Chapter 33 The Emperor’s Wrath

Chapter 33: The Emperor's Wrath

According to the empress’s arrangement, A Wu would be handed over to the guards of the Nanqiongzi (Imperial Investigation Office), who would take her to their bureau for centralized interrogation and detention.

The Nanqiongzi Affairs Bureau was responsible for internal inspections and arrests within the empire, forming an elite division of the emperor’s personal guard that reported directly to the emperor. At this moment, the crown prince was hurrying there.

A Wu would soon confront the crown prince’s wrath and disappointment.

However, she hadn’t expected Lu Yunjian to visit her before her departure.

He was brooding and wordless, his expression unreadable as he stared at her.

He said nothing, only lifting her chin with a single finger, studying her face.

It was as if he were seeing her for the first time.

A Wu lowered her gaze, remaining silent.

She’d said her piece. She knew he would abandon her, just as he had betrayed her before.

Yet at this moment, Lu Yunjian sank to one knee.

His coldly beautiful face appeared in her line of sight.

When she tried to look away, he wouldn’t allow it, holding her chin and forcing her to meet his gaze.

His voice bleak, he murmured, "I shouldn’t have sent you away. But you hate me so much—it pains me. I hate you too."

That was what he said.

As for the relationship between them, A Wu had understood from the very beginning. She had never truly cared for Lu Yunjian, yielding to him only when she had no choice.

She could have sought out her elder brother, her village kin, and sailed to find her father and brothers.

It was all his fault—he’d trapped her here.

And yet, he blamed her, hated her, forced her to yield to so-called familial interests and offer herself to the crown prince.

He seemed to have endless excuses, but in her eyes, they were lies—pathetic self-justifications!

If there had ever been any love between them, it was even more terrifying. A man who weighed love against profit was worse than a beast.

Lu Yunjian sighed. "You’ve spent eighty-four days with the crown prince. He’s taken everything you are."

A Wu ignored him. She belonged to herself, not to him!

Lu Yunjian continued, his voice feverish, "The crown prince is one thing, but why did you have to get involved with Nie San? What is he? A lowly guard dog. How could you stoop so low and let such a creature touch you? Is he worthy? Is he?"

His tone turned desperate. "The crown prince isn’t worthy either! He’s nothing compared to me!"

A Wu lazily closed her eyes.

Lu Yunjian choked out, "If you’d shown me even a shred of love, I wouldn’t have been so cruel to you."

A Wu gazed into the distance, her eyes distant and unfocused.

Looking at her like this, Lu Yunjian’s eyes filled with exhausted loathing.

This was who she was—possessing a beauty that outshone frost and snow, a body that could bewitch, yet the coldest heart in the world.

With stubborn, childish fixation, she gazed at the horizon of the sea, clinging to impossible hopes.

She had always lived in the past, in the year she turned sixteen, waiting for her father and brothers to return in riches, refusing to open her eyes to the world as it was.

He lowered his lashes and murmured, "A Wu, would you beg me? Just say the word, and I’ll keep you."

Yet, A Wu’s gaze slid right past him—her focus distant and unfocused.

A Wu was, in truth, spineless. She feared death, she coveted wealth, even a scuttling mouse could make her shudder. But before Lu Yunjian, she was stubborn to the point of defiance.

She could kneel before a stranger and plead for mercy, but she would never lower her head to him.

Lu Yunjian watched her, seething with hatred, and said cruelly, "Fine. Go then."

His slender, aristocratic fingers brushed aside the hair on A Wu’s forehead. "Let me see what tricks you’ve learned, A Wu. Your Crown Prince lover is searching for you. Even if you’ve committed the gravest sin, as long as you can coax him, he’ll spare your life. That is your way out."

A Wu suddenly laughed, a laugh dripping with contempt.

Her laughter was naturally beautiful, her dark hair cascading over her slender shoulders, her porcelain skin so delicate it seemed it might crack at any moment.

She was like mist—fragile, pitiable, yet devastating.

Lu Yunjian held his breath, staring at her.

She was the seductress he’d shaped with his own hands, yet now she bloomed slowly, incandescent, irresistible.

So much so that regret stirred in him.

She should have belonged to him alone, drinking from his hands alone, lost in his embrace.

Yet now, she had been tainted by other men!

The thought of how wantonly she’d arched and bloomed beneath another man, how she had surrendered, set his blood aflame.

For a moment, Lu Yunjian wanted to steal her last breath before another could take her.

But in the end, he clenched his fists.

Slowly, he rose to his feet, his fine robes fluttering in the wind, the silk hem whispering against A Wu’s loose hair.

Lu Yunjian gazed at the sunset bleeding across the horizon, pressed his lips together, and smiled bitterly. "Even Seventh Brother wants you alive."

*************

Just past noon, the small side hall of the Fengtian Palace was silent, the palace maids and eunuchs frozen in silence. Only the steady drip of the green-glazed dragon-patterned water clock on the long table against the right wall broke the stillness.

Outside the window, the palace’s snow-white pigeons circled above the towering palace roofs, occasionally letting out a crisp, melodious whistle.

The Jingxi Emperor was a creature of unshakable routine. After his midday meal, he would typically take a stroll outside the side hall to aid digestion, then retire for a short nap.

The length of his nap, what he would eat afterward, when he would resume state affairs, when he would summon his ministers—all these followed like clockwork, precise and unchanging.

This gave his subordinates ample time to prepare, ensuring nothing caught them off guard.

But today was different. After his meal, the Jingxi Emperor did not rest. Instead, he summoned the Crown Prince Senior Tutor, Wang Zhiqiong.

Wang Zhiqiong was a veteran minister of the previous dynasty, having served as Director of the Ministry of Works, Director of Waterways, Vice Minister, and Provincial Administration Commissioner. During his tenure as Minister of War in the previous dynasty, he had crushed countless uprisings by bandits and regional princes, earning the late emperor’s trust. By the time of the Jingxi Emperor, he had also served as Minister of Personnel and Minister of War.

The Jingxi Emperor had only one heir, the Crown Prince, whom he nurtured with utmost care, meticulously selecting the Three Preceptors. After much deliberation, he chose Wang Zhiqiong as the Crown Prince Senior Tutor.

At the age of four, the Crown Prince began his education in the Wenhua Palace. By eight, after morning court, he would ascend the lectern in the study hall, accompanied by attendants and tutors, drilling in astronomy, memorizing geography, studying the philosophies of the Hundred Schools, military strategy, calligraphy, and recitation.

By the time the Crown Prince turned twelve, the Jingxi Emperor had the Senior Tutor to the Crown Prince present current military and political affairs of the court, asking the Crown Prince to write his own analysis, which would then be reviewed and explained by the Senior Tutor. This way, the Crown Prince gradually improved through daily political training.

Twice a month, the Jingxi Emperor would summon Wang Zhiqiong to inquire about the Crown Prince’s academic progress and hear his opinions on the Crown Prince’s studies.

This was the Jingxi Emperor’s painstaking care for his son.

Yet now, the Jingxi Emperor stared at the Crown Prince’s essays presented by Wang Zhiqiong and remained silent for a long time.

Wang Zhiqiong naturally understood but could not speak openly. Seeing the Emperor’s reaction, he could only say, “Your Majesty, this is due to my incompetence and failure to properly guide the Crown Prince.”

The Jingxi Emperor neither agreed nor disagreed, dismissively tossing the essays aside.

The sloppily written essays revealed the Crown Prince’s absent-mindedness while composing them.

Then the Emperor said, “I selected learned scholars to serve as the Crown Prince’s tutors, lecturing on classics and history, hoping to cultivate his virtue and broaden his knowledge. Yet after thirteen years of meticulous instruction, what has it yielded?”

His words were severe, and the elderly minister Wang Zhiqiong quickly rose from his seat and knelt on the ground. “It is my folly, failing to fulfill Your Majesty’s sacred command. I beg for your forgiveness.”

The Jingxi Emperor said, “Rise, Minister Wang. As his father, I know my son’s temperament better than anyone.”

Wang Zhiqiong hurriedly replied, “Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is inherently kind-hearted and gifted, a promising talent. His current restlessness is merely due to youthful recklessness. With careful guidance and Your Majesty’s teachings, given time, he will surely master governance and live up to your high expectations.”

Hearing this, the Jingxi Emperor merely smiled faintly. “You may leave, Minister. I wish for some quiet.”

Wang Zhiqiong hesitated but could say no more. He kowtowed and withdrew.

However, upon reaching the door, he paused and turned back.

The Jingxi Emperor: “Yes?”

Wang Zhiqiong sighed. “Your Majesty, as the Senior Tutor to the Crown Prince, I am ashamed before you and have nothing to say. Yet as a fellow father, I have one thing to say—though I do not know if it is appropriate.”

The Jingxi Emperor remained expressionless. “Speak freely, Minister.”

Only then did Wang Zhiqiong continue, “The Crown Prince has grown up under Your Majesty’s protection, sheltered in all matters. As the sole heir, his position as Crown Prince is secure. Thus, he has lived in comfort since childhood, without worries. Now, in the flush of youth, it is only natural for him to be distracted by the allure of women, even to the point of neglecting his duties.”

He paused, observing the unreadable Emperor, then pressed on, “Your Majesty is now in the prime of life. With careful correction, this can still be remedied, preventing greater problems later.”

The Jingxi Emperor listened without a word, merely raising his hand to dismiss Wang Zhiqiong.

After Wang Zhiqiong left, the Hall of Heavenly Purity fell silent.

The Jingxi Emperor stood and walked to the window, where a potted clivia in a porcelain vessel emitted a faint fragrance.

The weather was splendid today. Through the window, he could see streaks of clouds in the distance and the vines climbing the walls of the Hall of Heavenly Purity.

Beneath the distant palace walls, two eunuchs were quietly pushing a water cart along the corridor, its wheels creaking softly against the white marble steps.

In truth, the Jingxi Emperor understood Wang Zhiqiong’s reasoning.

But as a father, understanding was one thing—the uncontrollable disappointment in his heart was another.

A pang of sorrow struck him.

He was the Son of Heaven, yet at his age, he had only this one son. And though the Crown Prince was already sixteen, many of his actions left the Emperor deeply disappointed.

He himself had lost his father young, and the Empress Dowager had been indecisive on all matters. He had received little paternal guidance, learning court politics and human affairs through trial and error.

He had devoted all his efforts to his son, imparting everything he himself had never received, hoping the boy would surpass him, virtuous and skilled enough to shoulder the empire’s burdens.

But now, for the sake of a woman so beneath him, he could act so unbecomingly.

He was the future emperor, destined to have a harem of three thousand consorts. With all the beauties of the world at his disposal, what couldn’t he have?

Just then, the Jingxi Emperor paused, and there flashed before him a pair of frightened, innocent eyes.

A Wu.

The A Wu he'd abandoned.

He had liked A Wu.

He had ascended the throne young, ruling over all under heaven, with countless beauties in his harem, yet he'd always played strictly by the rules.

All were attended to in turn according to their years of entering the palace—none more, none less, each getting their equal share of his attention.

In truth, he had never enjoyed it, like choking down rice just to stay fed.

And they, in turn, likely felt no true affection for him, merely fulfilling their duty to serve the emperor.

It wasn’t until he met A Wu that he realized what kind of woman he truly liked.

She had to be clever in small ways, sharp-tongued, her cheeks bulging when she ate delicious food, her eyes sparkling at the sight of gold and jewels.

From the perspective of an emperor, she was a bit common, lacking in grace and nobility. But from the perspective of a man, seeing her was like seeing all the color and life in the world itself.

The emperor’s chest tightened painfully.

If he liked her, why couldn’t he have her?

What was stopping him?

Under the heavens, was there anything he couldn’t have?

The Jingxi Emperor stared wordlessly into the middle distance. After a long while, his mouth twisted into a mirthless smile.

He thought, this was also the difference between him and Mo Yao.

He, too, was human, with desires, but he could restrain himself, endure, always knowing what was important, always understanding where to place whom. This was a sovereign's first duty.

But his son? After years of earnest teaching, he had turned out so flighty and undisciplined!

For the sake of some nobody of a girl, he could throw all decorum to the wind!

Bitter disappointment welled up in his chest.

Beyond disappointment, there might also have been anger, and the faintest pang of envy.

This unfilial son was only bold because he propped up the heavens for him!

At that moment, Fu Tai hovered anxiously at the periphery, clearly with something to report.

The Jingxi Emperor said, "Speak."

Only then did Fu Tai cautiously bring up, "Your Majesty... the Fifth Lady is in distress."

The emperor's breath caught. "The Fifth Lady?"

Fu Tai, his nerves already frayed, was already cursing his loose tongue upon realizing the emperor didn’t even remember her. But he had no choice but to press on. "Does His Majesty remember? The Fifth Lady raised by Nan Qiongzi in the summer villa."

The Jingxi Emperor showed no reaction and sat down calmly.

Then he lifted his eyes and remarked flatly, "Oh, her... What happened?"

Fu Tai: "Word is she ran into thieves and was snatched away out of nowhere."

Jingxi Emperor: "Thieves?"

Even the unflappable Jingxi Emperor was somewhat surprised. Nanqiongzi was a royal game reserve, guarded by soldiers. Every household there was registered, and no one could step foot outside without a household permit.

So thieves running wild there? Impossible.

As the Jingxi Emperor pondered, he asked, "Has anyone looked into it?"

Fu Tai: "They’re on it, but—but—"

The Emperor’s face hardened. "What exactly is the matter?"

Fu Tai faltered. "It’s also said that the guards who investigated found that the ones who abducted Fifth Lady might actually be Nanqiongzi’s own guards?"

The Jingxi Emperor frowned.

Fu Tai was just as confused—since when do garrison troops pull this kind of stunt?

The Jingxi Emperor suddenly asked, "What about that nun from Yanxiang Temple—any word?"

Fu Tai replied cautiously, "Rumor has it she was caught last night. The Crown Prince had been searching elsewhere but is headed there now. As for today’s developments, no updates yet."

The Jingxi Emperor’s heart lurched. His brow furrowed deeply as he recalled recent events in Nanqiongzi.

A runaway nun, a young maiden of sixteen or seventeen, some household’s missing entertainer, the fugitive Ning girl, A Wu abducted by thieves...

And now, thinking back, A Wu’s deliberate avoidance of the Crown Prince.

He swiftly pieced together these scattered clues, and a horrifying realization hit him.

A Wu... was the Ning girl?

That Ning girl his son stashed away in his house, never to be acknowledged? That Ning girl who, by his own decree, was forced into the cloister?

The Jingxi Emperor froze like he’d been thunderstruck, his heart even ceasing to beat momentarily.

Fu Tai was clearly alarmed, his face pale as he anxiously asked something, but the Emperor couldn’t hear him.

Fu Tai grew frantic. "Your Majesty? Your Majesty?"

Finally, the Jingxi Emperor was pulled back by Fu Tai’s voice. He clenched his nearly numb fingers and said in the calmest voice he could muster, "Go—get me Fang Yue!"

He abruptly turned and snapped, his voice razor-sharp, "Get me Fang Yue at once!"

The weight of imperial authority pressed down heavily. Fu Tai panicked. "Yes, yes, yes..."

The Jingxi Emperor: "No—not the Crown Prince’s residence. Summon—"

His expression icy, he paused before saying, "Summon Fang Yue!"

************

Fang Yue, who had once been tasked with investigating the origins of the young maiden from Nanqiongzi.

Afterward, the Jingxi Emperor had casually dismissed the matter, and it was never mentioned again.

Yet now, the Jingxi Emperor suddenly realized that he had missed the most critical lead because of this!

At this moment, Fang Yue's face was as pale as paper as he knelt on the plush rug of the Fengtian Hall.

The warm fragrance from the dragon-shaped heaters filled the hall, and the rug beneath him was soft, yet the stalwart man felt a chilling cold as if in the depths of winter.

He was not on duty today and had been enjoying a day off at home, having arranged to share drinks with a few friends when he was unexpectedly summoned by the Emperor.

He didn’t need to think hard to understand why.

Not daring to raise his eyes, the overwhelming imperial presence left him unable to think, his mind blank.

The Jingxi Emperor’s arched brows furrowed as his eyes fixed on an empty spot ahead, yet his voice was unnervingly calm: "You investigated?"

Without context, the Emperor was questioning him.

A subject skilled in reading the Emperor’s mind would never dare to deceive at such a moment. Fang Yue hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, your servant indeed investigated. As the commander of the Imperial Guard, it is my duty to be diligent and never negligent. Thus, I secretly looked into the origins of that young lady."

By the end, his once firm voice had lost its confidence.

The Jingxi Emperor’s jaw tightened as he ground out a single word through clenched teeth: "Speak."

Fang Yue knelt there, pearls of sweat dripping from his forehead: "Your servant... dares not."

The Fengtian Hall fell deathly silent, save for the pounding of Fang Yue’s heart.

Fang Yue knew his life hung by a thread.

The Jingxi Emperor repeated: "Speak."

Clenching his jaw, Fang Yue tried to recount the events as calmly and respectfully as possible. He had indeed investigated and easily discovered that the Yanxiang Taoist Temple had lost a young Taoist nun who was the Crown Prince’s former concubine, Lady Ning.

Her appearance and the timing of her disappearance matched perfectly.

The Yanxiang Taoist Temple had concealed it, likely fearing blame, but this misled the Emperor. No one could have guessed that the young lady the Emperor had picked up was the missing nun from the temple—the Crown Prince’s former concubine and the very woman the Crown Prince pined for.

This young lady had been with the son before the father.

Upon learning the truth, Fang Yue was wracked with doubt. He had wavered endlessly.

The Emperor had told him to stop investigating, but out of duty, he had continued—only to uncover such a shocking truth.

For the past month, the Emperor had not visited Nanqiongzi again, seemingly having forgotten the young lady. Fang Yue had felt relieved, hoping the matter would fade away, buried forever, with no one ever learning the secret.

But now, the Emperor had found out, and Fang Yue was doomed.

When Fang Yue finished speaking, the Fengtian Hall fell deathly silent.

Not a whisper of wind, not a trace of breath—even the charcoal in the braziers seemed to still under the Emperor’s inscrutable presence.

In this suffocating stillness, Fang Yue closed his eyes with difficulty, bracing for the Emperor’s imperial fury.

Yet after a long while, he heard only two words: "Saddle the horses."

*********

The Jingxi Emperor had ascended the throne young and was warlike by nature, favoring Nanqiongzi more than his predecessors ever had.

During the height of summer, he would retreat there to escape the heat, and in autumn, he would hunt and rest in its villa palaces, even holding court there—so much so that in this dynasty, Nanqiongzi was compared to the Changyang Palace of the Qin and Han dynasties.

Yet never before had the Emperor rushed to Nanqiongzi with such urgency.

He was in such haste that he hadn’t even changed out of his ceremonial robes, still clad in splendid, authoritative attire as he galloped toward the Nanqiongzi plains, followed by a full retinue of Imperial Guards. The horses’ hooves trampled over the withered autumn grass of Nanqiongzi, splattering wet mud in their wake.

Fang Yue’s heart hammered in his chest, but he had no choice but to follow closely.

The emperor’s reaction was far fiercer than expected, and Fang Yue had no idea how this matter would be resolved.

The Jingxi Emperor intercepted the convoy escorting A Wu by the reeds.

He appeared like a tempest, his horse rearing to block their path, its shrill whinny splitting the air as the golden hem of his robe fluttered amidst the desolation.

At first, the guards failed to recognize him and were momentarily stunned. Before they could react, the accompanying Imperial Guard swiftly subdued them.

Thus, all the guards were bound and thrown onto the horses.

These men would be silenced permanently.

Calmly, the Jingxi Emperor dismounted, walking over fallen leaves and floating willow seeds to the carriage. He climbed aboard and lifted the curtain.

A Wu heard the ruckus outside but didn’t bother to look.

She’d been taken once before; she could be taken again.

Last time it was Lu Yunjian; this time it could be the Crown Prince, Nie San, or even the emperor.

Anyone could take her.

Yet she also knew that no matter who it was, her fate would be grim.

Diaochan, the legendary beauty, was beheaded under the moonlight; Consort Yang met her end at Mawei Slope. Fate is cruel to beauties, and her own sixteen years of torment had already been enough to die a thousand deaths.

Then, the carriage curtain was lifted, and she saw the Jingxi Emperor.

The autumn wind howled, scattering white catkins everywhere as he stood in the fading light, gazing inside.

His billowing robe revealed a dragon woven with peacock feathers and gold thread, its horns and mane bristling in the autumn wind as if ready to take flight.

This was the first time A Wu had seen the noble emperor standing before her in his dragon robes.

He stood tall and imperious, his overwhelming majesty and authority radiating naturally, filling the wilderness with an aura of dominance.

A Wu was no longer afraid of death, yet she couldn’t stop trembling.

No matter how beautiful she was, she was already dirt beneath his feet, too lowly to meet the gaze of the world’s most dazzling nobility.

Yet the noble emperor said nothing. Silently, he stepped forward, yanking her against his chest, lifting her horizontally before turning and striding out of the carriage to mount his horse.

The encircling Imperial Guard melted aside, clearing a path for the emperor.

The Jingxi Emperor galloped away, his Imperial Guard close behind.

Pressed tightly against his chest, A Wu felt suffocated. Held captive by the man who wielded supreme power, his strong arms tense with restraint, his breath carrying the calm before a storm.

She knew his fury would erupt in the next moment, reducing her to ashes.

Clenching her fists desperately, she tried to calm herself, repeating that she could endure this.

He knew her identity—he didn’t need to come in person. One decree could’ve erased her existence. The Imperial Guard was ruthless and efficient; no one would suspect any connection between them.

Yet he had come—because he wanted an answer!

When he needed an answer, she found the courage to take a desperate gamble!

At the very least, he wasn’t entirely indifferent to her, was he?

Even if it was just a sliver of affection or pity, she had to cling to it desperately, clawing her way out of the abyss.

The Jingxi Emperor rode with A Wu, their horses trampling over the wild grass as dust swirled in their wake. He headed toward the nearest retreat.

Just before the Emperor arrived, the Imperial Guard had swiftly conducted a thorough sweep of the grounds, securing it like an impenetrable fortress.

The Jingxi Emperor dismounted, dragging A Wu down with him—his movements agile yet rough, like a leopard hauling its kill.

The Imperial Guard sheathed their longswords in unison, the metallic clang ringing out as they bowed their heads, not daring to look up.

With swift, powerful strides, the Jingxi Emperor strode into the chamber. The moment he crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut behind him, and A Wu was flung onto the daybed.

Though the daybed was soft, the impact still left her dazed. Ignoring her discomfort, she scrambled up, disheveled.

The Jingxi Emperor’s long fingers seized her chin, forcing her to lift her face.

Kneeling on the bed, her slender back slightly arched and her delicate neck tilted back, A Wu’s glistening eyes met his.

His expression was unreadable, his eyes the color of pale tea as inscrutable as ever—he stood before her like an immovable mountain.

She was utterly defenseless, trembling uncontrollably.

The Jingxi Emperor leaned slightly closer, his cool breath brushing against her delicate cheek as he spoke without emotion, “You’ve known Your Majesty’s identity all along, haven’t you?”