Perhaps it was due to Layue’s comforting words, but the two children’s moods had improved greatly. When she saw them the next morning, Layue felt much more at ease herself.
Since she had promised the Empress Dowager to take good care of the children, she was determined to fulfill her promise.
Even without that promise, seeing how obedient and considerate the children were, Layue could not bear to ignore them and let them suffer in sorrow.
At times like these, comfort was most needed.
Take little Yan Yu, for example. Although he himself doubted whether “the brightest star” was just a comforting lie, he still wanted to believe it.
Because that was his only hope.
After dismissing the concubines who came to pay their respects, Layue personally prepared some food and went to visit Emperor Jing.
Having comforted the young ones, she now needed to comfort the grown one too.
The emperor enjoyed the food she made, and even though the taste might have been ordinary, the sentiment behind it was different.
Layue was well aware of this.
These days, the emperor had not been resting well. Upon hearing of Layue’s arrival, he gave a small smile.
“Summon her.”
Actually, it wasn’t just the emperor who had grown weary these days—Layue had also become somewhat haggard.
How could she not look tired after several days without sleep? However, Layue had applied makeup, so it wasn’t very noticeable.
After paying her respects, Layue took out the porridge she had prepared.
“Your Majesty, please try my cooking.”
The emperor had been eating very little lately, and Layue was worried about his health.
To her relief, the emperor obediently accepted the bowl and finished it.
“Do you think my cooking has improved?”
“Not really,” the emperor raised an eyebrow.
Layue feigned annoyance. “If you don’t think it’s better, why did you finish it all? If you really liked it, wouldn’t you even eat the bowl?”
For the first time in many days, the emperor smiled. He gestured for her to come closer.
Layue hurried to his side.
The emperor pulled her onto his lap and asked, “Last night you comforted the two little ones, and today you’ve come to comfort their father, the emperor? I suppose I come after them.”
Layue wrapped her arms around his neck. “To me, whether it’s Your Majesty or the two young princes, they are all the same.”
Her words were sincere, but the emperor playfully pinched her waist and pulled her into his embrace. “But I don’t want to be the same. I hope, Layue, that you’ll put me first. I don’t want to be treated like them.”
Seeing the emperor acting so childishly, Layue laughed and buried her head in his neck.
“Why are you acting like a child, Your Majesty?”
The emperor did not press her further but gently kissed her.
“Tonight I’ll come to your quarters. These past few days, have the little ones been behaving?”
He was, of course, referring to the fourth and fifth princes, and the little princess.
Layue nodded. “Perhaps they sensed I’ve been busy lately, so they’ve been unusually obedient and haven’t cried or caused trouble.”
Recently, a series of events had piled up—first the Empress Dowager’s illness, then the Empress coronation ceremony, followed by the Empress Dowager’s death. All of this had consumed all her attention.
Even the younger children had been unusually well-behaved, not crying or seeking her out.
Perhaps they had sensed the unusual atmosphere in the palace?
“I’ve missed them. Let them nap a little longer at noon, and stay up a bit later tonight. I’ll play with them.”
Layue nodded in agreement.
“I understand, Your Majesty. The little ones are used to sleeping early, so they might not be willing. I’ll spend some time calming them in the afternoon so they’ll nap longer.”
“Good!”
As they chatted affectionately, they heard a eunuch announce from outside, “Your Majesty, Prince Six requests an audience.”
Upon hearing this, Layue immediately got up from the emperor’s lap.
The emperor gently patted her bottom. “Alright, I have matters to discuss with Prince Six. You may return to your quarters first.”
Layue nodded.
As she exited, she met Prince Six at the door. He quickly bowed.
“Your Highness, I present my respects.”
Layue smiled lightly. “Please go in. The emperor is waiting for you.”
With that, she took her leave. Prince Six glanced at her retreating figure before striding into Xuanning Hall.
“Your Majesty, Your humble servant greets you with a thousand blessings.”
“Rise.”
Emperor Jing looked at Prince Six, guessing the reason for his visit.
“It’s unusual for you to come at a time like this,” the emperor remarked, not with sarcasm, but genuine curiosity.
“Your humble servant has uncovered some information regarding Yue Qingcheng. I would like to exchange notes with Your Majesty. Only through mutual cooperation can we advance the investigation.”
With the Empress Dowager gone, Prince Six had devoted all his energy to investigating the circumstances surrounding Yue Qingcheng’s death.
The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly. He had never quite understood why Yan Lie was so obsessed with Yue Qingcheng, to the point of being unable to move on. Could loving a woman seven years his senior truly be love?
In his view, it was merely a form of misplaced infatuation.
It was probably because his late mother had been too indulgent, causing him to seek maternal affection elsewhere, which led to his deep attachment to Yue Qingcheng.
Earlier, for Layue’s sake, he had supported the investigation. But now, his feelings had changed.
“The clues I have are limited. I only know that Yue Qingcheng once studied under the late Grand Diviner for a short time.”
Although it was not much, this alone was already a secret unknown to most. Without the emperor’s authority, it would have been nearly impossible for anyone else to uncover this.
Indeed, Yan Lie was surprised. He looked at the emperor in astonishment.
“She actually studied under the Grand Diviner?”
Speaking of the Grand Diviner, he was a unique figure in the Southern Qin dynasty.
He lived only twenty-five years, yet served as the Grand Diviner for ten years during the reign of the previous emperor.
Emperor Jing remembered that man well. Except for a few specific individuals, he never spoke to anyone else. It was also he who told the late emperor that among all the princes, Emperor Jing possessed the greatest spiritual insight.
The emperor could never be sure whether his father’s favor and cultivation were influenced by those words.
But he clearly remembered that most of the Grand Diviner’s predictions had come true.
The Southern Qin dynasty did not always have a Grand Diviner in every generation.
Such a rare individual appeared only once in many years. His father was fortunate to have encountered one, who helped bring the Southern Qin to even greater prosperity.
Though he himself did not have such a figure, he never let his guard down. He believed that he would not place all his hopes on a so-called “Grand Diviner,” yet he held deep respect for the position.
Prince Six was astonished by the revelation about Yue Qingcheng’s studies and added, “From my investigation, I have come to believe more and more that Yue Qingcheng must have known of her own impending death. In the Shen family, she not only arranged for the guardianship of her daughter, but also helped find a concubine for Layue’s father, and made many arrangements among her sisters-in-law. Your Majesty may not imagine that the second and third branches of the family were actually infiltrated by the eldest branch.”
“Do you have any suspects?” the emperor asked.
Prince Six shook his head. “Initially, I suspected the eldest son of the Shen family, the late Empress’s father. But upon closer investigation, the possibility seems very low. Naturally, it couldn’t have been the Grand Diviner either. He has been dead for many years. When the Grand Diviner died, Yue Qingcheng had not even married yet, so this matter must have nothing to do with him.”
The emperor looked at him seriously. “But the Grand Diviner was known for his prophecies. His words often carried great wisdom.”
Prince Six paused, then thought. “Yes, the Grand Diviner could make prophecies. But what did he prophesy? Her death? If she already knew she would die, why did she still marry into the family? Why didn’t she try to avoid it?”
The emperor tapped his fingers on the table for a long time before frowning. “Actually, it might not have been the Grand Diviner’s prophecy. You mustn’t forget what the Grand Diviner once said. Although we were young at the time, I remember it vividly.”
“Except for matters of good harvests and national peace, he would never offer any other predictions.”
Both men recalled those words at the same time.
“Yue Qingcheng studied under him for less than a year. I wonder how much she learned from him.”
“But if she was exceptionally intelligent, even in less than a year, she might have learned a great deal. Don’t forget, the Grand Diviner had even predicted his own death.”
They fell silent for a moment, but Prince Six broke it soon after.
“Regardless of how she died—whether she foresaw her own demise or had other reasons—I must continue my investigation. Your humble servant takes his leave.”
With that, Prince Six turned to leave.
But the emperor called him back. “Yan Lie.”
Prince Six turned around, puzzled by the emperor’s words.
“On that day, why did you support my decree to name the Empress in court?” the emperor asked.
He had already guessed the reason, but he still wanted to hear it from Yan Lie himself.
Yan Lie smiled slightly and replied, “Your Majesty, don’t you already know?”
After speaking, he seemed to look into the distance for a moment before continuing, “I made a promise to her, to take care of her daughter. I failed in the past, and now there is no longer a need for me to do so. I only hope that, when possible, I can help her one last time.”
With that, he turned and left.
The emperor watched his figure disappear and curled his lips into a faint smile.
He murmured to himself, “Sometimes, the twists of fate between people are truly unbelievable.”
He continued tapping the table absentmindedly for a long time before finally sighing.
He stood up and looked out the window. Outside, spring was in full bloom. Birds chirped joyfully as they flitted around the trees.
The emperor seemed amused by the sight.
At this moment, no one knew what he was thinking.
Only the emperor himself knew—he had just lied to Yan Lie. Or perhaps, he had deliberately misled him.
There are no secrets that do not eventually come to light. Yan Lie would eventually uncover the truth about the Grand Diviner. It was better that he believed it was all under the emperor’s control.
Even if Yue Qingcheng had been talented, she had studied under the Grand Diviner for less than a year. How could she possibly foresee her own death?
Although the Grand Diviner was gone, his assistant was still alive. The emperor had long known this, but had not shared this with Yan Lie.
He had already found that person, from whom he had learned many long-buried secrets.
It turned out that Yue Qingcheng’s skills were not particularly strong, and she was not capable of predicting life and death. However, the Grand Diviner owed her a favor, and once cast a fortune for her.
The fortune contained only four words—“Family destruction and personal loss.”
At that time, Yue Qingcheng had not yet married.
Now, many years later, many things could no longer be explained by ordinary logic.
The emperor could not even begin to calculate the complex chain of cause and effect behind it all.
But he knew one thing for certain—he could not afford to lose Layue.
For Yan Lie,
perhaps the best explanation was that Yue Qingcheng had foreseen her own death.
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