Chapter 68: The Empress's Interrogation

The morning light broke brightly.

The Emperor's head eunuch stood on the steps outside the hall, his usually festive face carrying a hint of solemnity.

Behind him, palace maids and attendants moved in and out; the warm fragrance of food wafted from within, dispelling some of the early winter chill.

"Marquis, have some soup first."

"Mmh, this soup tastes just like home."

"As long as it's the same, that's all that matters. Previously, when Ah Feng was concerned about you two, she had the household send over the recipes you use. I remembered this particular flavor was among them, so I instructed the Imperial Kitchen to prepare it accordingly."

"Sigh, I originally wanted to come to His Majesty's place for something fresh; I've grown tired of eating the same things under supervision at home."

Inside the hall, the conversation between the Emperor, the Empress, and the Marquis of Yichun sounded relaxed, but the head eunuch standing outside showed no sign of relaxation.

"Father! You didn't come here just to eat a fresh meal."

The Empress's voice drifted out, raised in pitch.

"You deceived me when we married; what are you trying to deceive me about now?"

The head eunuch's expression grew even more grave. He signaled the surrounding attendants to move further away, then stepped down from the stairs himself, maintaining a strict watch on the surroundings.

Inside the hall, the Emperor moved to stand, but the Marquis of Yichun raised a hand to stop him.

"Your Majesty, you are no longer who you were back then. You must not lose the distinction between sovereign and subject!" he said. "If you act submissively toward Ah Feng, then I shall have no choice but to prostrate myself before you in total worship."

The Emperor froze, looking somewhat helpless. "Father-in-law, you..."

The Marquis turned his gaze toward the Empress. "We deceived you? Then let me ask you: if the truth had been told back then—that he was already married in the countryside—and your grandfather told you to marry him, would you have married him or not?"

The Empress looked at him, teeth clenched. "Of course I wouldn't—"

"You wouldn't?" The Marquis interrupted her with a light laugh. "What right do you have to say you wouldn't? As the daughter of the Chai family, you have lived a life of luxury since childhood, having everything you desired. Even when the world outside was in chaos and people were displaced, your greatest worry was merely whether the camellias in your backyard would bloom on schedule. What? Now that it is your turn to secure a good marriage for the Chai family and unite two great houses, you feel wronged?"

The Empress's face turned pale and then flushed with anger. "I was not born into a family where I could make my own decisions..."

"Since you know you cannot make your own decisions, stop dwelling on your dissatisfactions and think more about what you have gained." The Marquis interrupted her again, picked up the bowl before him, took a sip, and looked at the Empress. "Your Majesty, one must be content and grateful."

The Empress sat frozen. Hearing her father call her "Your Majesty," she gave a self-mocking laugh. "Yes, I am now an Empress whom even my father and mother must bow to. My sisters, who once fought me for clothes and jewelry, dare not look me in the eye. I no longer need to worry about whether my camellias are well-tended; countless craftsmen dedicate themselves to my whims. I have become a first-class noble of the realm, living the finest life in the world, yet I am still not satisfied, still nitpicking whether others have deceived me."

The Emperor stood up nonetheless and walked to the Empress, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Ah Feng, the one making you nitpick is not anyone else, but your husband." He sighed. "I was wrong back then. Although I informed my grandfather and your father, I acted out of selfishness and did not tell you the truth when facing you. I did indeed deceive you."

At this point, he stopped the Marquis, who was about to speak.

"The Marquis indeed came regarding the affairs of the Duke of Ding'an. I knew you would be angry if I didn't let you hear; let alone you being angry, even I would be angry."

"Previously, his daughter failed her exams due to poor scholarship, so she sought a way in. This time, his daughter's scholarship is quite good, but her character is unruly; she committed the act of stealing another's identity to qualify as a study companion. Now that the principal family has discovered the truth and come knocking..."

Hearing this, the Empress could no longer hold onto her anger. She looked at the Emperor in surprise. "Stealing an identity?" She frowned. "Which daughter? Besides Yang Hui, the daughters born to concubines are all still young..."

"A younger sister from the Second Uncle's house," the Emperor said. It was someone he knew well, though the Empress was not familiar with her. He quickly added, "The second daughter of Yang Shiduan. I remember her childhood name was Zan Niang. She married early and passed away not long after the Yang family was granted its peerage, leaving behind one daughter."

*He even remembers the name of the daughter from the Yang family's second branch...* The Empress drifted off for a moment, only to be brought back by the Emperor's voice.

"That child ran away from home because her marriage arrangements were not to her liking. Her boldness in coming to the capital to steal another's identity was even more audacious. It wasn't until her scheme failed and she was discovered that she informed the Duke of Ding'an. The elders of the Liu family want to take her to court, so the Duke of Ding'an came to petition the Marquis."

"Their family failed to discipline their child, and instead of being a burden, they have caused the Marquis trouble time and time again."

At this, the Emperor let out a long sigh.

"Ah Feng, you say you are not content, but in truth, it is the Duke of Ding'an who is not content."

He gave a derisive snort.

"Besides being discontented, he is also blackmailing us. The matter from before was my doing; it is not something your Chai family owes him. Father-in-law, you need not concern yourself with this. I will—"

The Marquis spoke up. "Your Majesty need not intervene. Ultimately, it is just the unruly behavior of children, and it involves the dignity of the Princess. My willingness to intervene is also out of selfishness; every parent cherishes their own child. Pingcheng has always been proud and has only just achieved her wish to study at the Imperial Academy. If this matter is blown out of proportion, it will only bring her misfortune. Whether the Duke of Ding'an's daughter cries or is heartbroken is of no concern to me, nor will I be blackmailed by him, but I cannot allow my own child to be saddened."

He glanced at the Empress.

"I was just about to make a request to His Majesty. Since you insist on knowing, then listen together."

"This is but a minor matter. Since precedents have been set, for the sake of fairness, let Princess Wuyang and Princess Nangong each select a study companion. Let this 'true' young lady, the real Liu Chan, go and study as well. There is no need to directly expose that fake Liu Chan's maid."

The Emperor said with a dark expression, "Matters of education are not minor. How can we tolerate someone of such corrupt character continuing in the Imperial Academy, by the side of the Princesses?"

The Marquis smiled. "Naturally, we cannot. We shall arrange an examination at the end of the month; those with the lowest scores shall be dismissed."

That was true. The Duke of Ding'an's daughter—one could not even pass the preliminary exam, and the other had not even taken it at all, allowing a maid who had studied only to be demoted to servitude to pass. It was clear that both her character and her scholarship were lacking. As for the young lady of the Liu family, the fact that she could give her letters to another person—whether coerced or deceived—meant her character and mental fortitude were beneath contempt.

A single examination would be enough to kick them both out. After some thought, the Emperor nodded.

"There is also no need to inform Chancellor Wang for the time being." He sighed again. "With Wang Zaitian's temperament, if he knew of such a thing, even if I personally advised him, he would certainly not allow such a person to study in the Academy."

*Once the exams are over and such people are purged, then we shall inform him.*

The Marquis said no more. He set down the soup he had not finished and looked at the Empress. "Do you have anything else to ask? If not, then withdraw." He shook his head. "His Majesty and I are sovereign and subject. When the two of us are speaking, for a Queen of the inner palace to barge in is a breach of protocol."

The father spoke bluntly, but the Empress was not as angry as before. She pursed her lips and said, "I will leave once Father has finished this medicinal soup."

The Emperor laughed beside them, advising, "Father-in-law, do not delay. If you do not drink it now, Ah Feng will send an attendant to tell your wife, and you will be forced to drink it once you return home."

The Marquis looked helpless and sighed. "Getting old means being disciplined by one's children and wife." He picked up the bowl and drank it in one gulp.

The Emperor handed a pair of chopsticks to the Empress and said softly, "Ah Feng, let's eat."

The Empress no longer refused. She reached out to take them, then suddenly looked up at the Emperor.

"I am angry with myself as well," she said. "It wasn't as if I hadn't seen you before our marriage, but I never asked if you were already married. I... I also had my own selfishness; I didn't dare ask..."

For fear that asking would mean losing the man of her heart.

A smile spread through the Emperor's eyes.

The Marquis cleared his throat. "Alright, the elders are still present." He shook his head at the imperial couple. "You two are also of a certain age."

The Emperor burst into laughter and picked up his own bowl to begin eating heartily.

***

Although the Marquis had drunk the medicinal soup, when he left the palace, the Empress still sent her Head Eunuch to see him off personally.

"Marquis, will you not tell the Empress the truth?" the eunuch asked in a low voice.

The Marquis's personal aide had already told him the truth.

The eunuch's expression was complex, his brow furrowed.

"That child actually survived and even entered the capital... It is right to keep it from His Majesty, but should we not give Her Majesty a warning to be on guard?"

"Her Majesty has a temper; even after all this time, she still picks quarrels with His Majesty from time to time."

"If she knew this child had arrived..."

The Marquis smiled. "As long as she knows nothing, no matter how much she quarrels, it will be fine; in fact, it will only make His Majesty feel more guilty." He stroked his beard. "If she truly finds out and then quarrels with His Majesty, then His Majesty will feel no pity, and certainly no guilt."

He looked at the eunuch.

"You must keep a close watch. Do not let any irrelevant matters reach her ears."

"What she needs to do is be a good wife and a good Empress."

"As for everything else, we are here."

The eunuch bowed his head and replied respectfully, "Yes."