When Chen Qinglan was helped out of the sedan chair, the wound on her calf was pulled open again.
She walked inside only after she had steadied herself; waves of heat rose from under the medicated cloth.
A light fragrance filled the hall, masking the smell of medicine on her body.
The Empress sat at the head of the table, her phoenix robe neatly arranged, with only a few gold hairpins in her hair, yet she commanded the respect of everyone in the hall.
She saw Chen Qinglan come in, but didn't speak immediately.
Chen Qinglan knelt down to pay her respects.
"Your Majesty, I have come to pay my respects."
"Why are you kneeling with an injured leg?"
The Empress raised her hand.
A palace maid stepped forward to help her.
Chen Qinglan sat to the side, her back tense.
The Empress picked up her teacup, the lid lightly touching the rim.
The Eastern Palace is very lively today.
Chen Qinglan lowered her head. "Your Majesty, I was changing the dressing in the side hall and dared not inquire about matters in the main hall."
The Empress stared at her for a long time.
"You do know what to say."
Chen Qinglan's fingers clenched slightly inside her sleeve.
This is not an exaggeration.
The Empress is testing her.
"Your Majesty, I only remember the palace rules."
The Empress put down her teacup, and the palace maids in the hall took a few steps back.
"Palace rules teach you to endure. The Chen Family you to guard. But you've been married into the Eastern Palace for so long, you should have realized by now that endurance and guarding don't always guarantee peace."
Chen Qinglan looked up.
The empress had fine lines at the corners of her eyes, but her under-eye area was very clear.
"Your Majesty is right."
I'm not lecturing you.
The Empress leaned back on her phoenix throne, her voice softening. "I'm telling you to consider yourself the wife of the Eastern Palace, but don't forget you're a daughter of the Chen Family."
Chen Qinglan's throat tightened.
The Eastern Palace Lady.
These three words are like a wet cloth covering a person's face, making it difficult to even breathe.
She lowered her eyes. "I understand."
The Queen stared at her. "You don't understand."
The hall fell silent.
Chen Qinglan's fingertips felt cold.
The Empress continued, "If the Crown Prince makes a mistake, the Emperor will punish him. But if the Crown Prince falls, who in the Eastern Palace will be clean? Your father is the Imperial Censor; no matter how upright the Chen Family is, they can easily be dragged down."
Chen Qinglan pursed her lips.
"Your Majesty, I have never interfered in the affairs of the Eastern Palace."
"The words 'innocence' are useful on paper, but only when they reach the emperor's desk and someone is willing to read them."
As soon as the Empress finished speaking, Chen Qinglan felt even more tense.
She understood.
If the Eastern Palace cannot escape, the Empress will tell her to shut up and accept her fate.
The Empress looked at the hem of her dress on her leg. "How did you get these burns?"
Chen Qinglan paused for a moment.
An image flashed through her mind of a soup bowl overturned, hot soup dripping down her skirt, with Gu Moyuan standing on it, berating the Chen Family for being useless.
She pressed her fingers against her cuff.
"I was careless in serving you and knocked over the soup cup."
The Empress's eyes flickered slightly.
He spilled it, didn't he?
Chen Qinglan did not answer.
Silence itself is the answer.
The Empress looked at her for a long time, then suddenly chuckled, a very faint laugh that quickly faded.
"When I was young, I also covered for others."
Chen Qinglan looked up.
The Empress gazed outside the palace, her eyes landing on the shadows of the palace gate.
"In the end, people will only remember my virtue. Who will remember whether I was in pain or not?"
Chen Qinglan's breathing became shallow.
The Empress withdrew her gaze. "You have been married for many years without children. I know your situation is not good."
"I, too, have never had a child, yet I still hold the position of Empress."
"But, I truly cannot bear children?"
Chen Qinglan's fingers trembled.
You shouldn't have listened to that.
But since the Empress had spoken, she couldn't pretend not to hear.
The Empress lowered her eyes to look at the teacup. "It was the Emperor who refused to leave any for me. Men are inherently fickle, and emperors are even more so."
The incense inside the hall was even more intense.
Chen Qinglan's lips parted slightly, but she didn't utter a sound.
The Empress raised her hand, gesturing for her to continue listening.
"My position as Empress was earned with the lives of my entire family. During the struggle for the throne, the Emperor was short of people around him, and my maternal family shielded him from harm, cleared the way, and provided him with supplies. Later, when most of them were dead, and everyone in and out of the court was watching, the Emperor had no choice but to make me Empress."
She spoke very steadily.
The more stable it is, the colder it becomes.
Chen Qinglan's hands on her knees slowly tightened.
The Empress continued, "You've made me Empress, yet you refuse to let me have any children of my own. With no maternal family and no offspring, I can only remain a memorial tablet placed in the Empress's palace."
Chen Qinglan whispered, "Your Majesty..."
"Afraid to listen anymore? Scared?"
The Empress looked at her.
Chen Qinglan's Adam's apple bobbed.
"Your Majesty, I dare not."
"My present is your future; you should be afraid."
The Empress moved a little closer, the gold thread on her phoenix robe casting a dim light.
"The palace isn't a place for reason. The position of Crown Princess is less desirable than you think. If the Crown Prince passes the test, you'll have to return to the side palace and continue being his wife. If the Crown Prince doesn't pass, and you speak recklessly, the Chen Family will be dragged into it as well."
Chen Qinglan raised her head.
"May I ask what Your Majesty wishes to do with me today?"
The Empress had finally heard those words.
She placed a jade bracelet on the table and pushed it in front of Chen Qinglan.
The jade bracelet is old, with wear marks on the edges.
"Tolerate."
Chen Qinglan looked at the bracelet but didn't reach for it.
The Empress said, "If the Eastern Palace manages to escape this situation, you will remain the Crown Princess. If you cannot escape it, obey me, and I will ensure that the Chen Family is not implicated."
Chen Qinglan's eyes stung, but she forced them back.
How can the Empress be protected?
The Empress's eyes darkened.
Chen Qinglan knew her words were offensive, but she had to ask.
How could an empress, whose lineage had been cut off by the emperor, and a empress who was only left with the title of empress, protect the Chen Family during the controversy surrounding the deposition of the crown prince?
The queen did not get angry.
She picked up the teacup and took a sip.
"Have you forgotten that I have two young princes under my care?"
Chen Qinglan's fingers froze.
The Empress looked at her. "They are young, clean, and obedient. If the Crown Prince loses power, the Emperor will have to consider the future. If I support them, they will still have a voice."
The image of the sealed door to the main hall of the Eastern Palace flashed through Chen Qinglan's mind.
The Queen is already considering the next step.
What does Your Majesty need me to do for you?
The Empress pushed the jade bracelet closer.
"You don't need to do anything for me. Just keep quiet, recover from your injuries, and don't let the Chen Family jump out to plead for the Crown Prince, nor let Chen Family rush to distance themselves from the Eastern Palace."
Chen Qinglan looked at the jade bracelet.
Neither side can be moved.
If you move, you become a target.
What if I refuse?
The Empress looked at her for a long while, her tone still steady. "Then I will find someone more obedient to speak with the Chen Family. Lord Chen has been an official for many years and knows best how to make choices."
Chen Qinglan's palms were sweating.
These words carry more weight than a threat.
She reached out and picked up the jade bracelet.
The jade bracelet felt cool to the touch.
"I understand."
The Empress watched as she tucked the bracelet into her sleeve.
"Go back. Remember, don't cry to outsiders when you're wronged. They'll only laugh at you."
Chen Qinglan stood up and bowed.
"This concubine takes her leave."
As she reached the palace entrance, the Empress suddenly spoke, "Have the Imperial Medical Bureau make a careful record of the injury on your leg."
Chen Qinglan stopped in her tracks.
The Empress watched her retreating figure. "Tolerance doesn't mean throwing away the evidence."
Chen Qinglan's throat tightened.
After a short while, she responded softly.
"I have remembered."
Before Xiao Jinghan was dragged back to the prison, he was first taken to a small torture chamber on the west side.
The door closed.
Outside, only the rain pattered against the eaves.
After the eunuch finished reading the secret decree, two executioners pressed down on his shoulders.
Xiao Jinghan did not beg for mercy.
Ten years in prison, even if you beg for mercy, it won't make a difference.
As the knife fell, he bit down on the wad of cloth, his back slammed against the wooden board, and he tasted blood in his throat.
The Gu Clan emperor wanted him to live.
We will live to see the Xiao Clan eradicated.
This secret decree was not for killing.
It completely blocked his remaining paths.
When he was dragged back to the prison cell, Xiao Jinghan's boots rubbed bloody marks on the stone steps.
The dampness at the entrance to the prison wafted into my nostrils, carrying with it the smells of mildew, smoke, and old rust.
He looked up at the door.
ten years.
He was only gone for one night, and he's back now.
The jailer dared not look at him too much and led him inside by the iron chains.
The iron rings of the collarbone chain dug into my flesh, and with every step I took, my shoulders and back felt numb from the pulling.
The white cloth around his waist was already soaked with blood.
Xiao Jinghan gritted his teeth and didn't shout.
The cell door opened, and dampness rushed out from the cracks in the wall.
The jailer pushed him inside.
"Stay put."
Another jailer fastened the lock and read the decree aloud.
"Collarbone chain, double guards, rotated every three days. By imperial decree, no one may visit without a warrant."
Xiao Jinghan slumped against the wall, his palms touching the cold, damp ground.
The prison door closed.
The iron lock fell.
The sound carried far through the stone path.
He looked down at the bloodstains on his lower abdomen, the pain seeping into his flesh.
There was no old flag in my mind.
The country was not restored.
Only the Crown Prince's face.
Gu Moyuan.
Hall of Proper Beauty.
Waist tag rope.
"You dog prince."