chapter 2

chapter 2

I did not know where the floating comments came from.

The only thing I knew for certain was that I alone could see them.

From what they said, I pieced together the truth.

I, Ming Zhangci, was the shield Pei Yangxi had placed in front of the woman he truly loved. The entire Ming clan behind me was nothing but a ladder for Wang Chaolu to climb.

To deceive me, Pei Yangxi had showered Noble Consort Chu with favor and created the illusion that the Chu clan stood supreme. Every so often, he compared us to sharpen our hostility.

The more viciously the Chu clan and I fought, the more natural our eventual deaths would seem. Once we had destroyed each other, Wang Chaolu could reap every reward without lifting a finger.

Then the baby boy’s true identity would be revealed. He would be declared my son, and the Ming clan would willingly serve its new master.

It was a masterful scheme. I almost wanted to applaud Pei Yangxi.

Had Heaven not allowed me to glimpse those comments, I would still have been trapped in his lie. Thank goodness the heavens had eyes and showed me the truth.

I ordered the wet nurse to care for the little princess and threatened severe punishment for the slightest neglect, playing the radiant new mother to perfection.

Throughout my confinement, Pei Yangxi visited every day. Whenever he appeared, comments floated through the air.

That was how I realized they followed his perspective. When he was away from me, the comments knew nothing of what I did.

That made matters much easier.

Over the next few days, Pei Yangxi noticed my low spirits.

Suiyue spoke out of turn and told him I missed my mother. I rebuked her, but Pei Yangxi stopped me and generously permitted Mother to visit the palace.

I forced myself upright. “Absolutely not. Mother visited only last month. Another visit so soon would violate palace rules.”

By palace law, the empress’s family could visit once a month for no more than six hours. The Ming clan was powerful and stood at the head of the military families. Countless eyes watched us. As empress, I had to obey the rules more strictly than anyone if I wished to leave my enemies no opening.

At least, that was what I had believed before.

Now I intended to hide my plot in plain sight.

As expected, Pei Yangxi suspected nothing. With a wave of his hand, he allowed Mother to enter the palace the following day.

When she arrived, we exchanged pleasantries before I dismissed every attendant. Only when we were alone did I tell her what I knew.

At first, she did not believe me. But as I laid out each piece of evidence, her expression grew grave.

“Who else knows?”

“No one but me.”

“Then what will you do, my child?”

“If the Ming clan is destined to be a chess piece, then it might as well become the step beneath my own feet.”

I took Mother’s hand and traced two words into her palm.

Her voice shook. “You mean…”

I nodded and motioned for silence.

Since the founding of the Liang Dynasty, the realm had once been governed by two sovereigns. After Emperor Shizong died, his junior sovereign deposed the crown prince and took the throne as a woman.

Only a century had passed since then, yet barely any women remained at court, and those few held inconsequential posts as archivists and scribes.

Pei Yangxi was mediocre, a ruler barely capable of preserving what his forebears had built. If he had truly respected and honored me, I would have fulfilled every duty expected of an empress.

But he deceived me and meant to pave Wang Chaolu’s road with the flesh and blood of the Ming clan.

That left me only one path.

Kill.