"Really?" I clutched at the words.
"Truly! His Majesty cares for you. He's already issued an edict naming your brother a general. And now Young Master Nian Fu has been placed under the General's own command," Songzhi said.
I let out a long breath. "Ask the Emperor if I may see my sister-in-law."
Songzhi looked uneasy. "My lady, perhaps it would be safer to pass any messages through this servant."
I patted her hand. I knew she was worried about the Emperor's suspicions. "Go. Tell him it's a family matter."
The Emperor granted my request. My sister-in-law was allowed into the palace.
She looked so much older. Silver threads glinted in what had once been ink-black hair.
"This humble woman greets Consort Hua. May Your Ladyship enjoy ten thousand blessings." She knelt before me.
I caught her elbows and guided her to the chair. "Sister-in-law, please—no formalities. How has the family been these past two years?"
She nodded. "Thank you for your concern, my lady. Just the other day, your brother sent a letter. He asked me to pay his respects."
"How is he?" The words rushed out.
Her lips pressed together. Something glistened at the corners of her eyes.
"Tell me!"
She dropped to her knees before I could stop her. "I beg Your Ladyship's mercy! Nian Fu wrote—he said—"
"Said what? Speak!"
"He said your brother has been wounded." And then she wept so hard she could barely breathe.
I wiped her tears, steadied her, lowered her into the seat.
My mind traveled back to her wedding day—how radiant she and my brother had been together. She was a daughter of the Nalan family, raised in silk and comfort. She had never been made to endure anything like this.
"My lady, I beg you—speak to the Emperor. Bring the General home! I ask for no glory, no titles. I only want the family together, safe and whole."
Her words cut deeper than she knew. We had all chased glory once—titles, the Emperor's gaze, a place in the ancestral registry. How many of us had ever thought to ask for something as simple as a family sitting down to dinner together?
I dismissed everyone from the room and lowered my voice. "Rest easy, Sister-in-law. I'll speak with the Emperor." I turned away and wiped my own eyes. "There's one more thing I need your help with."
She dabbed her cheeks. "Please, my lady."
"Through all my years of disgrace, only Songzhi stayed by my side. She's long past the usual age for marriage, and she once served the Emperor—but Sister-in-law, could you… could you help her find a good man?"
Surprise flickered across her face. "My lady, please think carefully. A woman who has served the Emperor—to marry her off—it would be—"
"I've thought it through. When the time comes, I'll ask the Emperor's permission to release Songzhi from the palace. All I need from you is a kind man. He needn't be wealthy. Decent and considerate will do."
She agreed.
The Nians were no longer what they once were. Sister-in-law didn't dare linger. After a few more exchanges of warmth, she took her leave. I didn't ask her to stay—fewer ripples was better right now.
* * *
The moment she left, I went straight to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Su Peisheng told me Noble Consort Xi was inside. I had the sense to leave.
Before I turned away, Su Peisheng asked whether I wanted the Emperor to know I'd come. My first instinct was to say no. But thinking of my brother, I changed my mind. "Tell him I was here."
I had assumed my visit during the day would guarantee the Emperor's visit to Yikun Palace that evening. Instead, he went to Yongshou Palace. I had Songzhi light the Huanyi Incense. I didn't sleep the entire night.
* * *
Zhen Huan truly had her methods. The moment she returned to the palace, the Emperor's attention to me cooled noticeably, and several troublemaking concubines were swiftly disciplined.
Ten days without so much as a glimpse of the Emperor left me restless. If I couldn't even see him, how was I supposed to plead for my brother?
Fortunately, the affair between Cui Jinxi and Su Peisheng distracted the Emperor long enough to cool his interest in Zhen Huan for two days. I seized the window and went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"Your Majesty must have forgotten about this concubine. If I didn't come to you, you certainly weren't coming to me," I said, letting a note of playful complaint slip in.
The Emperor smiled. "I stayed away these past few days on purpose—to teach you what you should and shouldn't involve yourself in. Now that you're here, is there anything else you'd like to say?"
So he had been punishing me. I swallowed the words I wanted to say and followed his lead. "This concubine has been learning to cook during her idle hours. I'd love for Your Majesty to try a few dishes."
"I've been reviewing memorials all afternoon. I could use a change of scenery—let's go to your palace." He stretched lazily. Su Peisheng called out to the eunuchs: "Prepare the sedan—to Yikun Palace!"
I had indeed learned to cook—but not during these past few idle days. I'd taught myself during those three desolate years without favor. Every maid except Songzhi had proven disloyal. Seeing me stripped of power, they bullied me to my face. Left with no choice, I swallowed my pride and learned to fend for myself.
"The flavors are quite good. You clearly put effort into this," the Emperor said.
I smiled. "As long as Your Majesty is pleased."
He patted my hand. "You've been co-managing the six palaces with Consort Jing and Consort Duan. There's something I'd like your opinion on."
"The matter of Su Peisheng and Cui Jinxi?"
* * *
He nodded. "The Empress insists on severe punishment. Consort Jing refuses to take a position. Noble Consort Xi cannot speak on it. What do you think?"
I glanced at him. Su Peisheng had served the Emperor for decades. Cui Jinxi was Zhen Huan's most trusted attendant. The Emperor wasn't really asking for my opinion—he wanted me to hand him a ready-made excuse.
"This concubine believes Su Peisheng has served Your Majesty with devoted labor, if not merit. And Cui Jinxi endured hardship alongside Noble Consort Xi. Even if they've erred, past loyalty should count for something."
He nodded, motioning me to continue.
"A mild reprimand should suffice. Surely the Empress would not disagree with Your Majesty's judgment?"
He was quiet a moment, then veered in an unexpected direction. "I've been spending every night at Noble Consort Xi's quarters. Did you miss me?"
I forced a smile. "Noble Consort Xi is with child. It's only right for Your Majesty to keep her company."
He said nothing more. After dinner, he announced he was going to see Consort Duan.
Songzhi urged me to find a way to make him stay. I stared at the cold, half-cleared dishes on the table. "His heart isn't here. What good would it do to keep his body?"
The matter of Su Peisheng and Cui Jinxi did not go the way the Empress wanted. Someone—I never learned who—spread the word that both Consort Duan and I had spoken in their defense. Zhen Huan must have heard, because the next thing I knew, she appeared at my door.
* * *
"After all these years, Consort Hua is still Consort Hua," Zhen Huan said.
I stayed draped across the daybed without so much as shifting. "After all these years, little Concubine Wan has become Noble Consort Xi."
She laughed softly. "Concubine, consort—what difference does a title make? These years can't have been easy for you either, my lady."
"What exactly do you want?"
I'll admit it—it came out sharper than I intended. My pulse jumped.
In our previous life, it was Zhen Huan who told me about the Huanyi Incense. It was she who revealed the truth about the tainted medicine. I already knew every sordid detail, yet I was still terrified of hearing it spoken aloud by her lips again.
"You helped me save Jinxi. I owe you for that. I came simply to say thank you," Zhen Huan said.
"I didn't do it for you. And I don't need your gratitude." I met her eyes, ice in my voice, clinging to the last scrap of dignity I had.
She looked at me as though she could see right through me. Another soft laugh. "Since you helped me once, let me return the favor."
"I don't need—"
She cut me off mid-sentence. "I hear General Nian was wounded in the northwest."
I sat up straight and stared at her. "You'd help me—and my brother?"
The same gentle, unreadable smile. "I know that when I returned, you spoke for me before the Emperor. I remember that debt. I have no desire to be your enemy."
"Truly?" I couldn't hide the doubt.
"I've said all I came to say. Believe it or not—watch what happens next." She inclined her head. "I'll take my leave."
"Wait." I stopped her. Drew a long breath, tilted my chin up, and dipped into a full curtsy. "If you can bring my brother home, I will repay you."
Zhen Huan kept her word. Within days, Su Peisheng arrived at Yikun Palace to relay the Emperor's decision: my brother had been recalled to the capital.
My brother had trained in martial arts since boyhood and followed our father into battle from the age of thirteen. Forgive the audacity, but when people said the Nian family had climbed too high, risen beyond their station—every rung of that ladder was bought with blood and bone.
They say: "A general's glory is paved with ten thousand corpses."
That isn't quite right.
My father and brother started as common soldiers. They ate what the soldiers ate, slept where they slept, killed alongside them. They simply distinguished themselves, battle after battle, until they earned those titles.
The world saw only the glory draped over their shoulders. No one looked beneath the armor at the scars.
I couldn't leave the palace, and the Emperor said nothing about allowing my brother to visit. But he sent the finest physician from the Imperial Medical Bureau. I could not see my brother, but this much was enough. I was grateful.