Ex-Girlfriend – Chapter 41
by Little PandaVolume 2: Power Over Court and Country
The Deposed Empress 16
Covering The Heaven With One Hand
On the day of the autumn hunt, the sky was bright and the air was clear, making it a rare comfortable day.
The emperor wore his riding attire, with a rare smile on his face that hadn’t been seen for days. Below, the ministers skilled in horseback archery changed into their riding gear, while other ministers stood aside offering encouragement.
Wu Yanqing went on this autumn hunt without bringing any of his imperial concubines, not even Consort Xi whom he used to find considerate.
As an emperor, he had repeatedly stumbled because of women. Though clearly not a ruler besotted with beauty, he kept running into troubles. Thinking about the matter of heirs made Wu Yanqing agitated. He knew he had to visit those people, but remembering the last time when he had no strength left yet was forced to continue made him feel pain below.
He clenched his fists, dispersing the scattered thoughts in his mind. Thinking about today’s arrangements and what he would see later brought him joy.
After enduring painfully for nearly four years, he would finally remove the Xin family from his sight.
He didn’t know if it was good fortune accumulated from his previous life that allowed him to meet someone as remarkable as Qu Zhi’an in this life.
Not only was she beautiful, but also incredibly clever. Even her capabilities in court were outstanding, able to quickly force the Left Prime Minister into retreat.
Xin Lan, hidden in the shadows, watched the emperor’s satisfied expression and smiled.
Actually, without the Left Prime Minister’s cooperation, Qu Zhi’an’s actions wouldn’t have been so swift. What appeared to be a matter of two or three months would have taken a year or two to completely resolve if the Left Prime Minister had refused to yield.
Wu Yanqing was truly defenseless, not even wondering why the Left Prime Minister’s power could be dismantled so easily. He simply thought Qu Zhi’an was formidable and that the Left Prime Minister deserved such an ending.
The Left Prime Minister, having received Xin Lan’s notice, knew there would be a setup today, but still pretended to know nothing, waiting to be framed while standing below speaking pleasantries to the emperor.
The emperor looked at the Left Prime Minister, letting out a cold laugh in his heart.
The Left Prime Minister looked at the emperor, waiting in his heart to see the show unfold.
Xin Lan wore the black clothes specific to assassins, her face covered with a black cloth, standing high in a tree with a bow and arrow in hand.
She brought only two arrows, two arrows would be enough.
One arrow might have sufficed, but Xin Lan wouldn’t give him a shot through the heart.
Wu Yanqing followed his plan, shooting at prey while a group of imperial guards and palace eunuchs followed behind to collect them. However, as Wu Yanqing ventured deeper, those behind had trouble keeping up, with only a few still following.
Wu Yanqing whistled, and dozens of men in black emerged from the woods.
“Protect the emperor!”
The lead yuqian imperial guards [imperial personal guard] drew his sword from his waist and shouted.
Wu Yanqing pretended to be overwhelmed, deliberately letting his arm get slightly injured, then those assassins pretended to be stabbed by him and rolled aside.
Wu Yanqing’s expression was panicked, but his lips carried a trace of a smile.
Xin Lan narrowed her eyes, drew her bow, and aimed at her target.
In the midst of chaos, Wu Yanqing heard the sound of something cutting through the air. He turned sharply and saw an arrow coming toward him. Before he could react, the arrow had pierced his thigh.
Wu Yanqing was both shocked and angry – this definitely wasn’t someone he had arranged.
But before he could react, the second arrow followed closely, piercing his other leg with perfect accuracy.
“Send people to chase after them!”
Wu Yanqing endured the pain and ordered people to pursue quickly.
The people who rushed over chased in the direction of the arrows, while others lifted the injured emperor and hurried to find the imperial physician.
Xin Lan completed her task and retreated, disappearing among the trees with her bow.
It was impossible for that group to catch her.
Ling Jiu: “Host, you did great! I just checked, the positions on both sides are symmetrical!”
Xin Lan changed out of her black clothes in a hidden spot, holding her outer robe in her hands, and headed toward Palace.
Chunyue and Sitong were embroidering in the courtyard, feeling very bored. Since their master started going out from time to time, appearing to be very busy, they had little work to do. Every day, the two would just talk to each other. Sometimes Sitong would read huaben [story books] to Chunyue – Sitong knew some characters while Chunyue didn’t. Sometimes Chunyue would teach Sitong embroidery, passing time this way.
The two vaguely knew something was about to happen, but couldn’t quite say exactly what it was.
After Xin Lan returned, she handed the rolled-up clothes to Chunyue, telling her to fold them properly and put them back in the cabinet.
Now it was time to wait.
Xin Lan didn’t leave the palace, but instead waited for news inside.
Some secret information that palace people definitely couldn’t discover, Xin Lan had Ling Jiu broadcast directly.
At this moment, the emperor was still at the autumn hunt grounds treating his legs. Because of the assassination attempt on the emperor, the scene was in complete chaos.
The Left Prime Minister didn’t know Xin Lan would actually take action. When he heard the emperor was severely injured, his heart jumped, and he exchanged a distant glance with Qu Zhi’an.
Qu Zhi’an gave him a slight smile, and the Left Prime Minister breathed a sigh of relief.
It was good that everything was under control, the Left Prime Minister thought. The emperor’s actual injury must have had much to do with Qu Zhi’an, or rather, with Xin Lan who stood behind Qu Zhi’an.
The Left Prime Minister thought of his daughter who had become a stranger to him, and couldn’t help but sigh in his heart.
She clearly wasn’t like this before, and he didn’t know when she had changed.
But the change was good too – if she still had her previous personality, the situation probably wouldn’t be what it was now.
Qu Zhi’an walked into the tent, looking at Wu Yanqing’s pale face while the imperial physician below was preparing to remove the arrows, sweating profusely.
Wu Yanqing was in so much pain he almost fainted, but he still held on.
When he met Qu Zhi’an’s calm gaze, he felt inexplicably nervous for some reason.
But the next moment, he saw concern on Qu Zhi’an’s face. Still, the tension in his heart wouldn’t release; he kept feeling uneasy.
The arrows were pulled out, blood flowed, and the imperial physician hurriedly sprinkled medicine powder and wrapped a layer of gauze.
Qu Zhi’an stood there watching his miserable state, with a faint smile at the corner of her mouth.
It was almost time. Once she took the Left Prime Minister’s position, she could freely let Xin Lan do what she wanted.
The emperor was carried back to the palace, and those guards were taken to the Court of Judicial Review for interrogation.
After several days of severe torture, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review knelt before the hundred officials, stating that the assassins still hadn’t confessed the truth. At this time, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review stood up in opposition, saying the assassins had already confessed, but the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review believed they still weren’t telling the truth and wanted to continue the torture.
The emperor, full of anger, ordered the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to reveal who the assassins had named. When the words “Left Prime Minister” were spoken, the entire court was in an uproar.
Looking at his immobile legs, the emperor darkly ordered the Left Prime Minister to be thrown into prison again.
This time, no one dared to plead for the Left Prime Minister. Wu Yanqing sat in the imperial study, touching his legs, still brooding.
Who exactly had sent someone to injure his legs?
The assassin’s archery was exceptional – if they had wanted to kill him, they could have easily taken his life instead of deliberately shooting through his legs.
Why did this happen? Wu Yanqing couldn’t figure it out. The investigators had no leads, so the matter could only be left unresolved.
However, these things couldn’t dampen Wu Yanqing’s good mood, as everything was proceeding according to his plan.
Everything was going very smoothly, yet Wu Yanqing felt inexplicably uneasy.
This feeling of unease came from an unknown source, warning him that something wasn’t right.
Wu Yanqing carefully analyzed everything but couldn’t find anything wrong, thinking he might be overthinking.
The Xin family’s downfall this time was no small matter. The Left Prime Minister was imprisoned, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was temporarily dismissed to avoid suspicion, and while others were happy, things weren’t going well for the Xin family members.
Xin Long heard the news and was already panic-stricken in the rear palace.
She thought that after being in the palace for so long, she should have learned to be more composed. However, now that the situation was so serious and concerned the fate of all Xin family children, she couldn’t calm down at all. She wanted to find her aunt, but she was under house arrest, so she could only pace anxiously like an ant on a hot pan in Changqiu Palace [Palace of Lasting Autumn].
Wu Yanqing knew about Xin Long’s reaction and felt somewhat pleased. The Xin family members were all panicking now – the more they panicked, the happier he became.
At this time, Wu Yanqing remembered a Xin family member he had forgotten for a long time. Since that person’s demotion, he had only seen her once, and even then with ill intentions.
Thinking about it now, there was no need to dwell on those things. After all, with the Xin family’s downfall, she wouldn’t have a good ending either.
Considering their former marriage, he would let her spend the rest of her life properly in the Cold Palace.
Things proceeded in an orderly manner. When the weather grew cooler, the Left Prime Minister’s verdict came down. Although they couldn’t prove that the Left Prime Minister had sent someone to assassinate the emperor, suspicion remained. The Left Prime Minister was dismissed, and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and other Xin family members couldn’t escape either – some were demoted, others were banished to lesser positions.
The day the Left Prime Minister was released, the emperor came to see him.
The Left Prime Minister hadn’t fared well in prison; he had become much thinner. When he walked out of the prison, dressed in plain white clothes, he looked like an ordinary old man.
“On the day you rose to power, did you ever think about today?”
Wu Yanqing spoke quietly beside him. Although he sat in a wheelchair, his imposing manner hadn’t diminished.
The emperor’s legs weren’t completely ruined, just temporarily immobile.
Xin Sheng maintained a calm expression and gave a slight bow to the emperor.
“This old man thought of this day when Your Majesty ascended to the throne. There’s nothing more to say now, except to wish Your Majesty that every year brings a day like this, and every season brings a morning like today.”
Xin Sheng bowed slightly and walked forward after saying these words.
Wu Yanqing frowned behind him – this old fool’s words made that unease well up in his heart again.
But looking at the ministers in court, his unease dissipated once more.
The great tree that once blocked his view had finally fallen before him.
With the old Left Prime Minister stepping down, this position couldn’t remain vacant. As everyone expected, Qu Zhi’an took office, becoming the most prominent figure of the moment.
After dealing with another official who came to establish connections, Qu Zhi’an’s storehouse was filled with gifts.
“It seems I’ve come at a busy time, the Left Prime Minister is quite occupied.”
A figure appeared in the courtyard – it was Xin Lan, who naturally hadn’t entered through the main gate.
“Ah Lan, you’re teasing me again. Come, sit down. Dealing with people is truly exhausting.”
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say her residence was as busy as a marketplace today, and Qu Zhi’an was worn out from receiving people.
“Rest a while. There shouldn’t be many visitors at this hour.”
Xin Lan sat down beside Qu Zhi’an, and a servant immediately brought in a cup of tea.
“How are things in the palace? When do you plan to make your move?”
“By my calculations, how about tonight?”
“Good.”
The two exchanged smiles, everything understood without words.
Today was the middle of the month, and the evening moon was especially full.
Wu Yanqing lay in bed when he suddenly felt thirsty. He called for Mei An several times, but no one responded.
He frowned and impatiently called out two more times.
A gust of wind blew in, making his expression change.
Mei An usually stood guard at the door, and even if he wasn’t on night duty, other palace eunuchs would be there. But now the door was open with no one answering – this was very wrong.
Wu Yanqing felt his heart begin to race anxiously. His legs couldn’t move easily, so he could only grip the brocade quilt tightly.
The sound of light footsteps approached, making his heart tighten.
“Who’s there? Who’s there!”
No one answered his words. The candles in the hall were still lit but gave him no sense of security.
A figure gradually emerged from the darkness. When Wu Yanqing saw that face, his eyes widened.
“Xin Lan? How can it be you? You dare to leave the Cold Palace without permission!”
He scolded harshly, trying desperately to hide his panic.
Xin Lan walked step by step toward him, looking him up and down. Her gaze seemed to pierce through him, and after looking, she let out a contemptuous sneer.
“What are you laughing at?”
Wu Yanqing grew angry from embarrassment.
“Your Majesty looks so pitiful now, without any of your former authority. How imposing you were back then in the palace when you humiliated others. You said I couldn’t bear children – but can you? Do you have any heirs now? Moreover, why couldn’t I conceive? You know the reason perfectly well, don’t you?”
Xin Lan made no effort to hide the disgust between her brows, deliberately putting on a cruel expression, exactly like Wu Yanqing’s former manner.
“How would I know why you can’t bear children? Guards! Take this person away!”
Hearing Xin Lan’s words, Wu Yanqing felt his heart skip a beat, his panic at being discovered becoming more evident, but he forced himself to remain calm while shouting for people.
Footsteps approached from outside, and Wu Yanqing’s heart lifted. When he saw it was Qu Zhi’an, the joy on his face grew even stronger, but in the next moment, his smile froze.
At this hour, Qu Zhi’an shouldn’t be here.
“You’ve conspired together to harm me!”
“Your Majesty’s words are truly laughable. Who harmed whom? Did you really think I didn’t know about all the things you did? Shall I remind you how you knocked me unconscious at that banquet and drugged her?”
Wu Yanqing was utterly shocked, staring wide-eyed at the two women before him.
“So you knew…”
These words weren’t directed at Xin Lan, but at Qu Zhi’an.
“Yes, I’ve known for a long time. I knew Your Majesty was such a filthy hypocrite, a true villain. You’re actually a foul rat, yet you strut around pretending to be noble. Do you know how ridiculous you look to me?”
Qu Zhi’an stood beside Xin Lan with a cold sneer on her face.
“You dare speak to me like this! Well, well, Qu Zhi’an, so your previous manner was all deception. I truly raised an ungrateful wolf. All your power was given by me. If I hadn’t had some fondness for you, I would have exposed your female identity at the palace examination and had you beaten to death. You wouldn’t be standing here being insolent before me!”
Wu Yanqing’s face and neck reddened as he almost roared, his hands trembling.
Before Qu Zhi’an could speak, the sound of Xin Lan clapping came from beside her.
“Your Majesty’s accusations are quite fascinating. But have you ever considered – if I hadn’t married you when you were the Fifth Prince, if you hadn’t relied on our Xin family, do you think you could have defeated your brothers and reached your current position? Yet you were so vicious as to drug me when I was a new bride. Now, everything has come back to you.”
Xin Lan actually didn’t want to say these lines, feeling they were somewhat weak, but these words would ensure Wu Yanqing would die understanding everything.
“Hong Huan! Dong Huaixi! Mei An!”
The emperor called these names, but his heart grew colder and colder.
No one answered. Looking at Xin Lan and Qu Zhi’an’s faces before him, his recent shouts felt like a slap, striking his own face with a burning sting.
“Why have you stopped calling? Keep going, see if anyone comes to save you.”
Xin Lan said leisurely, deliberately changing her voice, and sure enough, she saw Wu Yanqing’s face change dramatically.
“That day was you!”
Xin Lan intentionally used the strange voice of an old person, making Wu Yanqing remember that terrifying, unforgettable night.
“Yes, it was me. And the one who injured your legs was also me.”
Xin Lan said pleasantly, watching Wu Yanqing’s face grow increasingly ashen.
Qu Zhi’an didn’t know what had happened, but vaguely guessed it must have been Xin Lan’s revenge.
“You’re not Xin Lan. Who are you!”
Wu Yanqing’s mind raced. He might not understand others, but he understood Xin Lan thoroughly. Since when did Xin Lan know such strange martial arts, let alone have the courage to do such things?
“Of course I’m Xin Lan, genuine and authentic.”
Xin Lan crossed her arms and spoke very calmly.
“What do you want?”
At this point, Wu Yanqing knew that neither roaring nor begging would help, so he quickly calmed down. His legs couldn’t move, and even if they could, he probably couldn’t fight against Xin Lan. The fact that they dared to come so openly and boldly meant they had already taken control of the palace.
“What we want, you’ll know soon enough.”
Xin Lan approached and knocked him unconscious.
“Proceed according to plan.”
Xin Lan looked at the unconscious figure on the bed and spoke to Qu Zhi’an beside her.
The next day, the emperor was too ill to attend the morning court.
People from the Imperial Medical Academy came in waves, leaving the sleeping quarters sighing and shaking their heads.
This continued for four or five days, with His Majesty remaining seriously ill and unable to attend court. The personal eunuch Mei An delivered an imperial edict appointing the Left Prime Minister to temporarily manage state affairs.
No one in court harbored any suspicions, as the Left Prime Minister had always been deeply favored by the emperor.
With the emperor gravely ill, the noble consorts from various palaces couldn’t visit him. Though dissatisfied, they had no choice.
Consort Xi grew unusually anxious in the palace. Her milk-brother worked in the Imperial Medical Academy, but when she inquired about the situation, he only said the outlook was not optimistic.
She had just witnessed the consecutive falls of her rivals Xin Lan, the Noble Consort, and Consort Man, and now the emperor was in trouble.
The emperor was her greatest support – if he fell, she certainly wouldn’t fare well.
But no matter how she tried to gather information, she could only learn that the emperor was gravely ill.
Mei An dutifully guarded the door, not allowing anyone to enter.
There was no gravely ill emperor in the hall – it was just a body double.
But for the sake of keeping his head on his shoulders, Mei An knew what he should do.
While Qu Zhi’an was busy reviewing memorials, Xin Lan was in the palace, looking at Wu Yanqing who lay before her like a dead dog.
Wu Yanqing was chained in a room, with someone bringing him meals daily, but without chopsticks or spoons, forcing him to eat with his hands.
At first, Wu Yanqing angrily smashed and overturned the bowls, but after starving for several days, he finally couldn’t endure it anymore.
Xin Lan pushed open the door, looking mockingly at the wretched figure.
Wu Yanqing’s eyes were somewhat cloudy after days without seeing light. When Xin Lan entered, he squinted.
“I thought you had more backbone, but it seems you’re nothing special after all.”
When Wu Yanqing recognized who had come, he lunged forward, not to attack but to beg for mercy, putting on a ingratiating smile.
“Lan’er, I know I was wrong. Everything in the past was my fault. I deserve to die. I shouldn’t have done those things to you. Please let me out. I’ll make you empress again, and we can return to those harmonious days we had at the prince’s mansion, alright?”
“Of course… not.”
Xin Lan dragged out her words, watching as Wu Yanqing’s expression darkened and turned to disgust, then let out a light laugh.
“Wu Yanqing, oh Wu Yanqing, why do you still think I’m as easily fooled as before?”
Xin Lan found him amusing, thinking his self-perception was far too generous.
Wu Yanqing retreated and fell silent.
Watching him hide like a turtle, Xin Lan called for someone outside to enter.
“Hong Huan?!”
Wu Yanqing clenched his fists as he saw his own imperial guard standing at the door.
“Do you remember what you planned to do to me that day? He was the one who knocked me unconscious, right? Oh, and that night – I’m sure you haven’t forgotten either.”
“What do you want to do?”
Wu Yanqing shrank back involuntarily as he watched Xin Lan’s expression.
“Whatever you intended to do to me then, I’ll do now – though perhaps I’ll be more thorough, more complete than you were.”
Xin Lan shook a bell, and Hong Huan’s gaze became vacant.
“I’ve placed a silver needle in his waist – who knows what effect it might have on that aspect. You can experience it first, and if he can’t satisfy you, I can always find someone else.”
Xin Lan spoke leisurely, then turned and walked out. The controlled Hong Huan lunged at his former master, and Xin Lan closed the door, blocking out Wu Yanqing’s desperate screams.
She dusted off her skirt – if he had known it would come to this, why did he do what he did back then?
The next day, Xin Lan didn’t appear in that room until noon.
The heavy scent of musk mixed with the smell of blood, creating a nauseating odor.
Xin Lan covered her nose and shook the bell, making Hong Huan stand up and move to the side.
Wu Yanqing’s gaze was completely vacant. His body was covered with the aftermath of brutality, and his whole being seemed lifeless, as if near death.
“How pitiful.”
Xin Lan offered a perfunctory word of sympathy.
Wu Yanqing stared into empty space as if he hadn’t seen her.
“What? You’re done already?”
Xin Lan looked at Wu Yanqing – his psychological resilience shouldn’t be this poor.
It was just a few days of confinement and starvation followed by a small revenge, and only from one person, not a group. How had he become like this?
Seeing him in this state, Xin Lan lost any desire to take action – he couldn’t spark any interest in her at all.
“One day…”
Wu Yanqing suddenly fixed his gaze on Xin Lan, his eyes venomous like an evil spirit, muttering these words before passing out.
“There won’t be such a day.”
For someone like this, Xin Lan didn’t even want to deal with him herself, so she had Wu Yanqing transported out of the palace to that kind of special place.
There, even those with the strongest spirit would be worn down by torment, let alone someone like Wu Yanqing who wasn’t very strong-willed to begin with.
While Xin Lan was taking action on her end, Qu Zhi’an was also accelerating her plans.
After being gravely ill for half a month, the emperor couldn’t hold on and passed away.
Mei An brought out the imperial edict and read the emperor’s last wishes.
The emperor had passed the throne to the child of the former Third Prince, and ordered the imperial harem to be disbanded. However, remembering Consort Xi, he commanded her to accompany him.
No matter how much Consort Xi refused to believe it or how much she protested, it was useless. She was sent to guard the imperial tomb and would never be allowed to leave for the rest of her life.
The Third Prince’s child was a youth of fifteen or sixteen, appearing quite steady – specially chosen by Qu Zhi’an and Xin Lan.
The new emperor ascended the throne, granted amnesty throughout the realm, disbanded the former emperor’s harem, and honored the deposed empress from the Cold Palace as the Imperial Mother. These actions sparked much discussion in the former court.
LP: Re-translated on January 03, 2025
0 Comments