The bottles and jars of medicine for external application and internal use were left in the Qianqing Palace. Imperial Physician Zhao wiped the sweat dripping down the side of his neck and, at the moment he stepped out of the palace gates, he instantly felt relieved and refreshed, both in body and mind.
Coincidentally, he ran into a colleague of his, Imperial Physician Zhou, face-to-face.
Imperial Physician Zhou often attended to Noble Consort Hui.
The sun was already leaning westward, and the routine pulse examinations for peace and safety usually occurred in the morning.
Imperial Physician Zhao asked, “What’s the matter? Is the noble consort feeling unwell?”
Imperial Physician Zhou stopped and replied, “Someone from Jingmen Palace sent word, saying the noble consort suddenly experienced inexplicable dizziness. It’s an old ailment, so I’m going to check on her. How about you? How serious is Prince Xiang’s injury?”
Imperial Physician Zhao sighed heavily and said, “Don’t even mention it. His Majesty was watching from behind the whole time, not leaving even half a step. If I applied less force, it wasn’t enough; if I applied more, it was too much. Fortunately, the young prince can endure pain.”
Imperial Physician Zhou was puzzled. “Why is His Majesty angry again out of nowhere?” He emphasized the word “again” heavily.
Imperial Physician Zhao pondered for a moment, appearing as though he had something to say but stopped himself.
Imperial Physician Zhou urged, “Come on, tell me. Why are you acting so secretive in front of me?”
Imperial Physician Zhao said, “By the time I arrived, His Majesty’s temper had mostly subsided. But I overheard something from Eunuch Xu… Apparently, while strolling through the garden today, His Majesty passed by Mifei Palace. The sight of the osmanthus trees there caught his eye, and upon hearing that Wen Zhaorongrong was playing the zither, he decided to go in and take a look.”
Imperial Physician Zhou didn’t understand. “His Majesty went to see Wen Zhaorongrong? What does that have to do with Prince Xiang?”
Imperial Physician Zhao said, “It’s said that Prince Xiang made a scene outside and disrupted the whole matter.”
Imperial Physician Zhou was utterly stunned.
Carrying his medicine box, Imperial Physician Zhao left helplessly.
—
Inside Qianqing Palace.
The emperor drew back the bright yellow bed curtains, intending to check on Li Fuxiang’s injuries.
Li Fuxiang opened his eyes. “The last time you hit me, you said there wouldn’t be a next time.”
The emperor sat at the foot of the bed. “Did I say that?”
Li Fuxiang didn’t feel like responding.
The emperor said, “Fine. So this is what gives you the confidence to act recklessly, isn’t it?”
Li Fuxiang was at fault. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have tried to jump out of the window to escape.
The emperor said, “No matter what, you shouldn’t have hidden that kind of book in the Wen Yuan Library. What’s the meaning of that? In the future… how could I ever trust you with anything else?”
Li Fuxiang seemed to have grown up, yet hadn’t fully matured. Every time the emperor felt immensely gratified by his progress, some unexpected mishap would leave him both amused and exasperated.
The emperor said, “When you were young, you didn’t have a teacher to guide you. You learned some characters from Yagu. When I first brought you out of the Xiaonan Pavilion, you didn’t like reading those dense and convoluted classics and instead loved looking at pictures. Your two maternal uncles from the Zheng family indulged you, sending you idle books every day to amuse you. But they knew their limits… That whole basket of filthy things you have—who gave them to you?”
Li Fuxiang remained silent.
The emperor refused to back down on this matter: “If you won’t tell me, I’ll find out anyway.”
Everyone around Li Fuxiang was the emperor’s people. Every move Li Fuxiang made could be reported back to him at any time if he wished. However, the emperor had never been willing to expend the effort to monitor him so closely. Since the person had been given to him, he was his. The emperor didn’t want Li Fuxiang to feel constantly watched—that kind of life was unpleasant.
Suddenly, the emperor started talking about an event from his own childhood: “When I was in my early teens, I once secretly snuck out of the palace with some people, thinking I had arranged everything flawlessly. But as soon as I stepped out, the late emperor received word. That very night, Xiao Anzi, who had grown up with me, was beaten to death by imperial decree.”
Li Fuxiang sat up in bed and quietly listened.
The emperor’s eyes were fixed on the slowly brightening candlelight. After a long pause, he continued, “Xiao Anzi… he was a year younger than me. He came to serve me when he was five. I had always thought he’d serve me until we were old, but instead, he remained forever twelve.”
Li Fuxiang softly bit out his words, “How could that happen?”
The emperor said, “That’s what it means to be emperor.”
Li Fuxiang, who could now sit up on his own, still looked pale and weak, but he seemed to be out of danger. Ding Wenfu, before joining the Imperial Guards, had been a skilled interrogator in Zhaoyu Prison. The emperor trusted his precision and restraint.
The emperor picked up a bowl of medicinal soup that had already cooled, handed it to Li Fuxiang, and said, “But in front of you, I am not the emperor. I reason with you properly, so you should behave as well, all right?”
Li Fuxiang took the bowl and drank it down in one gulp.
The emperor suddenly asked, “Do you want to know what Wen Zhaorongrong said to me today?”
—
After Gao Yuexing returned to Chunhe Palace, she felt restless.
In the evening, the princess came to see her. As soon as she entered, she anxiously asked, “Ah Xing, what happened earlier today? I heard Xiang has been reprimanded again.”
Gao Yuexing thought to herself, The rumors sure spread fast.
She asked, “What exactly did you hear?”
Outside Chunhe Palace, a commotion arose.
It was Noble Consort Xian, leaving with her attendants.
Li Lanyao peeked outside and said, “By now, it seems the whole palace knows. My mother consort has already gone to Qianqing Palace.”
Like a spark carried by the wind, the news had swept through the entire palace city.
Gao Yuexing asked, “What are they saying?”
Li Lanyao, with no filter, replied, “They’re saying that in the afternoon, Father Emperor was strolling through the gardens and passed by Mifei Palace. That one used some tricks to lure him inside, but Li Fuxiang caused a scene and disrupted everything, which upset Father Emperor. So when they returned, he was reprimanded.”
Gao Yuexing was dumbfounded. “Do you think that’s credible?”
For one, it seemed today was the first time the emperor had ever been to Wen Zhaorongrong’s palace. And Gao Yuexing, having seen the emperor leave herself, noted how impeccably neat his appearance and attire were, showing no signs of indulgence. The rumors were clearly outrageous.
The emperor had held onto his longing for Zheng Yungou for over a decade—it was an attachment he could not easily let go of.
The palace was full of beautiful women.
How likely was it that the emperor would fall for the daughter of a convicted official at first sight?
If Wen Zhaorongrong truly possessed such charm, enough to elicit even a sliver of pity from the emperor, how could she have remained practically under house arrest in Mifei Palace for two years?
Li Lanyao pondered for a moment and said, “I think it’s unreliable too… but this whole situation is just so strange. A Xing, Father treats Xiang like a treasure he holds dear, yet both times he’s punished him harshly, it’s been because of this Wen Zhaorong. It’s hard not to feel uneasy.”
Gao Yuexing sensed something was off and frowned. “Punished harshly twice?”
Li Lanyao replied, “You don’t know? It was my unruly younger brother Xiang who brought this Wen Zhaorong into the palace back then. Not only did he bring the daughter of a convicted official into the imperial city, but he also boasted that he was going to present her to the emperor. Honestly, there’s no one in this world more audacious than him. That time, the punishment was a caning, but the gates of Qianqing Palace were shut tight, and no one but the imperial physicians could enter. The next day, he was sent off to the battlefield, leaving the capital by carriage. My mother and I guessed that his injuries weren’t severe, but much later, we heard from the physicians that his outer robe was soaked with blood at the time…”
A few days ago at the Gao residence, Li Fuxiang had said that the emperor only hit him three times with a ruler on that occasion.
He had lied.
The fact that Li Fuxiang had left for the battlefield by carriage back then wasn’t a secret. When the Zheng family army returned victorious, they joked about it, and the story spread within the military.
Of course, if someone is seen as useless, everything they do becomes a source of annoyance.
But if the same person is a brilliant and exceptional young general, even their faults can be polished into virtues, like an impeccable flower.
Before he left for the battlefield, his actions were seen as childish, reckless, and absurd.
After his victorious return, the military’s retelling of the events transformed him into a calm and strategic leader, sitting confidently at the center of command.
Gao Yuexing thought back to when Li Fuxiang was still naive and clueless. Back then, it was she who schemed and plotted in the palace, trying to shield him under her fragile wings.
Times had changed. Now, the roles were reversed. Li Fuxiang had become the one who planned carefully, treading lightly. He walked ahead, seemingly indifferent, concealing his pain from Gao Yuexing.
He was gently, but firmly, pushing her back step by step into the shelter of a calm and storm-free life.
Grow up quickly, Gao Yuexing thought, clasping her hands together in silent hope.
Li Lanyao waved a hand in front of her face. “What are you doing?”
Gao Yuexing replied, “I’m thinking…”
Halfway through her sentence, she hesitated and stopped. She couldn’t quite figure it out.
—
The incident with Li Fuxiang hiding books in the Wen Yuan Library had never leaked—it had been kept airtight.
If that could be kept a secret, why couldn’t the incident at Mifei Palace?
Moreover, not only had the rumors about Mifei Palace spread quickly, but they had also grown increasingly exaggerated.
Gao Yuexing slowly recalled the people who had witnessed everything in Qianqing Palace today—Grand Tutor Liu, Ding Wenfu, Xu Xiude, and perhaps the hidden Jinyiwei bodyguards who always accompanied the emperor. There was no one else.
She analyzed these individuals—all of them were deeply loyal to the emperor. None of them would gossip carelessly.
Unless… it was the emperor himself who had given the order.
—
Sometimes, once a single point of logic clicks into place, there’s a moment of sudden enlightenment.
Gao Yuexing had long suspected that Li Fuxiang, as cautious as he was, no matter how rebellious, would never do something as outrageous as offering a woman to his own father.
She would rather believe he had his own plans and arrangements.
At that moment, what came to her mind was that the palace might be on the verge of a major upheaval.
Li Fuxiang seemed to be planning a purge within the palace, and today might just be the opening act—a signal to beat the drums and gongs.
It looked like there would be a good show to watch in the imperial city.
—
Noble Consort Xian returned late at night. Li Lanyao went to greet her mother, and Gao Yuexing accompanied her. Noble Consort Xian’s expression was rather unpleasant. Upon entering her chambers, she dismissed everyone except her trusted confidants, leaned against the couch, and asked for a cup of cool tea.
Li Lanyao softly asked, “Mother, how did it go?”
Noble Consort Xian glanced at the two girls. Gao Yuexing was no longer considered an outsider in her presence, so she spoke openly in front of them. “I saw your brother Xiang. His injuries aren’t light, and he’s not sleeping well.”
Li Lanyao asked, “And Father? Is he still angry?”
Noble Consort Xian tugged at the corners of her mouth. Her usually gentle demeanor almost gave way to a cold sneer. “Your father? I didn’t see him. I asked the people in Qianqing Palace—they said he flipped a token and went to Mifei Palace to spend the night.”
Li Lanyao froze in disbelief.
Noble Consort Xian drained the remaining cool tea in her cup in one gulp. “…Unbelievable.”
Gao Yuexing raised her eyelids.
The emperor went to spend the night at Mifei Palace?
That would mean that tonight, Li Fuxiang was the only one in Qianqing Palace.
Gao Yuexing immediately formed a plan in her mind. She quietly exited Noble Consort Xian’s chambers, keeping her thoughts to herself.
When the night grew still and the servants dozing in the corridors had nodded off, she silently rose from her bed, threw on a cloak, and slipped out of Chunhe Palace. Avoiding the patrolling guards, she jogged all the way to Qianqing Palace.