Chapter 3

Chapter 3

At Wangyue Pavilion, people came and went, as palace attendants from Weiyang Palace meticulously prepared for the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. Consort Ning repeatedly gave instructions, while Bi Zhu kept a close watch, and the attendants dared not be careless.

An inconspicuous young eunuch entered Wangyue Pavilion with a token from Weiyang Palace, accompanied by unfamiliar attendants who were helping to carry and arrange various incense stands and ritual vessels. He was small and thin, unnoticeable among the other attendants, and due to his lack of strength, he was quickly pushed aside and assigned to other lighter tasks.

Amid the chaos, no one paid attention to the eunuch mingling in the crowd. Song An nervously looked around, making sure no one was watching him, then took out a carefully wrapped bag of powder residue from his bosom. He looked around Wangyue Pavilion, steadied his nerves, and sprinkled it in several specific spots.

On the day the weather turned slightly warmer, the news of the emperor's triumphant return spread!

The Empress Dowager's birthday was approaching, and the entire nation rejoiced. Dayuan was filled with joy everywhere, and the imperial palace took on a new look.

On the eve of the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, when Wangyue Pavilion was almost ready, the Empress Dowager herself arrived.

With the Empress Dowager's arrival, all the officials responsible for the renovation and maintenance of Wangyue Pavilion promptly accompanied her. Consort Ning was very concerned and had arranged everything a day in advance.

Although the Empress Dowager had lived deep in the palace for a long time, she came from a military family and had a temperament different from ordinary women.

Seeing Wangyue Pavilion completely renewed, the Empress Dowager showed a look of satisfaction. "Very good."

The officials nearby expressed their congratulations one after another, pleasing the Empress Dowager greatly.

Suddenly, a beast's roar came from afar, catching the attention of others. An official asked, "This beast sound..."

"Your Excellency may not know, but further away is the Imperial Animal Garden."

The eunuch explained: "Usually there are no beast roars, but today happens to be the day the Imperial Animal Garden opens."

In her youth, the Empress Dowager loved to ride freely. After residing long in the palace, the reigning emperor specially built her the Imperial Animal Garden, which housed all kinds of beasts she liked. Its location was near Wangyue Pavilion.

It wasn't very close. The Imperial Animal Garden was usually closed, but every so often, to prevent some fierce beasts from falling ill or becoming depressed, the skilled beast tamers would open the cages to let the animals release their wild energy. Especially with the Empress Dowager's birthday approaching, as her favorite Imperial Animal Garden, its upkeep naturally couldn't be neglected, especially the well-being of the caged beasts.

"Empress Dowager, let's go up a bit; the view over there is quite good," Consort Ning said, knowing the Empress Dowager liked it.

The officials had rarely seen such a scene. The Empress Dowager patted Consort Ning's hand, and Consort Ning knew at once that her arrangement met with approval.

Beside Wangyue Pavilion was a specially built terrace, for viewing distant scenery and the moon.

Looking up from there, they could see the beast tamers training the beasts.

From afar, the well-trained beast tamers led the caged beasts out one by one with chains and cages, following a set path for a walk before returning.

Seeing this, the officials praised it one after another, and the Empress Dowager grew happier. But just as the beast tamers led the beasts to the outer edge of the Imperial Animal Garden, an anomaly occurred. Several beasts restrained by shackles became unusually excited, and with such force that they broke through the cage doors and broke free from the tamers' chains!

The beast tamers in the imperial city were among the best, capable of handling even tigers. These caged beasts had been tamed since captivity. This was the first time such a loss of control had happened! The tamers quickly regained control of a few beasts, but several other frenzied felines and tigers rushed out of the path from the Imperial Animal Garden and headed straight for the nearby Wangyue Pavilion!

"Trouble!" "Someone, come quickly!" "Hemp-based anesthetic, hurry!"

The crisis erupted as the fierce beasts charged straight at Wangyue Pavilion. Consort Ning was terrified on the spot.

"Protect the Empress Dowager! Protect the Empress Dowager!!"

Near Wangyue Pavilion, there were many palace attendants preparing the birthday banquet, as well as patrol guards. A group of people shouted to protect the Empress Dowager, who was surrounded and protected by the Imperial Guards. The frenzied beasts, unusually excited, deviated from their path and charged into Wangyue Pavilion, wreaking havoc. The attendants fled in all directions, and for a time, chaos reigned inside and outside Wangyue Pavilion.

It was hard to compare the strength of common people to that of fierce beasts. Two tigers charged in, clearly intending to attack. People scrambled to flee and avoid them. The Empress Dowager was startled and stepped back several paces, and the officials were also panic-stricken. Fortunately, the Imperial Guards were present and immediately dispersed the crowd.

Wangyue Pavilion, the venue for the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, was an auspicious site where blessings converge, carefully calculated by the State Preceptor of Dayuan. Since the venue was set, there had been a string of consecutive victories on the border. The most recent good news was that the emperor would triumphantly return soon. Therefore, the Empress Dowager had been in high spirits recently and ordered more preparations at Wangyue Pavilion to celebrate the emperor's return. Yet barely had the preparations begun when an accident struck Wangyue Pavilion!

The beast tamers rushed over and tried their utmost to stop the beasts. The beasts behaved oddly, gathering in the courtyard and refusing to disperse. For this reason, the tamers acted decisively, and with the help of the Imperial Guards, they finally subdued the beasts using hemp-based anesthetic.

The Empress Dowager was still shaken. The tigers were taken back, but since there were many officials and attendants at Wangyue Pavilion, the news of the tiger attack spread quickly. The Imperial Guards and beast tamers controlled the situation in time, and no one was injured. But with the national celebration at hand, a dangerous beast attack was an inauspicious omen of bloodshed!

"What's going on!" the Empress Dowager angrily demanded.

The beast tamers who had rushed over knelt hurriedly: "We do not know, Your Majesty. They were fine before, but suddenly they lost control!"

Afterward, the Imperial Guards conducted a thorough search of Wangyue Pavilion but found nothing. The beasts' behavior of charging straight at Wangyue Pavilion was baffling. They only stayed in the courtyard, and once the crowd dispersed, they did not chase anyone. Only Wangyue Pavilion itself was left in ruins. Both the Imperial Guards and beast tamers deemed this behavior abnormal.

The Empress Dowager's face darkened. The elderly Empress Dowager, still quite healthy, retained a sharp, decisive temperament from her youth. She immediately ordered the Imperial Guards to suppress the news and detain all attendants who had entered or left Wangyue Pavilion that day.

"Which palace do these attendants belong to?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, they are from Weiyang Palace." The attendants of Wangyue Pavilion knelt, not daring to raise their heads.

During the birthday preparations, unrelated persons could hardly enter Wangyue Pavilion; only the relevant attendants could do so.

The area under Consort Ning's responsibility, Weiyang Palace, was the site of the incident.

Consort Ning was terrified. She had been entrusted with managing Wangyue Pavilion based on her years of good reputation. To do it well, she handled everything herself, carefully overseeing every detail. Even the attendants entering and leaving Wangyue Pavilion could only use the tokens of Weiyang Palace.

Although the tiger attack originated from the Imperial Animal Garden, the fact that it charged directly at Wangyue Pavilion made it a serious matter.

As soon as the incident occurred, the Weiyang Palace attendants with Consort Ning panicked.

Most of the Weiyang Palace attendants were present during the tiger attack. If something went wrong, it would be a major issue.

Now that their pillar, Consort Ning, was not around, the entire Weiyang Palace was in disarray.

Song An had just sent the decocted medicine to Weiyang Palace when he heard the news. In the past few days, he had been following his master's orders to visit Wangyue Pavilion multiple times. Today, his master had specifically instructed him not to go there, and then Wangyue Pavilion had trouble.

His palms were sweaty. He vaguely sensed that this incident was connected to his master. Hearing the attendants say it was an inauspicious omen, he hurriedly entered his master's bedchamber.

Outside, there was noise; inside his master's bedchamber, it was quiet.

Before he even entered the bedchamber, he saw his master stepping to the doorway for the first time in days.

The news that the Sixth Prince had been ill for several days was no secret in Weiyang Palace, though the attendants had been ordered by Consort Ning not to spread it.

This was the first time in this period that the attendants in the outer hall had seen the prince after his illness. They saw him looking sickly, his cheeks flushed an unnatural red, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

"What happened?" Ying Fusheng asked.

The attendants snapped out of it. Consort Ning was not around, but the young master of Weiyang Palace was still here.

Before a few attendants could stop him, a quick-tongued attendant blurted out: "Your Highness, something happened at Wangyue Pavilion, and Consort Ning has been taken away!"

The events at Wangyue Pavilion were quickly told by the attendants. After finishing, they looked at the Sixth Prince and saw that, after hearing it, he looked dazed, his face turning pale. Consort Ning had just been taken away, and the Sixth Prince was still ill. The senior maid Bi Zhu was nowhere to be found. For a time, no one in Weiyang Palace could take charge.

After a long wait, when the attendants didn't know what to do, they heard the young master say, "There is still a chance."

The attendants of Weiyang Palace looked at the Sixth Prince, who steadied himself by leaning on a nearby attendant. His face pale, he said, "What happened at Wangyue Pavilion was an accident. Tell me the full story from beginning to end. Is there any hidden circumstance regarding Wangyue Pavilion? Grandmother is reasonable. I will go to Cining Palace to plead for my mother."

The Sixth Prince had rarely shown such initiative. The attendants were stunned, but seeing him forcing himself to stand despite his illness, they urgently took him as their pillar and immediately followed his orders.

"Is there any hidden circumstance regarding Wangyue Pavilion?" Ying Fusheng asked a nearby attendant.

A few attendants who had been ordered by Consort Ning to watch the Sixth Prince heard this. Seeing that the prince could barely stand but still thought of Consort Ning, they had to say, "Your Highness, this time it's pure misfortune. Consort Ning was there when it happened. The tigers suddenly went mad; no one knew why."

Ying Fusheng listened and did not ask further, nor did he ask where Bi Zhu, who was by Consort Ning's side, had gone. He only said, "You are my mother's close attendants. You know the affairs of Wangyue Pavilion better. Other attendants might have been negligent. You need to quickly handle the recent procurement matters for Wangyue Pavilion."

When it came to Consort Ning, the palace attendants understood that their mistress was the priority. They immediately obeyed and hurried out.

Song An stood nervously when he heard his prince say, “Song An, help me change my clothes.”

Hearing his prince summon him, he finally came to his senses.

Meeting his prince’s gaze, Song An noticed a change in his eyes—a look of calm detachment that saw through everything.

Song An stepped forward. “Your Highness.”

“There are a few things I need to tell you. Afterward, you do not need to follow me,” Ying Fusheng said.

Song An’s heart leaped into his throat. “Where is Your Highness going?”

His face pale, Ying Fusheng fixed his gaze on the other attendants awaiting orders, his eyes landing on the unobstructed doorway of his bedchamber. A bitter smile curled at the corner of his lips. “When my mother is in trouble, as her son, I should go to Cining Palace to plead for mercy.”

-*

With the incident at Wangyue Court, the Grand Empress Dowager was furious, and unease spread through the palace.

Inside Cining Palace, silence reigned. The Grand Empress Dowager, seated high above, fingered her prayer beads as she looked down at the woman kneeling before her.

Consort Ning knelt at the front of the hall, her face ashen.

“Grandmother, please calm your anger,” a voice said. The speaker was clad in brocade robes with swirling cloud patterns.

The Crown Prince of Dayuan stood with his hands behind his back, exuding warmth and elegance in every gesture. Though young, he already showed the spirit of the current emperor in his youth. Now standing behind the Grand Empress Dowager, he rushed to Cining Palace immediately after the Wangyue Court incident. He first soothed the Grand Empress Dowager, then commanded the Imperial Guard to conduct a thorough investigation. In a short time, he had curtailed the rumors about the beast attack within the palace.

Hearing his voice, Consort Ning could not help looking at the brilliant Crown Prince.

To avoid any slip-ups, she had never revealed his true birth to him over the years, silently supporting him from behind, afraid even the slightest sign of trouble would raise suspicion. Even meeting her own son required appropriate occasions for her to openly look at him for a few moments.

When their eyes met, the young crown prince tilted his head slightly, whispering to the Grand Empress Dowager.

Perhaps it was something he said that eased the Grand Empress Dowager’s furrowed brow, though she remained angry. “Consort Ning, how do you explain this?”

Knowing her son had kindly spoken for her, Consort Ning cast a grateful look his way. But she dared not stare openly, fearing that the Wangyue Court incident might implicate the Empress and the Crown Prince, displeasing the Grand Empress Dowager. “Your subject does not know.”

She dared not say more. With such a major incident before the birthday banquet, everyone had some responsibility. The banquet involved many segments, and the Empress could not handle everything alone, so she had tasked other consorts with assisting. Consort Ning rarely participated in such events, but this time, having heard border news beforehand, she proposed a plan to the Empress. The Empress, busy with prayers, naturally allowed her to manage the Wangyue Court affairs.

Just two days ago, the emperor’s message arrived, and the Grand Empress Dowager had given her orders, but she messed them up immediately.

If it were a minor issue, she could accept punishment. But this involved ominous signs and strange occurrences, completely unexpected.

Clearly, her answer did not satisfy the Grand Empress Dowager.

The Grand Empress Dowager’s face darkened. “So, you’re saying this was an accident?”

“Your subject was meticulous in every detail regarding Wangyue Court and never dared to be careless,” Consort Ning said, sensing the Grand Empress Dowager’s rage and panicking inside. But she could not figure it out. She had been doubly careful at Wangyue Court, and it was impossible for her to have made a mistake. She had good relations with other consorts—who would frame her at this time? The only course was to play dumb, insist she knew nothing, and claim it was an accident.

The Grand Empress Dowager frowned deeply. The Crown Prince noticed and first comforted his grandmother by gently kneading her shoulders before saying gently, “Consort Ning.”

He went on, “Wangyue Court was entirely managed by Weiyang Palace. All who entered and exited were your people. Why did the beast flee to Wangyue Court in particular and nowhere else?”

Consort Ning had no defense. Facing her own son’s questioning, she could not help but feel a pang of sorrow.

She maintained she knew nothing, resentment building inside her. As she lifted her gaze, she looked at another woman seated beside the Grand Empress Dowager.

This woman sat high without uttering a word, the scent of incense clinging to her palace robes. Unlike anyone else in the hall, her demeanor—she had compassionate, merciful eyes and a mole between her brows like a bodhisattva. Her hands were folded in her lap, and compared to her, the other consorts seemed like dirt. This was the woman the current emperor loved most, the empress. With her appearance alone, her newborn son had been enough to make the decisive emperor appoint him as the Crown Prince. Even if she remained silent now, everyone in the hall waited for her opinion with bated breath, and the Grand Empress Dowager herself held great affection for her.

Consort Ning stifled her resentment. If she were in that high position, she would not have to kneel here arguing her case—someone else would be fighting for her.

Unfortunately, it was not so. The Ning family could not compare to the Xu family; the Emperor's favoritism was evident to all. Whatever she wanted, she had to resort to every possible means and swallow her pride.

By now, Bi Zhu should have already sent word to the Ning family.

The Ning family has been highly favored by His Majesty in recent years. As long as her father and brothers receive the message and find a few scapegoats, this matter can be resolved.

Just as she was pondering how to delay, an urgent voice suddenly reached her ears.

“Empress Dowager, the Sixth Prince has arrived,” reported the palace attendant.

The moment the words came out, Consort Ning gave a violent start, nearly losing her composure. Who!?

Soon after Consort Ning was summoned to Cining Palace, the ailing Sixth Prince unexpectedly showed up.

Everyone present understood that the Sixth Prince had come to plead for Consort Ning.

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly, as if she had guessed the purpose of his visit, but still said, “Let him in.”

As the person outside entered the hall, the others immediately caught a strong medicinal odor. Everyone involuntarily looked and saw a thin, small figure.

The Sixth Prince wore only a thin garment, his complexion pale, with only a faint flush on his cheeks. He had come in such a hurry that he had brought nothing, not even properly fastened his collar, showing that he had rushed over upon hearing the news about Consort Ning while still ill.

Upon entering the hall, he immediately knelt and bowed with flawless etiquette.

Sensing the eyes on him, Ying Fusheng calmly raised his head. As he lifted his head, he saw several people on the elevated seats.

Familiar faces and the youthful appearances of old acquaintances, their eyes filled with scrutiny and assessment. He looked at the last person. Empress Xu sat upright, the glass lamp behind her deepening her eyes, which were as clear as autumn lakes yet retaining tenderness; due to years of burning incense, she had a coolness with unruffled composure. But the look she fixed on him was utterly unfamiliar.