Cui Xiaojun still followed the same routine as before, going to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager and Consort Wang twice daily, morning and evening. The palace was quiet and desolate, and this was the most important daily activity. She did not find it burdensome, but it was very difficult for her to look her mother-in-law directly in the eye.
Since that night, the two had not had any private conversations. Cui Xiaojun kept her mouth sealed about the Emperor and had no intention of seeking revenge. Consort Wang also seemed to have forgotten everything, greeting her with smiles whenever they met, but rarely speaking.
Therefore, that evening after paying respects, when Consort Wang called out to the Empress in the courtyard and invited her into her chambers for a chat, Cui Xiaojun was very surprised and somewhat nervous. She was well aware that this true mother-in-law was even more difficult to deal with than the Empress Dowager.
In the room, Cui Xiaojun paid her respects once again.
Consort Wang sat in her chair, calmly accepting the Empress’s obeisance without offering her a seat. She sipped her tea and said, “There is a matter that should properly be the Empress Dowager’s responsibility, but her current condition is not very good and she lacks the energy, so I must trouble the Empress with it.”
“Mother-in-law, please give your instructions.”
“As you know, His Majesty is no longer young – he is seventeen this year.”
“Yes.” Cui Xiaojun did not quite understand. Seventeen could hardly be called “no longer young,” but for a sovereign, it was indeed not considered the age of a child.
“Of the three forms of unfilial conduct, having no heir is the greatest. Even ordinary men are thus, let alone His Majesty with his supreme status. Great Chu has suffered consecutive disasters, and the ministers are anxious while the people look up in hope, all wishing for the imperial succession to be stable and without any further accidents.”
Cui Xiaojun understood and replied, “Mother-in-law means…”“There have been quite a few rumors in the palace recently, saying that the Empress is with child. Why has the Imperial Medical Academy not reported this matter?”
Cui Xiaojun’s face reddened slightly. “These are all rumors. I have not yet… have not yet…”
Consort Wang sighed lightly. “What a pity. If the Empress could bear a son, it would be enough to stabilize the realm. Regardless, the Empress Dowager and I both hope to see at least one prince born within two years. Does the Empress share this sentiment?”
“Of course. Flourishing imperial heirs benefit both the state and the people.” Cui Xiaojun had grown up in a wealthy family and had long been educated on how to be an empress. After pausing a moment, she proactively said, “His Majesty has been on the throne for three years and should select consorts. Tomorrow I will send an edict to the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs and the Ministry of Rites, urging them to select virtuous women to enter the palace.”
Consort Wang smiled. “The Empress is so magnanimous – truly His Majesty’s fortune and Great Chu’s fortune. I’m sure you understand that the legitimate eldest son takes precedence. No matter who bears a prince first, the Empress’s son will be the rightful Crown Prince. The Empress Dowager and I simply hope His Majesty can have many heirs, so we don’t see a repeat of the chaos that followed the Graceful Emperor’s sudden death.”
When Cui Xiaojun returned to her sleeping quarters, though she knew it was improper for an empress’s dignity, she still felt wronged in her heart. At the same time, she was filled with longing for the times at the Weary Marquis’s mansion – she missed everyone there, every little chick and duckling, every moment spent with the Weary Marquis…
The next morning, after paying respects to the Empress Dowager, she still wrote an imperial edict in duplicate, sent in the name of Autumn Faith Palace to the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs and the Ministry of Rites, requiring both departments to begin selecting consorts for the Emperor.
That afternoon, before the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs and Ministry of Rites had replied, the Cui mansion suddenly sent word: the old matriarch, Elder Laojun, was gravely ill and hoped to see the Empress one last time before dying, humbly requesting the Empress Dowager’s gracious permission.
This request was sent directly to the Empress Dowager. Just seeing the character “Cui” made her feel annoyed, and without thinking, she agreed to the request. Consort Wang, standing to the side, had no time nor any way to stop her – she was not yet the second Empress Dowager.
Before nightfall, the Empress left the palace to visit her family at the Cui mansion.
The atmosphere in the mansion was heavy. After Cui Xiaojun alighted from her sedan chair, she headed straight for the inner quarters, leaving the accompanying palace maids and eunuchs behind.
The grandmother’s bedroom was thick with the smell of medicine, and a large group of women stood before the bed weeping and wailing. Seeing the Empress arrive, they all made way.
Cui Xiaojun saw her mother and nodded, then moved to the bedside.
The old matriarch Elder Laojun lay in bed, breathing weakly, seemingly already unconscious.
Remembering her grandmother’s countless acts of love toward her, Cui Xiaojun was overcome with grief. She sat beside the bed, grasping her grandmother’s withered hand, and within moments tears were streaming down her face.
The palace maids followed in, and the female official from Autumn Faith Palace immediately ordered that only the Empress’s mother, two sisters, and one sister-in-law could remain – everyone else had to withdraw.
The room became much more spacious.
“What do the imperial physicians say?” Cui Xiaojun asked through her tears.
“The imperial physicians say grandmother is weak from old age, with poor digestion. It must be caused by food stagnation and catching a cold. They told us to prepare for her final arrangements.” Xiaojun’s mother was naturally timid by nature, having lived most of her life in her mother-in-law’s shadow, but at this moment of parting, she felt genuine sorrow.
“Ah…” The old matriarch lying in bed suddenly spoke.
“Grandmother.” Cui Xiaojun quickly wiped away her tears, grasping her grandmother’s hands with both of hers, waiting for her to open her eyes and look at her. “I’ve come to see you.”
“Is that Xiaojun?” the old matriarch said weakly.
“It’s me.”
“The Empress… has come back to see me… Who is that? Am I seeing things? Why are there strangers in the room?”
“They’re people from the palace who came with me.”
“Go, go, all of you get out. I don’t want to see strangers. Everyone out. You, you, and you too.” The old matriarch raised her other arm, pointing at each person in turn.
“Those aren’t strangers – that’s eldest sister and third sister,” Cui Xiaojun reminded her.
“I don’t know them. Get out.” The old matriarch’s face flushed with two patches of red, like the agitation of someone near death.
Cui Xiaojun gestured for the palace maids to leave. Her eldest sister and third sister also departed awkwardly. Her eldest sister, the wife of Marquis Ping’en, had been married for many years and rarely returned home, so it was understandable that grandmother didn’t recognize her. But her third sister had only recently married the Champion Marquis and returned home soon after. Discovering that her grandmother didn’t recognize her, she was overcome with grief and wept continuously.
Cui Xiaojun only allowed her mother to remain.
Lady Cui consciously retreated to one side, trying not to let her mother-in-law see her.
“Have they all left?” the old matriarch asked in a trembling voice.
“They’ve left,” Cui Xiaojun said, seeing her grandmother’s confused mental state and feeling even more heartbroken.
The old matriarch suddenly sat up straight. Cui Xiaojun was startled and nearly fell off the bed, her face changing color. “Grandmother, you…”
“I’m perfectly fine.” The old matriarch’s voice showed no tremor at all. She looked toward Lady Cui and commanded, “Don’t just stand there. Go check the door – is it closed tight? Is anyone outside eavesdropping?”
Lady Cui was even more astonished than her daughter, but being accustomed to obedience, she immediately went to check. She returned quickly and said quietly, “No one.”
The old matriarch grunted in acknowledgment and grabbed the Empress’s hand. “My foolish granddaughter, you’re being sold and still helping to count the money. Why did you let the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs and Ministry of Rites select concubines for the Emperor?”
Cui Xiaojun’s face reddened as she mumbled, “Your Majesty has been on the throne for three years already, and he’s not young anymore…”
“Bah! He’s still just a little boy. First tell me – has the Emperor shared a bed with you?”
“Grandmother…”
“Oh my, there’s only your mother and me – what’s there to be embarrassed about? Answer me quickly.”
Cui Xiaojun nodded.
“Are you pregnant?”
Cui Xiaojun shook her head.
“Are you certain? You’re young – there are some things you might not understand…”
Cui Xiaojun shook her head firmly.
The old matriarch was silent for a moment. “I knew the Emperor’s letter was deceiving people. What a cunning boy. But he likes you, and that’s enough.”
“What is grandmother talking about?” Cui Xiaojun asked in confusion.
“Never mind that. Let me ask you again – was ordering the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs and Ministry of Rites your own idea?”
Cui Xiaojun didn’t want to lie, nor did she want to speak ill of her mother-in-law. For a moment she was speechless.
“Was it the Empress Dowager or Consort Wang?” The old matriarch pressed relentlessly. Seeing her granddaughter wouldn’t answer, she said earnestly, “You are a daughter of the Cui clan. Even if the Emperor likes you and you like the Emperor, while he’s away at war, the Capital is full of flatterers lining up to curry favor with Consort Wang, treating her like the Empress Dowager. Who can you rely on? It’s still the Cui clan!”
“It was His Majesty’s mother who told me…”
“Isn’t it just that old line about having more princes to stabilize Great Chu? It’s all lies. Let me tell you – a mother’s status depends on her son. Whoever bears a son, will be whoever the Emperor favors, and eventually all past affections fade away. In the end, forget about keeping your position as Empress – you won’t even be able to save your life.”
“Your Majesty wouldn’t…”
“What wouldn’t he do? He’s a man, isn’t he? Then he’s all the same. Look at your mother – timid by nature, lacking opinions, unable to manage a household, much less handle important matters. Why could she become ‘Lady Cui’? Wasn’t it because she bore two sons in succession? You originally had a senior mother who was much beloved by your father, but she gave birth to daughters. She desperately tried to have a son, but your father spent every night in your mother’s room, so she had no opportunity. She died of depression, leaving the position to your mother.”
Lady Cui’s face was even redder than her daughter’s. She stood in the corner without uttering a sound, quieter than the lowest servant girls.
“I still believe in His Majesty,” Cui Xiaojun said in a low voice. “Besides… besides, I have no way to refuse. The selection of consorts is bound to happen sooner or later.”
“Once you give birth to a crown prince, it won’t matter if the Emperor selects a thousand or ten thousand consorts. But not now. Consort Wang wants to distract the Emperor. If she defeats you, she defeats the Cui clan. Hah! Consort Wang and the Empress Dowager have long been birds of a feather. She has delayed accepting the title of Empress Dowager precisely to deceive the world, pushing all the blame onto Empress Dowager Shangguan. But the Empress Dowager has lost power and no one listens to her edicts, so Consort Wang wants to use your imperial decree to select consorts.”
Elder Laojun painted Consort Wang as so sinister and cunning that Cui Xiaojun dared not mention how her mother-in-law had turned her away on that chaotic day. “What should I do? I’ve already issued the decree.”
“It doesn’t matter. Selecting consorts is different from ordinary court affairs. An empress’s decree isn’t as immediate as an imperial edict. Usually there must be several rounds of communication before the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs and the Ministry of Rites can begin the selection process. From today on, you’ll stay at the Cui residence and ignore any replies that come back – delay as long as possible. The Emperor can’t spend his whole life fighting wars outside. When he returns – you can keep the Emperor by your side, can’t you? Do you need someone to give you some guidance? Sigh, this is the problem with daughters of noble houses – sometimes they can’t let themselves go…”
“Grandmother, stop talking nonsense,” Cui Xiaojun said, her face flushed red.
“Fine, I won’t say anything. You’re all refined ladies, and I’m just from a humble background who doesn’t understand etiquette. We’ll see who you turn to for help when you and your mother are at your wit’s end.”
“Yang Feng,” Cui Xiaojun blurted out.
“Yang Feng? That eunuch? Why would he help you?”
“I just… feel that he would help me.”
The old matriarch stared intently at her granddaughter. After a while she said, “You don’t need to worry about it. I’ll send someone to contact Yang Feng. You just stay in the residence. Under no circumstances should you return to the palace, and don’t accept any replies from the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs or the Ministry of Rites. Do you understand?”
“I understand.” Cui Xiaojun felt very uneasy.
The old matriarch lay down to continue feigning illness. Xiaojun sat beside the bed looking haggard. The women coming in and out bringing soup and medicine saw this and all said that Elder Laojun and Xiaojun had a deep bond between grandmother and granddaughter.
When night had fallen deep, Xiaojun returned to her former bedroom to rest. Everything in the room remained unchanged, but she was no longer Miss Cui of the Cui family.
Just as she was about to change clothes and sleep, a palace maid came in to report: “The wife of Marquis Ping’en requests an audience.”
Cui Xiaojun thought for a moment before remembering this was her eldest sister. “Please let her in.”
The wife of Marquis Ping’en wore a sorrowful expression. Though the sisters rarely met, she acted with deep affection, chattering on about old times before naturally suggesting they share a bed for nighttime conversation.
Cui Xiaojun agreed, sensing that this sister had come prepared.
The palace maids withdrew to the outer room. As the sisters lay together, the wife of the Marquis of Ping’en asked quietly, “Grandmother is pretending to be ill, isn’t she?”
Cui Xiaojun said nothing.
“Your Highness, you can trust me. I don’t know if His Majesty has mentioned it, but our family provided support even before His Majesty returned to the throne.”
Cui Xiaojun had heard about this, but she was unwilling to sink deeper into this web. She missed even more the little chicks and ducklings at the Weary Marquis’s residence, wondering if they had hatched new young ones.
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