Chapter 8
The Emperor summoned the Old Matriarch to the Imperial Study.
I was ordered to kneel outside the Imperial Study and await my summons.
Obediently, I knelt there, and overheard their conversation with perfect clarity.
The Old Matriarch pleaded for justice for the twenty-five generals of the Shao Clan who died in battle, insisting that if there had been no foul play, the Northern Di could never have breached Dongjian City in a single night.
The Emperor asked her to provide evidence.
She had none.
What she said was based solely on her trust and understanding of her own sons.
The Emperor did not argue with her, but spoke lightly, uttering words that sent chills down one’s spine.
He said, “With nothing but words, how did you dare to lead a crowd to force your way into the palace?”
The Old Matriarch was terrified. “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This humble woman had no intention of forcing the palace.”
The Emperor’s reaction was unclear, but suddenly, the voice of the Third Prince rang out from within the Imperial Study.
He said, “Old Matriarch, to be frank, before the expedition, Imperial Father also issued a secret decree, instructing me to investigate the truth behind the deaths of the twenty-five generals of the Shao Clan in secret.
“As things stand, the defeat at Dongjian City was truly due to the newly developed Siege Equipment of the Northern Di, whose destructive and lethal power was astonishing, catching our Great Sheng completely off guard.”
The Third Prince recounted in detail his battles with the Northern Di, describing how difficult the fights were even knowing the enemy possessed siege weapons, intending to make the Old Matriarch understand that the weapons used by the Northern Di this time were far beyond anything previously known.
The Emperor’s summons to the Old Matriarch was already a great honor for her.
The Old Matriarch sought the truth of the investigation, and the Third Prince gave her a reasonable, well-founded explanation.
To pursue the matter further, actual evidence would be required.
The Old Matriarch had no evidence, and was destined to return in defeat.
When the Old Matriarch left the Imperial Study, her back was bent, and she looked even older.
She walked to my side, saw that I was still kneeling, and, feeling sorry for me, gently stroked my head. She removed the Emerald Thumb Ring from her thumb, placed it in my hand, and said to me, “I have been foolish and have caused the Sixth Princess to suffer. Please accept this humble gift as a token of my gratitude.”
I accepted it with care, smiled at her, rose from the ground, and, under the Old Matriarch’s gaze, followed Yu Junhe into the Imperial Study.
I rarely saw my Imperial Father.
My only impressions of him: once, when Mother’s coffin was placed in Chengze Hall, he came late at night, did not pay respects, but stood before the coffin for the time it took two sticks of incense to burn, not shedding a single tear for Mother.
The other time was when Yu Junhe brought an imperial edict, saying the Emperor had ordered the Sixth Princess to go to the Northern Di in place of the Eleventh Princess.
Only these two occasions left a deep impression-nothing else.
Upon entering the Imperial Study, I knelt skillfully, bowing my head to the floor.
In my line of sight appeared two pairs of feet: one adorned with the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, belonging to my rarely-seen Imperial Father; the other, a pair of shoes I was long familiar with, belonging to the Third Prince.
The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon stood before me, and a voice drifted down from above.
“I did not expect that the one who dared kneel with the women and children of the Shao Clan would be you.”
So this is the Son of Heaven.
Just from his tone, it was hard to tell what feelings lay behind those words.
The imperial heart is inscrutable.
I knelt on the ground, obediently saying, “Your child knows her mistake.”
The Emperor seemed to stare at me for a while, lost in thought. When he spoke again, his tone was full of disgust.
“Since you like kneeling so much, go kneel by the Rear Small Gate,” he said.
From the moment I entered the Imperial Study to when I left, I didn’t even see the Emperor’s face-only his legs.
To say I am the daughter he favors least couldn’t be more fitting.
The Rear Small Gate is a place with its own implications.
The palace eunuchs and maids most often pass through here.
The path is narrow.
Once I knelt on the road, anyone passing by had to be extremely careful, or they might just step on me.
Even the maids who made mistakes were never punished by being made to kneel here.
I suppose this humiliation is mine alone.
If Consort Qi hadn’t sent Qingfu with a Cloak to drape over my shoulders, reminding many with ulterior motives that I was raised in Muchen Palace, I might have been trampled and bullied.
I knelt from noon until the sun set behind the western hills. Just as my stomach began to growl, a familiar pair of shoes appeared before me.
I lifted my head from beneath my hood.
Ever since we returned to Shangjing, the Third Prince seldom wore armor anymore.
He had changed back into his luxurious brocade robes, looking less severe and cold, and more aloof and noble.
Just like before.
Only now, he suddenly turned, squatted down, and revealed his broad back to me as I knelt.
He said, “Come on, I’ll carry you back.”
I’m rarely shocked.
In my short seventeen years, this must be the first time I was genuinely taken aback, so surprised that my mind couldn’t catch up for a long while.
“Third Imperial Brother, what… what does this mean?”
The Third Prince didn’t understand the source of my confusion. He answered matter-of-factly, “People in the palace are always fawning over the powerful and stepping on the weak. I’ll carry you back to Weihua Hall so they open their eyes and come to their senses.”
His words made sense.
He is the Prince of Zhenbei, adorned with military merit.
If he lowers himself to carry someone on his back, who else would dare bully that person?
He was standing up for me.
But why was he willing to do this?
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t figure it out. So, I simply took advantage of the situation and leaned onto his back.
Along the way, many eyes nearly twisted in their sockets, turning to sneak glances at us.
All their whispered gossip reached my ears.
I listened to a few lines absentmindedly, found them dull, and turned my attention back to the Third Prince.
“I haven’t congratulated you yet, Third Imperial Brother, on being bestowed the title of Prince of Zhenbei. I hear you’ll be moving to your new residence soon. Will I receive an invitation?”
It was just a tentative question, but to my surprise, the Third Prince replied, “Of course you’ll have one.”
I paused.
Because I was on his back, even the slightest change in my demeanor was instantly noticed by him.
He asked, “What’s wrong?”
As an unfavored princess, it has always been difficult for me to find a suitable reason to leave the palace.
Now, a ready-made opportunity presented itself before me.
My heart secretly began to race; my thoughts had already flown far away.
Suppressing my excitement, I thanked him, “Thank you, Third Imperial Brother.”
In the end, I couldn’t help but remind him anxiously, “Don’t forget-make sure to send me an invitation.”
Perhaps my insistence amused him, for a hint of a smile appeared on the Third Prince’s lips. He said, “Alright, I won’t forget.”