My legal mother came over to support my sister and made a sycophantic jest to ease the tension.
"This child shares a special destiny with Her Majesty. Why not have him raised under Her Majesty's care? It would be a blessing for the child."
The faces of everyone present instantly fell.
Who was the Prince of Ying? The son of the dynastic founder, who had served through three reigns. In his youth, he single-handedly rescued the Grand Ancestor from enemy encirclement. In his middle age, he led a thousand riders to raid the Hu, beheading the Tujue chieftain and securing thirty years of peace for the northern frontier. Moreover, many in the Prince of Ying's family had joined the military, with seven or eight out of ten dying in battle. None were useless royals living off the state's coffers. They were universally recognized by the court as paragons of loyalty and valour. This young heir was the sole male descendant of this generation.
Yet my legal mother actually suggested raising him under a mentally incompetent empress. This was not just a slap in the face to the Prince of Ying's estate and the imperial clan. It was a slap in the face to the entire court. I risk my life to serve the nation, only for you to let my child become a plaything for a simpleton empress.
Fortunately, Xie Linzhuo had not completely lost his mind. He glared at my legal mother, his imperial majesty cold and stern.
"Madam Qin, you have overstepped."
My father, who had spent his life ignoring affairs of state to play with birds in the garden, suddenly showed a spark of intelligence. He prostrated himself on the ground, weeping and begging for forgiveness. Xie Linzhuo ignored him and stepped forward to take the child.
To everyone's horror, my sister suddenly let go and threw the baby toward the ground.
"I don't want him anymore, Linzhuo. I don't like you anymore."
With a gasp, Chuju lunged forward and barely managed to catch the young heir before he hit the ground. Even so, the young heir was still so frightened that he lost consciousness. The veins on Xie Linzhuo's neck bulged, and his voice was cold and harsh.
"Guards, escort the empress back to Jiaofang Palace."
That night, the young heir ran a high fever that wouldn't break. Xie Linzhuo ordered the head of the Imperial Academy of Medicine to lead all paediatric specialists to the Prince of Ying's manor. Any medicinal herbs needed would be provided by the palace. Three days passed before the young heir's fever finally subsided and his condition improved.
At the same time, the demands in court to depose the empress grew increasingly fierce. Some censors even threatened to bash their heads against the pillars in protest, but fortunately they were held back.
Xie Linzhuo could no longer play dumb. But how should he handle this matter? To protect my eldest sister would inevitably alienate the imperial family and the court ministers. But to depose her from her position as empress and move her to the cold palace would betray the eternal love he felt at first sight and the solemn vows they had shared in Jiaofang Palace over the years.
Not just me, but the entire court was waiting to see how Xie Linzhuo would choose.
He locked himself in Xuanzheng Hall for the entire night. At dawn, he issued an imperial decree. He deposed my eldest sister from her position as empress, revoked her empress's seal and credentials, and demoted her to Consort Ying. In consideration of her having borne an imperial prince, she did not have to move out of Jiaofang Palace.
The empress title that my eldest sister had stepped on my back to obtain was ultimately lost.
After all, the ministers were still unsatisfied. They insisted that Jiaofang Palace was the residence for an empress, and that Lady Jiang lacked both talent and virtue, possessed neither propriety nor decorum, and had contributed nothing to the state or the imperial lineage, rendering her truly unworthy of residing in Jiaofang Palace.
Overnight, Xie Linzhuo seemed to acquire more imperial authority. He let the ministers speak until their throats were dry before making his final decision.
"My imperial decree has already been issued. Do you wish for me to go back on my word?"
The ministers quickly claimed they would not dare.
The next day, the ministers began submitting petitions for a draft to select a virtuous woman to be the new empress. Xie Linzhuo used the excuse that I needed to rest and nurture my pregnancy, and declared that the selection of new imperial concubines was temporarily suspended.
He couldn't let go of my sister, yet he used me and my child as a shield. I tossed aside the chess pieces and went for a stroll in the garden, meanwhile instructing Chuna to send all the gifts from the Prince of Ying's estate to Chuju's room.
It was no longer as easy for my legal mother to enter the palace as before. My sister threw a tantrum for a few days and went to see Xie Linzhuo again. But Xie Linzhuo avoided her. Failing to see Xie Linzhuo time and time again, my sister threw a major fit, just like she used to. It was likely Nanny Wang instigating and plotting behind her back again. But the tactics that had always worked in the past failed this time.
After throwing tantrums for a month, my sister finally began to quiet down. Only then did Xie Linzhuo slowly start visiting Jiaofang Palace again. But I heard that my sister's mental state was growing worse and worse, even showing signs of madness. It seemed the pain of losing her child did indeed cut to the quick.