Chapter 90: The East Palace’s Loss of Virtue
As the water flooded over her eyes, Chu Jinyao still felt she had been unjustly pulled into this.
When the crowd had panicked, she had her people stay alert, with Linglong and Jiegeng keeping a close watch behind her to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos. But the unexpected didn’t come from behind—it came from in front. Consort Lian was pushed into the water, and in the instant she was about to fall, she instinctively grabbed onto Chu Jinyao with a burst of strength driven by her will to survive. Chu Jinyao, unprepared for the tug, was pulled into the water as well.
But it didn’t stop there. Chu Jinyao had been caught off guard, but fortunately, she knew how to swim. Despite falling into the pool, she wouldn’t panic. Unlike the ladies raised in Taiyuan City, who wouldn’t have learned to swim, Chu Jinyao had grown up in a mountain village with a river at its entrance. She had taught herself to swim early on, gaining a valuable survival skill.
Unfortunately, while Chu Jinyao managed to stay calm, Consort Lian wasn’t so fortunate. Screaming, she flailed around wildly, desperately clinging to the only thing she could grab. Chu Jinyao, tangled up in Consort Lian’s frantic struggles, shouted, “Consort Lian, let go! I can swim! I’ll bring you back to shore!”
But someone drowning doesn’t hear words. Consort Lian’s arms and legs remained locked around Chu Jinyao, dragging her down and making Chu Jinyao feel like she might start drowning herself. Fortunately, palace maids trained in swimming were stationed around the Western Inner Garden, and soon, the sound of people diving into the water was heard. Linglong and the others were shouting anxiously from the shore, “Crown Princess!”
A palace attendant pulled Consort Lian away, and without someone clinging to her, Chu Jinyao finally regained her freedom and could breathe again. The palace maid helped her swim to the shore, and as soon as she reached solid ground, Linglong quickly covered her with a large cloak.
Though it was spring, the water was still freezing cold. After having been submerged for some time, Chu Jinyao was trembling all over. Her face pale, she forced herself to stay composed and reassured everyone around her, “I’m fine. I’m okay.”
Seeing that, apart from being frightened, Chu Jinyao wasn’t injured, Linglong and the others finally relaxed a bit. However, Consort Lian wasn’t so lucky. By the time she was pulled out of the water, her face was ashen, and she had already fainted. Worse yet, she was pregnant, which made her situation even more perilous.
Empress Xiao Qi’s face darkened as she took in the scene. A fire had broken out during the day, and now both the Crown Princess and the pregnant Consort Lian had fallen into the water. With the only pregnant consort unconscious, the blame for this disaster would undoubtedly fall on her shoulders for failing to properly manage the palace. Furious, Empress Xiao Qi snapped, “Why are you all still standing there? Go summon the imperial physician! Bring the sedan chair!”
Shivering beneath her cloak, Chu Jinyao turned her attention to Consort Lian. The consort was unconscious, while the maids surrounding her were either weeping or standing there in shock. The scene was nothing short of chaotic. Chu Jinyao’s sharp eyes scanned the crowd, noting that the immediate aftermath of such an event often revealed the most clues. Who was it that had tried to harm Consort Lian?
As Chu Jinyao was lost in thought, Linglong softly urged her, “Crown Princess, the water in April is still cold. The sedan chair is on its way, please bear with it a little longer.”
“I can manage,” Chu Jinyao replied, but before she could finish, she heard the sound of many people kneeling and greeting someone. She turned to see Qin Yi striding toward her with a stern expression.
The ladies at the shore froze momentarily before hastily kneeling. “Greetings to the Crown Prince.”
Qin Yi ignored them, heading straight for Chu Jinyao. Seeing his approach, she tried to bow, despite her disheveled state, but Qin Yi grabbed her arm, stopping her.
“How did you fall into the water?” He held her hand, startled by how cold her fingers were. His expression immediately darkened, and his gaze swept sharply over the servants behind her. He hadn’t spoken a word, but the sweat on their foreheads began to bead. Linglong and Jiegeng didn’t even dare to explain themselves and knelt immediately, heads down.
Chu Jinyao gently squeezed Qin Yi’s hand, silently reminding him of their current surroundings. “Your Highness, I’m fine. It wasn’t their fault today. Let’s go back first, shall we?”
Although his gaze remained severe, Chu Jinyao’s gentle urging softened it. She squeezed his hand again, her eyes pleading. Only then did Qin Yi manage to restrain his temper. He glanced at the kneeling servants and said, “We’ll discuss this later.”
Just then, Xiao Linzi ran up, bowing as he reported, “Your Highness, Crown Princess, the sedan chair has arrived.”
Qin Yi nodded, and before Chu Jinyao could react, he scooped her up in his arms. Startled, Chu Jinyao instinctively grabbed onto his robe. Once she realized what was happening, she was both embarrassed and upset. “Your Highness, put me down! There are so many noblewomen here! How will I maintain my dignity after this? How can I face them again?”
“You’re already shivering,” Qin Yi muttered, frowning. He gestured for Xiao Linzi to fetch another cloak.
Xiao Linzi quickly had someone bring over Qin Yi’s cloak, and he wrapped it tightly around Chu Jinyao, securing every edge and corner. Chu Jinyao sighed in resignation, knowing that Qin Yi hadn’t heard a word of what she said. How was she supposed to uphold her image as a dignified and serene Crown Princess after this spectacle? Everything was ruined.
With a feeling of helplessness, Chu Jinyao resigned herself to being carried to the sedan chair. At least once inside, it would offer more privacy. Wrapped in Qin Yi’s cloak, she was grateful that they wouldn’t be paraded all the way back.
When the sedan chair finally arrived, Chu Jinyao’s protests were in vain, and Qin Yi carried her all the way back to the Eastern Palace. At Ciqing Palace, they had already received word, and hot water was prepared. If Chu Jinyao hadn’t firmly objected, Qin Yi would have placed her directly into the bath.
After soaking in cold water and being exposed to the wind for so long, Chu Jinyao had been shivering uncontrollably. It wasn’t until she immersed herself in the warm bath that she felt life returning to her body. She soaked for a while, then washed her hair before emerging in her undergarments.
Outside the bathing chamber, Momo Gong was waiting with a bowl of herbal tea for warding off the cold. Qin Yi was sitting there, and when he saw Chu Jinyao, he gestured for her to come over and drink the tea.
The tea had just been brewed, and its strong medicinal scent was overpowering. Chu Jinyao struggled to endure the bitterness, swallowing it down with difficulty. Qin Yi, watching her expression as she drank, felt a pang of sympathy.
His precious treasure, whom he couldn’t bear to scold or speak harshly to, had been subjected to such an ordeal. Once the tea was cleared away, Linglong and Momo Gong discreetly left the room. Qin Yi touched Chu Jinyao’s forehead, then grasped her hand, finally reassured when he felt warmth returning to her. Only then did he inquire about what had happened that day: “How did you end up falling into the water?”
Chu Jinyao sighed, explaining, “I was keeping watch the whole time, but who could’ve expected the attack would come from in front, not behind? Someone pushed Consort Lian hard, and when she fell, she instinctively grabbed me. I was focused on guarding my back and never imagined being pulled from the front. I know how to swim, but with Consort Lian clinging to me, I couldn’t manage.”
Qin Yi frowned, his tone resigned. “So much trouble from women. I don’t understand why he married so many and keeps them all in the back, constantly squabbling. What’s the point?”
Chu Jinyao smiled but didn’t respond. As the Crown Prince, Qin Yi could criticize the emperor, but she couldn’t. After a pause, curiosity got the better of her, and she asked in a low voice, “Your Highness, what do you think happened today?”
“Hmm?”
“I mean, with that dancer on the boat. Why did her dress suddenly catch fire? And that strange fire—it even burned underwater for a while before going out. And what about Consort Lian? How is she?”
“It was likely someone’s doing,” Qin Yi replied after a brief pause. “As for Consort Lian, she was probably just caught up in it.”
This single sentence contained so much information that Chu Jinyao didn’t know where to start. “You’re saying the fire was deliberately set? And that someone used the chaos to push Consort Lian? I don’t even know who to feel sorrier for.”
Qin Yi, deep in thought, didn’t answer right away. After a while, Chu Jinyao mused, “The dancer didn’t seem like she was in on it. If she wasn’t aware, then how did her dress suddenly catch fire? There was no fire source on the boat, and the fire started when she spun. It’s all so strange, as if the fire ignited on its own. If this was deliberate, how could the person behind it have done it?”
Qin Yi chuckled, teasing her. “So, you believe me when I say it was deliberate? What if it was a divine fire sent from the heavens?”
Caught off guard, Chu Jinyao blinked, confused. Even so, her gaze remained steadfast. “If Your Highness says it was deliberate, then it must be so.”
Under her unwavering gaze, Qin Yi’s anger from the day’s events began to dissipate. Sighing softly, he pulled her closer and murmured, almost inaudibly, “Let’s see what they’re planning.”
The Emperor had hosted a banquet in the Western Inner Garden, and what followed was a series of strange events: first, a dancer’s dress caught fire, then the Crown Princess and Consort Lian were pushed into the water. After being exposed to the cold, Consort Lian experienced abdominal pain later that night. The Emperor was furious, first lashing out at the Imperial Physicians, demanding that they do everything possible to save the child, and then ordering an investigation into the fire incident.
However, despite thorough confessions from the dancer, the accompanying musicians, and even the eunuchs responsible for organizing the event, no one could determine who had set the fire. The truth was, everyone at the scene saw the fire start by itself—there was no one who had directly caused it. The Jin Yi Wei (Imperial Guards) couldn’t report such an odd explanation, so they intensified their interrogations, desperately seeking a scapegoat to blame.
Because the incident was so bizarre and had so many witnesses, rumors began to spread even before the Jin Yi Wei could find an answer. Before long, the strange story reached the entire palace, and superstitions and gossip took hold. With Consort Lian’s pregnancy in danger, the Imperial Physicians were in despair, fearing for their lives. The courtiers were uneasy, and with good reason: the palace was notorious for its eerie atmosphere. After decades of scheming, betrayal, and sudden deaths, many parts of the Imperial Palace carried an air of foreboding. It was no wonder that people in the palace were prone to believing in spirits and supernatural forces.
Rumors began circulating that the bizarre event was a result of angry spirits. After being passed through various mouths, the story evolved to implicate the Eastern Palace. The whispers claimed that Crown Prince Qin Yi had an ominous destiny, that his presence was displeasing to the spirits. For years, no new children had been born into the imperial family, but when one finally did, this angered the spirits, who descended upon the banquet to send a warning through the “fire from the underworld.” And wasn’t it obvious? As soon as the fire started, Consort Lian, the pregnant consort, fell into the water and the baby in her belly was in danger—surely this was retribution.
By the time Chu Jinyao caught wind of these rumors, they had already spread through every corner of the palace. Even though the Empress immediately issued a decree forbidding further talk of the matter, it was too late—the damage was done.
The storm of rumors didn’t stay confined to the palace for long; soon, it spilled over into the imperial court. It started with an obscure scholar from the Hanlin Academy, who subtly suggested that the fire might have been a sign from the heavens, a warning to the Emperor and Crown Prince to reflect on their behavior. Following this, several fourth-rank officials echoed the sentiment. Soon after, the censors took up the matter, and finally, even the Grand Secretariat was alerted. The crescendo of officials calling for a reckoning grew steadily, from mild suggestions to outright demands, until it became an overwhelming wave of accusations against the Eastern Palace.
The narrative of the Crown Prince’s “loss of virtue” spread like wildfire throughout both the inner court and the outer court. Throughout history, it was common for natural disasters or strange celestial phenomena to be interpreted as signs of the Emperor’s failure in moral conduct, prompting the heavens to send warnings. In such cases, the Emperor would traditionally issue a “repentance edict,” acknowledging his own shortcomings, followed by sacrifices and prayers to appease the gods. However, this incident was particularly odd because the fire had occurred on a boat surrounded by water. The green color of the dancer’s dress was associated with wood—the element that symbolized the East and represented the Crown Prince. Many factors seemed to align in pointing to him as the target of divine displeasure.
What made matters worse was Qin Yi’s personality. He was not the ideal, gentle, and virtuous heir that ministers might have hoped for. Since being named Crown Prince, Qin Yi had acted with arrogance, showing little regard for traditional decorum, and some even considered his behavior unruly and tyrannical. It wasn’t hard for his enemies to weave these traits into a larger narrative that claimed the Crown Prince had somehow provoked divine wrath.
By this point, Chu Jinyao understood exactly why Qin Yi had said, “Let’s see what they’re planning.” What had seemed like a simple accident was clearly a long-planned scheme. Someone had been orchestrating this for quite some time, carefully laying the groundwork so that when the fire broke out, it would trigger a wave of rumors and panic. Once the court and palace were thrown into turmoil, the rumors quickly became a tool for launching a coordinated attack on the Eastern Palace.
As the accusations mounted, one thing became clear: the individuals behind this had been planning it for a long time. The manipulation of rumors, the timing of events, and the coordinated outcry from officials all pointed to a well-orchestrated plot designed to undermine the Crown Prince. Now, the entire empire was abuzz with speculation about whether Qin Yi had lost the favor of the heavens.
Despite the uproar, neither the Emperor nor the Grand Secretariat had made any public statement. According to the traditions of this dynasty, whenever a high-ranking official was publicly accused of misconduct, they would immediately step down from their duties and retire to demonstrate their humility and integrity. No one had ever imagined that one day, the person facing such a wave of criticism would be the Crown Prince himself.
On this quiet morning, Chu Jinyao ordered the palace windows to be opened wide. The rain from the previous night had left the air fresh and cool, with a light scent of moisture. The wind gently lifted the sheer curtains, stirred the incense smoke from the censer, and rustled the pages of the book left open on the desk.
Chu Jinyao picked up a chess piece and, under Qin Yi’s guidance, slowly placed it on the board. Since the criticism of the Crown Prince had begun, Qin Yi no longer had to attend morning court or go to the Wenhua Hall in the afternoons. Suddenly, he had plenty of free time and had decided to resume teaching Chu Jinyao chess, which she had abandoned halfway through. While Chu Jinyao was happy to have Qin Yi around, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy and anxious about the ongoing crisis.
“Focus,” Qin Yi gently flicked her forehead, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her. “Are you always this easily distracted, or is it only when you’re with me? You lose focus when I teach you to write, when we talk, and now even when we play chess.”
“I’m not distracted,” Chu Jinyao retorted, swatting his hand away, though her heart stirred slightly. Whether she was easily distracted wasn’t the point—what mattered was that Qin Yi had noticed because he was the one teaching her most of these things. Since it was always him, it only seemed like she got distracted often.
Realizing this, Chu Jinyao’s heart filled with a bittersweet warmth. She placed another chess piece carefully on the board and tried to focus her thoughts, but it was difficult. “Your Highness, what will we do about what’s happening outside?”
Qin Yi snorted, clearly unimpressed with those who had the audacity to criticize him. But in front of Chu Jinyao, he refrained from talking about those useless fools, instead saying, “Well, this gives me more time to spend with you. Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Of course I want to spend more time with you,” Chu Jinyao said. “But the longer you stay with me, the more mud they’ll throw at you. How can they get away with this? And besides, eventually, we’ll have to face this.”
Over the past few days, officials from the Eastern Palace had come to discuss the matter, all of them outraged at the accusations. But their reasons for concern were always framed in terms of disobedience to the Emperor or disruption to the state’s order. Only Chu Jinyao seemed to care about how all this was affecting Qin Yi personally.
To Qin Yi, her reasoning was almost naively simple. But rather than finding it foolish, he felt an unexpected warmth in his heart. Chu Jinyao was still fuming as she picked up another chess piece and slammed it onto the board with a sharp “click,” the force behind it revealing her frustration. Qin Yi, watching her, couldn’t help but smile. The strength she used to place the chess piece made it clear just how angry she was.
“Don’t worry,” Qin Yi reassured her, reaching out to lightly stroke her cheek. “Besides, I didn’t want to go to court anyway. Now’s the perfect time to take a break. As for all those trivial matters, let whoever cares about them deal with it.”
As he spoke, his tone grew more serious, and Chu Jinyao listened intently, expecting him to continue. But instead, he said, “Lately, people have been asking whether you’re pregnant. Since that seems to be such a pressing issue for them, I think we ought to oblige their wishes.”
“Oh, Your Highness!” Chu Jinyao sighed in exasperation, playfully swatting his arm. “I’m trying to have a serious conversation with you!”
Qin Yi caught her hand with a laugh. For some reason, teasing Chu Jinyao always lifted his spirits. Now that his mood had improved, he glanced at her with a thoughtful expression. “Since you’re so interested in all this, let me test you. Who do you think was behind the fire, the rumors, and the push to have me impeached?”
