Chapter 70: Death—Real and Faked

Princess Chengping’s death was not very dignified.

During her period of reflection at home, the Eldest Princess was in a foul mood every day. Aside from her male concubine, Dong Yun, no one dared to approach her.

However, on this particular day, the Eldest Princess happened to notice a trace of rouge on Dong Yun’s collar.

The Eldest Princess’s gaze immediately darkened.

She was confident in her own vermilion lips and thus never used rouge, nor did she like her male concubines to wear powder and paint. So how did Dong Yun get this rouge on him?

Suspicion grew in the Eldest Princess’s heart, but she showed little of it on her face. Instead, she ordered someone to keep an eye on him in private.

The investigation revealed that Dong Yun was keeping a woman on the outside, using excuses to go out and meet her privately every month.

Recently, these meetings had become even more frequent.

A mere male concubine dared to keep a woman behind her back?

The Eldest Princess was enraged and had intended to have him executed directly. But for some reason, a sudden impulse moved her. She wanted to see for herself what the woman Dong Yun was keeping looked like.

Thus, disregarding the Emperor’s verbal command for her to reflect at home, the Eldest Princess led her people to the residence Dong Yun had privately set up.

Sure enough, she saw Dong Yun and the woman he was keeping.

The Eldest Princess flew into a rage and immediately ordered the woman to be dragged out and beaten to death.

“Beat the woman to death first, then the man.”

She wanted Dong Yun to watch with his own eyes the consequences of betraying her. She had indeed lost favor, but she had not yet fallen so low as to let people walk all over her.

The heavy thuds of the cudgel rang out, accompanied by the woman’s cries of pain.

Dong Yun was held down, unable to move, forced to watch as the woman was beaten.

It was a crimson, bloody mess.

At first, Dong Yun pleaded bitterly. Later, seeing that the woman had gone silent, he knew that begging was useless and that he too would not escape death. He finally gave up all hope and began to curse loudly, “You black-hearted, rotten-gutted old hag! You’ve done so many wicked things, you won’t have a good death. After you die, you’ll go down to the eighteen levels of hell and never be reincarnated!”

For the sake of wealth and status, he had always fawned over the Eldest Princess, but he had to endure her temper. Over time, he had secretly kept a “sympathetic flower” for himself on the outside. It had been a well-kept secret, but recently, with the Eldest Princess’s fall from grace, her temper had worsened. He found it unbearable, and the frequency of his visits to his “sympathetic flower” increased.

Now that he had been suddenly discovered, Dong Yun knew his life was forfeit and figured there was no need to endure it any longer.

He might as well throw caution to the wind and let loose for once before he died.

The Eldest Princess was so furious she trembled. She closed her eyes for a moment and said coldly, “Don’t use that face to say things that disgust me.”

“Ha! This face! You don’t really think Prince Consort Wen truly fell in love with you, do you? Does someone like you even deserve to speak of love? You’re quite the dreamer. You killed his fiancée and still delude yourself into thinking he had real feelings for you. Let me tell you the truth, he wished he could eat your flesh and drink your blood. He only held back out of concern for his family… If he were like me, with no family, you would have died ten thousand times over by now.”

The Eldest Princess’s body trembled with rage. She wanted to refute him, but could only manage to say, “You’re lying!”

Wen Yunhui had resented her at first, but later he had been willing to die for her. How could he still hate her?

But Dong Yun retorted, “Am I lying? I saw his personal journal in his room. It was written in black and white. Every day he spent by your side, he felt disgusted, like life was worse than death.”

—Because his temperament and eyes most resembled Wen Yunhui’s, Dong Yun had been assigned by the Eldest Princess to live in the room the late Prince Consort had occupied. He had accidentally discovered Wen Yunhui’s journal, which was filled with suicidal phrases. But he knew in his heart that his favor depended on his resemblance to the Prince Consort, so he naturally couldn’t tell anyone about this, especially not the Eldest Princess.

Not only could he not tell, but he also had to destroy the journal and intentionally or unintentionally emphasize that the Prince Consort had later fallen deeply in love with the Eldest Princess and willingly died for her.

As expected, this tactic was very effective. Among all the male concubines, the Eldest Princess favored him the most.

But now, knowing he wouldn’t live, Dong Yun naturally said whatever was most hurtful.

In reality, Wen Yunhui had a gentle disposition and hadn’t dared to write any resentful words in his journal, only repeatedly expressing his weariness of life and suicidal thoughts.

But that didn’t stop Dong Yun from embellishing the story to twist the knife.

The Eldest Princess trembled all over. Unable to bear it any longer, she personally drew a sword and stabbed at Dong Yun.

Dong Yun was stabbed several times, blood spewing from his mouth. Unwilling to give up, he added, “Actually, he wrote about one more thing in his journal…”

His voice was extremely low, almost inaudible.

“What else did he write?” the Eldest Princess subconsciously moved closer.

She truly wanted to know what had been going on in Wen Yunhui’s mind.

Just as everyone let their guard down, Dong Yun, who had been on the verge of death, suddenly raised his hand. Mustering all the strength he had left in his life, he viciously plunged a sharp hairpin into the Eldest Princess’s heart.

The Eldest Princess cried out in agony and struggled violently, blood gushing from her chest.

The people beside them were horrified and all attacked Dong Yun. Already severely injured, he was struck a few more times and, in an instant, breathed his last.

As for the Eldest Princess, with her heart pierced, she too fell into a coma.

By the time the physician arrived to treat her, she was already unconscious.

That night, the Eldest Princess, who had been imperious for over thirty years, died from her severe injuries.

When Princess Changle Wen Shan heard the terrible news, she fainted on the spot.

…

It was the next day before Su Zhenyue learned of the matter.

She was somewhat surprised after hearing the cause of the Eldest Princess’s death.

How could this be?

In her long dream, the Eldest Princess died in the autumn of the following year. Although it was also related to a male concubine, the reason and manner of death were different.

—In the dream, the Eldest Princess died from a fall from a horse. At first, Wen Shan thought it was just an accident caused by a spooked horse, but Gu Yuanchen soon discovered it was the work of one of the Eldest Princess’s male concubines. That male concubine’s woman on the outside was pregnant, so he planned an “accident” for the Eldest Princess in order to abscond with her wealth. He thought his plan was flawless, but it was uncovered.

Later, that male concubine was sentenced to death by Emperor Jiande and dismembered by five horses.

In reality, many things had happened ahead of schedule, and even the Eldest Princess’s death had changed to some extent.

Su Zhenyue touched her chest, sighing with some emotion.

The Eldest Princess had once been arrogant and domineering, relying on the doting affection of her father and brother. She probably never imagined she would die at the hands of a trusted person by her side.

In the evening, Su Zhenyue was talking about this with Shen Ji when she suddenly asked in a low voice, “Cousin, am I very bad?”

Shen Ji was slightly surprised. “How are you bad? You didn’t kill her.”

The Eldest Princess had previously sent assassins after her. Their retaliation so far had merely been to suggest that others impeach the Eldest Princess.

How could such a “gentlemanly” revenge be considered bad?

“What if I had taken action?” Su Zhenyue pressed.

—In reality, she had not laid a hand on anyone, because many things had changed, and she had avoided many disasters. Of course, it was also because she cherished her current wonderful life and did not want to become a bad person. But in that long dream, after experiencing so much, she had gradually “turned to the dark side” and taken revenge on several people one by one.

She didn’t feel there was anything wrong with her revenge in the dream, but she suddenly wanted to know Shen Ji’s opinion on the matter.

Shen Ji glanced at her and said slowly, “An eye for an eye is normal.”

If one lacked the ability, one could temporarily endure. But once one had the ability, one would certainly retaliate, bit by bit.

Su Zhenyue suddenly smiled. She rested her head on his shoulder, then turned her head to kiss him, whispering, “That’s true.”

———

The Eldest Princess’s death was undignified, but her funeral had to be handled with dignity.

As the elder brother of the deceased Prince Consort Wen, Duke Cheng proposed that since the Eldest Princess was of noble status, they should follow the old customs of the previous dynasty and have her buried in a separate tomb from her late husband.

The Eldest Princess’s husband had died young, and she had only one daughter. The male concubines she kept were not presentable. As the head of the Wen family, Duke Cheng could represent her husband’s family.

In the current dynasty, it was common for couples to be buried in separate tombs or buried together in the same tomb. Since the husband’s family had made the proposal and the daughter did not object, the Emperor readily approved it.

Wen Shan had been immersed in grief. It wasn’t until the day of the burial that she learned that although her parents’ graves were in the same location, they were to be buried separately.

After the funeral, she went to question her uncle.

Wen Shan had grown up in the Princess Manor and did not live with the Wen family. She was not close to her uncle; they were even somewhat strangers.

Faced with her inquiry, Duke Cheng only offered some platitudes, such as, “The Eldest Princess was of noble status and should have her own tomb. This is an old custom from the previous dynasty.”

“But my mother would surely have wanted to be buried with my father.”

Duke Cheng said, “That’s not necessarily true. Your mother kept so many male concubines. Perhaps there was someone else she wanted to be buried with?”

Wen Shan was at a loss for words. “But, my father…”

“Your father passed away early. He didn’t have so many thoughts.”

Duke Cheng’s feelings toward his brother’s only remaining bloodline were complicated. On one hand, he felt pity for her because she was his brother’s flesh and blood; on the other hand, he disliked her because her face resembled the Eldest Princess’s more.

Duke Cheng was the eldest son and had inherited the family title. His younger brother, Wen Yunhui, had studied diligently since childhood and became a Tanhua at a young age. He had once imagined that he and his brother, one in military and one in civil service, would bring glory to their family.

Unfortunately, life is unpredictable.

Because of the willfulness of imperial power, many things had changed.

Miss Ji committed suicide, and his once bright and cheerful brother lived like a walking corpse. Everyone else said his brother died shielding the Eldest Princess from a sword. But he felt it was more like his brother had killed himself.

But those were events from many years ago.

Duke Cheng did not know what his brother was thinking in that moment he blocked the sword. But as his elder brother, he did not wish for his brother to have to share a tomb with the Eldest Princess even in death.

The person was already in the ground; the matter was settled.

Wen Shan said no more. After all, it was not uncommon in this world for couples to be buried in separate tombs. She couldn’t disturb her parents who were already laid to rest. She could only silently pray for their peace in the next life.

The Emperor and the Empress Dowager disliked her mother but did not extend their displeasure to her. They were still relatively kind to her.

But Wen Shan was in no mood to dwell on these things. Her mother’s death was a huge blow to her.

She had lost the person who loved her most in this world.

Not long after the Eldest Princess was buried, Wen Shan fell ill. It came on suddenly and was very serious.

During this time, Sun Momo cared for her without even taking off her clothes to rest.

Meanwhile, her husband of two years would only ask about her condition once a day as a matter of courtesy.

Her mother-in-law, Madam Zhou, often sent people to visit, but at the same time, she also sent two remarkably beautiful maids to Shushixuan Residence.

Although it was not stated outright, her intentions were self-evident.

Wen Shan felt very tired.

She lay awake all night, replaying the moments between her and Gu Yuanchen, feeling more and more that she had taken the wrong path.

She should not have married into the Gu family.

Perhaps, it was time to give up.

After she recovered, Wen Shan proposed a divorce to her husband, but was refused.

Gu Yuanchen’s face was expressionless as he said simply, “This was an imperially bestowed marriage. We cannot divorce.”

He felt tired too.

When it pleased her, she found a way to request an imperial decree for marriage, binding them together. Oh, of course, she could say it was her mother who requested the decree, but was she truly not involved at all?

Now that it no longer pleased her, she wanted a divorce. Why was she always so selfish and willful?

Shouldn’t one walk the path they chose to the very end? Could a divorce really turn back time?

Moreover, this was an imperially bestowed marriage. They could only live like this for the rest of their lives.

He would not live in harmony with her as husband and wife, nor would he agree to a divorce.

Wen Shan closed her eyes and said no more. The next day, she had her carriage driven to the Princess Manor.

Although her mother was gone, it was her home, the place where she had lived since she was a child.

However, she could not stay in the Princess Manor for too long. According to the law, when a princess died, the Princess Manor was to be reclaimed by the court.

At the latest, she would have to leave the Princess Manor after the New Year.

If her maternal uncle were on the throne, he would have made an exception. But the current emperor was not her uncle.

Gu Yuanchen was familiar with the laws of the court and knew this well. So, after sending someone to fetch her once, he did not try again and remained busy with his own affairs.

Unexpectedly, half a month later, he suddenly received news: the Princess Manor had caught fire, and Princess Changle Wen Shan had perished in the blaze.

———

On this day, Su Zhenyue had just received the happy news sent by Gu Yuanwei: his wife had given birth to a pair of twin daughters.

The next moment, she was abruptly informed of what had happened to Princess Changle.

It was Shi Xuezhen who told her the news.

Shi Xuezhen had been running her cloth business for several months and had grown a bit bolder. As their homes were close, she had hurried over to ask Su Zhenyue as soon as she heard.

“Have you heard? There was a huge fire at the Princess Manor. Princess Changle didn’t escape. They say her body was burned beyond recognition.” Shi Xuezhen’s face was pale. She then added, “Look at me, I forgot, you’re relatives. Why am I telling you this?”

Su Zhenyue did not speak.

Shi Xuezhen was extremely embarrassed. She offered an apology and hastily took her leave.

Su Zhenyue, however, remained stunned for a long while. Dead? The body was unrecognizable… was it a faked death?

But, in reality, without the various misunderstandings caused by the return of her “White Moonlight,” without the complete despair from the “choose one of two” moment on the cliff, would Wen Shan still choose to fake her death and leave?

In the evening, when Shen Ji returned, he saw Su Zhenyue’s dazed expression and asked, “You already know?”

“Yes.” Su Zhenyue came back to her senses and nodded. “Sister Shi came by and told me a little.”

Shen Ji sat down opposite her and poured a cup of tea. “I heard the fire was a bit suspicious. It didn’t seem like an accident, more like someone deliberately set it.”

“So, was it a faked death?” Su Zhenyue asked, looking up.

Shen Ji’s expression shifted slightly. He said unhurriedly, “That possibility can’t be ruled out.”

Although Princess Changle’s body was found at the scene, it was charred black and her original features were long gone. If it were someone else, it would be entirely plausible.

But these were matters for Gu Yuanchen, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, to ponder seriously.

Perhaps because the news was too shocking, Su Zhenyue couldn’t sleep that night. Not wanting to disturb Shen Ji, she simply lay there with her eyes tightly closed.

After an unknown amount of time, she managed to fall asleep. In a daze, she dreamed of the events surrounding her fall from the cliff.

It was after the chaos in the capital in her dream. She and Wen Shan were both suspended from a cliff, and Gu Yuanchen was forced to “choose one of two.” Out of guilt, Gu Yuanchen chose Su Zhenyue. But the kidnapper’s goal was to retaliate against Gu Yuanchen, so why would he do as he wished? To spite him, he immediately threw Su Zhenyue down.

After falling from the cliff, Su Zhenyue did not die immediately. She lay at the bottom, her whole body in agony, unable to move. As she was consumed by despair, a masked man entered her line of sight.

In that long dream, Su Zhenyue had never seen the “mysterious man’s” face. But in this night’s dream, the masked “mysterious man” actually took off his mask, revealing a face identical to Shen Ji’s.

Su Zhenyue woke with a start.

Opening her eyes, she saw Shen Ji beside her, his eyes closed and his breathing even. He was clearly still asleep.

But Su Zhenyue was now even more awake.

Shen Ji and the “mysterious man”?

She had never connected the two before, because when she was rescued by the “mysterious man,” Shen Ji had already died in the fire at the Postal Station.

But after having such a strange dream tonight, thinking back, there were indeed many similarities between them.

For example, their builds were similar, and both were skilled in making various mechanisms. For example, their eyes were very similar.

When she first met Shen Ji, she had found his eyes familiar.

But, they were also different. Their voices were different, their gaits were different, and the “mysterious man” was skilled in medicine, whereas Shen Ji could only be said to have a rudimentary understanding of it.

Of course, the most important thing was that at that time, Shen Ji was no longer in this world.

As her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, Su Zhenyue gazed at Shen Ji’s sleeping face by the moonlight.

Perhaps, she thought, it was because she had never seen the “mysterious man’s” face and was grateful for his help that she had subconsciously given him the face of the person she trusted most?

Or, was Shen Ji the “mysterious man”? Had he not died in the fire at the Postal Station? Had he managed to escape and change his identity to live in hiding?

Just like Wen Shan’s faked death?

Su Zhenyue couldn’t figure it out.

—Actually, regarding the identity of the man in black, she had thought about asking Xie Lanxiu after returning to the capital. But after she truly returned, she learned that in the same month Emperor Jiande passed away, Xie Lanxiu had returned to his hometown for a period of mourning.

So Su Zhenyue hadn’t thought much more about it.

Because a dream was a dream, and reality was reality.

If she could find out who the “mysterious man” was, that would be great. If she could never find out, then perhaps that was fate.

Just as she didn’t deliberately seek out the enemies from her dream, there was no need to deliberately seek out the nameless benefactor from her dream either.

She would do more good deeds, and that would be her way of repaying the “mysterious man.”

Of course, if she could find out, that would definitely be better.

Whatever. She would wait for Xie Lanxiu to finish his mourning period and return to the capital before thinking about it.

Su Zhenyue lay down again, snuggling a little closer to Shen Ji’s side.

Listening to the sound of his breathing and heartbeat, her own heart gradually calmed down.