The emperor left a curt “Wait here” and turned to change into his regular attire.
Li Fuxiang watched his retreating figure, then glanced at Gao Yuexing, saying, “…Why didn’t anyone inform me?”
Gao Yuexing rubbed his forehead, reddened from a flick, and teased, “Did you sleep so deeply that your brain got muddled? This is Qianqing Palace, the emperor’s personal quarters. Who needs to send word before returning to their own room?”
The matter regarding Meng Zhaoyi hadn’t been fully discussed. Although Gao Yuexing had treated it as casual gossip, she still took mental note of it.
When the emperor returned to the warm pavilion after changing into his regular attire, it was to discuss the upcoming autumn hunt with Li Fuxiang.
The hunt was imminent, and though Li Fuxiang’s health was poor, the emperor couldn’t bear to leave him in the palace.
“Prepare yourself and come along,” the emperor said. “This year, you’ve been conferred the title of prince and appointed as a junior general. We haven’t even properly shared a drink together yet.”
When Li Fuxiang had led the army back from the western front, his body was already at its limit, sustained only by medication. During the victory banquet, Li Fuxiang made only a brief appearance before the emperor brought him back to Qianqing Palace, summoned the imperial physicians for a thorough examination, and then confined him to months of recuperation.
The emperor had said, “The Fox Hu Tribe has completely surrendered. You’ll never have to step onto the battlefield again.”
Li Fuxiang pouted.
Clearly, he was unwilling.
The emperor continued, “More than achieving glory and success, we all hope for your safety and well-being.”
Gao Yuexing wholeheartedly agreed, feeling it was rare for the emperor to say something so heartfelt—it truly resonated with her.
The emperor patted Li Fuxiang on the shoulder and said, “The autumn hunt is a grand occasion, but this year is destined to be anything but peaceful. I’ll give you another chance to showcase your skills.”
The autumn hunt wouldn’t be peaceful.
Gao Yuexing made a mental note of this key point.
The emperor was clearly preparing to take action.
Gao Yuexing’s gaze met Li Fuxiang’s. He gave her a slight nod, his expression unusually serious as he said, “Be extra cautious in the coming days.”
Gao Yuexing nodded in agreement and replied, “You too.”
A few days later, news spread within the palace that the emperor had sent a large quantity of sour plums to Consort Wen’s residence.
Some speculated that the child in Consort Wen’s womb might be a boy.
A few more days passed, and rumors leaked from the Imperial Medical Bureau. It was said that Zhao, the emperor’s personal imperial physician, had subtly hinted that the likelihood of a male heir was very high.
Preparations for the autumn hunt were proceeding at full speed.
When the final participant list was submitted to the emperor, he personally used his vermillion brush to cross out Consort Wen’s name, stating that her pregnancy seemed unstable and it wasn’t suitable for her to travel. Likewise, Consort Dowager Hui sent word that she wouldn’t attend either—she had never been one to participate in such events anyway.
As for Noble Consort Xian of Chunhe Palace, she usually stayed behind to oversee palace affairs during such occasions. However, this time, in a departure from the norm, the emperor personally asked her if she would like to accompany them to the Xiaoshan palace residence.
Noble Consort Xian felt that her personal preferences didn’t matter—pleasing the emperor was the most important thing.
Since the emperor wanted her to go, she would go.
Thus, Noble Consort Xian, accompanied by the princess, began preparing to relocate to the secondary palace residence.
Gao Yuexing, however, had little to worry about. Living alone in the palace, her belongings were minimal. Fu Yun quickly packed everything into a single trunk with only minor adjustments.
The remaining time was spent waiting in quiet anticipation.
Yaonu, having stayed in the medical archives for several days, initially behaved discreetly but soon began openly flipping through records, including the medical cases of the late empress dowager and the emperor. Armed with an imperial edict, no one in the medical archives dared to stop him.
One afternoon, Gao Yuexing met with Yaonu at Qianqing Palace.
Gao Yuexing asked with some anticipation, “Have you reached a conclusion?”
Yaonu nodded at her and said, “Yes.”
Gao Yuexing: “Is there something suspicious about the late empress dowager’s death?”
Yaonu replied, “The missing portions of the late empress dowager’s medical records reveal an intriguing pattern. Starting from three years before her passing, adjustments to the records occurred once every month, then every half-month, and finally, in the later stages, every two to three days.”
Gao Yuexing: “What is your deduction based on this?”
Yaonu said, “After reviewing all of the late empress dowager’s medical records, I found that although the prescriptions changed frequently, one ingredient remained consistent—ginseng.”
The late empress dowager had a habit of drinking ginseng soup daily.
Even in her medications, the dosage of ginseng was excessive.
Yaonu explained, “The Compendium of Materia Medica clearly states that ginseng counteracts lily root. This is only my conjecture, but it warrants investigation.”
Tracing clues back over a decade was no easy task. Imperial Physician Zhou dared to destroy medical records; what wouldn’t he dare to do?
Gao Yuexing understood that it was unwise to harbor high hopes, but gaining clarity on the truth provided a small sense of relief.
Meanwhile, the Jinyiwei, whom Li Fuxiang had assigned to look into Zhou Xiaohu’s case, brought news back to the palace.
The boy named Zhou Xiaohu had been identified as Imperial Physician Zhou’s grandson.
Imperial Physician Zhou’s wife and daughter-in-law had been abducted, and their whereabouts remained unknown. No concrete leads had been uncovered thus far.
Li Fuxiang instructed the Jinyiwei to intervene directly, refusing to let them proceed at their current sluggish pace. Time was of the essence, and they couldn’t afford to wait.
During the daytime, Gao Yuexing lingered in Qianqing Palace without much to do. In the warmer afternoon sun, she would sit on the threshold with Li Fuxiang to bask in its warmth.
The eunuchs and maids in Qianqing Palace worked with pleasing efficiency, never causing any disturbances despite their busy hands.
As Gao Yuexing soaked up the sun and watched them bustling about, she suddenly realized that she hadn’t seen Xu Xiude in a while.
Normally, Xu Xiude never left the emperor’s side, but recently, another unfamiliar young eunuch seemed to be attending to him. It was said that this eunuch had been trained by Xu Xiude himself and was proving highly capable.
What had Xu Xiude been preoccupied with?
Gao Yuexing had only just noticed his absence when, within a couple of days, Xu Xiude returned to the emperor’s side.
In the study, the emperor asked, “Is it done?”
Xu Xiude bowed his head and replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. The Wen Yuan library has been thoroughly purged. Following your orders, we have erred on the side of eliminating rather than overlooking.”
The eunuchs who had managed the Wen Yuan library were silently replaced.
No one in the palace cared about the deaths of eunuchs.
Moreover, the one who issued the decree was the emperor himself.
Xu Xiude handled the aftermath meticulously, leaving no traces.
Many people had disappeared from the palace, but in their place lingered a few restless souls.
The gates of Jingmen Palace remained tightly shut, with no news emerging from within. Consort Hui maintained her usual leisurely demeanor, and it was said that she had even taken to keeping two thrushes for amusement, thoroughly enjoying her idle pastimes.
Two more days passed.
Li Fuxiang received a thick letter delivered by the Jinyiwei.
There was news about Imperial Physician Zhou’s family.
The Jinyiwei had written on paper as thin as a single sheet, with fine, clear handwriting. Li Fuxiang sat on the threshold, holding it up to the light as he read.
Gao Yuexing, overcome with curiosity, could barely contain herself. “What is it?”
Li Fuxiang replied, “The Jinyiwei have uncovered information about Consort Dowager Hui’s family.”
Gao Yuexing exclaimed, “Consort Dowager Hui’s family?”
This was news she had never heard before.
Consort Dowager Hui’s family was neither prominent nor entirely obscure. The late emperor’s preferences were vastly different from those of the current emperor. The women of the previous harem were almost all from prestigious families, known not only for their intelligence but also for their beauty. As a result, the harem back then was far more perilous than it is now. Many young women met untimely and inexplicable deaths, and justice for them remains unattainable to this day.
Li Fuxiang read aloud the small characters from the letter: “The background recorded when Consort Dowager Hui, then Lady Hui, entered the palace—Zhang Yuansui, the eldest daughter of Zhang Bai, Director of the Court of State Ceremonial, and elder sister of Zhang Yuegong…”
At this point, Gao Yuexing interrupted, “Zhang Yuegong!”
Li Fuxiang continued, “Zhang Yuegong, Chief Inspector of the Provincial Judicial Office.”
A high-ranking official of the third rank, and Consort Dowager Hui’s elder brother.
Gao Yuexing was both astonished and impressed. Consort Dowager Hui had concealed this well.
Now that the investigation had reached this point, there was no need for Li Fuxiang to issue further orders. The Jinyiwei naturally would not stop tracing the connections.
Evidence indicated that the relatives of Imperial Physician Zhou who had been abducted were closely linked to this Chief Inspector of the Provincial Judicial Office.
But investigations take time.
Before Li Fuxiang could wait for the results, the emperor’s procession had already set out for the Xiaoshan Palace residence.
The trees along the road were left with nothing but bare branches.
Fallen leaves were piled along both sides of the road, and it was impossible to clear them all at once.
Gao Yuexing lifted the bamboo curtain of the carriage and gazed outside. “Winter is coming,” she said.
Li Lanyao, sharing the same carriage, heard her and asked, “Do you like winter?”
Gao Yuexing thought for a moment and replied, “I like all four seasons.”
But she looked forward to winter just a little more.
Because that was the season when Li Fuxiang was born.
From the day Gao Yuexing returned to the capital, she had been eagerly looking forward to the lantern festival on the first day of the twelfth lunar month. This year, she wanted to celebrate his birthday with the rest of the world.
Li Fuxiang, riding on horseback, arrived at Xiaoshan ahead of everyone else.
In recent years, the Xiaoshan Palace Residence had expanded to include a newly constructed hot spring. The emperor had granted it to Li Fuxiang for his exclusive use. Located in the back mountain of the Xiaoshan Palace, it was neither too noisy nor excessively remote. Guards were stationed tightly, ensuring its safety.
With winter approaching, the emperor had made preparations a few days before departing, adding the medicinal concoction prepared by Yaonu into the hot spring pool. It was left to steep for two days and nights to fully activate its medicinal properties.
Li Fuxiang had come specifically for this medicinal bath.
The emperor was most concerned about the severe illnesses Li Fuxiang faced every winter. Improper care sometimes exacerbated his asthma, leaving everyone on edge.
The mountain was blanketed with a thick layer of fallen leaves, and even the sound of horses’ hooves stepping on them was muted.
Li Fuxiang left his clothes on a rock by the shore and submerged himself in the spring.