Chapter 41

On the day Emperor Jingsheng passed away, the new emperor, Jun Zechen, stood solemnly, his eyes filled with grief. He kept his back straight as he led the princes, princesses, and officials toward the hall where the late emperor’s body was placed, paying their final respects.

The “Small Burial” ceremony was held with great dignity.

Five days later, the “Grand Burial” would take place. At that time, all officials ranked below princes but above certain levels, as well as noblewomen of high status, would gather at Qianqing Palace to view the late emperor’s remains.

Jun Zechen, looking serious and dignified, led the ceremony with the royal family members, noblewomen, and officials. Every movement showed his deep respect and sorrow for the late emperor.

After the “Grand Burial”, Jun Zechen took a deep breath, straightened his posture, and, in a calm but firm voice, officially announced the passing of Emperor Jingsheng.

The news spread quickly among officials, the royal family, and the common people.

After the mourning announcement, the royal family looked sorrowful, and the ministers were visibly grieved.

Palace maids and eunuchs all dressed in mourning clothes and began the official mourning rituals.

Early in the morning, Su Jingyao, also dressed in mourning clothes, arrived at the Eastern Palace gates.

The crown prince’s concubines were supposed to be led by the crown princess to the ancestral hall, where they would offer incense, bow, and weep for the late emperor.

Normally, Su Jingyao should have joined them at Qiluan Hall.

However, since she had the eldest prince with her, she sent word to the crown princess, requesting to be excused.

She sent a palace maid to inform the crown princess that she would wait directly at the Eastern Palace gates.

The real reason Su Jingyao chose not to go was to avoid getting involved in any trouble caused by An Liangdi and Tang Fengyi.

Today, she just wanted to quietly watch the drama unfold.

Qiluan Hall.

Tang Fengyi Sees Blood

Tang Fengyi bowed slightly, her voice soft and respectful.

“Greetings to the Crown Princess.”

Her belly had started to show slightly, as she was already over four months pregnant.

Ever since she discovered that the medicine given by Imperial Physician Hu was meant to protect the royal heir at the cost of her own health, she had been extremely cautious.

She only took it in small amounts when she felt too unwell to endure.

With great difficulty, she had managed to keep the royal heir alive until now.

She knew An Liangdi had told her about the medicine not out of kindness, but to use her against the Crown Princess.

But just as An Liangdi had said, she had no choice.

She was only sixteen—she didn’t want to die.

Tang Fengyi understood clearly that she was insignificant, her life meaningless to both the Empress and the Crown Prince.

If not for her growing weakness, she wouldn’t have believed that they saw her as nothing more than a vessel to carry the royal air.

Since entering the Eastern Palace, she had always acted cautiously, presenting herself as delicate and obedient before the Crown Prince.

Among the five new concubines, she was the one who pleased him the most.

Yet An Liangdi remained as hateful as ever, just like during the selection process.

She was arrogant and domineering but pretended to be weak and helpless in front of the Crown Prince, shamelessly stealing his attention.

Many times, the Crown Prince was supposed to visit Tang Fengyi’s Shuyu Pavilion, only to be intercepted by An Liangdi.

Tang Fengyi despised her but lacked the status to challenge her.

With no support in the capital, she had no choice but to align herself with the Crown Princess.

After all, the Crown Princess and An Liangdi already had deep animosity between them.

But Tang Fengyi soon realized that the Crown Princess was not just naïve—she was downright foolish.

Even though the Crown Princess never meant to harm her unborn child, it was her actions that led to this situation.

Because of the Crown Princess, either she or the child had to die.

So she couldn’t be blamed—she had to protect herself, even if it meant working with An Liangdi.

A flash of determination flickered in Tang Fengyi’s lowered eyes.

The Crown Princess hurriedly reached out to help her up, her face showing concern.

“You’re pregnant, no need for such formalities. Sit down.”

Every time Ling Yue saw Tang Fengyi, guilt filled her heart.

It was because of her that Tang Fengyi had become so frail, and now, the fate of the unborn child was uncertain.

Tang Fengyi gave a soft smile and sat down.

Not long after, An Liangdi walked in.

She glanced at Tang Fengyi before meeting her gaze for a brief moment.

Tang Fengyi’s eyes flickered with nervousness before she quickly lowered her head to hide her emotions.

“Greetings to the Crown Princess,” An Liangdi said sweetly, bowing.

“You may rise.”

Ling Yue’s face remained emotionless as she responded coldly.

She despised this woman.

Almost every hardship she had recently endured could be traced back to An Liangdi.

Yet she had no way to fight back.

Her golden seal had been confiscated, stripping her of her authority over the Eastern Palace.

She now found herself struggling with even the simplest matters.

Despite being in the Eastern Palace for two years, she had failed to establish a strong network of loyal people.

Ironically, An Liangdi, who had arrived later, had already gained more influence.

She had once seen the Eastern Palace as her home, believing the Crown Prince would protect her forever.

Now, she realized how foolish she had been.

But the past was gone, and there was no point in regretting it now.

Soon, all five concubines arrived, and a group of eunuchs from the Internal Affairs Office entered.

Leading them was an elderly eunuch with a slightly hunched back, bowing respectfully.

“Greetings to the esteemed ladies.”

Then, straightening slightly, he forced a flattering smile.

“Today, we bring the prayer scroll boxes and blessed prayer beads for the noble ladies of the Eastern Palace.”

After the emperor’s passing, royal family members had to copy Buddhist scriptures for him, placing them in the scroll boxes.

For the past few days, the women had worn mourning clothes while writing scriptures in the ancestral hall.

The prayer beads had been specially blessed by the head monk of Chonghua Temple, as per the Empress’s orders.

Tang Fengyi, being of the lowest rank, sat farthest from the front but was closest to the eunuch carrying the scroll boxes.

She was the first to step forward, placing her scripture into a box.

The eunuch holding the box suddenly looked alarmed and quickly spoke up.

“Lady Tang, this is the Crown Princess’s scroll box!”

The Crown Princess’s prayer beads had twenty-four beads, while the other concubines had only twelve.

Hearing this, Tang Fengyi’s face immediately showed regret.

With an apologetic look, she quickly said, “Crown Princess, I wasn’t paying attention and mistakenly put my scripture into your box.”

“But since it’s already inside, why don’t I exchange our prayer beads to make up for it?”

Once a scripture was placed in a box, it could only be removed in front of the emperor’s spirit.

Before the Crown Princess could respond, An Liangdi raised her chin, sneering.

“Tang Fengyi, don’t you understand the rules? Putting your scripture in the Crown Princess’s box is a serious offense. Even if you exchange the beads, you’ve already committed disrespect to the late emperor!”

Ling Yue heard An Liangdi scolding Tang Fengyi so harshly in front of her. She frowned tightly, looking displeased, and spoke sternly.

“An Liangdi! I am still here. I have not said anything, so why must you be so aggressive?”

“Yes, the Crown Princess is kind and does not care about such small matters. I spoke too much. Please forgive me, Crown Princess.”

An Liangdi’s tone was sarcastic.

“Tang Fengyi, just swap the prayer beads. The boxes are the same,” Ling Yue said gently.

“Thank you, Crown Princess,” Tang Fengyi replied obediently.

She slowly took the prayer beads from the Crown Princess’s box and walked to her own box, which was placed at the far end.

Because she was pregnant, she moved carefully and slowly, taking each step cautiously.

An Liangdi watched her, a strange look flashing in her eyes. Then, she lowered her gaze and picked up her teacup to take a sip.

After swapping the prayer beads, Tang Fengyi returned to her seat.

The other concubines then stepped forward one by one to place their scriptures into the prayer boxes.

Once everyone was finished, the Crown Princess walked gracefully ahead, leading the group.

The others followed closely behind her.

At the gate of the Eastern Palace, they met Su Jingyao, who was waiting for them.

Then, the entire group set off toward Qianqing Palace.

At this moment, in front of the Qianqing Palace, Jun Zechen stood solemnly, leading the officials and royal family members in paying their respects before the late emperor’s spirit.

The Empress arrived with the concubines, the Crown Princess, and others.

With a serious expression, the Empress led the concubines in taking out their prayer beads from the boxes.

Each woman had a look of devotion and reverence in her eyes as they quietly prayed before the late emperor’s spirit.

After finishing their prayers, they carefully placed their scriptures into a large box in front of the altar.

These scriptures would be burned before the late emperor’s burial.

Once the Empress finished her prayers, the Crown Princess stepped forward. Su Jingyao and the other concubines lined up neatly behind her.

Each person focused as they took out their prayer beads.

Su Jingyao stood on the outermost side, while An Liangdi and Tang Fengyi exchanged a discreet glance and quietly moved closer together.

They stood side by side, right behind Ling Yue.

Su Jingyao glanced at them casually.

Were these two planning to cause trouble now?

With all the ministers and royal family members present?

Such bravery. They weren’t afraid of their scheme backfiring.

And if things went wrong, she would probably have to clean up the mess for them.

Ling Yue took out her prayer beads and began to pray.

But…

At first, her hands only felt a slight itch, barely noticeable. But soon, the itch became stronger, turning into sharp pain.

She frowned deeply, her face showing signs of discomfort.

But she forced herself to endure it, trying not to let others notice her pain.

What was wrong with her hands?

Even though she was anxious, Ling Yue kept her eyes closed. She slowly turned the prayer beads in her hands, murmuring prayers.

However, the more she turned them, the more unbearable the pain became.

Finally, as she finished her prayer and reached the last bead, she could not hold it in anymore. A muffled groan escaped her lips.

The prayer beads slipped from her hands.

Just at that moment, behind her, Tang Fengyi was standing up. She had been deeply focused on her prayers and did not notice that the Crown Princess had dropped her prayer beads.

Accidentally, she stepped on them.

“Ah!”

Tang Fengyi let out a startled cry. Her ankle twisted, and she lost her balance, falling hard to the ground.

Ling Yue’s face was full of shock and panic. The Empress, the Crown Prince, and everyone else were equally stunned. “Tang Fengyi is bleeding!” someone cried out in fear.