The Female Emperor’s voice was neither warm nor cold, as if she had asked on a whim. After a moment, Xunqi slowly raised her head.
The Female Emperor was no more than thirty. She had one son, who had been named Crown Prince at birth. After Emperor Hui died, he had entrusted the realm to her—it was said he had cherished her deeply.
Xunqi had heard the rumors about the Female Emperor. The Sima Clan had always been a prominent family in the capital. After she took the throne, she had her elder brother’s support, and her position was secure.
The curtains fluttered lightly in the breeze.
The Female Emperor propped her chin on her hand and studied the girl. Slowly, the corners of her mouth curved upward. That faint smile softened the cold, sharp lines of her face. “You really are lovely.”
Startled that Her Majesty would praise her, Xunqi’s face flushed red. Beside her, Yan Zhi’an could only look up at the heavens in silence. No need to ask—the princess in the palace was a living target.
“Come here.” The Female Emperor beckoned to Xunqi. Her gaze was far gentler than Yan Zhi’an’s.
Wary, Xunqi didn’t dare step forward. She could only glance covertly at her mother.
“Go on,” Yan Zhi’an said softly.
Only then did Xunqi dare approach, her face still flushed. She had once studied a phrase: “When the Son of Heaven rages, a million corpses fall.” That phrase captured the emperor’s might to perfection.
As the girl stepped closer, the tenderness in the Female Emperor’s eyes gave way to solemnity. She looked at her daughter, so near now, and clasped her hand. In this moment, her heart was filled to overflowing.
This was her daughter—flesh of her flesh, blood of her blood!
Back then, Emperor Hui had murdered his elder brother to seize the throne. She had been powerless to stop it. Knowing that Emperor Hui would never spare his brother’s bloodline, she had no choice but to entrust the child to a trusted confidant during the chaos of the coup and have her spirited away.
But after that parting, all trace of the child was lost. No matter how she searched, she could find no clue at all.
She gently stroked her daughter’s black hair, her heart brimming with love. “Now that you’re back, are you adjusting well?”
The Female Emperor’s question left Xunqi utterly confused. What a strange thing to ask. What did her adjustment have to do with the Emperor?
She blinked in bewilderment. Yan Zhi’an spoke up. “Your Majesty, how is it that you’ve left the palace?”
“Do you know how this princess was found?” The Female Emperor resumed a composed expression and released Xunqi’s small, soft hand. “She was a gift to Zhen from the Imperial Clan.”
The hands hanging at Yan Zhi’an’s sides twitched. “This subject assumed it was Your Majesty’s doing.”
“Does Zhen look that idle?” The Female Emperor was deeply disgusted. “It was Prince Ji who brought her into the palace.”
Prince Ji was the younger uncle of Emperor Ming and Emperor Hui—barely past forty, in the prime of his life. Had he not been pressing her, she would never have sent her daughter to the Yan family.
Hearing this, Yan Zhi’an also showed a look of disgust, which somehow made her appear even more austere. “Then acknowledge her for now. Let’s see what game they’re playing.”
Xunqi’s eyes widened in shock. The next moment, Yan Zhi’an pulled her back and said to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, this subject will return to the residence first.”
“Mm.” The Female Emperor gazed at the girl, reluctance clear in her eyes.
Yan Zhi’an acted as if she hadn’t seen it and led Xunqi out of the pavilion.
The two boarded the carriage together. The Female Emperor followed them out of the pavilion and watched the carriage from afar, loneliness settling in her heart.
When they returned to the Left Prime Minister’s Residence, it was already dusk. Chen Qingrong was waiting at the gate with the household, watching the carriage approach from afar, joy creeping onto her face.
Her daughter had been gone for over three months, and she had missed her a little. She had always felt a mixture of love and fear toward this daughter. Yan Zhi’an had become famous young, with a crisp, handsome air, while she herself was an easygoing soul—the two really never could find common ground.
The carriage stopped. Xunqi got off first, then turned to help Yan Zhi’an down. Chen Qingrong walked over with a smile. “You’re finally back.”
Her next words were: “The capital is in an uproar.”
Xunqi had heard a little about it—the Female Emperor’s daughter had returned. What she didn’t understand was why that would throw the capital into an uproar.
She asked her mother, “Why has the princess’s return caused such a stir?”
“You don’t understand. This princess and the Crown Prince don’t share the same father.” Chen Qingrong struck the key point. Behind the bright surface lay a deep, dark shadow—one that devoured people.
“Different fathers?” Xunqi’s eyes trembled. “Did the Emperor marry twice?”
Chen Qingrong winced. Yan Zhi’an stared at her mother expressionlessly. Chen Qingrong grew afraid. “Don’t look at me like that. I was just saying it offhand. She’s fourteen now—it’s time she was told.”
“I’ll tell her.” Yan Zhi’an’s head throbbed. The way her mother put it made the Emperor sound like a plaything, but the truth was nothing of the sort.
No one knew better than she did how the Female Emperor had taken the throne.
“Xunqi, go change your clothes, then come for dinner. After dinner, I’ll explain it all.” Yan Zhi’an raised a hand and touched her forehead. A luster flickered in her stern eyes. “Go.”
Xunqi did as she was told and left.
Yan Zhi’an turned to her mother. “What happened in the capital?”
Chen Qingrong pulled her daughter inside to explain in detail.
Yan Zhi’an had outwardly claimed she was taking her daughter home to be recognized by the clan. After she left, the year had passed quietly enough—but on New Year’s Eve, everything changed.
By tradition, the Emperor hosted a banquet on New Year’s Eve for the high ministers; officials below the third rank were not required to attend. With Yan Zhi’an away, the Emperor summoned Chen Qingrong to the palace banquet—an imperial favor.
That night, Prince Ji was there too. He brought a young woman into the palace and produced evidence, declaring her to be the daughter of Emperor Ming—and of the Emperor herself.
Emperor Ming had been dead for thirteen years. He had died without issue, which was why Emperor Hui had inherited. Now that his daughter had returned, Emperor Hui’s line seemed to lack legitimacy.
Chen Qingrong said, “The deadly part is that this princess comes from the countryside. She can’t read a single character and doesn’t understand the first thing about proper conduct. Do you know? When she walked in, everyone laughed. How shall I put it—her clothes were shabby enough, but she’d thrown them together in the most incongruous way.”
“This move by Prince Ji is a slap to the Emperor’s face.” A subtle shift passed through Yan Zhi’an’s eyes. “It’s also meant to stop the Emperor from returning the throne to Emperor Ming’s line. Prince Ji simply doesn’t want the next ruler to be a woman. Hence, he dug up some rustic girl to impersonate the princess.”
“Impersonate?” Chen Qingrong startled herself. She clutched her chest, nearly losing her breath. “So she’s a fake!”
“A fake. Mother, don’t breathe a word.” Yan Zhi’an was very calm. “Next time you meet the princess, just be respectful. The Yan family does not involve itself in factional strife.”
Prince Ji currently supported the Crown Prince. He was desperate to drag the Female Emperor down and put the Crown Prince on the throne as early as possible. After all, this realm belonged to the Li family; with the Sima Clan now calling the shots, how could he be content?
Chen Qingrong was worried, but seeing her daughter safe, she felt relieved.
Half an hour later, Xunqi came to dinner in fresh clothes—all in red. Chen Qingrong was delighted at the sight. “Your mother doesn’t like wearing red, but I love seeing the younger generation in it. Tell you what—in a few days I’m off to a spring banquet, and I’m taking you with me.”
“Great!” Xunqi was thrilled too. If she went out, she wouldn’t have to practice calligraphy.
“Grandmother” and “granddaughter” were both delighted—one beaming, one grinning ear to ear. Suddenly, Yan Zhi’an cut in: “No. Xunqi, have you finished your calligraphy practice?”
Here we go again… Xunqi was stricken. She grabbed “Grandmother’s” hand and tattled: “Grandmother, do you know? She makes me practice calligraphy every single day—”
Chen Qingrong promptly covered her mouth. “Little ancestor, I’m afraid of her too. Don’t say any more.”
Xunqi didn’t understand. “Madam, you’re her mother!” Wasn’t this the world turned upside down?
“So what if I’m her mother? She runs my life too. What can I do? I’ll go to the banquet alone—you’re not coming.” Chen Qingrong felt terribly guilty and ashamed before Xunqi. “You’ll have to pray for yourself. I can’t help you.”
Xunqi: “…”
Helplessly, she looked at Yan Zhi’an, then shamelessly went over to butter her up. “Mother, I want to go out and play.”
Hearing the word “Mother,” melancholy flooded Yan Zhi’an’s chest. She looked, equally helpless, at that childish face. “Whether you want to play is your business, not mine. I need a qualified Young Mistress. Once you are qualified, you may roam to the ends of the earth.”
Xunqi’s spirits collapsed. She turned in anguish to Chen Qingrong, silently screaming: Save me! Save me!
Chen Qingrong stared helplessly at the void. I saw nothing!
After dinner, Chen Qingrong fled, afraid that if she were even a step slow, her daughter would catch her and lecture her.
Watching Madam’s retreating back, Xunqi sulked for a long while, unable to get out a single word. Finally, unwilling to let it go, she looked at Yan Zhi’an again. “Mother, what you’re doing counts as turning the world upside down.”
No sooner had she spoken than Yan Zhi’an grabbed her ear. “What did you say, little thing? She likes to play—when have I ever governed her? The only one I govern is you. Is it you who wants to turn the world upside down?”
“Ow! Let go! I was wrong!” Xunqi admitted defeat with remarkable speed—she confessed at once, without the slightest hesitation.
Only then did Yan Zhi’an release her ear. She exchanged a glance with her maidservant, and all the maids immediately withdrew and shut the door.
“Let me tell you about Emperor Ming’s daughter, Princess Zhaohui.” Yan Zhi’an’s voice sounded lazy, not altogether serious. “You saw it—the name Zhaohui shows how much Emperor Ming loved her. She was the Emperor’s legitimate eldest daughter, and Emperor Ming’s only child.”
“First Emperor Ming, then Emperor Hui. Then how is the Crown Prince the child of the Emperor and Emperor Hui?” Xunqi was puzzled. “The elder brother died, and the sister-in-law married the younger brother?”
Even storybooks wouldn’t dare write that.
Yan Zhi’an sighed softly and propped her forehead on her hand. “Emperor Hui forced the palace, murdered his elder brother, and took his brother’s wife for himself.”
Xunqi: “…”
“Was he insane?” She felt the world spin upside down. Wasn’t this the “kill the brother and steal the wife” from the operas?
“He was insane.” Yan Zhi’an’s gaze grew distant. She couldn’t help thinking: if Emperor Ming were still alive, Xunqi would be the noble eldest legitimate princess. Why would she need to hide away as her daughter, scheming to become the Young Mistress of the Yan family?
She reached out and stroked Xunqi’s forehead, her gaze softening considerably. “After Emperor Hui took the throne, he defied the objections of the world and made the current Emperor his empress. Later, the Crown Prince was born.”
The year the Crown Prince turned one, the then-Empress Sima had quietly launched a coup—killing her husband and seizing the throne, ascending to the imperial seat with ruthlessness.
But these things could not be told to Xunqi.
She could only say: “The year the Crown Prince turned one, Emperor Hui caught a chill and passed away. The Crown Prince was too young, so the Emperor took the throne herself. The reign title remained unchanged, and when the Crown Prince comes of age, she will return the throne to him.”
