Everyone Wants To Harm Me - Chapter 92

Deng Zishe’s medicine proved highly effective. With both internal and external application, the wound closed up and stopped hurting after just seven days. Only a few stitches remained visible, and in a few more days, they could be removed. Feng Yuan’s stitching skills were as good with skin as with cloth; her stitches were neat and even, sewing a half-circle of braided wheat around my ankle. I thought that once it healed completely, the scar might look like a silver anklet—it might even be kind of pretty?

By the time I could walk around the courtyard freely without assistance, the prolonged struggle over the succession in the court had finally come to an end.

Originally, they might have argued even longer, but news that His Majesty’s health was failing and he could no longer attend court reached the Huige through spies. The Khagan of Huige, under the pretense of a spring hunt, began to harass border towns with troops. General Pei—the former Minister of War who had been demoted—submitted a memorial from Luoyang, asking that Prince Xin take command and act as regent to deter foreign threats. Everyone realized that Chancellor Song had been right all along, and they collectively recommended that Prince Xin serve as regent in his capacity as a royal prince.

Although the Emperor was still alive, he could not issue an order to name Prince Xin the crown prince, but it was clear that Prince Xin had won the battle for future imperial power.

Grand Preceptor Lin’s old illness relapsed, and he claimed to be ill and did not attend court. The Grand Tutor requested to retire and return home. Grandfather could not support the whole family on his own, and the Third Prince’s party scattered. Originally, they had supported an eleven-year-old child to take the throne, but mostly not out of any ideals, ambitions, or for the country’s interests. Now that there was no hope, they naturally became disunited, scattered like sand. Only a few, loyal to the Emperor and wishing him to pass the kingdom to his biological son, continued to kneel and cry at the Emperor’s sickbed, hoping for a miracle.

At that point, Prince Xin stepped forward to reassure everyone. He visited the Grand Preceptor’s residence in person, graciously declaring that all officials were pillars of the court, indispensable to the state. In a time of both internal and external crisis, he called for unity above all. Grand Preceptor Lin understood the message and complied, citing his old age and poor health. He resigned from his concurrent positions—Censor-in-Chief and Vice Minister of War—but kept his Grand Preceptor title.

Previously, Noble Consort Chu’s brother had been the Chief Censor and the de facto ruler of the Imperial Censorate. After being demoted, the Emperor had promoted two censors to replace him but was dissatisfied with them and dismissed them one after another. Now that Grand Preceptor Lin had resigned from the post of Imperial Censor, the position was left to Zuo Zhongcheng.

Someone recommended Prince Xin appoint Nie Yun, the Prefect of Piling, known for his integrity and courage in challenging authority. He had once independently investigated and impeached several corrupt officials in Suzhou. After reviewing Nie Yun’s dossier, Prince Xin was deeply impressed. He immediately summoned him to the capital and appointed him as Vice Censor-in-Chief, with Chancellor Song temporarily assuming the role of Censor-in-Chief.

Before Brother Zhongshu informed me of this, I had seen it from my grandfather and uncle’s thoughts. My fourth cousin was the Supervisory Censor in the Imperial Censorate. He had originally been the most promising grandchild in the family. Now, Zhenniang’s brother was his immediate superior. My uncle feared that his son might be suppressed or retaliated against by Nie Xun, so he asked my grandfather to mediate and transfer my fourth cousin to another position. But my grandfather wasn’t concerned about Nie Xun seeking revenge. After all, the Censorate oversaw all officials, and the court officials would be wary of them.

Let them worry about it themselves. They had dared to kill Ningning, abandon Zhenniang for a royal match, slander her as insane, and imprison and torment her in Lan Garden until she was unrecognizable. They should have expected that the Nie family would one day seek justice for their daughter.

Anyone who was useless to the He family would be ruthlessly abandoned. Ningning was abandoned like that, Zhenniang like that, and now I was probably halfway into that circle.

After the Third Prince lost power, my status in the family plummeted. Grandfather grew angry when he saw me and stopped paying attention to me. The servants were whispering behind my back again, pointing fingers just like when I had first returned home and Third Aunt and her daughter were still riding high. Now they were gossiping about Lan Yue marrying well and about to become empress, while I remained unmarried and down on my luck. Nothing new. Even the maids sent by Lady Zhou to watch over me had mostly been withdrawn. It was ironic, but this “punishment” granted me peace and freedom.

But I still wanted to leave the house, though it wasn’t allowed. My feet hadn’t fully recovered yet, so I had to stay inside.

Being regarded as a useless, abandoned child didn’t seem to be such a bad thing. If this continued, I could sneak away from home one day and no one would care.

I missed Yu Chongrui a little. I hadn’t seen him for a long time. I didn’t know if Brother Zhongshu was doing this on purpose, but every time he talked to me about the court’s gossip, he avoided mentioning Yu Chongrui. I could only piece together his recent situation from other people’s conversations.

Since becoming regent, Prince Xin had continued to support Yu Zhongrui’s reforms in the capital region. This drew resentment from other factions. Prince Xin’s power base was still unstable—he wasn’t officially emperor, unlike His Majesty, whose word was law. So all the resistance and backlash fell on Yu Zhongrui’s shoulders, and it became even harder for him to push reforms.

After nearly a month, just when I thought everyone had forgotten me, Prince Xin suddenly sent a verbal order summoning me to the palace for an audience.

I recognized the eunuch who came with the message, Zhang Sanquan. After he escaped, he really had gone to Prince Xin.

The reason Prince Xin summoned me was that the Emperor had ordered the construction of a Buddhist temple and instructed the County Princess of Liangxi to mourn the imperial consort. Since the mourning period had not yet ended, the County Princess should return to Yanning Palace to perform the ceremonies.

I didn’t want to enter the palace. I had finally escaped from that embroidered cage, and even though I was still confined at home, it was better than being in the palace. One could mourn anywhere. During this period, apart from some unfortunate blood when the wound hadn’t healed, I still copied scriptures, recited them, burned sacrifices, and burned incense every day. Aunt must have known my intentions and wouldn’t have minded whether I was in the Buddhist temple of Yanning Palace or not.

The imperial palace was also the place Aunt had longed to escape from in the second half of her life. Her spirit tablet might be placed there, but her soul might not be at peace.

Since Grandfather wasn’t home, I listened to the oral order and said nothing. Prince Xin wasn’t the emperor yet, so not accepting his order couldn’t be considered disobedience.

Madam Zhou got anxious. She was sharp and good at reading the intentions of those in power for her own benefit. Now she was probably calculating again.

Zhang Sanquan saw that I didn’t accept the oral order and said, “In addition, His Highness has a handwritten letter for the County Princess.”

He took out a thin piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to me.

I took it and saw that there were only four short lines of poetry:

“The peach tree blossoms, lush are its leaves.
The maiden departs to her new home—
May she be a blessing to her household.”

Madam Zhou was right behind me, stretching her neck to read it. I heard her exclaim with joy, “Prince Xin is… Oh! I told you, the Duke backed the wrong horse—this is our true bringer of fortune! Our family’s glory has only just begun!”

She misunderstood. Prince Xin didn’t mean what he said literally. I only noticed two words in the four lines of poetry: Zhenzhen.

I put away the paper and said to Zhang Sanquan, “Your servant obeys your order.”

The last time I entered the palace, I seemed to be led by the eunuchs through Chunming Gate in the same way, full of hesitation and trepidation. The high walls of the palace still made me retreat, reminding me of the days when I was trapped there, like being stuck in a quagmire and surrounded by thorns. But as long as I thought of Ningning and Zhenniang, I wasn’t afraid.

Zhang Sanquan didn’t take me back to Yanning Palace but went first to Xuanzheng Hall.

Prince Xin was in the palace, sitting behind the imperial case. When he heard the report, he looked up at me and frowned slightly, saying, “I haven’t seen you for a month. Sister Yao, you’ve lost weight again.”

After a month of not seeing him, Prince Xin seemed to have changed a lot. The anxiety, forbearance, caution, and timidity were completely gone, replaced by the imperial aura of someone who dominated the world and looked down on everyone.

In fact, Prince Xin and the Emperor looked three points alike, and they looked even more similar when sitting in the same position. When he looked up just now, I thought I saw the Emperor again.

I bowed to him, and Prince Xin came down from his seat to help me, then asked, “I heard that Sister Yao was injured in Qinghe Garden. Where was the injury? How is the recovery?”

I asked him, “Your Highness summoned me to the palace just to inquire about my injury?”

Prince Xin smiled, letting me go, and said, “Do you recognize Nie Xun, the former governor of Piling County?”

Since he wrote that poem to me, he must have known the grudge between my family and the Nie family. “I’ve only heard of him, but never met him. His sister, Zhenniang, is my former cousin’s wife.”

Prince Xin said, “Nie Yun has just arrived in Luoyang at my summons. He asked to see you, saying you saved his sister’s life. But as an official, he can’t enter the inner palace, so I brought you here instead.”

I had been confined to my home. Nie Xun and Zhenniang wanted to see me but couldn’t, so Prince Xin had summoned me to the palace to help them. I couldn’t help but feel grateful and bowed to him, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Sister Yao, why are you being so polite to me?” Prince Xin softened his tone and told Zhang Sanquan, “Invite Vice Censor Nie in.”

Zhang Sanquan took the order and left, soon returning with Nie Xun. He was nearly forty years old, with a heroic and majestic appearance and a bright demeanor.

Upon seeing me, he bowed and said, “Nie Xun, on behalf of my sister, thanks the Liangxi County Princess for her help and life-saving grace.”

I quickly stopped him. “No need for formalities, Vice Censor Nie. Zhenniang and I are like sisters—it was only natural. If anything… How is Zhenniang now?”

Nie Xun still bowed, then stood and said, “Zhenniang is fine. She came to Luoyang with me this time as well.”

I couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, “Ah! She—she’s here too? Where is she now?”

Nie Xun replied, “She is staying at the post house temporarily. Zhenniang misses you very much. Unfortunately, she couldn’t come to the palace with me, so she asked me to convey her thoughts.”

Zhenniang, now nameless and without position, couldn’t enter the palace. If we were to meet, I would have to go out to find her.

I couldn’t help but glance at Prince Xin.

Nie Xun understood and turned to Prince Xin. “Your Highness, would it be possible for the County Princess to leave the palace for half a day to meet my sister and chat about old times?”

Prince Xin replied, “Why not?” Then instructed Zhang Sanquan, “Escort the Lady of Liangxi to the station with Vice Censor Nie. Bring her back before nightfall.”

I hadn’t expected Prince Xin to agree so readily. Even as I sat in the carriage, I still felt dazed and amazed by his willingness.

Nie Xun rode ahead, crossing the Luoshui Bridge and moving through the bustling streets.

I couldn’t help but glance back at the gate of the imperial city behind me. One day, I would be able to come and go from the Forbidden City freely, walking the streets of Luoyang without restraint. If not for my unhealed foot injury and my current status, I might have jumped out of the carriage and run on the streets myself.

The post house was located in Shangshanfang, south of the imperial city, just a short distance after crossing the Luoshui River. Zhang Sanquan saw us to the location, agreed to return at the hour of You, and bade us farewell.

Nie Xun strode into the courtyard and called out loudly, “Zhenniang, come out and see who’s here!”

A figure in a soft goose yellow dress appeared at the door, then fluttered to my side like a swallow.

Seeing Zhenniang, her face as round as the bright moon and her complexion as rosy as spring peaches, with her smiling eyes, I suddenly felt a lump in my throat.

This was the Zhenniang I knew—the one who had married into my family like a flower, who played with me every day and chatted with me at night.

Zhenniang held my hand tightly, reluctant to let go, her eyes red. “Yaoyao, you saved me. Did your family make things difficult for you?”

Her question brought back memories of the time my grandfather had slapped me. But compared to everything that followed, that seemed a trivial matter.

“As soon as I got home, the Emperor summoned me to the palace and made me a County Princess. Since then, I’ve been praying for the imperial consort in the palace. Now, no one dares to make things difficult for me at home.” I held back my tears, smiling at her. “If you don’t believe me, ask your brother. He brought me here from the palace.”

Nie Xun nodded in agreement.

Zhenniang finally seemed relieved. “Yaoyao, I thought it would take some effort to see you, but I didn’t expect to meet you as soon as I arrived in Luoyang. I’m so happy! You came at the perfect time. My brother is planning to take me to thank the two benefactors who helped me. You can come with us.”