Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Forcibly Kept in the Palace At dusk that day, on his way home after finishing work, Xue Ming deliberately detoured through Taihua Avenue and stopped at the famous Liu'an House to buy some sweet cakes and pastries that his wife’s younger sister and their children enjoyed. When he dismounted in front of his home, Xue Ming saw his wife waiting just inside the main gate, looking troubled and craning her neck expectantly. Xue Ming had always shared a close relationship with his wife, so he smiled and approached with the pastries in hand, teasing her, “You can stop waiting now. I’m back. If you keep standing here until you turn into a stone waiting for your husband, what will A-Zhan and A-Yi do?” He was about to put an arm around her shoulders and lead her inside when he added, “I bought some pastries. Come back to the room and eat them while they’re still warm. They won’t taste as good once they’ve gone cold.” His wife, Yan Huiniang, seemed too preoccupied to appreciate his good intentions. She pushed his hand away and said, “Who’s waiting for you? I’m waiting for my younger sister.” As she continued gazing toward the street, Yan Huiniang’s face filled with worry. “It’s almost dark, and the palace gates are about to be locked. Why hasn’t my younger sister come back yet? Nothing could have happened to her in the palace, could it…?” At the words “in the palace,” the smile vanished from Xue Ming’s face. He hurriedly asked his wife, “Did she enter the palace today? Why did she go?” “This morning, someone from the palace came and said they were inviting her to enter the palace to admire the flowers and attend a banquet on Consort Yi’s orders. She went.” Yan Huiniang said anxiously, “And she still hasn’t come back.” She hesitated, then looked at her husband, Xue Ming. “You know that my younger sister and Consort Yi once…” Xue Ming naturally knew. When his younger sister had been around thirteen or fourteen, she and Wei Jinshu, the daughter of the Wei family, had been thoroughly at odds for a time. At first, it had merely been a matter of two girls competing to outshine each other. They compared their accomplishments in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as their clothes and jewelry. But later, on one occasion, when his younger sister was attending a banquet in the palace, she had pushed Wei Jinshu into the water in full view of everyone. Although his younger sister had committed a serious offense, their Aunt had been Empress at the time. With Aunt’s protection in the palace, his younger sister had naturally received not the slightest punishment. In the end, the matter of his younger sister pushing the Duke of Qi’s daughter into the water had been lightly dismissed on the grounds that she was merely a child who did not know better. But now, Aunt had been deposed and reduced to a commoner, and was imprisoned in Chongqing Palace in a state of madness. If his younger sister encountered any danger while alone in the palace, who would be able to protect her? What if today’s flower-viewing banquet had actually been a Hongmen Banquet? What if Wei-shi, Consort Yi, had been harboring thoughts of revenge against his younger sister…? The more Xue Ming thought about it, the more anxious he became. He had the maid take the packet of pastries to the room for the two children, then stood anxiously with his wife by the gate. Yet darkness soon fell completely. More than half an hour had passed since the palace gates should have been locked, and still the carriage carrying his younger sister had not returned. Yan Huiniang grew increasingly worried. Tugging at Xue Ming’s sleeve, she urged him, “Quickly, send someone to find out what happened. Ask whether something happened to my younger sister in the palace, and why she still hasn’t come home!” How could they inquire about news from the palace? When the Xue family had been in power, there had been an Empress Xue in the palace, while outside, they had maintained close relations with the great aristocratic families and imperial clans. There had been plenty of ways and channels to obtain news from within the palace. But now, where did the Xue family have the ability to do that? Xue Ming anxiously thought and thought. Under his wife’s repeated urging, he could only say, “How about I go request an audience with Prince Chu and ask whether he knows anything?” During the years when the Xue family’s gates had been deserted, Xue Ming had come to understand all too well what it meant for worldly relationships to turn cold and for human warmth to disappear. The great aristocratic families that had once been friendly with the Xue family had all grown distant, while those who had old grudges and conflicts with the Xue family were constantly looking for opportunities to trample them underfoot. Once, Xue Ming had made a minor mistake in his official duties. Someone had nearly seized upon it as an excuse to make a serious accusation against him, but Prince Chu had stepped forward and suppressed the matter. When Xue Ming had expressed his gratitude and offered his thanks, Prince Chu had gently told him that there was no need for such formality. He had even said that if the Xue family ever encountered difficulties, Xue Ming could come to Prince Chu’s Residence and tell him about them honestly. Xue Ming was deeply grateful to Prince Chu, but after that, he had never gone to Prince Chu’s Residence to request an audience. He was worried that he might be suspected of deliberately currying favor with an imperial relative or harboring ulterior motives. He had to be cautious in everything he did if he wanted to preserve his family, wife, and children beneath the Son of Heaven’s cold gaze. But today, regarding his younger sister’s situation, he had no other recourse. For now, he could not afford to consider anything else and could only go ask Prince Chu. Xue Ming told his wife to wait in the room, then mounted his horse in front of the gate and galloped toward Prince Chu’s Residence beneath the darkening sky. When he reached the main gate of Prince Chu’s Residence, Xue Ming practically rolled from the saddle. He hurriedly explained to the gatekeeper that he wished to request an audience. After the gatekeeper reported inside, it was not long before an attendant from the residence came out and led Xue Ming inside to pay his respects to the prince. Following the attendant through the night, Xue Ming arrived at a reception hall. Seeing Prince Chu standing inside, he immediately stopped outside the threshold and bowed respectfully to him. Prince Chu, Xiao Yu, had only returned from the palace slightly more than half an hour earlier. Moreover, he had returned only because he had no choice. If the palace gates had not been about to close, he—a man from outside the imperial family—would never have been allowed to remain in the palace. In truth, he had wanted to stay there and find some way to see Sister Xue. During the day, Imperial Older Brother had rescued Sister Xue from the water before him, then carried her to Yichun Pavilion Boat by the water’s edge. After climbing out of the water, he had hurried after them, wanting to see how Sister Xue was doing, only to be stopped outside Yichun Pavilion Boat by the palace attendants serving before the emperor. Later, another attendant had come out to deliver an imperial order, saying that Imperial Older Brother would not allow him to wait there and ordering him to go to Mother Consort’s residence to change his clothes. He could not disobey the imperial order, so he had no choice but to go to Mother Consort’s residence and clean himself up. After changing into dry clothes and leaving Shou’an Palace, he still headed toward Yichun Pavilion Boat. However, by the time he arrived, Yichun Pavilion Boat was already empty. Imperial Older Brother seemed to have returned to Zichen Palace. But what about Sister Xue…? He asked at various palace gates and confirmed that Sister Xue had not left the palace. He then continued toward Zichen Palace. However, the people serving before the emperor stopped him, saying that His Majesty was not receiving anyone today. When he asked whether Sister Xue was in Zichen Palace, the people serving before the emperor kept their mouths shut. So he waited outside Zichen Palace, just as he had waited time and time again when requesting that Imperial Older Brother allow him to serve as an envoy. He remained there until dusk approached. In the end, Imperial Older Brother still refused to see him. But Chief Steward Cheng came out and advised him to leave the palace before the gates were locked. He asked Chief Steward Cheng whether Sister Xue was in Zichen Palace and how she was doing. Chief Steward Cheng said that County Princess Yongning was not seriously injured. She had merely caught a slight chill after falling into the water, and he need not worry. Xiao Yu had still insisted on going in to see Sister Xue, but Chief Steward Cheng bowed to him and said, “Your Highness, it is getting late. You should leave the palace. The palace regulations are strict. If you were punished for violating them, would not the Noble Consort Dowager be heartbroken and distressed?” He continued, “Of all the late emperor’s princes, His Majesty treats Your Highness with the greatest affection. Your Highness must obey His Majesty in everything. You absolutely must not disappoint His Majesty’s grace.” After hearing this, Xiao Yu knew that unless he committed the treasonous act of forcing his way into Zichen Palace, there was no chance he would be able to enter and see Sister Xue today. But how could he commit such an outrageous act? His Mother Consort in Shou’an Palace hoped only that he would remain safe in all things. He could not act rashly for the sake of his own impulses and implicate his Mother Consort, who was spending her later years peacefully in the palace. He had no choice but to leave the palace and return to his residence before the gates were locked. After returning home, Xiao Yu was also so worried that he could neither sit nor stand at ease. He could not even drink a cup of tea in peace, rising from his seat and pacing back and forth in the small hall. When an attendant reported that Xue Ming had requested an audience, Xiao Yu knew why he had come. He told Xue Ming there was no need for formalities, granted him a seat and tea, and then heard Xue Ming ask about Sister Xue. Xiao Yu told Xue Ming that Sister Xue had fallen into the water in the palace that day, and promptly reassured him that she had been rescued not long afterward and was not seriously hurt. When Xue Ming heard that his younger sister had fallen into the water, his heart nearly leaped out of his throat. Fortunately, Prince Chu said that she was safe. Because his younger sister had old grievances with Consort Yi and the others, and because Prince Chu had always treated the Xue family warmly, Xue Ming instinctively assumed that Prince Chu—who had been in the palace that day—was the one who had rescued her. As he asked about it, he bent down to thank the prince for saving her life. But Prince Chu said, “No, I was too late. Imperial Older Brother rescued Sister Xue first.” Xue Ming froze where he stood. His shock and confusion were so extreme that, for a moment, he did not know how to react. His voice stiff, he said, “…May I ask Your Highness, since my younger sister is unharmed, why has she not left the palace and returned home?” Prince Chu fell silent, seeming not to know the reason either. Amid the prince’s silence, Xue Ming’s thoughts grew increasingly fearful and bewildered. It was as though he were walking unsteadily along a thin line, unable to see anything clearly. His heart was utterly lost and filled with terror. Xue Ming had long been certain that the current Son of Heaven did not like his younger sister. Even back when his younger sister had been hopelessly devoted to Crown Prince Xiao Heng, Xue Ming had already seen through Xiao Heng’s coldness and ruthlessness toward her. He had felt that her infatuation was entirely undeserved. If Xiao Heng did not like her—in fact, if he detested her—then why had he personally entered the water today, as the Son of Heaven, to rescue her? And why had he forcibly kept her in the palace…? Beneath the light of the small hall’s lamps, Xue Ming remained silent for a long time, filled with bewilderment and incomprehension, as well as deep concern for his younger sister’s situation. Xiao Yu, seated in the place of honor, also remained silent for a long while. Yet his thoughts differed somewhat from Xue Ming’s. Xue Ming believed that the Son of Heaven detested Xue Shaoyin, but Xiao Yu believed that Xue Shaoyin had always held a place in his Imperial Older Brother’s heart—indeed, she had been there all these years. Although Imperial Older Brother had always appeared rather cold toward Sister Xue in the past, leading everyone to believe that the Crown Prince disliked Xue Shaoyin, in Xiao Yu’s eyes, Imperial Older Brother actually cared for and liked Sister Xue. He remembered one time when Sister Xue had been in the Eastern Palace. Because she had been walking too quickly, she had nearly fallen. Xiao Yu had been at Imperial Older Brother’s side and had personally witnessed that moment. Imperial Older Brother had instinctively reached out to support her, but when he saw a maid catch Sister Xue, he silently put his hand behind his back and coldly mocked her, saying that she was already so grown and could not even walk properly. Naturally, Sister Xue had been displeased. Xiao Yu had witnessed similar situations many times. Imperial Older Brother clearly cared about and worried for Sister Xue, yet always hid it instead of showing it, deliberately making her unhappy. Whenever Sister Xue laughed freely, he would be drawn to her radiance and find his gaze following her despite himself. Yet whenever Sister Xue looked toward him, he would coolly avert his eyes. Imperial Older Brother was simply… impossible to understand. Xiao Yu could not understand Imperial Older Brother’s deliberate coldness toward Sister Xue, nor could he understand the cold and heartless way Imperial Older Brother had later treated the Xue family. In his heart, Imperial Older Brother was not a cold and heartless person. At least toward him, his half-brother, Imperial Older Brother had never been cold. Xiao Yu was not worried about Sister Xue’s safety in Zichen Palace. He believed that Imperial Older Brother would never harm her physically, even if he had behaved incomprehensibly in matters concerning Sister Xue. But what about everything beyond her physical safety? Beneath the lamplight, Xiao Yu remained silent for a long time. He did not know what he should do, because there was one thing whose answer he did not know. Did Sister Xue still like Imperial Older Brother as she had in the past?