The Beauty Within the Gates
Chapter 106
The imperial physician knelt at the side, kowtowing with his forehead to the ground. Even when questioned, he remained silent.
The Imperial Consort Yang had come the previous night, but she had been stopped outside by the Crown Prince’s people. She had guessed that the Emperor had likely passed some time ago, and that the bell was tolling now only to avoid clashing with the Imperial Grandson’s wedding.
Compared with the Empress, she had spent far more years by the Emperor’s side. In terms of affection, all these years, she and the Emperor had known each other’s hearts better. They seemed more like husband and wife. Yet before the Emperor passed, he had not summoned her. He had not left even a single word of instruction for her. This was not normal. She could not help suspecting that the Crown Prince had interfered.
Previously, when the former Crown Prince and Jing Wang contended against each other, she had sided with Jing Wang. First, because she could not stand the Empress’s arrogance. Second, because she had also seen clearly what was in the Emperor’s heart. His regard for Jing Wang had far exceeded what the Empress and the former Crown Prince had imagined. Because of this, her Yang family had helped Jing Wang ascend to the position of Crown Prince.
But once a person reached that position, if they were not truly one’s own family, how could they always remember past favors?
Noble Consort Yang only hated that in this lifetime, she had not given birth to a prince. She did not even have the chance to support a son to the throne. Now that matters had reached this point, although doubts filled her heart, she did not dare utter a single word.
When the former Empress died, she had thought that with the affection between herself and the Emperor, no matter what, the Emperor would make her Empress. She had no prince under her knee, and the Crown Prince likewise had no birth mother consort. Once she became Empress, the Crown Prince could be placed under her name. In the future, the Yang family and the Crown Prince would be in a mutually beneficial position.
But when she hinted at it faintly once, the Emperor first changed the subject. When she brought it up again, the Emperor refused her. “I am old. Who knows how much longer I have? Let us live each day in peace. Raise our princesses and find them good matches. The Yang family’s position is secure. As long as the household does not fall, with the Yang family’s strength, no matter who sits on the throne, there will always be a place for you. The virtuous are never forgotten.”
To say she was disappointed would be an understatement.
Whether a household fell or not, did it not still depend on whether the Emperor wished the Yang family to decline? She had followed the Emperor for so many years and thought she understood him very well. Only at the very end did she realize she had never truly seen through him.
While the Emperor was alive, at least she had still been a favored consort. Once he was gone, she would be nothing more than a powerless Dowager Consort, confined to the palace until her own death.
In her heart, she brooded over the Crown Prince concealing the time of the Emperor’s death, but she likewise did not dare openly accuse him. After weeping by the Emperor’s bedside, the ministers outside also arrived one after another.
Liu Kun read the Emperor’s final edict aloud before everyone.
The first several commands were still acceptable. But the final two were different. First, Xie Nian of the Xie family was to be posthumously conferred as Empress. Second, after the Emperor was buried, the imperial tomb was to be sealed immediately.
After the Yang family heard this, aside from General Yang, every one of their expressions changed. Not only was there no hope of becoming Empress, but even after death, Noble Consort Yang could not be buried in the same tomb as the Emperor.
This realm already belonged to the Crown Prince. Each new Son of Heaven brought a new court of officials. At such a critical point, the Yang family should have swallowed their anger. But how could Noble Consort Yang endure such a thing? She raised her head and questioned Liu Kun, “The Emperor’s first wife was Lady Lin. Why is this Lady Xie?”
Liu Kun took out the birth details of the two deceased princes and revealed the truth of that time.
“The First Prince and Second Prince were both His Majesty’s adopted sons. Before His Majesty ascended the throne, he had only ever married one wife. Her surname was Xie, and her given name was Nian. Forty-one years ago, she gave birth to the first prince.” Liu Kun presented the marriage certificate between the Emperor and Lady Xie, kneeling before the Crown Prince.
The red paper and black ink were written clearly. It was the Emperor’s handwriting. That woman was the true wife of his youth, the woman he had loved all his life and still thought of even at death. She herself had followed him for so many years, yet he had never once mentioned her. How deeply had he hidden her? A chill ran through Noble Consort Yang’s heart. Looking at the man on the bed, she only felt that he had become a stranger. She collapsed to the floor, dazed as if she had gone foolish.
That Lady Xie was Chancellor Xie’s paternal aunt. As for the first prince she had given birth to, who else could he be?
Forty-one years ago… Was the Crown Prince not exactly forty-one years old?
What a clever sleight of hand. All these years, he had exhausted every thought, all for the sake of paving the way for this biological son of his. Even she had been kept in the dark.
“The virtuous are never forgotten”, that had merely been the excuse he used to brush her off. From beginning to end, in his heart, there was probably only that dead Xie-shi.
Once dead, she would be buried in the imperial mausoleum either way. Whether she accompanied the Emperor or not did not matter to Noble Consort Yang that much. The greatest blow was that the Empress’s dream, which she had held for an entire lifetime, had been completely crushed.
Even at death, she had failed to win against Empress Yuan.
Having lost all mood, during the night vigil, she only knelt before the coffin for a short while. Then, using bodily discomfort as an excuse, she returned early to her palace.
When the Yang family’s heir heard the news, he soon came looking for her and anxiously asked, “Elder Sister, this old emperor… How could His Majesty be so heartless and unjust? What should Elder Sister do now?”
What could she do? During the day, Father had already come to advise her. “The Yang family has relied on its own abilities to reach its position today. We do not need this extra honor. Live your days properly. You still have two princesses under your knee who have not married…”
What did he mean? Noble Consort Yang understood. He wanted her to swallow her anger for the sake of the two princesses. After fighting with the Empress for half her life, the greatest skill she had learned was the word endure. She steadied her breath and said to the Shizi, “The days ahead are long. Be a proper young marquis and absolutely do not cause trouble.”
The Yang family had walked its path openly and uprightly. Whether in reputation or in brains, they were not the Yuan family of the past.
After the Shizi Yang left, Noble Consort Yang did not return to the mourning hall. After bathing, she went to rest. Near dawn, the Second Princess came to visit. Only then did Noble Consort Yang remember and glance at the fatigue on the Second Princess’s face. It seemed she had kept vigil in the mourning hall all night.
Noble Consort Yang sighed. “When your Imperial Father was alive, he loved you dearly and arranged several marriages for you, yet you were dissatisfied with all of them. Now see what has happened. He is gone. If you want to choose for yourself again, I fear it will not be so easy.”
The Second Princess, however, did not mind. “If I have to find someone I do not like, then it is fine if I never marry in this lifetime.”
Noble Consort Yang gave a cold laugh. “You like Second Young Master Xie, but he is already married.”
Thinking of the words Madam Marquis Yang had brought back from the banquet that day, she pondered and said, “That Lady Wen is from a merchant household. She looks as though she has a smiling face, but the person herself is formidable. If you insist on marrying that Second Young Master, do not even think about becoming an equal wife. You won’t win against her. And a princess of the imperial family does not lower herself to share one husband with another.
“The Wen family… They do have money. A single Mixian Tower is worth several of our treasuries. Too much money draws eyes. It depends on whether they can hold onto it.” She mused, “Eldest Master Wen is merely an Assistant Minister. Not enough to be a concern.”
When Empress Yuan was still alive, eight or nine times out of ten, whenever the Second Princess came to Noble Consort Yang, Noble Consort Yang would be fighting with the Empress. She had thought that once Empress Yuan died, Mother Consort would finally become peaceful. But as long as a person still had one breath left, there would never be true peace.
Imperial Father’s bones were not yet cold. Once the second day of the first mourning passed, the Crown Prince would immediately ascend the throne. Seeing that the Yang family’s power was about to be weakened, aside from her own wishes, Mother Consort, as a newly powerful figure in court, would certainly also hope to form marriage ties with the Xie family.
But Chancellor Xie had only one son.
The Second Princess’s face turned somewhat pale, and she shook her head. “Mother Consort need not worry about me. I will not marry him.”
During today’s mourning vigil, Xie Shao had also been there.
The Crown Prince and Imperial Grandson knelt in the innermost part of the mourning hall. Outside were the two princesses and the many concubines. Kneeling for an entire day without eating or drinking was something few people could endure. Seeing Noble Consort Yang leave, several concubines also found excuses and left one after another. By midnight, when the Second Princess looked back, there were only a sparse few people behind her.
The Third Princess and Fourth Princess had also disappeared.
The other concubines were one thing; some of them may have entered the palace without even seeing Imperial Father once. But the Third Princess and Fourth Princess should not have shirked their duty. Imperial Father had loved them greatly while alive. She rose, intending to drag them back. At the doorway, she encountered Xie Shao.
He wore a curved saber at his waist and stood beneath the lamplight in a plain official robe. Hearing movement, he turned his head. His eyes were clear and bright, passing through the black night and falling on a person as though they pierced straight into the heart. He seemed entirely out of place among the deathly air inside.
The Second Princess froze slightly. “Commander Xie is still here.”
Xie Shao nodded. “Is Second Princess returning to your palace?”
The Second Princess shook her head. “Keeping vigil at night is difficult, but with so few people, it is inevitably too cold and lonely. I will go call some people over.”
When His Majesty was alive, he was a wise ruler. After death, he had also not revived the practice of burial sacrifices. There was no strict rule tonight stating who had to keep vigil until what hour. How long one knelt was entirely voluntary. Originally, with Noble Consort Yang present, no one dared leave. Once the Noble Consort left, everyone began to make their own calculations and departed one after another. With only four or five people remaining, it was indeed rather cold and empty.
The road ahead was not very brightly lit. Xie Shao happened to be holding a lantern, so he escorted her for a stretch.
The Second Princess quietly followed behind him. Only when they were about to descend from the long corridor did she say, “Many thanks, Brother Xie.”
Xie Shao’s steps paused.
The lantern in his hand suddenly stopped moving forward.
The Second Princess turned back in surprise and heard him say, “Back then, when Xie was trapped in the Yuan family’s woodshed, Your Highness informed my father in time and led him to rescue Xie’s life from the Yuan family. Xie has always been grateful. These years, I have never forgotten it and have regarded Your Highness as a benefactor. I have also told my wife about this matter. My wife likewise feels gratitude toward Second Princess. After His Majesty’s funeral matters are concluded, my wife plans to host Second Princess at Mixian Tower.”
Had he even told her about his past? Something seemed to drop inside her heart. The Second Princess froze for a moment and forgot to respond.
Xie Shao continued, “My wife and I met, came to know each other, and fell in love. I do not fear the Second Princess laughing at me. Xie loves her down to the marrow of my bones. In this lifetime, there will only be her. I will not take concubines.”
How could the Second Princess not understand the meaning behind these words?
She had long heard about what Madam Marquis Yang said to Lady Wen at the banquet that day. Although she blamed her aunt for acting on her own, in her heart, she had inexplicably held a few traces of expectation. She wanted to see Xie Shao’s reaction.
Whenever she recalled the way they had interacted in youth, she could be certain it had not only been she who had feelings for him. He had also had some liking for her.
She did not believe he could truly have forgotten.
But now, these words shattered all her fantasies. Her thoughts had been pierced through. The Second Princess’s face burned, yet her heart was ice-cold. She forced herself to put on an indifferent appearance and smiled with difficulty.
“Commander Xie and your wife are deeply devoted. It truly makes one envious.”
Not taking concubines. Loving only her alone. Who would not envy that?
Xie Shao walked forward two steps and handed the lantern in his hand to her. “Second Princess will also find happiness.”
Since the words had already been spoken to this point, how could she continue to insist? In the end, she was the one who had missed him. Afraid that Noble Consort Yang would remain persistent, she spoke even more clearly. “I no longer like him. Mother Consort need not worry over this matter for me in the future.”
—
Two days later, the Crown Prince ascended the throne and conferred Zhou Kuang as Crown Prince.
During the Emperor’s initial mourning period, Xie Shao kept watch in the palace for two days and did not return home. After the mourning period was complete, the new Emperor ascended the throne, and he was delayed in the palace for another day. Only when the palace keys were about to be lowered did he finally manage to leave.
He had just stepped out of the hall doors when he saw the young lady standing beneath a pool of dim yellow light along the passageway ahead. In her hand, she was waving the golden fan she had just bought. Under the lamplight, it flashed with a dazzling glow.