodline awkward and unpopular with the emperor of the time. For a time, he was not even granted the formal title of Azure Phoenix Lord.

Later, upon ascending the throne, the Yuanhua Emperor remembered the kindness of Phoenix Roost's mother and bestowed great favor upon him. However, the significant age gap between them posed a challenge. Phoenix Roost was too young at the time, and although he enjoyed the emperor's favor, he remained outside the center of power and held no real authority. Consequently, the nobility and aristocratic families maintained a respectful distance.

However, after Emperor Zhaoxin ascended the throne, Phoenix Roost not only retained imperial favor but also ascended to a higher position.

Unlike the Yuanhua Emperor, Emperor Zhaoxin clearly intended to make significant use of Phoenix Roost. Those who pursued power quickly recognized that a new path to influence had emerged.

Phoenix Roost presided over the noblewomen's banquet. Qiu Huanian quickly observed that numerous individuals were earnestly flattering the Azure Phoenix Lord today, and their words were laced with probing inquiries about the lord's consort, Jie Tanguang.

The Jie family of Jinzhou, implicated in a palace coup, saw their entire clan confiscated and stripped of status. The once-prominent aristocratic family collapsed overnight, and the sons and daughters who had lived in luxury cried out in despair, reduced to generational government slaves.

The only exception was Jie Tanguang, the consort of Phoenix Roost.

To some extent, as a direct descendant of the Jie family, Jie Tanguang should have been included in the confiscation and enslavement. However, he had married the Azure Phoenix Lord. The term "married" was used for the union between a consort and the Azure Phoenix Lord, and his identity was registered in the Imperial Clan Court, which managed the affairs of the imperial family. Thus, as long as Phoenix Roost wanted to protect him, Jie Tanguang could escape the fate of being enslaved, much like the married daughters of the Jie family.

When the Jie family was at its peak, marrying into the family was a dream for many. The women and sons of the Jie family were highly sought after.

However, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. After the Jie family was accused of treason and confiscated, many of the family's sons-in-law, fearing that they would be implicated, quickly divorced their wives or husbands with a letter of divorce, cutting all ties. The fickleness of human relationships was shocking.

In contrast, Phoenix Roost, who was seen by outsiders as harboring great malice toward Jie Tanguang, had taken no action. The gates of the Azure Phoenix Lord's residence remained closed to all, and no one knew the current situation of Jie Tanguang.

Previously, Phoenix Roost had been favored but held no real power. His mixed bloodline and arrogant, domineering personality made him a hot potato that no one wanted to deal with.

Now that Phoenix Roost had become the Azure Phoenix Lord Protector of the Nation, the families that had once avoided him were now eager to offer their sons as consorts to the lord.

Thus, probing into the situation of Jie Tanguang became their top priority.

Qiu Huanian easily saw through the underlying motives, and he too was curious about Phoenix Roost's true feelings toward Jie Tanguang.

Unlike these outsiders, Qiu Huanian had seen the two of them interact on multiple occasions and felt that their relationship was not as tense as the rumors suggested.

Watching Phoenix Roost suppress his impatience while dealing with the chattering noblewomen, Qiu Huanian couldn't help but laugh inwardly.

There must be some past between Phoenix Roost and Jie Tanguang that others were unaware of. These people's plans were misguided.

Qiu Huanian did not pay much attention to the palace banquet. He had been waiting for Sixteen.

After returning to the capital, Sixteen had disappeared without a trace. Qiu Huanian thought that Sixteen would surely take advantage of his presence at the palace banquet to secretly meet him. However, as the banquet drew to a close, the person he was waiting for still had not appeared.

Thinking of Wen Huiyang's plea to reopen the old case of the Mei Family, which Emperor Zhaoxin had already consented to in court, Qiu Huanian felt a bit more at ease.

However, Qiu Huanian still harbored some lingering doubts. Unlike Wen Huiyang, Qiu Huanian knew that sixteen was the sole survivor of the Mei Family and was certain that Emperor Zhaoxin was aware of this as well.

Given sixteen's contributions and his standing in Emperor Zhaoxin's heart, it was logical to assume that the emperor would have swiftly issued an edict to clear the Mei Family's name after ascending the throne. However, this matter was postponed until the coronation ceremony, and it was only after Wen Huiyang's earnest plea in court that Emperor Zhaoxin finally acquiesced.

Qiu Huanian was uncertain about the reasons behind this, and with sixteen not showing up, he dared not take any rash actions.

As the banquet concluded and the guests started to depart, Qiu Huanian clenched his teeth and approached the Azure Phoenix Lord, who had imbibed a considerable amount of alcohol.

The Azure Phoenix Lord's cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were unfocused. Noticing that Qiu Huanian had something to say, he waved his hand, gesturing for the people around him to step back.

Qiu Huanian attempted to steady him, but the Azure Phoenix Lord laughed and pressed his hand down, saying, "If I couldn't walk after just this much wine, it would be a disgrace to the title of the Azure Phoenix Lord."

Today, everyone had flattered him by referring to him as the Azure Phoenix Lord, and he used it to make a joke.

The two strolled side by side through the palace, the towering red walls on either side of the path obscuring the sky. The setting sun cast a warm, orange-red hue on half the wall.

The Azure Phoenix Lord's steps were firm, but his body swayed slightly. He was intimately familiar with the imperial city and guided Qiu Huanian on a meandering stroll, leaving the crowd far behind.

He tilted his head, gazing at the long line of light and shadow on the palace wall, and chuckled.

"Husbands forsake wives, fathers slay mothers, brothers consume brothers, sons rebel against fathers," the Azure Phoenix Lord whispered, his arm around Qiu Huanian's shoulder as he laughed. "Zisui, don't you find it intriguing, the endless dramas unfolding within these palace walls?"

His voice bore a drunken slur, and every word was treasonous. Qiu Huanian instinctively felt a shiver run down his spine, but the heavy hand on his shoulder pressed him down.

"Don't be afraid, it's just the two of us here. I wish to speak my mind."

Qiu Huanian took a deep breath, steadying his heartbeat. "Your Highness, why are you telling me this?"

The Azure Phoenix Lord shook his head. "Because I see no submission to the royal family in your eyes."

Qiu Huanian stopped walking, and the Azure Phoenix Lord looked at him with a smile, his tone reflective. "You revere imperial authority, you acknowledge its supremacy, but in your heart, you do not yield, nor do you believe it to be the natural order. I sensed something different about you from the first moment I saw you, but it took me a long time to confirm your true thoughts."

"Don't worry, this is a big secret. No one else will know."

The Azure Phoenix Lord raised a finger to his lips, winked, and then his face lost its color as he continued walking forward, seemingly disinterested.

Qiu Huanian quickened his pace to catch up. "Your Highness, are you troubled by the palace coup?"

As a core member of the new emperor's faction, Qiu Huanian knew the true course of the palace coup, in which the Azure Phoenix Lord had played a crucial role, siding with the new emperor in the royal father-son conflict.

"Brothers consume brothers, sons rebel against fathers" stemmed from this, but what about the first two lines, "Husbands forsake wives, fathers slay mothers"? Where did they come from?

As if sensing Qiu Huanian's confusion, the Azure Phoenix Lord continued speaking ahead, "What I'm talking about happened in the previous generation of the royal family, and it's happening in this generation too. It has happened countless times in the past and will likely happen again in the future."

"It's a curse, yes, a curse."

The Azure Phoenix Lord gazed at the nearly vanished sunset, murmuring.

"How can mortals claim to be of royal blood, entitled to the offerings of all the people under heaven? Heaven must curse them, and no one can escape it."

Qiu Huanian remained silent for a long time, watching the sunset before breaking the silence. "Your Highness, you're drunk."

The Azure Phoenix Lord laughed again. "Don't worry, it's not just me who thinks this way. The new emperor, who will be trapped in this palace for the rest of his life, thinks the same."

Even if the Azure Phoenix Lord's words were true, Qiu Huanian rationally understood that in a feudal dynasty, one must never cross the bottom line of imperial authority.

He simply listened silently to the Azure Phoenix Lord's words, offering no response or judgment.

"My mother was secretly put to death by my father, the emperor, because at that time the celestial phenomena were chaotic, she came from a humble background, and her fate was inauspicious, bringing misfortune upon the Son of Heaven."

"The sister-in-law who brought me up was poisoned by my blood brother, but he succeeded ultimately because her husband, for the sake of power, abandoned her first, placing her in danger."

"I killed the relatives of my husband, destroyed his entire clan, and he will hate me forever."

"My little imperial nephew..." Phoenix Roost laughed with a shiver, "He will not escape it sooner or later."

"You want to ask me about Sixteen, right?"

Phoenix Roost was extremely perceptive; he had noticed Sixteen's unusual attitude towards Qiu Huanian the first time they met.

For someone who has survived in the perilous depths of the palace, this is an essential instinct.

Qiu Huanian's heart raced, and without thinking of anything else, he directly asked, "What happened to Sixteen?"

Phoenix Roost was not surprised by Qiu Huanian's reaction and shook his head, "I am not clear about the specifics either. Sixteen's matter is the most tightly guarded by His Majesty."

"I only know that he has been staying nearby in the side hall of the Jinshen Palace these past two days, with the chief physician also stationed there, possibly due to illness."

"Possibly?"

"Sixteen is staying nearby, and the chief physician has been summoned to attend to him day and night, but His Majesty has not visited him once, nor has he allowed others to visit."

Phoenix Roost looked at Qiu Huanian, "You should understand, this is very abnormal."

Qiu Huanian's heart was pounding, his hand by his side trembling slightly, as Phoenix Roost revealed another shocking piece of news.

"There is one more thing, I think it might be related."

"Two days ago, late at night, His Majesty secretly summoned the Minister of Rites to the palace to inquire about matters related to appointing an empress, but since then, I haven't heard anything more about it."