Chapter 775: My Only True Love is the Imperial Concubine

The night at Yong’an Palace was deep and lovely, with brilliant stars and soft moonlight.

Endless spring filled Hua E Building, but Baihua Pavilion was utterly silent.

Zhao Ling’e was in a foul mood. She hadn’t expected all her efforts to end in utter failure.

Nanxun Hall had been practically impenetrable today; the people she had bribed never even got a chance to make a move.

‘I really underestimated the Imperial Concubine. Who would have thought she’d come up with a plan like that?’

They worked in pairs and were forbidden from leaving their posts. Everyone’s actions were witnessed by another. The Imperial Concubine had even issued a warning: if anyone made a mistake, their family would be implicated.

Every Palace Attendant had a family. They might risk their own lives, but they wouldn’t condemn their entire family to death.

‘The Imperial Concubine… she really knew how to exploit people’s weaknesses.’

From the moment she entered the traveling palace, she had been slowly and carefully laying her plans. Not only had all her long-standing efforts come to nothing, but all the silver she’d spent had also gone to waste.

At the palace banquet today, she had exchanged a few brief words with Mrs. Zhao, who had come to the Capital City from the Zhao Family. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, there was no opportunity for a deep conversation, but she managed to glean a few key points from what was said.

First, the Zhao Family’s efforts to gain a foothold in the Capital City were not going smoothly. They had tried their best to curry favor with the prominent families, and while there were some results, they fell short of the Zhao Family’s expectations.

Second, the Zhao Family had presented *Chen’s Star Scripture*. Although the Emperor was overjoyed and lavishly praised the family, it was all just lip service. There were no other rewards; they had only gained some superficial prestige.

Third, the Zhao Family wanted her to secure her position in the palace as soon as possible and not remain suppressed by the Imperial Concubine. Her demotion last time was due to her being too rash. They hoped that when she acted again, it would be a single, decisive strike.

Zhao Ling’e was furious. ‘Easy for them to say, but is it really that simple?’

‘This isn’t Linfeng, where I could do as I pleased.’

‘This is the Capital City. The Imperial Palace.’

‘The Imperial Concubine herself isn’t the fearsome part. What’s fearsome is the Emperor’s single-minded devotion to her and his absolute trust in her.’

‘A hundred words from me don’t carry the weight of a single word from her.’

‘How am I supposed to make a move against that?’

‘A single, decisive strike?’

‘If I miss, I’ll be the one who dies!’

At this thought, Zhao Ling’e rose and walked to the window, gazing at An Shutong’s room across the way.

‘What a shame. If An Shutong hadn’t been saved, I could have convinced the Empress Dowager to move against the Imperial Concubine.’

‘An Shutong’s death would have created an irreconcilable rift between the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine.’

‘But she didn’t die. She survived.’

‘My only hope now is to wait for that horse-racing tournament. I hope the Emperor attends. It’s my best chance now.’

In the days following the palace banquet, the atmosphere in the traveling palace was extremely tense. Xu Sixi interrogated nearly every Palace Attendant from top to bottom before finally seizing upon a clue.

The near-fatal disaster that had befallen An Shutong had actually originated with the Empress Dowager.

Yun Zhao was stunned when she saw the written confession. She had always suspected Zhao Ling’e was the culprit; she never imagined the Empress Dowager was involved.

‘Thinking back, it makes sense. If it had really been Zhao Ling’e, she wouldn’t have been able to act so normal in front of us on the day of the incident.’

‘On that day, I specifically watched her expression but couldn’t find anything amiss. I just assumed Zhao Ling’e was a master of disguise.’

‘I never thought that she had truly done nothing at all.’

‘Or perhaps, she had sensed something was afoot, but instead of stopping it, she gave it a little push.’

Yun Zhao looked at Zhang Maoquan. “This outcome is truly unexpected,” she said. “Send the confession to the Emperor.”

‘This time, there’s bound to be another conflict between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.’

Sure enough, Yun Zhao’s prediction was correct. After Feng Yi read the confession, he went straight to Yixin Palace.

The atmosphere in Yixin Palace was heavy.

The Empress Dowager’s expression shifted rapidly before she threw the confession to the ground. Staring at the Emperor with a cold face, she demanded, “What is the meaning of this, Your Majesty? Have you come to call me to account?”

Feng Yi’s eyes swept over the scattered confession on the floor, a flicker of derision crossing his face. “What I mean? Does the Empress Dowager truly not know?”

Her face filled with rage, the Empress Dowager stared daggers at the Emperor. “I was not aware this matter was instigated because of me. It is merely the scheme of those base-born wretches.”

“Base-born?” The derision on Feng Yi’s face deepened. “Has the Empress Dowager forgotten? When you first entered the palace, Marquis Gu’en was nothing more than a minor Assistant Governor.”

‘She came from a humble background herself, yet she despises others for being low-born. Once people attain high status, they often trample on those beneath them to prove their own nobility.’

Yun Zhao’s words surfaced in his mind. ‘Looking at the Empress Dowager’s actions, it was just as she’d said.’

Perhaps because the Emperor’s words were so blunt, the Empress Dowager’s composure finally broke. “Your Majesty, I am the one who gave birth to you. Do not forget that.”

‘What good does it do him to mock his own mother?’

Feng Yi stood and looked at the Empress Dowager. “When I was an unfavored Prince, I never resented you for failing to bring me glory as my mother. Because of you, my life in the palace was a constant struggle, and I faced endless hardships, yet I never held it against you. I used to tell myself that my mother came from a humble background, and that I should be grateful to have been born a Prince, not resentful.”

Upon hearing his words, the Empress Dowager’s face froze. Her rigid body slumped back into her seat. “You…”

“My displeasure with Marquis Gu’en isn’t because he lacked ambition, but because he abandoned us to save himself when we, mother and son, were at our lowest. My displeasure with you, Mother, is not the resentment you imagine. It is because you never saw my hardship—or perhaps you did, but you never once lifted a hand to help me. No matter the time or place, you always protected yourself first.”

“There’s nothing wrong with self-preservation. Though it saddened me, I never held it against you. I never received a mother’s love from you, Empress Dowager, so please do not expect a son’s filial piety and respect from me.”

“The world says that I favor the Imperial Concubine excessively, that I have eyes and heart for no one but her. They are right. I love only her. In the past, now, and in the future, the place by my side will belong only to her.”

The Empress Dowager’s head snapped up.

“Because in the Imperial Concubine’s heart and in her eyes, I am the one who matters most. No matter when, where, or what may happen, her first thought is always of me. A beautiful face will wither, and the body will age. There are thousands upon thousands of beauties in this world, and as the Emperor, I could have my pick of countless women.”

“But none of them are my Imperial Concubine. None of them are the concubine who is devoted to me with her entire being. Even if her beauty fades one day, even if she becomes jealous and monopolizes my favor, I will still willingly indulge and protect her. Do you know why, Empress Dowager?”

The Empress Dowager’s face was ashen as she remained silent.

“Because she possesses the true heart I once sought but could never find. She has given me the most precious and unique devotion in this world. When you love someone, you want them all to yourself. I feel that way about her, and she feels that way about me. Isn’t that how it should be?”

“Empress Dowager, my heart is vast enough to contain the entire world, but it is also small enough to hold only one person. Though I am the Emperor, I have but one heart. I have given it to the Imperial Concubine, so naturally, I cannot give it to anyone else.”