Chapter 59: The Sickly Prime Minister Poisoned to Death by Her Beloved

The Little Emperor’s birthday fell in May, when the weather had already begun to grow gradually hot.

Though he was a puppet emperor with no real power in his hands, he was still the Son of Heaven. The Emperor’s Longevity Festival was carried out in grand style, with preparations starting months in advance. Just a few days before the festival, he quietly kept the Prime Minister behind for a long, intimate talk.

There was nothing else to it; the Little Emperor simply missed his aunt and asked if the Prime Minister could show some mercy and let his royal aunt enter the palace to see him.

The Little Emperor spoke pitifully, on the verge of tears, without a shred of dignity befitting a ruler of a nation.

It was mainly because the Prime Minister was too possessive, viewing anyone who so much as glanced at the Eldest Princess as a covetous rival. Though she doted on the Eldest Princess like a treasured pearl, fulfilling her every request, she refused to grant her freedom.

Even as the emperor, it was no easy task to see his own aunt. The Prime Minister’s power had grown so immense that no imperial edict could leave the Imperial Palace without her permission.

The Prime Minister’s eyes were deep and ink-black, bottomless. She stared at the Little Emperor for a long moment before suddenly speaking with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes: “Your Majesty truly holds deep affection and loyalty toward Her Highness.”

For some reason, her smile carried an inexplicable chill and sarcasm.

The Little Emperor’s heart skipped a beat, unsure what had displeased this mad dog that bit anyone in sight. He quickly tried to remedy it: “I merely miss my aunt. How could that compare to the envy-inducing harmony between the Prime Minister and my aunt, like a pair of phoenixes in song?”

He spouted such words against his conscience without fear of retribution. Xiao Jinse found it repulsive and rose to leave. At the hall door, she paused and left behind only a cold sentence: “Whether she comes or not naturally depends on Her Highness’s will.”

With that, she stepped out and did not look back.

Xinyi hurried over with an umbrella. Only after that slender figure in pale blue robes vanished deep into the palace walls did the Little Emperor’s mild expression gradually darken. He turned and smashed the inkstone on the desk.

The finest white jade shattered into pieces on the floor. The close attendant knelt trembling, while the Little Emperor’s hawk-like eyes revealed a hard-to-describe ferocity. Staring into the pitch-black depths of the night, he gnashed his teeth.

“She grows more and more disdainful of me—”

Earlier, when she left, she hadn’t even observed proper etiquette. In the past, though she wielded power over the court with wolfish ambitions, she still held some reverence. Now, she wouldn’t even bother with perfunctory respect.

One could not allow others to snore beside one’s bed. Previously, he had been too young to rule personally, but now he was nearly of age. Between him and Xiao Jinse, there would inevitably be a deadly clash—only one could survive.

Xiao Jinse was indeed a once-in-a-generation genius, accomplished in both civil and military affairs, revered by the court ministers, and holding military power. To strike directly would offer little chance of victory, and even if successful, he would be branded a regicide of a meritorious minister, a stain in the history books.

However, the Little Emperor closed his eyes, his face revealing a hint of humiliation and disgust.

Even someone as brilliantly talented as her was not without weaknesses.

Fortunately, there was still his aunt—

—

Shangjing in this season saw frequent rains. By the time Xiao Jinse finished handling state affairs and put on a little show with the Little Emperor, night had already fallen. Her health was poor; after a short while in the palace breeze, she began to cough. Xinyi, feeling sorry for her, presumptuously demanded a carriage, huffing that the Emperor’s consorts could come and go by palanquin, so why couldn’t the Prime Minister?

She had expected a lecture from the Prime Minister and was prepared to accept punishment, but the Prime Minister merely said to watch her words and did not scold her.

Naturally, a minister could not overstep in the palace without the Emperor’s grace, but—

In the darkness, Xiao Jinse opened her eyes, a momentary blankness in them.

Halfway through the carriage ride, it was halted. Xinyi leaned in close, perking up her ears to ask if the Prime Minister had any instructions.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Jinse alighted from the carriage herself and walked forward in the rain, holding a lantern.

The peonies bloomed exceptionally beautifully this season. The Imperial Garden’s artisans had thoughtfully transplanted the last few blooming stalks under the corridor. Xinyi seemed to understand.

—The Eldest Princess seemed particularly fond of peony flowers.

Xiao Jinse’s health was frail, and years of late-night studying had ruined her eyes. In the dim night light, she couldn’t see clearly. Xinyi sighed and led her over: “Miss, don’t pick this one. That flower is prettier; let’s pick that one.”

Her feelings toward the Eldest Princess were exceedingly complex. Indeed, she was beautiful like a delicate flower that startled the heart, the kind one couldn’t help but look at again after a single glance. Having grown up alongside her miss, Xinyi knew her lady was always proud and aloof. Before meeting the Eldest Princess, she never imagined that someone as noble and refined as her miss could humble herself so low, as if groveling in the dust.

Her heart constantly yearned for the Eldest Princess; even in the dead of night, she personally picked a flower to bring back.

Yet the Eldest Princess had indeed brought more humanity to her miss. As long as the Eldest Princess was pleased, her miss could be happy all day, even suppressing her sickly pallor.

Don’t be fooled by the Prime Minister’s Mansion staff’s outward indignation; behind closed doors, the scholars, poets, and undefeated generals racked their brains to help the Prime Minister coax the Eldest Princess.

Xinyi pulled a long face, deeply worried. It was so late now—would disturbing the Eldest Princess make her unhappy? But if not sent now, would the flower wilt by tomorrow and fail to please her?

In the end, Xiao Jinse went to the Eldest Princess first that night. Her blue official robes were half-soaked by the rain as she held a bunch of flowers and stood at the door, gazing inside for a long while, hesitating.

—She faced the same difficult choice as Xinyi.

Inside, the System paced like an ant on a hot pan: “What’s wrong with the Prime Minister?! Why hasn’t she pushed the door open yet!”

Force a stay-over with the Prime Minister—can you or can’t you?! Will the plot proceed or not?!

The Prime Minister in blue robes stood outside for a long time, finally giving a bitter smile and shaking her head as she turned to leave, her figure desolate. Xinyi panicked and was about to play the villain when the door creaked open.

The Eldest Princess wore only thin nightclothes, draped in a dark blue cloak. Without makeup, her clear beauty and graceful figure were still evident, her satin-like black hair cascading to her waist.

“Since you’ve come, why not come in?” Her voice was lazy and scattered, as if she’d just woken up. There was no hint that she’d been awake, staring through the wall at the Prime Minister for half an hour.

“I just happened to see these flowers on the way and thought you’d definitely like them, so…” She gave a bitter smile. “But seeing you asleep, I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Come in since you’ve come.” Shi Qingyi lowered her eyes, avoiding her gaze, and reached out to take the vibrant bouquet of peonies. The fragrance was overwhelming, the blooms at their peak—purest white petals with raindrops still clinging to the leaves.

For the first time in her life invited into the Eldest Princess’s room, the Prime Minister was flattered. Her eyes, so cold and stern before the Little Emperor, didn’t even dare lift here.

Naturally, she wanted to stay, but she ultimately restrained her inner impulses.

“No, it’s late. Perhaps another time…”

Xinyi, following behind, grew anxious, wondering if her miss had lost her mind. Just as she was about to cry from frustration, the Eldest Princess delivered a cold remark.

“What? Is this palace some ferocious beast? Does Chancellor Xiao fear entering so much she won’t even step inside?”

The Prime Minister, usually eloquent and able to outdebate the scholars, seemed tongue-tied before the Eldest Princess. Xinyi was already on the verge of crying to explain for her mistress.

“If that’s the case, why not release this palace and spare Chancellor Xiao the eyesore?”

At these words, the usually taciturn Prime Minister suddenly raised her eyes, a shadow flashing in them. Her legs swiftly crossed the threshold.

Xinyi took the flowers from the Eldest Princess’s hands, moved to tears: “This servant will go find a vase to arrange them!”

After two steps, she felt the world had changed—when had it become the Prime Minister wanting to leave, while the Eldest Princess insisted she stay overnight?

The plum rains were approaching, with continuous drizzles. Xiao Jinse had sustained many injuries from the battlefields years ago and couldn’t tolerate the chill. Out of mercy, the Eldest Princess let her use her bath pool.

As she sank into the water, Xiao Jinse felt a daze. In the past, when she pursued relentlessly, Shi Qingyi wouldn’t even glance at her. Now that she kept her distance as wished, did it instead feel somewhat novel?

The bath pool was warm, the steam misty. When she emerged, Shi Qingyi leaned by the window listening to the rain, her jade-like fingertips teasing the trembling peony petals. As the thousand-petaled, hundred-indulged Eldest Princess, her icy skin and jade bones gleamed whiter and more lustrous than the peony itself, dazzlingly radiant.

—She didn’t dare look.

After a silent moment, Xiao Jinse silently handed over a cloak: “It’s cold outside. Put this on.”

Shi Qingyi: “…”

Fortunately, she had already shut off the trash System beforehand, or it would be screeching in her ear on loop: Does the Eldest Princess approve or not? Does the Prime Minister approve or not?

Even more extreme, Xiao Jinse didn’t personally drape it over her; she merely handed it over from across half a table.

The innocent peonies suffered at the Eldest Princess’s hands. In frustration, the Eldest Princess decided to go to sleep.

Xiao Jinse: “…”

Prime Minister Xiao closed her eyes, suppressing the inexplicable emotions in them, and decided to make do in the adjacent West Wing Room for the night.

“Halt. Did this palace dismiss you?”

No dismissal, so she couldn’t leave.

The Prime Minister always granted the Eldest Princess’s every request, no matter how outrageous. This was especially trivial.

Since forcibly confining Shi Qingyi to the Prime Minister’s Mansion a year ago, they hadn’t had such a calm moment between them. Listening to the incessant rain outside, Xiao Jinse felt an inexplicable bitterness in her heart.

Suddenly, a hand rested on her shoulder. Xiao Jinse was very thin—the emaciated thinness of someone sick down to bones. Back when they argued most fiercely, she had used the Little Emperor and the kingdom to threaten her.

At that time, they were intimately close, doing the world’s most lingering and tender things. Yet the person she loved whispered in her ear that with such a bony frame, if not for Xiao Jinse’s vile methods, she never wanted to touch her again in this lifetime.

Xiao Jinse remembered it forever, like a nightmare endlessly haunting her ears.

She abruptly grasped that warm hand, her voice hoarse: “It’s late. Rest early.”

She just wanted to be closer, at least to avoid being like strangers sharing a bed but dreaming apart. Shi Qingyi frowned slightly. The lamps outside the window had long extinguished; in the darkness, only the muffled sound of rain pattering on the banana leaves could be heard.

Xiao Jinse placed her hand back under the brocade quilt and tucked in the thin blanket: “No need for this. If you want to enter the palace, we’ll go together.”

There was really no need to repeatedly wrong herself. She clearly loathed her to the extreme, yet because of the Emperor, she had to humble herself.

Shi Qingyi never listened to her and reached out in the darkness, touching her cheek—wet.

Xiao Jinse endured for a long time but finally couldn’t hold back. Trembling, she pulled the proud person into her arms over the thin brocade quilt, her voice choked with anguish: “I’ll take you there…”

I can’t bear it—you suffering such grievances.

The rain leaked like a sieve, and Xiao Jinse’s heart ached wave after wave.

The Eldest Princess had always been arrogant and unrestrained, raised in indulgence. She hated the Prime Minister for humiliating her and depriving her freedom, so she never showed good expressions.

The sole exception was probably when she had requests.

The Prime Minister wielded supreme power, covering the sky with one hand, yet the Little Emperor was restless, scheming to seize control at a young age. It was a fine idea, but his abilities fell short; he could never outmatch the Prime Minister.

Unable to win, what to do when trouble arose? Sell out his aunt, of course—sobbing and begging her for help.

Having the Eldest Princess sell her beauty was utter madness.

The Prime Minister was cunning as a demon, leaving no handles for the Little Emperor all these years. Her sole weakness was her infatuation over the beauty pass, head over heels for the Eldest Princess.

Each time the Little Emperor stirred trouble, the Eldest Princess had no choice but to come plead. Those were rare tender moments, often ending in a night of passion.

Xiao Jinse never exposed the Eldest Princess’s paper-thin pride. She spoiled her rotten, letting her grow arrogant and willful, but never wanted to see her bend over repeatedly before her eyes.

She loved Shi Qingyi desperately, so she couldn’t bear her slightest sorrow, let alone any grievance.