Chapter 114 Dreams and Reality Intertwined
On the first night after Yan Cang left, Chu Yunjin couldn't sleep.
Lying in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, Yan Cang's face kept appearing in her mind—that sharp, cold, and noble face, yet always filled with tenderness when he looked at her.
The images of Yan Cang as a boy, Yan Cang as an adult, and Yan Cang in his thirties flashed through Chu Yunjin's mind, leaving her feeling bewildered.
Didn't she transmigrate into a book?
How can we see Yan Cang from three different periods at the same time?
Moreover, the young Yan Cang and the adult Yan Cang are somewhat different people.
Chu Yunjin opened her eyes in the darkness and couldn't help but frown: "Adele."
A commotion broke out.
The lights in the palace were lit, and a woman came to the bedside: "Your Majesty."
Chu Yunjin was taken aback, looking at the unfamiliar face in front of her.
Your Majesty?
Who is the Empress?
"Your Majesty, did you have a nightmare?" The palace maid asked with concern. "His Majesty is busy with state affairs tonight and won't have time to come. Please don't wait up for him..."
Chu Yunjin's heart sank, and for a moment she couldn't tell if she was dreaming or if another bizarre time-travel event had occurred.
She guessed it must have been a dream.
She was sleeping soundly in her bedchamber. Although she was having some insomnia, it shouldn't be enough to cause another time-travel incident, and... and...
Suddenly remembering something, Chu Yunjin hurriedly got out of bed, not even having time to put on her shoes, and rushed to the dressing table. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she froze.
The woman in the mirror had long, black hair and a beautiful, ethereal face; she looked exactly like me, but a few years older.
She turned to look at the luxurious and elegant palace, its furnishings and layout so opulent, the red curtains embroidered with noble phoenix patterns.
Chu Yunjin withdrew her gaze, a vague understanding dawning on her, and asked in a low voice, "Am I...am I a Noble Consort?"
The palace maid knelt down with a thud, replying anxiously, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Although... although the Prime Minister and the Duke of Dingguo have been working together in court to pressure the Emperor to depose the Empress, but... but the Emperor has not yet agreed..."
Chu Yunjin sat down, feeling utterly exhausted.
She did indeed dream of the scene that the portrait was supposed to appear in.
But she... she's actually the Empress?
In other words, at this time she was still Yan Cang's legal wife, but Yan Cang's throne might be unstable, or... or...
Footsteps sounded outside the hall.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" A maidservant rushed into the hall, looking at Chu Yunjin with a worried expression. "Did you have a dream?"
Chu Yunjin looked at her, raised her hand to rub her head: "I suddenly have a headache, and then I can't remember anything... Granny, where is this?"
The old woman stared at her blankly, instinctively wanting to call the imperial physician, but Chu Yunjin quickly stopped her: "No! It's so late, don't disturb the imperial physician."
The old woman's face paled slightly, her eyes reddened instantly, and she hugged Chu Yunjin tightly with a look of pity: "My poor young lady."
Chu Yunjin felt guilty being hugged, but also somewhat relieved.
This old woman seemed genuinely emotional, and judging from her address, she must have been her former dowry maid. So, if you want to find out the current situation, it's best to ask her.
"Granny," Chu Yunjin said in a muffled voice, "I want to talk to you alone."
The old woman nodded gently and dismissed everyone else.
Chu Yunjin lowered her eyes: "Granny, I have a headache and I can't remember some things."
The old woman hurriedly asked, "What doesn't Miss remember?"
Chu Yunjin asked in a low voice, "I am the Empress, are there any other concubines in the palace?"
"Yes," the nanny nodded. "There are Consort Gui and Consort Xian."
She raised her eyes and asked somewhat nervously, "Did the Prime Minister force the Emperor to depose the Empress in court?"
The old woman's eyes reddened: "The Minister of Works was imprisoned for embezzlement, and the Prime Minister said that Her Majesty is no longer qualified to be Empress..."
I see.
Chu Yunjin understood; her father had been imprisoned.
No wonder the Prime Minister and the Duke of Dingguo's faction dared to press her so hard; after all, if Minister Chu was truly corrupt and lawless, she, the Empress, would inevitably be implicated.
Is it true that my father embezzled funds?
“Which official in the court doesn’t have some money of dubious origin if you want to investigate them?” The old woman sighed sadly. “If the Minister were to investigate the Prime Minister, he could still send the Prime Minister to prison. This is a struggle between two factions, so Your Highness shouldn’t think about it so much.”
Chu Yunjin hummed in agreement and turned back to bed.
Although I knew what the old woman said was true, my heart still ached as if it were being stabbed with needles.
Because conclusive evidence means there is no room for maneuver, it means that it was entirely the father's fault, which gave the prime minister and the Duke of Dingguo a reason to force the emperor to depose the empress.
At the same time, Chu Yunjin felt a little relieved.
At least in her past life, Yan Cang didn't intentionally hurt or betray her. No matter how much harm she suffered or how tragic the outcome, it wasn't Yan Cang's subjective fault.
Although she didn't know what would happen next, she knew foreseen that the ending would be death.
That's why Yan Cang felt so guilty and remorseful, and that's why he made preparations so early after his rebirth.
The old woman looked at Chu Yunjin with heartache.
Although she offered words of comfort, her expression clearly showed that she was also worried about her master's future.
Chu Yunjin was silent for a moment, then spoke bitterly, "Granny, if Prince Chen had ascended the throne back then, would we have avoided this situation?"
“Who can argue with that?” The old woman smiled bitterly. “The late emperor poured his heart and soul into raising Prince Chen, but Prince Chen said on his deathbed that he didn’t like women and that even if he ascended the throne, he wouldn’t fill the harem… How can a ruler of a country be without an heir? Our late emperor had no power base in the court, and the civil and military officials each had their own agendas. Now he is also powerless to control his own destiny…”
Chu Yunjin lowered her eyes and remained silent.
It seems that the plot of the past and present lives is not much different. Prince Chen is still homosexual and unwilling to inherit the country. The second prince, Yan Yang, has no interest in the throne, and the third prince is timid as a mouse. So Yan Cang temporarily ascends the throne.
So after experiencing the helplessness he had in his previous life, Yan Cang, who was reborn, began to plan early on.
She knew why Prime Minister Wen wielded such power in the court.
Because the Empress Dowager was there.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Empress Dowager will undoubtedly do everything in her power to protect her illegitimate son, Wen Yishu. As long as Wen Yishu remains healthy, Prime Minister Wen and the entire Wen family will continue to rise to prominence.
Therefore, the Wen family's current immense power is exactly what the Empress Dowager wanted.
For the sake of her former lover, she was willing to disregard the entire Yong Dynasty.
So, at this point in this life, is Princess Ning'an already dead?
Chu Yunjin leaned against the headboard, pondering how to break free from this predicament if she remained trapped in the dream.
She realized they couldn't break this deadlock at all.
Because they had reached this point, the only thing that mattered to everyone in the court was their own interests, and no amount of leverage could be used against them.
If she were to reveal that Wen Yishu was the Empress Dowager's illegitimate son, she would be the one killed to silence her, not the Empress Dowager.
At this point, the Empress Dowager must have no more scruples, right?
"Your Majesty, please don't be anxious."
Chu Yunjin raised her head and looked at the nanny with some sadness: "I'm not in a hurry, there's no use in being in a hurry."
The old woman's face paled slightly, and she pleaded with some reluctance, "Your Majesty, if the Emperor truly cannot withstand the pressure and agrees to depose you, you..."
"I won't blame him," Chu Yunjin said softly. "He loves me very much, doesn't he?"
The old woman nodded: "His Majesty loves you very much."
Lying on the bed, Chu Yunjin asked casually, "Granny, are the only other people in the harem besides me the Imperial Concubine and the Virtuous Concubine?"
"Yes," the old woman said, sitting on the edge of the bed with a soft sigh. "The Prime Minister and the Duke of Dingguo control the government in the court, while their daughters are vying for the Emperor's favor in the harem, trying to undermine the Empress..."
Chu Yunjin understood.
No wonder she felt an inexplicable dislike for Su Ruoli when she saw her that day, because the two had a long-standing feud.
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