Chương 23: Chapter 21 Interlude 5 (R)

Guifei Xiang silently observes the room, a mixture of shadows and soft light filtering through the silk curtains. The moon illuminates with a faint glow the figure of her daughter, who sleeps peacefully on the bed beside Lianhua, whom she even had to order to sleep, as she had wanted to stay awake on a useless watch. Since her daughter's birth, Guifei Xiang had felt a profound connection with her, though one laden with uncertainty.

She remembered clearly the pride that had filled her at holding for the first time that beautiful and tranquil baby. And then came the devastating news that Sun Wen's legs would not respond, and her heart filled with fear over what might happen to her. Fortunately, her worst fears had not come to pass, and Guifei Xiang had been allowed to keep her daughter, who had barely given her any trouble growing up despite her condition, since her daughter was very calm, almost too calm.

And Guifei Xiang had begun to think her daughter was not normal. Because of those fears, Guifei Xiang had begun to recall legends of ancient cultivators who, upon dying, reincarnated into new bodies. For a time, she could not help wondering whether her daughter might be one of those ancient souls, but with time she had dismissed the idea.

Her daughter was brilliant, yes, but her interest and brilliance were directed at what could be considered trivialities, simple things with no real relevance to the path of cultivation. No ancient cultivator could have shown such innocence and lack of interest in what truly mattered. As she watches her sleeping daughter, memories of her inventions and ideas return to her mind. The child had shown uncommon creativity from an early age.

One of those memories makes her smile, the abacus her daughter had designed, something so simple yet so useful, whose reward for creating it had made her so happy. Yet for all their brilliance, most of her inventions lacked real utility at court or on the path of cultivation, though she, as a mother, could not help feeling proud of each one of them. But there is something that worries her more than anything else.

During their conversations, although her daughter always treated her with respect and a familiarity proper to the mother-daughter relationship, Guifei Xiang could not ignore the absence of a feeling she had hoped to find, which was the simple love of a daughter for her mother. It was a subtle void, but a present one, like a shadow always lurking.

She knew that among the nobility, maternal relationships tended to be cold, since child-rearing fell to nursemaids and handmaidens, as had been the case in her own childhood. But Guifei Xiang had tried to change that, had tried to be closer to her daughter, to be more involved in her life, and even so, she had not managed to have Sun Wen return that love. As she continues to contemplate her sleeping daughter, she wonders where she has failed, what she might have done differently.

She thinks about the decisions she made, about the times she could have been more understanding or more present, but she knows these reflections will not give her back the lost time. Finally, she resigns herself to the inevitable. She knows she cannot change the past, and now all that remains is to wait. With a silent sigh, she sits beside the bed, not taking her eyes off her daughter, waiting for the news that will determine the future of them both.

The sun shines high in the sky, bathing the courtyard of a pavilion in the outer palace in a warm golden light. The petals of the peonies sway gently with the breeze, filling the air with their sweet fragrance. Seated on a carved wooden chair, a consort observes the garden with distracted eyes, while her handmaidens delicately arrange a tea tray on the marble table before her.

Suddenly, the creaking of the courtyard's door interrupts her thoughts and a middle-aged eunuch enters with his customary bow and neutral expression, but there is something in the way his eyes avoid hers that tells her he brings important news.

"Furen", the eunuch begins in a controlled voice.

"I bring news that must be communicated in private." The consort raises an eyebrow and carefully sets her teacup down on the table. She leans slightly forward as she looks at the eunuch with curiosity.

"Accompany me to my study", she orders in a firm voice, as she rises from her seat, the soft rustle of her silk robes accompanying her movements. With a gesture of her hand, the handmaidens withdraw, respecting their mistress's privacy. The eunuch follows the consort through the palace corridors, both their footsteps echoing on the polished stone. Finally, they reach the consort's study, a spacious room decorated with elegance. She sits behind her wide desk and with a gesture, indicates that the eunuch may speak.

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"What news do you bring? I hope it is important enough to interrupt me", she asks as she looks at him with eyes as sharp as blades. The eunuch bows deeply before speaking, his voice low but clear "My contacts at court have reported that the Emperor has ordered the confinement of Guifei Xiang and her daughter, Zhāohuán Wen, within the Pavilion of the Scent of Clouds." The consort blinks, caught off guard. Her lips, usually curved in a sneer of disdain, tighten into a thin line.

"Confinement? And for what reason?" she asks, unable to hide the curiosity in her voice. The eunuch inclines his head with a barely perceptible smile on his lips "It would appear that during her first cultivation lesson, Zhāohuán Wen broke through and completed Skin Tempering. When questioned by the Emperor, she confessed that she had begun cultivating after the attack on the night of her seventh birthday." The consort leans back in her chair, processing the information.

Suddenly, a soft but clearly sarcastic laugh escapes her lips "What excellent news. This is practically a slap in the Emperor's face, especially after what happened six years ago." The eunuch nods, maintaining his carefully neutral expression "Indeed it is, Your Excellency." The consort interlaces her fingers, resting her hands on the desk as her mind works rapidly "Perfect. This situation could be more advantageous than I imagined. I want you to find out as soon as possible what the sentence will be.

I do not want to be taken by surprise." The eunuch bows deeply, his right hand over his chest "Of course, Furen. I shall see to it at once." With those words, he turns and leaves the study in silence, his footsteps barely audible in the corridor. Once alone, the consort rises from her seat and approaches the window. From there, she observes the courtyard of the inner palace, her thoughts revolving around the possible consequences of this new situation.

Her gaze hardens as she contemplates the possibility that both Guifei Xiang and Zhāohuán Wen will be exiled and stripped of their titles, thereby ridding her of two rivals who have been a thorn in her side for far too long. The consort sketches a cold smile.

"Just as happened with Fei Zhi", she murmurs to herself, recalling how she had manipulated the situation to rid herself of the former favorite consort.

"Everything is unfolding perfectly." She remains silent, patiently awaiting the confirmation that, once again, fate has played in her favor. In the quiet dimness of the imperial study, Sun Hao, the Emperor of the Tianjing Empire, observes absorbed the abacus resting on his desk. His fingers play with the wooden beads, but his mind is lost in recent events.

The atmosphere is suddenly disturbed as the door bursts open, revealing the imposing figure of Jiangjun Han Xin, the chief general of the Empire's Army of the Left. Han Xin, tall and thin, with a great moustache framing his face, enters without ceremony, closing the door behind him with a loud bang.

"What madness is this I have heard, Sun Hao?" Han Xin asks, his tone a mixture of disbelief and frustration.

"Is it true that you have ordered the confinement of Guifei Xiang and Zhāohuán Wen?" Sun Hao raises his gaze, his eyes meeting Han Xin's, but he remains silent, considering how to approach the conversation. After a few moments of tense stillness, he extends a hand toward an almost imperceptible mark on the surface of his desk. As he touches it, the mark begins to glow softly, and immediately several areas of the room's walls start to glow with inscriptions reminiscent of those of the Qi-gathering formation.

Han Xin observes with surprise the inscriptions revealed on the walls and then turns his questioning gaze back to the Emperor "What is going on, Sun Hao? Is what you are about to tell me so grave that you need to activate a privacy formation?" Sun Hao looks at him fixedly before speaking "Wen has completed the Skin Tempering in her first session… without having cultivated before." Silence takes hold of the room.

Han Xin blinks, processing the information before speaking "Are you telling me that Wen has cultivated the Skin Tempering in a single day?" A flash of amusement crosses Sun Hao's eyes as he shakes his head "She did not do it in a single day." Han Xin, visibly relieved, lets out a sigh that seems to ease the tension that had built in his chest. But his relief is brief, as Sun Hao adds "She did it in a little under three periods." The impact of Sun Hao's words leaves Han Xin paralyzed.

Without saying a word, he strides with determined steps toward the small table laden with liquors, takes a bottle, uncorks it, and drinks a long swig directly from it. Then, with the bottle still in hand, he turns to Sun Hao.

"Are you certain she is not the reincarnation of some old cultivator?" Han Xin asks, still incredulous. Sun Hao shakes his head "She is not. I tested her using the method of wresting control of her Qi. No reincarnated old one would have such feeble strength." Han Xin, bottle in one hand, drops heavily into a nearby chair "I feel sorry for her, having to go through that. But then, this is a good thing, isn't it? If she is so talented, the sect will recruit her and protect her."

Sun Hao looks at him seriously before responding "Are you so sure? Consider the problem with my daughter's legs." Han Xin reflects in silence as he takes another long swig from the bottle. A flash of understanding crosses his eyes and he finally nods "You're right. In the sect's environment, the little one wouldn't last a year." Sun Hao nods, as though he had reached the same conclusion long before "I have decided to say she had already been cultivating before the age of eight.

Normally, that wouldn't be so serious, given that there were no consequences, but after the matter with Xiang six years ago, everyone will expect me to give an exemplary punishment for disobeying my orders." Han Xin looks up, curious "What do you have in mind?"

"I'm going to send them for two years to the estate in the city of Xi'An. That is more than enough time for people to calm down", Sun Hao replies. Silence once again settles in the room while Han Xin considers the Emperor's decision. Sun Hao, for his part, leans back in his chair, his gaze drifting again toward the abacus, as though the weight of his decision still held him trapped in his thoughts.