Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 559

Chapter 559: Punishment

Pei Que reminded An Zhi, “Serlan’s schemes are as numerous as rice in a granary, so don’t worry about her. As long as she doesn’t die, she’s destined to marry Pei Yu. Even if Pei Yu is unwilling, the court will send people to intervene.”

“That’s true. Serlan is, after all, a princess. No matter what, the court can’t just watch her be humiliated.” An Zhi smiled, no longer thinking about Serlan, and turned her attention to the Empress Dowager. “I heard that the Empress Dowager ordered people to repair the bridge day and night, and it should be completed ahead of schedule in about two days. Is that right?”

The end of the year was the busiest time in the capital. With the New Year approaching, officials from various prefectures and counties must submit petitions to the court. At the same time, neighboring small countries must also send tribute and gifts.

This was the best time for social interaction, but the Empress Dowager was stuck in the wilderness and lost all dignity, which made her extremely anxious.

Pei Que had heard that several people had died because of the pressure to speed up the construction, but the Empress Dowager showed no sign of easing up; on the contrary, she was ordering the soldiers to speed things up.

“The bridge will be finished in two more days, and with travel time, it will take about four more days in total,” Pei Que said, considering the Empress Dowager’s temperament and calculating the time. It was early December; if the Empress Dowager returned to the capital at this pace, it would be about twenty days before the New Year.

Twenty days was too long.

Pei Que didn’t want to see the Empress Dowager so soon. “Things will work themselves out. We’ll discuss the Empress Dowager’s matter when she arrives at the city gate. I heard the Qian family is almost in the capital?”

An Zhi nodded. “I estimate it will be two or three days. Aunt Qian is worried about the snow blocking the roads, and since she didn’t return last year, she wants to come back earlier this year. When the Qian family returns, we’ll have to trouble you to visit them. Although the Qian family’s connections are somewhat complicated, they are all loyal and righteous. Associating with them will be good for your official career.”

When An Zhi married Pei Que, many people said that her social standing was far inferior to his. In terms of family background, there was indeed a significant difference, but in terms of practical benefits, the support of the Bai family alone was comparable to that of many noble ladies. There were also several relatives, like the Qian family.

Previously, Pei Que had many people around him, but after Li Da betrayed him, he intentionally distanced himself from some people, and now he only had a few people he truly trusted.

“Alright, I will definitely deliver the gift on behalf of the Madam,” Pei Que said.

Meanwhile, as Pei Que rested, a fire was still burning on one side of the bridge at the Empress Dowager’s location, though it was late at night.

The Empress Dowager sat in her tent, and hearing Youfu say that they could depart soon, her anxiety of the past few days subsided somewhat.

“Your Majesty, the bird’s nest soup is here,” a palace maid said, carrying a food bowl to the Empress Dowager.

Youfu stood to the side, smiling as he added charcoal to the stove.

That night, the Empress Dowager slept more peacefully.

A day later, the bridge was repaired, and the Empress Dowager could finally resume her journey.

However, after only one day of travel, upon entering a canyon, she found the road ahead blocked by a boulder three meters high.

The carriage was forced to stop, and the Empress Dowager stepped onto flat ground, looking up at the boulder. Someone said, “Is it the late Emperor’s spirit appearing?” The Empress Dowager immediately flicked the jade bracelet with a phoenix carving on her wrist. The moment the jade bracelet shattered, everyone knelt.

In the long, winding canyon, only the howling wind whistled; no one dared to breathe loudly.

The late Emperor’s will stipulated that the Empress Dowager guard the Western Mausoleum until her death and that she should never return to the capital except for festivals and the Emperor’s wedding. This was a will known to everyone in the land.

But the Empress Dowager insisted on returning to the capital ahead of schedule. First, there was the broken bridge; now, the giant boulder blocked her path. Every action indicated the late Emperor’s displeasure.

This giant boulder was easier to cross than the broken bridge. All that was needed was to pile earth on both sides of the boulder to build a path, and the Empress Dowager could walk across and board the carriage sent from the capital. The difficulty lay in the mouth of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau priest.

While the Empress Dowager was agonizing over this, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau priest had already mentioned in the morning court how the Empress Dowager had angered the late Emperor.

“Your Majesty,” the priest said, kneeling on the white marble bricks, “whether it’s the broken bridge or the falling rocks, these are warnings from the late Emperor to you and the Empress Dowager.” His voice was filled with emotion. “If the Empress Dowager continues her stubborn ways, the late Emperor will punish her, and the common people will suffer greatly!”

Heavenly punishment was a terrible omen.

Even the Emperor was afraid.

He wasn’t so much afraid of the people suffering but rather of the late Emperor questioning him in the dead of night about his disobedience.

Pei Que, standing at the front, glanced at Duke Cheng on his right. Seeing the Duke kneel down, he followed suit. Then, the other officials knelt as well.

The Emperor was intimidated by the priest’s words, so this time, unlike before, he didn’t strongly oppose it. Instead, he heeded Duke Cheng’s suggestion and decreed that the Empress Dowager temporarily reside in the palace outside the city until the 29th of the lunar year.

By the time the imperial edict reached the Empress Dowager, she was already close to the capital. Hearing that it was a decree personally issued by the Emperor, the Empress Dowager’s vision blurred, and she fainted. When she awoke, it was too late; she was lying on her bed in the temporary palace.

The temporary palace where the Empress Dowager was staying was only a two-day walk from the capital, so it was relatively small, and the food and supplies were far inferior to those in the imperial palace.

As soon as she opened her eyes, a palace maid waiting beside her immediately came to ask if she wanted some water.

The Empress Dowager was helped to sit up. She turned her head and glanced at the candlelight in the hall, asking in a hoarse voice, “Is it dark outside?”

“Your Majesty, it will probably be dark for about two quarters of an hour. May I go and get you a hot towel?”

The Empress Dowager hummed in agreement. While waiting for the towel, she figured out what was going on, and a huge weight immediately pressed down on her chest. She had meticulously planned everything, believing that acting first and reporting later would allow her to return to the palace directly, and she had even guarded against spies from Xiling. Yet, in the end, she was still tricked into coming to the temporary palace.

Although there was no evidence to prove it was intentional, the Empress Dowager’s intuition suggested it was the work of a certain minister.

When a palace maid brought a face towel, the Empress Dowager suddenly threw back the covers. “Go grind the ink,” she said. “I need to write a letter to the Emperor.”

Now, she had to maintain her image with the Emperor; she couldn’t afford to lose everything.

While the Empress Dowager was preparing to write to the Emperor to express her understanding, An Zhi received a letter from the Qian family. The letter said the Qian family had arrived in the capital, but it was too late to visit them now; they would come to see An Zhi the next day. The letter also suggested that An Zhi not wait until later but arrange for the children of both families to meet first.

An Zhi, holding the letter, smiled at Pei Que. “Aunt Qian is still as impatient as ever. I suppose that cousin of the Qian family is already twenty-two. Most people his age are married, but I wonder why he’s only gotten married now. That’s probably why Aunt Qian is in such a hurry.”

Pei Que had no recollection of the Qian family, and knew nothing about the cousin An Zhi spoke of. He wasn’t curious and simply said, “You’ll know when he arrives tomorrow.”