She raised her hand high, then hesitated. Her arm hung stiffly in the air for a moment before she slowly returned the powder box to its place, tears streaming down her face.
Lu Yirong was supposedly her sister-in-law, but she felt more like an elder sister—one who gifted her homemade scented powder, painted her nails, and willingly went out with her to listen patiently to her petty troubles.
Cui Youfan lay weakly against the side of the bed frame, sobbing in hiccupping gasps.
After some time, the Third Lady pushed the door open quietly and slipped inside. She helped her second sister up and, after a moment of silence, comforted her. “Don’t cry anymore. Since he’s such a coward who shies away from trouble, he’s not the right match for you anyway. There will be someone better in the future.”
“I’m not crying over that!”
“Then whatever else it is has even less to do with us,” the Third Lady said steadily. “Anyway, I don’t think Sixth Sister-in-Law did anything wrong, and Sixth Brother wasn’t at fault either. It’s just… never mind. Just don’t be so upset.”
Neither of them dared to blame the Emperor. They exchanged a glance and quickly looked away.
“Things were so good before,” the Second Miss sobbed. “We should have noticed something was off earlier, but who could have imagined this would happen? Do you remember? I just recalled—it was on my birthday when we heard His Majesty wasn’t selecting any consorts, and Sixth Sister-in-Law crushed her cup in her hand.”
The Third Lady was startled. “It started that early?”
Both young ladies knew the rough outline of what had happened, but no one in the household would tell them the details.
After thinking for a moment, she continued to console her. “Don’t be sad. She’s not the type to claw her way up the social ladder, and she won’t do anything to us.”
“I know… I just want them to come back.”
She wanted them both to return to the Cui family, to live happily as a proper family, as her good brother and sister-in-law. Everyone together again, admiring flowers and the moon, sipping fruit wine and floral dew, playing drinking games, teasing whoever blushed first, laughing and roughhousing in the rooms…
The Third Lady said calmly, “That’s impossible.”
Sixth Brother might come back someday, but the old Sixth Sister-in-Law never would.
She took hold of the Second Miss’s slender hand—the hand she would never paint nails on again.
The Third Lady suddenly spoke up. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
–
By the time attendants from the palace escorted Yirong to the Lu Residence, it was already afternoon.
Shuilian, who had been sent out of the palace earlier to burn incense, led a group of servants waiting at the gate to welcome her. Smiling warmly, she helped Yirong inside. The Lu Residence had originally been the villa of a noble lady who had fallen from grace and been confiscated; it had been renovated not long ago. It blended the delicate charm of Jiangnan with the broad, open style of the north, with scenic views changing at every step.
In the flower hall, Yirong’s paternal uncle and aunt, along with Madam Qiao, sat primly, chatting idly. When the servants announced Yirong’s arrival, they all rose to their feet at once. As Yirong entered and smiled at them, Lu Zong gave her a few appraising looks from a careful distance. “Your uncle and aunt wanted to go to the gate to greet you, but your mother insisted on stopping us.”
Madam Qiao laughed. “She’s just a little girl—why should the two of you go to such trouble personally? We’ll talk about the future another day.”
After a few pleasantries, everyone took their seats.
It had been four years since Yirong’s paternal uncle and aunt had last seen her. Back then, she had been a green, awkward girl on the cusp of womanhood; now, she was about to remarry as the Empress, her features carrying a touch more maturity than before.
Lu Zong and his wife chatted with Yirong for a long while.
Having heard the rumors swirling through the streets, they knew the talk of establishing her as Empress was the hottest gossip, and that the Emperor’s excuses didn’t ring true. Yet no one asked her what had really happened.
Madam Deng chattered on in her usual rambling way until the afternoon shadows lengthened. Servants brought in bowls of sweet soup and pastries, and only then did she slap her forehead. “Look at me, running my mouth again. Eat something, then go back to your mother’s room with her. The two of you must have a bellyful of words saved up to share…”
Unknowingly, she started talking again.
Yirong and her mother exchanged smiling glances, but Yirong caught a hint of sternness in her mother’s eyes, which puzzled her.
Once the others had dispersed, Yirong followed Madam Qiao back to her bedroom.
Madam Qiao had been sitting outside for so long that she was utterly exhausted. As soon as Yirong helped her lie down on the chaise longue, her mother poked her forehead.
Yirong covered her face and looked over in confusion.
Madam Qiao’s refined features were etched with seriousness. “You went too far!”
Yirong froze, suddenly understanding. She glanced at Song Mama, whose face was filled with unease.
“Don’t look at her. Did you really think you could hide it from me?” Madam Qiao said in a low voice. “You went too far. If you’d been found out after the fact, it would have been a capital crime! Fortunately, His Majesty isn’t holding a grudge. You must never have such foolish ideas again.”
These past days, Madam Qiao had barely slept, terrified her daughter would be punished in the palace.
Yirong pursed her lips and said nothing.
Madam Qiao sighed. “Even if you were going to do something, you can’t just act on a whim. You need to plan carefully over time and execute it with precision.”
After a pause, she murmured, “How could I have foreseen something like that?”
“What do you mean by that?” Madam Qiao frowned.
His Majesty clearly intended to make her daughter Empress and had specially summoned Lu Zong and his wife. The matter was likely already settled. Last time, when her daughter said she didn’t want to enter the palace, it was out of worry she’d suffer in the harem intrigues.
But the Empress position… it was fortune that took lifetimes to earn.
Yet there was obvious resentment in her daughter’s eyes.
Madam Qiao knew her daughter well. She had a bit of a temper but was generally good-natured and never held grudges. The highest honors of the realm had been laid at her feet, yet she showed no joy—didn’t even want to bear an imperial heir…
“What did His Majesty do before?” she asked.
A sudden impulse surged in Yirong’s heart; she wanted to tell her mother everything in detail, starting from that incident over half a year ago.
She bit her lip and held back.
She couldn’t say it.
It wasn’t worth making her mother worry or even fall ill over it.
“It’s nothing,” she said airily, smiling at Song Mama, who still looked terrified. “Song Mama, go rest. I don’t blame you.”
Madam Qiao stared at her steadily for a moment, then reached out to tuck a loose strand of Yirong’s hair behind her ear. Softly, she said, “If there’s truly something difficult, Mother will always help you. If you have any grievances… well, perhaps Mother can’t do much, but don’t keep it bottled up inside. Speak it out.”
After all, that person was the Emperor.
Yirong shook her head with a smile. “I really have no grievances.”
Madam Qiao studied her for a moment. “Then you’re still thinking about Cui Cheng.”
Lowering her voice, she continued, “Since you’re not fated to be together, stop thinking about him. He’s a grown man—he’ll get by out there no matter what. If you keep him on your mind, Mother doesn’t care about others, but it won’t be good for you in the palace. His Majesty won’t tolerate it if he finds out. Rongrong, no one is magnanimous enough to accept their pillow companion pining for an ex.”
For a fleeting moment, Yirong felt dazed. She stood up, beaming. “Mother, you’re overthinking it. Aunt said she brought some local specialties. I need to go ask her what we can use for tonight’s dinner.”
Without looking back at her mother’s expression, she hurried out.
From the beginning, she’d worried that if Cui Cheng found out, he’d make a huge fuss or face punishment—even lose his life. Then there was her mother’s health, and now her paternal uncle and aunt were in the capital, with more Lu family members arriving soon…
She pressed her lips tightly together. Shuilian whispered, “Miss, are we still going to see Great Madam?”
Yirong smiled. “Yes, let’s go see what good things she brought.”
Over the next few days, the Lu Residence was thronged with visitors and gifts. The official reason for her uncle and aunt’s trip to the capital was to check on some ancestral properties that had gone unmanaged for years and review the accounts. They spent most days receiving guests at home; when truly worn out, they hid in their rooms and claimed they were off inspecting the ledgers.
An heir from the Qiao family arrived too—the son of Madam Qiao’s uncle. The couple were both plump and polite, seeming utterly honest and earnest. They expressed deep gratitude to Yirong and her mother and invited them to visit the Qiao Residence when they had time.
Not just them—nobles and high officials from all quarters came calling with gifts.
By custom, Yirong saw none but her relatives.
More Lu family members were still on the road. Aunt Deng told Yirong that her cousins and the younger uncle adopted to her father would arrive soon.
Ten days passed like this. Though the official decree establishing the Empress had not yet come, early one morning, a grand procession of elegantly dressed and dignified eunuchs arrived at the Lu Residence to proclaim the edict. It posthumously granted Yirong’s father, Lu Kuan, the titles of Duke of Yingguo, Grand Commandant, and Minister of Works; honored her mother Qiao Shi as Duchess of Chuguo; appointed Lu Zong as Marquis of Ruyang and Grand Minister of Agriculture.
The gate was festive with joy. Madam Deng hurriedly sent servants to scatter coins on the street and opened the storerooms to reward the household staff.
Laughter and cheers filled the entire street as people came to share in the good fortune. Children played nearby, and some kowtowed from a distance at the Lu Residence gate.
With this decree, everyone knew Lu Yirong’s position as Empress was set in stone.
It was also on this day that Yirong received an invitation from Princess Consort Ning.