After the Substitute Male Bride Fled, the Emperor Turned Dark - Chapter 19

Eunuch Li stepped forward quickly and bowed. “Your Majesty, the man has been apprehended, and the victimized woman has been properly settled. Shall we return to the palace immediately?”

Xiao Huan looked at Fang Zhiyan, questioning him with his eyes.

Fang Zhiyan was no longer in the mood for sightseeing. He nodded and said they should go back.

The commotion here had been handled discreetly. No one knew that the very people they were gossiping about were standing right beside them. Only one flower seller, standing behind a tree with a flower basket on his back, stared blankly toward the pavilion.

A companion walked over and called out to him, “What are you dazing off for? The show is over. We need to hurry and sell these flowers; the restaurant is still busy.”

Qiu Runzhi snapped back to his senses, his face full of doubt. “Did you see the people in that pavilion clearly just now?”

The companion followed his gaze. “I caught a glimpse. There were many guards around; they would not let anyone get close. It is likely some prominent clan out for a stroll.”

Qiu Runzhi murmured, “Is it possible my eyes deceived me?”

“Oh, come on, let us go. The kitchen is definitely busy; we have to get back quickly.” The companion pulled him along. “Let us go, let us go. There are many young ladies up ahead; we will go sell over there.”

The journey back was silent as the two took the carriage to the palace. Fang Zhiyan remained quiet the entire way, feeling in his heart that this matter would not simply pass. He did not want to be dragged down by the Fang family, but he was currently using the identity of Concubine Zhuang and carried the Fang family blood. When the Fang family did evil, the commoners blamed Fang Zhiwei, but the people in the palace would blame him.

It was truly frustrating.

Upon reaching Chengqian Palace, Xiao Huan stopped at the hall entrance. “Did you have a good time?”

Fang Zhiyan naturally said he did; otherwise, what if Xiao Huan did not take him out next time? As he looked up, he saw Xiao Huan holding an object that glinted with a green light in the night.

“A trinket from the market,” Xiao Huan reached out to show him. “The craftsmanship seems decent. If Concubine Zhuang likes it, take it.”

It was a silver chain attached to a water colored glazed glass pendant with a swirling pattern. It was about the size of a palm, oval in shape, with edges polished smooth and delicate. It was clear the shopkeeper had excellent skills.

The surroundings fell silent, and the servants all bowed their heads. A moment before Xiao Huan retracted his hand with a solemn expression, Fang Zhiyan reached out. Under the night sky, the beauty’s eyes curved into crescents. “Since it is a token of Your Majesty’s heart, how could this concubine be so tactless as to refuse?”

“Go inside. I shall head back now.”

Back in the bedroom, Lan Ruo closed the door, looking deeply worried. “Your Ladyship, what happened tonight will likely spread tomorrow. Will it affect us?”

Fang Zhiyan leaned against the couch, dangling the silver chain and looking up at the glazed glass pendant. “Probably. Tell me, if the Empress Dowager demands an account and sentences me to a year of house arrest, and by then your young mistress returns to swap identities back, and I return to Suzhou with tens of thousands of taels of silver, would I even get used to such a good life?”

Lan Ruo: “Your Ladyship is not even asleep yet, yet you have already begun dreaming.”

The Empress Dowager’s summons might be late, but it would never be absent.

While Fang Zhiyan was playing with the hollowed out pattern of the newly built swing in the courtyard, a young eunuch came to report: “Your Ladyship, someone has come from the Palace of Benevolent Tranquility. The Empress Dowager requests your presence.”

As soon as the eunuch finished speaking, Lan Ruo dropped her work and walked anxiously to the swing. Fang Zhiyan opened his eyes. He slowly tucked the trinket back into his sleeve, his tone light and calm. “I will be back soon. There is no need for blind guessing in the courtyard.”

He gathered his plain colored skirt and followed the eunuch out. Lan Ruo followed behind, whispering all the way: “Your Ladyship, when we see the Empress Dowager, we must be firm. Request that Her Majesty execute that tyrant. That way, you can earn a good reputation for placing justice above family ties.”

Fang Zhiyan patted the back of her hand without stopping his pace. “Lan Ruo, I finally believe that people who spend a lot of time together become similar. Look at us, we are acting like the Black and White Guards of the underworld.”

They were thinking exactly the same thing. The villains of the Fang family deserved to die. He had no obligation to bear the consequences for others.

The path to the Palace of Benevolent Tranquility was even more silent than usual. The palace lanterns under the veranda were covered with thin gauze, casting a soft light that felt suffocatingly heavy.

Just as he entered the hall, he saw Lady of Bright Deportment Xue sitting on a brocade stool beside the Empress Dowager. She held an embroidered handkerchief, her peripheral vision sweeping over as she rose to greet him. Xiao Huan had not said much about Beauty Zhou, but Fang Zhiyan was certain that Lady of Bright Deportment Xue was behind it. Even if it was not direct instigation, it was surely a subtle guidance.

The two exchanged hypocritical greetings. The Empress Dowager sat on her purple sandalwood throne, fingering a string of agarwood prayer beads. The beads turned very slowly, the clicking sound exceptionally clear in the quiet hall.

Fang Zhiyan knelt in greeting, his voice submissive. “This concubine pays respects to the Empress Dowager. May you have ten thousand blessings and golden peace.”

“Rise.” The Empress Dowager’s voice had no warmth, making it impossible to tell if she intended to hold him accountable or simply offer a reminder.

“I have heard about what happened in the capital during the Thousand Lantern Festival last night. Your cousin used the name of Concubine Zhuang to forcibly seize a civilian woman by the moat. Do you have anything to say about this?”

Fang Zhiyan straightened his back, his expression candid without a trace of panic. “In reply to the Empress Dowager, that worthless cousin of mine was spoiled by his parents since childhood. For him to do such a thing truly brings shame to this concubine’s face.”

Lady of Bright Deportment Xue immediately spoke up, her tone soft and graceful. “Sister is truly being implicated. The ancestors taught that clans share both honor and disgrace. While Sister enjoys glory in the palace, do not forget to admonish your relatives.”

She deliberately emphasized the word “clans,” clearly trying to bind Fang Zhiyan to that scoundrel cousin. Lan Ruo wanted to step forward to defend him, but Fang Zhiyan quietly grabbed her sleeve.

He looked up at the Empress Dowager, his tone calm but each word clear: “Empress Dowager, this concubine knows I am at fault. I have been unable to sleep these past two nights and have made a decision.”

“Oh?” The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow, the prayer beads pausing. “Do tell.”

“That tyrant is a distant cousin of this concubine who grew up in Ling County. I only met him twice before entering the palace, and since then, we have had no contact whatsoever. Yet I did not expect him to commit such a bold and filthy act on a day as festive as the Thousand Lantern Festival, causing my Fang family to lose face and even bringing gossip upon His Majesty. It would be better to sentence that Fang son to death as a warning to others and to give that poor civilian woman justice.”

Lady of Bright Deportment Xue’s relaxed posture straightened instantly, her eyes filled with disbelief. Sentence him to death? Was he being that heartless? He was a cousin of the same clan, after all. Could the elders at home bear it? Clearly, the Empress Dowager was also somewhat surprised.

Fang Zhiyan lowered his eyes, looking weak and easily bullied. “Tarnishing this concubine’s reputation is a small matter, but staining His Majesty’s reputation and causing the Empress Dowager to be angry and harm her health is a grave crime.”

Lady of Bright Deportment Xue: “…”

Was this still the same Concubine Zhuang who was originally arrogant and too lazy to say a word to anyone? When did she become so affected and sanctimonious?

The Empress Dowager’s expression softened. “You may rise.”

Fang Zhiyan wiped away non existent tears. “Thank you, Empress Dowager.”

He did not rise immediately but continued, “This concubine knows I am to blame and requests to be placed under house arrest.”

The Empress Dowager frowned. This was completely different from what she had expected. What exactly was this Concubine Zhuang thinking? The atmosphere in the hall was strange until a eunuch shouted outside: “His Majesty has arrived!”

Fang Zhiyan dropped his affected expression and slowly turned to bow to Xiao Huan. The bright yellow cloud patterned boots stopped in front of him, and Fang Zhiyan was helped up by a pair of strong hands without any room for refusal.

“I heard that Concubine Zhuang has requested house arrest again?”

The Empress Dowager watched quietly to see how things would unfold. Lady of Bright Deportment Xue looked from one to the other, unsure for a moment who Xiao Huan was here to hold accountable. At first, she thought the Emperor was here to back Concubine Zhuang up, but now it did not look like it. Instead, it looked more like he was dissatisfied with Concubine Zhuang.

Fang Zhiyan’s smile faltered as he explained, “This concubine’s relative committed a great error, and I am truly to blame, so I thought…”

As he spoke, he met Xiao Huan’s half-smiling gaze, which seemed to see through everything. He fell silent.

The Empress Dowager massaged her brow. “Then let the Emperor decide. I am tired; you may all leave.”

Xiao Huan faced the Empress Dowager. “In the morning court today, Assistant Minister Fang requested to have his salary docked as punishment. I have granted it.”

The Empress Dowager nodded. “The Fang family is at least sensible.”

With that one sentence, Lady of Bright Deportment Xue’s trip today was in vain. She had thought the Empress Dowager would dislike the Fang family’s conduct and punish Concubine Zhuang by extension.

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