Leaving the Changmen Palace - LTCP 07: Show One’s Power

Time flew by, and before anyone knew, it was Princess of Pingyang’s birthday.

Liu Che, Empress Wang’s youngest son, had three older sisters who were all married.

Princess of Pingyang, as the eldest daughter, was the most beloved among them. She and the empress shared a close bond, like that of the grand princess and empress dowager.

Despite having a minor disagreement with the empress, Chen Jiao continued to show respect towards her elder sister-in-law. One month earlier, she had a conversation with the grand princess about finding flawless jade pendants to present as a congratulatory gift to the Princess of Pingyang, emphasizing the need for it to be fitting.

While many ordinary people on the streets seemed to have a death wish, the wealthy merchants were already dressed in luxurious brocade and silk. As the most esteemed individuals in the empire, they effortlessly distributed valuable gifts as part of their regular social interactions, a common practice for them.

As the crown princess, Chen Jiao was incredibly wealthy and did not require the grand princess’ personal assistance in preparing gifts. In addition to the steward of the Crown Prince’s Palace, there were other trusted individuals who could assist in this task.

Chu Fu was among those individuals who could help with the preparations.

Despite having numerous palace servants, those who were literate were a rarity. Most were uneducated peasant girls, with only a small fraction capable of engaging in conversation with her.

Chen Jiao did not view the illiterate and rough around the edges with disdain, but rather recognized that tasks were accomplished more efficiently by those who could read and write.

Chu Fu not only had basic literacy skills but also had a knack for completing tasks effectively. When given small assignments by her, she carried them out to her satisfaction.

The voice inside her mind inherently harbored dislike towards Chu Fu, prompting her numerous times to either “end her life, or send her away from the imperial palace.”

She chose to disregard its requests.

When faced with its persistent demands, she simply questioned, “She has a clean record and is committed to her duties. If she is eliminated, who will diligently work for me?”

Those in positions of authority are often seen as powerful and admirable, but when one is in Chen Jiao’s shoes, they understand the pressures and challenges they face. Each action requires consideration of the elders’ thoughts.

The emperor greatly appreciated her kindness and commended her for valuing human life, “a rare quality of a crown princess.”

Working alongside her meant sharing the lavish treats provided by her and facing minimal consequences for errors, as she never resorted to physical punishment. This approach led to more active service from those around her, as everyone wanted to assist her.

Respect and financial gain were incentives, as the amiable crown princess was willing to promote individuals.

Many times, what subordinates desire is insignificant to superiors, so insignificant that superiors do not care.

Liu Che never sought the love of those around him, but rather preferred that they fear him so much that they refrained from spreading gossip about him.

It was now challenging for information from the Crown Prince’s Palace to spread.

Chen Jiao wondered if it was due to his intimidation or her own ability to win people over.

Despite this, she started to hear about the empress’ words and actions in the Jiaofang Hall. Over time, she became more integrated into the imperial palace life, resembling a crown princess rather than the daughter of a grand princess.

Chu Fu was popular among the palace servants because of her friendly nature, candid speech, and courageous conduct. Some younger palace servants even considered her “a sister more beautiful than the crown prince.”

Shortly after Princess of Pingyang’s birthday, Chu Fu quietly told her, “I heard that the princess was not very pleased with the gifts you gave her. She has complained to the empress a few times, suggesting that despite your outward friendliness, you do not seem to truly value your sisters.”

It is not uncommon for sisters-in-law to have disagreements. Despite the past closeness between the grand princess and the empress, a distance has grown between them since Lady Li’s fall from grace and the empress ascension to the throne.

Although they maintain surface pleasantries, there is a growing tension between them. This is evident when the grand princess complained in the Crown Prince’s Palace about the crown princess being too diligent in attending to the empress’ needs.

This marks the first time Chu Fu has shared negative information about the empress. Previously, her reports only consisted of information regarding the empress’ preferences in food, leisure activities, and sleeping patterns.

Chen Jiao couldn’t resist looking at her and let out a quiet sound of surprise.

She wondered to herself if it was her own fault that rumors were being spread, causing discord… Could it be that Chu Fu was working for the empress? But the voice remained silent for a long time.

She was taken aback by this.

She had anticipated it using her suspicions to tarnish Chu Fu’s reputation, hoping to exile her from the palace and banish her.

Even though it resided in her mind and had access to her thoughts, it seemed unable to grasp all of her intentions. She only knew fragments of what she had asked and what she had witnessed. It was as if there was another person inside her body, experiencing the world through her senses but not comprehending the destructive impact her words could have on a vulnerable young girl.

How fascinating, a voice that could be seen as somewhat monotonous, yet it managed to stir Chen Jiao herself.

She didn’t rush to prompt it, instead, she gently lifted the corners of her mouth and got lost in her own thoughts.

After a while, a deep sigh brought her back to reality.

It was profound and limitless, filled with immeasurable sadness, yet there was also a touch of hidden sweetness, as it uttered, “No.”

“The sole mistake she committed was falling in love with you.”

…

Lately, the emperor has been unwell and has seldom visited the empress dowager. Chen Jiao greeted her and proceeded to update her on the emperor’s condition.

“Skilled physicians have been summoned to the imperial palace to examine him, and several elaborate healing ceremonies have been conducted. As of yesterday, my uncle has started to recover and was able to stroll in the courtyard.”

“Everything is fated. As long as the sacrifice is appropriate and the remedy is successful, the illness will naturally go away, regardless of how severe it is.” The empress dowager was quite happy, “It’s all the blessing of the ancestors!” She gave Chen Jiao a pat.

Although Chen Jiao shared her laughter, she dared not voice any disagreement. She would never say such things directly, even though she had no belief in divination or witchcraft.

“Naturally, it is the responsibility of the older generation to care for the younger one. In addition to depending on our ancestors’ protection, do we not also depend on your care?”

It was impossible for the empress dowager not to laugh.

She gave her a tender squeeze on the hand and teased, “You must have something to ask of your grandmother, right?”

However, the grand princess and the empress dowager were not the same. Though not overly so, she still needed to be courteous.

Love the house and its crow. Even though the old lady’s eldest son was already the most honorable person in the world, she couldn’t help but think about her eldest daughter and second son. She had grown up with this daughter of her eldest daughter since she was a young girl. Who would she spoil if she didn’t?

This favor remained a form of partial and irrational exclusive favor. Moreover, the emperor and the empress dowager were at odds following the Prince of Liang incident.

“I want to ask for a few people from Changle Palace.” Chen Jiao felt somewhat ashamed, “I’m looking for people who can be used with confidence. Even though the Crown Prince’s Palace servants are now submissive, few of them are intelligent and speak the language. I want to ask the elderly people around the empress dowager to help teach and identify them. I want to find a few people with useful talents and place them next to me so I can listen to them.”

The empress dowager’s face shifted.

Because she couldn’t see, she had to rely more on her hearing, and she could hear every little change in Chen Jiao’s feelings.

Slowly, she said, “What? You have to talk clearly. Which would you prefer: a clever, understanding person or one who is obedient? Do you prefer someone who is attractive or someone who is honest?”

She continued, “You are still young and have not yet reached adulthood. Avoid being overly impatient.”

In a quiet voice, Chen Jiao stated, “I’m not impatient… Princess of Pingyang has already begun choosing the ladies in her palace. Even though she didn’t publicly humiliate me, I still felt extremely ashamed, almost like I was jealous.”

At once, the empress dowager became enraged.

“The emperor remains unwell! She should be caring for him as his daughter and not wasting her time on such things.”

Chen Jiao was also reprimanded, “You are also a daughter-in-law! When a father is ill, the son should give his all to care for him. At this moment, how can a filial son have the heart to consider beauties? Are you going to harm the crown prince’s filial piety in order to demonstrate your virtuousness?”

She quickly got down on her knees, “Calm down, grandmother. The issue is that A’ Jiao lacks speech. A’ Jiao lacks experience and is young, and still requires your lessons.”

The wrath of the empress dowager had not yet diminished, “Someone! Bring the crown prince and the empress here!”

The elderly woman, who was getting on in years, attempted to take care of every part of her face and was generally very kind in both her words and deeds. She frequently acted very gently, even when she was upset with the empress.

Chen Jiao had never witnessed her speak so incisively and with such overwhelming inner strength before.

All she could do was to kneel on one side and hear the empress dowager’s grievances against the empress.

“Since A’ Qi is ill, he should abstain from women and even cut back on his meat consumption. However, the servant I sent to visit A’ Qi claimed that he had only slightly improved yesterday before having another intercourse with a palace servant. He was unable to wait and asked for various types of meat as soon as he was ready to eat it.”

Although the emperor ruled by doing nothing and was lenient in his administration, he was actually a very impatient and fierce individual who did not have a lot of patience.

“You are in charge of the six palaces as the empress. You ought to get up now and counsel the emperor.”

“What kind of system is it if you just blindly submit to flattery?” The empress dowager asked, growing increasingly grave.

Terrified, the empress removed the ornaments from her head and knelt down with Chen Jiao and the crown prince to listen to her instructions.

“Additionally, the crown prince has been playing outside for days instead of being by his father’s bedside. Your father is sick! Unable to even get out of bed! Is this your way of being filial?”

Liu Che swiftly removed his hat as well, bowed his head, “Grandmother is right, grandson is ashamed.”

“The crown princess is also at fault!”

Chen Jiao was not even given a pass by her, “The crown prince has made mistakes, you should have advised him directly, instead of letting him make one mistake after another.”

Without hesitation, she removed the hairpins from her head and, like the empress, listened to the empress dowager’s fury while her head was bare.

Then she, the empress, and the crown prince, from Changle Palace, went together to the Weiyang Palace, in order to attend to the emperor.

The emperor was taken aback to discover that both the crown princess and the empress heads were bare.

Soon after, he found out the specifics, and was overcome with emotion, “What kind of affection in the world is more precious than a mother’s love for her son?”

Even the crown princess, whom the empress dowager usually loved the most, had suffered as a result of the emperor’s illness, which had angered the empress dowager toward the empress and the crown prince one after another. What else could it be if it wasn’t her excessive love for her son?

The emperor’s health improved, and he began to visit Changle Palace more often.

“Respect the elderly,” he would also counsel the crown prince when he came across challenging political situations. “In situations where you are having trouble deciding, you might as well consult your grandmother.”

Chu Fu reported to Chen Jiao two months later, “I heard that Princess of Pingyang was scolded by the empress for some reason, and they had a big fight.”

When she heard this, she couldn’t help but sigh.

She received an incredibly vivid, straightforward, and profound lesson from the empress dowager.

But even as the emperor’s health steadily improved, the empress could not force him to desert women and care for himself in peace. During the first month of the year, his condition deteriorated once more, and he began to show signs of dying.

…

T/N

“Love the house and its crow.”— to love someone or something so much that you extend that love to everything connected to them, even things that might not be inherently lovable.