Chapter 1000

　　A Frightening Thought

　　Xuan Tianmo was less than two years older than Xuan Tianming and could be considered as having been born just after Xuan Tianhua. His brothers were starting to settle the matter of their official princesses. Aside from old sixth, who had always been about his studies, and old seventh, who was always like a deity, even old fifth, who had been very far from decent in the past, was properly engaged. Yet only his Sheng Palace’s position of official princess had remained empty.

　　The eldest and second eldest both had children, and Xuan Feiyu was already that old. This made him feel a little emotional. It was also time for him to choose an official princess, but this position would be a little difficult to fill. It seemed as though nobody fit. Even the few times that he had tried to bring someone up, the attempts were thwarted by Feng Yuheng. First it was Fu Ya, then it was Zhu Kongshan… He very shamelessly pushed responsibility for the Zhu Kongshan incident on Feng Yuheng, stubbornly believing that all of his shortcomings were brought about by Feng Yuheng.

　　Well, since Feng Yuheng was the one who kept ruining things, he may as well just marry Feng Yuheng!

　　Once this thought came up, Xuan Tianmo became completely immersed in a manic state. It was as though he had suddenly opened a window and allowed all of the dejected feelings to be swept away. His gloomy expression also became a bit brighter.

　　Marrying Feng Yuheng! Right, marry Feng Yuheng! Xuan Tianmo thought that Imperial Concubine Li did not even care about the fact that Feng Yuheng had already been married and was doing everything possible to pair her with old sixth. That being the case, why would he not make the same choice? Feng Yuheng was a star of fortune for Da Shun. Not only was she famed amongst the people, but she also had her own abilities. Not to mention her abilities as a divine doctor, but she was also able to make something like steel. Only this sort of woman was worthy of assuming the position of empress!

　　Xuan Tianmo was filled with joy, as he was very satisfied with his sudden idea for filling the position of official princess. At the same time, he began to think. The only way to have Feng Yuheng become his woman was to first have Xuan Tianming die. “This is a difficult matter!” He muttered to himself then closed his eyes. While he began scheming, he thought that he should discuss this with his imperial concubine mother the next time that he went into the Imperial Palace.

　　These days, the inner palace was very lively. Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu being favored seemed to allow these members of the imperial harem to see some hope. Thus they all did their best to think of ways to get into Zhao He Hall. If not that, then they would send all manners of soups and supplements to Heavenly Hall. The drama that had been frozen for over 20 years began anew.

　　But the Emperor hardened his heart and only favored Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu. Whether it was Zhao He Hall or Heavenly Hall, aside from Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu, no other woman could get in. No matter what sort of things they were carrying, the Emperor would not even touch them.

　　Gradually, the people seemed to understand that going directly at the Emperor would not work. At present, the person whom they should curry favor with was Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu. But it was too hard to get to Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu. There were too many people visiting, and it was a common sight to see an entire room filled with people, each trying to get a word in. It looked as though they spent the majority of their day interacting with Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu, but they would only be able to say a word or two, and most were just empty words. After all, it was impossible to use hidden channels in front of so many people, right?

　　There were some who changed their paths. It did not work with Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu, but was there not an Imperial Concubine Li? Not to mention how the two were sisters, but before Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu was promoted back to her position, Imperial Concubine Li had also been given her position back. The Emperor had promoted the two sisters in succession. There was definitely some sort of connection there. Moreover, back when Imperial Concubine Li had been reinstated, the relationship between the two sisters had improved a little. They had heard that given her nice things and money, and she was quite close to her younger sister.

　　Thus a large number of people changed course and went to seek Imperial Concubine Li. This left Zhang Ning Palace unable to find any peace from morning until night.

　　Initially, Imperial Concubine Li was curious and received them for a couple days. Slowly, she began to find that it was not particularly interesting. In addition to this, she was never one to live liveliness, thus Zhang Ning Palace closed its gates and refused to entertain guests after two days.

　　With this peace, she had the time to think about some things. Starting from when the Emperor had freed the eighth prince, each and every event had stuck inside her heart, leaving behind a strange feeling that she could not describe.

　　Imperial Concubine Li dismissed the servants then sat on the bed in her bedchamber. Searching the dresser near the bed, she pulled out two figures. The figures had been made using white cotton, and they had been filled with needles. One of them had Xuan Tianming’s name and details, and the other had the Emperor’s.

　　She wanted to have Xuan Tianming die. This was something that Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu had reminded her of. Only with Xuan Tianming’s death could Feng Yuheng remarry. The reason that she had stabbed one with the Emperor’s name was not that she wanted the Emperor to die quickly. She just hoped that he would fall ill. It was because of this that the doll with the Emperor’s name had noticeably fewer needles stabbed into it. She was only hoping that he would fall ill and was not cursing him to die.

　　Originally, when it was announced that the Emperor was ill, she felt that her curse had been effective, and she became a little more earnest with cursing Xuan Tianming. She even spent two consecutive nights without sleeping much to continue stabbing the little figure. Unfortunately, after a few days, not much had happened to Xuan Tianming, but the Emperor had changed. This change was not in line with what she had wanted. Instead, it became the thing that she wanted to see the least. Clearly, when she had been stabbing the Emperor’s figure, it was in hopes of causing an illness. At the same time, she was hoping that the Emperor would have a change of heart when it came to her. She hoped that she would be able to regain favor after being reinstated. How did it end up like this?

　　Up to this point, Imperial Concubine Li could not understand what exactly was going on. Staring at the little figures that she held, she suddenly felt that it was possible that this was repayment. Back when Zhu Kongshan had done good things, the Emperor had given her the graces that should have been given to Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu. Now, she used voodoo to curse the Emperor, and all of the benefits had been diverted to Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu. Could it be that this was a result of the karma? She herself owed her the position of imperial concubine?

　　Thinking about it like this, Imperial Concubine Li felt that it was logical, thus she began another round of stabbing. Thinking that she had roughly finished repaying the karma, it was time for the benefits to come to her. She hesitated for a moment. Would she continue to stab the figure of the Emperor? If she continued like she had before, she was worried that the Emperor’s health would get worse and worse, and it would make it more likely that the throne would be handed to the eighth prince. This was not the result that she wanted to see.

　　Thus Imperial Concubine Li changed her mind and only stabbed Xuan Tianming’s figure, pulling out all of the needles from the figure of the Emperor. She also crossed out the name from the doll, preparing to have Zuo’er burn it outside.

　　At this time, she heard Zuo’er’s voice come from outside the bedchamber. She was scolding a servant: “I already told you guys. Although we have moved into Zhang Ning Palace, things must not act too publicly. If Cun Shan Palace wants the edible bird nest, just give it to her. What are you competing with them for? Is it worth the annoyance? There is plenty of edible bird nest. Just have another one prepared.”

　　“But that one was originally prepared for Her Highness.” The palace servant was dissatisfied, “This servant merely came back to retrieve something. When I got back there, the servants from Cun Shan Palace insisted on taking away the bird nest that had been prepared for us. Since they have obtained favor, what is there that they cannot obtain? Why must they steal from others?”

　　Zuo’er sighed and thought to herself that this palace servant had not been in the palace for long enough. The thoughts of those in the Imperial Palace would not be simple enough for a mere servant to figure out. Thus she told that palace servant: “The more someone is favored, the more they will want to try and flaunt their position in front of others, regardless the method. Just like with this incident, you think that the bird nest belongs to us, but they want to steal our things. Only like this can they flaunt how much glory their master has. Alright, stop crying. Just go and have another one prepared. Right now, Cun Shan Palace has too much momentum. It would be best if we avoided offending them.”

　　Imperial Concubine Li felt displeased from what she had heard, thus she called Zuo’er inside and asked: “Cun Shan Palace’s side really is bullying us?”

　　Zuo’er was afraid that she would think too much about it, thus she quickly explained: “It’s definitely not just directed at us. These days, nearly all palaces are in a similar situation. After all, Her Highness Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu has just been reinstated. The people below her have been holding in their feelings for a long time. It’s understandable that they would want to flaunt their power. Your Highness has been in the palace for a long time. We are able to understand this sort of thing, and it’s not worth it to cause a disturbance.”

　　Imperial Concubine Li did not make a sound. She would not argue with some servants. She was just thinking to herself. Had that Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu taken her position as her opposition once more? One fought for the sixth prince and one fought for the eighth prince. There was only one throne. In the end, she was still an enemy.

　　“It seems that this One should begin stabbing a figure of Imperial Concubine Yuan Shu.” Imperial Concubine Li was still holding the figure of Xuan Tianming and said to Zuo’er: “Go and find some more cloth. We’ll make another one.”

　　Zuo’er advised her: “Can you not stab them? If they’re discovered by someone, how could that possibly go well? The thing that His Majesty detests the most is performing voodoo. The same mistake can be made once or twice but never more than that. Your Highness has already made that mistake twice. If there is a third time, it really would…”

　　“Really would lead to death?” Imperial Concubine Li sneered, “I’m not afraid. Zuo’er, only you and I know about this. As long as you don’t spread it, it would be impossible for this One’s matters to leak out.” Her cold gaze swept across Zuo’er’s face, causing Zuo’er to tremble with fear.

　　“What are you doing, Your Highness?” Zuo’er stomped her foot, “This servant has been with Your Highness ever since entering the Imperial Palace. Have I ever betrayed you? This servant saying this is for Your Highness’ sake, but if Your Highness insists on doing this, this servant will help you.” she turned around and went to find some cloth from inside the closet. She then expressed her curiosity and asked: “Where did Your Highness learn of these things from? Do they really have any effect?” If they really did have an effect, that would also be fine. What if they really could place the sixth prince on the throne?

　　Imperial Concubine Li secretively said: “This is a secret technique that I secretly learned back at home.”

　　Because of the immense change in the situation in court, Xuan Tianming and Xuan Tianhua had been very busy over the past few days. It was often the case that they would not be seen for the entire day. Feng Yuheng would hear a bit about the situation in court. For example, those officials who were part of the eighth prince’s faction now sought refuge with him once more. As for the families of the young misses who had told their families what Zhu Kongshan had said, the eighth prince took them back in. For example, a portion of those who had not yet chosen a side now chose to stand on the eighth prince’s side. They all believed that the Emperor had reached his waning years. His health was not very good, and he chose to show his affection for an imperial concubine and their son at a time like this. In the future, he was destined to be chosen. To them, the ninth prince was a matter from a previous era.

　　The men busied themselves with matters in court. Naturally, the women would busy themselves with matters in the inner courtyard, thus Feng Yuheng took on the job of relieving Imperial Concubine Yun’s boredom…