Chapter 2 — Rebirth in the Cold Palace

“Investigate. Within three months, I want every record of incense entering or leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation.”

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, hurried footsteps sounded outside. A eunuch announced,

“The Noble Consort has arrived. She says she has an urgent matter to report to His Majesty.”

The pearl curtain was swept aside. Jiang Yueli, dressed in deep red palace robes, hurried into the hall. Her hair was slightly disordered, clear proof that she had rushed over. In that instant, I caught the panic she had not yet managed to hide.

“Your Majesty!” The Noble Consort dropped to her knees. “I have sinned!”

There it was.

I lowered my lashes to hide the chill in my eyes.

“What have you done?” The Emperor’s voice revealed no emotion.

“Today, while preparing the incense, I was careless and accidentally mixed the musk reserved for private use into the incense sent to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.”

The Noble Consort pressed her forehead to the floor.

“I only discovered it just now, so I came to confess. Fortunately, Your Majesty had not used much of it. Otherwise, even dying ten thousand times would not repay the harm I might have caused!”

What a graceful retreat disguised as an admission. She had volunteered to accept a minor mistake in order to avoid being accused of plotting against the imperial heir.

【Mother! She is lying!】 the voice in my belly cried urgently. 【Expose her! Tell His Majesty that she wanted to harm the child inside you—】

“I see.” I answered gently instead. “Then we were fortunate. If His Majesty had truly inhaled too much, what would we have done if his health had been harmed?”

The Noble Consort suddenly looked up at me. She had not expected me to let the opportunity pass without attacking her.

“But you, little sister...” She quickly recovered and let her gaze fall to my stomach. “You are pregnant. You should not remain in the Hall of Mental Cultivation for long. That incense... it did not disturb the baby, did it?”

There it was—the opening move of the trap.

“Thank you for your concern, elder sister. I will remember it.” I placed a hand over my stomach. “I did feel a little uncomfortable just now...”

“Then we cannot delay!” The Noble Consort rose at once. “Imperial Physician Zhang is currently in my palace taking a pulse. Shall I have him examine you? If something is wrong, you must take medicine immediately!”

【It is over! She wants to harm you now, Mother! Do not let her summon the physician!】

Of course. Someone who wanted me dead would not offer to summon a physician unless she had already prepared the next move.

“In that case...” I turned toward the Emperor. “I will trouble elder sister.”

【Mother, she will hurt you! Have you forgotten what she did to you before?】

The voice screamed in panic.

I knew. But this was exactly the moment I had been waiting for.

3

Imperial Physician Zhang arrived quickly. The thin old man carried a medicine chest. When he bowed, the tips of his fingers trembled.

“Take Consort Tong’s pulse,” the Noble Consort said, her voice as sweet as honey.

I held out my wrist. Imperial Physician Zhang placed a silk cloth over it before setting his cold fingertips down. The hall became so quiet that I could hear the candles crackle.

After a long while, he withdrew his hand and dropped to his knees.

“Your Majesty...” His voice shook. “The Consort’s pulse... I do not dare say...”

“Speak.” The Emperor’s voice had turned cold.

Imperial Physician Zhang lowered himself further.

“Her pulse is chaotic, sometimes rapid and sometimes slow. And... I can faintly sense two currents of energy inside Her Ladyship’s abdomen, twisting around each other and struggling for dominance!”

The Noble Consort gasped and covered her mouth with a handkerchief.

“Two currents? Could there truly be an evil thing inside her?”

【Mother! He is talking nonsense!】 the voice screamed. 【Refute him!】

I lowered my eyes.

“I do not understand what the physician is saying.”

“Your Majesty!” Imperial Physician Zhang suddenly struck his forehead against the floor.

“In forty years of practice, I have encountered this pulse only once. Years ago, Lady Liu of the Cold Palace had the same pulse. Later... later she gave birth to a pair of conjoined monsters!”

The Noble Consort drew in a sharp breath.

“To preserve the purity of the imperial bloodline, I recommend...” Imperial Physician Zhang clenched his teeth. “The medicine should be administered immediately to drive out the evil and protect the body.”

The Emperor remained silent for a long time before speaking.

“Consort Tong, what do you say?”

“I have nothing to say.” My voice was soft. “I only ask Your Majesty to allow me a few private words with you.”

The Noble Consort grew anxious.

“Your Majesty, this matter cannot wait—”

The Emperor cut her off.

“Everyone else, leave.”

The Noble Consort’s face went white. In the end, she had no choice but to lead Imperial Physician Zhang outside. Eunuch Li closed the doors behind them.

The enormous hall now contained only the Emperor and me.

...

A few minutes later, the doors opened again. The Noble Consort and Imperial Physician Zhang entered with a bowl of medicine. The liquid was black and steaming, filling the air with a sharp, bitter smell.

“Your Majesty.” The Noble Consort placed the bowl on the table. “This is a special exorcising decoction prepared by the Imperial Medical Academy. Its medicinal properties are mild and cannot harm the Consort’s constitution.”

She looked at me, a flash of triumph in her eyes.

“Little sister, drink it while it is hot. Once you finish, everything will be fine.”

The Emperor said nothing.

I lifted the bowl and stared at the black liquid. I remembered the suffocating pressure of the white silk around my neck in my first life. I remembered the agony of being beaten bloody in the punishment chamber during my second.

Then I raised my head and drank it in one go.

The bowl slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor. I clutched my stomach and slowly collapsed.

“Little sister!” the Noble Consort cried out.

“Physician! Quickly, see what is happening!”

Imperial Physician Zhang stepped forward to take my pulse. Moments later, his face changed dramatically.

“Your Majesty! The Consort... the Consort is suffering a backlash from the evil thing! The decoction... it did not drive the evil out. It has provoked it instead!”

The Noble Consort dropped to her knees, her voice full of sobs.

“Your Majesty! This evil thing is too violent! To protect Your Majesty’s health, I beg you to send Consort Tong out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation at once! We must not... we must not defile the imperial presence!”

She spoke with such heartfelt devotion that every word seemed to bleed.