In the Changle Palace, the Empress Gu who was worried about the Crown Prince ignored the dispute between Princess Anji and Princess Linchuan, so she persuaded these two princesses to leave away from her palace by an excuse that she was tired. After returning to her bedroom, the Empress Gu looked indeed exhausted.

The trusted maid offered her a cup of ginseng tea. And then she knelt down beside the Empress Gu to gently pound her legs with a tiny jade hammer.

“Ask Lin De to come in for a report,” ordered the Empress Gu, recovering from tiredness a little, after drinking out a cup of ginseng tea.

Seeing her pale face, the maid was worried about her, so she softly suggested, “Your Imperial Highness, you had better continue lying on the bed for a rest. Madam Su has suspected the background of those lotus-picking girls. Even if the Consort Deng in the Guangming Palace planned to do something, she could not meddle in this event. So you had better have a rest.”

“How could I have a comfortable rest as I have such an unintelligent son?” said the Empress Gu with a deep sigh. “I know that he is easily addicted to beauties, so I have told him for many times that he is allowed to ask servants to choose a beautiful girl, or even a married one, in the common families. His Majesty doesn’t care about this. But it will not be a sensible idea if he offends great families. Their interests with the Great Vi are rather complicated. Even if they are officials, His Majesty still fears and respects them. However, Shen Xun doesn’t take in my words. How awful he is!”

The maid hurried to say, “Your Imperial Highness, calm down, please.” She added, “Although the gentlefolk and the aristocratic families are powerful, the Crown Prince is still a descendant of the imperial family. Now you and the Crown Prince are stable in status.”

“Are we in a stable status? Do you think that it is easy to be the Crown Prince?” said the Empress Gu with a sneer after hearing that. “It is said that the first Crown Prince of the Great Vi was indirectly murdered by Madam Qian, an abolished empress. After she gave birth to Duke Cai, she wanted her son to be the Crown Prince. So, she slandered Shen Rui, a lineal son of the empress and the first prince, in front of His Majesty. The Consort Deng used to cooperate with me to defeat Madam Qian. She told me what Madam Qian had done because she feared that I would not work with her out of the position of Madam Qian beloved by His Majesty. Otherwise, I thought that Madam Qian was so intelligent that she could persuade His Majesty to abolish Shen Rui from the Crown Prince by a few words.”

The maid didn’t know this truth before, so she was shocked to ask, “So, you mean?”

“After the Empress Liu passed away, the Liu Family was closer to Shen Rui. He not only married a daughter of this family, but also loved his wife. So, didn’t His Majesty worry about that?” said the Empress Gu with a snort. “The six gentlefolk are pretty influential, especially the Liu Family and the Shen Family. Therefore, how could His Majesty enthrone Shen Rui, the Empress Liu’s son who was close to the Liu Family? Didn’t he fear that the Great Vi would be controlled by the Liu Family and the Shen Family?”

The maid muttered, “Your Imperial Highness, is it His Majesty who abolished Shen Rui from the Crown Prince?”

“Of course.” said the Empress Gu with a contempt. “Madam Qian was to blame for it on the behalf of His Majesty. When she was an empress, the Qian Family in Xinghe was pretty powerful. Do you know how many daughters of the Qian Family had been married by the lineal sons of six gentlefolk of the clan? However, as Madam Qian was not an empress any longer, why did her family fall so quickly? It was because Mrs. Liu revenged Madam Qian who had caused the death of the first prince. His Majesty deliberately made use of Madam Qian to stop the first prince who was close to the Liu Family from being an emperor, without causing the gentlefolk to be cautious.”

As she said this, the Empress Gu heaved a sigh, “In the court, His Majesty is privately discussed that he is so addicted to the beauty that he spends less time on the official business. Therefore, he is not sensible. Actually, if their view were right, why did these aristocratic families still respect His Majesty?”

The maid tried to be calm to say, “His Majesty is sensible. The six gentlefolk are not allowed to do anything at their will. You are from an aristocratic family. What I will say may offend you. The Gu Family in Hongzhou is merely an aristocratic family, so His Majesty would target at the six gentlefolk instead of it. The Crown Prince had done something terrible, but you have handled it properly. If the Consort Deng knew it, she should consider how to withdraw from this, so why are you upset?”

Shaking her head, the Empress Gu said, “You don’t understand. Now everything is changing, the Great Vi is not as prosperous and powerful as it used to be.”

“Your Imperial Highness, you mean?” the maid was stunned.

“If the Great Vi were prosperous and powerful, the gentlefolk and the aristocratic families would favor a Crown Prince like Shen Xun. If so, they would be at their will to exploit the resources of the Great Vi to develop their families by conquering the fields and the mountains. Besides, they would appoint their own people as important officials,” said the Empress Gu with a sneer. “Now, our nation is increasingly weak, so there are always wars at the northern and the western frontier. Because of this, the conflicts between the Liu Family and the Shen Family have gotten sharper. Do you know why? It is because that their hometown is near the frontier. If they failed, their hometown would be conquered by the Hu Tribe.”

The Empress Gu’ tone got more chilling, “In this situation, the Crown Prince is not extraordinary. When the former dynasty was replaced, the gentlefolk quickly supported the ancestors of the Shen Family. Now, you could expect what they would do.”

The maid was shocked to say, “In my view, is it not serious now?”

“His Majesty is nearly seventy years old now,” said the Empress Gu, her eyes filled with coldness. “If he is still alive, his power will stop the potential chaos despite the folks have a miserable life. However, if he were dead, could the Crown Prince defeat the gentlefolk, and even the aristocratic families nationwide? Furthermore, could he save the common people exploited by those gentlefolk and aristocratic families? At that time, everything would be out of control.”

After hearing these words, the maid became worried. Astounded for a while, she answered, “Your Imperial Highness, you are able to help the Crown Prince.”

“But I’m a daughter from the Gu Family in Hongzhou,” said the Empress Gu, whose beautiful eyes were cold. Biting her mouth, she went on, “When the Empress Dowager Deng, His Majesty’s mother, was alive, the Deng Family in Rong City was renowned, and even was more powerful than the six gentlefolk. So was the Qian Family in Xinghe, as Madam Qian was an empress. Now, how many old madams in the Capital City are married to the sons of the six gentlefolk to be influential, thanks to the Empress Dowager Deng and Madam Qian, an abolished empress? Before the Empress Dowager Deng passed away, His Majesty only had the Consort Deng. However, the gentlefolk had to put up with His Majesty who had married the daughter from the Liu Family as an empress.”

“Shen Xun is not ambitious, so if he is enthroned, the result can be expected. If I were not to help him, how could he deal with the official business across the nation? If I were to help him, how could the gentlefolk tolerate the possibility that the Gu Family in Hongzhou would become a member of them?” said the Empress Gu heavily. “In the past, the Empress Dowager Deng was not capable of meddling in the official business, so the Deng Family was temporarily illustrious. Now, could gentlefolk risk their power?”

The maid said gingerly, “If you deal with the official business fairly, you could support the Gu Family after you are in a stable and powerful position.”

“Fairly?” said the Empress Gu with a contempt. “I don’t have enough power to make a decision, so is it meaningful to be fair? As Shen Xun becomes an emperor, if I planned to deal with the official business, I must seek support from my family. Also, they should be promoted to help me. In this way, I would be able to compete with the gentlefolk and the other aristocratic families. Otherwise, I would be a nominal Empress Dowager. It is not an easy thing. Shen Xun is weak, and I am a woman, so how could I control the nation like His Majesty?”

With a deep sigh, she added, “These assumptions are not useful. You go to ask Lin De to come here. Although this matter has been reported to His Majesty, and the Consort Deng has no clue, as you said, it is a good idea that the Consort Deng is to blame for it.”

The maid bowed and said, “Yes.”

A few seconds later, after Lin De was brought into the palace, he politely bowed. The Empress Gu asked him about the truth on those lotus-picking girls.

As Lin De heard this, there was cold sweat appearing on his forehead. Clutching the fly-whisk in his hand, he hurried to kneel down on the ground, kowtowing his head, and then begged, “Your Imperial Highness, please forgive me for not telling you the truth before.”

“There is no outsider in the room. I trust you and Mrs. Yun, so why did you deliberately act like that before me?” said the Empress Gu impatiently.

Lin De gingerly looked up, and then got to his feet to answer, “Those lotus-picking girls were brought from Jiangnan by servants ordered by the Crown Prince. Because the narrow ditch in the Eastern Palace is different from that of Jiangnan, he arranged those girls to live in a courtyard beside the Spring Grass Lake. In this summer, they were asked to pick up lotus flowers in the lake, while the Crown Prince who wore casual clothes watched them on a boat in the midst of lotus flowers and leaves.”

The Empress Gu asked seriously, “Why did those lotus-picking girls seduce a male passerby? Did a spy muddle through the examination when they were chosen?”

“According to the servants of the Crown Prince, he found it dull after seeing those girls merely pick up lotus for many days. So, he said to his servant, ‘The so-called lotus-picking girls in Jiangnan are boring.’ Sun Fu, who bought these girls, was afraid that he would be punished by the Crown Prince because of his failure, so he came up with an idea,” said Lin De hesitantly. “He suggested the Crown Prince that it would be interesting to ask lotus-picking girls to seduce a man to the Fangzhou Islet, a secret place with exuberant plants, nearby the Spring Grass Lake. Their behavior would please the Crown Prince, so he would...”

The Empress Gu was pretty irritated.

She said in a trembling voice, “In the past time, the Emperor Ling in the Han Dynasty built the West Garden surrounded by a river. There, the Wangshu Lotus flowers were planted. He ordered servants to be naked in the river to play for fun. Therefore, the garden was called Ruoyou Garden. His behaviour was criticized for several hundred years. The river was in the garden. However, the Spring Grass Lake is a public place outside the city. How silly Shen Xun is! Did he hope that he and I would be denounced?”

Lin De had expected that the Empress Gu would be furious about it, so he beg for her forgiveness in advance. Now, he was so scared that he kept still quiet.

Mrs. Yun served the Empress Gu for many years, so she knew that His Majesty had abolished Shen Rui, the first prince, from the Crown Prince. Now, she said, “Your Imperial Highness, it is Sun Fu’s fault. How dare he entice the Crown Prince to do such a silly thing?”

“Sun Fu is certainly responsible for it,” said the Empress Gu, closing her eyes. “However, how could Shen Xun follow his advice? He doesn’t ascend the throne yet, and does he want to be a fatuous emperor?”

“Your Imperial Highness!” said Mrs. Yun, who was startled by the Empress Gu’s discouraging words, immediately supporting her arm. “The Crown Prince is still young and beloved by His Majesty. He might be not cautious enough, so that he was tricked by Sun Fu. After punishing Sun Fu, you can carefully teach the Crown Prince. He is your son, so how could he not realize and then correct his misbehavior?”

Tightly biting her mouth for a while, the Empress Gu ordered, “Lin De, come to get Sun Fu into the prison. You must have him speak out whether he was appointed by someone to slip into the the Eastern Palace to slander the Crown Prince or not.” She added word by word, “Before he spoke out the truth, he could not die. Do you get it?”

The Empress Gu recovered from the temporary weakness, which made Mrs. Yun privately relieved. Even if the Empress Gu angrily grumbled, she could not change something. She only had a son, so who would she support if she didn’t support him? Shen Xun, as the Crown Prince, in spite of his weakness, would be espoused by his mother only if she were alive.

However, His Majesty had about twenty princes, and he didn’t think highly of the other two common sons in the Eastern Palace. Moreover, he couldn’t enthrone his grandson instead of his son. The Empress Gu planned that she would give a big hand to Shen Xun when he was the Crown Prince. When she became the Empress Dowager and moved into the Huishu Palace, she would cultivate her grandson to be a reliable and powerful emperor.

The Empress Gu had fought with many people in the palace for a long time, so she could not easily give up even if her son had no aspiration. Shen Lin, her grandson, was clever, so she would foster him. Even if her son was weak, she must remain powerful for her grandson.

Lin De immediately answered, “I got it.”

However, before leaving the room, he asked in a low voice, “Your Imperial Highness, who is so audacious to slander the Crown Prince?” He indirectly asked what the Empress Gu would want Sun Fu to speak out.

The Empress Gu said coldly, “Shen Bo, the eleventh prince, has been awarded as a duke, so he will head for his fief a few days later. Some days ago, he pleaded with His Majesty to marry Wei Lingyue, a lineal daughter of Zhiben Hall. I once said that Wei Lingyue is a virtuous, elegant lady of a great family, but she is too gentle to be a duchess. Perhaps he hates me because of this, so he bought off Sun Fu to incite the Crown Prince to do this disgusting thing in order to slander his brother.”

“I got it,” said Lin De, prudently bowing and then turning around to depart.

It was a few hours later when Sun Fu was in prison. In the Mingguang Palace, the Consort Deng placed her hands in a jade table. Yao Tao dipped the thick liquid of ground impatiens in the jade bottle with a silver needle and then carefully dyed the Consort Deng’s orange fingernails that have been dyed before.

After being dyed again, the fingernails were as red as blood.

The Consort Deng looked at her fingernails, and suddenly asked, “Is Sun Fu dead?”

“Your Grace, it is about fifteen minutes later,” said Yao Tao softly, watching the copper water clock at the corner of the room.

“It is a pity,” sighed the Consort Deng. “It is not easy to arrange a spy to serve Shen Xun, a silly guy, by avoiding being noticed by the Empress Gu. However, Sun Fu is too arrogant. He enticed Shen Xun to do something lewd, which would offend the descendants of the great families. But why did he ask lotus-picking girls to seduce a handsome married man wearing noble clothes? Moreover, those girls are not beautiful, which led the man to dislike them. If he knew who had ordered them to do so, it would harm the reputation of Shen Xun. It was not a sensible plot. So don’t criticize me for not rescuing Sun Fu.”

Yao Tao whispered, “It is not your mistake. Sun Fu is overly eager to be awarded by quickly achieving his task, so he...”

“I also considered this,” said the Consort Deng, letting out a sigh, “I will still keep my word to him, so I will support his family. After all, the Empress Gu is not able to find out where they are. Next time, you are supposed to remind the servants for many times that they should not achieve their tasks in haste. I have been prepared for the plan for many years, so we ought to be more prudent as we are about to realize it. Any mistakes and failure are not allowed to make. Do you get it?”

Yao Tao respectfully answered, “Yes, I do.”