The news of Lianyi's punishment reached Ci'an Palace. The Empress Dowager was furious. Her two most trusted eunuchs had been murdered, and the culprits remained at large. Many spies she had placed in the various princely mansions had been lost. Lately, nothing had gone her way.
"Lianyi was my personal attendant, my head palace maid. How dare he, ungrateful wretch, cripple her over a trifle!"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger." The wet nurse continued to massage the Empress Dowager's shoulders. If Xiao Man were present, she would have recognized this woman as Cui Momo, who had served Old Madam Xiao before disappearing.
"How can I not be angry?" The Empress Dowager's head ached. "Not a single thing that has happened lately has pleased me."
"But something has, hasn't it?" Cui Momo said with a smile. "Isn't the Crown Prince under house arrest?"
"It's merely house arrest. As long as he isn't deposed, he remains the Crown Prince." The Empress Dowager was exasperated. The Crown Prince had committed such a grave error, yet the Emperor had only confined him. Had any other prince committed such a mistake, they would likely have been demoted to commoner status long ago.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor has not deposed the Crown Prince now only because this is a critical moment for peace talks with Yunqi. If discord were to arise, it might reignite war. Once the peace talks conclude, the position of heir apparent will become vacant."
A faint smile touched the Empress Dowager's lips. "You truly understand my intentions."
"If Your Majesty were to orchestrate the marriage alliance, it would be even more beneficial to you."
"Yunqi has proposed to marry for the position of Empress. Among the imperial family, only Ninth Daughter is suitable for such a match." The Empress Dowager closed her eyes. "It would be for the best if she became Yunqi's Empress."
"Your Majesty intends for the Ninth Princess to marry into Yunqi?"
"I have raised her for so many years, allowing her to enjoy all the splendors of wealth and favor. It is time she did something for me." The Empress Dowager popped a candied fruit into her mouth. "Imperial princesses have no other use besides marriage alliances and currying favor with powerful ministers."
"Your Majesty speaks wisely. For the Ninth Princess to marry into Yunqi would indeed be making the best use of her."
Nangong Wu, hiding outside the door, was filled with shock and disbelief. She quietly slipped away from Ci'an Palace. So, the Empress Dowager's affection for her was all a pretense. The Empress Dowager had raised her not out of love for her granddaughter, but because she had use for her!
Nangong Wu stumbled outward. She wanted to go home, but where in this imperial palace was her home? She wanted to return to the princess's mansion, but it was full of the Empress Dowager's spies. The world was vast, yet there was nowhere for her to go.
Nangong Wu left the palace. Just as she exited, it began to rain, the downpour intensifying. She had nowhere to go and nowhere to seek shelter. Her birth mother had died early, but the Empress Dowager had doted on her, so she hadn't felt entirely alone. Yet, it was all an illusion. The Empress Dowager's affection was merely for her own use!
Nangong Wu crouched in the rain, sobbing until she could barely breathe. Her pride, her self-respect, had been shattered by the Empress Dowager's words today. Making the best use of her. In the Empress Dowager's eyes, she was merely an object!
The rain seemed to lighten. Nangong Wu looked up blankly and saw Qin Zeyan holding an umbrella over her head. "Ninth Princess, it is cold. Getting wet can easily make you ill."
Tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls. Qin Zeyan couldn't help but frown. He handed Nangong Wu a handkerchief. "Ninth Princess, are you alright?"
Nangong Wu hugged her knees, ignoring Qin Zeyan. "You should leave. You don't need to concern yourself with me. After all, no one cares if I live or die. My existence is merely as a pawn for them to use. I am not even a person."
Qin Zeyan's frown deepened. "The rain is heavy, and it's very cold. If you continue like this, you'll freeze to death."
"You don't need to worry about me!" Nangong Wu's lips turned blue from the cold, but she refused to move. She thought, it would be for the best to die like this. Then she wouldn't have to face this cruel reality.
A moment later, Qin Zeyan dropped the umbrella and picked up Nangong Wu.
"What are you doing? Let go of me!"
"Don't struggle. Don't blame me if you fall." Qin Zeyan said quickly, carrying Nangong Wu towards his home.
Even though he was now an official in the Hanlin Academy, Qin Zeyan's residence remained simple. There were no servants, male or female. He was the only occupant of the courtyard.
Both of them were soaked through. As it was late and there was nowhere to purchase women's clothing, Qin Zeyan had no choice but to give Nangong Wu his own clothes to change into. He then heated water for her bath and brewed ginger tea to ward off the chill.
Qin Zeyan, though a frail scholar, was tall. Nangong Wu, wearing his clothes, looked like a little girl wearing her father's attire. Nangong Wu had to lift the hem of his robe and hold it in her arms. As she inhaled the scent of soap from the clothes, she felt an unexpected sense of peace.
"Ginger soup, to ward off the cold."
Nangong Wu looked at the bowl of ginger soup handed to her. The steam rose gently, and her eyes immediately reddened.
Qin Zeyan looked somewhat bewildered. "It's not spicy. I added sugar."
Nangong Wu took the bowl and drank it in small sips. The ginger soup was a little hot, a little spicy, and sweet. After drinking it, she felt her heart grow less cold.
Nangong Wu drank the ginger soup while crying. Qin Zeyan took the empty bowl. "Did someone bully you?"
Nangong Wu wiped the tears from her face. "How could anyone bully me? I am a princess, the Empress Dowager's most beloved princess..."
At this point, Nangong Wu could hold back no longer and sobbed uncontrollably. Qin Zeyan was completely flustered. He fumbled with his handkerchief, trying to wipe Nangong Wu's tears. It was the first time he had ever seen a girl cry so much, as if her tears would never end.
"It's all fake, everything is fake..." Nangong Wu buried her face in Qin Zeyan's embrace, sobbing. The Empress Dowager's affection was fake, her noble status was fake, even the camaraderie between brothers and sisters was fake. Everything around her was a lie.
"I am real." Qin Zeyan said softly. "Your friends who care about you are also real. You are not alone."
Only after Nangong Wu had cried herself tired and fallen asleep did Qin Zeyan relax. Looking at the Ninth Princess, whose eyes were red and swollen and who still sobbed in her sleep, he felt an indescribable emotion. He carefully tucked her in and then turned to leave.
"She's asleep?"
"She is already asleep." Qin Zeyan rubbed his temples, which were starting to ache. "What happened? Why is she so heartbroken?"
Xiao Man stood leaning against the wall. "The truth is sometimes so cruel, it can fill one with despair."
"Because of the marriage alliance?" As an official of the Hanlin Academy, Qin Zeyan was naturally aware of some matters. Yunqi had sent a proposal for a marriage alliance, and Nangong Wu was the only princess who was of age and unmarried. He knew Nangong Wu did not want to go. Even if she didn't want to, did she have to treat her own body with such disregard?