The performer was subdued, and the peacocks that had attacked the Empress were taken out of the banquet hall by the guards. The Empress held Fuyi’s hand, her eyes full of concern.
The titled madams gathered around the Empress, showing concern for her well-being and offering words of comfort and support, each and every one displaying a loyal demeanor, as if they wished to bear the shock for her. Seeing the Empress still holding Yun Fuyi’s hand, a bit of jealousy crept into their hearts. With so many people present, how did this girl manage to gain the credit for saving the Empress?
“Your Majesty,” a court lady1 approached the Empress, her expression solemn. “According to the investigation by the guards and the imperial physicians, it was found that the claws of the two peacocks were laced with poison. This poison is colorless and odorless, taking effect only after a few days. When it comes into contact with a person’s face, the poisons will cause sores and pus to form on the skin.”
Everyone immediately looked towards Fuyi, and the Empress anxiously summoned the imperial physician.
“Please rest assured, Your Majesty, this subject daughter is alright. The key to handling chick—… to capturing peacocks is to avoid their sharp claws and control their necks and wings.” Fuyi reassured the Empress while giving a comforting look to her mother. She then continued, “Since the performer and his peacocks were allowed to perform for you, they must have undergone strict inspections. So, even if the poison was on the peacocks’ claws, it was hidden in a place hard to detect or touch.”
The method of ruining someone’s appearance reminded her of the rivalries among the concubines in the inner palace.
The Empress immediately ordered a thorough investigation as the imperial physician took Fuyi’s pulse. Soon, the banquet hall regained its calm, as if the assassination attempt had never occurred.
The madams admired the Empress’s composure, marveling at her grace. As expected of the mother of the world—how many could possess such bearing and poise? Her Majesty had been gifted since her days in the boudoir and had spent years by the Emperor’s side, enduring the hardships of their early days.
After Fuyi changed into new clothes in the backroom on the hall and the imperial physician confirmed she was unharmed, the Empress finally felt relieved. “You are at the age where your beauty shines like the bright moon; you must take care not to harm your appearance.” With these words, she turned to Liu Qiongzhi, whose seat was nearby. “This Palace has no daughters of my own, but if I did, I imagine she would be as lovely as your Fuyi.”
The entire hall was stunned.
What did Her Majesty just say?
Lovely? Who?
The older madams, in particular, looked at the Empress in disbelief. How in the world could ‘Fuyi’ and ‘lovely’ ever be used together in a sentence?!
When His Majesty was still an unfavored Wang, Her Majesty mostly lived quietly in their manor and rarely showed up in public. But they hadn’t realized that her detachment from news was so extreme that she remained unaware of Yun Fuyi’s notorious reputation in the capital!
It was a great honor to be complimented by the Empress. Liu Qiongzhi stood up and curtsied, “Your Majesty is too kind. This child is rather mischievous, although she knows how to be considerate every so often.”
Princess Kangyang lowered her gaze, sipping her tea to avoid letting anyone see her rolling her eyes. ‘Rather’ mischievous? Really? Liu Qiongzhi looked quite smart and wise—who knew she had such a blind spot when it came to her own daughter?
As expected, my chubby grandson is still the best. That’s what you’d call lovely!
…
The lovely Fatty Liu, still sulking from his defeat in a cockfight, trudged down the street while his entourage of servants tried to cheer him up with endless flattery. Suddenly, the sound of galloping horses filled the air, and a cloud of dust swirled up, stinging Fatty Liu’s eyes and nose. He shouted angrily, “Who’s so blind that they don’t recognize this Shizi…”
“Shh, Shizi, it’s the Jinwu Guard!”2 A servant quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. “If the Jinwu Guard is leaving the city, something serious must have happened.”
Fatty Liu squinted, trying to make out the figure galloping in the forefront, which turned out to be the Prince.
“Go, go, go. We must hurry home,” he urged his servants. For the Prince to personally lead the Jinwu Guard out of the city, something very serious must have happened!
…
Back at the imperial villa, Fuyi had changed into a flowing palace dress made of Shu brocade, an imperial bestowal. Additionally, her hair was adorned with a five-tailed phoenix hairpin3, personally placed by the Empress. She was surrounded by palace maids and eunuchs, all attending to her with great care.
The other guests watched this familiar scene with a sense of bewilderment. As the old saying goes, every new sovereign brings his own courtiers—so how did Yun Fuyi remain in favor despite the change of regime?
“Reporting to Your Majesty. His Imperial Highness, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, the Left Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and the Jinwu Guard’s commander request an audience.”
“Allowed.”
Not long afterward, the Prince strode into the hall. He moved with urgency, not even noticing that his left sleeve had flipped up.
“Greetings to Your Imperial Highness.”
“Dispense with the formalities!”
Only after seeing his mother safe and sound did Sui Tingheng finally breathe a sigh of relief. “Now that I see you’re unharmed, Mother Empress, your son can rest easy. Father Emperor has been worried about you and has sent me to escort you back to the palace.”
“Do not worry, I am fine,” the Empress said, reaching out to adjust Sui Tingheng’s sleeve. “Your Father Emperor always makes a fuss over nothing. There was no need for such a large entourage.”
“Your Majesty, you are the mother of the world, and your well-being is also the well-being of all people. Besides, His Majesty holds you dearly, and His Imperial Highness respects you deeply—this is far from an unnecessary display,” a madam spoke up.
“His Highness’s filial piety is truly admirable,” another remarked.
With the help of her son, the Empress rose to her feet and gestured to Fuyi. “Fuyi, come to us.”
Fuyi hurried over, supporting the Empress’s other arm. “Your Majesty, please be careful of the steps.”
“Thanks to Fuyi being present today, which allows your mother to escape unscathed,” the Empress said, releasing Sui Tingheng’s arm and gently patting Yun Fuyi on the arm with affection. “She is my life-saving benefactor.”
“Your Majesty,” Fuyi protested, “To serve the country is to remain loyal to His Majesty, to bear the burden of his worries. As a subject, it is my duty to protect you—there is no question of being a benefactor.”
“It was merely a coincidence that this subject daughter happens to have some skill in handling wild birds, allowing me the chance to assist you, Your Majesty. The loyalty of those present is no different from mine.”
“So young and already so considerate—how could This Palace not be fond of you?” The Empress’s eyes swept over the throng of guests. If everyone were truly loyal, why was it that Fuyi had been the first to shield her, rather than someone else?
Back when she was still the Li Wangfei, almost no one paid her any heed under the late emperor’s cold treatment. But since becoming Empress, these once-distant noble madams had all become attentive and considerate, always speaking pleasantly and acting so devoted.
Yet it was Yun Fuyi, despite her notorious reputation, who had never slighted her even a bit. In fact, this young girl had even come to her aid during her most awkward moments…
It’s always harder to give aid in times of need than to add to someone’s success. She understood this well, but it didn’t mean she could magnanimously forget the past. After all, she was just an empress, not some holy Boddhisatva.
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- Court Lady (女官): Sometimes also translated as ‘female officials,’ they are women employed by the imperial palace to serve in managerial posts within the private quarters of the palace. This makes them different from regular palace maids.
- Jinwu Guard (金吾衛) or ‘Imperial Insignia Guard’ was the name of one of three imperial bodyguard garrisons during the Tang dynasty.
- Dragon is the symbol of emperors, while the phoenix symbolizes the empresses. As such, details like the number of phoenix tails or the claws of the dragon are very important, since wearing the wrong things might lead someone to be accused of treason in the worst-case scenario.