"By the decree of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: Concubine Nan, with a wicked heart, has harmed the imperial heir. Effective today, her title is stripped, she is demoted to commoner status, to be given thirty strokes of the cane and banished to the cold palace. By imperial command!"
The eunuch reading the imperial decree had a sharp voice that grated on Nan Zhiyun's ears.
"Commoner Nan, receive the edict," the eunuch who came to deliver the decree arrogantly strode before Nan Zhiyun. Nan Zhiyun's face was pale; she had been kneeling for two hours. She looked at the plaque of Zhiyun Palace, its three large characters burning her eyes.
This morning, Consort Yun had summoned her to Zhiyun Hall, after which she suffered a miscarriage. When the Emperor arrived, without a word, he ordered her to kneel here. Unsurprisingly, as soon as Consort Yun regained consciousness, she accused Nan Zhiyun of harming her, leading to this imperial decree.
Nan Zhiyun accepted the imperial decree: "Your concubine thanks Your Majesty for your grace." Nan Zhiyun's eyes were vacant.
She should have known this was coming. The Emperor had always detested her, from being one of the four consorts to a mere concubine, and now directly to the cold palace. Surely this would satisfy his wishes.
What would be next? Perhaps he would find a reason to sentence her to death? Nan Zhiyun forced back her tears.
"By His Majesty's decree, commoner Nan, for harming the imperial family, her crime is unforgivable. Thirty strokes of the cane, as a warning to others. Commence the punishment!" This eunuch was from Consort Yun's retinue.
Soon, someone brought over the punishment bench. Nan Zhiyun's outer robe was removed, and she was pressed onto the bench by palace maids. The execution rods fell without mercy.
The searing pain behind her made Nan Zhiyun's tears fall uncontrollably.
"Stop!" a somewhat aged voice suddenly called out.
"Greetings, Empress Dowager!" the palace maids knelt.
The Empress Dowager... Nan Zhiyun looked over. The Empress Dowager was the Emperor's adoptive mother. Once, her own mother had sacrificed her life saving the Empress Dowager, so the Empress Dowager had always treated her like her own daughter.
"Where is the Emperor? Have the Emperor come out to see this Empress!" The Empress Dowager seemed to be in a great rage. She had rushed over here as soon as she heard about this in Cí'ān Palace. The Empress Dowager approached Nan Zhiyun.
"Little Yun, you have suffered. What are you all waiting for? Quickly help her up!" The Empress Dowager looked at Nan Zhiyun with great pity.
However, the palace maids remained unmoved. The Empress Dowager was about to erupt when she was interrupted by the Emperor's sudden voice.
"Nan Shi plotted against the imperial family and committed a great crime, unforgivable. Mother Empress, are you seeking to shield her?" The Emperor emerged from the inner chambers. The imperial yellow dragon robe was the last straw on Nan Zhiyun's heart. With just his word, she would bear this charge whether she deserved it or not!
"The matter has not been thoroughly investigated, and based solely on Consort Yun's one-sided testimony, the Emperor intends to convict Little Yun?" the Empress Dowager roared.
"Consort Yun personally testified, can there be any falsehood? Guards, continue the punishment. Anyone who dares to plead for her will receive an additional twenty strokes!" Emperor Yù Jǐngchén's order was unquestionable.
"Emperor! Are you deliberately opposing this Empress?" The Empress Dowager knew very well that Yù Jǐngchén was doing this intentionally. He simply wanted to depose Nan Zhiyun; he never cared whether the charge was true or not.
"Commence the punishment!" Yù Jǐngchén commanded.
The palace maids dared not delay any longer.
"You..." The Empress Dowager was directly angered into fainting.
"The Crown Prince is unwell. Escort the Empress Dowager back to her palace. She will recuperate in Cí'ān Palace, and imperial physicians will tend to her carefully," Yù Jǐngchén said, his expression unwavering.
Nan Zhiyun met Yù Jǐngchén's eyes, feeling increasingly desolate. Yù Jǐngchén had never shown any emotion towards her, or perhaps he was indifferent to everyone.
Nan Zhiyun could no longer bear it. In a daze, she heard a palace maid say: "Your Majesty, the person has fainted."
"But it's not finished? If it's not finished, continue. Hit until it's done," Yù Jǐngchén's voice was devoid of warmth. Nan Zhiyun's heart turned to ashes, and she completely fainted.
When she woke up again, she was already in the cold palace.
Her wounds in the back were not treated, and no one came to see her. Nan Zhiyun lay there listlessly. At some point, the door was pushed open.
"Miss..." a palace maid, her voice choked with tears, approached Nan Zhiyun.
"Miss, how could you have ended up like this? How could His Majesty treat you like this? How could he be so heartless?" The palace maid cried, unable to catch her breath.
She was Nan Zhiyun's personal head maid, a maid who had grown up with her.
"Why are you here? If His Majesty finds out, he won't let you off. Hurry back," Nan Zhiyun's face was pale, but she wore a smile. She had always been such a gentle person.
"It's alright. It was the Empress Dowager who sent this servant to take care of you, Miss. The Empress Dowager said she would have you released in a few days," Qiàn Xià said, wiping away her tears.
"How could the Empress Dowager go against His Majesty's wishes? Tell the Empress Dowager not to worry about me, and not to diminish the last bit of affection between her and His Majesty," Nan Zhiyun's heart had already died.
"Miss, please don't think like that. Let me apply medicine to your wounds first, alright?" Qiàn Xià was truly heartbroken.
"No need, let it be," Nan Zhiyun felt that dying like this might be good.
"Miss, please don't be like this, alright? Everything will get better. Think of the General; the General will be back soon. When the General returns, we'll ask him to take Miss home, alright?" Qiàn Xià said.
Nan Zhiyun's father, Nan Sù, was a powerful Grand General who commanded vast armies, a minister who had fought alongside the late Emperor to establish the dynasty. It was only because Nan Sù had originally been a subordinate of the Empress Dowager's father. After the Empress Dowager's father passed away, Nan Sù became... an in-law in Yù Jǐngchén's eyes.
Speaking of her father, Nan Zhiyun's tears began to fall like a broken string of pearls: "Qiàn Xià, I miss Father. If I had listened to Father earlier, would none of this have happened?" Nan Zhiyun regretted it.
Both her father and her aunt had disagreed with her entering the palace. It was her own stubbornness that led her to this fate.
Cí'ān Palace
The Empress Dowager had been unwell these past two days and had summoned the imperial consorts to attend to her, including Consort Yun, who had just miscarried.
"With so many of you gathered here, my headache is only getting worse. All of you may leave, Consort Yun may stay," the Empress Dowager said, resting her head on her hand, addressing those outside.
"Empress Dowager, Consort Yun has just miscarried and may not be able to serve you well," said the Noble Consort. With no Empress, she was the highest-ranking among these consorts and the one in charge.
"There are so many maids and eunuchs here, I don't need her to do anything. Consort Yun may stay, the rest of you may withdraw," the Empress Dowager's mind was made up.
The Noble Consort could not say more. Of course, her inquiry was merely a formality. Consort Yun's fate was of no concern to her. If Consort Yun had framed Nan Zhiyun, causing Nan Zhiyun to be sent to the cold palace and endure caning, could the Empress Dowager let her off?
Indeed, that afternoon, news came that Consort Yun had attempted to harm the Empress Dowager and even tried to drug her. In a fit of rage, the Empress Dowager directly ordered her to be beaten to death.
When Yù Jǐngchén heard this news, he only said: "For attempting to harm the Empress Dowager, her crime warrants death. She may be dealt with according to the Empress Dowager's wishes." He remained utterly unmoved... See, this was a person of cold heart, cold disposition, and cold blood. Whether it was Nan Zhiyun or Consort Yun, he had never shown a shred of pity.
"When will Prince Ān arrive in the capital?" Yù Jǐngchén asked.
"Approximately half a month's time," replied Eunuch Xìng, Yù Jǐngchén's trusted eunuch.
"What about Nan Sù?" Yù Jǐngchén's voice was icy. Nan Sù was Nan Zhiyun's father, the foremost Grand Marshal of Yuān.
"General Nan will reach the capital in another month," Eunuch Xìng replied.
Yù Jǐngchén had already laid his plan. Upon Nan Sù's return to the capital, he would join forces with Prince Ān to force him to relinquish his military authority. Once the military power was secured, the Nan clan would no longer pose a threat to him.
With this thought, Yù Jǐngchén suddenly asked again: "Nan Zhiyun is temporarily in the cold palace and cannot die yet. Find someone to watch her closely."
"Yes." Eunuch Xìng understood that His Majesty kept Nan Zhiyun alive because she was Nan Sù's only daughter, a fatal weakness at a crucial moment. This was also why Yù Jǐngchén had not executed Nan Zhiyun directly at the time.