In just a few days, the news that the deceased Princess Li was a true phoenix spread far and wide, claiming she was born with the destiny of an Empress, and that her untily death had caused anomalies in heaven and earth, with many commoners even bringing offerings to worship her outside the imperial mausoleum.
As the tale grew more bizarre, but because most people in the capital had witnessed the Phoenix Illusion that day, people could not help but believe it.
Following that, so people began to speculate further. If the deceased Princess Li was naturally destined to be the Empress, what then was Prince Li? Initially, he was the Regent King, and recently his authority in court had been increasingly formidable, so rumors about him planning to usurp the throne grew more intense, with so Imperial Censors even advising him to his face to return to the Northwest.
"All these scoundrels, how dare they slander !" Returning from court, Duan Huaijin exploded in anger; today, so even advised in court that he embezzled military provisions and bribed ministers, although he indeed had done so, but how did they dare expose him? Did none of them value their lives?
"Your Highness, what should we do now? Should your servant..." a guard made a throat-slitting gesture.
The strategist beside him quickly shook his head: "That’s not appropriate. If sothing happens to those Imperial Censors who reported His Highness, wouldn’t it be clear that it was His Highness’s doing?"
"So what do we do? If they keep investigating like this, wouldn’t all our prior efforts be in vain?"
"First, withdraw from a few easily discovered strongholds, everyone should refrain from rash actions, and then just wait."
"Wait for what?"
"Wait for when the Holy Emperor passes away."
The previously impulsive guard brightened up at this: "Right, how much longer can the Holy Emperor’s health hold? Once the Holy Emperor passes away, who else could stop our Prince?"
"Then we wait." Duan Huaijin narrowed his eyes, his face showing a satisfied look.
"Your Highness is wise, everyone in the capital says the Princess Consort was destined to be the Empress, so Your Highness must naturally be destined to be the Emperor, we just need to wait."
Duan Huaijin felt very pleased by this remark, it was true, he was supposed to ascend the throne those years ago, if he weren’t so powerless at that ti, he wouldn’t have had to wait all these years.
Only, it’s a pity that his Empress was gone and couldn’t witness this glorious Jiang Shan with him.
"Your Highness, the relics of the Princess Consort have been sorted out, would you like to take a look?" the Housekeeper called from outside the study door.
"You all go back first," Duan Huaijin told the group of strategists, then he walked into the room where Ye Qiu’s relics were stored.
The relics of Ye Qiu were not many, just adding up to five chests. Duan Huaijin looking at them felt a surge of guilt rising within him—these were not befitting a Princess Consort, even the head maid attending him may possess more than these items.
Thinking this, he felt all the more that he had wronged her, recalling her in that dilapidated manor, dressed in simple clothes, wearing modest jewelry, and even worrying daily about what to eat, he almost wished he could slap his past self.
He had thought that she married him for wealth and status, but if she truly was after such things, the ten thousand taels of silver she received from the Ye Family would have been enough for her to live comfortably. Yet, she didn’t spend a cent of it, allocating ten thousand taels to two maids, ten thousand taels for her wet nurse’s retirent, and saved the remaining eighty thousand taels. Before she died, she even wrote a letter asking him to build a Charity Hall.
One could say she cared the least about worldly possessions, yet he had been wrongly accusing her all this ti.
"Prince, all the Princess Consort’s daily necessities are in these boxes, but this servant found this while cleaning," a maid said as she placed a box on the table.
"What’s inside?"
"It looks like so letters."
"Letters?" Duan Huaijin was skeptical, waving the maid off, "You go out, I’ll be alone for a while," he said, and then opened the box.
The box was simple, without a single pattern, let alone any embedded gemstones or hidden compartnts. However, the surface of the box was glossy, showing that the owner cherished it greatly, as only frequent polishing could keep such an ordinary wooden box in such good condition.
Duan Huaijin picked up the letter on top. It was called a letter, but it was more like Ye Qiu’s inner monologue.
"The weather is getting colder, even with braziers filled in the room, the bone-chilling cold is palpable, and my internal organs ache intermittently. I can’t sleep at night. I know my end is near; I just don’t know if I can see Huaijin one last ti... But never mind, he has misunderstood , he definitely doesn’t want to see , I hope he and my sister will be happy."
Although there were few words, Duan Huaijin could feel the hesitation and lancholy of the person who wrote the letter at that ti.
How could she be so naive? Of course, he would have wished to see her!
It’s all his fault, giving her the illusion that he favored Ye Xia, causing her to lack the confidence to even et him one last ti.
Duan Huaijin then picked up the second letter, which read, "Today, the only tenant family in the manor was called away, leaving only the four of us, servants, and a near-blind housekeeper. The market is a bit far; I don’t know if the wet nurse can buy so rice, flour, oil, and firewood. It’s hard for them following such a useless master like . I wish I could explain to the Prince, but I don’t have much ti left, just let him think I’m a bad woman, so he won’t be sad when I die."
Reading this, Duan Huaijin felt a surge of heartache. He had thought he was the only one harboring feelings, but did Ye Qiu also care about him so much?
He continued reading one by one. Soon, he got to a letter written before her marriage: "My sister was given in marriage to Prince Li, but she didn’t want to suffer in the Northwest and wanted to marry in her stead. It was heartbreaking when my parents and I were pressuring into the marriage, not only because they didn’t care about their daughter but also because my sister looked down on Prince Li."
"How formidable Prince Li is! Although not trusted or utilized by the Holy Emperor, he has protected the Northwest for many years without any issues, showing his bravery. My sister unwilfully wants to marry, I am willing, but I can’t let her have her way so easily, so I took all her jewelry and ten thousand taels of silver. I heard the Northwest is poor; these gemstones and silver should be able to help Prince Li!"
It was for this reason! Duan Huaijin had not expected that when Ye Qiu asked the Ye Family for ten thousand taels of silver at the ti of her marriage, it was actually for him!
And after getting married, she hadn’t handed it over to him because he had initially been indifferent to her, and she couldn’t find the opportunity. Later, he returned to the capital, and she felt it was no longer necessary so she never ntioned it!
Such a silly girl, she actually loved him so much! She had always been thinking about him, but he had always thought wrong.
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