Everyone Wants To Harm Me - Chapter 60

The one who had come to the palace to deliver the message was the old man beside His Majesty, Eunuch Li.

I finished dressing, went out to receive the order, and asked him, “Why did His Majesty suddenly summon me?”

Eunuch Li replied, “His Majesty went to Yanning Palace this afternoon, stopped the sedan chair, and asked, ‘Has the Imperial Consort’s lost niece been found?’ When he learned that Miss He had returned home safely, he ordered to summon you. His Majesty lingered in Yanning Palace for a long time. The palace remained the same, but the lady was no longer there… I suppose he missed the Imperial Consort.”

These days, my family avoided mentioning my aunt for fear of being implicated. Fortunately, His Majesty still remembered her. After all, they had shared years of hardship and life-or-death struggles in their youth, and twenty years as husband and wife was no ordinary bond. Since His Majesty had neither held a grudge against my aunt’s defiance nor believed the absurd rumors about her dying in a lovers’ suicide pact with Chang Yu, it was clear that he still cherished her memory.

In the end, this whole affair had stemmed from His Majesty’s moment of anger and misjudgment, leading to Chang Yu’s wrongful execution. But what could ministers say if the Emperor mistakenly killed a eunuch servant? If… if he truly regretted it now and sincerely mourned my aunt, then… perhaps I could forgive him too.

There were not many people who still missed my aunt now.

I followed Eunuch Li to the carriage, and my grandfather and Madam Zhou saw me off at the door.

Madam Zhou said, “Yaoyao, you often visit the palace, so we’re at ease. Go early and return early.”

She quietly nudged my grandfather with her elbow.

Grandfather stood there with a dark expression, silent. In his mind, he was thinking: Why summon her now, of all times? That wretched girl better not lose her temper and spout nonsense in front of His Majesty! Asking me to bow my head to a young girl—how humiliating would that be?

He coughed twice and said sternly, “Be respectful when you see His Majesty. Don’t be rude and disgrace the He family.”

He hadn’t been afraid of losing face when he committed evil deeds, yet now he was worried about losing face because of me. Did the He family still have any face left to lose?

His words only reminded me — if I told His Majesty the truth and let him decide, would Grandfather finally restrain himself and stop harming the girls in our family? This was what my aunt would have wished for. His Majesty should be sympathetic and compassionate toward her, right?

I followed Eunuch Li and entered the palace from Chunming Gate. After passing the palace gate, I got off the sedan chair and walked. My aunt’s Yanning Palace had been in the northeast of the palace city. On the way, when I passed the small garden in front of Zhaoyang Palace, I encountered a beautiful lady in palace dress.

My aunt had once held the highest position in the palace. The concubines of various palaces often came to Yanning Palace to pay their respects. Although I hadn’t recognized all of them, I was somewhat familiar with most. But I had never seen this one before. Her demeanor and temperament were also very different from those of ordinary concubines in the palace.

She appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a neat figure and a calm expression. She wore no makeup, and her hair was tied up. For a moment, I didn’t know how to address her.

Eunuch Li stepped forward and bowed first, saying, “Greetings to the Eldest Princess.”

Ah… so she was Princess Yongjia, who had just returned from Huihe.

I stared at the princess blankly and forgot to bow. It was the princess who looked at me first and asked, “Who is this?”

Her thoughts were tinged with discontent: New clothes outshine old ones; new people replace the old. The Noble Consort hasn’t even been gone a month, and His Majesty is already selecting someone new for the harem? How coldhearted!”

Eunuch Li explained, “This is Miss He, granddaughter of the Duke of Peng, summoned to the palace by His Majesty.”

I came to my senses and was about to bow when the princess held me up, looking relieved. “So it’s the Imperial Consort’s niece. Your name is Qiyao, isn’t it?”

I couldn’t help but look up at her. “Does the princess know me?”

“You were raised in the Imperial Consort’s palace when you were little. I often went to visit you and play with you.” The princess gazed at me, her expression filled with emotion. “The little one who slept in the cradle like a jade ball has grown up so much now.”

The princess was ten years older than me. When I was a baby in the cradle, she would have only been eleven or twelve years old. Princess Yongjia, at that age, had already been preparing to marry into the Huihe tribe to save her country.

I asked her, “Princess, you often visited my aunt’s palace. Did you have a good relationship with her?”

The princess said, “I lost my mother when I was five years old. My sister-in-law was like a mother to me. The Imperial Consort treated me like both a mother and a sister. I loved visiting her the most. Later, when the Imperial Consort brought you into the palace, you were the first girl there. You were so small and delicate, well-behaved, and never cried — much cuter than my naughty nephew. I stuck to Yanning Palace every day and refused to leave.”

When I heard her mention my aunt, my nose started to sting again. “What a pity, Aunt…”

The princess pulled me to sit in the pavilion beside the garden. “In March, His Majesty asked the Imperial Consort to write a letter to me. Everything was fine then. Why did this happen while I was away? What they said… it doesn’t match her character at all!”

I could only cry and shake my head. “I… I don’t understand… Maybe His Majesty summoned me today because of this matter.”

The princess wiped my tears with her silk handkerchief and then held my hand, patting it as if recalling the past.

“The night before I left for Huihe, I went to say goodbye to my sisters-in-law. When I reached the Imperial Consort’s palace, I couldn’t help but play with you for a while. You were always well-behaved and never cried, but that day, you suddenly grabbed my fingers and refused to let go. When I tried to pull away, you burst into tears, as if you couldn’t bear for me to leave. When you cried, I couldn’t help crying with you. I couldn’t bear to leave my brothers, sisters-in-law, and my homeland. But if I didn’t go, the war would never stop, and countless children like you would lose their parents and become homeless. I had to force myself to pull my hand away. Over the years in Huihe, I never had children. I always remembered that scene — your tiny hand clutching mine. I thought… no matter what, I still had to return home in the end.”

I held her hand tightly. “Princess, you’ve returned now. In the future… you will have a happy family and lovely children around you.”

The princess smiled faintly. “I’ve experienced too much in my youth. Whether I can find happiness in the future depends on fate. If there’s no fate, there’s no need to force it.”

“Princess…” My tears flowed again. “You will meet someone wonderful, someone who treats you as an equal and cherishes you. You’ll have many lovely children, and they’ll make up for all the hardships you’ve endured these past ten years…”

If the princess had been a domineering woman who used her status to oppress others, I might feel less sympathy. But she was so kind that I couldn’t even dislike her if I tried. I even felt that she deserved someone as wonderful as Yu Chongrui — they would make a perfect match.

The princess gently comforted me. “Don’t cry, don’t cry. If the Imperial Consort saw you now, she would feel so distressed, thinking she failed to protect you.”

I had indeed suffered a lot, but I didn’t want to make my aunt restless in the afterlife.

Eunuch Li approached the pavilion and called out, “Princess, have you finished reminiscing with Miss He? His Majesty is still waiting. Perhaps after Miss He meets with His Majesty, I can bring her to Zhao Yang Palace to chat with you further?”

The princess scolded him, “His Majesty summoned someone from outside the palace; he won’t be standing around waiting. He should be in the Ganlu Hall now, meeting with his ministers. What’s the harm in talking a little longer?”

I wiped my tears and told her, “His Majesty is busy with state affairs. I should see him first, then visit you afterward.”

The princess nodded. “That’s fine. I’ll be here in Zhaoyang Palace. When you return, be sure to stop by.”

I understood her meaning—she was concerned about my aunt’s reputation too—and I silently nodded.

I had followed Eunuch Li to Yanning Palace. As expected, His Majesty had already gone to Ganlu Palace to discuss matters, just as Princess Yongjia had predicted. Eunuch Li had asked me to wait for a while.

The pavilions, towers, and furnishings of Yanning Palace had remained exactly as they had been when my aunt was there, yet the people and atmosphere had changed. Jun Liu was nowhere to be seen, and the maids sweeping the floors were unfamiliar. The lotus pots in the courtyard, once cared for by Chang Yu, were now neglected, their withered leaves barely clinging to life.

I had waited in Yanning Palace for about an hour, but His Majesty still hadn’t arrived. Midway through, a servant from the food bureau had brought refreshments, saying His Majesty knew I was there and had instructed them to serve me first—he would arrive later.

As the elder female official in charge had arranged the cups and plates, she had quietly sized me up.“It’s been nearly a month since Consort He passed away. Why has His Majesty suddenly remembered her niece? He’s not going to overturn the case, is he? Noble Consort Chu instructed me to spread rumors about Consort He and that little eunuch just to tarnish her reputation and reduce His Majesty’s favoritism toward her. Who knew she’d end up taking her own life? I wasn’t the only one spreading the rumors, so you can’t blame us for her death.

Suppressing my anger, I had glared at her.

She had gathered the dishes and boxes with a guilty look before hastily leaving.

Noble Consort Chu, the mother of the third prince, had been one of the most favored consorts in the palace aside from my aunt. Yet she had resorted to such despicable tactics to compete for His Majesty’s favor. Even if the third prince inherited the throne one day, she lacked the virtue and grace of a true empress.

I had refused to touch the refreshments they brought. How could I eat snacks made by those who had slandered my aunt?

After a while, two young eunuchs had arrived, saying they had been ordered to remove the flowers from the lotus pots and stop planting them. Instead, they would fill the jars with clean water as a fire prevention measure.

Those lotuses had been Chang Yu’s hard work. I had noticed a few buds still alive in the pots and asked, “It’s been raining for several days, so there’s no concern about a fire. Couldn’t you wait until the season ends before clearing them out?”

The young eunuch had replied, “We’re just following orders from our superior. We’ll report back when we’re finished—we can’t make that decision ourselves.”

I could sense his thoughts: No wonder things haven’t been going smoothly for me lately. Turns out that Chang Yu’s lingering spirit is still haunting us! He relied on his good looks to gain Consort He’s favor, acting improper and stepping out of line. Can you blame us for reporting him? We were only protecting His Majesty’s reputation, showing our loyalty to him! Luckily, our master warned us that these lotus pots were suspicious. Once we pull them all out, he won’t be able to cause trouble anymore!

So, it hadn’t been just my aunt who had been ruined by lies—even His Majesty’s anger that had led to Chang Yu’s death had been deliberately incited.

I had wanted to grab that eunuch and beat him, but I knew it was pointless. My aunt was gone, and I held no authority in the palace. The servants wouldn’t have listened to me. I had no choice but to endure it.

I had asked, “What’s your name?”

The eunuch had replied, “I’m Li Sibao.”

Fine. Li Sibao—I would remember him.

I had said to him, “Cut those flower buds and place them in a vase.”

Once Li Sibao had finished clearing the lotus pots, I had waited another half hour. As the sun had begun to set, His Majesty had finally arrived.

I vaguely remembered him holding and teasing me when I was very young. But as I had grown older, his smile had become rare. His expression had always been stern and unreadable. Everyone had feared him. Wherever he went, those around him would kneel immediately.

I had knelt as well, lowering my head to perform the ceremonial bow.

His Majesty had walked to his seat in the hall and said, “Rise and answer my questions.”

Though permitted to sit up, I had remained kneeling on the mat, my head bowed low. Without His Majesty’s permission, one must not look upon his face.

His Majesty had first asked, “After Weilan’s incident, I heard you went missing and only recently returned home. Did you suffer much while you were away?”

I had guessed that the former Court of Judicial Review Minister had told him about my escape from Lan Garden. Knowing he wouldn’t have spoken favorably of me, I had replied cautiously, “I was panicked and disoriented at the time. After leaving Lan Garden, I was nearly kidnapped by thieves. I managed to escape and eventually returned home after many twists and turns.”

His Majesty had asked, “Oh? How did a frail young woman like you escape from thieves?”

I had hesitated briefly and chosen not to mention Yu Chongrui’s help. “Fortunately,” I had said, “some kind villagers rescued me. Perhaps my aunt’s spirit in heaven was watching over me, and I was lucky to escape.”

His Majesty hadn’t asked any further questions. Instead, his tone had softened. “You don’t have to be so reserved. I summoned you here just to chat. There’s no one else I can talk to.”

My eyes had burned, and I had bowed my head. “Your Majesty’s remembrance of my aunt is deeply touching. On her behalf, I am eternally grateful.”

“How could I forget her…” His Majesty had murmured. “I didn’t even get to see her one last time. Were you the last to see her? Tell me.”

Tears had welled up in my eyes. “I… I didn’t see her either. When I arrived, the ground was already covered in blood. She was… already gone.”

“And then?”

“Then…” I had lowered my head, dabbing my tears with my sleeve to avoid losing composure. “Then I fainted.”

His Majesty had fallen silent for a long time. I had dared not lift my gaze.

After a while, his voice had suddenly deepened. “Look up.”

I had bowed again, then slowly raised my head. My eyes had moved from the thick-soled black boots before me to the hem of his black robe embroidered with golden dragons and cloud patterns. I had followed the trail upward to his twelve-buckle jade belt, the five-clawed dragon on his chest, and finally to his face—pale with a hint of beard. No one had dared to look directly at him without permission.

I had quickly averted my eyes in panic.

The emperor’s imposing figure had exuded authority, yet his words had lingered in my mind. Why had he smiled at me like that?

Yet I had seen him flash a strange smile at me, and in my mind, I had heard his chilling thoughts: Without realizing it, this little girl has grown so bright and beautiful, full of charm and grace. The harem hasn’t seen a new concubine in quite some time… Perhaps tonight, I’ll have her stay and serve me.