Chapter 141: Fragrance Faded, Jade Shattered

Xue Yan could now picture the peerless Prince of Qinghe from back in the day, whose extraordinary good looks caused citizens to shower his carriage with fruit. "And then what happened? Why did the Prince of Qinghe leave Jiankang, yet the Princess ended up marrying the Emperor of Northern Zhou?"

The Old Lady slowly recounted the tale.

"Back then, how magnificent the Prince of Qinghe was; how could he possibly take a fancy to a woman from the barren wilds! Yun Zheying repeatedly expressed her affections to no avail, so she turned her schemes toward the Prince of Qinghe's mother—Princess Zhaoyang. Learning that the Princess was desperately seeking a medical cure, she claimed to possess exceptional medical skills and a secret family remedy."

"Did the Princess summon her, then?" Xue Yan asked.

Old Lady Wang nodded. "In her desperate longing for a cure, and advanced in years as she was, the Princess paid no heed to her identity as a foreigner and summoned her. At that time, the Princess's physical condition was still quite robust. The daily tonics she consumed were strictly vetted by the chief physicians of the Imperial Hospital, and even folk remedies were reviewed by them—how could they ever have allowed the Princess to ruin her health by testing some unknown medicine? Therefore, the rumors outside were merely the blind and groundless speculations of ignorant people."

Xue Yan asked again, "Wasn't a large group of imperial physicians punished back then? I remember a Physician Yue who frequently visited our family was among them, deeply implicated. Could this matter still be related to the physicians?"

Old Lady Wang shook her head. "It had nothing to do with the physicians; it was merely the late Emperor venting his fury after the Princess died."

"What on earth happened back then that caused the Princess's death?" Xue Yan's eyes rolled as she asked, "Could it be because of that medicine?"

Old Lady Wang nodded. "Yes, it was precisely because of that medicine."

"That medicine could indeed help one conceive offspring, but it posed an immense hazard to women. For a young woman, it might have been manageable, but the pity was that the Princess was already over thirty and had suffered impairment to her constitution during the period of turmoil; how could she possibly withstand the torment of such a potent drug? The Imperial Hospital strongly urged against it, and the Emperor also received word. Emperor Xuan, who always regarded his full sister as the apple of his eye, would never have allowed the Grand Princess to put herself in such peril. He issued a decree forbidding the Princess from taking this medicine, under penalty of death for disobedience. What a pity..."

"The Princess took the medicine anyway?" Xue Yan asked.

"Yes. The Princess concealed it from everyone, obtained the prescription from Yun Zheying, and took it in secret. Barely three months later, she conceived a child. With no news of a pregnancy for so many years, a sudden conception could simply not be hidden from the imperial physicians who came daily to pay their respects and take her pulse. The affair between the Princess and Yun Zheying was completely exposed, and the Emperor flew into a rage, issuing a decree to execute that demonic woman. Regrettably, the Princess intervened, and in the end, the Emperor failed to have her killed.

"Carrying her child, Princess Zhaoyang grew thinner day by day until she was reduced to a mere skeleton, hovering on the brink of death. The physicians, the Emperor, and Prime Minister Gu discussed the matter and, with heavy hearts, decided they must secretly terminate the pregnancy. To save the life of his full sister (and wife), they were willing to do anything.

"Yet alas, the Princess discovered their conspiracy, and she grew intensely cautious. Every day she was like a frightened bird, guarding against those around her who might poison her, while also keeping watch against her own husband and younger brother.

"In the end, before reaching the seventh month, the Princess's body could no longer hold out, and she gave birth to a baby boy—none other than the current Eldest Young Master Gu. Of course, this is also the fundamental reason why the Eldest Young Master Gu has been plagued by frail health since childhood.

"Because of carrying and giving birth to the Eldest Young Master Gu, the Princess's vitality was completely exhausted. The Emperor spent vast sums of wealth to summon countless renowned physicians, yet still could not salvage her life.

"Lingering for less than two years, the Princess passed away like a vanishing fragrance."

Xue Yan sighed, feeling a pang of sympathy for the Princess. Children are a woman's very life; even someone as powerful and high-ranking as the Princess ultimately still longed to bear a child with the man she loved.

"And then? Why didn't the Prince of Qinghe appear?" Xue Yan asked, puzzled.

"When the Princess became pregnant and the Emperor learned that Yun Zheying was the one who had secretly prepared the medicine for her, he commanded the imperial guards to hunt her down and execute her without trial, but the Princess intervened and stopped them. Unfortunately, while the Princess could stop the Emperor, she could not stop the Prince of Qinghe.

"Realizing she had courted disaster, Yun Zheying fled in haste. What kind of person was the Prince of Qinghe? Even to the ends of the earth, he was determined to hunt her down.

"It was years later that the Prince of Qinghe finally uncovered Yun Zheying's identity as a princess of Northern Qi, along with the trail of romantic entanglements she had left behind in various places over the years. Regrettably, Yun Zheying's identity was well-concealed, and uncovering it took several years."

Having managed the Yong'an Earl's Residence for many years, Xue Yan loathed nothing more than such seductive vixens who lured away men.

"She was a princess of a foreign state; I suppose it wasn't so easy for the Prince of Qinghe to get his revenge?" Xue Yan could not help but feel a sense of injustice on the Prince's behalf.

"Not long after the Prince of Qinghe transmitted the news back, courier reports arrived detailing how the Princess of Northern Qi had been ambushed three times. At a glance, the matter bore the distinct hallmark of the Prince of Qinghe. Pity that the Prince was only one man, whereas the Northern Qi princess had three thousand retainers in her retinue.

"Later, the Prince of Qinghe returned to Southern Chen heavily wounded. Because he bore an eight-tenths resemblance in appearance to Princess Zhaoyang, whenever the Emperor laid eyes on him, it stirred memories of his full sister, bringing him enduring grief. Consequently, the Prince of Qinghe rarely returned to Jiankang and spent his time traveling afar, only returning to Jiankang for the Qingming and Hanshi festivals to sweep the Princess's tomb. Looking back at the campaign against Northern Qi, how could the late Emperor's actions not have been driven by a desire to avenge his full sister?"

Xue Yan gasped in astonishment and quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.

Then she lowered her voice and said, "Mother, such words must not be spoken casually! That is a treasonous offense punishable by beheading!"

Old Lady Wang nodded, stroked her eldest daughter's hand, and said, "Rest assured, Mother knows what she is doing."

"What about the Prince of Qinghe's side?" Recalling his previous haughty and unceremonious demeanor, coupled with his reputation for ruthless killing, Xue Yan suddenly shuddered slightly.

"The Prince of Qinghe simply possesses a somewhat eccentric and unfettered disposition. You should send some modest gifts of apology, though you needn't go to him in person. However, you must put some thought into smoothing things over with your sister-in-law. If your sister-in-law does not hold it against you, the Prince of Qinghe will not pursue the matter."

Xue Yan nodded, resolving to attend to the task right away.

As noon approached, Jiang Lan lay leisurely upon a rattan chair in the courtyard, basking in the sun with utmost contentment.

In a secluded corner of the courtyard, a pair of gaze fixed intently upon him, brimming with envy.

Gu Chengwu looked toward the white-bearded old man standing beside the couch, half-shrouded in shadow. "Why are you staring at him? Come over here and finish this game of chess."

Xie Muyun glanced at Jiang Lan, who was leisurely enjoying fruit and basking in the sun in the courtyard, then looked back at the enchanting face filling the room.

"I want to go bask in the sun."

Gu Chengwu looked at Xie Muyun, who wore an expression of utmost grievance, and bluntly stated without a shred of courtesy, "If I drag you outside, would you dare to sunbathe?"

"Can't that mouth of yours ever utter anything pleasant?"

Gu Chengwu smiled. "Very well, I shall grant you a handicap of three stones."

Xie Muyun was overjoyed, but as soon as he hurried over and surveyed the board, his enthusiasm wilted. "Even with a three-stone handicap, this old man cannot defeat you. What's the point? I still want to go bask in the sun."

With a helpless sigh, Gu Chengwu flicked his sleeve, and the entire room blazed with bright illumination.

"There, are you satisfied? Let us continue playing."

Qingli walked over bearing pastries arranged on two separate plates. As she set the dishes down beside Jiang Lan, she perceived the faint trace of a lingering spell.

"Young Master, I shall go take a look."

Jiang Lan nodded. "Go ahead. And while you're at it, check whether Sanmu has returned yet. It is already noon; he should have been back by now."

"Understood, Young Master."