Ch 129 – Ruthless
Dou Xiyin didn't expect this, and thus was stunned.
She originally planned to borrow Empress Dowager Yang's hands to get rid of the child in Cheng Yujin's womb today. After all, heirs were the most important for the imperial family, and it was particularly crucial from whom the Emperor's eldest grandson was born. If Cheng Yujin's child was really a boy, he would undoubtedly become a heavy boost for the Eastern Palace. Unless Li Chengjing lost his mind and rebelled, his position as the crown prince would practically be unshakable.
Dou Xiyin deliberately leaked the news to Empress Dowager Yang, causing the latter to order the palace Mamas to touch Cheng Yujin's belly. For obvious reasons, Dou Xiyin couldn't be present on the scene, so she waited impatiently in the side halls. However, instead of receiving the good news, she was startled by the "There's fire!" cries.
Dou Xiyin was startled and quickly ran out of the hall. The Cining Palace fell into chaos, but in the end, no fire was found in any part of the palace. Dou Xiyin sensed something was wrong, but Cheng Yujin had already taken advantage of the chaos to escape. The panicked Dou Xiyin suddenly became wise, and she hurriedly ran to Kunning Palace, reporting the mess and seeking Empress Yang's aid.
It was a pity that they arrived a step too late. Or they actually weren't too late, but no matter what Empress Yang said or how she attempted to explain, the Emperor was more willing to believe in Crown Prince and Crown Princess. When Dou Xiyin saw how the Emperor sent his personal physician to diagnose Cheng Yujin's pulse, followed by the said physician publicly declaring that he had not detected twin fetuses in Cheng Yujin's belly, she felt very regretful and did not believe a word of the physician's statement.
Dou Xiyin was sure that Cheng Yujin must be pregnant with twins. Otherwise, why such a huge reaction?
But the imperial physician was personally ordered by the Emperor. Since he dared to make such a declaration, it only meant that this was the Emperor's instruction. Obviously, the Emperor wanted to cover for Cheng Yujin.
Dou Xiyin was extremely disappointed. Today's failure was nothing, because there would be more opportunities in the future — Dou Xiyin consoled herself. However, she did not expect Cheng Yujin to suddenly call her out.
Although Cheng Yujin seemed to be asking a question, the eyes staring at Dou Xiyin were full of ruthlessness and were piercing hostilely.
Of course the Emperor could see the meaning behind such thinly-veiled words. He first looked at Cheng Yujin, who was pale and fragile-looking but stood straight on her own, and then turned to look at Dou Xiyin, who was ruddy but hiding beside Empress Yang this entire time. The Emperor frowned and said with disgust, "It's you again?"
Dou Xiyin was suddenly thrown into the spotlight and was totally panicked as a result. Before she could think of a way to refute Cheng Yujin's accusation, she was hit by the Emperor's harsh words. Completely frightened, Dou Xiyin forgot everything and immediately fell to her knees with a plop, pleading without regard for her own image, "Father Emperor, please listen to this daughter-in-law. This daughter-in-law doesn't know anything. It's all misunderstanding."
When Cheng Yujin began to attack Dou Xiyin, Empress Dowager Yang originally planned to protect her grandniece, but when she was about to speak, Dou Xiyin was faster, quickly assuming innocence by claiming that she didn't know anything. Empress Dowager Yang's face instantly sank; Dou Xiyin didn't know anything, so who was at fault here? Was Dou Xiyin blaming her, the Empress Dowager, for causing the misunderstanding?
Empress Dowager Yang's expression was ugly. Dou Xiyin was of a younger generation, and her rank was lower than that of a crown princess, so Empress Dowager Yang never planned to involve her from the beginning to the end. But people's heart was so complex — it was one thing for Empress Dowager Yang to protect Dou Xiyin, but it was another thing if Dou Xiyin wanted to absolve herself with no regard for Empress Dowager Yang.
Another thing made Empress Dowager Yang feel indignant — she was still here, yet Dou Xiyin dared to talk nonsense and shift all the responsibility to her. What would Dou Xiyin do if she was not here?
Annoyed and angry, Empress Dowager Yang was no longer in a hurry to protect Dou Xiyin. Seizing the opportunity of Empress Dowager Yang's passiveness, Cheng Yujin quickly opened her mouth again: "Empress Dowager spends most of her time practicing Buddhism, full of benevolence and kindheartedness. Why does such a compassionate person suddenly wants to attack a child who has not yet been born and whose gender is still unknown? There must be a reason hidden behind it. Besides, Empress Dowager has been recuperating in seclusion these past few days. Even the imperial physicians cannot tell if I am carrying twins or not, so why did Empress Dowager suddenly have this suspicion? Very coincidentally, everything happened right after Shou Wangfei visited the Cining Palace, and the Empress seemed to also come here after being informed by Shou Wangfei. Shou Wangfei, could you please explain these too many coincidences?"
Dou Xiyin hesitated for a moment and quickly turned to Empress Dowager Yang for help. However, Empress Dowager Yang didn't even look at her, so Dou Xiyin could only bite the bullet and say: "I went to the palace today to pay respect to Empress Dowager, and then later went to Kunning Palace for the same reason. It's been a long time since I have last seen the Crown Princess, and naturally, I have no idea if the Crown Princess may be carrying twins or not."
"Oh, so Shou Wangfei doesn't know anything? However, you clearly went to Kunning Palace after I left Cining Palace. You actually claimed that you haven't seen me, and you also don't know what happened in the main hall?"
Dou Xiyin was stunned, completely speechless. In fact, Cheng Yujin didn't have clear evidence. She couldn't reveal that she was truly pregnant with twins, so it was impossible to reveal the matter of Imperial Physician Liu spying on Imperial Physician Zhao and him going to Shou Wang Manor to report his finding. All Cheng Yujin could use to attack Dou Xiyin was the latter's suspicious itinerary after entering the palace today.
These alone can't prove anything. To put it bluntly, everything was just based on a guess, including Cheng Yujin's accusation that Dou Xiyin was the one who instigated Empress Dowager Yang. But this was enough. Just as the Emperor didn't need evidence to suspect Empress Dowager Yang, he also didn't need evidence to dislike Dou Xiyin.
The Emperor was already displeased by Dou Xiyin's improper action prior to the marriage and how she used her family connection to forcibly tie herself with the Second Prince. Despite all the things that happened, Dou Xiyin still had the face to walk around in the palace with great fanfare, causing even more trouble. The Emperor's annoyance with Dou Xiyin had practically reached its peak.
Glancing at Dou Xiyin in disgust, the Emperor sternly said, "Shou Wangfei. As a wife, you disregard the virtue of a wife and disrespect your eldest sister-in-law. Not only that, but you also dare to take advantage of the Empress and Empress Dowager's love towards you to incite their disharmony with the Eastern Palace. Today onward, you don't need to enter the imperial palace again. Stay behind the closed door in Shou Wang Manor and reflect on yourself. You should ponder over the Women's Precept and other classics and once again learn what it means to be virtuous. Only after you truly learn to be virtuous will you be allowed to enter the palace again to pay respect to Empress Dowager."
As if struck by lightning, Dou Xiyin slumped to the ground in shock. Empress Dowager Yang frowned. Her inaction just now was merely to teach Dou Xiyin a lesson, but she never intended to truly punish this girl. The Emperor's reprimand was truly harsh, as he not only grounded Dou Xiyin, but also accused her of lacking in virtue. The most important thing for the women who married into the imperial clan was their reputation. With a Wangfei who bore the stigma of being unvirtuous, even the Second Prince would also be affected.
Moreover, the Emperor ordered Dou Xiyin to reflect behind the closed door but didn't say when she would be released. Only after she truly learned to be virtuous could she come out again; but what were the criteria of 'truly learned'?
Empress Dowager Yang wanted to persuade: "Emperor, although Shou Wangfei is also at fault, she is merely inexperienced due to her young age. Isn't your punishment too severe?"
"What is 'inexperienced due to her young age'? Crown Princess is the same age as her, but has the Crown Princess made such a stupid mistake like this? Look at them. Are they comparable?" The Emperor's tone was harsh, and he said again with anger, "When a son is ignorant, the father is at fault for his failure to teach his son. Similarly, a daughter's ignorance is her mother's fault. She dares to be so rampant, all thanks to her elders' excessive spoiling. Empress, if you really want to do her good, you shouldn't spoil her so much."
This accusation was too serious. Dou Xiyin's biological mother was Empress Yang's sister, and her mother-in-law was also Empress Yang. The daughter's ignorance was the mother's fault, which clearly pointed at Empress Yang and the Yang family. Empress Yang immediately lowered her head and replied softly. "Yes, Your Majesty. This consort knows my fault."
An emperor's words were extremely heavy and couldn't be taken back. Empress Dowager Yang sighed. Knowing that the Emperor was still fuming now, she stopped speaking for Dou Xiyin.
Dou Xiyin was indeed too stupid and needed a harsh lesson.
Dou Xiyin was stunned. Seeing that Empress Dowager Yang and Empress Yang fell silent one after another, she was completely panicked. As both a Wangfei and a daughter-in-law, she was reprimanded by the Emperor himself and was even grounded too. Once this matter spread, how could she still raise her head in front of the imperial clan members and the titled madams? To make it worse, the reason for her grounding was her lack of virtue.
Dou Xiyin wanted to beg for mercy, but both Empress Yang and Empress Dowager Yang averted their gazes and avoided her plea. Dou Xiyin didn't dare to enrage the Emperor any further. She looked around in panic, and when she turned her head, she was met with a pair of cold eyes.
Those eyes had beautiful shapes, as if painted by a fine brush. As a fellow woman, even Dou Xiyin had to admit that Cheng Yujin's eyes are extremely beautiful. At this moment however, those eyes were extremely cold and emotionless, staring at her from a distance.
The distance separating them was not close, and there were also many servants in between, but Dou Xiyin could clearly see the cruel look in Cheng Yujin's eyes. Cheng Yujin did it on purpose, and it was much more than that — she wanted Dou Xiyin's life to be a living hell.
Dou Xiyin was totally frightened, but no one around seemed to notice. This kind of feeling was like seeing a ghost in broad daylight. She was the only one who saw it, and nobody believed her, nor did they understand her fear.
Dou Xiyin previously thought that this one failure was nothing, because there would always be a next time. However, Cheng Yujin wanted her to have no next time.
After the Empress Dowager, the Empress, Dou Xiyin, and their people left, the Qianqing Palace returned to its tranquility. Supported by a palace maid, Cheng Yujin returned to the inner hall and drank a bowl of medicine to strengthen the fetus. Hearing the greeting "Long Live Your Majesty," Cheng Yujin put down the bowl and stood up to bow to the Emperor, "Greetings to Your Majesty."
Looking at Cheng Yujin's heavy belly, the Emperor waved his hand and said, "You are pregnant. Take it easy."
"Yes. Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Emperor sat on the dragon chair and fell into contemplation. He didn't think about this before, but after Empress Dowager Yang's accusation, he discovered that Cheng Yujin's belly was indeed too big for her month.
Cheng Yujin slowly got up, lowered her head, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, thank you for upholding justice for this daughter-in-law today."
The Emperor understood what Cheng Yujin's thank was meant for.
There was no doubt about the medical skills of the Emperor's personal physicians. Imperial Physician Zhao could diagnose the twins months ago, so how could Imperial Physician Hu, who was older and more experienced, fail to do the same? When Imperial Physician Hu stated his inability to judge whether Cheng Yujin was carrying twins or not, he was just doing it at the Emperor's behest.
After all, Imperial Physician Hu didn't say that Cheng Yujin was not carrying twins; he only said he couldn't detect it. After all, who could make a hundred percent guarantee when it comes to medical practice? When Cheng Yujin really gave birth to twins in the future, Imperial Physician Zhao and the Emperor could easily change their rhetoric without losing face.
What happened today was indeed for a reason and couldn't be entirely attributed to Empress Dowager Yang. However, Empress Dowager Yang had no blood relationship with the Emperor, while Cheng Yujin was carrying the Emperor's own grandson. Wasn't it clear who the Emperor would take sides with?
However, the fact that the Emperor was openly partial to Cheng Yujin did not mean that he really didn't mind the bad omen brought by twins. He said: "You have been working hard recently during Li Chengjing's absence. From today, you should take it easy and stay in the Eastern Palace to take care of your fetus, and you also don't need to go to Cining Palace and Kunning Palace to pay daily respect."
The Emperor's personal physicians claimed that Cheng Yujin was surprised and should take a good rest for the sake of the child in her stomach, which was a clear hint of the Emperor's intention. Needless to say, Empress Yang took the first initiative to exempt the Crown Princess from paying respect. As for Empress Dowager Yang, since she was originally still recuperating from her illness, she naturally had no choice but to also give her an exemption.
With the Emperor's words, Cheng Yujin could justifiably seclude herself in the Ciqing Palace without the need to go out, which totally aligned with her wish. Cheng Yujin gave the Emperor a curtsy, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. This daughter-in-law is very grateful."
The Emperor did not respond. After a while, he slowly opened his mouth and said: "You should take care of your belly first and make the plan only after the child is born. A child's gender was determined not by human, but by heaven. If you give birth to a pair of Junzhu, this will be a happy event. It has been a long time since the palace welcomed the birth of a child. If a pair of sisters were to born, it would be an auspicious event."
Cheng Yujin lowered her eyes, feeling a sudden great tense. In the end, she still couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, what if it was a pair of boys?"
The Emperor paused for a moment, then said slowly, "If they were boys, drown the weaker one after birth. Li Chengjing will only have one eldest son."
Cheng Yujin understood. The Emperor gave such an instruction to the imperial physician today, firstly was to cope with Empress Dowager, and secondly was to pave the way for the future. If she gave birth to a pair of girls, Imperial Physician Hu could claim that each individual's pulse was different and that he was not sure they were twins at first; if she gave birth to a pair of sons, kill one and let one alive, and then announced to the world about the happy event of the birth of the Crown Prince's eldest son.
The Crown Princess had only given birth to one child, and there was no such thing as twins from the beginning.
The Emperor's attitude was very clear. Cheng Yujin staggered slightly, but she calmed herself and bowed to the Emperor again, "This daughter-in-law understands. Your Majesty, please allow this daughter-in-law to take my leave now."
Ch 130 – Li Chengjing's Return
With the Emperor's personal words, Cheng Yujin stayed behind the closed door at the Ciqing Palace and never went out. When Lian Qiao came in to deliver refreshments for Cheng Yujin, she couldn't help sighing upon seeing her mistress sitting in front of the window, busy with a brush again.
Lian Qiao put the plate of pastries on the table and said softly, "Crown Princess, you've been doing that all day. Please take a break."
Cheng Yujin didn't even lift her head. She just nodded, and it seemed that she didn't really listen. Lian Qiao sighed again and said, "When will the Crown Prince be back? It is because the Crown Prince is not here that those people dare to be so arrogant. If His Highness is in the palace, why does Crown Princess have to stay in Ciqing Palace all day and not move an inch?"
Cheng Yujin put down her brush and said, "Isn't it good now? There is peace and tranquility. I wear fine clothes, eat delicious food, and live a carefree life. I can do whatever I want and don't need to spend my energy dealing with troublesome people. When I was young, this was the kind of life that I yearned for the most."
Lian Qiao, of course, understood this. Moreover, for a pregnant woman like Cheng Yujin, this kind of relaxed life was naturally the best. However, she still couldn't help but feel a bit wronged on Cheng Yujin's behalf: "But Crown Princess. You have not even gone out of the palace gate for several days. You are alone in the palace, and you don't even have people to accompany you to chat. Your life is too hard."
Cheng Yujin couldn't help but chuckle. She then raised her head and glanced at Lian Qiao: "Are you not a person?"
Lian Qiao pouted: "Crown Princess, you know that this servant doesn't mean that."
Cheng Yujin just smiled and returned her attention to the copybook she was doing. After a moment of silence, she said again, "I'm fine. I don't feel bored anyway."
Lian Qiao still pouted and murmured in a low voice, "If only His Highness could return sooner."
Immediately after the words fell, Lian Qiao realized that she had overstepped. As a mere servant, it was taboo for her to comment about the masters. Lian Qiao secretly observed Cheng Yujin's expression and saw that her mistress didn't seem to intend to reprimand her. The Crown Princess' expression was calm, as if she hadn't heard her servant girl's inappropriate remark.
Lian Qiao understood. Sure enough, even if the Crown Princess liked the quietness, doing everything alone and staying in quietness with someone by her side were two different matters. The Crown Princess was the person who looked forward the most to the Crown Prince's return.
Lian Qiao put down the plate and quietly exited. After the study returned to its initial silence, Cheng Yujin looked at the dense rows of brushwork in front of her and sighed softly.
Li Chengjing's dispatch order was issued in the seventh month, and he departed just a few days later. It was now the end of the eighth month. Cheng Yujin didn't know the situation in the disaster area now and how the flood and plague had been handled so far.
...
Two days later, it rained until near dawn, and early in the morning, the entire imperial palace was still wet with remaining water. The stone pavements were washed clean by the continuous rain, and the leaves suddenly looked greener.
Empress Dowager Yang was ill and had been lingering on her sickbed for a month without getting better. Today, it seemed she was inviting a nun to Cining Palace, probably to hold a prayer. Cheng Yujin was never a believer and was too lazy to care about such things, not to mention that she was 'instructed to take a good rest for the sake of her pregnancy.' With the Emperor's personal order, she was even exempted from paying daily respect, so obviously, there was no need for her to attend this kind of useless function. However, after the ceremony ended today, a rumor spread in the palace, saying that Empress Dowager's illness didn't get better because of the conflicting elements, with the Empress Dowager's element being suppressed by someone of a metal element.
In the Abbess' original words, "Metal symbolizes wealth and rich, but it also has the unfortunate characteristics of being sharp and violent. Moreover, if metal's momentum is too strong, it hinders other elements in the family and is too dominant to the detriment of the whole. Especially because metal naturally overcomes wood, which suffers the greatest impact. And wood rules over longevity, making a too strong metal not suitable for the elderly in the family."
After going back and forth for a long time, the Abbess finally pointed out that the fetus in the Crown Princess' belly was naturally very strong in elements. Born as a member of the imperial family, the fetus was also the di-born son of the Crown Prince and was blessed with utmost luck and a strong metal element. However, Empress Dowager Yang, who had experienced two reigns, relied on the blessing of longevity, which was nourished by the soil and wood elements. When the metal element was too strong, it would overcome Empress Dowager Yang, causing her to be unable to regain energy and prolonging her illness.
As for how to solve it, naturally it was by separating the person with the strong metal element from Empress Dowager Yang in order to avoid the collision. Do that, and the Empress Dowager would soon be cured.
It was obvious to whom this statement was aimed. Dou Xiyin was grounded under Cheng Yujin's instigation and became a laughing target in the capital, while Li Chengjing's departure to Jiangnan publicly demeaned Senior Grand Secretary Yang and his faction. If Empress Dowager Yang could endure this humiliation, she wouldn't be the mighty Empress Dowager who had been rampant and indomitable for many years.