Chapter 78: Tears Falling Like Rain
As soon as the Crown Prince entered, he was assailed by the cacophony of lamenting consorts, whose weeping so unsettled him that he massaged his aching brow in frustration. “Father,” he said, “let the consorts return to their quarters for now. Standing here serves no purpose.”
As soon as these words left his mouth, the prince caught, out of the corner of his eye, the shifting expressions among the assembled concubines: some looked visibly relieved, though most continued their low, pitiful sobs.
His gaze fell upon Lady Shu, who kept her head bowed, her shoulders trembling with grief, putting on a performance of deep sorrow. What remarkable actresses, the prince thought with a cold sneer.
The Emperor, already beside himself with worry over the princess’s injuries—no word had come from the imperial physician after nearly half an hour—now found himself further tormented by the ceaseless wailing. He waved his hand impatiently, saying, “Lady Shu, take the others and withdraw. I’ll send word when there is news.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Lady Shu replied, dabbing away her tears with a handkerchief as she ushered the other consorts from the chamber.
With their departure, the heavy scent of perfume dissipated, and the air in the room became noticeably clearer.
The Emperor paced anxiously like an ant on a hot pan, unable to sit still. When the prince had carried Gu Li back to the Cloudmist Palace, the entire sequence of events had already been fully reported to him.
Thinking of his beloved daughter’s peril, the Emperor’s anger exploded. He seized a blue-and-white porcelain teacup from the red sandalwood table and hurled it to the ground, shattering it. “Those damned remnants of the previous dynasty! I should have eradicated every last one of them!”
“Enough, Your Majesty, please sit and rest for a moment,” urged the Empress Dowager, who had only just recovered from a fainting spell. Her head throbbed, and she could barely muster the strength to speak.
The Empress, meanwhile, seemed lost to fear; she sat motionless, her face drained of color, eyes hollow, clutching her handkerchief with white-knuckled hands as silent tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Chu’er,” she whispered hoarsely, her voice broken from weeping. “Tell me… do you think anything will happen to Gu Li?” Her hand trembled as she clung to the Crown Prince.
The prince was equally ill at ease. He worried for Gu Li, but his thoughts also circled back to what he had overheard on the journey to Lihua County about the treasure map from the former dynasty. Yet now was not the time to report this to his father.
The Emperor was in a towering rage, filled with bitter hatred toward the remnants of the old regime. If he learned of the treasure map, who could say what storm it would stir up, or what toll it might take on his health. Moreover, such secrets were not to be spread lightly. News traveled swiftly within the palace, and if word got out that a third of the treasure map was hidden there, the safety of both the Emperor and the entire palace could be thrown into jeopardy.
For now, he would keep this matter to himself and investigate quietly.
Steadying his nerves, the prince took his mother’s hand, speaking gently to comfort her. “Do not worry, Mother. As long as I am here, I will not allow any harm to come to my sister.”
“Thank heavens you’re safe, Chu’er. Thank heavens you’re unharmed…” The Empress, her eyes blurred with tears, gripped his hand tightly and sobbed. “If anything had happened to you as well, I… I…”
She could not bear to imagine it; grief overwhelmed her, and her tears fell like rain.
This, she thought, was her fate. If either of her children were lost, how could she go on living?
“Mother…” At that moment, the Crown Prince was struck by the full weight of his mother’s frailty and helplessness. Unable to help himself, he gently embraced her trembling shoulders. Thinking of his gravely injured sister, his eyes, too, grew wet.