Chapter 21 Part 3

A wave of “hahahahaha” flew across the danmaku.

Commandery Princess Yunping asked, “Then where did you read this?”

Fu Ping’an stammered, “In a book. Just… in a book.”

Commandery Princess Yunping still wanted to ask more, but Bo Jiao’er came running in and threw herself into Fu Ping’an’s arms, starting to wail. Fu Ping’an breathed a sigh of relief at the interruption. She took some loquats from the table and stuffed them into Bo Jiao’er’s hands, telling her to go eat them nearby.

By the hour of Bu (3–5 PM), the imperial physician finally arrived. He prescribed some ointment to apply to the eyes, saying to observe after application. Having said this, he hurried off again, as if he had some urgent matter.

The next morning, Fu Ping’an finally understood—

The heavens had changed.

Celestial phenomena were guidance sent by the heavens to all living beings. Since an inauspicious celestial phenomenon had occurred, it was naturally the heavens admonishing something.

The next day, a pile of memorials covered the desk, all discussing the Heavenly Dog Eating the Sun. Fu Ping’an soon began to panic as well, because she quickly learned that solar eclipses since ancient times basically always signified “the sovereign’s lack of virtue.”

She immediately indicated, at the Empress Dowager’s prompting, that she would go to the Ancestral Temple to pray. But the officials were not so easily placated. The Child of Heaven was only ten years old, newly enthroned. What this phenomenon might more likely hint at was something else—for example, women meddling in politics, or external consorts lacking virtue.

Memorials impeaching the Bo clan suddenly multiplied. The Empress Dowager flew into a great rage and dealt with quite a few people. Fu Ping’an went to the Ancestral Temple for three days, closely watched the entire time by the Dowager’s attendants. Not long after returning to the palace, her birthday arrived. Given the current situation, a large celebration was somewhat inappropriate. Moreover, there were large batches of dead people inside and outside the court—mostly killed by the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager’s mood was very poor. Paying respects revealed some clues. The past few days, she had been too weary to even feign pleasantries with Fu Ping’an. Her smiles were more fake than ever before, and her words lacked sincerity.

Once, after Fu Ping’an said, “Mother Empress must take care of her health,” the Empress Dowager suddenly blurted out, “If only you were my own child.”

For a moment, the atmosphere became awkward. Both were silent for a long time.

Previously, both had tried their utmost to avoid bringing up this matter. Now, the Empress Dowager seemed so entangled in troubles that she had forgotten.

Another time, Fu Ping’an was helping the Empress Dowager pour tea when the Dowager abruptly said, “Are there any people in the court under your instruction?”

Fu Ping’an forcefully suppressed the urge for her hands to tremble, making an expression of surprise. “Instruction? What does that word mean?”

Later, the danmaku said—

【Taro Boba Milk Tea: Award-worthy perfect acting.】

【Regardless of Wei and Jin: Truly, circumstances shape a person.】

Time advanced swiftly in this tense rhythm. In the blink of an eye, it was a few days before her birthday.

That night, Fu Ping’an couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning in bed. Suddenly, a message appeared in the danmaku—

【Wanwan Wants to See the Moon: Your birthday is the fifteenth. The moon must be very round these days, right? I want to see the moon. Is that okay?】

【Slacker: Let him see it. He doesn’t even have a moon where he is. Quite pitiful.】

【Sleepless Days: Nothing’s free for you to see. Send gifts.】

【Cun: You really do live up to your name—sleepless every day, huh?】

【Wanwan Wants to See the Moon sent you a Lucky Rocket】

By now, Fu Ping’an understood the purpose of gifts. Gifts converted into points, and points could be exchanged for items in the Mall. In short, they were very important. So now, under the danmaku’s tutelage, she even knew to thank people for gifts.

She whispered, “Thank you, Wanwan Wants to See the Moon, for the Lucky Rocket… But I need to check if the attending palace servant is asleep.”

The one attending her normally was Ah Zhi, but today Ah Zhi had said she wasn’t feeling well and went back to rest. The one attending her was A Qing.

A Qing was a careless one who slept until broad daylight and wouldn’t easily wake. Fu Ping’an was somewhat relieved it was A Qing on duty tonight. She crept lightly outside. As expected, A Qing didn’t wake. Fu Ping’an secretly opened the hall door and stepped into the courtyard.

Moonlight cascaded down like flowing water, giving the ground a white-jade-like translucence. Shadows stretched long and dragged across the floor, as if carelessly sketched ink marks on white paper.

Outside was as bright as if lamps had been lit. To keep from making noise, Fu Ping’an walked barefoot on the ground. The soles of her feet felt a slight chill.

She still remembered her mission. Lifting her head to gaze at the sky, she suddenly saw that on the stone stool beneath the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, Commandery Princess Yunping sat, hugging her knees, feet bare, staring blankly at the sky.

She wore a white inner garment, her hair unbound. Her whole person, illuminated by the moonlight, seemed bleached white, exuding an ethereal, translucent quality like a wisp of a wandering ghost, staring blankly at the sky.

Her eyes had healed, only leaving a condition where she teared up when facing the wind. So now she habitually squinted. Hearing footsteps, she looked over, eyes slightly narrowed, like a vigilant wildcat.

Fu Ping’an approached, grumbling, “Now you look even more like you’re looking down on people.”

Commandery Princess Yunping rolled her eyes. “Where am I looking down on people?”

Fu Ping’an sat down beside her. “The first time I saw you, I felt you looked down on me.”

Commandery Princess Yunping said, “Why would I look down on you? You are the Child of Heaven. Would I dare look down on you?”

Fu Ping’an sat on another stone stool, likewise gazing toward the sky.

【Wanwan Wants to See the Moon: The moonlight is beautiful.】

【Sleepless Days: We do have a moon over here, but severe pollution—it’s not that pretty anymore.】

“You definitely look down on me. Tell me, why exactly?”

In the quiet night, the moonlight was gentle. Only insects chirped and leapt. Fu Ping’an suddenly felt as if she were back at Spirit Pavilion again, those times telling ghost stories on straw piles with her little friends.

The older kids loved to tell ghost stories to scare people. Though thinking back now, those stories were truly full of holes.

Folk tales were at most tales of karmic retribution. Back then, she had been frightened into paralysis by the vengeful ghosts in those ghost stories. Now, she had to feign calm in the face of the reality of people dying everywhere.

A few days ago, she overheard the palace servants secretly discussing that over twenty servants and attendants in the Empress Dowager’s palace had died. Fu Ping’an counted on her fingers and calculated that since the day of the solar eclipse, it had averaged about one death per day.

At first, hearing the screams, she was still somewhat afraid. Now, she was used to it.

But tonight, she wanted to temporarily forget all this.

Commandery Princess Yunping was slightly dazed for a moment, because she noticed Fu Ping’an hadn’t used the royal “Zhen.” This made her feel something different in her heart. Perhaps it was a sense that Fu Ping’an was placing her in a position of equality.

Reciprocating this sincerity, she was also willing to say some things from her heart. After thinking for a moment, she said, “At that time, I was unhappy, feeling as if I were some object brought into the palace because of some use I had… The first time I saw you, I also felt you were nothing special. You were really so thin back then. Didn’t you have enough to eat before entering the palace?”

Fu Ping’an honestly nodded. “I didn’t have enough to eat.”

Commandery Princess Yunping said, “Then I was alright. Before, when my mother was still alive, she was very good to me.”

They suddenly fell silent.

Fu Ping’an had actually always had questions in her heart, but was too embarrassed to ask. The silence stretched on too long, and she finally couldn’t help but speak. “So why do you say the Prince Regent…”

【Sleepless Days: How can you ask that at a time like this? Do you have any emotional intelligence?】

Though Fu Ping’an was scolded, Commandery Princess Yunping answered. “My father was a personal soldier of Fu Lingxian. At that time… there were people at court saying Fu Lingxian was going to rebel. My father took the blame, saying Fu Lingxian didn’t know anything. Then he was killed. My mother already wasn’t in good health. Not long after, she grew sick from accumulated grief and passed away. My younger brother also fell ill. Everyone was getting sick back then. Don’t even know what illness it was—vomiting and diarrhea. A child couldn’t survive it.”

Her voice was unexpectedly calm.

【Wanwan Wants to See the Moon: Malaria or cholera, both are possible.】

Fu Ping’an hesitated on the verge of speaking.

Back then, listening to Commandery Princess Yunping’s sorrowful words, she had thought the Prince Regent had acted against her family. Now hearing this, it seemed to have little connection with the Prince Regent.

But this was something even she knew she couldn’t say. So after pondering back and forth, she asked another question—

“Then… was the rebellion thing real?”

Commandery Princess Yunping cast her a sidelong glance, the look suggesting she thought her an idiot. “How would I know? I wasn’t there. What I just said is also just what I found out after entering the mansion.”

Fu Ping’an thought and thought, still feeling that Commandery Princess Yunping hating the Prince Regent so much was rather unreasonable. She had just been about to ask further when suddenly someone knocked on the palace gate. Bang, bang, bang—the heavy knocks came through in the dead of night, as if striking upon the heart.

Soon, a palace servant emerged from the rooms. Seeing Fu Ping’an and Commandery Princess Yunping, she said in surprise, “Your Majesty and the Princess haven’t slept yet?”

Only after saying this did she remember to pay respects. As she was about to kneel, Fu Ping’an said, “You may dispense with formalities. Go open the gate first.”

That person opened the gate. Qin He rushed in. Seeing Fu Ping’an, her eyes lit up. She immediately dashed over, gasping for breath. “Your Majesty, go quickly to Qianqiu Palace! Otherwise, Ah Zhi will die!”

Fu Ping’an jolted upright from the stone stool. She said urgently, “What’s going on?!”

Qin He swallowed. “You go on ahead. Wait—this servant will help you get an outer robe.”

But Fu Ping’an, heedless of wearing only her inner garment, immediately charged out the palace gate. She hadn’t run far when she saw the palace lane lit up as bright as day. A group of people holding torches were escorting two frail figures. Fu Ping’an approached. One was Ah Zhi, disheveled hair, clothes in disarray. The other she didn’t recognize, only that he appeared to be a young palace guard.

【Wanwan Wants to See the Moon: Adultery?】

【Sleepless Days: Ah Zhi? Impossible. Where would she have the time for a secret affair? Wait—was she trying to send a message and got caught? Damn it. That old witch is going to kill her.】

Fu Ping’an’s mind was a chaotic mess. She moved to block them, but a palace servant supported her, whispering, “Your Majesty? Why haven’t you slept yet?”

Fu Ping’an demanded, “This… this is a palace maid from my palace. Why have you tied her up?”

The palace servant slightly furrowed their brow. “Some time ago, messages were being leaked from the palace. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager ordered a strict investigation of the palace restrictions. These two were discovered having a secret meeting in the garden in the middle of the night…”

Fu Ping’an asked, “Are you saying they have a secret affair?”

The palace servant was taken aback. “Where did Your Majesty learn this term?”

Ah Zhi seemed to have heard as well. She raised her head slightly, sweeping a glance at Fu Ping’an, then immediately lowered it again.

Inside Qianqiu Palace, preparations were equally severe. The moment Fu Ping’an entered the courtyard, she spotted the Empress Dowager amidst the crowd, seated expressionlessly in the center, like a majestic statue.

Fu Ping’an rushed forward and clung to the Empress Dowager’s arm. “Mother Empress, let her go! She definitely didn’t mean to do it.”

The Empress Dowager’s brow furrowed. The palace servant who had brought her scurried to the Dowager’s side and whispered, “Her Majesty said… a secret affair…”

The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways at Fu Ping’an. Yet she said, “Both are Changyong. How could there be any ‘secret affair’?” Someone sneaking around in such sensitive times—no matter how you looked at it, they were a spy.

And what the Empress Dowager currently adhered to was: rather kill the wrong person than let them go.

Her words had barely fallen when a sudden commotion rose from the crowd. The two guards at the very front changed countenance dramatically and began backing away until they were against the wall. Only then did they point at Ah Zhi and speak. “She… she is Dikun.”

Ah Zhi knelt on the ground, face ashen, sweat plastering her hair to her cheeks, making her look as though she’d just been fished out of water.

The young guard beside her looked equally abnormal. His face flushing red, he suddenly began struggling.

A palace servant cried urgently, “They are Tianqian and Dikun! And it seems the heat cycle is about to begin!”