A wu took a deep breath, clenching her fists tightly as she stared at the palace gate ahead.
She knew that Fengtian Hall was divided into front and rear halls.
The inner hall was where Emperor Jingxi rested, and ever since she came to Fengtian Hall, she had only been in the inner hall.
She wasn’t allowed to go to the outer hall freely. Â
The outer hall was where Emperor Jingxi handled court affairs and met with ministers.
The Directorate of Ceremonial eunuchs and various court eunuchs all served and waited there. Â
Actually, there were no imperial guards stationed between the inner and outer halls, nor many eunuchs either—only a corridor, barely noticeable.
But no one dared to cross it lightly. Â
To the nursemaids, palace ladies, and eunuchs in the inner hall, there was an invisible line on that corridor.
It was the line between life and death. Â
Everyone serving the emperor, escorting the emperor, or doing anything else would stop abruptly at the steps of the corridor, never daring to step over the boundary.
A wu thought that if she secretly stepped over, it wouldn’t matter—there was no one on the corridor now, no one to see.
So she pretended to stroll in the courtyard inside the hall, distracted the palace ladies and nursemaids nearby, then deliberately and naively stepped onto the corridor.
Every step she took was trembling with fear, as if she were walking on scorching hot stones.
She knew if she was discovered, she would probably die, but she could not remain ignorant or wait passively for death.
She tiptoed forward cautiously.
She was roughly familiar with the layout here—Emperor Jingxi had once brought her to the outer hall during the Lantern Festival.
As she walked, she saw a huge eight-sided landscape folding screen ahead.
On the east side of the screen, faint voices could be heard—Emperor Jingxi and the Imperial Son were speaking. Â
They were discussing court matters—soldiers, expenses, and such.
Their voices were fragmented and unclear, and A wu couldn’t understand. Â
After listening for a while, anxiety swelled in her chest.
Clutching her skirt, she tiptoed back hurriedly. Â
A wu rushed back to Langhua Hall.
Her unusual behavior startled Futai.
He hurried over and asked what happened, but no one dared to speak. Â
Who would dare say that the Imperial Noble Consort actually went to the outer hall?
Everyone knew the emperor adored the Imperial Noble Consort and that she had given birth to a pair of children.
The emperor treasured her more than his own eyes. Â
If they said anything, they didn’t know what the Consort would do to them—they feared they’d be the first to die.
Futai, sharp and astute, immediately summoned two or three palace ladies and forced them to confess in private.
The poor palace ladies broke down and cried after only a few words. Â
Hearing this, Futai’s face darkened.
“Nonsense! Is this slander against the Consort?” Â
His words terrified the palace ladies, who hurriedly claimed they had been mistaken.
After further threats from Futai, everyone insisted they were wrong, and the matter was buried.
Even after calming things down, Futai was drenched in sweat, weakly raising a hand to support his forehead.
He was wholeheartedly loyal to Emperor Jingxi and willing to die for him.
He cared for A wu like a daughter and felt pain for her.
But now, this was beyond his control.
He frowned and pondered for a long time before summoning a trusted aide.
He ordered someone to keep an eye on Langhua Hall’s movements. Â
“Just watch, don’t interfere,” he instructed.
At the same time, in the Imperial Study, the Imperial Son furrowed his brows deeply.
“So, you mean to say, Mother Consort… she might have some involvement with Lu Yunjian?”
Emperor Jingxi replied calmly, “Based on the current information, it seems so.”
The secret agents were still investigating, but the situation was undoubtedly unfavorable.
The Imperial Son could hardly believe it and asked, “Father, I don’t understand—why did you let Lu Yunjian go?” Â
Emperor Jingxi lowered his eyes silently.
The Imperial Son nearly exploded, “I can’t accept this at all. If they—” Â
Emperor Jingxi interrupted, “The matter isn’t settled yet. Why are you in such a hurry?”
The Imperial Son took a deep breath.
He knew more confirmation was needed, and he had to find out the truth. Â
He naturally wouldn’t dare to ask A wu but could press the Empress.
The Empress surely knew the exact details! Â
Emperor Jingxi lifted his eyelids and stared at his son.
“Besides, Mo Yao, she is my Imperial Noble Consort. What are you trying to do?”
The Imperial Son was stunned for a moment before pain surged through him again.
He shook his head with difficulty and said, “Father can tolerate it, but I can’t. I want to kill him.” Â
What he could not say was that he could accept A wu siding with the emperor, becoming part of his father’s harem.
The emperor was his father; he accepted it.
Didn’t he? Â
But Lu Yunjian—how could he?
That Lu Yunjian had once had relations with A wu.
Why? Â
His heart felt shattered, stabbed brutally, bloodied and aching unbearably.
Emperor Jingxi lowered his eyes and methodically stroked the jade thumb ring in his hand.
“Do you know the origin of this thumb ring?”
The Imperial Son looked at the ring and after a moment said, “I do.”
Emperor Jingxi said, “This thumb ring represents the imperial throne of the Great Hui. It is the late emperor’s affection for me.”
He paused, then continued, “But it is also my constraint.”
The Imperial Son frowned.
Emperor Jingxi explained, “The late emperor obtained a rare and exquisite jade and made this thumb ring. When making it, he carved off a piece to create a jade tablet.”
The Imperial Son’s eyes widened.
“That jade tablet was given to the Marquis of Zhen’an’s Manor?” Â
Emperor Jingxi’s expression remained cold.
“Given to Lu Yunjian.” Â
The Imperial Son struggled to breathe and after a moment said, “So, it symbolizes shared origin?”
One thumb ring and one jade tablet, made from a single, unparalleled piece of jade, bestowed by the late emperor.
The meaning was unmistakable. Â
Emperor Jingxi sneered, “Yes.” Â
The Imperial Son asked, “With that jade tablet, Lu Yunjian can’t be killed. So even if he commits unforgivable crimes, no one dares touch him?”
Emperor Jingxi’s eyes were icy cold.
The Imperial Son recalled, “I remember the Imperial Elder Grandmother once mentioned the late emperor left a secret decree that was never publicly revealed. Could it be related to this?”
Emperor Jingxi said, “That secret decree was left to Lu Yunjian. The late emperor felt sorry for this son, unable to let him acknowledge his lineage or return to the family, so he secured for him eternal wealth and honor. The Eastern Sea was left to him.”
The Imperial Son frowned slowly and suddenly understood.
He finally understood why his father had quietly encroached on the Eastern Sea all these years.
With the emperor’s usual hand at court, why would he be so cautious?
It was because of this! Â
Emperor Jingxi said, “So you see, your grandfather was a man of sentiment and loyalty, devoted to this lost son.”
He spoke indifferently, “But he left a wrecked, broken mess to the fourteen-year-old me.”
The Imperial Son knew his father’s early reign was difficult, and suddenly felt sympathy for him.
Though he was unhappy with his father at times, in the end… his father was still more reliable than the late emperor.
Emperor Jingxi asked, “Now tell me, how should we deal with Lu Yunjian?”
The Imperial Son frowned, hesitated, then said, “Father has placed the Empress under house arrest to pressure Lu Yunjian, forcing him to hand over the secret decree and jade tablet?”
Emperor Jingxi replied, “The Empress has some influence, but not enough.”
The Imperial Son thought for a moment, then shuddered.
“The Marquis of Zhen’an’s Manor has controlled the Eastern Sea for a hundred years, deeply rooted. Now with the late emperor’s decree and the jade tablet, the court is cautious about taking action. Father can’t act freely. So in the end, you’re driving him to a dead end. That will cause endless trouble. Therefore…”
He slowly said, “Father wants to release the tiger and let it return to the mountains, to make him ally with the pirates of the sea.”
Emperor Jingxi sneered, then his harsh voice echoed through the Imperial Study.
“I want him to willingly hand over the secret decree and the jade tablet, to become infamous and reviled for all eternity. Is that not so?”
The Imperial Son was silent for a moment, then narrowed his eyes, enunciating each word.
“I volunteer to go to the Eastern Sea and settle this once and for all.”
Emperor Jingxi’s gaze swept indifferently over his son.
The Imperial Son met his father’s eyes with fearless resolve.
Emperor Jingxi understood and gave a mocking smile.
“What is this? Every one of you thinks I’m a heartless and cruel man?”
The Imperial Son was momentarily stunned, then his nose tingled with emotion.
He swallowed his turmoil and hoarsely said, “Father, I am willing. As the Crown Prince, I am willing to go to the Eastern Sea on your behalf, to settle the grievances of the previous generation, and to eliminate the hidden dangers in the Eastern Sea for the court.”
Emperor Jingxi studied his son for a long while, then sighed lightly.
“Mo Yao, it’s too soon to bring this up now. We need time to tighten the net, give him some time.”
The Imperial Son bowed his head.
Emperor Jingxi tossed some memorials on the desk aside casually.
“You’re not young anymore. Think before you act next time. I don’t want to see so many memorials accusing you again.”
The Imperial Son glanced at the papers.
He knew they were memorials accusing him of monopolizing the Imperial Grandson’s nursemaid—all suppressed by his father. Â
He was silent for a moment before saying, “Father, there was no need to suppress those memorials. I don’t care.”
Emperor Jingxi’s voice suddenly turned cold and sharp.
“Silence! If you dare act recklessly again, do you believe I’ll kill you right now?”
The Imperial Son pursed his lips stubbornly.
After a moment, Emperor Jingxi’s expression softened.
He glanced at the Imperial Son and said mildly,  “Also, next time something happens, stay calm. Don’t panic—it might scare your mother.” Â
***
After fleeing, A wu guessed that the eunuchs and palace ladies must have seen her.
But no one would dare mention it, and perhaps they had already begun watching her and would report everything to Emperor Jingxi.
But… what then?
A wu felt like she was sailing alone on a boundless ocean in the dead of night, unable to see any shore lights, without a compass, and unsure where she was headed.
Now the ship was broken, seawater flooding in, about to drown her with no escape.
She felt suffocated, thinking the next moment he would come for her, question her, look down on her with cold disdain.
He would take back all his favor and tolerance, showing her the emperor’s cruelty and coldness.
He was a man of iron heart—no amount of nightly passion could warm his heart.
Lost in this trance, she saw a palace lady rush past the palace wall ahead, heading toward Huifeng Hall.
‘Huifeng Hall? The Empress?’
She hesitated, then ordered the carriage to go to Huifeng Hall.