Translator's note: Unfortunately my internet connection last week wasn't stable enough to work on anything; pardon the lack of updates. I have reliable internet again, and should have tomorrow's chapter up on time as well. -  Lu Pingwan sat on the low bed, her fingers twisting the handkerchief unceasingly. The night before, she'd had a dream; in the dream, she'd returned to her youth, to when she had yet to become the Princess Ling, and was admiring flowers along with her companion. In the dream, Lu Pingwan felt that the two had made fast friends, an affection as if they'd grown to adulthood together. But when she'd woken up, she couldn't even recall that person's face. Others had admired the flowers and recited poetry, but what sort of talent for poetry recitation could a child have had? They could only watch dumbly. Watch the flower petals ruffled by the breeze, the butterflies alight in the centres of the flowers. But then, suddenly, a wild wind...

"Supreme Yuanhe, Bai'er's [1] ascension to the throne was done with no alternative..." The Cining Palace's main hall had long since been remodelled into a ritual hall, the incense in the censers burning throughout day and night, the entirety of the Cining Palace seeming to be enveloped in the smoke. But the Imperial Palace had always been a renowned and powerful place, and such a ritual hall, when placed within it, seemed rather comical. But Lu Pingwan had never thought so; ever since she'd moved to the Cining Palace and become the Empress Dowager, she'd knelt on this praying mat as she did now for hundreds of days. She wore rough cloth attire, but the jade prayer beads she counted were translucent and limpid. The incense's ash fluttered and fell upon the gold-grouted tiles, as if covering the Cining Palace in a white Daoist robe. She'd been praying all along; praying to the Supreme, praying to her ancestors to forgive her daughter's violation...

"Bixia, please believe this subject," Liang Jiwen said as she knelt in the imperial study, "if this succeeds, I will submit to the Great Li without the slightest disloyalty." Jiang Changbai sat upon her chair, looking down at Liang Jiwen from above, and suddenly felt something unfamiliar. She still remembered when Liang Jiwen had first arrived, she'd been dark and gaunt. Her clothes had been dishevelled, and even her cheeks had been hollowed by extensive hunger. Afterwards, she'd learned to speak the language of the Great Li, and how to read, and her complexion had turned rosy, and her posture had grown tall and straight, and even her speech no longer had its previous timidity. If, before, she looked like a beggar, now, she truly looked like a princess. One could say, she'd watched Liang Jiwen grow up. And now, she was suddenly like a powerful minister who'd been been buffeted by the waves of the court for countless years, kneeling before her, asking...

Perhaps because the days were getting shorter, or perhaps because it was an overcast day, usually by now the skies would long since have grown bright, but today, it was still misty. It was as if the early morning light had been broken by the palace eaves, and atop the golden tiles had gathered a layer of white dew. The wind anxiously blew the fallen leaves in circles on the stone steps, and just then, by chance, they stopped before Jiang Changbai and Song Juguang. Here, there was only the sound of the wind. It was as if the two were competing, staring fixedly at the other, seeing their own reflection in the other's eyes. Yet neither was willing to speak first. The servants by the side had been scared stiff by the sight, holding their breaths and watching with rapt attention, hoping the two wouldn't vent their ire on them. "Why don't you leave," Jiang Changbai suddenly said. Song Juguang, hearing these words, felt her heart suddenly sink, and it was as if her entir...

Translator's note: My real life responsibilities have eased a great deal, so hopefully I can return to regular weekend updates! This chapter is going up early since the next one is five thousand characters and will require a little more time (though I plan on having it up before the end of the weekend!). Thanks again to everyone for your patience. -  An entire person naturally couldn't simply disappear like that. At this moment, Liang Jiwen was sitting in Chen Xun's room, sipping that tea worth a thousand gold. "Her majesty wants to murder my Royal Father?" She looked at Chen Xun in disbelief, the anxiety on her expression increasing. "If you say something like that without thinking, you'll lose your head." "Is Dianxia worried about me?" Chen Xun chuckled, "since I dare to say it, of course it's true. The smokescreen on this final nail in the coffin will only last so long—it can only be maintained for a month. Regardless, from here...

The sunlight spilled through the window lattice, casting floral patterns across the tiles. Spirals of dark smoke rose from the censer, but they weren't able to conceal the heavy atmosphere in the imperial study. The hem of Song Juguang's crow-black official's robes were dirtied with dust, and it was clear that she'd taken the journey at haste. “Bixia." Song Juguang intentionally turned slightly to the side, just happening to place herself between Sheng Yunxing and Jiang Changbai. Hearing this, Jiang Changbai raised her head, her gaze flitting rapidly across the confession that Song Juguang had brought her. Her long, slender fingers tapped against the surface of the desk, her thumb ring making a dull sound as it struck the tabletop. "Shejin," she muttered, the final syllable becoming a sneer. As one matter was settled, another rose; it was as if, as soon as something was related to Shejin, it became far more trouble. In the past, Shejin had caused trouble ...