Chapter 3
Edward Quan ·
After leaving the Shen family, we had been penniless. We could only earn a living with our hands.
By day, he farmed. By night, he read his few worn books under an oil lamp.
Oil was expensive, and he hated using too much. Often, with the last light still on the horizon, he would take a book to the window and struggle to make out each word.
When examination registration opened, he tried to apply. But without his family’s backing or someone to recommend him, every document he submitted disappeared without reply.
He tried for several years. Always the same result.
Only later did we learn that his father had warned everyone: helping Shen Zhiyan meant opposing the Shen family.
He wanted to force his son home to admit his fault and become their eldest young master again.
But he refused.
Throughout those decades, his feelings for me never changed.
So I didn’t resent him for not choosing me this time.
I only felt a little regret.
We had shared more than half a lifetime, yet in the end, even that couldn’t withstand the years.
07
The household was lively these days. Everyone smiled.
Our mistress’s happy occasion meant bonuses for everyone, and cheer filled every corner.
But Gu Qingyi didn’t seem particularly happy.
Her face was always calm. I could see little joy.
Later, I realized she treated almost everything that way. Only when learning characters did a different light enter her eyes.
A well-bred lady indeed, never showing pleasure or anger.
Perhaps only someone like her could be worthy of Shen Zhiyan in his family’s eyes.
While the two households were discussing wedding details, something earth-shattering happened in the capital.
That evening, I was teaching Gu Qingyi when hurried footsteps sounded outside.
The steward stumbled into the courtyard, frighteningly pale.
“My lady! Your father asks you to come to the front hall at once! Something terrible has happened in the palace!”
Her hand shook. Ink splashed onto the paper.
As I supported her toward the hall, servants whispered everywhere, frightened and unsettled.
“Have you heard? The emperor died last night. But the successor won’t be the crown prince.”
“Who, then?”
“Prince Xian.”
I stopped abruptly.
Prince Xian.
In my previous life, Shen Zhiyan had told me about this struggle at court.
The crown prince, born to the empress, held the lawful claim, but was mediocre and incapable.
Prince Xian, the noble consort’s son, was known for wisdom and enjoyed support inside and outside court.
Their factions had fought openly and secretly for over ten years.
Great Zhou had always favored the eldest legitimate son. So the crown prince retained the advantage and eventually succeeded without trouble.
But this time, Prince Xian had taken the throne.
How?
In the front hall, Lord Gu sat stiffly in the principal seat, his face livid.
Lady Gu twisted her hands anxiously.
As soon as her daughter entered, he waved her to a seat.
“Father, the rumors outside…”
“They aren’t rumors.”
His voice dropped.
“News has come from the palace. Prince Xian’s men sealed the gates last night. The crown prince’s faction… couldn’t hold out.”
Lady Gu covered her mouth.
Lord Gu slowly looked at his daughter.
“Our family has always supported the crown prince.”
The room went utterly silent.
The Grand Secretary’s family, a respected line of scholar-officials, had remained publicly close to the Eastern Palace for years.
Under the crown prince, they would have been pillars of the court.
Under Prince Xian, that old allegiance became a seed of disaster.
After a long silence, Lord Gu said slowly:
“I may not be able to keep my post. You must prepare for the worst.”
Standing behind Gu Qingyi, I felt the weight of it too.
In my previous life, Shen Zhiyan and I had lived far away in the countryside. These matters had nothing to do with me.
This time, by a twist of fate, I had been drawn into the court’s turmoil.
I lowered my head and stared at my shoes.
It all felt absurdly unreal.
08
Events moved faster than Lord Gu expected.
The new emperor’s first act was to purge his opponents.
The crown prince’s faction suffered first.
The Grand Secretary’s household was too deeply tied to the Eastern Palace. In earlier years, they had even considered sending Gu Qingyi there as a secondary consort.
Later, seeing the Shen family rise, they turned toward this marriage.
Who could have guessed that family would be no support?
After the new emperor’s accession, the Shens weren’t implicated at all.
They grew closer to him instead.