Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Outside Shoukang Palace.

Aunt Danfeng was already waiting outside with Yingxue, ready to greet them.

From afar, they spotted Xu Duanyi approaching with Xie Qingya. The two, who had been eagerly waiting at the door, lit up with joy.

"Your Highness!"

They greeted Xu Duanyi with smiles and hurried over. As they neared, they bowed their heads and greeted Xie Qingya, "Your Highness."

Xie Qingya kept up his usual aloof demeanor.

Upon hearing this, he merely responded with a cold "Hmm," his eyes darting to the side, clearly dismissing them.

Aunt Danfeng was on the verge of frowning when Xu Duanyi cheerfully asked, "Auntie, where is my aunt?"

Immediately, she no longer cared about Xie Qingya's behavior.

Danfeng quickly replied to Xu Duanyi, "She's waiting for you inside. The Empress Dowager rose early, knowing you'd return today."

"She even had the kitchen whip up a feast of your favorite dishes."

Danfeng gazed at Xu Duanyi with respect and affection.

"You and the Prince should go in now."

She was concerned Xu Duanyi might catch too much sun.

Xu Duanyi smiled in agreement but hesitated to enter. Instead, she turned to Xie Qingya and said, "Your Highness, shall we proceed inside?"

"Hmm," he murmured indifferently.

Xie Qingya maintained his aloof stance, not even glancing at Xu Duanyi.

As though she meant nothing to him.

This cool demeanor was a stark contrast to his earlier flustered state in the carriage.

Danfeng and Yingxue exchanged frowns at the sight.

Xu Duanyi, however, stayed composed, her expression unchanged.

She walked alongside Xie Qingya.

As they walked, she inquired of Danfeng about her aunt's meals and comfort over the past two days.

This had been her primary concern while away from the palace.

Danfeng, noting her expression, saw she was unperturbed. Though displeased with Xie Qingya's behavior, she held her tongue in front of Your Highness to avoid complicating matters.

So she opted to look the other way.

She decided not to look at Prince Nan'an anymore.

As she led the way for the two, she responded to Xu Duanyi's remarks with a smile.

After entering the main gate and walking down a path, they arrived at the main palace hall.

As they approached, Aunt Danfeng suddenly recalled something and added, "By the way, His Majesty is also here today."

As she spoke, she sneaked a glance at Prince Nan'an beside her out of the corner of her eye.

But Prince Nan'an remained as indifferent as before, his expression unchanged.

Afraid of being noticed, she quickly looked away.

But Aunt Danfeng didn't notice.

She believed she was being subtle, but they were all observed by Xu Duanyi.

Xu Duanyi watched her subtle movements, her lips slightly pursed, and her slender fingers absentmindedly pressed her own fingertip.

She also cast a quick look at Xie Qingya.

Seeing that his expression remained unchanged, Xu Duanyi quietly looked away and lowered her eyelids.

It wasn't until she heard the palace servants ahead cheerfully announcing, "Empress Dowager, Your Highness has returned!" that she snapped back to reality.

A gentle smile returned to Xu Duanyi's face.

Aunt Danfeng ushered them inside.

Bixi trailed behind, holding a gift box.

Being an outsider, Changfeng could not enter the inner palace and was waiting for them outside on the palace path.

As soon as Xu Duanyi entered, she saw Empress Dowager seated in the main position, facing them.

No matter what she had been thinking before, upon seeing Empress Dowager, Xu Duanyi hurried forward instinctively and called out, "Auntie."

Empress Dowager was clearly touched when she saw her.

The girl she had watched grow up was now married and wore her hair in a married woman's style... Her heart was filled with countless emotions.

"Come here," she extended her hand to Xu Duanyi, ignoring whether she had observed proper etiquette.

But propriety had to be maintained.

Xu Duanyi had always held rules and decorum in high regard.

If it were just her aunt, it wouldn't have mattered, but today His Majesty was also present... not to mention Xie Qingya.

She was afraid her aunt might cause a fuss.

"I haven't yet paid my respects to you and His Majesty," Xu Duanyi said with a playful smile.

Then, after Xie Qingya came over, they both bowed to her aunt and His Majesty.

The moment the Young Emperor saw Xie Qingya appear, his hand, hidden in his sleeve, clenched tightly.

These years.

He and his cousin rarely met.

Only a few times, when he left the palace to pray at the Imperial Grace Temple, could he see his cousin.

But with so many spies around, they could hardly speak much without being discovered.

He only remembered that three years ago, Little Noble suddenly delivered him a secret note.

After that, he met his cousin at the Imperial Grace Temple.

At that time, his cousin's reputation in the city had already become quite tarnished. Both the common people and the court officials said that his cousin was now drunk every day and no longer fit for his duties.

He naturally did not believe it.

His cousin was the most formidable young general; how could he, how could he possibly have fallen into such a state?

Until one imperial banquet, he lost his temper for the first time, using his authority as emperor to insist they allow his cousin to enter the palace.

He thought then that they were deliberately speaking ill of his cousin, deliberately preventing him from seeing his cousin.

To continue controlling him.

Later, he finally saw his cousin.

But it was a drunkard who, once released, fell straight to the ground, still muttering about drinking.

Only then did he finally believe.

His cousin had truly changed—completely and irreversibly.

At that moment, he was overcome with grief, unable to understand how his once heroic and mighty cousin had fallen so far.

He was also gripped by panic over what his future might hold.

His maternal grandfather's family was powerless, with no sway in the imperial court, and his mother had been... (implied harm or suppression). He had once leaned on his cousin, but now his cousin was a broken man.

Who else could he possibly turn to now?

Was he doomed to live in perpetual fear and uncertainty?

Like a guillotine poised above him.

He had no way of knowing when that blade might drop, severing his life.

Until that cryptic letter arrived—

He went to the Imperial Grace Temple and found a cousin who bore no resemblance to the drunken figure from the palace banquet.

But even then, his cousin was a stranger to the man he once was.

He felt a profound sense of alienation.

His cousin in the past had been untamed, daring, and bursting with energy.

Like the radiant sun blazing across the endless sky.

But the cousin in the Huang'en Temple was taciturn, his temperament noticeably more reserved, appearing as lifeless as stagnant water.

From then on, he and his cousin were thus connected.

The Huang'en Temple became their secret meeting place.

However, to avoid drawing the attention of the Empress Dowager and Cao Da, they had only managed to meet a few times over the years.

His cousin always reassured him not to worry.

But how could he not worry? Trapped day after day within the towering palace walls, he felt countless eyes watching his every move.

He could not sleep at night.

Afraid that one day, he could be assassinated in his sleep.

Just like his brothers, just like his mother...

It wasn't until last year, when Minister Mei achieved the top rank in the imperial examination, that the situation began to ease slightly.

Although he and his cousin still couldn't meet directly, they could often communicate through Minister Mei.

This brought him a sense of relief.

At the sight of his cousin, the young emperor felt an overwhelming surge of affection and kinship.

In this world, he only had his cousin, his only true relative who genuinely cared for him.

But recalling Minister Mei's words from the day before, the young emperor clenched his fist, determined not to betray his emotions.

He remained silent, waiting for the right moment.

In the presence of the Empress Dowager, he knew better than to speak out of turn.

"You may rise."

The Empress Dowager spoke.

Though displeased with Xie Qingya, her heart ached at the sight of her beloved Zhaozhao kneeling beside him.

Danfeng hurried to assist Xu Duanyi up.

Once Xu Duanyi rose, she expressed her gratitude again and accepted the gift boxes Bixi had prepared for them.

"This is a humble gift from the prince and myself, offered to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty."

After saying this, she handed the items to Danfeng and Xiao Guizi respectively.

The gift for the Empress Dowager included a fan with the character "longevity" on it. At first glance, the dark red fan handle and the character appeared ordinary, but the true ingenuity lay in the character "longevity"... From afar, it seemed like a hundred "longevity" characters, but upon closer inspection, only a single, larger "longevity" character emerged.

"Oh?"

Danfeng was the first to notice the clever design, and she was pleasantly surprised: "Empress Dowager, look!"

She eagerly presented the fan to the Empress Dowager as if it were a priceless treasure.

The Empress Dowager cast a glance and quickly discerned the clever design. Accustomed to exquisite items, her initial intention was simply to avoid causing Zhaozhao any embarrassment.

Now that she saw the cleverness in it, she was somewhat surprised.

"This is indeed a novel item," Empress Dowager said, toying with it in her hands.

You could tell from her face that she was quite pleased with the object.

Xu Duanyi smiled, her eyes crinkling: "I knew my aunt would like it."

Empress Dowager smiled back at her, her eyes gentle: "Zhaozhao knows me best."

She extended her hand to Xu Duanyi once more, glanced at Xie Qingya standing there like a wooden figure, and though she didn't like him, she still spoke indifferently: "Have Prince Nan'an seated."

"Yes."

Yingxue showed Xie Qingya to his seat.

Xu Duanyi didn't object this time and sat down beside Empress Dowager.

Empress Dowager took Xu Duanyi's hand and sat up straight, as if something had just occurred to her, and asked the young emperor: "And what about the emperor? What gift do you have there?"

The young emperor had not yet opened it.

Hearing Empress Dowager's question, it felt like he was holding a ticking time bomb.

Although he knew his cousin wouldn't put anything inside, his heart still raced uncontrollably.

He instinctively glanced sideways at his cousin.

But he saw his cousin, head bowed, sipping tea, not looking his way.

His heart skipped a beat.

"I know Your Majesty loves chess, so I specially picked a set of chess pieces for Your Majesty. Would you like to see?" A soft female voice suddenly reached his ears.

The young emperor followed the voice.

Just in time to catch Xu Duanyi's gentle, smiling gaze.

His tension inexplicably eased.

The young emperor looked down, opened the gift box, and sure enough, it was a set of jade chess pieces.

"Thank you, Sister Yi, thank you... Prince Nan'an, I like it very much." With his mood lightened, the young emperor's voice carried a note of relief.

Xie Qingya stayed quiet.

Xu Duanyi, however, smiled and said, "I'm glad Your Majesty likes it."

Empress Dowager didn't pay them any mind.

She had brought up the topic earlier not to probe, but just as a casual remark.

She didn't want these two around, making things awkward, when she had just reunited with Zhaozhao.

She really didn't care to see them.

"It's been a while since you two brothers last met. Go out and take a stroll. Someone will call you when it’s time for dinner."

This was clearly her way of sending them away.

The young emperor, who had just relaxed, tensed up again at her words.

Though he wanted to catch up with his cousin,

he wasn’t naive; he knew...

"Thank you, Empress Dowager."

A weary, low voice cut through the young emperor’s thoughts.

Seeing his cousin rise, the young emperor stood as well and bowed to the Empress Dowager. "I’ll take my leave now."

The Empress Dowager gave a nonchalant nod.

With that, she ignored the brothers and let them go.

Xu Duanyi watched them leave, her nerves resurfacing as her red lips pursed slightly.

Until her aunt asked, "How have you been these past two days at the prince’s residence?"

Only then did Xu Duanyi casually look away and reply softly, "I’m doing fine."

Noticing her aunt’s skeptical look,

Xu Duanyi smiled, linking arms with her aunt, and continued softly, "Really, I’m doing fine."

She added, "On my first day, Aunt Deng put me in charge of the household."

"The servants treat me with respect, too."

The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow. "The Deng Lin who used to serve Liu Yuan?"

Xu Duanyi nodded.

The Empress Dowager simply remarked, "She’s clever," and left it at that.

She didn’t press further about Xu Duanyi’s well-being.

With her support, Zhaozhao had no reason to fear being slighted.

Besides, Deng Lin was sharp.

As for that Xie Qingya—

The thought of Xie Qingya’s attitude filled the Empress Dowager with disdain.

She didn’t bother asking Zhaozhao how Xie Qingya treated her.

It didn’t look promising.

But it didn’t matter—just a man, after all.

Good or bad, a man’s feelings are the most unreliable—and useless—thing in the world.

When the late emperor wanted to marry her, what kind of sweet nothings hadn’t he said? But after he really took that position, what did he do?

Favoring concubines over the wife is a grave offense.

Without her family's backing and Qi'er, she might not even retain her position as empress!

Instead of chasing after fleeting emotions, it's wiser to seize power.

With power, one can do as one pleases.

Therefore, she couldn't be bothered to ask Zhaozhao about these matters. Instead of inquiring about such things, it's better to see what Zhaozhao wants.

If Zhaozhao feels that life is still bearable and the title of Princess of Nan'an is not bad, then she can continue like this. Having children in the future would be beneficial.

As for Xie Qingya, who cares about him?

If Zhaozhao one day dislikes this identity or has someone else she likes, then the Empress Dowager can naturally fulfill her wishes.

In the end, Zhaozhao's happiness is what matters.

...

This morning.

Xu Duanyi and the Empress Dowager were having a private conversation in the room.

Xie Qingya and the young emperor didn't go far; they were just playing chess outside the courtyard.

Originally, the young emperor thought that his cousin would, like last time at the palace banquet, deliberately mess things up or provoke a quarrel with him to prove that their relationship was really strained.

To his surprise, his cousin suggested a game of chess.

Although the young emperor didn't understand, he always listened to his cousin.

So the two of them openly played chess in the courtyard of Shoukang Palace.

"Where are the emperor and Prince Nan'an?"

In the side hall, the Empress Dowager casually asked this while drinking tea.

Xu Duanyi was carefully peeling loquats for her.

Hearing this, her hand paused for a moment, but in an instant, she continued to lower her head and peel the loquats as if nothing had happened.

"They're playing chess outside."

Danfeng had already gone outside to check and naturally knew what the two were doing.

"Playing chess?"

The Empress Dowager frowned.

"Right outside?" she asked.

Danfeng replied, "Right outside. The chess set that Your Highness gave to His Majesty this morning, His Majesty couldn't put it down and insisted on playing with Prince Nan'an."

She knew what the Empress Dowager wanted to hear, so she added, "Prince Nan'an didn't seem very willing. Just now, I..."

She blurted out without thinking.

Only when the words were on the tip of her tongue did she realize that she shouldn't have said this in front of Your Highness.

Empress Dowager frowned when she saw her suddenly stop speaking, "What just happened?"

Danfeng did not answer immediately as she usually would, but glanced towards Xu Duanyi.

Empress Dowager then understood that this matter should not be heard by Zhaozhao.

She remained silent for a moment, but her expression visibly darkened.

"Auntie, please have some loquats."

After peeling the loquats, Xu Duanyi carefully sliced them with a small knife, placed the pits on an empty plate, and then handed over a silver fork.

Her expression remained calm, as if she hadn't noticed anything.

After pushing the plate of loquats towards her aunt, Xu Duanyi said, "I'll go see how lunch is coming along."

Empress Dowager frowned, "Why trouble yourself with such things? Just send a palace servant."

Clearly, she didn't want Xu Duanyi to go through the trouble.

It was nearly lunchtime, and the sun was blazing outside.

Although it wasn't yet the peak of summer, the sun was still intense.

Xu Duanyi smiled, "Aunt Danfeng mentioned your stomach hasn't been well lately. I'll make you a bowl of longan and red date egg custard to soothe your stomach."

"Why are you sharing this with Zhaozhao?"

Empress Dowager shot a displeased look at Danfeng.

Before Danfeng could say anything, Xu Duanyi spoke up for her, "Don't blame Aunt Danfeng; I insisted she tell me. She had no choice but to tell me when I pressed her for details."

After saying this, Xu Duanyi stood up, "Please stay here; I'll be back shortly."

She was a decent cook.

When she had free time in the palace, she always kept herself busy.

However, her aunt rarely let her do much.

So she only made nourishing dishes for her aunt when she wasn't feeling well.

Xu Duanyi walked out.

Empress Dowager watched her with tender eyes.

Only when Xu Duanyi was out of sight did Empress Dowager look away and continue to let Danfeng finish what she had not said before.

With Your Highness gone, Danfeng no longer held back.

She reported to Empress Dowager what she had just heard, "I heard Prince Nan'an wanted to attend the opera at Changyin Pavilion, but His Majesty refused."

"Rascal!"

Empress Dowager slammed the table in anger.

Although she had long known what kind of person he was, Empress Dowager was still furious.

Danfeng quickly stepped forward to soothe her back and offer comfort.

"Please don’t get angry—it’s bad for your health, and Your Highness will worry."

She knew exactly what to say to calm her down.

Mentioning Xu Duanyi worked—Empress Dowager’s face was still sour, but she stopped slamming the table or throwing things.

She muttered irritably, "Utterly useless."

It was clear she was talking about Xie Qingya.

She thought again—her Zhaozhao was so wonderful, yet she’d been married off to someone like that... She was filled with regret, feeling she’d betrayed Ah Yuan’s trust and couldn’t face her again.

At the same time, her resentment toward Cao Da grew—he was the one who’d trapped Zhaozhao in this mess.

If it weren’t for that wretched servant, Zhaozhao would never have ended up with such a scoundrel!

This only fueled Empress Dowager’s rage.

Meanwhile, the young emperor glanced around cautiously. Though people were still watching, no one was close enough to overhear. He whispered to Xie Qingya, "Why did you bring up going to the Changyin Pavilion earlier? I saw Aunt Danfeng leave, and right away, someone went to report it."

He frowned as he spoke.

He lowered his head, pretending to study the chessboard, and whispered, "If Mother finds out, she’ll be furious with you again. Knowing this, I should’ve just blown up at you earlier."

He figured his cousin was trying to show Mother he wasn’t the same bold Xie family second son anymore.

Xie Qingya rested his head on one hand, a white jade chess piece in the other. He had the white pieces today.

He looked down at that moment.

His gaze settled on the chessboard in front of him.

His lips parted slightly as he said, "I just want her to know."

"Why?" The young emperor looked confused.

He nearly looked up on reflex.

Worried the spies might see, he kept his head down.

Xie Qingya said, "Mei Xuezheng told me my... her marriage was Cao Da’s doing."

The young emperor missed the slight pause when Xie Qingya said "her."

He said yes.

The young emperor added, recalling, "That day, Mother was furious—I heard she smashed a few tea sets."

Confused, the young emperor asked, "Cousin, why bring this up now?"

This only proves that you are not favored by Mother, and...

A thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

The young emperor blinked, suddenly, as if he had understood something: "Cousin, do you want Mother to blame Cao Da for this?"

Seeing that he had realized, Xie Qingya curled his lips and smiled at him: "Your Majesty is wise."

Pleased with the praise, the young emperor's joy increased, and his smile broadened.

But afraid of being discovered, he quickly suppressed his smile, continuing to pretend to be deep in thought over the chessboard before him.

However, his mood had clearly improved significantly.

Only when he thought of a certain person did he hesitate and say: "But... Sister Yi is also inside. If Aunt Danfeng goes in to deliver the message, won't Sister Yi find out too?"

He didn't know what kind of relationship his cousin currently had with Sister Yi.

He only knew that in the past, at least a long time ago, his cousin and Sister Yi had been very close.

At that time, the Crown Prince was very busy.

So he often followed Sister Yi and his cousin, going wherever they went.

Now, he actually had worries.

He feared that his cousin still felt the same way about Sister Yi as he had before.

He knew Sister Yi was very kind; many times, in front of Mother, it was Sister Yi who had helped him. But Sister Yi... after all, she was Mother's confidante.

He feared that if his cousin and Sister Yi became too close, Sister Yi might notice something.

If Sister Yi were to say something to Mother, then everything they had done over the years... would be destroyed.

At that point, forget about gaining power; he might not even know if he could survive.

His fear was now clearly displayed on his face.

Those standing at a distance couldn't see it.

But Xie Qingya, sitting across from him, naturally saw it clearly.

He also understood the reason for this change in expression and silently sighed to himself. Xie Qingya spoke to reassure him: "Don't worry, she knows nothing, and I... won't let her know."

However, the hand holding the chess piece unconsciously tightened.

Clearly, he was not entirely unmoved by the young emperor's earlier words.

Even when he had prepared to do this, he had hesitated.

But in life, one must make choices.

He... was no longer the Xie Qingya of the past.

Nor could he remain the Xie Qingya of old.

"Your Highness."

Suddenly, greetings were heard from a distance.

Almost instinctively, Xie Qingya's expression changed slightly, and he immediately looked up.

The hand holding the chess piece loosened for no reason.

The jade chess piece shattered the moment it hit the ground, irreparably damaged.

But he didn’t notice.

He just stared straight ahead.

He saw Xu Duanyi approaching in the distance.

He caught the gentle smile on her face, which faltered when their eyes met, losing its usual warmth.

She paused briefly, as if hesitating.

Xu Duanyi gave a quick nod in their direction but didn’t come closer, walking on instead.

"...Sister Yi must have realized."

The young emperor noticed too and whispered.

Xie Qingya hummed in response, calmly looking away, as if Xu Duanyi's behavior hadn’t affected him.

The young emperor, seeing this, let out a quiet sigh of relief.

But Xie Qingya could feel his heart skip a beat, unlike before.