Fu Ye only smiled more sweetly at that. He wasn’t the least bit offended.
Now a prince, not just a royal son, his attire had changed—his collar embroidered with gold suns, moons, and stars. His red robe shimmered like a sunset. He seemed more noble, more dazzling than ever. The naive youth from before had almost completely faded.
But none of that compared to his smile.
It wasn’t that his smile was extraordinarily beautiful—it was the feeling behind it. It made Fu Huang think of a phrase: “arrogant in the favor of the monarch.”
Someone actually dared to be arrogant, knowing he was favored by the Emperor. Even Fu Huang couldn’t quite believe it. He didn’t know what to make of the feeling—it just left him dazed.
Perhaps the Emperor’s affection truly was unparalleled. Not only did the one receiving the favor feel delighted, but if this was what it felt like to give it… then maybe now he understood why emperors throughout history had always had beloved consorts and favored courtiers.
Because he suddenly wanted to spoil Fu Ye even more—to make him into the spoiled, reckless prince of a willful and indulgent king.
Eunuch Qin sneaked a glance at Fu Huang. Seeing the Emperor’s gaze fixed on Fu Ye without the slightest flicker of surprise or infatuation, he thought:
So His Majesty really does have the eyes of a sovereign—utterly unlike the common man.
He’d always suspected the reason no beauty had yet won the Emperor’s favor… might just be because the man couldn’t even tell who was beautiful.
Before long, Consort Ning arrived beside them.
Consort Ning technically outranked the Emperor by generation. A wise and virtuous sovereign was expected to greet a Dowager Consort with due respect, as a display of filial piety.
But Fu Huang simply rode past her on horseback, acting as though she weren’t even there.
Consort Ning showed no reaction. She merely instructed calmly, “Inform Consort Li that His Majesty has arrived. Have her send someone to attend to him at Zhengyang Palace.”
Chief Eunuch Qin bowed and said, “His Majesty does not like unfamiliar attendants. There’s no need to trouble the palace staff.”
Fu Huang’s sudden arrival had thrown the temporary palace into complete chaos. Fu Ye noticed the usually confident attendants trembling with fear, and even the Dowager Consorts were quiet as mice. The once lively compound was suddenly as lifeless and tense as the main palace in the capital.
It was like a glacier had swept in with the arrival of the Ice Emperor.
It wasn’t just because many of the Dowager Consorts harbored deep-seated hatred toward Fu Huang. In the eyes of many palace servants, he might as well have been the King of Hell himself.
Fortunately, the day was drawing to a close and they would soon return to the capital.
Fu Huang went to Zhengyang Palace to change clothes. Since he had brought only a few attendants, Fu Ye sent Qingxi and the others to help Chief Eunuch Qin, while Li Dun and the rest stood guard outside the palace. No one was allowed within a hundred meters.
Not that anyone dared to get close anyway. At this point, people weren’t just avoiding the Emperor—they were probably locking themselves inside if they had the option.
All the Dowager Consorts had shut their doors, including Consort Ning.
Fu Ye, still remembering the Empress Dowager’s request for plum blossoms, quickly took Shuangfu with him to gather some. He’d originally planned to pick just a few to fulfill the request, but upon reaching the grove, he found the old plum trees blooming like snowdrifts—so fragrant and beautiful that he couldn’t help but pick far more than he intended. Both he and Shuangfu carried great armfuls back. As they passed the gates of Zhengyang Palace, Fu Huang emerged in new robes. Fu Ye immediately bent down to make a quick—if slightly casual—bow and asked, “Would Royal Brother like some plum blossoms?”
When Fu Huang didn’t respond, Fu Ye simply held his tongue and continued walking with the blossoms in his arms.
But Shuangfu behind him was visibly nervous. He felt the Emperor’s gaze like a blade, sharp and unrelenting. In his panic, a handful of plum blossoms tumbled from his arms.
Chief Eunuch Qin glanced at Fu Ye—his red robes and arms full of white plum blossoms were truly a striking sight. Then he looked back at Fu Huang, who was already stepping down from the stairs.
His Majesty had been completely cold toward the Sixth Prince just now.
Once again, Qin felt certain: the Emperor really couldn’t tell who was attractive.
Outside, the carriages and horses were all lined up and ready. Several of the Dowager Consorts were also returning to the capital for the palace banquet, so the procession was grand and orderly. Fu Ye, unlike Fu Huang who could completely ignore the consorts, respectfully assisted the Empress Dowager and each of the Dowager Consorts into their carriages. He then bid farewell to those staying behind before finally heading to find his own carriage.
Just as he was about to climb in, he saw Chief Eunuch Qin sitting inside and heard him say, “Your Highness, His Majesty requests that you ride back with him.”
Fu Ye froze for a moment. He recalled how cold Fu Huang had been during this visit—perhaps he was unhappy that Fu Ye had drawn too much attention at the ancestral rites. The thought left him hesitant, but he still boarded the Emperor’s carriage.
The imperial carriage was enormous, drawn by nine horses, but only Fu Huang was inside.
Fu Ye entered, bowed, and then sat down—deliberately far from Fu Huang.
The Emperor was a man of deep thoughts. He was undeniably handsome, yet always gave off a sense of menace. His eyes were long and slightly upturned; when closed, they seemed almost flirtatious, yet carried a quiet intensity. It was a unique kind of sharpness.
Fu Ye thought—maybe those are classic phoenix eyes.
He smoothed his robe over his knees. The hem was embroidered with densely woven golden flowers. The lighting inside the carriage was dim, but the intricate pattern stood out even more for it. Bored, he lowered his gaze and began quietly studying which kinds of flowers had been stitched into the design.
After watching for a while, he just felt stifled, so he turned his gaze toward Fu Huang. Fu Huang had his eyes closed. There were always dark circles under them—his fatigue still clearly visible. It was rare to see him dressed like this. Compared to before, it was a refreshing change. He recalled the situation with Consort Dowager Ning. The path this man had walked was not an easy one. His odd personality—well, perhaps it was understandable.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard Fu Huang say, “If you keep staring at me, get out.”
Fu Ye was taken aback. He hadn’t even opened his eyes—how did he know he was staring? But the remark played right into his hand, so he said cheerfully, “Royal Brother, you look so strikingly handsome today, your loyal younger brother couldn’t help but admire your majestic presence. I’ll go, then.”
With that, he ordered the carriage to stop and quickly hopped out.
As the Emperor’s carriage halted, the ones behind it followed suit. Eunuch Qin lifted the curtain and asked, “Your Highness, why did you get out?”
“Go back and serve my brother,” Fu Ye replied.
So Eunuch Qin returned to Fu Huang’s carriage. Seeing the Emperor’s eyes still closed and his expression gloomy, he asked, “Did the prince upset Your Majesty?”
Fu Huang said, “His smooth talk and flattery are just irritating.”
Eunuch Qin thought to himself: perhaps His Majesty really was annoyed. He’d opened and closed his eyes several times—not asking for tea or snacks—and his unease was becoming palpable. He had even suspected Fu Huang’s headaches had returned.
Fu Huang muttered, “I do have a bit of a headache.”
“Shall we ask the prince to give Your Majesty a massage once we return to the palace?”
Fu Huang said nothing.
The journey back was long. In a daze between sleep and wakefulness, Fu Huang heard Fu Ye ask, while cradling a branch of plum blossoms, “Royal Brother, would you like some plum blossoms?”
He woke with a jolt. The carriage had already passed through the Heavenly Gate.
Only the Emperor’s and Empress Dowager’s carriages were exempt from inspection at the Heavenly Gate. All others had to be checked. Fu Ye lifted the curtain to take a look. Female officials were inspecting the carriages of the consorts and concubines, but only with a cursory glance, not a thorough search. Consort Dowager Ning’s carriage passed through quickly. Behind her, four Daoist priestesses dressed in ceremonial robes followed. The setting sun cast the city gate’s shadow across their backs, and the dust whisks on their backs looked eerily like sharp swords.
Back in the palace, Fu Ye wanted to find a chance to talk to Consort Dowager Ning, but never got the opportunity. The dowagers gathered together, and as a prince, it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to mingle too much. The Empress Dowager summoned him to change clothes in preparation for the evening banquet.
Xiao Ai said, “What do you plan to do? Try to dissuade her? Tell her it won’t work? She won’t believe you. Ask her to let go of her hatred? That’s not going to happen either. Anyone who dares to bring a maid into the banquet with the intent to assassinate the Emperor must have been planning this for a long time. There’s no more time to wait. Or maybe you’ll tell her that you know her plan and either have or will report it to the Emperor… But what if she doesn’t listen? That’s a huge risk. And don’t forget—those attendants with her are loyal to the death. You’re just one man. It’s dangerous. She might even kill you, and all the people around you belong to Fu Huang.”
Fu Ye replied, “That’s why we can’t leave the decision of whether to strike or not in her hands. Trying to get her to back down on her own won’t work.”
Xiao Ai said, “So you’ll report her? But if you do, a lot of people will die.”
Fu Ye pressed his lips together in silence.
It wasn’t yet fully dark, but outside the palace gates, the nobles of the capital had already lined up in long rows with their carriages. The weather today was perfect. A vivid purple-red sunset drifted across the sky and glided over the palace roofs. As dusk began to fall, palace maids came out to light the lanterns. As starlight began to twinkle overhead, the guests for the imperial banquet began passing through gate after gate under the guidance of palace officials, heading toward the Qingtai Palace.
At the third quarter of the You hour (roughly 7:45 PM), the banquet was about to begin. The various dowagers rose to make their way to Qingtai Palace.
Consort Dowager Ning reached out and touched her reflection in the bronze mirror. A maid beside her said, “Your Grace, it’s time to go.”
Consort Dowager Ning stood up and hid a poisoned dagger in her sleeve.
Assassinating the Emperor—whether she succeeded or failed—would mean certain death. Perhaps it would even plunge the entire empire into chaos.
All her years of cultivating the Dao had been in vain—she had ultimately been defeated by her own inner demons.
A chilling light flickered in her eyes as she led her four maidservants out. Unlike the other consorts whose jewelry clinked as they walked, her footsteps made no sound—just like how she had moved throughout her silent years in the harem.
But before she could even reach the palace gate, she was blocked by sword-bearing female officers from Cien Palace.
Fu Ye stood in the courtyard, watching as palace maids hurried out, carrying swords, daggers, and other weapons wrapped in red cloth.
About fifteen minutes later, Consort Dowager Ning emerged from Cien Palace, surrounded by attendants. As she stepped into the carriage, she turned to look at Fu Ye and said, “My son was about this age when he died.”
With that, she boarded the carriage, looking like a lifeless husk.
Accompanied by Qingxi and others, Fu Ye left Cien Palace and headed to Qingtai Palace.
He claimed that he had already noticed Consort Dowager Ning’s suspicious behavior while they were still at the secondary palace and had reported it to the Empress Dowager.
Only the Empress Dowager, who had once been close to Consort Dowager Ning, could stop her now.
Consort Dowager Ning was consumed by revenge and cared for nothing else but killing Fu Huang. But the Empress Dowager was different.
Although she and the Emperor didn’t get along, she was upright and not blinded by hatred. Fu Huang was a centralized, autocratic ruler, and with no legitimate heir, his death would plunge the empire into chaos. Besides, he was a man who didn’t seem easy to kill. If the assassination failed, the entire Zhang family could be implicated. The Empress Dowager surely understood this.
Unable to kill him, yet enraged by his very presence, entangled still with some trace of motherly affection—it was a painful paradox.
Fu Ye couldn’t help wondering if this was the Emperor’s intention all along: to make people hate him, yet be powerless to remove him, so that no one could ever be truly content.
Hatred like this could never be resolved. Whether dying in a failed assassination or being imprisoned in the secondary palace with no hope of leaving—who’s to say which fate was crueler for Consort Dowager Ning?
But in the end, Fu Ye had chosen to follow his conscience.
Just before he reached Qingtai Palace, he encountered Consort Dowager Li on the path.
She was dressed in full regalia, dazzlingly beautiful, waiting for him at the crossroads.
Fu Ye bowed. “Consort Dowager Li.”
She extended her hand.
Fu Ye gently supported her slender wrist. The air around her was thick with a heavy fragrance.
She had adorned herself with such extravagance today that it was nearly blinding.
As they walked, Consort Dowager Li said, “Does Prince Huan know what has happened in Qingtai Hall over the years?”
“I’ve heard a bit,” Fu Ye replied.
They ascended the steps together. Qingtai Hall was brightly lit and draped with red lanterns, though the lanterns cast only a dim glow that flickered along the crimson corridors, reflecting a tragic brilliance in her eyes.
“Back then, all the imperial princes met their end here,” she said. “And now we’re forced to dine here every year. That is how His Majesty balances mercy and punishment. In that light, perhaps it was a blessing that Prince Huan spent so many years in exile. Now, you are the sole remaining prince of the imperial house—and perhaps one day, even more fortunate still. But the higher you rise, the colder the wind. Amid the Emperor’s favor, do not forget to keep looking back at this Qingtai Hall.”
Fu Ye understood the meaning behind her words. He replied, “All I wish is to live a life of ease and prosperity.”
Consort Dowager Li smiled faintly, a trace of mockery at her lips. “Then it seems you haven’t been in this palace long enough.”
She turned to look at him. “How is Sister Ning doing?”
Fu Ye was caught off guard.
Consort Dowager Li’s smile returned, elegant and poised. “She’s always been patient. Back in the day, she was the best at hiding her light and biding her time. Now, after years of silent planning for the perfect moment… But this world, all under heaven, belongs to the Emperor. Unless one lets go of life itself, there is no such thing as a plan that’s truly airtight. She waited too long. Too many people knew. Her failure was inevitable. What a shame.”
Her expression turned cold as she withdrew her hand. The silver hairpins in her bun gave a crisp, chilling sound. “You should’ve reported her directly to Fu Huang. Only when traitors are eliminated can he enjoy his wine in peace—don’t you think?”
With that, she entered Qingtai Hall, attended by her ladies-in-waiting.
Meanwhile, Fu Huang had just finished reviewing two memorials when Eunuch Qin hurried in.
“Your Majesty, Consort Dowager Ning has been sent out of the palace by the Empress Dowager.”
Fu Huang raised an eyebrow. “Pity. That would’ve made quite a show.”
Eunuch Qin added, “They say it was His Highness who discovered her plot and reported it to the Empress Dowager.”
Fu Huang looked over at him.
By all rights, Consort Dowager Ning deserved her fate. Back when His Majesty was besieged on all sides, poisoned by madness-inducing toxins and wasting away to skin and bones, with the other princes circling like vultures and the late emperor betraying all expectations—he still trusted Consort Dowager Ning and her son above all.
Who could have guessed she was even more ruthless?
Though His Majesty is known for swift and deadly decisions, he spared her life. Yet she showed no remorse.
She claimed to be seeking spiritual enlightenment to leave the palace, switched her attendants with trained assassins, smuggled weapons in—thinking no one would notice. Laughable.
His Majesty’s unpredictability had long been a source of concern. Eunuch Qin had worried about this for some time. The assassins Consort Dowager Ning hired were said to be expertly trained. What if they had actually harmed the Emperor?
Even if he escaped unscathed, the idea of a coup by a consort dowager during the New Year’s Eve banquet—what would the guests think? Just imagining the celebration turning into a bloodbath again made Eunuch Qin believe that none of it would end well for the Emperor.
But then again, this was exactly the kind of move Fu Huang would make.
He had always enjoyed indulging those who plotted rebellion—like playing a game—only to crush them with brutal force in the end. Sometimes, he didn’t even have full confidence that he would come out unscathed. But he relished it, as if his own life or death didn’t matter much to him at all.
The Emperor’s reckless defiance was impossible to restrain, and it caused Eunuch Qin endless anxiety.
That’s why he thought Fu Ye’s actions were admirable—he had averted a potential catastrophe.
Eunuch Qin said, “I still don’t know how His Highness discovered it. He’s incredibly perceptive. When he brought flowers earlier, he even mentioned how crowded the palace would be during the night banquet, and advised me to bring extra guards.”
It seemed like he had tried to handle things in a way that protected both lives and appearances. A truly considerate gesture.
But Fu Huang asked, “What flowers?”
They turned and saw a vase of white plum blossoms placed in the hall. The white petals and pinkish stamens were dotted with budding green tips—delicate and beautiful.
Eunuch Qin said, “His Highness Prince Huan brought them himself.”
Fu Huang looked at the plum blossoms.
They looked exactly like the ones from his dream.
Eunuch Qin then cautiously asked, “Your Majesty, regarding Consort Dowager Ning… should we…”
Fu Huang paused to think. “Let her live. Maybe someday she’ll be lucky enough to see me die first—and that’ll give her some joy.”
Eunuch Qin was shocked. “Your Majesty!”
Fu Huang’s lips curved slightly, not quite a smile. He stared at the plum blossoms, lost in thought, then said after a while, “Still… living to a ripe old age and making them die mad with rage—doesn’t sound too bad either.”
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