Chapter Sixty-Seven: Her Intentions

A commanding voice sounded from outside, and the man entered with an expressionless face. Despite his travel-worn appearance, his handsome features and the aura of authority beneath them remained undiminished. At the sound of his voice, both Wanliang Qi and Yuzhi knelt instinctively, welcoming their lord with utmost respect.

Wanliang Qi had not expected the king to return to the palace at this hour. Hadn't the Imperial Concubine Jade just told her that he would not be back until the next day? Why had he suddenly arrived now?

As these thoughts raced through her mind, the man stepped inside, lifting the brocade curtain adorned with lotus leaves and striding directly into the chamber. His tall figure was accentuated by a white jade-colored robe, and his dark eyes regarded the two kneeling women with a clear and chilly gaze.

"Speak. What is going on here?" His eyes grazed over them lightly before he silently moved toward the bedside. The hem of his white jade robe brushed gently against his boots, making a faint sound.

In the quiet of the bedchamber, that slight sound seemed almost jarring, making hearts tremble with unease.

"Your servant does not know how this came to be," Yuzhi replied, her head bowed, her tone low and tinged with fear. "I had only just entered when I saw the Lady Attendant Qi here. If there is fault, it lies with your servant for not attending well to Her Majesty. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."

"This is rather interesting. What, then, were the guards of Anxue Palace doing?" He had reached the bedside now and, rather than anger, a smile played at his lips—an alluring curve that made his presence even more captivating. His gaze swept over Wanliang Qi with an icy undertone. "And how did you manage to slip in here?"

Wanliang Qi shuddered under that gaze, unable to suppress a tremor despite her usual composure.

After a moment, she stammered, "Your Majesty, please allow me to explain. I was concerned for the queen and wished to pay a visit. But today I discovered, by chance, that the woman lying on this bed is not the queen herself!" Seizing the opportunity, she pressed on, "Your Majesty, this is a grave matter. Where has Her Majesty gone? I am both worried and afraid."

"What are you saying, Lady Attendant? I can make no sense of it," Yuzhi retorted, her face showing a trace of anger. "Her Majesty has been recuperating here since she fell ill, and even we, her attendants, rarely disturb her. You claim concern for Her Majesty, yet you have violated His Majesty's edict forbidding any disturbance during her recovery. Now you make such accusations—what are your intentions?"

"I... I only uncovered the truth of the matter. Why must you continue to conceal it for Her Majesty?" Wanliang Qi replied, growing bolder as she spoke, her voice uncharacteristically loud for one so timid.

"You are being most disrespectful, Lady Attendant. I have no wish to argue with you and disturb Her Majesty's rest further," Yuzhi replied with clear disdain.

Just then, the woman on the bed began to stir. She turned languidly, as though just waking, a hand resting upon her forehead, long strands of hair trailing over the edge of the bed. She seemed to grow more alert, though her voice remained drowsy.

"Yuzhi, what is happening? It feels rather noisy in here," she said, her tone weary, her eyes vacant and unfocused.

"Did they wake you?" Ji Wuqing sat down beside her, his hand gently covering hers in a gesture both intimate and tender.

"Your Majesty? So you've returned. No wonder the palace is so lively," she murmured, her voice faint, her appearance truly that of an invalid.

"Are you blaming me for leaving you alone?" He brushed aside her hair, his tone as soft as a drifting feather.

"How could I?" Xuexue replied with a question of her own.

"So it seems I imagined too much—thinking you were hinting at your longing for me," he said, his words gentle and affectionate, as though they were an ordinary couple rather than sovereign and consort.

"How could it be? How could she be Her Majesty? Just now, it clearly was not..." Wanliang Qi realized the voice was quite different from what she had heard before. Looking up at the woman on the bed, she saw a serene and elegant face—though only in profile, it was unmistakably the queen.

She stared at Xuexue in a daze, her formerly confident expression now frozen in disbelief.

How could this be? Was it all a figment of her imagination?

"Lady Attendant Qi? Why are you here?" Xuexue turned her head, recognizing Wanliang Qi's voice and asking with a puzzled look. "Did His Majesty bring you here? Otherwise, how could you have entered Anxue Palace?"

"Your Majesty... but it was not you lying here just moments ago... How could it suddenly become you?" Wanliang Qi gazed at Xuexue's innocent and confused expression, recalling her own foolish actions. This time, she knew she was doomed.

If she still could not understand what had happened, then all her scheming had been in vain.

"What are you talking about?" Xuexue sat up, rubbing her forehead in exhaustion. "Did something important happen during my illness that has left you so incoherent, Lady Attendant?"

"Hmph, nothing but a fool's ramblings," Ji Wuqing interjected coldly, his words laced with hidden meaning.

"I beg Your Majesty and Your Highness for forgiveness. I acted rashly today—it was my fault. Please have mercy," Wanliang Qi stammered, cold sweat beading on her brow, her true timidity finally showing through.

"What is the matter with her?" Xuexue asked in surprise, seemingly unaware of what had transpired.

"No matter what, I will handle it. You need only rest," Ji Wuqing assured her, then commanded the attendants outside, "Lady Attendant Qi has defied my edict and entered Anxue Palace without leave, disturbing the queen's recovery. Though not a capital offense, it must not go unpunished. From this day forth, she is to be expelled from the palace and left to her fate."

At these words, Wanliang Qi's gaze turned hopeless. All she had struggled for was wiped away in an instant.

News of Wanliang Qi's offense quickly spread throughout the palace, like a stone cast into a tranquil lake, shattering the outward calm of the harem. It also proved that even while ill, the queen could sway the king’s heart.

Meanwhile, in the Hall of Benevolence, the news had also arrived. The Empress Dowager's face darkened, the usual kindness replaced by a rare flash of fury. Kneeling on her couch, her graying hair interwoven with strands of black resembled a whisk, and her benevolent features, now shadowed with anger, were like a Buddha statue shrouded in gloom.

"Well! Very good! I never expected to be outmaneuvered by someone so close to me. That she would defy me—unthinkable," she muttered, clutching her prayer beads tightly, her grip as firm as her expression.

"Please calm yourself, Your Majesty. If you harm your health, it would not do..." Eunuch Yundao hurried to console her. He had served the Empress Dowager for many years and rarely seen her so enraged. "And I am sure the Imperial Concubine Jade had her reasons for acting as she did. I am certain she is loyal to you."

"You are quick to speak in her defense." The Empress Dowager composed herself, taking heed of his warning about her health.

He was right—she must not let herself fall ill, or how else could she witness their downfall?

"I would never harbor disloyalty toward Your Majesty. I only worry for your health," Yundao insisted. "Besides, perhaps the fault does not lie with Imperial Concubine Jade. Maybe His Majesty simply returned earlier than expected."

"Enough. Send for the Imperial Concubine Jade and have her come to me. She owes me an explanation for this matter," the Empress Dowager ordered, regaining the calm and detached demeanor of one devoted to her prayers.

In the Jade Harmony Palace, a woman sat before her embroidery frame, dressed in a blue robe woven with fish motifs, the luxurious skirt pooling around her feet like the unfurled leaves of a lotus. She herself resembled a lotus flower—her delicate beauty carrying the fresh, classical grace of a lotus blossom.

Her slender, jade-like hand stroked the half-finished embroidery stretched across the frame—a scene of a carp playing with a pearl. Though unfinished, the work was already vivid; the carp leapt above the water, towering over the lotus leaf.

"A carp leaping over the lake? Perhaps it truly is the tale of a carp transforming into a dragon. But if Xuexue can do it, why does Wanliang Qi believe she can as well?" The Imperial Concubine Jade whispered, plucking a fine needle and continuing her elegant work.

She had to admit, Wanliang Qi’s downfall had been partly orchestrated by her own hand. Yet, it was primarily Wanliang Qi’s own scheming that brought about her ruin. Otherwise, she could have remained a lady-in-waiting, enjoying a life of comfort in the palace.

Alas, she was not content with her lot and aspired to what Xuexue possessed.

Given that, the Imperial Concubine Jade had simply turned the situation to her advantage, teaching Wanliang Qi a lesson in self-awareness.

Perhaps, from the start, her true target had never been Xuexue, but Wanliang Qi herself.

Now that Wanliang Qi had been so easily removed from the palace, there would be nothing left to stand between her and Xuexue.

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