The Eastern Empress Dowager listened to many congratulations. Although her hearing wasn’t very good, she understood that everyone was wishing her well. Moreover, the emperor was diligently caring for her and could spend the entire day by her side, which lifted her spirits. She smiled so broadly that her toothless mouth couldn’t close.
However, she was, after all, eighty years old and physically very frail. As soon as the birthday celebration performance ended, and while everyone was still enjoying the feast, she started yawning repeatedly.
“Mother, are you tired?” Emperor Chen put down his silver chopsticks and asked with concern.
Although he had been raised by the Western Empress Dowager since childhood and likely had deeper feelings for her, the Eastern Empress Dowager was his biological mother, and he still had filial piety for her.
The Eastern Empress Dowager yawned again and then shook her head repeatedly. At her advanced age, even though her body was weak, she still wished to have her family by her side.
Emperor Chen nodded, personally scooped a bowl of red date and barley porridge, and handed it to the Eastern Empress Dowager. Her hands trembled as she tried to take it, and Emperor Chen quickly helped her, placing the bowl in front of her.
As Emperor Chen withdrew his gaze, he couldn’t help but notice his mother’s trembling, thin hands. He knew in his heart that this was probably her last birthday celebration. He felt a wave of emotion rise within him. No matter who it is, no one can escape the cycle of life and death. He glanced at his own hands, seeing wrinkles that hadn’t been there in his younger, stronger years.
The three small countries he hadn’t conquered yet were a thorn in his side.
He was increasingly worried that his limited lifespan wouldn’t allow him to complete this monumental feat.
As Emperor Chen was lost in thought, the Eastern Empress Dowager suddenly started coughing.
“Mother, what’s wrong?”
The Eastern Empress Dowager’s eyes widened in horror as she pointed ahead.
The lively banquet suddenly fell silent as everyone, along with Emperor Chen, looked towards the tall birthday peach she was pointing at. Black ink stains slowly began to appear on each peach, dripping from top to bottom, gradually forming a sinister human face.
A young boy from one of the families cried out “Black Impermanence1Black Impermanence (黑无常, Hēi Wúcháng) is a figure from Chinese mythology and folk religion, often associated with the afterlife and the underworld.,” and then burst into tears. His mother, trembling with fear, quickly covered his mouth.
Seeing the Eastern Empress Dowager’s pale face, Emperor Chen was furious and immediately called for the imperial physician. He also commanded, “Deshun, go and see what is happening!”
Chief Eunuch Deshun quickly ran over, squinting as he examined the scene. He dipped his finger in the black ink stain and tasted it, then hurried back to the emperor to report, “Your Majesty, it seems the ink used to write the birthday wishes melted. We’ll need to investigate further to be sure…”
Emperor Chen, enraged, slammed his palm on the table and shouted, “Where is Qi Mingcheng!”
The emperor’s anger caused everyone in the hall to rise instantly.
You Yuji, following the others, knelt down and said in unison, “Your Majesty, please calm down.”
The empress wanted to persuade the emperor to calm down, but seeing the Eastern Empress Dowager frowning and looking displeased, she immediately said to the emperor, “Your Majesty, allow me to take the Empress Dowager to the side hall to rest. It will also give the imperial physician a chance to examine her.”
Emperor Chen agreed.
The empress supported the Eastern Empress Dowager as they walked out through the eastern side door, but before they could leave, they heard a commotion outside.
“What now? I put Qi Mingcheng in charge of this banquet, and this is how he manages it? Where is he? Bring him to me!” Emperor Chen’s displeasure increased.
Li Momo, who served Princess Huarong, hurried over. Seeing the emperor’s expression, she knelt down before speaking, “Your Majesty, Prince Kangjing snuck into the princess’s resting quarters, speaking vile and inappropriate words. The princess sent me to request your intervention!”
“What? Unbelievable!” Emperor Chen left his seat and strode outside.
Prince Consort Cui Xingxian, startled upon hearing that the incident involved the princess, quickly followed the emperor.
Everyone in the hall who had been kneeling stood up and began whispering among themselves.
“Why would Prince Kangjing try to insult Aunt?” Chen Lingyan couldn’t believe it. “Could Aunt have misunderstood?”
“Silence!” Princess Consort of Jinnan glared at her.
Chen Lingyan shut her mouth but still couldn’t believe it. Who would dare provoke Aunt with her personality?
You Yuji stood quietly beside the princess consort, listening indifferently to the discussions around her.
The temporary resting rooms were not far away, and after the hall quieted down, the noise outside, especially Princess Huarong’s scolding, could be heard clearly. Despite being of royal blood, Princess Huarong was not shy about berating someone harshly.
The Crown Prince was the first to leave his seat and head to the side hall.
Several princes and princess consorts followed soon after. The court officials, although curious, stayed in the main hall, while only the royal family members proceeded to the side hall.
You Yuji stood silently beside the princess consort, not uttering a word. The princess consort, feeling unwell, didn’t want to join the commotion, but she couldn’t resist Chen Lingyan’s curiosity to see what was happening.
“All the other princess consorts are going over. If we don’t go, it will seem like we don’t care about Aunt,” Chen Lingyan said, trying to cover her curiosity with concern.
The princess consort then headed towards the side door.
Chief Eunuch Deshun instructed two young eunuchs to quickly pack up the tall birthday peaches. You Yuji took one last look at the “melted ink” peaches before quietly following the princess consort out, behaving like a dutiful daughter-in-law.
“You filthy dog! How dare you call this princess ‘baby’? Disgusting!” Princess Huarong, with one hand on her hip and the other pointing at Qi Mingcheng, who was kneeling with his arms restrained by guards, shouted.
Qi Mingcheng’s face turned pale and then red as he struggled to defend himself, “Your Majesty, this is a complete misunderstanding! I didn’t know Princess Huarong was in the room. Even if I had the courage, I wouldn’t dare to be disrespectful to the princess!”
“Nonsense! At this moment, you still dare to lie!” Princess Huarong rushed over, grabbed Qi Mingcheng’s collar with one hand, and slapped him hard across the face with the other. “You kept calling me ‘princess,’ claiming to be infatuated with me, thinking about me day and night! And now you say you didn’t know I was in the room? There’s only one princess in the entire palace! This is deception!”
“I wouldn’t dare! Your Majesty, this really is a misunderstanding!”
Emperor Chen remained silent, his expression unreadable, not even showing his anger. The emperor’s thoughts were impossible to gauge.
When Qi Mingcheng turned and saw You Yuji, anger immediately flared in his eyes. He stared at her with wide eyes, shouting loudly, “Your Majesty, please see the truth. It was her who set me up!”
All eyes turned to You Yuji.
Chen Anzhi, who had been watching the commotion with pleasure, because he had always been at odds with Qi Mingcheng, was initially enjoying Qi Mingcheng’s misfortune. However, upon hearing him accuse You Yuji, his face turned cold.
Feeling everyone’s gaze on her, including Emperor Chen, You Yuji calmly lifted her eyes, blinking slowly with a look of slight confusion and bewilderment. She gracefully stepped forward, and those in front of her automatically made way.
You Yuji approached Emperor Chen, performed a respectful bow, and said, “Your Majesty, after my performance, I went to the side hall to change my clothes. Later, I saw Prince Kangjing loitering and peering outside Princess Huarong’s door. I reminded him that the princess was resting inside, and then returned to the main hall. At that time, a group of palace maids passed by, and they can all testify for me.”
“You set me up!” Qi Mingcheng, red-faced with rage, wanted to get up and strangle this malicious woman, but the guards held his shoulders, keeping him immobilized.
You Yuji turned her gaze to Qi Mingcheng and asked, “Prince, you keep saying that I framed you, but what reason would I have to do so?”
“Because!” Qi Mingcheng suddenly fell silent.
Why would she frame him? Could he possibly reveal that he had been blackmailing You Yuji using her unclear relations with the Poison Pavilion’s master to force her to deliver Princess Que?
Not to mention that it was he who first tried to coerce her and wanted to seize Princess Que, who, despite being from a fallen kingdom and of low status, was now associated with the Jinnan Prince’s residence. If he revealed the truth in front of everyone today, it would disgrace the Jinnan Prince’s residence.
More importantly, the emperor had been pursuing information about the Poison Pavilion. If it came out that he knew but did not report it, that would be a capital offense!
Qi Mingcheng opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words to defend himself.
Chen Anzhi rushed into the crowd, standing protectively in front of You Yuji, and pointed angrily at Qi Mingcheng, “So, Qi Mingcheng, even in your downfall, you want to drag others down with you? Do you wish to harm my wife because you have lost your own?”
Chen Anzhi finally found the opportunity to kick a man when he was down, feeling extremely pleased.
“Anzhi,” the Jinnan Prince reprimanded.
The word “death” was taboo in the palace, especially on the Eastern Empress Dowager’s birthday celebration. Chen Anzhi’s words were somewhat inauspicious.
Realizing his slip, Chen Anzhi immediately knelt and pleaded, “Emperor Grandfather, I misspoke. I was too angry and spoke without thinking. Emperor Grandfather, you may not know, but last time, when Prince Kangjing came to our residence with his wife to apologize, on their way back, the Princess Consort of Kangjing jumped out of the carriage. Although I cannot be certain, I suspect it was because of Prince Kangjing’s debauchery that she was heartbroken. Given his behavior, it’s not surprising he would do something so disrespectful today!”
Qi Mingcheng’s eyebrow twitched in anger. Even if he was foolish, he knew that any defense now would be futile.
Princess Huarong, having long grown impatient, snapped.
“Father! You must seek justice for your daughter! I was still awake, but if I had been asleep, he could have taken advantage of me. How could I survive such humiliation?” Princess Huarong cried out.
The Crown Prince tried to plead, “Father, perhaps Prince Kangjing was just momentarily confused due to drunkenness…”
“Shut up!” Princess Huarong immediately interrupted him. “What a pathetic excuse! What, do I have to actually be assaulted before he can be punished? If he is not sentenced to death today, it is as good as sentencing me to death! Anyone who pleads for him is opposing me!”
When it came to being domineering and spoiled, if Princess Huarong claimed second place, no one would dare to claim first.
The Crown Prince was only trying to maintain a reputation for leniency, but the word “pathetic” hit him hard. He glanced cautiously at the emperor’s expression and prudently fell silent.
Chen Xun and Chen Lian exchanged a glance, seeing the same worry in each other’s eyes. The emperor admired martial prowess and had never favored the Crown Prince’s gentle leniency. Today, with the Crown Prince being the first to plead for Prince Kangjing, Chen Xun and Chen Lian clearly disapproved of their father’s actions.
Emperor Chen remained silent for a long time.
You Yuji discreetly observed Emperor Chen’s expression before lowering her gaze. Emperor Chen was a sharp man. Today’s trap wasn’t particularly clever, but You Yuji was certain he would punish Qi Mingcheng.
She understood that the three non-imperial princes were established by the emperor to enhance his own reputation. After the Princess Consort of Kangjing jumped out of the carriage, the emperor had immediately assigned the Eastern Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet to Qi Mingcheng, likely intending to deal with him. She was merely borrowing a knife to kill, and the emperor would be more than willing to go along with it.
“I trusted you greatly, Qi Mingcheng, which is why I entrusted you with the responsibility of organizing the Eastern Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet. But you have been careless at every turn! You even disturbed the Empress Dowager! And now, in your drunken state, you insult my beloved daughter, disrespecting the royal family! You have truly disappointed me!”
Qi Mingcheng sat on the ground, his face ashen, knowing the verdict.
“Effective immediately, you are demoted to a commoner! Guards, take him away and detain him.”
“Father! I want to personally punish him!” Princess Huarong pointed at Qi Mingcheng.
Emperor Chen said nothing, which was tacit consent.
Princess Huarong smiled with satisfaction.
“Cui Xingxian!” Princess Huarong called to her consort. “What are you hiding for? Take him back and use him for target practice!”
Cui Xingxian quickly arranged for Qi Mingcheng to be taken away. As a scholar, he had always obeyed the princess’s commands.
You Yuji watched Qi Mingcheng being dragged away, feeling little joy.
She did not want him merely demoted to a commoner.
She wanted Qi Mingcheng dead.
Of course, now that Qi Mingcheng was in Princess Huarong’s hands, he wouldn’t live long.
“Your Majesty!” The chief eunuch ran over in a panic. “We’ve discovered that the Poison Pavilion’s master has appeared in the palace!”
Emperor Chen was furious. “How dare they! Capture him immediately!”
The chief eunuch stammered, “The master of the Poison Pavilion has set fire to the Yuanlong Hall!”
Yuanlong Hall was the emperor’s sleeping quarters.
Goodbye blackmailer