Chapter 70: Ruined by Me

The Empress Dowager had not expected that Feng Jinye would speak so openly about Weishao Qianyu’s dual identity, as if it were a matter of course. With grave concern, the Empress Dowager said, “Warring Prince, it is time you returned to court.”

“My injuries have yet to heal,” Feng Jinye replied, his expression unchanging.

The ministers were all left dumbfounded at how the prince could speak such words without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

“Jinye!” the Empress Dowager’s voice grew angry. “Must I summon the imperial physician to tend to you immediately?!”

Feng Jinye showed no regard for her anger, answering indifferently, “That would be fine.”

“You—!” The Empress Dowager was beside herself with rage at his lack of courtesy.

She realized then that she no longer held sway over Feng Jinye, and all of it was because of Weishao Qianyu!

Without his memories, Feng Jinye had once weighed every word the Empress Dowager spoke with utmost care. At first, even a single decree—“You and Weishao Qianyu are impossible”—could restrain him.

Now, Feng Jinye was visibly irritated; Weishao Qianyu was waiting for him to join her for lunch, and if he delayed any longer, she would be left hungry.

“I have lost my memory and cannot attend court,” he said coldly. With that, he offered a half-bow and turned to leave.

The court fell into a heavy silence, only his retreating footsteps echoing through the great hall.

Only when the prince had gone did the censor who had been debating with him regain his voice. “Your Majesty, the Warring Prince claims that his princess consort holds two identities. This cannot be tolerated by law!”

Many officials echoed his sentiment.

The Empress Dowager gazed after the prince’s departing figure, recalling the proud youth he had been at nineteen when he was first granted his title. It seemed the Warring Prince had never changed, and yet, everything had changed.

She looked at the ministers kneeling below. When Feng Jinye was present, none dared to speak; the moment he left, they clamored, unwilling to confront him but eager to pit the prince against her.

The Empress Dowager’s lips curled into a cold smile. The boy she had raised had finally been forced to stand against her—he had made his move.

Outside the Weishao General’s Manor, the crowds had long since dispersed, but the city’s gossip was far from over.

“Who do you think is Weishao Qianyu’s husband?”

“Wasn’t it said that he died in the great fire at Water Moon Pavilion? Turns out Luo Yanqing is nothing but a liar—not a good man at all.”

“When did Weishao Qianyu marry? The Warring Prince’s wedding was not even four months ago. Did he marry the cousin of his original bride out of heartbreak?”

Inside the Zhi Yu Pavilion, Xuechun had just returned from the general’s manor and was helping Qingxia dress Weishao Qianyu in new clothes.

“Is this really necessary?” Weishao Qianyu murmured to her reflection.

She could not help but marvel—Jiu Linglong’s handiwork was worth every tael; five hundred silver for a single set, and in just two days, the garment was ready. It felt odd to wear, but strikingly beautiful.

Half an hour later, a graceful figure appeared outside the Warring Prince’s residence. The bustling crowd paused, all eyes drawn to the woman, each wondering about her identity.

Weishao Qianyu waited outside for a quarter of an hour before the sound of hooves approached from behind. She turned, and a collective gasp swept through the onlookers. The woman was stunningly beautiful; the disfigured princess consort would surely lose in comparison.

Feng Jinye had just dismounted and found himself momentarily dazed by the sight of Weishao Qianyu.

Seeing him stand motionless, she pouted, walked up, took his hand, and said, “Why are you in a daze? Aren’t you coming home?”

Once again, the city of Yue erupted in astonishment.

Today, Weishao Qianyu wore a pale blue she had never donned before. Though her hair was pinned in a familiar style, her face was uncovered.

No one in the crowd could connect her with the princess consort, who always wore a veil and favored moon white and water blue hues.

Hand in hand, Weishao Qianyu led Feng Jinye into the Warring Prince’s manor, as word of their entrance spread throughout Yue.

“Has the Warring Prince found a new love?”

“Didn’t he vow to take only one wife, neither concubine nor secondary consort?”

“That promise was made to the general’s young daughter, wasn’t it? Perhaps the prince was spurred on by her marriage to another…”

The city’s chatter only began to shift when the officials who had attended court returned home that day.

“Weishao Qianyu’s husband is the Warring Prince himself…”

“And to think she holds two identities—this is a capital offense…”

Within Changci Palace, the Empress Dowager appeared utterly desolate—a shadow of her usual self. After composing herself and regaining the regal bearing of the imperial matron, she made her weary way to the Emperor’s palace.

The Emperor had been comatose for ten days. Sitting by her son’s side, the Empress Dowager dropped all pretense, grasped his hand, and murmured as she always did, “My son, I cannot bear the weight of this nation alone…”

She knew clearly in her heart—they were all that remained of the royal family: an orphan and a widow, one old, one ill. The throne would inevitably pass to another.

Even the late emperor had understood this. Feng Jinye was the pillar the late emperor had left for them. For years, all burdens—assassinations by Western Yan, the Emperor’s poisoning, threats from foreign enemies—had been shouldered by Feng Jinye alone.

Even in the court, when she wished to adopt Yun Ming as a foster son, only Feng Jinye’s presence could quell the opposition of the ministers.

But because of Weishao Qianyu, everything had changed. After Feng Jinye’s words in court today, the Empress Dowager found she had no ground left to yield.

The imperial family’s decision to bestow marriage upon both Weishao Qianyu and the Lu family’s daughter was baffling.

If the Empress Dowager claimed ignorance of Weishao Qianyu’s identity and had thus granted two marriages, it would be an act of treason by the Lu family. With the influence of the Duke of Lu’s household, not even the Empress Dowager could prevail.

But if she claimed knowledge of Weishao Qianyu’s dual identity, then how could she justify disregarding the nation’s laws to allow her to marry the Warring Prince? The law stood above authority in Liyue; no power could undermine the statutes, or the country would fall into chaos.

The Empress Dowager could not fathom how Weishao Qianyu wielded such influence.

Once, a mere letter had been enough for Feng Jinye to abandon fifty thousand troops at the border and race back to Yue.

Now, with his memory lost and Weishao Qianyu’s face marred—she who had even once tried to assassinate him—Feng Jinye still protected her.

A year ago, when Weishao Qianyu finally disappeared from Feng Jinye’s side, the Empress Dowager had never imagined that her own decree, issued to bring him back, would return Weishao Qianyu to him. She had been outmaneuvered by the Duke of Lu’s household.

She released the Emperor’s hand and walked slowly to her desk, where she drafted an imperial edict and pressed the jade seal onto it with a resounding thud.

At Zhi Yu Pavilion in the Warring Prince’s residence, it was time for lunch.

Feng Jinye placed a cabbage dumpling in Weishao Qianyu’s bowl, but she had already lost her appetite and set down her chopsticks. “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you…”

“Yes?” Feng Jinye responded.

“Shall we move to Zhi Yu Courtyard?” she asked softly.

Spring had arrived, and the crabapples in Zhi Yu Courtyard would soon bloom.

She was curious about Zhi Yu Courtyard, having never set foot there—she had only ever heard Feng Jinye mention the crabapple trees.

At her suggestion, Feng Jinye paused. “Very well. In a little while,” he replied.

It was a perfunctory answer, and Weishao Qianyu frowned, lowering her gaze to the cabbage dumpling in her bowl. She picked it up and stuffed it into Feng Jinye’s mouth.

He had no choice but to swallow it, but noticed her silence.

He pulled her into his lap. “Are you unhappy?”

She shook her head and asked quietly, “Have you visited the Emperor?”

Feng Jinye nodded; he had been twice.

“Do you wish to save him?” she asked.

He fell silent. Of course, if he could, he wished to save him.

When Feng Jinye and Huangfu Chen had escorted the un-crowned Emperor back from the border, the Emperor had already been poisoned. Feng Jinye had made it his mission to find the antidote, and on his deathbed, the late emperor had entrusted the imperial edict for his investiture to the Emperor, charging Feng Jinye to do all he could to find the cure.

Which sovereign, on his deathbed, would grant such power to a subject, with no concern for the fate of the realm?

Feng Jinye did not know the late emperor’s true intentions, but the guilt of failing that trust weighed on him.

“You found the antidote,” Weishao Qianyu said suddenly.

“I destroyed it.”

Her first statement had barely registered before her next words echoed in his ears.

Feng Jinye sensed that Weishao Qianyu never wished to speak of the past, especially the events at the border and matters concerning the Western Yan state.

She had never explained the assassination attempt. Though he could not understand, he never pressed her.

Seeing Feng Jinye’s stunned silence, she continued, “You truly found the antidote and brought it back to Yue, and it was truly destroyed by my hand.”

“There are many things I have not told you, because it would do no good. But I do not wish to see you burdened with guilt—you have nothing to reproach yourself for.” Her voice was gentle.

Feng Jinye understood; it changed nothing, yet his heart remained heavy. In the end, he had not managed to save the Emperor.

Then, he asked suddenly, “Did you think, a few days ago, that I would exchange you for the antidote?”

She shook her head silently, not at all like her usual self.

She had feared he might risk her life, uncertain what choices he would make now that he had lost his memory.

She dreaded hearing such words from his lips.

“I never intended to send you back to the general’s manor,” Feng Jinye said quietly. “If Meiji had not taken you that day, my secret guards would have brought you to Qin Feng Garden.”

She looked at him, eyes wide with understanding. He had arranged everything in advance; the duel at Twilight Pavilion had been to protect her from the assassins, knowing he might not be able to shield her otherwise.

She gazed at him, and as she did, her tension melted away. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Feng Jinye was overjoyed—his princess consort was so very brave.

Since their match outside Qin Feng Garden, he had longed to kiss her. After seeing her drunk, that desire had only grown more intense, nearly to madness.

Yet he could not quite grasp why a few words of explanation from him could make her so happy.

She leaned against his shoulder. “Jinye.”

“As long as you live, I will no longer make decisions for you. I will never force you to choose again.”

“And as long as I live, I will stay obediently by your side.”

A faint smile played on Feng Jinye’s lips as he idly stroked her hair. “Alright.”

From her words, he understood that something painful and unsettling must have happened between them.

He was ever more curious about their past, but since she would not speak, he no longer pressed.

Even when Huangfu Chen mentioned the antidote, he had not brought it up with Weishao Qianyu again.