Perhaps due to Feng Xi Yang's presence, or perhaps as a gesture of favor toward a brother who had once been close, the Emperor granted Xia Jingshi and his entourage Ming De Palace as their temporary residence in the imperial capital.
After changing into robes appropriate for the court, Xia Jingshi strolled toward the nearby Ning Bi Pool. Ming De Palace was still lush with verdant trees and vibrant flowers, and the beautiful lotus pond still boasted its three fairy mountains—artificial peaks rising from the water like mythical islands. Yet he no longer felt the carefree enjoyment of his past visits to admire the lotuses. The scenery remained unchanged, but the man viewing it had transformed entirely.
"Your Highness," Xiao Weiran called softly from a respectful distance, "The Princess Consort sent someone to inquire…"
Xia Jingshi interrupted him, a melancholy smile touching his lips as he asked, "Weiran, have you ever loved someone?"
Taken aback by the unexpected question—so personal, so unlike their usual discourse—Xiao Weiran paused before nodding slowly. "I have."
"Then," Xia Jingshi slowly turned around, his expression unreadable in the dappled sunlight filtering through the willow branches, "let me ask you, if you fell in love with someone you shouldn't love, what would you do?"
Xiao Weiran pondered for a moment before approaching him, his footsteps quiet on the stone path. "There's nothing to be done. If you love, you love. Your Highness, rejecting love doesn't necessarily avoid pain. Why bother?"
Xia Jingshi closed his eyes, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "I was just speaking hypothetically."
Xiao Weiran pursed his lips, seeing through the pretense but respecting it nonetheless. "Losing happiness to avoid pain isn't worth it. Moreover, when you hurt someone, your own heart suffers equally."
Xia Jingshi chuckled lightly—a sound without real mirth—patting Xiao Weiran's shoulder. "This is the first time I've discovered Weiran has so many insights. Let's go, the ladies should be ready. We shouldn't be late."
On the journey to the capital, Feng Xi Yang had been speculating about the Emperor of Jin Xiu. She imagined him to be a stern and intimidating figure—the kind of man whose mere gaze could silence a room, given his ability to control ministers and dominate all directions with an iron will.
To her surprise, upon meeting him, she found that the casually dressed Emperor bore a striking seven or eight-tenths resemblance to Xia Jingshi. He didn't look at all like a calculating ruler who could discuss life and death with a smile while sipping tea. Beside him sat an elegant woman in her twenties, wearing a purple embroidered robe with double ribbons that marked her exalted status—undoubtedly the Empress.
As they came forward to pay their respects, the Emperor rose with a hearty laugh that echoed through the hall, quickly descending from his dragon throne to seemingly support the half-bowing Xia Jingshi. "There are no outsiders here, no need for such formalities."
Xia Jingshi smiled slightly but insisted on completing his prostration before standing up, maintaining the proper protocol despite the Emperor's casual tone. "Seeing Your Majesty in good health brings your subject great comfort."
The Emperor sighed, a hint of genuine regret in his voice. "Elder Brother always keeps such distance." He then turned to Feng Xi Yang with a smile that softened his imperial bearing. "The journey must have been tiring. Sister-in-law has come from afar to Jin Xiu. Are you accustomed to the food here?"
Feng Xi Yang felt an unexpected fondness for this gentle and amiable emperor—so different from her imaginings. She smiled in response, her nervousness easing. "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Xi Yang is well in all aspects. As I'm new to Jin Xiu, please forgive any lapses in etiquette on my part."
The Emperor nodded with a smile, seemingly pleased with her gracious manner. The Empress also laughed softly from her seat, gracefully rising with the fluid movements of one long accustomed to ceremony. "I've long heard of Sister-in-law's reputation for devoted love. I thought you might be a fiery woman like Captain Fu, but seeing you today, you're such a delicate and charming lady. I suppose this is what they mean by 'seeing is believing'."
At the sudden mention of Fu Yi Xiao's name—dropped so casually, yet landing with such weight—Feng Xi Yang's face showed a hint of embarrassment. The Emperor frowned slightly, his expression suggesting mild displeasure. "How can Captain Fu, merely a military officer, be compared to our Sister-in-law?"
The Empress giggled, apparently finding her husband's protective tone amusing, and affectionately walked down to hold Feng Xi Yang's hand. "Indeed, I spoke out of turn. Please don't take offense, Sister-in-law. His Majesty and Uncle haven't seen each other in a long time and must have much to discuss. It will all be about state affairs—terribly boring for us. Why don't you come with me to Ci Yang Hall to keep the Empress Dowager company?"
As Feng Xi Yang was about to agree, Xia Jingshi gently interjected, "We came in haste today and didn't bring the seven-jeweled incense burner Xi Yang prepared for the Empress Dowager. Perhaps we should postpone our visit."
The Empress covered her mouth and laughed, her eyes crinkling with genuine amusement. "Uncle is still the same, always so meticulous. The Empress Dowager will be overjoyed to see Sister-in-law, how could she care about a small incense burner?" With that, she curtsied to the Emperor, brooking no refusal. "Your subject shall take her leave first."
Before even entering Ci Yang Hall, with its plaque inscribed "Praising Virtuous Inner Chambers" in elegant calligraphy that had weathered decades, Feng Xi Yang could hear peals of laughter from within—the musical sounds of women at ease, without the constraint of male presence.
Following the announcement of the eunuch, the Empress led her directly into the hall.
Inside, whether seated on armchairs or cushions, two rows of women in consort attire were arranged according to their ranks—a living tableau of the palace hierarchy. They all stood as Feng Xi Yang and the Empress entered, their movements synchronized by years of protocol. Feng Xi Yang only had time for a brief glance around before her eyes were drawn to a noble lady sitting upright on a couch by the window, bathed in soft afternoon light.
She appeared to be even older than Feng Qishan but exuded elegance rather than age—a beauty refined by time rather than diminished by it. With slightly raised phoenix eyes, her gaze commanded instant respect. Her attire, neither overly elaborate nor simple, bespoke her noble status through subtle details that spoke louder than ostentation. Without a doubt, this was the Empress Dowager.
After completing the formal greetings with practiced precision, the Empress Dowager's scrutinizing gaze softened slightly, like frost melting under spring sun. Still maintaining a languid demeanor, she casually gestured toward some empty palace stools nearby, indicating for the two to sit. She then naturally inquired about the flash flood they had encountered on their journey.
Feng Xi Yang recounted the event truthfully, her voice steady despite the harrowing memories, omitting only the part about Xia Jingshi rescuing her hairpin—that small, intimate detail that belonged to them alone. Even so, her tale elicited continuous gasps of surprise from the assembled women, while the Empress Dowager repeatedly murmured "Amitabha" with a hand pressed to her chest, as if warding off bad fortune.
Since arriving in Jin Xiu, Feng Xi Yang had been met with cold treatment from many—suspicious glances, whispered conversations that ceased when she approached, the chill of a court that viewed her as an outsider. Upon entering Ci Yang Hall and seeing the array of consorts, she had expected to face an inquisition, perhaps even veiled hostility.
The reality, however, was far from her expectations. The women were curious but not unkind, interested but not intrusive. Just as she began to relax, settling into the unexpected warmth, the consorts gradually started to excuse themselves in twos and threes—summoned by convenient obligations or suddenly remembered duties. Finally, even the Empress left, citing a need to check on the Crown Prince's studies with an apologetic smile.
Left alone with the Empress Dowager in the vast hall, with only the distant footsteps of servants and the whisper of silk curtains in the breeze, Feng Xi Yang couldn't help feeling nervous. As her mind wandered, trying to anticipate what might come next, the Empress Dowager asked softly, her voice carrying unexpected tenderness, "My dear child, tell me, does he treat you well?"
Like a child full of hidden sorrows and grievances suddenly hearing a mother's loving call—that voice that asks not about duty or propriety but about the heart—for a moment, the Empress Dowager's noble and magnificent face overlapped with the imagined visage of her mother, the woman she had never known but always longed for.
Feng Xi Yang's eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she found herself unable to control her sobs, her carefully maintained composure crumbling like a dam finally breached.
Seeing her silent tears—each one a story of pain suppressed—the Empress Dowager's eyes also reddened slightly. After sighing a few times about the hardships of fate and the cruelty of heaven's arrangements, she gently consoled, "You've suffered so much. Though not my flesh and blood, he's a child I've watched grow up. How did such a good child become like this after a setback in love? His mother died early, and I couldn't manage him properly. I could only watch helplessly, which truly pained my heart…"
The Empress Dowager wiped away her tears with a silk handkerchief, the gesture both regal and maternal. She continued, her voice thick with emotion and regret, "To be honest, I had hoped he could have a good life with Fu Yi Xiao. Who would have thought that Fu Yi Xiao… Never mind. You're a good child. In the future, you'll need to take on more responsibility for him, understand?"
Feng Xi Yang nodded, somewhat bewildered by the confession, but couldn't help asking, her voice small and uncertain, "Doesn't Fu Yi Xiao like my husband?"
The Empress Dowager gave her a tearful smile—sad and knowing, tinged with resignation to the ways of the world. "Even if she did, isn't she married to your Imperial Brother now?"
The words hung in the air like a suspended blade.
Married to your Imperial Brother.
Fu Yi Xiao is married to the Emperor.
Understanding crashed over Feng Xi Yang like a wave, stealing her breath. The casual mention earlier, the Emperor's dismissive comparison, the way everyone spoke of Captain Fu—it all suddenly made terrible, perfect sense.
The woman Xia Jingshi had once loved, perhaps still loved, was now beyond his reach in the most absolute way possible.
She was the Emperor's wife.
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