Chapter 208:

Emperor Jing was decisive and unyielding; Prince Liu, without hesitation, ordered executions, and thus matters were settled.

No matter how much one preferred to stick to tradition, witnessing such actions from those in power left no room for protest.

Death itself is not terrifying; what is truly terrifying is dying while bringing disgrace upon one’s family.

What prominent family does not have its own dark secrets?

Even if there were none, once the emperor declared otherwise, it was certain that no one would dare to question it. The common people might not know the truth, but if one died only to have one’s name smeared with false accusations, how could one face the ancestors?

Prince Liu Yan did not linger; after leaving the court, he departed directly. Emperor Jing did not attempt to stop him.

As if he had never arrived and had done nothing at all.

Before news of the morning court session could spread, Emperor Jing had already ordered Lai Xi to deliver the prepared imperial edict to the inner palace.

No one had anticipated that the emperor would dissolve the harem. Among the women in the inner palace who had not received favor, many were surprised to hear that they would be allowed to return home and remarry, leaving them in a state of confusion.

Certainly, remaining in the palace might have been better, but this was not the case for everyone.

Since the emperor had already decided to dissolve the harem, returning home seemed the better option.

At this moment, Zhang Lan felt especially fortunate that she had not received the emperor’s favor.

Since she held the highest rank among the un-favored women, several others came to her seeking opinions.

Zhang Lan’s intention was clear: she wanted to return home and remarry.

Since the emperor had already declared he would provide dowries and treat them as his sisters upon marriage, why should she remain? Whether becoming a palace lady or entering a convent, she had no interest in either.

Certainly, not everyone could become a palace lady; the emperor had made that clear, stating only those with capability would be chosen.

Zhang Lan thought that her martial skills were adequate, but when it came to intrigue and schemes, she knew she was unsuited for the role.

Although she did not understand why Empress Shen had treated her kindly, she was extremely grateful for that kindness at this moment. Zhang Lan was no fool; precisely because of Empress Shen’s kindness, Emperor Jing had ultimately refrained from favoring her.

And precisely because of this, she had an additional path to retreat.

Others naturally feared this might be a move by the emperor—if they truly wished to remarry, would they be ordered to commit suicide?

After all, they had once belonged to the emperor.

However, Zhang Lan disregarded all such concerns. She was the first to meet the emperor and request to return home and remarry, even making the decision without consulting her family.

She was not fearless, but thinking of Empress Shen, she felt the emperor would not act so cruelly.

Indeed, the emperor did show some appreciation for her understanding.

No one could have predicted what the emperor would do next—he immediately ordered Zhang Lan to return home and, beyond that, bestowed upon her the title of Princess Mingzhu.

This unexpected decision stirred great surprise; no one had anticipated such an outcome.

Even the Zhang family could hardly believe that Zhang Lan had received such an honor.

Because of Zhang Lan’s compliance, all unmarried women in the palace were sent home to remarry. Naturally, the others did not receive titles, illustrating how the first to take a step forward always stood apart.

Fu Jinyan was promptly appointed as a palace lady.

A few other women were granted similar positions, though not many.

The remaining concubines without specific instructions were ordered to enter a convent.

Among them was naturally Consort Hui, Fu Jinyao.

In Zhuxuan,

Fu Jinyao smashed everything she could get her hands on. She had never imagined it would come to this—ending up in such a situation. How could the emperor be so heartless?

“The emperor wouldn’t do this to me. He wouldn’t. They must have forged the imperial decree. They must have forged the imperial decree,” she gasped in fury.

Yunxue and Yunlan stood nearby, too afraid to speak.

At a time like this, what use was there in clinging to illusions?

“Where is the emperor? Where is he?” Fu Jinyao questioned the maids.

Yunlan replied, “Your Majesty is in Fengxi Palace, my lady.”

Fu Jinyao continued hurling objects, “Why isn’t she dead? Why didn’t Bai Youran kill her? I wasted so much effort for nothing.”

She ranted furiously, while Yunxue and Yunlan stood in shock.

“Please, my lady, watch your words. Someone might be listening. We mustn’t say anything that could incriminate us.”

Bai Jieyu had already been locked away in the mad tower. No one had expected it to come to this. How could their mistress still draw attention to herself?

The room had already been devastated by Fu Jinyao’s outburst. Finally, she stood up.

After catching her breath, her expression changed, “Prepare my clothes. I’m going to see the emperor.”

At this moment, she no longer referred to herself as “Ben Gong” (a term used by royalty when speaking of oneself).

She had loved him since childhood. Why wouldn’t he treat her well? Why wouldn’t he love her?

All because of Shen Layue!

Fu Jinyao was already a beauty, and after carefully dressing up, she became even more stunning, like a blooming peach blossom.

Accompanied by her two senior maids, she arrived at Fengxi Palace to request an audience.

At this time, the emperor was sitting beside Layue’s bed, murmuring about the changes in the palace.

Lai Xi entered, “Your Majesty, Consort Hui requests an audience.”

Even if Fu Jinyao had not come to seek him, he had intended to meet her. Upon hearing of her arrival, Emperor Jing showed no surprise.

“Let her in.”

He did not hide from Layue. In fact, the emperor knew that when Bai Youran was captured, her confessions contained both truth and falsehood. However, regarding Consort Hui, the truth might not be false. Therefore, he had ordered further torture and interrogation of Bai Youran’s attendants, eventually discovering that Consort Hui had indeed bribed her, deliberately provoking Bai Youran by saying certain things.

As for this Consort Hui, he had never intended to let her off easily. Coincidentally, she had come.

“Yue’er, she was also involved in the child’s death. Do you know? Death is not the most terrifying thing. What’s truly terrifying is the collapse of belief.” The emperor’s smile was chilling.

Yet Layue remained completely unresponsive.

Fu Jinyao did not know why the emperor had summoned her to Shen Layue’s chambers, but it suited her intentions.

There was no one else in the palace except the emperor and Layue, and now only Fu Jinyao remained.

“Your Majesty,” Fu Jinyao knelt to greet him.

The emperor looked at her and smiled slightly, “Stand up.”

“Stand up.” This would be the last time she knelt and the last time he addressed her.

Their eyes met, and the emperor smiled.

Fu Jinyao seemed entranced.

She murmured, “Your Majesty’s smile is truly beautiful!”

“Oh?” The emperor raised an eyebrow, looking at Fu Jinyao.

“I knew when I was little that Your Majesty was the most handsome. There is no one in the world more handsome than you,” Fu Jinyao gazed at the emperor with adoration, expressing her love.

“The first time I saw you, you came to my family to meet my elder sister. When you smiled at me then, I knew that I would be devoted to you for the rest of my life.”

The emperor’s voice was emotionless, “When I first saw you, you were just a child.”

“Yes, I was young then, but I knew I loved you so much. I thought I would be just like my sister, spending every day with you and having you look at me with that smile forever.”

The emperor sneered, “So even as a child, you were already thinking of love. Is that how your Fu family raised you? Come to think of it, it’s quite laughable. Your elder sister and brother resemble your father greatly. Only you bear no resemblance to him at all. You are just like your mother—utterly despicable.”

Perhaps the emperor’s words had struck a nerve in Fu Jinyao, for she glared at him with tears in her eyes, asking, “Why would Your Majesty say such things about me? Why? How much I love you! In this palace, there is no one else who loves you more than I do. Why won’t you believe me? You only favor those fox spirits. None of them are good people. Haven’t you seen that after all these years? Not one of them is good. Not one! Only I, only I have always been devoted to you. I silently stood behind you, hoping for just one more glance, just one more act of love.”

“Love? Fu Jinyao, you speak of love. Don’t you find it cheap?”

“Your Majesty doesn’t believe me? Do you want me to tear out my heart and show it to you?”

Seeing the emperor remained unmoved, Fu Jinyao continued, “Your Majesty, don’t you remember everything I’ve done for you? I even lost my child.”

She cried bitterly.

It was better not to mention the child at all. At the mention of the child, the emperor sneered, “Fu Jinyao, you are truly ridiculous. You claim to have done everything for me? What have you done? You have done nothing but trouble me. You have never done anything even remotely reliable. And now you bring up the child. Do you have the face to mention her? Do you truly believe I am a fool? Do you truly believe I know nothing? Was that child really the doing of Consort De? You know full well what you did to compete for my favor and bring down Consort De.”

Hearing the emperor speak thus, Fu Jinyao swayed unsteadily. She had never imagined—never imagined the emperor would know.

“Who? Who betrayed me? Yunxue? Or Yunlan?”

Looking at her pitiful state, the emperor could not see even a trace of the refined demeanor of a lady of noble birth.

“Does it matter who? No one betrayed you. I knew about your schemes from the start, and so did the empress dowager. We simply chose not to speak of it. We merely watched, waiting to see whether you, a wicked woman, would truly have the heart to kill your own child.”

(Note: “朕” is the imperial first-person pronoun used exclusively by Chinese emperors. In English translation, it’s typically rendered as “I” or “We” depending on context, as there’s no direct equivalent for this royal self-reference in English. The translation maintains the original tone of imperial authority while adapting it to natural English expression.)

Upon hearing these words, Fu Jinyao wept and tried to defend herself, “Your Majesty, please listen to me. I didn’t want to do it either. If you know about this matter, you should also know that I could never have kept that child. He was too weak. The physicians said he couldn’t be saved. In that case, how could I not think ahead? It’s not that I didn’t want him. So many times, I woke up in the middle of the night, terrified. He was my beloved child. Don’t you know how much I wanted to give you a child? I wanted it so badly I nearly went mad.”

Seeing her expression, the emperor suddenly laughed. He stood up and approached her, gently touching her face. Fu Jinyao, seeing the emperor’s gesture, leaned her cheek against his hand.

With a dazed look in her eyes, she murmured, “Your Majesty—”

“My dear Consort Hui, can you guess why you have never been able to conceive? Even during that period when you received frequent favors, you still showed no signs of pregnancy. Why do you think that is?”