Chapter 5
Edward Quan ·
Then an assassin rushed straight at Hui.
My heart clenched.
In the next instant, Hui lifted the table in front of him with one hand and smashed it into the attacker.
The slender assassin died on the spot.
Hui ran to the Emperor, his expression utterly composed.
“Grandfather, I’ll protect you.”
The Emperor gave him a searching look and smiled.
He ordered the guards to clear things up quickly.
Before long, all the assassins were captured.
They were resolute enough. The instant they were caught, they bit through the poison pouches hidden in their mouths.
The guard commander reported, “Your Majesty, none survived.”
At those words, the Fourth Prince went pale and collapsed to the floor.
Wanting to please the Emperor further, he had painstakingly arranged the birthday dance.
How had every dancer become an assassin?
He knew he’d been framed. But with no one left alive to testify, he knew he was finished.
“Father, I’ve been framed!”
“It must have been my second and third brothers!”
“They’re jealous and want revenge!”
He was still shouting in his defense as they dragged him away.
The Emperor’s disgust was plain.
“Idiot. You didn’t even realize you were being used!”
12
The Fourth Prince was confined to his residence, forbidden to leave.
His gate soon became quiet and deserted.
Our steward reported that many people were bringing gifts to ours.
Jingze felt this was terrible luck.
“Tell them to take everything back! All of it!”
“Those people are walking disasters. Whoever they visit suffers.”
“They used to give gifts to my second and third brothers. Then one was crippled, and the other was struck by lightning.”
“Then they gave gifts to the Fourth Prince. He ended up confined.”
Jingze looked genuinely worried.
“Oh no. Have they come here to harm me on purpose?”
Hui spoke up.
“They didn’t deliberately harm anyone.”
“But Papa is right. They are rather unlucky.”
“It would be better to keep our distance.”
Jingze wholeheartedly agreed.
When I visited the palace, I found several new treasures in his mother’s rooms.
“Gifts from the other consorts.”
“This pearl garment was Consort Xu’s favorite. She brought it yesterday. Her hair has gone so much grayer in only a few months.”
I was no saint.
Back when Jingze had been at his most hopeless, those women had repeatedly bullied his mother. Though she always fought back, she must have been hurt.
“Mother, don’t worry. Jingze and I won’t cause trouble. We’ll behave ourselves and look after you in your old age.”
She smiled and held my hand.
“Good child.”
“When I was young, I thought clever people were the ones who succeeded. After all these years, I understand. Cleverness is the one thing this harem never lacks.”
“And it’s often the clever ones who suffer most.”
“Especially clever women. They think more, and they want more.”
“But here in the palace, what can we win, even if we fight with everything we have?”
“Only a little elusive affection.”
“We’re all pitiable, just the same.”
I understood some of what she meant. But I didn’t think she wanted an answer from me.
I thought she was too lonely.
If not to me, there were things she could never say to anyone.
To the palace servants, she was an imperial consort whose son now had a chance at the succession and whose grandson enjoyed the Emperor’s favor.
What did she have to worry about?
If she spoke, outsiders would probably call her affected, inventing troubles because she had too little to do.
There was a common saying: if you were too idle, go dig a couple of fields. That would cure all your airs and graces.
But was it really so simple?
Some people suffered in their bodies. Others suffered in their hearts.
Ordinary people struggled to put three meals on the table.
Those sitting high above the clouds suffered because their lives were not their own.
I listened quietly as she told me many things.
About the little horse she’d had in her youth.
About the cousin who had once climbed a tree.
And about the daughter she had been unable to keep…
13
The Emperor began taking Hui into the hall where state affairs were discussed.
At first, some objected that this violated propriety.
The Emperor said nothing. He let Hui deal with them himself.
Citing the classics and precedents, Hui rebutted each objection and demonstrated that his presence was entirely justified.
As he became involved in more affairs, people saw not only what the Emperor intended.
They also saw Hui’s terrifying ability to govern.