Empress Xu had once been a celebrated daughter of the Xu family, whose name rang throughout the capital. She later married the Emperor when he was still a prince, became the force behind him, helped him ascend the throne, and earned a fine reputation for her virtue. By nature she was reserved and averse to conflict, gentle and cool in temperament. After the Crown Prince was born she seldom involved herself in affairs, often going to temples to pray, and left the petty matters of the inner palace to the other consorts.

Such a woman, untouched by the ways of the world, had in his past life schemed repeatedly for the false crown prince’s sake and made the Xu family the power standing behind him.

Ying Fusheng had not seen her in many years. By the time he learned the truth of his origins, he was already confined in the cold palace. He had heard vague rumors that Empress Xu’s health was poor, and having been trapped in the cold palace, he never saw her again. In his past life he had once sent someone to deliver a token to Empress Xu, but it had sunk without a trace and brought no reply.

Of this birth mother of his, what he remembered most clearly was her eyes.

He averted his gaze, his expression unreadable.

Empress Xu only glanced at Ying Fusheng, then turned her head and said a few quiet words to the Crown Prince, her eyes showing a tenderness she rarely displayed.

Consort Ning saw Ying Fusheng arrive and her expression soured. She had not expected this child to still have the strength to leave his room. “Sheng’er!”

The Sixth Prince’s arrival did nothing to ease the atmosphere in the Cining Palace. Few people had seen much of the Sixth Prince. His studies were unremarkable, he was ill more often than not, and he frequently missed even the palace banquets. In the eyes of the inner palace consorts, the Sixth Prince was timid and withdrawn, poor at conversation, and rarely had dealings with the other princes.

Scrutinizing gazes came from all around the hall. Ying Fusheng ignored Consort Ning’s call, performed his obeisance with full propriety, and went straight to the point. “Grandmother, the circumstances of the Wangyue Pavilion incident are strange. I hope it will be investigated thoroughly.”

“Sheng’er, why have you come out!” Consort Ning could not help but feel anxious. She had never liked Ying Fusheng appearing before others, and liked even less any behavior that drew attention, worried that someone might notice something. When he was small it had been fine enough, but as Ying Fusheng grew older, his features bore no resemblance to the Ning family. The Ning family were mostly tall and large-framed, while Ying Fusheng had a slight build, a far cry from them.

For this reason, Consort Ning disliked Ying Fusheng appearing in public. This time, with Ying Fusheng seriously ill, she had deliberately suppressed the news precisely to avoid drawing attention during the important occasion of the Empress Dowager’s birthday. She had not expected this little wretch to come running out.

Ying Fusheng’s heart was perfectly still. Hearing Consort Ning’s words, he could not help but arrange a worried expression on his face. He felt sick inside, yet wore a faint look of concern outwardly, and before speaking feigned a weak cough. He knelt, tilted his head slightly upward toward the Empress Dowager at the center of the hall. The Empress Dowager, still deep in her fury, was looking at him.

“If you have come to plead for your mother, there is no need to say anything,” the Empress Dowager said, frowning. She waved a hand, about to have someone take Ying Fusheng away. She had no strong impression of this grandson. Seeing him now for the first time, he looked thin and frail, his appearance excessively weak, and with the matter of Consort Ning and the Wangyue Pavilion, she had little goodwill toward this child either.

The charcoal braziers in the hall burned hot enough, and the warmth gradually pressed in on Ying Fusheng. He noticed the Empress Dowager’s expression and knew what this woman, who had come from a military family, despised most. He deliberately steadied his voice and said only, “The Wangyue Pavilion incident occurred no more than two hours ago, and many things have yet to be examined carefully. This is the eve of the banquet, and the inspection of those entering and leaving has been thorough. There have been no oversights in the ordinary course of things, and no incident in all these days. Yet it happened precisely during the Imperial Beast Garden’s mid-month patrol. The cause may not lie with the Wangyue Pavilion alone. Furthermore, Mother has worked diligently to prepare the birthday banquet, and everyone in the palace knows the Wangyue Pavilion was entrusted to her. If something goes wrong, Mother cannot escape punishment…”

He reached this point and faltered slightly, unable to hold back a cough.

Ying Fusheng’s voice was not loud. Because of his illness it was weak, and the people in the hall listened to him with a little more care than they might otherwise have.

The volume was just right, carrying his words to a few of the people in the hall.

Up in the high seats, Empress Xu and the Crown Prince turned to look at Ying Fusheng at this moment.

Consort Ning had no intention of letting Ying Fusheng draw too much attention. At worst she would be punished, lose one or two spies, and could easily shift the blame onto the palace attendants. “Your Majesty, this child has been confused by the fever and come running out…”

But the Empress Dowager had straightened slightly upon hearing Ying Fusheng’s words. After the Wangyue Pavilion incident, the imperial guards had conducted one search after another and found nothing. The reason Consort Ning had been summoned was that she had been the most conveniently positioned and most capable of tampering with things. But the incident itself was strange. At the time it occurred, only palace attendants had been in the Wangyue Pavilion. There were no other consorts nearby, and no other matters of note. The moment it happened, Consort Ning was inevitably implicated, but if Consort Ning had been behind it, would she have brought trouble on herself for no reason?

The Sixth Prince had always given the impression of being timid and weak within the palace. Yet now that Consort Ning was in trouble, he was able to argue her case with such clarity. Many of those present could not help but look at this prince. His manner carried a certain careful caution, yet when he argued for Consort Ning, his voice, though unhurried, was remarkably articulate.

“Are you saying someone framed your mother?” the Empress Dowager said, seeing this.

Ying Fusheng denied it at once. “Your grandson would not dare suggest such a thing. I only feel that there is more to this matter, and that such a conclusion is too hasty.”

This was, in front of everyone, an implicit suggestion that the Empress Dowager had been too rash in her judgment. The others in the hall were alarmed. The Empress Dowager had given the order after the incident, and the Crown Prince had handled the investigation. With one sentence, the Sixth Prince had taken aim at both of them.

Sure enough, the moment Ying Fusheng finished speaking, a voice followed.

Beside the Empress Dowager, the Crown Prince in his brocade robes fixed a sharp gaze on Ying Fusheng. “The Sixth Prince finds it hasty?”

Consort Ning was alarmed at the sight of this and immediately wanted to go over and clamp this bastard’s mouth shut. The Empress Dowager’s summons would result in nothing worse than a punishment for her, but if Ying Fusheng said much more, the situation would be a different matter entirely. She glared at Ying Fusheng at once, but he knelt with his eyes downcast, the picture of meekness, and did not see her warning look.

Ying Fusheng did not raise his head. He only lowered himself further, his eyelids slightly drooping. “Grandmother’s birthday is nearly upon us. The Wangyue Pavilion cannot afford any failure. Your grandson believes the Wangyue Pavilion must not only be investigated, but investigated thoroughly!”

Silence fell over the hall. The others looked toward the Empress Dowager.

Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager did not grow angry. Instead she looked at Ying Fusheng, and her expression eased. “Since you say so, what have you found?”

Hearing the Empress Dowager ask this, Ying Fusheng concealed the scheming in his eyes. He knew what the Empress Dowager was interested in.

Being reborn at this point in time was entirely reactive. Getting out of the Weiyang Palace was extremely difficult, and it was only because Consort Ning had run into trouble that he had anything to work with. But doing this inevitably meant taking risks. One misstep and the fire would turn on him, which was why he had to come, had to see the Empress Dowager before he could take the next step.

The Empress Dowager had been different from ordinary consorts even in her youth, frank in character and principled in conduct. Excessive weakness in her presence was a losing hand that would only exhaust her patience entirely. The only approach was to strike directly at what mattered.

He was certain the Empress Dowager had listened, and knew he had bet correctly. “Your grandson has already sent people to investigate. These are the detailed records of the Wangyue Pavilion’s affairs over the past few days.”

Beside him, the Weiyang Palace attendants finally dared to move, and presented the detailed accounts of recent days to the Empress Dowager.

At this, the Crown Prince could not help but look at Ying Fusheng. Was this not simply saying nothing had been found?

The Empress Dowager’s brow furrowed, and the eunuch beside her explained in a low voice. It was no secret that the Sixth Prince had sent people to the Wangyue Pavilion. Word had reached the Empress Dowager the moment the Weiyang Palace’s people arrived there. The eunuch had come to report on the situation at the Wangyue Pavilion, saying only that the Sixth Prince had ordered a thorough inspection of the treasures and paintings displayed inside. These past few days the Wangyue Pavilion had seen a great deal of traffic, with all manner of precious objects and paintings brought in from outside the palace walls for decoration, which had also been among Consort Ning’s recent concerns.

The Empress Dowager had already had these items inspected as well, and had even had them tested for poison, and found nothing.

The Empress Dowager’s patience was running out. “What is the problem with any of this?”

“There is one,” Ying Fusheng said, looking toward the beast handler nearby. “Caged animals act on instinct. The Imperial Beast Garden and the Wangyue Pavilion are some distance apart. After breaking free of their restraints, the animals did not charge toward the areas with more people. Instead they went straight for the Wangyue Pavilion. Your grandson suspects there must have been something inside the Wangyue Pavilion drawing them there.”

The beast handler answered, “Your Majesty, what the Sixth Prince says is not without reason.”

“Everything brought inside has been inspected. If there were a problem with any of it, it would not have been admitted into the Wangyue Pavilion. By your reasoning, the only ones who could have tampered with anything are the attendants who entered and left the Wangyue Pavilion. Grandmother, when the palace guards conducted their search, the sniffer dogs were indeed more agitated than usual, yet nothing poisonous was found.” The Crown Prince seized on the gap in Ying Fusheng’s argument at once. “How do you explain that this has nothing to do with your mother?”

“There is one thing that is easy to overlook,” Ying Fusheng said.

The Empress Dowager was puzzled. “What thing?”

“Incense,” Ying Fusheng said. “The sniffer dogs have a keen sense of smell and would react to such things.”

This was a fair point. Incense would be handed to a physician for detailed examination, and the sniffer dogs only checked the surface of things. It was indeed easy to overlook. Hearing this, the Empress Dowager immediately sent someone to look into it. With the beast attack, the Wangyue Pavilion had already been thrown into chaos, and only a small amount of incense ash could be retrieved from the incense vessels.

When the incense ash was brought before the sniffer dogs, they showed a clear agitation, but not to the point of frenzy, which was not enough to serve as grounds for clearing Consort Ning.

“Sniffer dogs are specially trained animals, intelligent and self-controlled. Even when agitated, they follow the beast handler’s commands,” Ying Fusheng said, drawing a deep breath. He raised his voice. “Grandmother, what happened at the Wangyue Pavilion this time should not be an ill omen.”

Not an ill omen?! Everyone in the hall was taken aback. The Empress, hearing this, shifted her gaze and likewise looked toward Ying Fusheng.

Even if the incense were not the problem, how could one declare on that basis alone that it had nothing to do with an ill omen?

“You say it is not an ill omen. Might you not simply be explaining things away for your mother’s sake?” the Empress Dowager asked.

“Your grandson has heard that among the animals that attacked the Wangyue Pavilion there were tigers and wild cats?” Ying Fusheng said.

This was no secret. Everyone who knew of the ill omen knew this.

Ying Fusheng knelt, his voice hoarse from days of illness. He kept his voice steady. “The agitation in the Imperial Beast Garden this time was likely caused by a problem with the incense. Your grandson has seen it mentioned in popular histories and miscellaneous books: there are certain herbs that are potent in nature yet only mildly toxic, commonly classified as non-toxic and used as catalysts in ordinary formulas. Yet they have one remarkable effect. They have been known to send wild cats into a frenzy.”

A frenzy, which was precisely what today’s situation resembled.

Consort Ning saw the mood around her gradually easing, and felt no relief at her own imminent rescue. Instead she looked at Ying Fusheng with cold eyes. Seeing the others gradually drawn in by what Ying Fusheng was saying about silvervine’s effects, even the Empress Dowager and the Empress absorbed by the matter, she felt a growing agitation inside her. She reached out and grabbed Ying Fusheng at once, saying coldly, “What are you talking about, child! Can you really take what you read in popular histories as truth?”

Ying Fusheng let a fitting timidity show. Pulled by her like that a couple of times, he actually toppled in her direction.

“Consort Ning,” the Empress Dowager said sharply.

Consort Ning had not expected that a light pull from her would send Ying Fusheng toppling over. She hurried to explain. “This child has been confused by the fever. He says whatever comes into his head.”

Ying Fusheng steadied himself back into a kneeling position and said, “This concerns Mother. Your grandson would not dare speak lightly of such things.”

The Empress Dowager’s brow finally eased, though she remained uncertain. “Send for Physician Chu.”

A physician was summoned promptly.

The moment he arrived, the Empress Dowager had him examine the incense.

Physician Chu pinched a small amount of the powder and examined it carefully, his expression grave. Everyone in the hall waited for his findings.

After quite some time, Physician Chu offered his careful conclusion. “Within this incense, in addition to Consort Ning’s own fragrance formula, it appears that certain unusual medicinal materials have been mixed in, including silvervine.”

At the mention of silvervine, anyone with even a passing familiarity with medicine understood at once.

Seeing that the Empress Dowager looked puzzled, the physician explained, “Your Majesty, silvervine and several of these other materials are commonly used as catalysts. They appear in many ordinary formulas.”

Ying Fusheng said nothing. He knew it had worked.

Silvervine was not a rare herb. In his past life, Ying Fusheng had suffered chronic pain for years, and silvervine, which could stimulate circulation, relieve pain, and calm the mind, had been something he used regularly. Over time, he had come to know an effect of this herb that most people were unaware of. Human noses were not particularly keen, and the dogs and animals within the palace were trained to restrain themselves, but wild beasts had an exceptionally sharp sense of smell and a ferocity that was difficult to suppress. When silvervine reached a certain concentration, wild cats, leopards, and animals of that kind would be drawn to it.

Silvervine would send these animals into a brief frenzy, yet cause them no harm, and the beast handlers would have no way of detecting it.

For wild beasts that had been confined in their enclosures for a long time, this substance could draw out their wildness to the greatest possible degree and send them into a state of extreme agitation.

Seeing the Empress Dowager send people to investigate, Ying Fusheng continued slowly, “Mother was careful with every detail at the Wangyue Pavilion, and the incense was prepared by a fragrance master in recent days for its calming and grounding properties. Silvervine shares certain qualities with some of the incense ingredients. If the two were confused, a mistake could easily occur. This substance is not toxic to people. In small amounts it can even calm the mind and clear the eyes. It may have been a mix-up.”

The beast handlers had a fixed route for their outings. He had specifically instructed Song’an to scatter silvervine along those paths to draw the wild beasts toward the Wangyue Pavilion.

Once they reached the Wangyue Pavilion, his purpose would be served.

The snow had been trampled by many feet, and the imperial guards’ movements had been especially disruptive. With the cold weather of these past few days, the silvervine powder left in the snow would have kept well. But once the imperial guards conducted a thorough search and disturbed the snow, the powder would dissolve with the melt and sink into the ground. The small amount that remained would most likely be attributed to incense accidentally spilled by a palace attendant carrying it in, and would not arouse suspicion.

Moreover, the Empress Dowager had come in person today, and the imperial guards had been stationed outside from the beginning. One or two tigers breaking loose, with beast handlers nearby, was no great challenge for soldiers who had been through countless battles.

After hearing the physician’s explanation, the Empress Dowager frowned and asked the beast handler, “Is this so?”

“Your Majesty, there are indeed certain methods used among common folk for handling animals. This servant has heard that certain herbs can soothe the temperament of beasts,” the beast handler reported honestly. “Such things are not found within the palace walls. It must have come in with the incense delivery. What the Sixth Prince says is not without reason. If Your Majesty has doubts, you may have someone bring some silvervine to test it, and the matter will be clear.”

Shortly afterward, a palace attendant went to fetch some silvervine. As it happened, the Empress Dowager’s palace kept several cats.

When the silvervine was placed before the cats, they rolled about and rubbed against it, gnawing at it in a state of wild excitement.

Cats were naturally sluggish in winter. The sight left the Empress Dowager astonished one moment after another. To think that such a small thing could have such an effect.

She had always been fond of animals, and had even replaced several batches of palace attendants in the past over the cats being too lethargic. She had never imagined this little thing could be so useful.

The imperial guards also brought several cats to inspect the Wangyue Pavilion, and found that traces of powder did indeed remain on certain incense stands and in the surrounding area. This was enough to account for what had happened at the scene. Though the tigers had charged at people, they had been drawn more by the scent of the incense, and despite their apparent frenzy, people had been able to avoid them without much difficulty. Had it not been so, given the circumstances at the time, it would have been difficult to come away without casualties. If the incense had produced this effect, it explained the remaining questions.

“Your Majesty, it would appear to be so,” the imperial guards reported.

Consort Ning had not expected things to unfold exactly as Ying Fusheng had said. She looked toward him, and suddenly met his gaze. Those eyes were like the eyes of this child when he had woken from his illness days ago, the depths of them perfectly still, yet carrying a seeping coldness. For a moment she missed her chance to speak, and heard Ying Fusheng say instead,

“Your grandson does not believe this is an ill omen,” Ying Fusheng said.

The Empress Dowager looked at him. “How so?”

Ying Fusheng continued, “Grandmother is kind to all living things. Father’s triumphant return is a joyous occasion for the entire court. Though this was an accident, no one was harmed, and the animals of the Imperial Beast Garden, long grown listless, have been roused back to life. That beasts are fierce by nature is simply their nature. But might this not be a sign that all living things are offering their celebration?”

A hush fell over the hall.

The Crown Prince beside her looked at Ying Fusheng kneeling on the floor. Seeing the hall go quiet and the Empress Dowager’s expression ease slightly, he stepped forward and said, “Grandmother, the Sixth Prince is right. It is an auspicious omen.”

“Indeed, it is an auspicious omen!”

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. This is an auspicious omen!”

The others followed with a few words each, riding on the Crown Prince’s lead to offer their congratulations.

Ying Fusheng knelt with his gaze on the Crown Prince. This person never let a single opportunity slip by.

A flicker of coldness passed through his eyes. He said nothing more, only bent his head slightly, knowing that the scheme he had long been planning had nearly come to its end.

The ill omen had become an auspicious one. The Empress Dowager’s expression relaxed entirely. The Wangyue Pavilion incident, once it spread, would inevitably give rise to rumors, but with Ying Fusheng’s few words turning ill fortune into good, and no serious harm having come of it, a slightly embellished account would make it a cause for double celebration, a sign that all living things were offering their joy.

The ominous sign of the beast attack had been resolved by the Sixth Prince, and the palace attendants who had nearly lost their heads over it looked over at him with gratitude. The Sixth Prince was still kneeling. His face was somewhat pale, yet there was a quiet sharpness in the way he held himself upright. The Empress Dowager played with the cats, and her gaze drifted to the child kneeling below. From where she sat, she noticed that this grandson’s face bore a certain resemblance to the Emperor in his youth.

The current Emperor had trained in martial arts from childhood under her guidance, and years of constant practice had left him slightly leaner than the other princes in his youth.

As a child, there had been almost no flesh on his face, and it was especially similar to Ying Fusheng’s appearance now.

Consort Ning had always kept to herself, and the prince in her care rarely came to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager’s impression of this child was still from when he was very small. A few days ago she had heard he had fallen into the water and taken ill, and she had sent people to check on him several times. Consort Ning had said the illness was not serious, but looking at him now, he had not even fully recovered.

Her mood had improved somewhat because of the cats. Seeing this child come in the middle of his illness to plead for his mother showed he was a filial one, and her impression of Ying Fusheng warmed a little.

The more she looked at him, the more she liked his appearance.

“The Sixth Prince is right. It is an auspicious omen.” As soon as she finished speaking, everyone else in the palace understood at once what they should do.

Cold sweat ran down Consort Ning’s back. She heard the Empress Dowager’s words and felt a resentment she could not voice, yet had no choice but to accept that this little bastard had earned the credit.

“Why is he still kneeling? The Sixth Prince is still ill. Give him a seat,” the Empress said.

Ying Fusheng looked up toward the speaker, his expression unreadable.

The Empress’s words brought everyone back to their senses, and they realized that through all the back and forth, the Sixth Prince had been kneeling the entire time. Several palace attendants hurried forward to help him up. The Sixth Prince rose to his feet, pale-faced, and bent slightly to bow, but at that moment his body swayed and he collapsed straight to the floor, too weak to hold himself up.