The Crazy Emperor's Pampered Cousin

After the Thousand Autumns Banquet

Shen Tinghe and Xie Yanzhao were walking hand in hand along the corridor back to the East Palace when they heard hurried footsteps behind them.

"This servant greets Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess."

Li Xing, the chief eunuch who served Emperor Chonghe, bowed deeply, slightly out of breath.

"His Majesty has decreed that the Crown Princess be summoned to the Qianzheng Palace for an audience."

Shen Tinghe was taken aback. Why did His Majesty summon her? She looked at Xie Yanzhao beside her.

Xie Yanzhao's expression remained unchanged, and he didn't loosen his grip on her hand; instead, he tightened it even more, his voice calm and even:

"What business requires a private audience with the Crown Princess? I will go with her."

Li Xingwei lowered his head, his voice clearly showing his difficulty: "Your Highness, His Majesty only said that he would like to invite the Crown Princess alone into the palace for a talk."

Xie Yanzhao slightly raised his eyes, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over Li Xingwei.

With just one glance, the eunuch, who had served the emperor for many years, felt a chill run down his spine and his legs trembled slightly.

All the officials in the court knew that the true backbone of the dynasty was now His Highness the Crown Prince.

Your Majesty neglects state affairs, and the Crown Prince oversees the country. His prestige and power have long since surpassed that of the emperor who lives deep within the inner palace.

But the emperor is the emperor after all, and he had no choice but to pass on this imperial edict; he dared not offend the crown prince's authority.

Shen Tinghe felt the pressure and displeasure from Xie Yanzhao's palm, so she quickly covered his hand with her other hand, pressing her fingertips soothingly against his palm, and whispered to him.

"Since it was specifically ordered by my father, I will go. There will be no problem."

Xie Yanzhao frowned, his thin lips pressed into a line.

Shen Tinghe took his arm and led him a few steps away. Li Xingwei immediately turned his back to her, showing great tact.

She softened her voice: "Brother, Father is, after all, the emperor and the father. It would be improper to offend him like this. I'll be right back."

Xie Yanzhao gazed at her for a moment, then finally sighed helplessly, raising his hand to tuck a strand of her hair, ruffled by the night wind, behind her ear.

"I will escort you to the outside of the palace."

The tone was firm and uncompromising.

"it is good."

The three of them walked to the Qianzheng Palace.

The hall was brightly lit, yet strangely quiet, filled with a faint scent of sandalwood.

To lead Shen Tinghe inside, Li Xing had Xie Yanzhao stand with his hands behind his back on the jade steps outside the palace gate, his figure as upright as a pine tree, blending into the night.

Inside the palace, Emperor Chonghe was not wearing a dragon robe, but only a plain blue Taoist robe, standing with his back to the palace gate in front of the hanging Taiji diagram.

Her long hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin, giving her a truly otherworldly air.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty." Shen Tinghe bowed.

Emperor Chonghe turned around upon hearing the sound, his face still bearing his usual gentle smile, though the fine lines at the corners of his eyes were particularly noticeable under the lamplight.

No need for formalities.

"In the blink of an eye, A-Yuan has grown up so much and is now A-Yan's Crown Princess."

When Shen Tinghe was young, she often accompanied her mother to the palace. At that time, Emperor Chonghe was still her uncle. In her memory, he had a kind smile and often gave her pastries and toys.

But as I grew older and learned more about the world, that intimacy became shrouded in complicated shadows.

"Father summoned me here. What are your instructions?" Shen Tinghe asked.

Emperor Chonghe walked to a rosewood table to the side and picked up a palm-sized box with an exquisite peony design.

He opened the box, and inside lay a jade pendant. The jade was as smooth and lustrous as mutton fat, carved into the shape of a mimosa flower, with a touch of natural crimson at the stamen, like cinnabar, tied with a bright yellow old-style palace sash.

"This is an old item belonging to Empress Dowager Ayan." Emperor Chonghe's gaze fell on the jade pendant, as if he could see through it to a distant past.

"She once said that she wanted to leave this jade to Ayan's future wife. Now that it's being given to you, it can be considered as... fulfilling her wish."

Li Xing bowed and accepted the box, then presented it to Shen Tinghe.

Shen Tinghe held the jade pendant in both hands, feeling its warmth against her skin.

The mimosa flower symbolizes a harmonious marriage.

The face of the late Empress Ye Shengchao seemed to appear before her eyes.

That woman possessed both the heroic spirit of a military family and the dignified grace of a court lady.

When she was young, the late Empress often held her on her lap, pointed out the flowers and plants in the courtyard and taught her to identify them. Her smile was bright and cheerful, and she loved her like her own daughter.

Emperor Chonghe gazed at the jade pendant in her hand, his expression somewhat dazed, as if he too were lost in memories.

The emperor's only wife in his life was his childhood sweetheart and the one he could never make up for, no matter how much he prayed to the gods for the rest of his life.

"Alright," he waved his hand, his tone suddenly tinged with weariness, "I called you here to entrust this item to you. You may leave."

Shen Tinghe bowed and said, "Your subject takes his leave."

She turned around, holding the warm jade in her hand, and walked step by step toward the palace gate.

Just as she was about to leave, Emperor Chonghe's deep voice came from behind her.

"Ah Yuan".

Shen Tinghe stopped in his tracks.

"Yan'er cares about you very much. The years ahead are long, and the two of you must remember to trust and understand each other more."

Do not end up like me and Ah Ling.

Emperor Chonghe did not voice these unspoken words.

With her back to him, Shen Tinghe answered softly but clearly:

"Your subject will remember your father's teachings and will certainly be of one heart and one mind with Your Highness."

After Shen Tinghe left, Emperor Chonghe sat alone in the empty hall.

After a long, long time, he finally spoke as if to himself, it was unclear whether he was asking Li Xingwei beside him or asking himself.

"I pray to the gods and Buddhas every day, but after I die... will I still be able to see Ah Ling?"

Li Xingwei didn't know how to answer either, so he could only hang his head and wait to the side.

As Shen Tinghe stepped out of Qianzheng Palace, the night breeze brushed against her face, bringing a touch of coolness.

She knew a little about the past.

At the beginning, the emperor and empress were deeply in love and even made a vow to be together for life.

However, His Majesty could not withstand the pressure from his ministers, so he took in a few people, telling the late Empress that it was only to silence the ministers.

Later, he was tricked by women in the harem who wanted to steal his favor, drugged, and forced to have relations with other women.

Even if there is the helplessness of being "set up", once the rift is formed, it is difficult to repair.

The late empress unilaterally severed ties with him, and His Majesty, seemingly out of spite for the late empress, began to take in more and more concubines.

The gap between the two grew wider and wider.

The late empress, a proud and radiant woman, ultimately exhausted her vitality in the loneliness of the deep palace.

On the night she passed away, only eight-year-old Xie Yanzhao and four-year-old Shen Tinghe were by her bedside.

Shen Tinghe will always remember that night when Xie Yanzhao held her tightly and whispered in her ear again and again.

"Yuan Yuan, you're all I have left, don't leave me."

As soon as Shen Tinghe came out, Xie Yanzhao stepped forward and naturally took her hand: "What did Father Emperor say to you?"

She opened her palm, revealing the jade pendant: "My father gave me my mother's keepsake."

Xie Yanzhao's gaze sharpened, and he took the jade pendant and examined it closely for a moment.

He remained silent, carefully and solemnly tying the jade pendant to the crimson palace sash around Shen Tinghe's waist.

"If the Empress Dowager knew that it was you wearing it, she would be very happy."

Shen Tinghe noticed that he seemed a little down, so she moved closer and wrapped her arms around his. "Father also said that you should treat me well, cherish me, trust me, and only be good to me. Do you remember that?"