Ex-Girlfriend – Chapter 38
by Little PandaPower Overwhelming the Court
Deposed Empress 13
Covering the Sky with One Hand
Xin Lan climbed out the window and dropped down, landing lightly on the ground, then vaulted over the wall and stepped onto a nearby branch, concealing herself among the leaves.
If she wanted to drag the Emperor down from that position, she would first have to strip away his claws and fangs—just as he had done to the Xin family.
The first target Xin Lan settled on was the Commander of the Imperial Guard, the military force responsible for protecting the imperial city’s security. This was the first lock Wu Yanqing had fastened upon himself.
Xin Lan spent several days investigating. While pretending to be a passerby walking past the Commander of the Imperial Guard, she had Zero Nine scan his profile, then pieced together the full picture through the gossip of neighbors.
This man, Dong Huaixi, was indeed one of the more loyal subordinates under Wu Yanqing. He had real ability, a clean family background, was easy to control, and wasn’t easily swayed by other interest groups.
Xin Lan didn’t plan to coerce or bribe him. For what she needed to do, the approach of slowly cultivating influence and then infiltrating was far too slow. She needed efficiency.
So she chose a very villain-like method to forge her own protagonist’s path.
Dong Huaixi had a woman he favored at a brothel, but with a formidable wife at home, he was unable to redeem her.
When Xin Lan learned this, she immediately investigated. The amusing thing was that Dong Huaixi’s so-called beauty was merely humoring him.
She only appreciated that Dong Huaixi was more generous with his tips than other patrons, and his relatively gentle attentions. To say she was faking affection and was heartless wouldn’t be entirely fair, either—her heart belonged to someone else. She was in love with a physician from a medical clinic.
The physician was generous and charitable, practicing medicine to help the world, yet he himself was often strapped for money. So she would frequently patronize his clinic and bring him food.
The story always seemed to go like this—he loved her, and she loved another.
But that wasn’t what Xin Lan cared about. She told the girl that if she could help her accomplish one thing, she would redeem her from the brothel.
Who wouldn’t want to live a clean life? Xin Lan didn’t ask her to murder or rob—only to light a kind of incense and shake a bell. She agreed readily.
The timing of Dong Huaixi’s visit happened to be tonight. Xin Lan immediately set out, arriving at Hongxiu Pavilion ahead of him. She set everything up, gave the girl a portion of silver as an earnest deposit to set her mind at ease, and waited for her prey to arrive.
Dong Huaixi entered the room. As soon as he stepped in, he caught a rich, fragrant scent.
A sudden wave of dizziness hit him. He shook his head, then decided the intoxicating fragrance was actually rather pleasant.
“Why the change of incense today?”
“The madam got in some new spices, so this servant asked for a few. This servant thinks it smells wonderful—does Master not like it?”
Qingqing pressed her soft body close against him. How could Dong Huaixi still care about incense? He wrapped his arms around the person in his embrace and shook his head hastily.
“How could I not like it? Whatever my sweet Qingqing likes, I like too. Come, sit down, have a few drinks with me and let’s talk.”
Qingqing nodded, secretly relieved.
If he had come in raring to go to bed, she would have had to figure out how to ring the bell. Since he wanted to drink first, that gave her plenty of time to stall.
Dong Huaixi told some amusing stories, making Qingqing laugh in his arms. But whether it was the wine or something else, he found himself growing increasingly dizzy.
“This servant has learned a new dance. Would Master like to see it?”
Qingqing asked in a soft voice. Dong Huaixi nodded and released his arms from around her waist.
Qingqing picked up a string of bells from the vanity table and shook them as she danced.
Dong Huaixi’s expression grew increasingly vacant as he sat there, until at last he seemed to have lost his spirit entirely.
Qingqing shook the bells for several dozen more counts, just as that person had instructed, then set them down and looked nervously at the seated man.
A pebble flew through the window, striking the back of her neck with unerring precision.
Xin Lan slipped through the window and looked at the vacant-eyed Dong Huaixi, waving her hand before his face.
Dong Huaixi’s gaze was unfocused, as though he couldn’t see the person standing before him at all.
Xin Lan was thoroughly satisfied. It hadn’t been for nothing that she had Ah Rou spend days collecting medicinal herbs and spices to formulate this Soul-Losing Incense.
A gold needle appeared in Xin Lan’s hand. Using precise force to avoid the fatal point, she embedded the needle into Dong Huaixi’s brain.
Dong Huaixi’s expression grew even more vacant, but he was now able to look at Xin Lan.
“From now on, I am your Mistress. Understand?”
“Yes.”
Dong Huaixi nodded, his movements stiff.
“What did the Emperor say to you today?”
Dong Huaixi repeated it word for word. It was indeed largely consistent with what Zero Nine had relayed to Xin Lan earlier today.
Xin Lan gently shook Qingqing, who was on the ground. Qingqing stood up, bewildered, not understanding why she had suddenly fainted. Then, thinking of the peculiar girl before her, she immediately understood the reason.
“Just carry on as usual. Let the incense burn out. Tomorrow I’ll send someone to redeem you.”
Qingqing nodded. She was just doing a job for money—no need to overthink it.
Xin Lan took the bells from the table and slipped back out the window.
Faint sounds of bells drifted in from outside. Dong Huaixi shook his head and rubbed his temples.
What had just happened? He’d spaced out for a moment, but the woman before him was still dancing seductively, as though nothing had occurred.
“Master, what’s wrong? Is this servant’s dance not pleasing?”
Qingqing’s heart was pounding, but she forced herself to ask calmly.
“How could it be? It’s beautiful—absolutely beautiful.”
Hearing this exchange, Xin Lan flickered and vanished from the spot, reappearing on a long street, heading toward the palace.
This method of controlling people was, frankly, the sort of thing a villain would do. What protagonist would do this? It was neither glorious nor did it win anyone’s heartfelt submission.
Xin Lan didn’t care, though. As long as it achieved her goal, that was enough.
In the past, she would have simply killed them outright. Now she’d learned to keep them alive and put them to use. She wasn’t sure whether that made her better or worse.
Xin Lan entered Biyue Palace and removed the veil from her face. Though the veil was thin and didn’t conceal much, something was better than nothing—it could at least blur people’s memory of her features.
After a full day out, Xin Lan lay down on her bed and fell asleep quickly.
The next day, Xin Long came to find her and told her what she’d been meaning to say the day before.
“Aunt, Great-Grandfather is dying.”
Xin Lan was startled by the news. She fell silent for a moment.
Xin Long’s great-grandfather was her grandfather—her mother’s father, the Grand General of Zhenyuan.
It had to be said, the old man had reached his years.
The Xin family owed its current position in no small part to the Grand General of Zhenyuan, who had expended considerable effort on behalf of his son-in-law. Xin Sheng had been ambitious too, riding the tailwind of his father-in-law’s influence to climb ever higher. So the ties between the Xin family and the Grand General’s household were close.
If the Grand General of Zhenyuan fell, the Xin family would inevitably weaken with him. They were already struggling to hold on; this would make things even more dire.
Clearly the Xin family all understood the gravity of the situation. Even Xin Long couldn’t help but fret.
Xin Lan comforted her niece for a while, then began to plan her meeting with the Left Chancellor.
On the other side, once Wu Yanqing had recovered somewhat, he recalled the incident at Biyue Palace and summoned the guard for questioning. The guard, trembling with fear, reported that for some reason the Deposed Empress hadn’t been rendered unconscious that day—instead she had knocked him out with something, dragged him outside the palace, and shut the doors.
Wu Yanqing didn’t attribute this to Xin Lan’s good luck. Rather, he thought the guard was useless—how could he be knocked out by a woman? As he dismissed the man, he gave Mei An a look.
Mei An understood. He said he would invite the guard for a drink, watched as the guard downed a cup of poisoned wine, then nudged the body that crumpled to the floor.
And so dozens of days passed. On the surface, all was calm, but beneath, dark currents surged.
The situation at court grew increasingly fraught. Wu Yanqing couldn’t spare attention for Xin Lan, so he didn’t come looking for trouble again.
Xin Long was left out in the cold. In the inner palace, he frequented Consort Xi and the Noble Consort, but often it was just cuddling together to sleep. Wu Yanqing did have the intention to do that sort of thing, but for some reason, whenever he tried, he always felt a sudden chill below, as though a blade’s edge were grazing him, and then the memory of that tearing pain would surface. His face would go ashen, and all desire would evaporate.
After the Emperor left, the Noble Consort bit her handkerchief and wept. His Majesty might not be able to get anyone with child—and worse, he wasn’t even as vigorous as before. She had sent people to inquire, but there was no floozy in the palace lately who’d caught the Emperor’s eye, which left her in bitter frustration.
Consort Xi had noticed this too, but her reaction was nothing like the Noble Consort’s. She quietly had someone procure some aphrodisiac spices and prepared nourishing tonics for the Emperor. So it was that the Emperor regained his former vigor at Consort Xi’s place, while visiting others with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.
The Noble Consort watched with red eyes, nearly dying of rage in the palace.
Xin Lan paid no mind to these women’s maneuvers. She now focused her attention entirely on the imperial court. Without support from the front, what could the women in the rear accomplish? And conversely, even if she brought down the ones in the inner palace, new ones would just enter.
The Xin family had also been using the banner of acting for the Emperor’s own good, petitioning him to hold a Selection of Consorts to fill the inner palace. The Emperor truly had no reason to refuse. After agreeing, he threw another fit of temper in the Imperial Study, right in front of Qu Zhian.
“Zhian, look at this. How wretched it is to be this Emperor. Even matters of the harem are subject to those people’s meddling. Do you know how unwilling I (royal ‘I’) am?”
Wu Yanqing stared fixedly at the jade-complexioned minister below, his words edged with urgency.
He certainly didn’t want to be seen, in Qu Zhian’s heart, as an emperor lost to lasciviousness with a multitude of beauties at his side. He feared she would disapprove.
What’s more, he knew that this Selection of Consorts would inevitably include women planted by the Xin family.
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger. A little impatience spoils great plans. What harm is there in humoring their wishes in this matter? You are the Son of Heaven. As long as Your Majesty is unwilling, no one in this realm can force your hand.”
Qu Zhian bowed slightly and addressed the furious Wu Yanqing with unruffled composure. Her words were like a cool breeze slipping into the heart, quenching the fire of his anger.
These words were like balm to Wu Yanqing. Moreover, coming from Qu Zhian’s lips and meeting those eyes, he felt as though Qu Zhian were aching on his behalf.
The ruler and minister spoke further, discussing various matters, until there was nothing left to say. Only then did Wu Yanqing reluctantly let Qu Zhian go.
Qu Zhian pushed open the door and stepped out. The eunuchs, maids, and guards at the entrance hurriedly bowed—this was, after all, the current favorite in His Majesty’s presence, the most sought-after figure at court.
It wasn’t until Qu Zhian was seated in the carriage that the expression on her face changed. She let out a cold laugh, tinged with faint mockery.
She had grown much more composed these days, not nearly as emotionally transparent as she’d been at the start.
The Emperor had used her hand to eliminate two people, and she had used the Emperor to achieve her own temporary goals.
She finally understood the advantages of power—the way it made people rush forward to flatter and fawn, the way it made hearts tremble with fear.
And the way it allowed her to accomplish what she wanted to do.
When Xin Lan closed her net, the Emperor would finally learn what it meant to be driven into a corner at every turn and left with nothing—even as the Son of Heaven.
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