AS DUSK FELL, the setting sun sank behind the palace rooftops, spreading a delicate golden sheen over the glazed tiles. From afar, they looked like scattered shards of gold.
Shen Jue himself carried a bowl of ginseng soup to Chengqian Palace. The palace now belonged to a new mistress, Noble Consort Li, who'd recently given birth to the second prince. The consort who'd passed away in Chengqian Palace three years earlier was already a distant memory. In the palace, death was like extinguishing a lamp; the light of even the most brilliant and favored vanished like smoke. The courtyards where lives had ended received new occupants, as if the emperor's favor alone could keep any lingering spirits at bay.
Was there a single courtyard within the palace's spiraling depths that was still a stranger to death?
Shen Jue's head was bowed as he stepped over the threshold and through the circular archway. Consort Li sat on her throne, her icy gaze trained on him. Her facial features were subtle and delicate, not particularly striking. As a low-ranking concubine in a sky-blue pleated skirt, her gentle sweetness had caught the emperor's eye, and a single fortunate night with her had led to the second prince's birth. Once kind and amiable, Consort Li now sat adorned in jewels and radiated haughty arrogance.
"Where is His Majesty?" Consort Li asked coldly, examining the red polish on her nails.
"His Majesty has been swamped with affairs of state. He rises early and goes to bed late, so he hasn't had the chance to visit Your Highness. But rest assured that he always thinks of you. As soon as he finished with the court officials, he asked this humble servant to bring you this ginseng soup," Shen Jue said with a perfectly measured smile as precise as embroidery on a garment or the carvings on a beam—just right, never overdone. "His Majesty instructed your servant to ensure that Your Highness finishes the soup before he leaves."
Consort Li waved her hand. A maid approached Shen Jue, took the soup, and presented to her.
Head lowered, Consort Li stirred the oil droplets on the broth's surface with her spoon. "The ginseng soup arrives daily, but His Majesty hasn't visited even once! What—does he think I got fat and ugly after giving birth?" She shot Shen Jue a sharp glance, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "Or is it because you scoundrels keep bringing him beautiful women to win his favor?! Do you think I'm clueless? The Yangzhou Companion Wei-gonggong gave him just days ago was stunning. I heard that His Majesty keeps her at his side at all times—even in the leopard enclosure! A beauty and the beasts—a perfect match!"
Shen Jue bowed his head even farther. "Your Highness jests. She's merely a passing fancy to His Majesty—a momentary novelty, nothing more. How could she ever compare to you? She doesn't even have a title to her name. Why not just ignore her, Your Highness?"
"If I do, you'll soon all be ignoring me!" Teeth clenched in anger, she hurled the tray and soup bowl at Shen Jue.
Shen Jue remained still. The bowl missed him and shattered on the floor with the sharp crack of breaking ice, but the wooden tray struck his temple. Crimson blood trickled down, following the strap of his black gauze hat.
Gasps rose around Consort Li. Shen Jue was the undersecretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial and a favorite of Wei De; the emperor himself trusted him and consulted him on many matters. No one in the court nor the inner palace dared disrespect him. Consort Li's boldness in treating him so harshly left those around her shaking in fear.
Yet the smile on Shen Jue's lips didn't waver. It was as if he hadn't been injured at all. Bowing slightly, he said, "Your Highness is overthinking things. You are the mistress; we are the servants. How could a servant ignore their master? You've just given birth, and you're still weak, so you accidentally spilled the soup. I'll fetch another bowl from the kitchen right away."
Consort Li was about to erupt again when a maid discreetly tugged her sleeve, reminding her that Shen Jue was close to the emperor. If the emperor saw his injury and concluded that Consort Li was arrogant and overbearing, she might lose the favor she'd earned by giving birth to the second prince. Consort Li flicked her sleeve and coughed once. "Then the injury on your face…"
"Your servant accidentally fell and injured himself. Your Highness need not worry."
"Hmm. Be more careful when walking." Consort Li cleared her throat, maintaining her haughty demeanor. "I am a noble consort and the mother of the second prince. You're a smart man, Shen-gonggong—you should understand that pledging loyalty to me will only benefit you in the future."
Shen Jue seemed to remain unmoved, his expression as steady as a mountain. "Your Highness jests. This humble servant serves in the Directorate of Ceremonial. My job is to share in His Majesty's burdens."
"Hmph. Ungrateful wretch!" Consort Li glared at him. "Dismissed!"
When Shen Jue left, Consort Li slumped against her throne and let out a long breath.
The maid beside her frowned. "Why did you do that, Your Highness?! If Shen-gonggong hadn't hinted that the ginseng soup was tampered with, you'd be spending your days bedridden! You certainly wouldn't be as healthy as you are now, would you?"
"I was just putting on an act! I've eaten so well these past few days… Who knew I'd be strong enough to actually hit him when I threw the bowl? Can you blame me?" Consort Li muttered, twisting her handkerchief. "That man—he didn't even dodge."
"Ah… What are we to do? That old bastard Wei De wants to get rid of both mother and child in one fell swoop. The ginseng soup comes every day—we've tossed it out, poured it away in secret, even watered the orchid on the windowsill with it and withered the flower."
The ginseng soup hadn't stopped coming since the second prince's birth. At first, Consort Li was overjoyed and grateful, assuming her luck had turned and she'd finally won the emperor's favor. Soon after, though, she started feeling weak and dizzy and needed to spend most of her time seated or lying down. The imperial physicians found no issues. Her mysterious illness had continued until last month, when Shen Jue had taken over delivering the soup and left behind a handkerchief reading: The soup is poisoned. Only then had Consort Li and her maids realized what was going on, which left them shaken and terrified.
The first prince's legs were damaged. A healthy new prince would be strong competition, no matter how young he was. Wei De was close to the first prince, but he had the emperor's trust, and everything passed through his hands; it would've been easy for him to tamper with the soup.
Consort Li wasn't an ambitious woman, but this was the hand fate had dealt her. His Majesty had only two children, and one was bound to become the future emperor. She had no choice but to fight. After a moment of thought, she rose to her feet and slammed the table.
"That old bastard Wei De won't rest until he sees me on my deathbed. Fine—let him have his way. Claim I'm ill, and shut the palace gates!"
Outside Chengqian Palace, Shen Jue pulled out an embroidered handkerchief and pressed it to his temple, glancing down to see that the blood had already stained his collar. Shen Wenxing, a young eunuch who awaited Shen Jue on the palace avenue, was startled at his bloodied appearance.
"Godfather?! What happened?!" he asked anxiously.
Shen Jue had adopted Shen Wenxing as his godson earlier that year. Eunuchs couldn't have children, so they commonly took in godsons; isolated, they adopted for companionship. After such an adoption, the two eunuchs would call each other "Godfather" and "Godson"; it was something to bring them joy and cheer. When the elder eunuch passed from old age, their godson would be there to see them off.
Shen Jue, however, cared nothing for the joy and solace of the relationship; he merely wished to build his influence. Adopting a godson meant providing guidance and support. In exchange, his godson would act as his most devoted confidant. Shen Wenxing was twelve years old. Before entering the palace at the age of eight, he'd been a street urchin who caused no shortage of mischief. When he schemed, his sly demeanor lent him a slight resemblance to Xiahou Lian. Perhaps that was why Shen Jue had decided to take him in.
"It's nothing," Shen Jue told him. "Just a minor injury."
Shen Wenxing glanced at him with concern. His godfather was an unearthly beauty—what would he do if that beauty was marred? "Your godson has some ointment for wounds that prevents scars. I'll bring it to you later."
Shen Jue shook his head, declining. "What about the task I assigned to you?"
"There's been some progress," Shen Wenxing whispered. "Word from the south is that an elder in Miaojiang mentioned something strange: Fifty years ago, a group of masked, black-robed figures bought up all the azalea blossoms and seeds, then took several herbalists with them. The herbalists never returned. It's far too suspicious—I'd wager those black-robed figures were assassins from the Garden, and they probably silenced the herbalists." He pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Shen Jue. "Here's the azalea flower the elder drew. Your godson has already sent people to search for it using the sketch. Given Miaojiang's lush vegetation, wild azaleas are bound to be growing somewhere."
"Well done," Shen Jue nodded. "Split our men into two teams—one will keep searching for the azaleas, and the other will investigate what really went on with those black-robed men. Let me know right away if you find anything."
Shen Wenxing bowed and nodded. "It's thanks to your vast knowledge and keen insight, Godfather." he said obsequiously, remembering to throw in some flattery. "If you hadn't discovered in the local chronicles of Yunnan and Guizhou that the azalea's poison resembles Seven Fifteen, we'd still be running in circles."
Still, Shen Jue felt that their progress was too slow. He could afford to take his time investigating, but could Xiahou Lian wait? Over the years, he'd searched for any news of Xiahou Lian, but he hadn't found any trace of him in the jianghu. Shen Jue couldn't say whether Xiahou Lian had failed to make a name for himself or was already dead. He pressed his lips together, silent.
Shen Wenxing observed his expression. When Shen Jue wasn't smiling, his features had a cold elegance, like winter snow on plum branches or moonlight over a desolate mountain.
After parting with Shen Wenxing, Shen Jue returned to his quarters to change into fresh clothes, then set off to report to Wei De.
The sky had darkened, and the palace lanterns flared to life one by one, creating a brilliant sea that rivaled daylight. As Shen Jue stepped into the Document Office, the eunuchs inside rose to their feet and greeted him respectfully. "Shen-gonggong," they chorused.
Shen Jue nodded at them in greeting, then turned to head past the curtain partition. Behind that, Wei De was teasing a caged bird with a silver hook. "You're back?" he asked lackadaisically.
"Peace be with you, Father."
Wei De glanced at the wound on Shen Jue's temple and sneered. "Completely worthless, that one. She's already rejected nine of the last ten servings of ginseng soup. Such arrogance, all because she was shown some favor. Even with the second prince as a shield, her good days won't last forever."
Wei De handed the silver hook to Shen Jue, who accepted it respectfully, then followed him slowly.
Wei De sat down on the throne behind the curtain, idly twirling the polished prayer beads on his wrist. "Women—give one some favor and a son, and she'll think she has it all. In theory, that might make sense. But who's to say how things will turn out in the end?" he asked meaningfully. "And whether a baby in swaddling clothes can make it to adulthood is a question in itself."
These were terribly treasonous words, yet Shen Jue showed no reaction. His expression was calm, as if Wei De were describing trivial household affairs. Wei De studied Shen Jue intently. Seeing his composure, he smiled in satisfaction.
"Jue-er, you've grown. That inept fool Xiao Yan seized someone's estate, and the censors impeached him. The emperor plans to dismiss him. The Eastern Depot can't be left without a chief, so I've already requested a decree from the emperor—tomorrow, you'll take charge of the Eastern Depot."
At those words, Shen Jue's eyelashes fluttered. He prostrated himself.
"Thank you, Father," he said, his voice clear as a chime. "For your sake, your son will endure fire and water without hesitation!"