The Flirtatious Beauty Decides to Steal the Princess - Chapter 29

Wen Ying longed to know her mother’s handwriting. She yearned to uncover what her mother had truly written to the Empress.

Perhaps only then could she leave the palace with peace of mind, never to return.

Steadying her nerves, Wen Ying mustered the courage to open the old cabinet. Inside, stacks of yellowed letters lay preserved, their pages brittle with age.

Carefully, she took them out and settled quietly before the dressing table. The letters had been kept in pristine condition by the Empress, no corners were folded, no edges frayed.

As Wen Ying unfolded the envelopes, she recognized the delicate, graceful script. It resembled the calligraphy practice sheets Yun Chu had once given her to copy. The more she studied it, the more certain she became.

So, Yun Chu had been using her mother’s handwriting all along. A warmth prickled at the corners of Wen Ying’s eyes. Though her birth mother had left her nothing but blood ties, these very characters were the legacy passed down to her.

The earlier letters spoke of friendship, how the Empress and her mother had been close, though her mother’s family lacked the Empress’s prestige. To avoid suspicion after entering the palace together, they had exchanged letters in secret, their bond unknown to others.

Outside, rain pattered softly. The maids had gone to prepare ginger tea and would not return for a while. Wen Ying was in no hurry. She sat before the mirror, reading each letter with quiet focus.

Until she reached one.

The handwriting was frantic, its usual elegance marred by fear.

“Sister, I’m so afraid. Today, I overheard whispers, the Emperor means to be rid of me.”

Another: “My food was poisoned. I didn’t eat it. Sister, what should I do?”

These letters had abandoned all formalities, reduced to desperate pleas. Wen Ying

The Empress did not speak but slowly rose to her feet, allowing Ling Dai alone to follow her into the small Buddhist shrine set up in a side chamber of the palace.

The statue of Guanyin stood quietly in place. The Empress knelt down slowly, lit a stick of incense, and began turning the prayer beads in her hand. A long time passed until the incense had burned halfway before she finally spoke.

“Back then, I lacked the ability to save my sister. Now, if her daughter remains ignorant of the truth, wouldn’t that be my sin against heaven’s grace? How can I allow the wicked to live unscathed?” Over the years, the Empress had set up this shrine for Wen Ying and her dear friend. Whenever her heart was troubled, she would come here to seek peace.

Hearing this, Ling Dai couldn’t help but feel indignant on her mistress’s behalf: “But Your Majesty, it was because you spoke up for her back then that you were neglected by the Emperor for so many years. You already did your best.”

Ling Dai had witnessed all the efforts the Empress had made for her friend. Yet the truth remained, the Empress always blamed herself, trapped in endless guilt all these years, unwilling to grow close to the Emperor again.

Now, in the imperial harem, she bore no children and received little favor, only the respect of those around her.

The Empress sighed softly and lifted her gaze, staring devoutly at the statue of Guanyin. So what if she was using Wen Ying this time? Her sister could never wake again. If someone could rid the world of the Emperor, then at least she would have no regrets toward her sister.

The Empress was bordering on madness even if it meant exploiting the daughter of the woman she loved. Yes, she had loved Wen Ying’s mother, Shen Qingning, deeply. It was a secret no one knew, not even Shen Qingning herself.

This love had been buried deep in the Empress’s heart. Bound by the palace, the two could never be together, and that had given others the opportunity to harm them.

The Empress did not like the bloodline that flowed through Wen Ying’s veins, yet she was a piece of Qingning’s flesh. The Empress had agonized countless times, unsure how to face Wen Ying, and thus unable to care for her in every detail.

But she would always step in to protect Wen Ying at critical moments, this was the Empress’s promise to Shen Qingning, to safeguard her flesh and blood.

As for the rest, the Empress had little emotional attachment and no desire to interfere. Many lives were lived in such missed connections, and the Empress remained trapped in her own regrets, unable to break free.

“Your Majesty are you suggesting using Fu Qingyin’s hand?” Ling Dai had served the Empress for many years as her most loyal shadow. Often, she was the one who understood the Empress’s thoughts best.

Though the Empress had never spoken a word about this hostage prince, Ling Dai could sense it.

“I can see Fu Qingyin’s intentions. I know he would never allow someone to bully Wen Ying for so many years, let alone let the murderer of her birth mother go unpunished.” A faint smile finally appeared on the Empress’s face, as if she had finally achieved vengeance after all these years. She admitted she lacked the power to avenge Shen Qingning herself.

So, she would let the next generation take up the task.

The incense had burned out, and the Empress finally stood. But instead of returning to the main hall, she turned her steps toward the Office of Punishments.

“Your Majesty, Fu Qingyin will be arriving soon. It seems he has something to discuss.” A palace maid had been sent to gather news, and just as the Empress arrived at the Office of Punishments, the message reached her.

“Anything else to explain? It’s just about watching Consort Xin’s downfall and taking her waist token to exploit her family outside the palace.” The Empress was shrewd, adept at self-preservation and using others to eliminate threats, while also anticipating Fu Qingyin and Wen Ying’s actions.

For instance, she knew Wen Ying would secretly read the letter today, and that Fu Qingyin would visit the Punishment Bureau.

But none of that was the most important. What truly mattered was that the Empress had to provoke Consort Xin before Fu Qingyin arrived.

The door of the Punishment Bureau creaked open. The Empress’s delicate boots stepped onto the dusty floor as she covered her nose, wary of breathing in the grime. Her gaze fell on Consort Xin, sitting in the corner.

“You’re not doomed to rot in the Punishment Bureau forever. How could you allow yourself to be bullied by a hostage like Fu Qingyin? Today, I’ll release you though you’ll still be confined to your palace. You may reassign your maids and guards as you please. How does that sound?” The Empress rarely spoke so much to her. Consort Xin lifted her head listlessly, as if finally learning some sense.

“You’ve never been this kind. Why help me now? Using me as your blade?” Consort Xin couldn’t decipher the reasoning but sensed something amiss. The Empress smiled faintly. “I dislike Fu Qingyin as well. So, shall we cooperate?”

Consort Xin nodded numbly. Once the pampered jewel of her family, she had long harbored venomous hatred for Fu Qingyin. Even if she was merely a borrowed blade, she was willing to strike.

True to her word, the Empress released her, even arranging an escort back to her palace while spreading the news straight to Fu Qingyin’s ears.

“Now, we just wait for the show to begin.” The Empress wiped her hands, having just touched Consort Xin’s, as if they’d been dirtied. She tossed the handkerchief aside, letting it fall onto the grimy floor of the Punishment Bureau.

–

Wen Ying forced herself to hold back her emotions as she returned to the Dewdrop Palace. Yun Chu was still out working, leaving Wen Ying alone. She shut the wooden door behind her and slid down to sit against it.

This time, she didn’t cry. Instead, she clutched the dried persimmons Little Tang had pressed into her hands along the way.

Remembering her mother’s letter mentioning how she, too, had loved dried persimmons, Wen Ying picked one from the basket and took a small bite. It was sweet.

But the moment the sweetness touched her bitter tongue, it turned sickly.

Unable to eat more, she placed the half-eaten persimmon back in the basket. Yun Chu wouldn’t mind.

She lifted her gaze to the storybooks and clothes they had sorted out worn but the best Yun Chu could find. The sight made her heart ache.

So, her father had killed her mother. Wen Ying couldn’t bear to imagine how a woman who had just given birth could endure such heartbreak upon hearing the news.

Even worse, how could her mother have faced the man who had poisoned her meal this man whose heart was truly more venomous than a serpent’s?

The world always said the women of Emperor Wen’s harem were ruthless, that his concubines died the most. But even the high-ranking Consort Xin was nothing more than a plaything in his grasp.

If he wished to strip her of rank and confine her, he could bide his time even if just days ago, he had pretended to dote on her in the imperial kitchens.

Wen Ying hugged her knees, her small mind lost in chaotic thoughts. Outside, the rain had long stopped, but puddles remained, their surfaces rippling with soft pitter-patter sounds under unseen footsteps.

There were few palace maids passing by outside, so when Wen Ying heard footsteps, she was genuinely confused.

Wen Ying stood up to see what was happening outside, only to hear a flurry of hurried footsteps, along with the shouts of eunuchs and guards clamoring for a fight.

Her heart tightened, and without even thinking about the dried persimmons she was holding, she grabbed them and rushed out the door. No one dared to touch her now Emperor Wen, for the sake of his own dignity, would give her some leeway so Wen Ying felt a bit bolder.

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