Prince Huainan was the last to come to the capital. For the empress dowager’s birthday, the vassal princes had to arrive at least ten days before New Year’s Eve. For Prince Huainan, who was the empress dowager’s own son, even arriving a month in advance wouldn’t have been going overboard. Though a vassal prince was not permitted to enter the capital without a summons, when his mother was celebrating an important birthday, filial piety was foremost. No one would criticize him for being a little early; he would be praised for his piety.

But Prince Huainan only reached the capital the day before New Year’s Eve. By this point, all the provincial offices had ceased work to celebrate the New Year, and even Emperor Jingren had called off morning court assemblies. Yet Prince Huainan still hadn’t arrived. When Emperor Jingren was beginning to consider how he would go about sending troops to bring Prince Huainan in under escort if he failed to obey the imperial decree, Prince Huainan at last straggled up to the gate of the capital, accompanied by a team of carriages laden with gifts and a squad of elite soldiers.

He had thought it would be easy to enter the city with Emperor Jingren’s edict summoning the vassal princes in hand, but instead he was stopped by the city guard. It was late at night when Prince Huainan reached the capital, and the city gate was locked at night. Apart from members of the Embroidered Guard carrying urgent secret messages, the gate would open for no one; not even Emperor Jingren himself was an exception.

This was Emperor Jingren’s wise decree. The proclamation said that if something happened to the emperor, the cabinet could easily choose a new emperor from among the imperial clan. But if the capital were invaded, the foundations of Xia would be shaken. The safety of the capital’s citizens was more important than his life. If Emperor Jingren wished to open the city gate during the night, he would have to go to the Five City Wardens to get a permit. Under such strict orders, there was no way the guards could open the gate for Prince Huainan.

Prince Huainan, Shen Junyi, had been away for years and had no idea that the capital had such a rule. He raged at the guards in a high-handed way for a while and even threatened them, saying that if they didn’t open the gate, he would force his way in.

This was what Shen Junyi knew of the imperial capital: the city gate was a mere ornament for Su Huailing. She often went in and out of the city at night by attaching herself to parties entering and leaving, as if the gate was the door to her own house. Thinking of it like this, entering the city at night seemed very easy. But contrary to his expectations, when the captain of the city gate guard squad heard Shen Junyi’s threat, he immediately dispatched a report to his superiors, notifying the Five City Wardens of Prince Huainan’s exact words. When the commander in chief of the Five City Wardens heard, he was astonished; Prince Huainan had come with a group of elite soldiers to attack the city! He hastily sent a message to the Embroidered Guard and the Imperial Guard. The position of commander of the Imperial Guard was no longer held concurrently with command of the Embroidered Guard; its commander was a former vice-commander, Feng Mingyi.

As soon as they received the news, Jing Xixian and Feng Mingyi left the city with a large body of secret guards and soldiers. Shen Junyi, who had still been squabbling with the city gate guard, had the Imperial Guard descend on him out of nowhere and arrest him, and each and every one of his elite soldiers was tied up, while he himself was taken to the Court of the Imperial Clan to have tea in the middle of the night.

It was only the next morning that Emperor Jingren received the following request: Prince Huainan had brought five hundred soldiers to attack the city at night and had been promptly subdued by the Imperial Guard; would His Majesty issue a decision? Because the Bureau of Communication was also taking time off, there was no way for a memorial to reach him, so Jing Xixian had reported this news by using the token to enter the palace that had been awarded to him.

When Emperor Jingren heard the news, he frowned slightly. He knew about Prince Huainan’s disloyalty, but the person who had conceived of the meticulous plan that was the assassination attempt at the hunting grounds couldn’t be stupid enough to attack the city at night, at the very end of the year, on the occasion of the empress dowager’s full decade birthday—could he? After such a disloyal and unfilial action, even if Emperor Jingren one day died, the throne would never come to Prince Huainan.

“What has the Embroidered Guard discovered?” Emperor Jingren asked.

Bowing his head, Jing Xixian laughed softly. He replied, “Your Majesty, the Embroidered Guard spent the night investigating, and we have confirmed that after Prince Huainan threatened to force his way into the city, he took no further action but continued to bluster at the city gate guard, and said that for the offense they had given him, everyone on duty at the gate last night would be executed and their families’s property confiscated, the women sent to be trained as prostitutes, and the men brought to the palace to be eunuchs.”

“Nonsense!” Emperor Jingren said angrily. “Where did he learn to act like a spoiled young master? The city gate guard has done nothing wrong. Why should their family property be confiscated? Convey our decree: The city gate guard has been utterly loyal to their posts in the face of menace. Their example should be praised and imitated. All guards on duty last night will be awarded an additional six months of salary, and their captain an additional year, in commendation of their conduct. Also, instruct the Court of the Imperial Clan to bring Prince Huainan to me. As for the men he brought with him… If the servants are determined to have no martial arts skills, they may enter the palace with the gift carriages. The five hundred elite soldiers and any servants with martial skills are to be held in the imperial prison and sent back to Huainan once the New Year celebrations end.”

“Your Majesty is wise.” As Jing Xixian accepted the order, he bowed his head with a slight smile.

Prince Huainan had been away from the capital too long and didn’t know how rigorous the current guard on the city was. His Majesty was strict with himself and lenient with others. Jing Xixian’s subordinates were, to a one, in awe of His Majesty. Throughout history, no commander of the Embroidered Guard had come to a good end, because the position came with the knowledge of too many secrets. But Jing Xixian had a feeling that, under His Majesty’s command, he would be able to die a natural death.

The news that Prince Huainan had attacked the city at night and been taken to the Court of the Imperial Clan was soon all over the capital. Had the Bureau of Communication not already been on vacation, Emperor Jingren’s desk would have been covered in memorials censuring Prince Huainan for disrespect, treason, and insubordination. The empress dowager naturally heard the news as well. Before Prince Huainan even entered the palace, the empress dowager came to intercede for him.

Emperor Jingren was wise. The harem did not interfere in affairs of state, and the empress was a firm master. Since Concubine Xiang had been sent to the cold palace, no one in the harem dared to mete out harsh punishments on their own authority. When palace servants made noteworthy mistakes, it was referred to the empress for a decision. On top of that, the four consorts had been demoted. The empress stood alone. No one in the palace had the nerve to make trouble. Inside and outside the palace, everything was peaceful and in its place. The empress dowager truly was an object of reverence, living a life of comfort and ease, with no need for her to put her hand to anything. She enjoyed perfect tranquility.

But Prince Huainan was her own son, after all. Hearing that he was being detained, the empress dowager couldn’t keep still. But she also heard that Prince Huainan had been arrested only because he had brought soldiers to attack the capital in an attempted rebellion, so she didn’t dare to intercede for him without permission. After giving it some thought, all the empress dowager could think of was to bring along the empress to give her courage. This way, she was brave enough to go find out from Emperor Jingren what had happened, and intercede for Prince Huainan as the opportunity arose. As for why bringing the empress gave her courage, that…was probably because the empress’s presence had put to rest all the wandering ghosts in the palace? After all, the empress gave one a sense of security, like a door god.

Emperor Jingren felt as if he hadn’t seen the empress for a long time since they had spoken openly. Today was New Year’s Eve. At the banquet for the officials tonight, the empress would be present as well. After Emperor Jingren and the empress had paid their respects to the gods, Emperor Jingren would share a drink with the officials in the front hall, while the empress rewarded the officials’ wives in the rear hall. Emperor Jingren was prepared to see the empress, but he had expected to see him that night, not during the day.

The empress, walking after the empress dowager, seemed a little thinner. Of course, Emperor Jingren might have been imagining it. After all, the empress was still as stalwart as ever; beside the empress dowager, he looked more like a guard.

“Mother.” Emperor Jingren stood to welcome the empress dowager. When he took the empress dowager by the arm, he glanced at the empress, but the empress wasn’t looking at him. His gaze was on Little Shunzi, who had been standing there with his head respectfully bowed. This gaze was a little unfriendly, and also a little superior, as if beholding an insect.

Emperor Jingren wasn’t bothered by this look of the empress’s. After all, from the empress’s position, a mere eighth-rank eunuch like Little Shunzi was naturally like an insect.

“Please sit down, Mother.” After giving her the appropriate bow, Emperor Jingren helped the empress dowager to a seat. Little Shunzi discerningly moved Emperor Jingren’s chair closer to the empress dowager, and slightly in front, which made evident his position as emperor, and also showed his affection for his mother.

Little Shunzi always kept in mind what the empress had said: Emperor Jingren was a ruler first, and a seduction target second. The ruler took precedence.

Sure enough, the positioning of this chair made Emperor Jingren send Little Shunzi a look of approval. The empress meanwhile looked at Little Shunzi again, his eyes frigid. And Little Shunzi held firm under the empress’s gaze.

The empress dowager wasn’t interested in the peculiar atmosphere among Emperor Jingren, the empress, and Little Shunzi. She had always been direct. She sighed and said, “Your Majesty, when I rose this morning, I heard right away that Prince Huainan had come to the capital. I waited and waited, but I didn’t see him come to the palace to pay his respects to me. You must get hold of your senseless little brother and teach him a lesson.”

By pretending not to know about Prince Huainan being taken to the Court of the Imperial Clan and only saying that he should discipline her misbehaving son, the empress dowager made clear that she intended to intercede and gave Emperor Jingren an opening to treat Prince Huainan with lenience.

It was ingeniously done, but contrary to her expectations, Emperor Jingren could not be moved. He said, “Mother, last night Prince Huainan brought soldiers and attempted to attack the city gate. Strictly speaking, he is already guilty of treason. We have ordered Prince Huainan to be brought to the palace so we can question him personally. If treason was not his intention, then his punishment will be light.”

“Well…” The empress dowager let out a lengthy sigh. “How can that child be so muddled? He must have been so anxious to see his brother and his mother that he traveled through the night and tried to enter the city.”

Once again she had interceded ingeniously, twisting Prince Huainan throwing his weight around into a display of filial piety.

But Emperor Jingren said, “The other vassal princes were all in the capital seven days ago, and they have paid their respects to you. Only Prince Huainan dawdled, delaying his arrival despite the imperial decree. Huainan is only half a month’s travel from the capital, and the decree reached him two months ago. He’s certainly late enough.”

The empress dowager was thwarted.

This intercession was going nowhere!

The empress dowager had to let the subject of Prince Huainan drop. Anyway, he would soon be brought here. When the brothers saw each other and spoke of their past affection, it would be easy for her to intercede. So she only chatted about domestic affairs, going back and forth with Emperor Jingren. She casually brought up the harem selection in the coming year and said she would help the empress choose some women suited for bearing children.

At this Emperor Jingren couldn’t resist looking at the empress again and found him staring back at him. So he said, in spite of himself, “All harem matters are under the empress’s control.”

Well… The empress dowager once again found herself at a loss. The empress had already arranged matters such that no one else in the harem had received a visit from Emperor Jingren for half a year, and the formerly favored four consorts had been demoted. If the empress were allowed to have control over the selection, would the emperor ever have children?

Actually, as empress dowager, though she did not have the phoenix seal, she could still have put pressure on the empress. But the empress had a bearing that was hard to resist. In front of the empress, the empress dowager could only nod slightly; she didn’t dare say anything further.

“With Your Majesty’s great kindness, your subject wife will select the best possible candidates to enter the palace,” the empress replied with a placid smile.

To Eunuch Lian, the inside of the hall felt like an abattoir. He could hardly breathe. Any moment now he would asphyxiate.

But just then, a eunuch made an announcement: “Prince Huainan is here.”