Your Majesty is Poisonous – Chapter 144
by Little PandaThe Empress Dowager Refuses
“Your Majesty, please calm your wrath. Yao Xi is, after all, from Ning’an Palace. Should we not inform the Empress Dowager?” Tang Huaili still thought Yao Xi was Yao Xian. He had never believed that just because Lord Yao was an upright man, his son couldn’t possibly commit such bestial acts1. A tiger father may have a dog son2. Lord Yao was Lord Yao, and Yao Xian was Yao Xian.
He risked his life to speak up for Yao Xi only because he had seen rope burns on her wrists. She was very likely framed! Of course, he didn’t dare suggest the Princess had deliberately lied and sacrificed her reputation to frame Yao Xi. The Emperor was already furious—in his rage, he might punish Tang Huaili too.
Right now, the only one who could save Yao Xi was the Empress Dowager—provided, of course, that Yao Xi was truly innocent.
Once Tang Huaili spoke up, the eunuchs of Qianqing Palace didn’t dare lay hands on Yao Xi either. They all stood where they were, waiting for the Emperor’s command.
“Of course. After the execution, send the corpse to the Empress Dowager. And while you’re at it, tell her what fine deed her beloved eunuch did to Our precious daughter!” Emperor Ming Cheng’s chest heaved, his heart pounding, blood surging through him. He glanced at the eunuchs of Qianqing Palace and roared, “Are you all deaf? Did you not hear what We said? Drag Yao Xi out and execute him on the spot!”
“Your Majesty, this slave truly did not offend Her Highness the Princess!” Yao Xi huddled in the corner, explaining weakly. The eunuchs of Qianqing Palace were closing in. If she were dragged out, only extreme punishment awaited her.
Driven to desperation, Yao Xi reached for her waist and pulled out the hand gun the Empress Dowager had given her, aiming it at the Emperor. Perhaps she had grown too accustomed to the peaceful days under the Empress Dowager’s protection. She had gradually forgotten that the palace was still the same perilous place it had always been. The only difference from before was that now there was an Empress Dowager who loved her, trusted her, and cared for her. But in the eyes of other masters, she was still nothing more than a little eunuch who could be crushed at any moment.
“A human life is at stake3. This slave begs Your Majesty for a chance to explain…” Yao Xi leveled the barrel at the Emperor’s head, threatening with the utmost courtesy.
Tang Huaili and the others from Qianqing Palace lunged forward to shield the Emperor.
Emperor Ming Cheng raised a hand to stop them. He rose to his feet, drew himself up, and walked toward Yao Xi. “No one come closer. We don’t believe he has the audacity to assassinate the emperor!” He was the Son of Heaven—how could he be threatened!
Yao Xi had learned a thing or two from the Empress Dowager. She could fire a shot at the ceiling to shock everyone, but the man standing before her was the Emperor, and the Emperor would never back down in front of an audience. Firing a shot would waste ammunition, and worse—if it enraged the Emperor into ordering the eunuchs to swarm her, that would be disastrous.
She had only three rounds. She had to hold out with those three rounds until the Empress Dowager arrived!
Yao Xi shifted the muzzle toward Feng Zhen on the bed. “Then what about now? Can Your Majesty listen to me explain?” Using Princess Zhen to threaten the Emperor—even if he yielded, it would be because of a father’s love is like a mountain4, a reluctant sacrifice for his daughter’s sake.
Emperor Ming Cheng stopped, turned to look at Feng Zhen on the bed—already pale with fright—and shifted to the right, trying to put himself between Feng Zhen and Yao Xi.
Yao Xi waved the hand gun. “Your Majesty, don’t force me!” She turned to Tang Huaili at the door. “Eunuch Tang, please fetch the Empress Dowager. Whatever happened today, I will explain clearly before the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.” Black was black, white was white. The truth could be found—it was just that the Emperor, having heard his daughter had been molested, was so enraged he only wanted to kill her to vent his fury.
She understood the Emperor’s feelings. If she had burst into a room and found her own daughter half-undressed on a bed, hands and feet bound, with a man standing there with his robe open and moving freely, her first reaction would be to kill that man too. The more you cared about the person who was hurt, the easier it was to lose your reason.
But she couldn’t die an unjust death!
She hadn’t been worried about the Princess’s setup at first. For one thing, she was female—she couldn’t have molested the Princess. For another, she figured that with such a major incident, the Empress Dowager would definitely come rushing over. Just thinking of Her Highness put her at ease.
But Her Highness hadn’t come, and the Emperor was too angry to give her even a chance to explain. She had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.
While Eunuch Tang went to fetch the Empress Dowager, Yao Xi began to recount what had happened to the Emperor. In truth, there wasn’t much to tell. One moment her eyes were closed, the next they were open, and she had gone from outside the palace to the Princess’s room. Before the Empress Dowager arrived, she didn’t dare tell the Emperor she was actually female. The attendants from Qianqing Palace were all eunuchs, and the maids all belonged to Princess Zhen—there wasn’t a single reliable person to conduct a body inspection.
Emperor Ming Cheng listened as Yao Xi claimed she had been knocked out, bound, and brought here. He sneered. “You’re saying the Princess framed you? Then tell Us—what reason would the Princess have to destroy her own reputation to frame you?”
That’s a question for your daughter! How should I know? Yao Xi gripped the handle of the hand gun tightly, glancing anxiously at the door, hoping the Empress Dowager would appear at any moment.
At Qianqing Palace, Wan Bi had not seen Cao Yue arrive, nor Meng Delai. Instead, she saw Tang Huaili.
“Your Highness, the Emperor is about to execute Yao Xi. Yao Xi has a hand gun aimed at the Emperor, demanding to see you.” Tang Huaili had run all the way back to Qianqing Palace. He was still recovering from poisoning—this sprint had cost him half his life. But he didn’t dare send another eunuch to fetch the Empress Dowager. Yao Xi’s life was at stake; if a clumsy-tongued eunuch botched the message, the consequences would be dire.
Wan Bi had been sitting at Qianqing Palace, restless and anxious. When Tang Huaili told her the Emperor was going to kill Yao Xi, she rushed out immediately and climbed into the carriage. Only after she was seated did she think to ask Tang Huaili, “Where is she?”
“In the Third Princess’s Palace.” Tang Huaili clutched his chest, gasping for breath.
The palace maid who drove the carriage hadn’t arrived yet. Burning with impatience, Wan Bi couldn’t afford to wait even a moment. She took the driver’s seat, grabbed the horse whip, and drove the carriage herself toward Feng Zhen’s quarters. She had many questions. That little eunuch surnamed Meng had said Yao Xi was taken by Eastern Depot agents—how could she have ended up in Feng Zhen’s palace? And why did the Emperor want to execute Yao Xi?
She had no time to question Tang Huaili in detail. She would know everything once she arrived. She only hoped Yao Xi could hold out a little longer—please, whatever happens, don’t let her die at the Emperor’s hands. Otherwise, she would not only lose Yao Xi but would never be able to forgive the Emperor.
Wan Bi jumped off the carriage before the horses had even come to a stop. She forgot to discard the horse whip and charged into Third Princess Feng Zhen’s palace still holding it. The eunuchs and maids gathered at the entrance saw the Empress Dowager arriving and quickly stepped aside to bow.
Wan Bi ran into the room. She saw Emperor Ming Cheng standing in the middle of the room, his face livid. Feng Zhen sat on the bed wrapped in a quilt. Wan Bi scanned the room and spotted Yao Xi in the left corner, holding the hand gun aimed at Feng Zhen, her face resolute.
Thank goodness. Her girl was still alive, limbs intact, and from a quick glance, no visible injuries.
When Yao Xi saw the Empress Dowager rush in—face flushed, drenched in sweat, still clutching a horse whip—she suddenly wanted to cry. The taut string in her mind snapped in an instant. All the grievance, frustration, and fear she had been suppressing surged up as a sour ache in her nose.
Wan Bi closed the door behind her. Whatever had happened here, arguing with the Emperor in front of eunuchs and maids would be unwise. “Yao Xi, put the hand gun down.” She wanted to calm Emperor Ming Cheng first—it was rare to see the Emperor this angry.
Yao Xi obediently tucked the hand gun back into her waistband and stood quietly in the corner.
“What happened? How did Yao Xi anger His Majesty?” Wan Bi walked to Emperor Ming Cheng’s side, gently took his arm, and asked in a soft, gentle voice.
When Emperor Ming Cheng saw that Wan Bi hadn’t immediately rushed to Yao Xi’s defense without regard for right or wrong, he told her, “When We arrived, Yao Xi was lying on the floor pretending to be innocent, and Zhen’er was bound and thrown on the bed… Just look at the fine servant the Empress Dowager has spoiled—daring to molest a Princess!”
Feng Zhen obligingly let out a couple of sobs.
So that was what had happened. Wan Bi felt reassured. She turned to Feng Zhen and asked, “Is that so? What did Yao Xi do to you?” Yao Xi had been abducted by Eastern Depot agents, and then turned up in Feng Zhen’s palace—clearly, she had been framed. But what did Feng Zhen stand to gain? Sacrificing her own reputation just to harm a eunuch she didn’t even know?
Feng Zhen looked at her father, Emperor Ming Cheng, with helpless eyes.
Emperor Ming Cheng said coldly to Wan Bi, “Does the Empress Dowager truly have the heart to make Zhen’er relive it?”
Wan Bi gazed quietly at Feng Zhen, smiled at her, and said warmly, “Zhen’er, tell your Imperial Grandmother—why are you lying?”
Feng Zhen bit her lip, looking pitiful. “Imperial Grandmother, how could Zhen’er possibly lie about something like this at the cost of her reputation?”
Emperor Ming Cheng looked at Wan Bi in disbelief. He had always thought her merely willful and hot-tempered, but clear-headed on matters of right and wrong. He never imagined that for a male favorite, she would say such things.
“The Empress Dowager is also a woman. How could she not understand what reputation means to a young woman? Yet she doesn’t believe her own granddaughter and takes the side of a servant instead.” Emperor Ming Cheng gave a cold laugh. “Oh. We nearly forgot. The Empress Dowager doesn’t share the surname Feng, after all. Perhaps she doesn’t see Zhen’er as family.”
Wan Bi’s heart was pierced by that last remark. She said nothing, only picked up a set of Feng Zhen’s clothes from the rack by the bed, then walked over to Yao Xi and led her behind the folding screen.
Emperor Ming Cheng didn’t understand what Wan Bi was up to. Growing impatient, he stood outside the screen and said, “Empress Dowager, do not be obstinate. Yao Xi committed this grave crime. We will never forgive him—her?”
As Emperor Ming Cheng was still speaking, Wan Bi led Yao Xi out from behind the screen.
Yao Xi’s hair was styled in a Hundred-Flower Shared-Ponytail Hairstyle, pinned with the Empress Dowager’s green jade pearl pendant hair ornament. Her face was bare of powder, but her lips bore a thin layer of begonia-colored rouge—since there was no mirror behind the screen, the Empress Dowager had pressed her own lips against Yao Xi’s to apply the color lip to lip. She wore the Princess’s everyday clothes: a frost-colored upper garment with a slate-blue long skirt, over which was draped a snow-white large-sleeved jacket embroidered with camellia branches.
Yao Xi hadn’t dressed as a woman in a long time. She felt uncomfortable, constantly wanting to hide behind the Empress Dowager.
Wan Bi pulled Yao Xi forward and asked Emperor Ming Cheng, “Perhaps His Majesty can tell this bereaved one: how exactly could my girl Xi have molested Zhen’er?”
Emperor Ming Cheng was stunned. He had always found Yao Xi disagreeable. Short stature aside, the boy was frail—and those were traits born of nature, which could be overlooked. The problem was that Yao Xi’s mannerisms were effeminate. But now that Yao Xi was dressed as a woman, everything that had seemed wrong before became right. Her figure was petite and delicate, her movements like a weak willow swaying in the wind5. This appearance would stand out even in a rear palace brimming with beauties. Was it truly the clothes that made the person?
Feng Zhen was also stunned. Yao Xi was actually female? Eunuch Meng had done terrible harm!
“Who says a woman can’t molest a woman?” Feng Zhen intended to maintain her defiance to the end. She didn’t dare admit to framing Yao Xi—deceiving her Imperial Father was a capital offense. Besides, her reputation was not hers alone—it was the royal family’s reputation. If her Imperial Father learned she had sacrificed the Feng family’s honor to frame a eunuch, he would be furious.
Wan Bi’s disgust toward Feng Zhen deepened further. She couldn’t even be bothered to look at her, and only turned to Emperor Ming Cheng. “Not long before this bereaved one arrived, a palace eunuch reported that Yao Xi had been taken by Eastern Depot agents outside the palace. The eunuch who delivered the message was severely injured. If Your Majesty doesn’t believe this bereaved one, you can send someone to verify.” While changing Yao Xi’s clothes, she had noticed the injuries on Yao Xi’s arms. She lifted the sleeve to reveal the red welts on Yao Xi’s arms before Emperor Ming Cheng, demanding, “The rope marks from being bound are still there. Look closely, Your Majesty.”
It was too much information at once. Emperor Ming Cheng was momentarily dazed.
“Feng Zhen. Tell the Emperor who instructed you to frame Yao Xi. Even if you refuse to speak, this bereaved one can find out. Whoever can coerce you to harm Yao Xi could just as easily coerce you to harm the Emperor!” Wan Bi threatened.
Feng Zhen knelt on the bed, weeping, and kowtowed to Emperor Ming Cheng and the Empress Dowager. “It was Eunuch Meng. Zhen’er knows she was wrong. Zhen’er begs Imperial Grandmother and Imperial Father to spare her life.” The Empress Dowager already knew the Eastern Depot was responsible—there was no hiding it anymore.
Footnotes
- 'Bestial act' (qin shou zhi xing) denotes behavior beneath human dignity, likening a person's actions to those of a beast.
- A Chinese idiom (hu fu quan zi) meaning that even a formidable parent may produce an unworthy child.
- A Chinese idiom (ren ming guan tian), literally 'a human life concerns heaven,' emphasizing the gravity and urgency of matters involving human life.
- A Chinese saying (fu ai ru shan) comparing a father's steadfast, protective love to an immovable mountain.
- A classical Chinese literary phrase (ruo liu fu feng), originating from Dream of the Red Chamber to describe Lin Daiyu's fragile beauty—swaying gently like a willow in the breeze.
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