Cui Yi wore an awkward expression. Chi Ying suggested a compromise, "When we're alone, I'll call you by your name, Yingrong?"
Cui Yi grunted noncommittally, blushing oddly. Chi Ying found it amusing; after all these years, he still blushed like a shy boy when she called his name. Regretting not changing her address sooner, she playfully poked his cheek, "Emperor? Yingrong? Why is your face red?"
Cui Yi's face flushed, steam practically rising from his head. Annoyed, he grabbed her wrist, pinning her to the couch, "Empress! Don't take advantage of my favor!"
Chi Ying laughed heartily, her negative emotions dissipating. They rolled around on the couch, eventually calming down.
Lying on the couch, Chi Ying wiped away tears of laughter. Cui Yi hovered above her like a predator about to devour its prey.
"Has the Ministry of Rites set a date for the enthronement ceremony?"
Cui Yi licked his lips, "The three dates presented previously have passed. Choose any day you like. Forget auspicious days. As long as I ascend the throne, that day will be lucky."
Chi Ying loved his unwavering confidence, leaning up to kiss the corner of his mouth.
That kiss reignited his passion, and he began to undress her. She protested weakly, but he silenced her with another kiss, pressing her back down.
Just as things were heating up, a eunuch's voice interrupted from outside, "Your Majesty, General Dai has news. They've captured the entire Changsun Tai family. What should be done? Shall we go and see?"
Cui Yi, eager to continue, reluctantly got up at Chi Ying's insistence.
"This is important business. We must go," Chi Ying quickly dressed, ringing the bell for assistance.
Cui Yi grumbled, "What's there to see? He hunted us relentlessly. Letting him suffer is fair. Just beat him up and lock him up."
Chi Ying, unsure whether to laugh or cry, reminded him sternly, "Hey, that's still my father, your father-in-law. Show some respect. I want to see how they are. I thought they were under house arrest like other ministers."
Cui Yi scoffed, "Given Changsun Tai's cunning, he would have fled with his emperor. Having leverage, he feared nothing. But now, caught by me, he won't escape punishment."
"I agree. So it's odd they were captured," Chi Ying adjusted her hairpin, stepping into shoes as a maid helped her. "I'll go in first. Try to persuade them to reveal Emperor Jiai's whereabouts. If they refuse, you can threaten them."
Cui Yi chuckled, "You sound just like them. Pot calling the kettle black."
Upon learning of Cheng Hu's suicide, Chi Ying recalled another benefactor, General Dai Zhinorth, who had defied Guo Mao for them. Confirming his safety with Bai Lizan, she felt relieved.
General Dai had always admired Cui Yi and helped them many times, minimizing damage during the epidemic and the confiscation of the Wu王府. Though she hadn't interacted much with him, she was grateful and planned to reward the Dai family.
A reward needed a reason, and capturing Changsun Tai, a key minister from Emperor Jiai's reign, warranted significant recognition.
Changsun Tai, his wife Fan Shi, concubine Guo Shi, and son Changsun Pei were imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's dungeon. Seeing their condition with a single glance, Chi Ying walked through the dark, filthy corridors, ignoring the cold stares of former officials loyal to Emperor Jiai.
"Changsun Tai!" came a furious shout from deep within the dungeon. "Dai Zhinorth, traitor! Rebel! May you rot in hell! Release me!"
General Dai wasn't present, but his eldest son Dai Ping welcomed her. Chi Ying nodded, following him deeper into the dungeon.
"Father," she stood calmly before the cell, looking at the two men in prisoner's garb.
Changsun Tai stared in shock, then pounded the bars, roaring, "Don't call me father! I have no daughter like you!"
His tactic usually worked on others, evoking guilt and opening negotiations. But it had no effect on Chi Ying.
"Very well, Minister Changsun. I came here for one question: Where is the late emperor?"
Changsun Tai, thwarted, grew angrier, "Late emperor? Dead! Buried in the imperial mausoleum! Go find him yourself! Have you the nerve to face him?"
Chi Ying calmly accepted a chair offered by a guard and sat down.
"Wu Wang, with wolfish ambition, usurped the throne. You'll all face retribution!" Changsun Tai's rant nearly made him faint. His son Changsun Pei rushed to support him, pleading, "Elder sister, father is old. Being here..." He was slapped by Changsun Tai.
"Traitor! Beast! Who allowed you to call her elder sister? Where's your integrity?"
Changsun Pei knelt, trembling. Chi Ying spoke softly, "Good. Someone still recognizes me as elder sister. Open the cell. Clean him up, change his clothes, and bring him to the main hall. Let him choose: die for the tyrant emperor or live quietly as kin."
Changsun Pei instantly responded, "Elder sister, spare me! I'll listen to you!"
Changsun Tai didn't protest, gripping the bars, watching silently.
"Know your place. Take him away," Chi Ying smiled gracefully. Guards dragged Changsun Pei away.
Guo Shi was beautiful and cunning, but Chi Ying knew Changsun Pei was simple-minded, obedient to his parents. Faced with death, he'd choose survival.
Turning back to Changsun Tai, she asked sweetly, "Minister Changsun, why aren't you shouting anymore? Thirsty? Guards, give him water."
Changsun Tai eyed the offered water, swallowing hard, asking fearfully, "Are you going to kill me?"
Chi Ying feigned innocence, "Minister Changsun, killing you benefits no one. Poisoning kin is Emperor Renyu's style. As a mother, I must accumulate virtue. Besides, the emperor forbids it."
Changsun Tai's eyes darted around. Chi Ying added, "And you haven't told me the late emperor's whereabouts. Even if I wanted to kill you, the emperor wouldn't allow it."
"Emperor? Bah! Governing requires wisdom. Cui Yi, with only martial prowess, knows nothing of statecraft. What qualifies him to be emperor?" Changsun Tai spat at her feet.
Dai Ping pointed angrily, "Impudent! Daring to insult Her Majesty!" Chi Ying signaled silence.
Changsun Tai slammed the bars, bellowing, "Empress? Where is the empress? My daughter Changsun Lingfang is the true empress of Great Chu! No one else has the right to claim that title!"
"Lady!" Fan Shi's voice came from the neighboring cell, "Give it up. Holden is also our daughter. She grew up under your watchful eye."
Changsun Tai, unbending, roared, "Shut up! I have no such daughter!"
Fan Shi approached, tearfully pleading, "Holden, please pity us. Your father is just angry. Remember how he doted on you?"
Chi Ying turned slightly, "Mother."
Fan Shi eagerly responded, "Yes, Holden. I apologize. I had no choice!"
Though apologies meant little, hearing them was better than nothing. Chi Ying nodded, "I understand."
Fan Shi begged, "Forgive us, please!"
Chi Ying's expression remained neutral, "Mother, where is the late emperor?"
Fan Shi hesitated, but Changsun Tai cut in, "Don't tell her! Don't betray me!"
"Fine, fine!" Guo Shi interjected, "The emperor fled southwest!"
Chi Ying smiled approvingly, "Good. Do you know where they're headed?"
Guo Shi quickly replied, "I'm not sure, but I heard the guards mention Gui County."
Chi Ying nodded, satisfied, "Excellent. Bring him to the main hall."
Gui County and Wen County are both in Qin Prefecture. The sister of the Governor of Qin Prefecture was the Empress Dowager's sister-in-law before her death. It made sense for Cui Jie to seek help there. Chi Ying praised Lady Guo for her cooperation: "You are a smart person. Although you wronged me in the past, it indirectly helped me as well. Let's put the past behind us. Today, you revealed the tyrant's whereabouts, which is also a merit. After I report this to the Emperor, he will reward you and your son with a good house so that you can live out your days in peace."
Lady Guo hurriedly bowed to thank her: "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Changsun Tai was almost furious enough to burst a blood vessel. He had intended to use Cui Jie's whereabouts as leverage to maintain his image as a loyal minister for future history books. Then, he planned to trade the information with Cui Yi for his own benefit. No matter what happened, Changsun Tai was still Chi Ying's father and the undisputed father-in-law of the emperor. Cui Yi would not dare to make things too difficult for him because of his reputation. Perhaps he could still be appointed as Grand Tutor or even promoted.
However, his plan fell through when Lady Guo betrayed him without hesitation. Changsun Tai was so angry that he pointed at her trembling finger: "You—you—"
As she was dragged out of the cell, Lady Guo looked at him with contempt: "My lord, I have been with you for seventeen years. Have you ever truly cared about me and Pei'er? You only have eyes for your two daughters, the throne, and the glory of being the father of the empress! If you wish to be a high-minded loyal minister, then please excuse me from accompanying you."
Changsun Tai was so angry that he saw black spots before his eyes and stomped and cursed: "Wretch!"
Lady Guo smiled: "My lord is confused. I came from a brothel, so I am indeed—a wretch."
Changsun Tai was so angry that he couldn't say a word and could only watch her being taken away.
Seeing Lady Guo leave first, Lady Fan completely lost her composure. She stretched out her hands and shouted: "Chi Ying! You can't abandon your mother to die! I carried you for ten months and raised you for more than ten years. How can you watch me die in prison? Chi Ying!"
Chi Ying frowned slightly, feeling a wave of nausea. They always said that the debt of nurturing was greater than heaven, but when parents raise their children solely for future wealth and power, using every trick to ruin their lives for their own luxuries, and then use the debt of nurturing to blackmail them when they become prisoners, there was no better word to describe the feeling than disgust.
"Mother, since you say I was born and raised by you, I cannot deny it. I already know where the former emperor went. There is one thing I don't understand yet. As long as you answer honestly, I will release you."
Lady Fan nodded eagerly: "Ask, ask, whatever I know, I will tell you, I will tell you!"
Chi Ying's gaze was calm, but inside, she was filled with rage like turbulent waves crashing against the shore. Finally, she had the chance to ask the question she had always wanted to know.
She slowly began: "The two children of Lingfang..."
Lady Fan's face instantly turned pale.
"...whose are they?"
That day, Cui Jie told her in the hot spring that the two children of Changsun Lingfang were not his but Zhong Wei's. She couldn't say she completely believed him. Based on her understanding of Cui Jie, it was impossible for him to have children as her husband. But Cui Jie was an enemy, after all, and not everything he said could be trusted. As the person who brought the lover into the palace, Lady Fan must know the truth and would certainly reveal it to save herself.
Before Lady Fan decided whether to speak, Changsun Tai exploded with anger. He pounded on the cell door, spitting wildly: "You—you beast! To the point where you defame your own sister, you are worse than an animal!"
Chi Ying smiled faintly: "Flattery, flattery, isn't it all learned from you?"
Changsun Tai's eyes bulged, and he was about to curse again, but Lady Fan cried: "My lord! Don't say any more. What's the point of hiding it now?"
Changsun Tai gasped: "What do you mean? Lingfang...children..."
Oh, so Father really didn't know? Chi Ying suddenly felt like laughing.
Lady Fan slowly collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face: "Chi Ying, we've come to this point. I won't hide it from you anymore. The child Lingfang miscarried last winter...was not the emperor's."
Changsun Tai fainted on the spot hearing this earth-shattering truth.
"So it was true..." Chi Ying sighed deeply. It seemed that Cui Jie hadn't lied. Therefore, the fact that the Changsun family was abandoned halfway and captured back might also have been intentionally done by him.
Lady Fan sobbed: "I know it was wrong, treason punishable by death, but...how long can a childless empress remain glorious? Chi Ying, you are also a wife. You should understand. When Emperor Jingzong was on the throne, you couldn't bear a son, and he wanted to marry Wu Wang to another queen. You are also a witness to this!"
Chi Ying found it indescribably ridiculous and didn't bother to refute her.
"You were determined to groom you as the crown princess. Lingfang and Shuji were in love. My lord originally planned to let them marry after Lingfang grew up. If it weren't for that wretched Lady Guo scheming against you, how could there have been so many problems later? All of this was caused by that wretched woman. She ruined your life, made our family enemies, all because of her!"
"Because you married Wu Wang, the crown prince never trusted our family. Later, when he became emperor, he neglected Lingfang. Seeing other concubines having children one after another, Lingfang suffered from loneliness. Isn't it your fault?"
Chi Ying interrupted coldly: "Don't think I'll feel guilty or moved by these words. I just want to hear the facts."
Lady Fan, unable to stir emotions, paused and continued: "In October that year, Wu Wang planned the assassination in the imperial villa..."
Chi Ying stood up abruptly: "Who planned it? Mother, don't take me for a fool. At this point, you're still trying to shift blame. I see you don't really want to get out."
Lady Fan was startled and hurriedly said: "No, no, it was...it was you and the crown prince who planned it. That time, my lord knew the crown prince was wary of our family and dared not let Lingfang give birth. So after you left, whenever the emperor stayed in Yaohua Palace, Lingfang dared not eat anything sent by the imperial kitchen the next day. I took Shuji to visit her, but in reality..."
Chi Ying couldn't bear to listen anymore and irritably turned away: "Enough!"
"Yes, yes..." Lady Fan wiped her sweat and skipped over the dirty part, "Later, Lingfang became pregnant. At first, we didn't know whose child it was, hoping it was the emperor's. But when the child was born, there was a small mole on its left cheek, exactly the same as Shuji's. Lingfang...she saw the child and fainted..."
"The imperial physician said Lingfang lost too much blood and might never have children again. Then the child died... We were desperate. My lord thought you and Lingfang were close sisters. Since you were unhappy with Wu Wang, if you could enter the palace, at least you wouldn't worry about food and clothing. Even if you became a low-ranking consort, it would be better than staying in Yan Prefecture."
At this point, Chi Ying could no longer tolerate it and slammed the chair armrest: "Take her away."
Lady Fan was obediently dragged out. Just before leaving the cell, Chi Ying noticed someone else in the cell. Thinking it was her daughter-in-law Tang Shi, she realized it was her younger sister Changsun Lingfang when the jailer dragged her from the corner.
Cui Jie even abandoned his own wife?! Chi Ying looked at her despondent sister, realizing that everything she witnessed must have been traumatic. Their mother, Lady Fan, even admitted her daughter's adultery in front of Dai Ping and the guards to save herself. Chi Ying felt even colder.
Her husband's abandonment, her family's betrayal... all of this struck Changsun Lingfang harder than Chi Ying's own experiences. Chi Ying hated her but also felt guilty. She stood up and squatted in front of her sister.
The once-glorious empress was now a prisoner in tattered clothes, her once-beautiful hair matted like a chicken coop, her hands and feet covered in countless small scratches, even bloodstains on her feet, probably from walking barefoot after being captured. Prisoners, after all, couldn't expect carriages.
Changsun Lingfang stared blankly ahead, hugging her knees, showing no reaction to Chi Ying's presence.
"Lingfang," Chi Ying held her hand, "do you regret it?"
Changsun Lingfang shivered, pulling her hand back and hugging herself tighter, burying half her face in her knees, sobbing.
Chi Ying gently stroked her messy hair: "Your affair with Zhong Wei is my fault. The suffering you endured should have been mine. I knew it was a sea of bitterness ahead, but I pushed you into it anyway."
Changsun Lingfang's eyes welled up with tears, streaming down her dirty cheeks.
"I know you hate me as much as I hate you. From the start, I knew our family was doomed. Whether it was you or me entering the palace, Cui Jie was such a person who even guarded against his own mother. Our family's fate was sealed the moment Father started plotting to become the father of the empress."
Changsun Lingfang burst into tears, throwing herself into Chi Ying's arms, crying loudly. Chi Ying hugged her tightly, comforting her, just like they used to when they were close sisters.