It had been twenty years since Tian Fen had last felt the emotion called anger.
The moment they exited the Vermilion Bird Gate, the Minister of Agriculture, Shangguan Ming, climbed into his carriage, his face full of anxiety. “Even the Director of the Grand Ceremonies, Yu Sheng, has been thrown into prison! What are we to do? That Si Fangxuan already has Her Majesty’s deep trust—surely this won’t mean she directly replaces Yu Sheng?”
Tian Fen suppressed the fury in his heart, his face betraying no emotion. He stared at Shangguan Ming and said, “You knew about today’s events?”
Shangguan Ming immediately looked guilty. “I merely thought… stalling for a few more days would be for the best. What if Luo Xiang loses on the battlefield…”
Tian Fen felt a profound sense of absurdity. “He went to war for the country, and you actually hoped for his defeat? Have you all gone mad? As for today’s matter, why didn’t you tell me?”
Shangguan Ming said, “…I simply did not wish to disturb you.”
Tian Fen sneered, “Even if you don’t disturb me, do you think Her Majesty will assume this matter has nothing to do with me? Foolish! Absurd!”
Tian Fen took a deep breath and said, “Get out. Don’t bring this collective humiliation upon us again. As for Yu Sheng’s situation, there’s no need to worry. As long as you aren’t too stupid to leave loose ends that can be found, and once the wedding is complete, there will be a general amnesty. He will be fine.”
Shangguan Ming was still unconvinced. “How is this our humiliation? It was clear from the start that Her Majesty didn’t believe us…”
Tian Fen replied, “And how could she trust you, when you’ve acted in such a way?”
Shangguan Ming pressed, “But this position of Empress…”
Tian Fen raised a hand to stop him. “The position of Empress is no longer a dream to entertain. Enough, I am tired. Tomorrow and the day after, we must prepare for the Grand Levy Ceremony. The Director of the Grand Ceremonies… since he was in the know, punishment will be unavoidable once the investigation concludes. I cannot speak on his behalf…”
Shangguan Ming grew frantic. “How can she not trust you? After all, you are Her Majesty’s own uncle…”
Before he could finish, Tian Fen’s suppressed anger finally boiled over. He raised his voice, “Do you know what Her Majesty said to me today?!”
Her Majesty had never spoken harsh words to him before.
Indeed, Tian Fen knew that Her Majesty did not trust him, but over all these years, aside from the current Duke of Ying, he had never seen Her Majesty place trust in anyone else.
Just look at the Empress Dowager, still confined within the palace, and look at Fu Lingxian, fearful of making a single misstep. It was clear that Her Majesty guarded her own power with the utmost seriousness.
Even with Chen Songru, wasn’t she counterbalanced by a kinswoman like Chen Wenyi? Though Chen Songru now seemed quite trusted, this was entirely predicated on her apparent, total break with the Chen Clan. If Chen Songru were ever to return to the Chen Clan one day, her current good fortune would be over.
Yet today, Her Majesty had said such a thing to him. This was, without a doubt, a warning.
Recalling Her Majesty’s tone at the time, Tian Fen felt vexed and uneasy. Naturally, he had no good mood left for Shangguan Ming. He said impatiently, “Get off now. We need to keep a low profile for a while.”
Shangguan Ming still wanted to speak, but Tian Fen had already ordered the carriage to stop and opened the door. Shangguan Ming had no choice but to disembark and board his own carriage.
But inside his carriage, the more he thought about it, the more indignant he felt.
He had served as Minister of Agriculture since the reign of Emperor Wen. In terms of seniority, how could Tian Fen compare to him? Yet now everyone followed Tian Fen’s lead—wasn’t that solely because of his status as Her Majesty’s biological uncle?
His expression remained dark the entire way home, but as he neared his residence, it gradually smoothed over.
He recalled a previous conversation about Her Majesty with Yu Sheng, the Director of the Grand Ceremonies, and Wang Kezhi, the head of the Wang Clan. They had all agreed that Her Majesty’s main issue was none other than her physical health.
They had reports from within the palace. According to the Imperial Medical Bureau’s pulse records, Her Majesty had long been afflicted with a residual toxin. Her health had never been good, and she did not appear destined for a long life.
He surmised that Her Majesty must be anxious about this herself, hence the rush to marry, and the stubborn insistence on praying at Qianliang Mountain—could she genuinely be praying for success in the war?
Perhaps it was just as the current rumors suggested: the wedding and prayers were all for “rinsing away ill fortune”…
Thinking this, he sat up a little straighter. He might be thirty years older than Her Majesty, but who could truly say who would remain healthier three years from now?
Fu Ping’an narrowed her eyes, letting Qin He massage her temples while she listened to the Commandant of Justice’s investigation report from below.
“Upon inspection, it was discovered that the very tip of the lampwick was made of a different, highly flammable material, but it burned out very quickly. That’s why it looked like there was still a long section left, yet suddenly finished burning when Your Majesty stepped forward… The palace attendant named Tong Yuan claims that, in his greed for a bargain, he bought a lampwick from someone outside the palace, unaware that it was made like this…”
[Cloud no Mu: So that’s it, something extremely flammable. Magnesium? Sodium?]
[Does Your Majesty Drink Coffee?: Now that I think about it, there really was a sudden, bright flare at the end. I was just too shocked at the time to mention it.]
[Cultivated Gentleman: A magnesium strip? No way, has someone discovered magnesium?]
[I Report Consort Xi for Adultery: Not necessarily. Maybe someone just stumbled upon a substance with that property and used it. They definitely wouldn’t know it was magnesium.]
Fu Ping’an watched the danmaku discussion with growing interest and asked, “Who did he buy it from?”
This matter was certainly not so simple. But if following this line of investigation led to the discovery of some chemistry prodigy, that would be quite the gain.
The Commandant of Justice said, “Your Majesty, he only said it was a small peddler outside the palace. I have already dispatched officers to search.”
Fu Ping’an responded with an “Oh.” The Commandant of Justice secretly glanced at her and probed cautiously, “Then the Director of the Grand Ceremonies…”
Fu Ping’an raised an eyebrow. “Are you so certain now that the Director of the Grand Ceremonies is blameless? What if this is merely their smokescreen?”
The Commandant of Justice quickly prostrated himself. “I was not prudent enough. I shall continue the interrogation immediately.”
Fu Ping’an said, “Mm, you are dismissed.”
As soon as the Commandant of Justice left, Ah Zhi asked in a low voice, “Your Majesty, was the person behind it actually the Director of the Grand Ceremonies?”
Fu Ping’an chuckled. “The investigation isn’t complete. How would I know?”
Ah Zhi’s face immediately flushed red. Qin He smiled and said, “Chief Attendant Sun probably saw Her Majesty’s composed demeanor and assumed she knew everything already.”
Fu Ping’an smiled and waved her hand, then asked, “Are the ritual objects and processional insignia for the Grand Levy Ceremony all prepared?”
Qin He replied, “Everything is ready. The Imperial Astronomer and I have checked them over one by one. Would Your Majesty like to inspect them personally?”
Fu Ping’an said, “Mm, that won’t be necessary. I will sleep in the Warm Pavilion today. Everyone, leave me now.”
Once everyone had withdrawn, Fu Ping’an curled up against the soft cushions.
It wasn’t that she wanted to sleep in the Warm Pavilion, but that she was so exhausted she couldn’t take another step.
Although her body had nearly reached some kind of breaking point, the next morning, Fu Ping’an still had to don the heavy ceremonial robes and ornaments and head to the suburbs for the Grand Levy Ceremony.
If one were to compare, this ceremony was even more grand than the wedding itself. Fu Ping’an set out in a full imperial procession, with all the civil and military officials in tow, heading majestically south to the capital’s outskirts to the altar. Before she arrived, the altar was already set with offerings and covered with a black carpet. She stepped onto the altar, taking incense and facing south.
Si Fangxuan, temporarily acting as Director of the Grand Ceremonies, chanted a prayer of ornate, beautiful prose. Its meaning was essentially the date and the intention to establish so-and-so as Empress. Once the prayer ended, ritual music echoed, the long, lingering sound of drums and bells reaching the horizon.
Luo Qionghua sat in her room, feeling as though she could faintly hear the bells. She unconsciously gripped her sleeves and heard Madam Zhao beside her say, “That must be the ritual music for the Grand Levy Ceremony.”
Luo Qionghua had just undergone the “opening of the face” ritual today. Her cheeks were flushed, so pink they looked like peaches that had just been rinsed in water. Upon hearing this, she couldn’t help but lose herself in a daze for a moment.
She suddenly realized that before today, the wedding had never felt quite real to her. At most, she’d been excited at the prospect of seeing Her Majesty more often. But at this very moment, the nervousness hit her all at once.
“Madam, please, please go over the palace rules for me again. I seem to have forgotten them.”
Madam Zhao smiled. “My Lady, do not overthink it. I will be there to remind you when the time comes.”
“No, I’ll study them again. Just once more.”
She listened to Madam Zhao’s instructions accompanied by the bells and drums. This time, she didn’t fall asleep—in fact, she grew more and more alert. After lunch, she watched from her room as one ritual object after another was moved inside. Her tension suddenly intensified. When Chang Min came to check on her, Luo Qionghua grabbed her hand, looking up at her, and said, “Mother, can I sleep with you tonight?”
Chang Min was already anxious, and hearing this nearly made her burst into tears. She could only say, “Tonight, you must sleep with the people sent from the palace. Don’t be afraid, many people will be with you.”
Luo Qionghua looked down, clutching her hand. Another sentence nearly escaped her lips: Will Father come back to send me off?
Of course, this was a foolish question, so she bit her tongue and held it in.
Chang Min lowered her head to look at Luo Qionghua. She had washed her hair that morning and was now letting her long hair down to dry. The tresses were coated with floral hydrosol made from various petals, giving off a fresh, enchanting fragrance. The cascading long black hair framed her cheeks, which were flushed with a pink, blood-bright hue. Coupled with her dignified sitting posture, she didn’t look as childish as she had in her memory.
Chang Min felt an inexplicable pang of sadness. Her daughter still felt like a child to her, and now she was about to be married. This feeling of her child growing up overnight left a hollow emptiness in her heart.
Luo Qionghua sensed her mother’s mood, so she suddenly felt she should cheer up. She wrapped her arms around her mother’s and said, “But I still want to sleep with you tonight.”
Chang Min stroked Luo Qionghua’s hair. “Then Mother won’t leave. I’ll stay in the room with you.”
As dusk descended, Madam Zhao urged Luo Qionghua to rest early. The wedding ceremony was a dusk ceremony, held at twilight, but being a state wedding, preparations would begin before dawn. To maintain a good condition, she naturally needed to sleep early.
Chang Min sat by the bedside, letting Luo Qionghua hold her hand until she fell asleep. Only then did she quietly leave the room. But Luo Qionghua hadn’t actually fallen asleep. She simply didn’t want her mother and the nannies to worry, so she was pretending.
It was an entirely new experience. Her mind was filled with all sorts of strange, half-formed thoughts, but upon closer inspection, they lacked any shape. Before she knew it, she drifted into a bizarre, fantastical dream. When she came to her senses, Madam Zhao’s voice sounded by her ear, calling out, “My Lady, it’s time to rise.”
Luo Qionghua’s eyes snapped open immediately.
So she had actually fallen asleep.
But it hadn’t been a restful sleep. She’d been dreaming all night. Nevertheless, she was instantly alert now.
Yet, everything around her still felt somewhat unreal, as if she were floating on a cloud, the ground beneath her feet soft and yielding.
The nervousness she felt yesterday was nothing compared to now. The closer the moment came, the more anxious she became. Servants filed into the room in a stream, bringing her washing utensils, cleaning her teeth and face, and then dressing her in a brand new inner garment.
Then she sat before the mirror. Her mother was the first to comb her hair.
“First comb, from top to end. Second comb, white hair to your eyebrows blend…”
Chang Min paused.
This is the Child of Heaven we’re speaking of. I wonder… will Qionghua truly be able to grow old with her?
She lowered her eyes, suppressing a sorrowful expression, and continued, “Third comb, may your children fill the halls…”
Luo Qionghua stared at her reflection in the mirror.
That unreal, floating-on-a-cloud feeling finally receded. She suddenly turned and buried her face in her mother’s arms, feeling the warmth of her body, yet her fingers still trembled uncontrollably.
She was getting married.
She suddenly understood. The feeling that had been winding itself around her heart all this time… wasn’t just nervousness. There was also fear.
