The green gauze cabinet had eight floor-length panels. In the summer, a layer of green gauze was pasted onto the mother-of-pearl lattice, serving both as a partition for the inner chamber and to keep out flies and mosquitoes. This winter, due to the unusually cold weather in the capital, a thick quilted satin curtain embroidered with the pattern of ‘Yutang Wealth and Nobility’ was added. It was originally hung in front of the bed to block the wind, but the Old Madam found it stuffy and had it moved behind the bed, creating a small compartment. Another bed was set up inside; when Jiafu stayed overnight to keep her company, she would sleep there if tired.
The emperor had left the palace in plain clothes, accompanied only by Li Yuangui and two personal guards. Not until they arrived outside the Pei residence did Pei Quan realize that it was the Emperor himself who had come. In a panic, he hurriedly tidied his robes and hat, led the younger members of the household to kneel in greeting- the ground was filled with kneeling figures. Xiao Lie spoke only two sentences: he said that the Grand Madam of the Pei family held an esteemed position and was virtuous and respected, and since her eldest grandson was currently on an official mission by imperial decree, upon hearing that she was unwell, he was worried and came personally to visit, waiving all formalities and etiquette.
Pei Quan, moved to tears, rose to his feet and quickly led Xiao Lie toward the northern hall where the Old Madam resided. All female members of the household retreated. Two imperial physicians accompanied them inside. Seeing that the Old Madam had already woken, Pei Quan stepped forward to help her up, but Xiao Lie had already moved ahead and stopped him, telling the Old Madam to remain lying down and not to get up.
The Old Madam called her son over and, with his support, slowly sat up.
Though her face looked very wan, her eyes remained clear. She said, “I am but a lowly old woman. How could I dare trouble Your Majesty to leave the palace for a visit? I’ve committed many improprieties and feel extremely uneasy.” Saying so, she had Pei Quan help her as she performed a formal but symbolic kneeling salute on the bed, and then leaned against the carved floral bedhead.
Xiao Lie had the accompanying Imperial Physician Hu and the other physician examine her. The second physician stepped forward, but the Old Madam shook her head and said, “Your Majesty’s kind intentions, I gratefully accept. But there is no need to trouble the physicians further. These two possess miraculous healing skills and have been coming here daily, they are already overworked. As for my condition, I am quite aware of it myself.”
She spoke a few more words before becoming short of breath and stopped.
Xiao Lie looked pained and said nothing. The inner chamber fell silent for a moment.
After a while, Xiao Lie lifted his eyes and looked at Li Yuangui behind him.
Li Yuangui stepped forward and said, “His Majesty left the palace tonight out of gratitude for the care the Grand Madam once gave him. Imperial physicians, you may withdraw now. Lord Pei, you and I shall also step outside and wait for a while.”
Pei Quan hastily acknowledged the order and, together with the imperial physicians, saluted Emperor Xiao Lie before withdrawing from the inner chamber. He dismissed all attendants and even retreated a good distance himself, leaving only Li Yuangui waiting outside the northern hall for the emperor to emerge.
Inside the room, only Xiao Lie and the sick elderly woman remained. The candlelight flickered gently. Xiao Lie rose and walked to the bedside. Bending forward, he spoke in a low voice:
“Old Madam, if there is anything you cannot let go of, tell me. As long as it is within my power, I shall do all I can to fulfill it.”
The Old Madam's eyes were half closed at first, as if drifting between sleep and wakefulness. Slowly, she opened her eyelids and met the emperor’s gaze. Her lips parted slightly, but instead of answering his question, she asked another:
“Your Majesty, when did you learn of You’an’s true identity, and how did you find out?”
Behind the green gauze cabinet, Jiafu held her breath. Upon hearing the Old Madam ask that question, though she couldn’t see her face, she could sense the shift in mood.
The Old Madam's tone had changed. When speaking with the emperor earlier in front of Pei Quan and others, she had been extremely deferential. But now, she seemed to be questioning him—as though the man before her was not the sovereign of the realm, but simply a younger nephew or junior of the family.
She had asked the emperor how he learned of “You’an’s identity.” Jiafu knew that Pei You’an was the illegitimate son brought in by the Duke of Weiguo, but how did the emperor find out? And what did that have to do with him? Why was the Old Madam suddenly asking this?
Jiafu was surprised.
But what truly shocked her was the emperor’s reaction next.
She peeked quietly through a crack in the panel of the green gauze cabinet.
Xiao Lie’s expression showed not the slightest surprise, nor the faintest trace of offense at being questioned so bluntly.
He merely stared at the ailing old woman in silence for a long time, then spoke in a low voice:
“When I returned to Yunnan, I happened to encounter unrest among the Tibetans and led troops to suppress it. Over a year later, when I finally returned to Wuding, I received news—Wenjing had passed away at Cien Temple a few months prior...”
His voice was naturally low and deep. As he spoke this sentence, emotion seemed to overwhelm him, and he abruptly fell silent.
The Old Madam said nothing.
After a moment, Xiao Lie spoke again, his voice trembling slightly, and this time he changed “I” from the imperial "Zhen" (朕) to the humble "wo" (我):
“I knew very clearly that when I left Cien Temple, Wenjing’s illness was already improving. Imperial Physician Mei had personally told me that with just a bit more rest, she would recover. At the time, I was still in Tibet and assumed she had already returned to the palace. I never imagined...”
He took a deep breath, as if trying to calm his emotions.
“Later, I sent someone quietly back to inquire. I learned that not long after I left, her condition had worsened again. Over half a year later, she died in the temple. I could hardly believe it. I’ve never been able to let it go. Several years later, I personally and secretly left Yunnan again and found Imperial Physician Mei, who had by then retired. As you know, I once showed kindness to him, and near death, he finally confessed to me—after I left, Wenjing discovered she was pregnant…”
“It was all my fault. I’m the one who killed Wenjing…”
He closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, they were filled with grief and remorse.
Silence fell once more inside the room.
Behind the green gauze cabinet, Jiafu held her breath. Her heart pounded wildly—she could hardly believe what she was hearing.
…
In the second year of the Tianxi reign, there was a great flood in the capital, and in its aftermath, an epidemic broke out. The Tianxi Emperor, newly enthroned, ordered the Imperial Medical Bureau to fight the disease with all its strength, but within and outside the city, hundreds were still dying each day. Even the palace walls could not hold back the plague. The disease spread, eventually reaching the inner court. The young empress was also infected. As several others in the palace had already died and officials advised immediate relocation, the emperor agreed to leave the capital and move to the western retreat several hundred miles away until the epidemic passed. To prevent the further spread of illness, the ministers advised sending Empress Pei Wenjing to the royal temple, Cien Temple, to recover.
Pei Wenjing was not only exceptionally beautiful but also highly intelligent and talented, with a prodigious memory. The Tianxi Emperor loved her deeply and was reluctant to leave her behind while she was gravely ill. But as emperor, burdened with the fate of the nation, and under heavy persuasion from his officials, he eventually made the painful decision to send her to the temple.
Pei Wenjing’s illness worsened. Even Imperial Physician Mei, who accompanied her, was helpless. The emperor was extremely anxious and tried to visit her several times, but was dissuaded by his ministers.
It was during this time that Xiao Lie secretly took a great risk to leave Yunnan, traveling day and night to reach the capital. He disguised himself as a palace guard and snuck into Cien Temple, bringing with him a folk remedy from the Yunnan natives for Imperial Physician Mei.
Perhaps Wenjing’s fate had not yet run out, or perhaps it was something else, but her condition gradually improved over the next few months. Xiao Lie stayed hidden in the temple the entire time. Only after she had recovered somewhat did he quietly leave the capital and return to Yunnan.
“The late emperor was of noble status and naturally could not approach the sick. When I went to visit Wenjing, I saw that even the palace maids who served her in the temple were terrified and kept their distance, fearing infection. Only you, after learning of her illness, dared to risk everything—secretly leaving Yunnan to bring her medicine. For your feelings toward Wenjing, I am grateful.”
Tears gradually welled up in the Old Madam’s eyes.
“But I know my daughter. Wenjing was always poised and sensible. As empress, she fully understood the weight of her actions. Even if she still harbored some childhood affection for you after you traveled so far and risked so much, I still refuse to believe that she would be so reckless. Your Majesty, Wenjing’s life was saved by you—but her death, in truth, was caused by you as well!”
“Wenjing is gone now. Even if I were no better than a beast, I would never dare defile her spirit. Old Madam, you’re right to scold me. It was indeed in a moment of weakness that I forced myself upon her. But I was as careful as I could be. I never imagined that she would become pregnant after I left. I am the one who ruined her.”
Xiao Lie’s eyes were red. He gazed at the old woman in the bed, then slowly lowered his body. Finally, he dropped to both knees before her—kneeling solidly, without hesitation.
“When I learned of it from Mei Taiyi’s mouth, it was already years later. By then, You’an was already the son of the Duke of the State. There was nothing more I could do…”
Jiafu stared at the Emperor kneeling before Madam Pei, now fully understanding everything, and yet still finding it unbelievable. Her mind was overwhelmed with shock and disbelief.
Madam Pei, however, seemed lost in her own thoughts, as if she hadn’t seen the Emperor kneeling there. She remained silent for a long time, then said, “Your Majesty, when Wengjing first discovered she was pregnant, she once steeled herself and took harsh abortive medicine, but that child stubbornly refused to be lost. In the end, she couldn’t bear to take its life again, and instead stayed on at the temple under the pretense of convalescence and gave birth in secret. Just two days after the child was born, Wengjing died from postpartum hemorrhage. The child, too, had been born prematurely, no more than seven or eight months old. At the time, I thought even if the child survived, he would not live long. I couldn’t bear to see him abandoned and suffer. That’s why I brought him back and raised him under the name of my eldest son…”
“Your Majesty, you must understand — from the very first day I decided to raise him, I never once intended to let you know about his connection to you. I had only hoped the child could live a few peaceful years. Even if he passed early, I would have fulfilled Wengjing’s dying wish. But I did not foresee the will of Heaven. You’an grew up and reached adulthood. When he turned sixteen, thinking himself to be my son’s illegitimate child, he seemed to despise his status and chose to leave the capital in disgrace. When he was seriously injured, it was you who saved him. That’s when I knew — you must have found out who he really was. From then on, I’ve lived with unease…”
Perhaps her emotions had surged too fiercely — the old lady suddenly began coughing violently, her face turning pale.
Xiao Lie immediately scrambled up from the floor and rushed forward to support her, rubbing her back.
Madam Pei gradually regained her breath and waved a hand. “Your Majesty, you are now the emperor, ruler of all under Heaven. But to You’an, that may not be a blessing. Know this: to truly love him is to keep him distant — to act as if he were not your son. Only that way can you protect him. But you haven’t. Over these years, I’ve seen how closely you’ve kept him at your side. I suspect you never intended to let him learn the truth of his birth. But Your Majesty, have you considered — what if, one day, someone else discovers the truth? Where will you place him then? How will he carry on? And those close to you — what will they think and do?”
The room fell silent again.
After a moment, Xiao Lie raised his head, clenched his teeth, and said word by word:
“He is the son of the woman I loved, born of me. I will never allow anyone to harm him — not one hair. Madam, you may rest assured.”
But really Grand Madam Pei and Grand Duke Wei's efforts have the same core issue as the emperor's. Placing Pei You'an in a position where he's obviously in someone else's way and expecting them to be cool with that.
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