Chapter 125: Retribution from the Imperial Noble Consort

Li Yanhe glanced at Lin Miaomiao, sighed slowly, and said, "The Crown Prince was favored at that time and had not yet begun to participate in state affairs."

"During that period, news often leaked from the Eastern Palace that palace maids were being beaten to death. It was then that the Crown Prince beat a palace maid to death for the first time, and for this, the Emperor praised him."

Hearing this, Lin Miaomiao felt her sense of morality shattering. She asked Li Yanhe, "Why? He killed someone; why would the Emperor praise him?"

Li Yanhe lowered his eyes and replied, "Because those born into the royal family have no need for such emotions."

Lin Miaomiao and Li Yanhe returned to the Prince’s residence by carriage. Due to the uncertain political situation, Li Yanhe began to emulate the Crown Prince by refusing to see guests, claiming to be ill.

With Li Yanhe in seclusion, the Crown Prince's faction, wanting him to leave the capital for his own fiefdom as soon as possible, began to submit memorials to the Emperor. Just as Lin Miaomiao hoped Emperor Yongchang would allow Li Yanhe to leave for his fief, news arrived from the palace that Imperial Noble Consort Xianrou, Yuan Chuxia, had fallen ill.

Upon hearing this, Lin Miaomiao’s heart skipped a beat, and soon after, the request for Li Yanhe to leave the capital was rejected. Li Yanhe took Lin Miaomiao to an estate on the outskirts of the capital, officially departing from the city.

The news of their retirement to the outskirts quickly spread among the capital’s elite, while Li Yanhe continued to feign illness and avoid the morning court sessions.

One day, Emperor Yongchang visited the gravely ill Yuan Chuxia. As he entered, she placed a bowl of medicine before him. Looking up at him, she said in a hoarse voice, "The medicine you gave me is ineffective. My condition has long been terminal; I simply refuse to close my eyes yet."

The Emperor looked at the tonic he had the Imperial Medical Academy prepare for her—a concoction designed to weaken her body.

"Li Zuo, you have disappointed me time and again. I am completely disillusioned now. I suppose I shall never feel disappointed again in this lifetime, shall I?"

The Emperor watched the woman on the bed as she gave a bitter smile. "Since you were so wary of me, why did you not let me leave with Li Zheng back then?"

Tears streamed down Yuan Chuxia’s face, yet she stared at the man with a look of utter despair. The Emperor sat on a chair, watching in silence. After a long while, Yuan Chuxia wiped the tears from her face and said, "I am tired."

Closing her eyes, she sighed repeatedly, making the Emperor feel a strange ache in his heart.

"I am tired. So, this is my destiny. I blame myself for not knowing when to hold back, relying on my meager martial arts skills to save those I should not have saved. Falling in love with the person I should not have loved—it was all my fault. Now, I must finally pay the price for my mistakes. I cannot blame others; I can only blame myself for being brainless and not ruthless enough."

Hearing this, the Emperor looked up and said coldly, "Not ruthless enough? Can you truly say you never once thought of helping your son usurp the throne?"

Yuan Chuxia looked at him, a mocking smile on her lips. "Who would ever sabotage their own son like that?"

The Emperor’s expression darkened, stung by her words.

Yuan Chuxia looked at him again and said with a sarcastic smile, "You know that as time passes, you will inevitably die. But you refuse to admit defeat. The Crown Prince and the others want the power in your hands and the dragon throne beneath you. How could you ever let go? You are old, and the future belongs to the young, but you cannot let go. In the end, you will be all alone."

After speaking, she stood up slowly, her frail body swaying. She placed the imperial seal into the Emperor's hand. "I am tired. Once I am gone, my son will be able to retreat safely. How wonderful." She looked at him and said, "Your Majesty, please leave."

The Emperor flicked his sleeves and left. Watching his retreating figure, Yuan Chuxia burst into tears.

Later, in the Imperial Garden, Crown Prince Li Hanwen spotted her among the flowers. For some reason, he felt that she was different from the woman he had known before. Li Zheng looked at her and raised an eyebrow, asking, "Are you alright?"

Yuan Chuxia looked at Li Zheng earnestly and replied, "After all this, we return to this same ending. An old monk once told me I would not have a peaceful end. I thought he was lying, but now I realize it was not a lie. This was all destined; no one can change it. These results are what we deserve. I have no more hope."

She then turned to Li Zheng and said, "Please, deliver this letter to my brother."

Crown Prince Li Hanwen and Yuan Chuxia locked eyes. Seeing the indifference in her gaze, he bowed to her. She looked at him and said slowly, "Your mother has been dead for many years, and you have become the Crown Prince. Your maternal grandfather’s family can rest easy, though your mother was truly pitiful."

Her voice was icy. Li Hanwen’s hands clenched into fists. Li Zheng interjected from behind, "Enough, you..."

Yuan Chuxia gave a cold laugh. "I tell you, I can write a letter to help your Li family stabilize, or I can write one to incite a rebellion. Whether it is being ground to dust or having no place for burial, I do not care. This is my final warning: if my son cannot leave the capital alive, then let us see if you, Li Zheng, and Li Zuo, can hold onto this empire."

Li Hanwen was stunned, as Li Zuo was the Emperor's given name. As he watched her depart, he recalled a rumor that Yuan Chuxia held military power. She was originally the intended Empress, but her mother, desperate for the title, had conspired with her grandfather to sow discord, leading the late Emperor to designate her only as a consort. However, the military strength of the General's residence was so great that she had held command over the one hundred thousand troops at the border.

While the Crown Prince remained in shock, Li Zheng appeared before Emperor Yongchang.

Li Zheng offered a bitter smile; he had been the Emperor’s negotiator, but he and Yuan Chuxia had failed to reach an agreement. The Emperor closed his eyes and picked up the envelope she had left; it was blank. He knew her habits—a blank letter meant she was no longer willing to tolerate anything.

The matter of Yuan Chuxia was soon eclipsed by the exposure of corruption within the Crown Prince's faction. Li Hanwen knew that Li Yanhe had requested to leave for his fief, and that the Crown Prince had obstructed it. Because of this, Li Yanhe had stayed in the capital and feigned illness, moving to his estate. The Crown Prince, intending to thwart Li Yanhe, had not expected his own affairs to be exposed and placed directly before the Emperor.

As the saying goes, "Clear water has no fish." How could the princes avoid accepting bribes or the offerings of lower officials?

The Emperor looked coldly at Li Hanwen and said to the Fifth Prince, Li Anping, "Fifth son, investigate this thoroughly. I want to see exactly who these parasites are that shake the foundations of my country. As for the Fourth Prince, Li Deren, he is stripped of his title and confined to the Imperial Clan Court. No one is permitted to visit without my decree."

"Father, no..." the Crown Prince began, but the Emperor turned and left. Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, Li Hanwen vomited blood and fainted. This time, his claim of illness was real. His power base was uprooted, and the court fell into a state of panic.

The Fourth Prince, Li Deren, found his treatment significantly worsened. He realized that as the future heir, Li Yanhe was a major threat, and keeping him trapped in the capital had been a sound strategy—yet no one expected the Emperor to react this way. He sighed heavily as the soldiers outside his residence were replaced by the Imperial Guard, and even his servants were sent away. He knew his only hope for salvation lay with the Crown Prince.

The Seventh Prince’s faction began to lobby for Li Yankang, and calls to depose the Crown Prince grew louder. The Emperor read the memorials, looking coldly at Li Yankang without taking action. The court was left in confusion. Meanwhile, the Emperor began to fill the inner palace with new consorts.

With the arrival of these new women, the various factions in the court began to stir, each hoping that their own kin would win the Emperor's favor and rise to power.