Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Outside the imperial study, the sun shone down relentlessly, scorching the bluestone slabs. The Fifth Prince, Yan Nan, knelt upright on it, his body trembling slightly. Although autumn was approaching, the lingering heat of summer had not yet dissipated, and the blazing sun seemed intent on scorching everything.

Yan Nanhui clenched his teeth, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead like broken pearls, splattering onto the stone slab in front of him, instantly evaporating in the heat, leaving only a faint watermark. Yet, he remained motionless, like a statue, only his lips, slightly pale from kneeling for so long, revealing the immense pain he was enduring.

Meanwhile, inside the Imperial Study, a completely different scene unfolded. A cool breeze gently wafted in through the window, bringing a sense of relief. Eunuch Fang cautiously approached the man seated on the dragon throne, bowed respectfully, and said softly, "Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince has been kneeling outside the palace for two whole hours. In this sweltering heat, if he continues kneeling, I fear his legs may truly be ruined." With that, Eunuch Fang raised his head, looking at the man seated on the dragon throne with a hint of worry.

The man was dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, wearing a crown, his face stern and imposing, exuding authority without anger. This was the current emperor—Yan Zhen, and Yan Nan Hui's biological father. Upon hearing Eunuch Fang's report, Yan Zhen slowly opened his eyes, his gaze deep and sharp, making it impossible to look directly at him. After a moment of silence, he coldly spoke, "Hmph! This rebellious son has committed such a grave mistake. If he isn't taught a lesson, how will he learn his lesson?" Although his words were stern, Yan Zhen's gaze involuntarily drifted towards the door, a barely perceptible hint of concern flashing deep in his eyes.

"Make that rebellious son continue kneeling. I've told him he can't marry a daughter of the Xiao family, but he just won't listen." Yan Zhen was also angry. Just now, Yan Nan had excitedly run to the imperial study, saying he wanted to get married. He came to request an imperial decree for marriage. Originally, he thought this rebellious son would finally settle down, but who knew that it turned out to be a daughter of the Xiao family? Can a daughter of the Xiao family be granted marriage so easily? "You said you heard the daughter of the Xiao family talk about Feng Nu."

"This old servant happened to overhear Miss Xiao and the Imperial Concubine's niece talking. I heard Miss Xiao say softly, 'Some things are ultimately not Miss Ye's. Don't deceive yourself for too long, or you'll mistake this falsehood for reality.' Hearing this, this old servant's heart stirred, and I pondered to myself. It seems that the person who fabricated so many rumors and spread them among others was probably trying to provide Miss Xiao with more comprehensive protection."

From childhood, Eunuch Fang had always followed Yan Zhen. He witnessed countless upheavals and power struggles within the palace, and was naturally well aware of many secrets. Because of this, his relationship with Yan Zhen was not merely that of master and servant; the deep bond forged from growing up together made Eunuch Fang Yan Zhen's most trusted and loyal confidant. Whenever and wherever Yan Zhen needed him, Eunuch Fang would step forward without hesitation, doing everything in his power to complete the tasks assigned to him by his master.

Indeed, she has always been the most intelligent person. Only that fool Ye Yourou actually regarded that lowly concubine's daughter as a treasure. Humph! It's one thing for her to be utterly stupid, but she shouldn't even think about making my son a sacrifice for her mistakes to fill those bottomless pits. Besides, in recent years, the Ye family has really been somewhat dishonest and restless.

As Yan Zhen spoke, he slowly turned his head, his gaze fixed on Eunuch Fang beside him. Eunuch Fang narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone deep and serious. "You've been with me the longest," he said, "you must have heard of our ancestors' prophecy about the Phoenix Maiden, right? Judging from the current situation, that young lady from the Xiao family is undoubtedly the legendary Phoenix Maiden. Logically, she should be betrothed to the Crown Prince. Unfortunately…" Yan Zhen paused slightly, not continuing. However, Eunuch Fang was well aware of the deeper meaning hidden behind his unfinished words.

It's important to understand that Prime Minister Lin's power in the court is growing daily, his influence extending ever wider. Worryingly, the relationship between the Crown Prince and his maternal relatives is becoming increasingly close. Throughout history, close ties between the Crown Prince and his maternal relatives have always been a major taboo in every dynasty. A slight misstep could trigger a series of unpredictable disasters. Thinking of this, Yan Zhen frowned, silently considering a solution.

Eunuch Fang stood respectfully to the side, carefully listening to every word Yan Zhen said. A look of understanding flashed across his weathered face. He bowed slightly and spoke cautiously, “Your Majesty, this old servant dares to say a few words. Back then, if the Lin family hadn’t taken advantage of the slight favor they had done to the royal family and acted recklessly, exploiting that favor for personal gain, how could such an unprecedented event have occurred—a concubine becoming the empress? This truly shocked the entire court and even the common people! Furthermore, the situation regarding the Fourth Prince is indeed perplexing. Was it because his birth mother’s health was damaged, thus affecting the fetus and causing the Fourth Prince to be born weak and sickly? Or was there a treacherous individual deliberately harming him? We still haven’t been able to find out the truth! There is one more thing, Your Majesty, you must not forget. Before the late emperor passed away, he specifically left behind a sentence…” At this point, Eunuch Fang suddenly stopped speaking and looked up to observe Yan Zhen’s expression.

Back then, when the late emperor was seriously ill and bedridden, only Yan Zhen and Eunuch Fang were by his side. It was at that time that the dying emperor revealed to Yan Zhen a matter concerning the Phoenix Maiden of the Xiao family.

It turned out that back when Yan Zhen's grandfather was in power, the highly respected and shrewd Grand Preceptor of the Great Xia Kingdom had left behind a startling prophecy: within three generations of the Xiao family, a peerless beauty would be born! At that time, the head of the Xiao family was Xiao Zhenwei. Moreover, due to the mistakes made by Xiao Daren, the Xiao family had already lost the opportunity to inherit the title. Only then did Yan Zhen realize why, although the late emperor had seemingly ruthlessly reduced the Xiao family's title, Marquis Xiao had shown no reaction.

Meanwhile, Yan Zhen also learned of another secret. Years ago, when Xiao Daren pleaded with the Emperor for a marriage decree, the old Emperor made a verbal agreement with him—that he must bear a daughter. However, the old Emperor at the time did not reveal the true reason concerning the "Phoenix Girl," only claiming it was the dying wish of Xiao Daren's birth mother.

Moreover, the late emperor solemnly instructed Yan Zhen that the former Grand Preceptor had made a terrifying prophecy: if this Phoenix Maiden were to die young, the entire Great Xia Dynasty would face annihilation, and the nation would be in grave danger! It was for this reason that Yan Zhen sternly warned his sons never to easily provoke the Xiao family. After all, this involved a crucial secret concerning the rise and fall of the Great Xia Dynasty!

Recalling these past events, Yan Zhen turned to look at Eunuch Fang and said, "Little Fang, do you think the Ye family and the Lin family also know about Feng Nu's matter?"

"Your Majesty," said Eunuch Fang, piecing together the facts, "I do not know whether the Ye and Lin families are aware of this matter. However, according to reports from the secret guards, Lin Yuxuan, the grandson of Prime Minister Lin and the Crown Prince's tutor, confessed his feelings to Miss Xiao when she entered school. It seems that Young Master Lin had only known Miss Xiao for a few days and knew she was the granddaughter of Marquis Xiao. As for the Ye family, forgive my bluntness, but Young Master Ye went even further, directly attempting to force Miss Xiao to marry him with a marriage agreement promised by a concubine. His intentions are undeniably insidious. Although Miss Xiao is indeed stunningly beautiful, given the current status of Marquis Xiao's family and the official position of Miss Xiao's father, it is truly not worth such a great deal of effort. Moreover, how could a marriage proposal to Marquis Xiao's family succeed without the approval of the Ye family head? Furthermore, the Ye family head is a leading figure in the business world, and businessmen are most concerned with profit, but there is nothing to gain from Miss Xiao." Eunuch Fang recounted everything to Yan Zhen. In fact, based on the existing signs, it is highly likely that both the Lin and Ye families knew about the Phoenix Maiden's prophecy.

"Very well, then tell me, is it true that Fifth Prince said the girl from the Xiao family and he are in love?" Yan Zhen was caught off guard by his son. "The more I see him so eager to ask for an imperial decree to grant marriage, the more I think it's to clear up the farce caused by the Ye family for the girl from the Xiao family. If I issue an edict to punish the Ye family, do you think Fifth Prince will stop mentioning the marriage? That way, I'll have time to think about how to let that girl marry the Crown Prince."

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, the Fifth Prince and Miss Xiao are indeed in love. Just look at how Miss Xiao questioned the Third and Seventh Princes on behalf of the Fifth Prince. If she were heartless, how could she dare to openly question the princes? Moreover, I've heard that Miss Xiao also helped the Fifth Prince find a way to obtain the raw materials needed for charcoal pencil manufacturing, saving him a lot of money. Although our Fifth Prince is not short of money, there must be few girls who are so sincere to him. No wonder the Fifth Prince was so eager to ask Your Majesty for a decree to grant them marriage." After saying this, Eunuch Fang looked at Yan Zhen's face. Everything seemed normal, so he felt relieved.

Just then, a thin, hurried eunuch came running up, bowing nervously and reporting, "Your Majesty, Consort Tong requests an audience!" Upon hearing this, Yan Zhen was startled and his gaze instantly fell on Eunuch Fang beside him. Eunuch Fang, however, kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, gazing directly at the sky, seemingly completely indifferent to what was happening before him.

It should be known that Eunuch Fang had been attending to the Emperor all this time and was well aware of Consort Tong's formidable methods. Consort Tong was carrying the Emperor's child, conceived late in life, and therefore was highly cherished by him. The Emperor frequently visited Weiyang Palace to dine with Consort Tong, showing her utmost care. Consort Tong, however, taking advantage of being less than three months pregnant and unable to serve the Emperor in bed, repeatedly used various seductive tricks to arouse his desire. Every time the Emperor entered Weiyang Palace, he was beaming; but when he left, his cheeks were always flushed, like a young man experiencing his first love.

What's even more amusing is that, despite this, the emperor remained undeterred, showing no sign of learning his lesson. Often, the very next day, he would rush back to Weiyang Palace with insatiable hunger, willingly allowing himself to be manipulated by Consort Tong. Sometimes, even Eunuch Fang couldn't help but secretly think: if Consort Tong had possessed such abilities back then, the Empress's position would likely never have gone to that woman surnamed Lin. After all, in terms of lineage alone, none of the concubines in the palace could compare to Consort Tong—she was the eldest daughter of a mysterious, reclusive family from Jiangnan!

However, at this moment, the Emperor was staring intently at him, and it would be inappropriate to remain silent. After a moment's thought, Eunuch Fang quickly reminded him, "Your Majesty, the Empress is currently six months pregnant, and the fetus is not yet three months along. The imperial physicians have repeatedly instructed her to take good care of herself." Upon hearing this, Yan Zhen waved his hand slightly, indicating that he understood. Seeing this, Eunuch Fang dared not delay. He hurriedly walked to the door, first respectfully bowing to Consort Tong, and then announced loudly, "Greetings to the Empress! His Majesty invites the Empress to enter."

Under normal circumstances, the concubines in the harem were absolutely not allowed to freely enter the Emperor's Golden Palace and Imperial Study. After all, these were the emperor's confidential places for handling military and state affairs and reviewing memorials; how could others be allowed to trespass? However, there are always exceptions. In the case of Consort Tong, who was pregnant and carrying the emperor's child, she could not be simply treated as an ordinary concubine. In this case, her entry into the palace should be seen more as the unborn prince entering the Imperial Study, rather than a concubine trespassing into forbidden territory. Of course, in cases of major events such as a special summons by the emperor, the issuance of imperial edicts, the death of the emperor, the abdication of the throne, or the ascension of a new emperor, these concubines were naturally allowed to enter the Golden Palace and participate in these events.

Consort Tong smiled and called out softly, "Eunuch Fang, you've worked hard." As she brushed past Eunuch Fang, she bowed slightly and said in a low voice, "You've truly worked hard this time, Eunuch. If my son's wish is fulfilled, I will reward you handsomely."