TFSRITA Chapter 65

It was only then that Yan Qing realized how unusually quiet the palace had become.

“Your Grace, here’s what happened…” Zhuyin had been following Yan Qing’s orders not to disturb her, so she hadn’t mentioned anything about recent events in the palace or the court. Now that Yan Qing was asking, she hurried to explain the whole situation.

But just as she began, a sharp voice interrupted her: “Yan Qing! I was wrong! Please spare me! Spare my family!”

Puzzled, Yan Qing followed the sound, but since she was in her chambers, she couldn’t see the source. It seemed to be coming from the outer hall, so she said, “Go take a look first.”

Zhuyin quietly closed her mouth.

…

The commotion came from the outer hall of Lingyun Palace, which was usually calm and peaceful but now echoed with noise. A group of palace maids and senior attendants surrounded a woman in the center, trying to persuade her gently. “Your Grace, let’s go back!”

“Empress Dowager, please calm down!”

…

When Yan Qing stepped out, she immediately recognized the woman kneeling in the middle of the hall, disheveled, her hair a mess, and her clothes untidy—it was none other than the once high-and-mighty Empress Dowager Jiang.

However, she looked haggard. Her once youthful face was now pale, with sunken cheeks and cracked lips, as though she had aged ten years overnight.

Everyone’s eyes were on her. Despite her fall from grace, they all hesitated to leave her in such a miserable state, still treating her with respect due to her title.

But the Empress Dowager seemed to have lost her composure. Her eyes were red and swollen. Every time someone tried to help her up, she pushed them away, her face twisted in a grimace as she yelled, “Get away! Leave me alone!”

When the servants, startled, stepped back, she wailed in despair, “Yan Qing, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have gone against you. Please, spare me!”

Yan Qing hesitated for a moment but then quickly walked over.

The Empress Dowager’s eyes lit up, and she staggered to her feet, rushing over. But just before reaching Yan Qing, she stumbled and fell to the ground again, clutching Yan Qing’s legs as she pleaded, “Please, spare me! Spare the Jiang family. It’s my fault—I did everything. I’m sorry…”

Yan Qing was deeply shocked. How had things escalated so quickly?

In the original story, the Empress Dowager had lived peacefully until Song Yu ascended the throne, after which she was simply sent to a temple to practice Buddhism. How had she ended up like this so soon? Could it be that Song Yu had already launched an attack?

Zhuyin quickly explained, “The Jiang family spread rumors about you in Chang’an. After His Majesty found out, he confiscated their property, demoted all of them to commoners, and executed the offenders. The Empress Dowager probably couldn’t handle it.”

After all, the Jiang family had been prominent for nearly a century. Losing everything overnight was hard for anyone to bear.

But Emperor Chen had shown his strength from the start. The Empress Dowager saw how special Yan Qing was to him and turned to her for help.

After hearing this, Yan Qing quickly pieced the situation together. Internally, she felt frustrated. She had been planning to use this wave of events to her advantage, but now it seemed that the opportunity had passed.

She stood frozen for a moment, snapped out of it only when the pain in her legs jolted her back to reality.

Seeing that Yan Qing wasn’t responding, the palace servants were about to drag the Empress Dowager away. Desperate, the Empress Dowager clutched her legs tighter and begged, “It’s my fault! Take the Phoenix Seal—just please, let me go!”

Yan Qing frowned in confusion, “This whole thing was the Jiang family’s doing. It shouldn’t affect you. Why can’t you just remain as the Empress Dowager in peace?”

At these words, the Empress Dowager’s face contorted even more, and she glared at Yan Qing, “The emperor is sending me to a temple to practice Buddhism! Do you know what that means? It means becoming a nun! Eating vegetarian! Cutting my hair! I am the Empress Dowager of Great Qian!”

Yan Qing: “…”

This development wasn’t right. Wasn’t this supposed to be something Song Yu would do?

She lowered her eyes and met the Empress Dowager’s bloodshot gaze.

Just as a glimmer of hope appeared in the Empress Dowager’s eyes, Yan Qing said, “Escort the Empress Dowager back to her quarters to rest. I’m feeling unwell and need to rest as well. Make sure no one disturbs me.”

“Yes, Your Grace!” The palace servants, already devoted to Yan Qing, immediately responded, gripping the Empress Dowager more firmly.

“You heartless woman!” The Empress Dowager shouted in a rage when she saw Yan Qing ignoring her. As she was dragged away, she continued screaming, “Don’t think you can stay on top forever! My fate will be your fate! Do you think being an empress is easy? You’ll regret this—His Majesty won’t always care for you like this…”

The palace servants weren’t skilled enough to gag her while dragging her out, so her shrill cries echoed out of the palace.

Nanny Qian’s face darkened as she spoke in a low voice, “Your Grace, don’t worry. His Majesty isn’t that kind of man. To this day, I’ve only seen him care deeply for you. You will always be in his favor!”

“Um… thanks.” Yan Qing didn’t particularly want to be in his favor. She didn’t hate Ji Yecheng; after all, she had provoked him in the past. But the idea of him falling in love with her over some fleeting kindness? That was impossible. Naturally, she wasn’t too shocked by his special treatment.

Forcing a smile, Yan Qing turned around. The moment she did, the smile disappeared, and her voice turned flat. “Return to my chambers. I’m going to rest now. Nanny Qian, you don’t need to attend me. Let Zhuyin stay.”

Nanny Qian nodded and stopped in her tracks, watching her leave.

…

After Zhuyin ensured that no one else was in the chambers, Yan Qing unlocked the right-hand drawer of a small desk using a key she kept in her pouch.

She pulled out the results of her efforts from the past few days.

The pages hadn’t been opened, as she had sealed them with a special glue, making them impossible to read unless torn open. Yan Qing had no intention of letting Zhuyin see them either. She spoke seriously, “Zhuyin, I have a very important task for you!”

Seeing Yan Qing’s solemn expression, Zhuyin immediately knelt and replied firmly, “I will carry it out, even at the cost of my life.”