Chapter 23, Final Act: "Will you go to be the Crown Prince's consort?"...

On the day of Xinwei in the fourth month of the twenty-sixth year of Chongding (1651), Prince Rui reported Prince Su to the emperor, accusing him of plotting a rebellion. Shen Jia, Su Aoshuang, Mei Heming, and Liu Hongzhen were ordered to interrogate him along with officials from the Dali Temple, the Zhongshu Temple, and the Menxia Temple. The evidence of the rebellion was clear. On the day of Bingzi (1656), an edict was issued deposing Prince Su, Mingqiong, and reducing him to commoner status, imprisoning him in the Right Army Commandery. His husband and son were pardoned, and his numerous associates were all executed. After Mingqiong's deposition, the emperor ascended the Liangyi Hall. All the officials left, leaving only Shen Jia, Su Aoshuang, and Mei Heming. He said, "I have failed in raising my son; my heart is truly filled with despair!" He then threw himself onto the bed, and Shen Jia and the others rushed to support him. The emperor then drew his sword, intending to stab himself, but Heming seized the sword and gave it to Prince Rui, Mingjin. This is a story for later.

As dawn broke, two imperial edicts departed the palace simultaneously, then parted ways, each heading in its own direction. The Prime Minister personally carried the edict, dragon banners fluttering, yellow dust clearing the streets, imperial guards clearing the way, and all bystanders ordered to give way. The grand spectacle drew the attention of the common people, who all said that a great change was about to occur in the future, unsure whether it was good or bad, causing widespread anxiety.

"Oh my, such a grand display in the palace, what's going on?"

"I heard it was an imperial decree issued by His Majesty. Both the Prince Su's residence and the Prince Rui's residence received a copy. I wonder if it's a good or bad omen."

"Prince Rui's residence...Are we really not going to do anything about him? Will he die?"

Since the conversation had already reached this point, the jailer went along with it and gave a wink to the depths of the prison.

That day, Su Xiaotang heard that the crime of deceiving the emperor would implicate nine generations of one's family. Fearing that the emperor's wife would also be implicated, she pulled out her hairpin, gritted her teeth, and made a deep cut on her palm that revealed the bone. She then clenched her palm and let the blood drip onto the ground.

Although he was in excruciating pain, before he could even gasp for breath, he quickly tore a piece of cloth from the corner of his clothes, dipped his finger in the blood, and began to write and draw on it. He even tried to find some humor in his suffering, thinking that he was lucky he hadn't been lazy when he was learning to read and write as a child, otherwise he probably wouldn't have been able to squeeze out more than a few words today.

Perhaps it was a sudden inspiration, but his thoughts flowed smoothly and he completed the piece in one breath—however, he got stuck halfway through.

"Four clans of the mother, three clans of the father, two clans of the wife..."

The kind-hearted jailer's words echoed repeatedly in his mind.

Although the Su family didn't treat him well, they at least provided him with a safe haven, allowing him to grow up relatively safely. His mother also had the kindness of raising him...

So Su Xiaotang picked up the hairpin again, pursed her lips, turned her face away, and with trembling hands, hesitantly made another cut next to the nick.

The hairpin clattered to the ground. The silver was soft, and the phoenix head was slightly deformed from the fall. Su Xiaotang didn't care about that and quickly dipped her hairpin in blood to start writing.

...

Confined to the dark, he had long since lost track of how many days he had been there. Although he hadn't been deprived of food, Su Xiaotang was still drowsy and felt a burning heat on her forehead; she didn't know why she had developed a high fever.

The two wounds on his palms were slightly red, swollen, and hot, with some yellowish-white pus oozing from the edges. His skin and flesh throbbed with pain, keeping him awake at night.

Another jailer replied, "Forget it. So many days have passed, and no one has come to rescue him. He's probably not someone important. Who knows, maybe it's even an imperial edict ordering his execution. The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices instructed us to 'serve' this man well. Offending Prince Rui is a small matter, but offending Prince Su is a different story—"

"Oh? Offending me is considered a minor matter?"

A cold, deep voice drifted from afar, filled with unmistakable anger. Though not loud, it resounded throughout the entire cell.

The two jailers trembled in fear and instinctively knelt down with a thud, prostrating themselves on the ground.

"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Rui!"

April is the transition between spring and summer. Outside, the sun shines brightly, but the prison is damp and cold, with a biting chill, as if it were still in winter.

As soon as Yuan Mingjin entered, he frowned and said in a deep voice, "Why haven't you released the Prince Consort yet?"

Aside from the sunlight streaming through the entrance, the only light source inside the prison was the faint glow of candlelight. Yuan Mingjin stood with his hands behind his back, his shadow, like a small mountain, completely covering the two women. They were instantly drenched in sweat, their legs trembling, and they almost fled, but had to muster their courage to refuse, saying, "His Majesty personally ordered the imprisonment of criminals; how can we disobey the decree? We beg Your Highness not to make things difficult for us..."

"How dare you! This is His Highness the Crown Prince! The Crown Prince's wife is imprisoned inside! The imperial decree of pardon will arrive soon, how dare you disobey!"

Before Yuan Mingjin could speak, a confidant beside him, adept at reading people, shouted, "Drag them away and give each of them twenty lashes! Prince Su really raised a pack of good dogs; even when they're about to die, they still know how to bite!"

"——T-His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?!"

Upon hearing this, even the most foolish jailer would know who had won the battle for the throne. He kowtowed repeatedly, each kowtow louder than the last, until the stone bricks were stained red. "Your Highness, please calm down! Your Highness, please calm down!"

"Your Highness, please forgive me this time! I will never dare to do it again!"

The wailing and pleading gradually faded away. Su Xiaotang huddled in the corner, shivering, her body alternating between cold and heat. She thought she had arrived in the underworld, hence the incessant howls of evil spirits.

However, a crisp, refreshing scent of bamboo leaves wafted to my nose, both familiar and strange, as if from another world.

The slightly rough touch lingered on her face, and Su Xiaotang trembled. She was afraid it was the person she had been longing for, but also afraid it wasn't. She quickly opened her eyes and saw Yuan Mingjin's gentle, watery eyes. His clear black and white pupils moved up and down for a moment, checking her whole body, before he said softly, "Now that you're awake, let's go home."

She reached out, intending to pick up Su Xiaotang horizontally, but her sleeve was grabbed, stopping her movement. Yuan Mingjin was puzzled when she suddenly felt Su Xiaotang struggle twice, the force so light it was like a tickle. Finally, she found a comfortable position in her arms and leaned against it without moving. After a while, she softly said, "I can't go back."

"Why?" Yuan Mingjin asked patiently.

It was really too cold in the prison. When Su Xiaotang leaned into her arms, it was like a piece of ice falling into a furnace. The furnace was fine, but the ice was about to melt away.

"I...don't want to...become the wife's...stain..."

Strangely enough, the pleasant scent of bamboo made Su Xiaotang, who had been sleepless all night, feel a little drowsy. He did as he pleased, closing his dry, burning eyes, and his breathing slowly became light and long.

Yuan Mingjin made a hook with her fingers, held it in mid-air, stared at his sleeping face for a while, and finally put it down—she had originally wanted to give him a sharp rap on the head.

I really don't know what's going on in that little head of mine every day.

She carried him through the corridor with extremely light movements. As soon as they stepped out, a group of people rushed over. The leader was none other than the head palace maid who had come to release him with the emperor's edict, and the Dali Temple official in charge of the imperial prison.

Upon seeing that it was Yuan Mingjin, the head palace maid bowed and said with a smile, "Congratulations to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Yuan Mingjin nodded indifferently, picked up the person, and strode out, not even glancing at the Dali Temple official who was waiting eagerly to exchange a few words with her.

The confidant quickly explained, "His Highness is in a bad mood because he saw that the Crown Prince's wife was injured so badly. Please forgive him, Aunt."

“What’s so strange about it? Please don’t be so formal, young lady. For the Crown Prince’s husband, a mere man, to perform such a heroic act is truly admirable,” the head palace maid replied.

"Indeed, the Crown Prince's wife is so loyal and righteous, she should be a role model for all men..."

The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a fence-sitter, finally managed to interject, but before he could finish a sentence, he was glared at and immediately shut up, not daring to utter another word.

...

Although he has been named Crown Prince, the investiture ceremony can only be held after the Imperial Astronomical Bureau selects an auspicious day and the Ministry of Rites has made all the necessary preparations.

Therefore, Yuan Mingjin took Su Xiaotang back to Prince Rui's mansion as usual and ordered the imperial physician to take good care of her.

However, upon returning to the manor, she was caught red-handed by Granny Zhang, who sternly ordered her to see the imperial physician first.

“Your Highness is now the Heavenly Star and the foundation of the nation, you should take better care of your health. How could you not even notice the wound on your forehead?” Zhang Mama scolded. “Your Highness is careless, but it’s not like the servants are careless either. It seems it’s time to add more manpower.”

Yuan Mingjin touched her forehead in frustration, and sure enough, she felt a dull pain—the paperweight had been blocked by Yuan Mingqiong's forehead before falling to the ground when it slipped from her hand.

She said, "It's nothing, just a scratch on my oily skin. It won't hurt if I don't touch it. I—"

She was defeated by Zhang Mama's sharp, lightning-like gaze.

After the bandaging was completed, Yuan Mingjin instructed Zhang Mama to thoroughly clean the entire Prince's residence, ensuring quality over quantity, since these people would eventually be brought into the Eastern Palace.

Zhang Mama agreed, then pondered for a moment before asking, "The matter of Prince Su's rebellion was resolved more easily than I imagined. Her troops are still nowhere to be found; how could His Majesty condemn her for this?"

"Let's leave this problem to Mother Empress and Prime Minister Shen to worry about." Feeling carefree, Yuan Mingjin leaned lazily against the chaise longue. "With her father as a precedent, Mother Empress has learned her lesson. It's hard for her not to be suspicious. Besides, Yuan Mingqiong is really stupid. If I were her, how could I not have thought that planting spies in the backyards of these noble families is a trick her father has been using for a long time?"

A thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant's bite. Yuan Mingqiong's father climbed into the Empress's bedchamber in this very way, so he naturally understood how important these seemingly insignificant figures in the inner palace were. However, while Yuan Mingqiong inherited her father's methods, she didn't inherit his cunning.

Furthermore, eyeliner isn't exactly unusual—who doesn't have a few other people's eyeliners? It's just a matter of turning a blind eye and keeping to oneself.

Yuan Mingqiong could indeed plant spies in other people's homes, but given that the Empress Dowager already had suspicions, once these spies were caught, the charge of her plotting rebellion would be irrefutable.

Speaking of father...

Her father's birthday is in two days.

Yuan Mingjin couldn't help but recall the plum tree he had seen when he entered the palace a few days ago, which was planted behind the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

When her father died, she was still very young and had no memory of anything. She only knew that it was planted by her mother and father together. It was originally planted in her father's palace and was later moved to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

That way, the Queen Mother could see the tree whenever she opened the window.

She also heard that her father's remains were not buried in the Junshi Garden Cemetery—it was just an empty coffin.

He lay quietly under the plum tree, gazing at his mother day and night.

At first, Yuan Mingjin scoffed at it, but seeing that it could still bloom in April, he became more convinced.

In the palace, one only hears the laughter of new concubines and never the cries of old ones... To be able to occupy a corner in the Empress's heart is already quite good.

...

Although the ceremony of bestowing the title of Crown Prince was coordinated by the Prime Minister and handled by the Ministry of Rites, and the Crown Prince himself only needed to stay at home to study and cultivate his character, trying not to participate in the ceremony, the Emperor wanted to hone her skills further, so he entrusted her with the task of eliminating the remnants of Prince Su's faction. Therefore, Yuan Mingjin was still extremely busy, leaving early and returning late, working from dawn till dusk. Often, she would only return after Su Xiaotang had fallen asleep, and before he had even gotten up, she would have already gone out again... He really suspected that she hadn't even warmed the bed yet.

His wife suddenly became the crown prince. With one person's rise to power, even their chickens and dogs benefited. The clever servants in the palace started calling Su Xiaotang "Crown Prince's Husband." It would be a lie to say he wasn't happy, but he hadn't seen the esteemed Crown Prince in person for half a month, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.

That day, he unusually got up at the beginning of the morning, and when he touched his side, it was already cold... His fingers involuntarily curled up.

He listlessly washed up and ate breakfast. When Zhang Mama saw that he had gotten up so early, she made no attempt to hide her surprise. But seeing his gloomy appearance, she couldn't help but smile.

"Does the Crown Prince wish to return to the Su residence for a visit? His Highness said that although Eunuch Li was negligent in his duties and should have been sent back to his hometown, he had served Lord Su and Young Master Feng, and had also taken care of you. Lord Su, out of consideration for past relationships, allowed him to guard the ancestral hall."

Upon hearing that she could visit Eunuch Li, Su Xiaotang was naturally overjoyed, but she also instinctively resisted the Su family. Just as she was hesitating, she heard Zhang Mama say, "After the investiture ceremony, His Highness and you will move directly into the East Palace. It may be difficult to leave the palace after that..."

"Wow!" Su Xiaotang jumped up.

The Prince Rui's residence and the Minister's residence were not far apart. About half an hour later, Su Xiaotang appeared at the entrance of the Su residence.

Things are different now. Even Su Aoshuang has to bow to him now, so how could anyone in the Su family dare to stop him? Even Su Xiaotang, who didn't know where the ancestral hall was, didn't make fun of him. Instead, she respectfully led him to the southeast corner, contrary to her previous behavior.

Sure enough, Eunuch Li, whom he hadn't seen for many days, was on duty there. He looked a little thinner, but his spirits were high. He was overjoyed to see Su Xiaotang and hurriedly pulled her close, looking her up and down and asking her how she had been.

"It's all my fault for not keeping a close eye on you, which allowed Madam and the eldest young master's conspiracy to succeed." As he spoke, two streams of tears flowed down his face. Hearing Su Xiaotang say that it wasn't his fault, he felt even more ashamed. "You can know a person's face but not their heart. That Xiao Lü looked like a well-behaved and good child. Who would have thought that he would harbor such evil intentions?"

Su Xiaotang felt ashamed—he truly didn't blame Eunuch Li. After marrying into the Prince Rui's mansion, he ate and drank well every day. Not only was his wife doting on him, but no one made things difficult for him. His life was far better than it had been in the Su family. Now that his wife had become the Crown Prince, he had also been promoted to Crown Prince's husband, and in the future, he would become the Phoenix Prince.

Every cloud has a silver lining. If not for this calamity, he had no idea how a son of a concubine, unloved by his mother and father, could have married the mistress and become her legal husband…

Just thinking about it makes it seem like an impossible task.

He didn't know how to explain it and was racking his brains when Eunuch Li saw that he was silent for a long time and thought that he was sad. He rolled his eyes and said, "Please come with me."

The wing room in the northwest corner had always been used as a storeroom, and was secluded and deserted. Having learned from the previous experience, Su Xiaotang initially wanted to refuse, but when she turned around, she saw a group of imperial attendants and guards following behind her, and figuring that nothing would go wrong, she followed Eunuch Li.

"Although Feng Langjun passed away early, the family head did not actually lose his things; they are all well preserved."

Eunuch Li pushed open the door to a side room, and Su Xiaotang instinctively raised her sleeve to cover her face to prevent flying ash from getting into her mouth, nose, and eyes.

However, after waiting for a while, they did not smell any dust.

Looking at the lock on the door, it was brand new, gleaming with a silvery sheen, not rusty as one might have imagined.

"It should be fairly clean; the head of the family has ordered people to come and clean every ten days... She still has feelings for Feng Langjun."

Unaware of the truth of what happened back then, Eunuch Li only felt that Su Aoshuang was also a pitiful person who was deeply in love, and couldn't help but sigh.

After saying that, he left, leaving Su Xiaotang alone in the room. Facing the room full of unfamiliar yet familiar things, she inexplicably felt a sense of trepidation, as if she were returning home.

I was both happy and sad.

"What are you looking at?"

Su Xiaotang was wandering around aimlessly, surrounded by a dazzling array of items, unsure of where to begin, when she suddenly heard a voice behind her, which startled her greatly.

Turning around, who was standing there smiling and laughing? It was none other than the wife I hadn't seen for many days.

"Master Wife!"

Su Xiaotang rushed over and hugged her tightly, burying her face in her neck and shoulders, greedily inhaling the pleasant bamboo scent emanating from her, unwilling to let go for even a moment.

He murmured, "Am I dreaming?"

Before she could finish speaking, a sudden pain shot through her head. Su Xiaotang winced in pain, but the hand that was around her waist still wouldn't let go. She used her other hand to cover the spot where she had been hit, her eyes brimming with tears. "My wife is bullying me again."

"So you know you weren't dreaming." Yuan Mingjin finally got the flick on the forehead she hadn't been able to get that day, and was in a great mood. "I got off work early today, but when I got back to the manor I couldn't find you. The nanny said you came to the Su manor, so I came with you."

Her gaze swept over Su Xiaotang's shoulder and around the room. "Kites, cloth tigers, Luban locks, butterfly hairpins... Aren't you going to introduce them?"

Su Xiaotang then let go of her and picked up the cloth tiger. "My lady, look! My dad sewed this for me when I was little! Isn't it cute?"

Yuan Mingjin looked closely and saw that it had one big eye and one small eye, as if it was making a face at her. She said, "So this isn't a tiger...it's a dog?"

"Why does my wife say the same thing as my mother?" Su Xiaotang gave her a reproachful look, then shoved it into Yuan Mingjin's arms. "It is a cloth tiger, that's true, but my father is clumsy. When my mother saw it, she burst out laughing and said it was 'trying to draw a tiger but ending up with a dog'..."

"And this one?" Yuan Mingjin picked up the hairpin. The head of the hairpin was a butterfly about to take flight, carved with lifelike detail. It was entirely emerald green, with a smooth and lustrous jade texture, and no black spots. It must be a top-quality hairpin.

“My mother said I’ve always loved beauty since I was little. The moment I saw this hairpin, I was captivated, clutching it tightly and refusing to let go.” Su Xiaotang took the hairpin, stroking its perfectly rounded tip, her eyes filled with nostalgia. “Back then, my mother wasn’t the Minister of Revenue yet, just a minor official. This hairpin cost her half a month’s salary. Luckily, she had saved some money, otherwise…”

He lowered his head, a smile playing on his lips. Seeing that the hairpin's style wasn't outdated, he inserted it into Yuan Mingjin's thick, glossy black hair.

"So beautiful." He couldn't resist looking at her for a while, so he leaned over and gently kissed Yuan Mingjin's lips. "My wife looks good in any hairpin."

"Really?" Yuan Mingjin reached out and adjusted her hair bun, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

From the few words he spoke, she vaguely gleaned that he had once been a child loved by both his mother and father.

If the Tianyuan and Jiuyao kingdoms never had these long-standing grudges... then what does this have to do with innocent civilians?

If people have no home to return to, how can they be considered ordinary citizens?

Yuan Mingjin felt a pang of sadness, but quickly tried to hide it by waving his hand and saying, "Take everything back here. You can look at it whenever you want in the future. There's no need to go back to the Su residence."

"real?!"

Su Xiaotang's eyes lit up instantly, becoming dark and glistening like freshly washed grapes. He leaned in and gave her a loud kiss on the corner of her lips, "My wife is so wonderful!"

At his command, the Crown Prince's Imperial Guard directed everyone to move all the items in the house onto the carriage.

Yuan Mingjin and Su Xiaotang left first. The wheels rumbled, and Su Xiaotang, sensing something, lifted the hood and peered outside.

The streets were bustling with carriages and horses, shop signs fluttering in the wind. An old woman selling sesame cakes lifted the lid of her steamer, releasing waves of crisp, fragrant sesame seeds that even the wisteria vines along the roadside seemed to concede defeat, occasionally letting a blossom fall. In the distance, a corner of the towering imperial city reflected a golden gleam, and on its eaves, a phoenix-riding immortal led a row of roof beasts, seemingly about to gallop towards the azure sky. Above, the sky was clear and the sun shone brightly.

This time, no one watched him leave with resentment, but the street scenes on both sides were different.

This doesn't seem to be the way back to Prince Rui's residence.

"My lady, aren't we going back to the manor?" Su Xiaotang asked.

"We'll have to move things back to the East Palace anyway, so we might as well take these items with us now."

Yuan Mingjin put down his book, reached out and hooked his chin, teasingly asking, "Want me to take you to be the Crown Prince's consort? Are you in?"

"go!"

Su Xiaotang suddenly threw herself into her arms.

—End of text—

-----------------------

Author's Note: The first paragraph references the Tang Dynasty section of the *Zizhi Tongjian*. The original text is:

In the fourth month of the seventeenth year of Zhenguan (645 AD), on the first day of the month (庚辰), Chengji (the emperor) reported that the crown prince was plotting a rebellion. An imperial edict ordered Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Xiao Yu, and Li Shiji, along with the Dali, Zhongshu, and Menxia (the highest court authorities), to conduct an investigation. The evidence of the rebellion was found to be conclusive.

On the day of Yiyou, an imperial edict was issued deposing Crown Prince Chengqian and reducing him to commoner status, imprisoning him in the Right Army Commandery. The Emperor wished to spare the life of Prince Yuanchang of Han, but the court officials strongly opposed this, so he granted him the privilege of committing suicide at home, sparing his mother, wife, and children. Hou Junji, Li Anyan, Zhao Jie, Du He, and others were all executed.

After Chengqian was deposed, the emperor went to the Liangyi Hall. All the officials left, leaving only Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Li Shiji, and Chu Suiliang. He said to them, "My three sons and one brother have done such things. I am truly bored and disheartened!" He then threw himself onto the bed, and Wuji and the others rushed forward to help him up. The emperor then drew his sword and tried to stab himself, but Suiliang took the sword and gave it to Prince Zhi of Jin.

The three stars in the sky, according to ancient people, represented the emperor, the crown prince, and the sons of concubines. The "preceding star" refers to the crown prince.

Crown Prince's Thousand-Ox Guards: An official title, established by the Sui Dynasty for the left and right inner guards of the Crown Prince, with eight officials in each position, holding the rank of seventh grade.

"Life is without a home, how can we serve the common people?" This is from Du Fu's poem "No Home, No Separation".

Finally finished writing! I wrote until after 1 a.m. last night; inspiration really strikes at this hour! I'm going to treat myself to two milk teas and some barbecue! Haha!

I'm incredibly grateful to all my readers for their continued support! Especially Shi Yue Ta Guang, your name is so beautiful! I've seen you give me "nutrient solution" in every chapter (tears of emotion)... And thank you to Spicy Little Branch, Symbol Expression, Flower Shop No. 4, Touch Touch, Lanlanzi Loves Milk Tea, 48468980, Yu Sheng, Meatball, and all the other readers who actively commented. Without your support, I would be so lazy! Whenever I lack motivation, just thinking about you all still eagerly awaiting my input immediately energizes me, and I sit down at my computer, open my writing software, and start typing! Love is truly a great power! Thank you for accompanying me, Xiao Jin (Prince SAMA, we love you!), and Xiao Tang on this journey! I can't repay you enough, so I'll write more side stories so you can see they're just as happy in other worlds [red heart][orange heart][yellow heart][green heart][cyan heart][blue heart][purple heart][pink heart]

Just a heads-up, I'm planning to write a side story about a powerful noblewoman and an unfavored prince. I admit I just want to write about a blond guy seducing a naive and innocent young man, hehe (I couldn't help but let out a villainous laugh as I wrote this).