Author: Jiu Xiao Qi, Translated by: San Guniang

Chapter 97 - The Past

Ye Zhen Zhen came to Ci Ning Palace in a threatening manner.

The empress Dowager peacefully sat upright as if nothing were wrong. Seeing Ye Zhen Zhen came, she laughed and said, "My child, why so impatient? Look, running till head full of sweat."

"Muhou(1)," Ye Zhen Zhen clenched her teeth, "I have something to discuss with you."

Empress Dowager dismissed everyone and said, "Do you have anything to say? Could it be something that you have to come out of the palace to handle?"

"Empress Dowager is so serious." Seeing no one around, Ye Zhen Zhen immediately changed the appellation, "Bengong(2) holds something properly, never does these dirty works."

Empress Dowager frowned and looked at her with displeasure.

Ye Zhen Zhen took a deep breath and asked, "Why did you want to kill Bai Xiang Ru?"

"Bai Xiang Ru is dead?" She stood up in surprise.

"No. Disappointed? Her life should not vanished."

Empress Dowager slowly sat down and coldly said, "The Empress position is really good. The grand guifei caused problem on human life not carrying the law, something happened just push on this old woman."

But Ye Zhen Zhen did not argue with her and kept asking, "Why did you kill Bai Xiang Ru?"

Empress Dowager angrily said, "Aijia(3) also wants to ask about this matter. Why would I kill her?"

Ye Zhen Zhen replied, "Because if she dies, the Emperor's life will not be guaranteed. Bai Xiang Ru told you about her plan. Killing Bai Xiang Ru is not the final aim. Your goal is to put the Emperor to death."

Empress Dowager's face changed. Pointing at Ye Zhen Zhen, her finger trembled, "You, you, you dare to say these nonsense! The emperor is my son, it's not too late for me to die on behalf of him, yet how can harm him! What you say today is enough to tear my dead body to ten thousand pieces! Today this old woman face also is not important, go, we find the Emperor to argue!" Saying so, she got up and pulled Ye Zhen Zhen while said, "Choose to marry this kind of wife, disturbing the family and estranged mother and child, such as now want to frame me of doing harm to my biological son……"

Ye Zhen Zhen sneered, "Do not flatly admit 'biological', the Emperor is not your biological son at all."

As if these words were a curse, immediately stopped the Empress Dowager. She already walked in front of Ye Zhen Zhen and extended one arm to pull Ye Zhen Zhen, but hearing these words, her movement suddenly stopped. She raised her eye and stared at Ye Zhen Zhen in dumbfounded.

Ye Zhen Zhen coldly gazed.

Blankly stared for a while, Empress Dowager's soul returned. She burst into loud laughter as if hearing an enormous joke, "You crazy woman, really become crazy? Can also say such words? I raised the Emperor for around twenty years. If he was not my son, was he your son?" Saying so, she turned around and slowly walked back to her seat.

"Since I dare to say this to you, means I have already known the truth for a long time. I did not say it before since I am afraid the Emperor would feel sad after knowing this. There are some matters which better to not know. Your relation with the Emperor before was calm. I also wished for everyone's days to continue like this, but did not expect that you really hate the Emperor so much that you want to take his life! You were the one arranging Bai Xiang Ru to come, I should antic.i.p.ate this long time ago. It's just that after I returned to the palace, there are so many things happen one after another, so I temporarily did not take you here into consideration. Unexpectedly you are unwilling to remain idle, must go out and harm somebody. I absolutely do not understand, although the Emperor is not your biological son, but he gave you much delight for many years, why do you hate him to the bone?!"

Empress dowager listened. Her expression was decadent and lonely. She sighed and eventually said, "You are right, the Emperor is not my biological son, my blood-related son has died."

When her voice just faded, the door creaked open. Both of them turn their head to see Ji Wu Jiu came in. He was pale, his steps were unstable, Ye Zhen Zhen immediately helped him.

"Muhou……?" Ji Wu Jiu called.

"I am not your Muhou," Empress Dowager raised her eyes and looked at him, "I said, my biological child has died long time ago, he was killed by your dad."

Ji Wu Jiu and Ye Zhen Zhen were startled.

"Did not expect, right?" Empress Dowager sneered, "He killed my child, but pressed me to accept a b.a.s.t.a.r.d that was born by a s.l.u.t. You are not my son, you are a b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

"Muhou!"

"Don't call me Muhou!" Empress Dowager roared, "You don't know, in this life what I hate the most is Ye s.h.i.+ and second is Ji Jian Cong. Both you and your dad are not anything good!"

Ji Wu Jiu at once lost his power, now a sudden inner heat attacked his heart. He covered his mouth and abruptly spitted out a mouthful of blood. Ye Zhen Zhen was really frightened. She used handkerchief to help him wiped and turned her head to yell outside, "Quickly summon the Tai——"

Ji Wu Jiu grasped her firmly, "No urgency," he turned and looked at Empress Dowager, "Why Fuhuang(4) wanted to kill his biological son? A tiger, though cruel, will not devour its cubs. Isn't it just a misunderstanding?"

"It's for you, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! He was afraid your throne would be s.n.a.t.c.hed by someone else, so he made evil scheme to kill my child! You are of dubious background and he worried no one to raise you, so he did this cuckoo's nest trick. In order to prevent you from being harmed by others, he simply did not want another successor, leaving you alone." Empress Dowager spoke, tears flowed down. She wiped her tears and sighed again, "Ji Jian Cong ah Ji Jian Cong, you calculated your trick to the utmost, but in the end that s.l.u.t run away with other man. Retribution, retribution ah. Ha ha ha!"

Ji Wu Jiu shook her head and looked at her with disbelief, "I don’t believe it."

Empress Dowager still laughed incessantly.

Seeing Ji Wu Jiu's brows locked up deeply, face as gold as paper, Ye Zhen Zhen disregarded the other and helped Ji Wu Jiu to leave Ci Ning Palace. Ji Wu Jiu was afraid Empress Dowager's nonsense babble was heard by someone, so he ordered Feng You De to take along two trusted aides to serve Empress Dowager and forbade other people to come near.

Ci Ning Palace was quite far from Gan Qing Palace, so Ye Zhen Zhen directly helped Ji Wu Jiu to return to her Kun Ning Palace, summoned Taiyi to take care of him. After eating some medicine, Ji Wu Jiu complexion was a bit better.

Seeing him leaned on pillow, lost in thought, both eyes without spirit, Ye Zhen Zhen grasped his hand and said, "If you wish to hear, just ask me, no need to go to that place to be mistreated."

Ji Wu Jiu's pupil regained focus and looked at her, "What Mu…… Empress Dowager said, is it all true?"

"She is really not your biological mother, as for the late Emperor is or is not…… it's unknown. However, if he wanted to preserve your throne, there were plenty of way, not necessary to do such thing, and yet that was his son, so I feel Empress Dowager must be misunderstood the late Emperor. She hated you started then. I only know the first but not the second. I did not earlier tell you clearly, almost lead to disaster and harm you."

Ji Wu Jiu held her hand, "You don't need to blame yourself…… How did you know this thing? And who is my biological mother?"

"Ye Lei Ting was the one told me. This will involve the past event over twenty years ago. Generally speaking, the late Emperor previously loved one woman, they gave birth to a child, it's you. Later on both of them did not stay together, the woman marry to Ye Lei Ting's father, Ye Zhi Jin."

"General Ye?"

"Yes, that General Ye."

Ji Wu Jiu knew the famous Ye Zhi Jin, although he never met him. This person was a legend, his early life was rough. Later on he joined the army and fought against pirates in the coastal, trained the navy. Since then, the ten years of frequent dangers from the pirates were almost eradicated. More than that, Ye Zhi Jin also managed to establish the Da Qi Dinasty first navy division, built the wars.h.i.+p and stationed the army and artilleries on the wars.h.i.+p. The wars.h.i.+p was placed on sea to patrol, the main duty is to attack pirates and safeguard the safety of merchant s.h.i.+ps. They also accepted the business of escorting merchant s.h.i.+ps to earn commission.

In short, Ye Zhi Jin name was able to be recorded in history, and was not few brus.h.i.+ng, but rather quite plenty and in special doc.u.ments. However, on the prime of his life, Ye Zhi Jin retired. After properly established the navy, he resigned from his post, returned to his hometown and lived in seclusion. Since then, it was difficult to find his trace. Only his son, Ye Lei Ting, stayed behind to continue serving the imperial court. Ye Zhi Jin had become a legend.

Ye Zhen Zhen continued, "When your mother gave birth to you, she already broke off with the late Emperor, afterwards she brought you to marry General Ye. General Ye gave surname Ye and choose a name for you. Ye Lei Ting was your older brother for several months, that's why he was able to recognize you ever since. Then later on you were s.n.a.t.c.hed by the late Emperor and raised in the palace. In the beginning, I was a bit baffled to. When a child appeared in the palace, how no one knows about the matter at that time. Today it seems that the answer is by overtaking Empress Dowager's dead son. The late Emperor immediately replaced that child with you and made the servant taking care of that child to leave. In that case no one would be able to recognize the difference. The heir of imperial family is unlike ordinary family, always requires family background, the late Emperor truly gave a lot of thought on this deed."

Ji Wu Jiu was silent for a long time. After finished digesting it, he asked, "So…… Where is she now?"

"Listened to what Ye Lei said, she and Great General Ye ride a merchant s.h.i.+p to travel around many countries across the sea and do not know when they will return. I had already told Ye Lei Ting to inform me immediately once she returns." Ye Zhen Zhen stopped after saying up to this point, looked at Ji Wu Jiu who began to daze, "She and General Ye gave birth to a child, 16 years old this year. They also took this child to travel together this time. Once they return, you can meet your mother and younger brother. You do not need to feel sad too much, your biological mother is still alive and yet you have younger brother, in the future your younger brother still need your help."

Ji Wu Jiu did not answer. He pulled Ye Zhen Zhen into his chest and tightly hugged her. His eyes were half-closed and face was expressionless, just quietly sat.

Ye Zhen Zhen knew the impact of this matter to him was very big, saying to not feel sad was indeed impossible. Although there were some animosity between him and Empress Dowager, but from the beginning to the end he treated Empress Dowager as his blood-related mother. The reason why he was disappointed at Empress Dowager was because he felt that she did not love him dearly as her son and made the son's heart cold. But suddenly one day this blood-related mother turned to be stepmother and not only that, but this person was also a stepmother who wished him to die. Everything in the past instantly toppled, really made someone temporarily unable to accept.

Ye Zhen Zhen felt that Ji Wu Jiu was a bit pitiful. His father died early, handed over the country on his hands, as a teenager became the emperor, nevertheless an ambitious emperor, did not say anything when struggling with the court councilor, how much messy things on the government affairs waiting for him. Every day rose up early and went to bed late, was scolded by imperial censor when doing no good, he also endured these. As a ruler, the country model, moral principle at him here but everything had changed, his own dad forced his dad to kill his elder brother, how to write on the history book? For him, a cousin came looking for trouble was executed by him, certainly was also not good to be heard if this point had been written in the history book. Blood-mother had turned to be stepmother, practically wished to kick him down from the position every day……

Thinking of this, Ye Zhen Zhen extremely regretted. She returned to hug Ji Wu Jiu, lightly rubbed in his arms and softly consoled him.

Ji Wu Jiu closed his eyes and leaned on her shoulder, sighed, "Zhen Zhen, I really only have you now."

　　***

The next day, Ji Wu Jiu ordered all of the servants of Ci Ning Palace to be changed, announced that Empress Dowager caught an illness, could not go out and did not want to meet anybody, relieved all of imperial concubines in the hougong from paying respects, and any unrelated people were not allowed to enter Ci Ning Palace without imperial edict.

It was house arrest.

After all, she was his mother for 20 years, give birth was not equal to raise a child, and yet her own son has died, although she did a lot of wrong things but did not cause any real disaster. Now the blows she received were more than him. She was already a bit crazy, did not talk to herself, just laughed loudly.

Thus in the end Ji Wu Jiu did not treat the Empress Dowager fiercely, just put her on house arrest in the Ci Ning Palace.

The reason of catching an illness was to deceive average people from visiting, but experienced people could naturally see that something was wrong. Family shames must not be spread abroad, this kind of affair also should not be leaked out even a bit. Thus there were some people who criticized Ji Wu Jiu, thought that he was unfilial.

If Empress Dowager's family had big enough power to control public opinion, Ji Wu Jiu was not sure what would happen, but before Xu s.h.i.+ family had been crushed into pieces by Ji Wu Jiu, and left with no power in imperial court. Now the most powerful one in imperial court was Fang party. Before, Ye party was without head due to Ye Xiu Ming retirement, now since Ye Mu Fang joined the cabinet, they were put in order again, gradually drew close to Ye s.h.i.+, and formed equal rivalry with Fang party.

The two most powerful groups in the imperial court were not fond of Xu s.h.i.+, Fang party controlled the court officials, while Ye party controlled the public opinion, so now Ji Wu Jiu's order of Empress Dowager house arrest was beautified. Even if there were one or two discordant sound, it was washed away by the mainstream waves on the beach, no stormy sea was risen.

Everybody spread out how it was reasonable, Ji Wu Jiu was immediately praised as filial son worrying his mother.

It was later on written in the history book, all of palace maids and eunuchs of Ci Ning Palace were each one personally picked. Actually, this saying was also not wrong, as those people were indeed picked personally by him.

Completing these tasks, Ji Wu Jiu decided to go out of palace to pray for G.o.d blessing for his mother. This act has naturally attracted a lot of praises too.

~ Translated by: San Guniang ~

Glossary:

Muhou: Mother Empress Bengong: literally means 'I, of the palace', employed by an empress or a high-ranking consort when speaking to a person or an audience of lower rank or status Aijia: literally means 'This sad house', employed by the emperor’s mother out of respect for her deceased husband Fuhuang: Imperial Father

Notes: Another sad chapter but at least the truth is revealed. I rush this chapter since I want to post it on New Year. This is my little gift for you. Happy New Year, guys!