102. How Easily Old Friendships Change

Pei Jinghong leisurely turned to her, gently placing her right hand over the crimson lotus fire mark on her forehead, smiling brightly and softly. "It seems that after all these years, Your Highness the Noble Consort still harbors such deep hatred for me, does she not? Otherwise, why would you remember me so vividly and recognize me at the mere sight of this flower ornament?" Among all the people in the imperial palace, only Consort Pei Shufei from years past possessed such a bold spirit to dare to paint this flower ornament so prominently on the center of her forehead.

In the eyes of Consort Nangong, there was nothing but jealousy and resentment, yet she was utterly powerless, only able to helplessly pound the pillow, her trembling lips betraying her fierce yet impotent rage—a truly pitiful sight.

Suddenly, Pei Jinghong recalled how, in her childhood, she had accompanied her aunt, Consort Pei Shufei, in the imperial garden where they had once encountered Consort Nangong. That radiant and proud woman, whose beautiful eyes once dismissed everything else in the world, had been worn down by time until only a sense of desolation remained.

"Fear not, Your Highness," Pei Jinghong said gently, taking Nangong’s hand in an attempt to calm her. "Did you not witness my aunt’s burial with your own eyes? The dead cannot return here."

After hearing this, Consort Nangong calmed considerably, her chest rising and falling unevenly as she gasped harshly between curses. "You... who are you? Why do you resemble Pei Shufei so closely?"

Pei Jinghong smiled and replied, "Your Highness must be getting old if you no longer recognize me. I am the Crown Princess, Xu Guiyi. You forgot? The very same Xu Guiyi you ordered to be pushed off a cliff."

One sees, then, why blood debts accumulate so mercilessly; one may evade the first day, but not the fifteenth.

"Ah! Go away! Stay away! Don’t come near me!" Consort Nangong finally broke down completely. If she had merely gnashed her teeth upon Pei Shufei’s death, she had truly participated in the plotting behind Xu Guiyi’s demise.

"My lady, the cliff is cold and bleak, and I am terribly susceptible to the cold—how could I not come to find you?" Each word and expression was unmistakably that of the former Crown Princess Xu Guiyi.

"Don’t come looking for me! I was forced into it, too. I only wanted to remove the Empress, not to harm you. Blame the Empress if you must; she was the one who dragged you off to that Five Elements Mountain. She is no good," Consort Nangong began shouting wildly. "You risked your life to save her from the fall, yet when she uncovered the real culprit, she kept it secret. You should be seeking her out, not me."

"What did you say?" Pei Jinghong was taken aback, struggling to believe it. She gripped Nangong’s wrist tightly, demanding she repeat herself. "Say it again—what did you mean by keeping it secret?"

Consort Nangong, disheveled and tearful, could barely hold herself together as she sobbed, "After the Crown Princess fell, the Empress came to my chambers to interrogate me, claiming she knew the assassin came from the Nangong family. But she never revealed this to the public; she chose to conceal it. She wanted His Majesty to feel guilt over the Crown Princess’s death, so as to cement the Crown Prince’s standing in his heart."

Ah... so it was all a matter of using people as tools.

Pei Jinghong was overcome with a mixture of sorrow and bitterness. If anyone could embody cold-heartedness, it was surely Fu Lancheng’s parents.

Consort Nangong continued shouting, "Someone, anyone, come quickly!"

Pei Jinghong coldly stared at her. "Stop shouting. My purpose here is fulfilled; I have no desire to take your life."

Still doubtful, Consort Nangong shifted further onto the bed, asking, "You’re not Xu Guiyi. Who exactly are you? The second Miss Pei? Fu Lancheng’s wife, Jinghong?"

"I am Pei Zhaojin," she said with quiet finality. This simple statement caused the still-fragile Consort Nangong to struggle to sit up again. "Don’t be afraid; I am not a ghost. I am not dead."

"You really aren’t dead? Earlier, Yuan’er told me, but I didn’t believe her. So it’s true—you are Pei Zhaojin. Have you come back for revenge?" Nangong’s face turned pale as death, devoid of any blood.

"Yes, I returned to see old acquaintances. I cannot let the Pei family suffer in the netherworld alone. All of you who live must soon join them to apologize." Pei Jinghong’s face was cold; her eyes like snow. "But rest assured, I will not let you die. As long as the Retired Emperor lives, you may stay here in the Huaiyi Palace and enjoy your twilight years." Such a fate worse than death only fuels deeper hatred.

"You hate me, but shouldn’t you hate the Emperor and the Empress even more? The Emperor is cold, selfish, and heartless; the Empress is his accomplice, aiding and abetting evil. That couple deserves death far more than I do," Consort Nangong ground her teeth bitterly, as if she had never once shared affection with the Emperor, now the Retired Emperor.

Pei Jinghong was surprised. "Does the Retired Emperor know just how much the Noble Consort hates him?" Emperor Yongyi had pardoned many crimes of the Nangong family for her sake. The vast peony gardens of Lan Chi Palace still bloomed brilliantly. If the Retired Emperor knew of her hatred, would all his sincerity be cast to the winds?

Consort Nangong had completely regained composure, a cold smile lingering at the corners of her eyes. "I first met His Majesty when I was ten. We were childhood sweethearts, innocent and carefree. He was a few years older, teaching me to play the zither and flute, to play chess, to toss arrows into pots. I believed he loved me, so I waited for him with all my heart. I was naïve enough to think that when I came of age, he would marry me."

Her tears flowed again. "For him, I studied the complicated court etiquette diligently from a young age. While other girls still clung to their parents, I had already mastered the entire suite of ceremonies. I told myself I must be learned and refined, intelligent and graceful, surpassing all noble ladies in the capital, so I could be worthy of his status."

She laughed bitterly. "Ha! But what did I receive in return? What did I receive?" Just as she thought her dreams would come true, another woman appeared. He married the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Changping, the brilliant and renowned Song Mei’an. How could she accept that?

Her laughter was filled with tears, her voice heartbreakingly mournful. "How fickle are the fine silks and embroidered robes, once willing to fly side by side as a pair. I was too foolish, too naive. I shouldn’t blame others; the fault lies with myself."

If only life were always like the first meeting, why must autumn winds sadden painted fans?

Friendships easily change, yet we claim old friends are the ones who betray first.

After speaking of Lishan, tears fell through half the night, yet no resentment lingered.

How fickle are the fine silks and embroidered robes, once willing to fly side by side as a pair.

On May 12th, the southern border garrison troops joined forces with the Shu Nan king’s army, 100,000 strong, ambushing the enemy led by the King of Baiyue on the northern bank of the Ping River, achieving a decisive victory.

When Pei Jinghong came to see Emperor Yongyi, a copy of "The Biography of Marquis Huaiyin" lay beside him.

"Your Majesty, the Retired Emperor," she greeted respectfully.

"Sit." The Retired Emperor looked up at her, his eyes dark and complicated.

"I heard that Your Majesty specifically requested to see me?" Pei Jinghong smiled, confirming.

"Yes." Yongyi Emperor did not waste time. "I have spent my life painstakingly raising a good son, only for him to be raised by your Pei family."

Pei Jinghong remained silent, smiling—she knew well the Retired Emperor’s grudge against the Pei clan.

"The Crown Prince is rebellious by nature, yet incredibly intelligent. I forced him to study the classics and strategies, and now that he has matured, this is how he treats his own father?" How could he say such things so calmly?

Pei Jinghong’s smile remained as she clenched her fingertips deep into her palm inside her sleeve, suppressing her emotions. "Your Majesty, you are a renowned emperor, well-versed in the classics and history. You enjoy reading about Marquis Huaiyin, do you not? Have you never heard how later generations judged Emperor Gaozu of Han?"

"When the birds are gone, the good bow is put away; when the cunning rabbit dies, the running dogs are cooked." Truly, the most accurate depiction of Emperor Yongyi’s reign.

After finishing the last line, a brief silence fell over the hall. Even under the Retired Emperor’s stern face, his fists clenched tightly.

"So what? I am the Son of Heaven!"

Pei Jinghong’s smile was sorrowful, utterly hopeless. "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, but can you cure the Noble Consort’s illness now? Or... could it be that she has been poisoned?"

The Emperor’s eyes shifted drastically. "It’s you."

"Your Majesty, it is not me. It is your own cleverness that has backfired. Years ago, you secretly ordered a chronic poison to be placed inside my mother’s body, causing her to die suddenly on the battlefield. Did you ever imagine that thirteen years later, the retribution would strike your own Noble Consort?" Pei Jinghong’s smile dripped with venom; she had waited a long time for this day.

"When did you discover such a poison exists?" The Retired Emperor had once commissioned a recluse herbalist to develop this poison for a full year—a colorless, tasteless chronic toxin that even silver needles could not detect. It required two to three years of continuous exposure before it took effect. It wouldn’t kill but would slowly paralyze the victim’s limbs, like a stroke.

"The peonies in the Noble Consort’s palace were all new varieties imported from the Eastern Capital, replaced monthly, unchanged for years. It seems the Retired Emperor truly loved the Noble Consort deeply, year after year, the peonies bloom eternal." Pei Jinghong’s voice was light, but her eyes full of contempt.

The Retired Emperor’s gaze darkened, silent. He had once believed his plan flawless when he poisoned Pei Xuewei. "I never wanted her dead; I only wanted her poisoned and paralyzed, bedridden, unable to command troops, so she would no longer be a threat. I never intended for Pei Xuewei to die, you must believe me." His words rang with genuine conviction—his suspicions were real, his schemes true, but he never wished her death.

"My mother’s remains have long since turned to dust in the northern borderlands. And now, Your Majesty wishes to disown responsibility?" Pei Jinghong no longer believed him.

Seeing her disbelief, the Retired Emperor roared, "It was she who secretly consorted with Prince Mu of Daxiang—unclean dealings! It’s no fault of mine!" He blamed everyone but himself, never acknowledging his own coldness or cruelty.

"Am I wrong? I am the Son of Heaven, seeking sole control of imperial power, purging ministers who overshadow me, ruling the vast realm with absolute authority. What is wrong with that?" Yongyi Emperor denied his faults loudly, as if the louder he shouted, the more justified he became.

"Yet the Retired Emperor has remained the same all these years—callous, selfish, and heartless," Pei Jinghong stated icily. "However, I did not come today to listen to Your Majesty’s excuses."

From her sleeve, Pei Jinghong produced a piece of cloth bearing Daxiang script and laid it before the Retired Emperor. "Your Majesty, please examine this—could this be the notice of treason and collusion with the enemy you sought thirteen years ago?"

The Retired Emperor’s face froze in shock, unable to believe his eyes as he looked at the yellowed fabric.