Chapter 76: He Taifei’s End
Clearly, the tone was gentle, and the look in her eyes revealed softness, yet she spoke the most heartless words.
Every word turned into the sharpest blade, rushing towards him, mercilessly cutting one gash after another on his body.
Lips trembling, Gu Zhen’s hand hidden in his sleeve pinched deep marks into his palm. He whispered, ” Zhen knows.”
He knew she still resented him.
He knew she still couldn’t let go of the past.
He knew she couldn’t cross that hurdle in her heart.
But what method was there? The past events were causes he planted with his own hands; the bitter fruit borne now, he could only swallow himself.
” Zhen knows you feel uncomfortable in your heart.” Gu Zhen turned her slender shoulders, lowered his head slightly, his voice deep. “In the past, Zhen was wrong. I failed you greatly, causing you to suffer so many grievances for nothing.”
In the future, he would slowly compensate her.
If three years weren’t enough, then ten years. If ten years weren’t enough, then thirty years.
He had a lifetime to pay her back slowly.
The man’s deep phoenix eyes lowered slightly. If Zhao Yiyi just lifted her eyes a bit, she could meet that chilling gaze.
His powerful presence lingered by her side. Her eyes suddenly reddened, and even her tone changed. “Your Majesty always says you want to compensate this consort, always says you want to protect this consort and not let me suffer grievances anymore. But the Marquis of Hejian breaking the engagement, Linchuan pushing Duanduan into the water, He Taifei setting fire to destroy Jiao Fang Palace—which of these, one by one, was not a slap to this consort’s face?”
Asking it all in one breath, she suddenly stopped, turning her head slightly to look at the pine and cypress nearby.
He did protect her. During the earthquake at the pagoda, during the fire at Jiao Fang Palace—in every instance, he protected her. But—
But she ultimately couldn’t get past that hurdle in her heart.
Once she thought of the past, she only felt pain.
“Does Your Majesty know what kind of terrified life this consort lived in the past?” she asked softly.
Gu Zhen’s heart tightened violently. His hand gripping her shoulder tightened as well. His brow darkened, and he soothed raspily, ” Zhen knows, Zhen knows.” Raising his hand to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye, his heart soured. “Don’t cry. Zhen knows it all.”
Zhao Yiyi looked up with misty apricot eyes, asking him dazedly, “Does Your Majesty know everything?”
Gu Zhen held back the sourness and nodded, softening his voice to reply, “Mn, Zhen knows everything. Don’t think too much. Zhen will send you back first. This year’s chestnuts are good; Zhen will make roasted chestnuts for you tomorrow.”
Zhao Yiyi felt even more terrible and couldn’t help asking, “If you knew everything, why didn’t you help me? You just watched others bully me?”
Why?
Gu Zhen suddenly lost his voice.
Why else could it be?
It was just that he never cared, never took anything to heart.
But how could these words be spoken?
He could only apologize again and again. “Mn, it is all Zhen’s fault. Don’t be angry.”
Zhao Yiyi was so angry she didn’t want to talk to him. She flung his hand away and walked off, not even taking the palanquin, walking all the way back to Yande Hall.
She walked fast, her skirt moving with the wind along the way, her silk sash fluttering.
Gu Zhen followed behind, helpless, reminding her, “Be careful, don’t trip.”
“I don’t need you to tell me.” Zhao Yiyi turned her head and glared at him fiercely.
Gu Zhen could only reply helplessly, “Alright, alright, I won’t say it. But look at your sash dragging on the ground; what if you trip later?”
When Zhao Yiyi arrived at Yande Hall, she saw Zhao Duanduan standing at the palace gate waiting for her. Obviously, seeing she hadn’t returned for a long time, she was worried and ran out to wait.
“Sister.” Zhao Duanduan called her first, but upon seeing the Emperor following behind, she subconsciously hid behind Yiyi.
She was afraid of the Emperor to begin with, and coupled with her unhealed injuries and damaged appearance, she dared not let others see. So she just hid behind Zhao Yiyi, tugging her clothes carefully.
Wu Mao stood aside, stunned, looking at the patch of clothing revealed behind the Empress with astonishment. If others encountered this, wouldn’t they rush out to curry favor with His Majesty? Yet this one actually hid.
Zhao Yiyi pulled her forward and smiled. “His Majesty just said he wants to title you Grand Princess Jiangdu. Why not thank His Majesty quickly?”
Gu Zhen glanced up, knowing her little secret thought of wanting to solidify this matter as soon as possible. He didn’t refute it, simply turning to order, “Been busy these past days. Go prepare for the investiture ceremony and have the Bureau of Astronomy select an auspicious date.”
Zhao Duanduan pursed her lips, wanting to say she didn’t want it. But meeting those smiling apricot eyes, she bowed and said respectfully, “Many thanks, Your Majesty.”
Watching her enter the hall and seeing the doors of Yande Hall close before him, Gu Zhen’s expression darkened slightly. Moving a bit, a piercing itch rushed up; only then did he realize he had stood too long, and his legs were a bit numb.
Holding a white jade pendant in his palm, he tightened his grip, then loosened it.
This was the birthday gift she gave him last year.
Something he once scoffed at, but now, wanting to ask for another piece was hard to obtain.
“Your Majesty.” Wu Mao called from the side, carefully observing his expression.
Gu Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly, pulled his cloak, and said indifferently, “Let’s go.”
Zichen Palace. Jiang Jiayan presented the results of the interrogation on the Imperial desk.
He sighed a little. He had kept the Deposed Prince Wei locked up for so long; only when the news of He Taifei’s imprisonment and the Seventh Prince’s detention arrived did he loosen his tongue.
“He Taifei promised him that since the Seventh Prince was young, if he ascended the throne at a young age, it would be hard to hold power. He, the eldest brother, should still be the Prince Regent and lead the government.”
Gu Zhen leaned on the couch with eyes half-closed, listening to Jiang Jiayan recount the interrogation results in detail.
He suddenly opened his eyes and sneered, “Stupid as always.”
The Deposed Prince Wei injured a leg back then, and his health was damaged. Not only was he disabled, but he also had difficulties with heirs. In his condition, trying to ascend the throne was truly difficult.
Jiang Jiayan investigated further based on the information revealed and found that long before the late Emperor passed, these two had connected. Deposed Prince Wei knew he couldn’t inherit the throne but still desired power, thinking being a Prince Regent wasn’t a bad deal.
When the late Emperor passed, they wanted to act, but unfortunately never found a suitable opportunity.
“People in the Henei official circles had entanglements with Deposed Prince Wei early on; quite a few supported him secretly,” Jiang Jiayan whispered, presenting another testimony.
Gu Zhen looked through them one by one, suddenly laughed mockingly, and said indifferently, ” Zhen has been too good to them these years, giving them some illusions.”
When brought to Zichen Palace, though changed into new clothes to avoid offending the noble, He Taifei still lacked her former demeanor.
Kneeling before Gu Zhen, her body trembled slightly, head buried deep looking at the rug.
“Mother has treated you not thinly these years.” Gu Zhen sat at the head, watching He Taifei prostrate on the ground, twitching the corner of his lips. “For the sake of you being able to make Mother happy, Zhen could have provided for you as half an elder.”
While locked in prison, He Taifei knew her life was at an end. With the Emperor’s temperament, he absolutely couldn’t tolerate her. Not just her—likely even Ah Yu wouldn’t be tolerated.
—But she was unwilling.
Both were daughters of the He family. Just because Ah Jie was born of the legal wife and she was a concubine’s daughter, their treatment from childhood was worlds apart.
At home, except for Father, no one took her to heart.
Even Ah Jie looked down on her, not to mention the Eldest Brother often telling Ah Jie to stay away from her.
” Ah Jie and I were both the late Emperor’s concubines, but Ah Jie entered as Empress, while I was only a Jieyu. His Majesty was Crown Prince, yet Seventh Prince was said by the late Emperor to be unworthy of great responsibility.” He Taifei suddenly laughed low a few times. “Sisters born of the same father—Your Majesty, how could I not hate?”
Gu Zhen’s expression was calm as he glanced down at her. “Mother didn’t know, did you think Zhen didn’t know either? Entering the palace back then—wasn’t that something you begged for yourself?”
He Taifei lost her voice instantly.
Back then, the Empress fell ill. As a sister, she entered the palace to care for the Empress. Taking the opportunity of delivering cakes for the Empress, she schemed and had an affair with the late Emperor.
More than love or status, at that time, she was immersed in the thrill of stealing her elder sister’s husband.
Later, He Taifei began to want more.
The late Emperor knew her nature but enjoyed her smiles and gentleness, only warning her to keep her place. But once tasting the sweetness, how could she stop?
At home, her relationship with the Empress Dowager was only ordinary. But after entering the palace, with her petty fawning and cautious flattery, combined with the dullness of palace life, their relationship actually improved day by day.
Under the protection of her Empress sister, He Taifei lived a hundred times better than others in the palace. Until that day, she heard the late Emperor tell Ah Jie that when the Ninth Princess turned one, she would be titled a Princess. Her Eighth Princess was half a month older. When she asked the late Emperor expectantly when she would be titled, he said: “Naturally, waiting until Eight-niang marries to title her. Rest assured, Zhen won’t short her share.”
Buried memories awakened. She began to hate from then on—hating the Empress Dowager, hating the legal mother, even hating the Ninth Princess in the swaddling clothes. Under hatred, her courage grew. Seeing the Empress Dowager weak after childbirth and unable to attend to the child, she actively took the Ninth Princess over.
He Taifei thought several times about strangling the Ninth Princess directly, but later changed her mind. Rather than killing her, better to let her daughter replace her, avoiding suspicion.
So she ordered someone to take the Ninth Princess out of the palace, giving a maid a sum of money to kill the Ninth Princess and return home, while actually having people ambush to kill the maid too.
Unexpectedly, news came later that the maid had disappeared.
He Taifei lived in fear for some days. Seeing the calm, she grew bold, claiming her Eighth Princess had died.
After success, He Taifei grew bolder, her appetite growing. Until the Prince of Wei rose, she set her sights on that position.
Everything was going in her predicted direction. Whether the Yongjia Commandery Duke’s estate or this world, it would belong to them, the siblings—these two lowly concubine-born children.
Who knew it would fall short at the last basket.
“Drag her down.” A trace of disgust flashed in Gu Zhen’s eyes. He waved his hand, too lazy to look again. “Treat as treason.”
Returned that night, before the decree came down, He Taifei used a white silk strip to hang herself from the beam.
When the Seventh Prince woke up and saw it, he screamed, rolled his eyes, and fainted directly from fright.
The servants, while collecting her body, worried about punishment for not watching her well and kept cursing the bad luck.
Everyone looked at the Seventh Prince in unison, shook their heads, and only dared to report to His Majesty after cleaning up He Taifei.
“It is a bit unlucky, dirtying the palace ground for nothing.” Gu Zhen said faintly, breaking a piece of food and throwing it to Ah Mo (the dog). “Move the Jiangdu investiture ceremony back a bit too.”
Wu Mao said, “Your Majesty, the relevant offices are ready. If moved…”
Gu Zhen said calmly, “Move to next month. Otherwise, if the Empress knows, she’ll say Zhen handles things with bad luck again.”
Wu Mao smiled apologetically. “How could she?”
When Gu Zhen arrived at Yande Hall, he saw Zhao Yiyi sitting by the window making a knot. Her dexterous fingers moved lightly, and a long knot appeared bit by bit before his eyes.
Braided onto a sachet, it looked very beautiful.
Gu Zhen stepped forward two paces and asked with a smile, “Who are you making it for?”
Zhao Yiyi didn’t turn her head. “This consort’s sachet is old; making a new one.”
Seeing she was still braiding, Gu Zhen asked again, “What about this one?”
“For Duanduan,” she replied.
Wu Mao turned his head away.
Late this month was His Majesty’s birthday. Though His Majesty didn’t say it explicitly, how could Wu Mao not know? His Majesty was looking forward to the Empress’s birthday gift.
In the past two years, the Empress started preparing a month in advance, putting in so much effort. Take last year’s jade pendant—the Empress personally picked the jade, set the design, and supervised the work.
Even the tassel on it was hand-braided by Niangniang.
Gu Zhen didn’t give up and couldn’t help asking, “Is there none for Zhen?”
Translator’s Note:
- “Box Lunch” (Chapter 76 Title): The original title uses the slang “領盒飯” (Receive a box lunch), which in Chinese internet/acting slang means a character has died (because extras get a box lunch after their scene is done). I translated the title as “He Taifei’s End” for the story flow, but kept the colloquial spirit in mind.
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