Chapter 69
Chapter 69
Changshou Hall, Chancellor’s Mansion, Capital.
Old Madam Zheng had returned to the Chancellor’s Mansion only yesterday.
Early that morning, everyone in the household came to pay their respects.
Old Madam Zheng looked weary. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she dismissed them all, keeping only Chancellor Xie Chengyan behind to talk.
Not only that, but she also ordered every servant out of the room.
Xie Chengyan knew his mother had something important to say, so he remained seated beside her.
“Yan’er, if your sister’s child were still alive, wouldn’t she be three years old now?”
Xie Chengyan did not know why Old Madam Zheng had suddenly brought up the past, but he nodded all the same.
No one in the Chancellor’s Mansion dared mention this matter of their own accord.
His younger sister had been the child of their mother’s later years. Frail since birth, she had been pampered so thoroughly that she never even had to leave her bed to relieve herself.
Later, she died in childbirth. When the news reached the Chancellor’s Mansion, the old madam lost consciousness for three full days and nights.
Xie Chengyan then issued an order forbidding anyone from mentioning the Imperial Consort.
The subject became taboo throughout the Chancellor’s Mansion.
This was the first time in three years that Xie Chengyan had heard Old Madam Zheng speak of it.
Had something happened on her journey outside the pass that he did not know about?
“On my way back, I met a little girl who looked almost exactly like your sister.
“Do you truly believe two people in this world could look so alike?
“Her little face was practically carved from the same mold as your sister’s at that age. She was sweet and sensible, and even her expressions and mannerisms were nearly identical. I couldn’t help wondering if your sister had been reborn.
“I sent someone ahead to investigate. They discovered that the Xiao Family had taken the girl in, but the family lied to me and claimed she was the child of some distant relative. Do they know something?
“Are they hiding some kind of news?”
After learning this, Old Madam Zheng had spent half the night turning it over in her mind. The more she thought, the more alarmed she became.
Xie Chengyan’s brows drew together.
“Mother, perhaps it was only a coincidence. When my sister died in childbirth, the Emperor confirmed it personally. The child was buried with her. Surely the Emperor could not have made a mistake?”
It was precisely because the Emperor himself had announced the news that Old Madam Zheng had fainted.
That was why, when she saw Jin Bao, her first thought had not been that the child might still be alive. Instead, she believed her daughter had been reborn.
Old Madam Zheng heaved a long sigh. “Ah, forget it. I must be imagining things. Go attend to your work. I’m tired too.”
Xie Chengyan had just stepped out of Changshou Hall when he saw the steward hurrying toward him.
“Grand Chancellor, an urgent summons from the Emperor.”
Xie Chengyan’s eyelid twitched. He could not shake the feeling that something momentous was about to happen today.
He hurriedly changed into his official robes and took a carriage to the palace.
Inside the Imperial Study, the Emperor reclined against his dragon throne. His face was flushed an unnatural red, and beads of sweat covered his brow, as though he were struggling to endure something.
Only when the palace attendant announced the arrival of the Lord Chancellor did he sit upright.
“This subject greets Your Majesty.”
“Rise, Chancellor. I summoned you here today to tell you about something that happened many years ago.”
Xie Chengyan bowed with his head lowered, a strange tension already coiling in his chest.
Could there truly be such a coincidence in this world?
His mother had just mentioned his sister at home, and now the Emperor had summoned him to discuss an old matter.
“Back then, Jiaojiao did not die in childbirth. She was poisoned. She did indeed give birth to a daughter, whom I personally named Jin Bao.”
Jiaojiao was the Imperial Consort’s childhood name.
Xie Chengyan jerked his head up at the news. Realizing his breach of etiquette, he hurriedly lowered it again.
The revelation echoed over and over in his mind, bringing countless questions with it.
But every question vanished with the Emperor’s next words.
“While Jiaojiao was pregnant, Master Huiyuan prophesied that she carried the Star Maiden, whose destiny was extraordinarily noble. If this realm were placed in her hands, it would surely prosper for generations. Unfortunately, Prince Cheng learned of the prophecy.”
“He wanted to kill the mother and seize the child. I failed to protect Jiaojiao and allowed Prince Cheng to succeed. Throughout her ten months of pregnancy, she suffered ten times the pain of an ordinary woman. She had always been delicate and frail. Had she not fought desperately to deliver the child, she likely would not have survived as long as she did.”
“On the day of the birth, a mutiny broke out in the palace. I knew Prince Cheng had sent men to seize the child, so I had prepared in advance. The moment the princess was born, I arranged for another infant to take her place.”
“But something went wrong afterward. The nanny vanished without a trace. I searched for years and only recently received word that the princess was last seen near Sanjiacun.”
The sudden revelation left Xie Chengyan frozen in place.
Sanjiacun. If he remembered correctly, his mother had said the Marchioness found the child near Sanjiacun.
How could there be so many coincidences in this world?
When so many coincidences came together, they pointed to only one answer.
The little girl his mother had met was the princess!
But should he tell the Emperor?
Xie Chengyan could not make up his mind. Once the secret surrounding the princess was exposed, every faction would fight to claim her.
A fierce battle raged in his heart, but the Emperor only saw that he remained silent.
“Chancellor?”
“This subject is here.”
Xie Chengyan steadied himself.
“Chancellor, there is one more reason I summoned you to the palace today. I have a task to entrust to you.
“Prince Cheng poisoned me long before the struggle for succession began. My health worsens with each passing day.
“I’ve also received word that Prince Cheng will reach the Capital in a month or so. On the surface, he is coming to celebrate my birthday. But I know exactly what he truly intends.
“Keep this imperial edict safe, along with this Treasure Map. If anything happens to me, no matter who inherits the throne, you must find the princess for me and help her ascend the throne.”
Xie Chengyan felt as though he stood aboard a ship sailing through a storm-tossed sea, rising and plunging with the waves. Terror seized him, and his mind reeled.
Every word the Emperor had spoken today concerned an imperial secret. Were these matters truly something an ordinary court official like him was allowed to hear?
“Your Majesty, this subject fears he is incapable of bearing such a heavy responsibility. Besides, the Treasure Map is far too important…”
Xie Chengyan had the unsettling sense that the Emperor was entrusting an orphan to him.
Before he could finish, the Emperor chuckled. “Why do you think I possess this Treasure Map, yet the national treasury remains empty?”
Xie Chengyan did not understand. He shook his head.
“Only the Star Maiden can open it. I have tried before, but not one emperor in any dynasty has ever deciphered the Secret Key built into the Treasure Map.”
Realization dawned on Xie Chengyan. “In other words, it is a Treasure Map for the princess, but nothing more than a worthless scrap of paper to everyone else?”
The Emperor sighed helplessly.
Since that was the case, Xie Chengyan no longer had any reason to conceal what he knew.
“Your Majesty, my mother returned yesterday from visiting relatives outside the pass. On the road, she encountered Lord Xiao and his family traveling into exile. With them was a three-year-old girl who looked almost exactly like the Imperial Consort. I heard the Marchioness found her near Sanjiacun before the Marquis’s Mansion was confiscated…”
When Xie Chengyan finished, he lowered his head even farther.
“Hahaha! Good! This is wonderful! Every member of the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery is loyal and valiant. Now they have even helped me save the princess. It’s just a pity…”
Xie Chengyan seized the opportunity to kneel and plead for the Xiao Family. “Your Majesty, the evidence accusing the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery of treason and collusion with the enemy must have been fabricated. I beg Your Majesty to reinvestigate the case and clear the family’s name.”
It was a long time before the Emperor answered. “Do you truly believe I have lost my senses?
“If the Xiao Family had not left the Capital, every one of them would have died. I was protecting them. Fortunately, they are far from the Capital and far from the coming struggle for the throne…”
A trace of sorrow seemed to settle over every corner of the Imperial Study. At last, the Emperor revealed the words he had kept buried in his heart. He had exiled the Xiao Family not because of the so-called evidence, but to save them.
“Chancellor, announce your retirement and return home tomorrow. This is the Tiger Tally of my Dragon Tiger Guard. Keep it safe as well. Your ancestral home is outside the pass, and Prince Cheng cannot spare the attention to interfere there for now. You are Jiaojiao’s family. Prince Cheng will never let you live. This is all I can do for Jiaojiao. You may withdraw.”
The Emperor slowly entered the side chamber, his coughing growing increasingly violent.
Xie Chengyan stared at the imperial decree, Treasure Map, and Tiger Tally in his hands. Each was something other men would not dare possess even in their wildest dreams, yet all of them had now been placed in his care.
How could this be anything but the entrustment of an orphan?
The Emperor trusted him that much!
But when he thought about it, the decision made sense. Xie Chengyan would never side with Prince Cheng. These items were meant to be used against the prince, but Xie Chengyan alone was as helpless as an egg striking a rock. Otherwise, the Emperor would not have made these arrangements so early.
When Xie Chengyan emerged from the palace, it felt as though the entire sky had changed.
He hurried home and went straight to Old Madam Zheng’s Changshou Hall.
Mother and son stared at the items Xie Chengyan had brought back, lost in thought.
“The Emperor was right. The princess must be the Star Maiden. That morning, if she hadn’t warned us, we would all have been poisoned to death. It appears she can foresee the future.”
After learning the princess’s identity, Old Madam Zheng recalled the porridge that morning. At last, everything made sense.
Xie Chengyan released a long breath. “It seems we should prepare to return to Jinzhou. I’ll notify the steward right away, have him pack our belongings, and dispose of every property belonging to the Chancellor’s Mansion.”
“I’m sorry you must suffer through another long journey with me, Mother.”
Old Madam Zheng shook her head. “It’s nothing. These old bones aren’t much use anymore. If I can see my precious granddaughter one more time, I’ll die without regret.”
Thinking of Jin Bao’s face filled Old Madam Zheng’s heart with yearning. She wished she could set out that very instant and chase after her granddaughter.
But the granddaughter Old Madam Zheng missed so dearly was, at that very moment, facing a deadly crisis.