Ajiao lay on the bed, attempting to reintegrate her soul with her physical form. She estimated it wouldn't be long before Liu Che sent someone for her—unless, of course, he was blind.
*Knock, knock, knock.* The sound of rapping at the door echoed.
With a creak, the door swung open. Yu Li entered, holding a lamp. She lit the candle standing by the bedside and cautiously lifted the bed curtains, only to see a small lump under the quilt twitching slightly.
"My Lady?" She pulled back the quilt to find Ajiao curled into a ball, looking as though she were trapped in a nightmare. "My Lady, what’s wrong?"
She reached out to touch Ajiao’s forehead. It wasn't hot.
Ajiao kept her eyes shut for a moment longer before slowly opening them, rubbing her eyes with her hands. "Sister Yu Li, why are you here?"
"Did you have a nightmare? His Majesty has sent someone to request your presence at Xuan Shi Hall! Let me help you up." As she spoke, she picked up the still-yawning child.
Ajiao allowed Yu Li to dress her and comb her hair, taking the opportunity to steal a quick nap. Having been awake for most of the night, she was indeed exhausted.
Attendants carried the palanquin, delivering Ajiao to Xuan Shi Hall.
At this hour, the hall was brightly lit, as radiant as day. From within the palanquin, Ajiao could even hear the clatter of weapons striking the ground outside.
Once she stepped down, she was carried into the Emperor’s bedchamber. The heavy layers of curtains had already been drawn back, and the room was filled with kneeling people.
The aging Emperor sat at the head of the room, dressed only in his sleeping robes, silent and grim.
The attendants knew the Emperor had been urgent in summoning Ajiao, but they hadn't expected him to be injured. This was clearly a major incident, yet why summon Lord Huikang at a time like this?
The maid carrying Ajiao paid her respects. The Emperor beckoned, signaling for Ajiao to be brought to his side.
Ajiao took the chance to scan the people kneeling in the hall; they appeared to be the duty officers from the Ministry of the Household.
"What happened?" Ajiao asked intentionally.
The people in the hall were startled. They didn't know who this child was or why she dared to speak to His Majesty in such a manner.
"See for yourself." Liu Che handed a sorcery doll to Ajiao. The mere mention of such things brought back memories of the time Ajiao had practiced witchcraft in the palace years ago, making him feel increasingly irritable.
Ajiao didn't take it. Instead, she reached out to touch Liu Che’s head, but since her arms weren't long enough, she could only reach his forearm. "What happened to your head? Was there an assassin?" Her voice trembled with a hint of guilt.
Liu Che looked down, seeing only Ajiao’s chubby little hand clutching his sleeve. Her hair was messy, likely having been combed in a hurry. Her voice was shaking—was she afraid, or was she worried about him?
"I’m fine. Look at this first." Liu Che pried Ajiao’s hand off and tossed the sorcery doll into her lap.
Only then did Ajiao pick up the wooden figure, before dropping it instantly as if it had pricked her. "It wasn't me!" she cried out, beginning to sob.
Irritated, Liu Che gestured toward Ajiao. Yang Deyi picked up the doll and spoke softly to her, "Young Mistress, do not be afraid. Look closer." The dialogue between the Emperor and the young girl felt strangely eerie, as if he weren't speaking to a child at all.
"Is that my name?" Ajiao feigned shock.
"Indeed!" Liu Che tapped his fingers on the table, glaring at the people below. Every single one of them claimed there had been no anomalies tonight. No anomalies? Then how did this doll appear in Xuan Shi Hall? Did it manifest out of thin air? The thought sent a cold shiver down Liu Che’s spine.
Ajiao simply maintained her look of helpless confusion.
"Has Chu Haiguang not arrived yet?" Liu Che asked impatiently.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, not yet. General Tiantong is coming from outside the palace; it will naturally take some time," Yang Deyi answered cautiously.
Liu Che turned his body, staring at Ajiao. "Tell them to go kneel outside."
Yang Deyi obeyed, and the crowd was forced to move their penance to the courtyard. Liu Che then ordered the personal attendants to wait in the outer chamber.
"How do you feel?" Liu Che asked Ajiao. She still carried a protective treasure on her person; he couldn't afford for anything to happen to her.
Ajiao shook her head. "I don't feel anything." This was the truth. She didn't know if it was because the thing had been intercepted while it was still "crawling" toward her room.
Crawling?
*Crawling!*
Ajiao gasped and threw the doll away again. This time, she was genuinely terrified—could this thing actually move?
"What is it?" Liu Che grew tense, drawing his sword in an instant.
"My hand hurts!" Ajiao blurted out a lie on the spot.
"..." Liu Che pointed his sword at the doll.
"You... why don't you just chop it to pieces?" Ajiao hid behind Liu Che.
Liu Che let out a cold sneer. "Didn't you use sorcery yourself back then? Have you forgotten so quickly?"
"That was different." She tried to explain. The method Chu Fu had told her was one that seemed common but was actually quite insidious. By tying a husband and wife’s hair together and performing a ritual, one could indeed draw a strand of each person’s aura and blend them. Then, by nourishing it with one's own essence, a commoner like her would perceive it as the aura of a newborn—and the longer it lasted, the more convincing the imitation became.
If she had then drawn that aura into her own body, even if the sorcery hadn't been discovered and interrupted, she would have ended up in the Underworld meeting her grandmother within three to five years. It wasn't a spell for bearing children; it was a spell for taking a life!
Even if she had managed to conceive after drawing that aura into her body, the child would have been strangled to death by that very energy.
Furthermore, if the person who deceived her knew anything about venomous insects or parasites, they could have made her belly swell as if she were pregnant. Then, when the months were up, they would give her a potent drug and present a random stillborn baby, making it look as though she had died in childbirth—a perfect, undetectable crime.
That bastard Chu Fu, that lying swindler!
Ajiao had given her so much wealth and even raised her family’s status by removing them from the servile class, yet the woman had intended to murder her!
Overwhelmed by a sudden surge of grief, Ajiao couldn't help but burst into tears.
Come to think of it, if her mother hadn't accidentally discovered what she was doing and stopped her in a fit of rage, she would have followed Chu Fu’s urging to choose an auspicious day to draw that "nourished aura" into her body. As it happened, someone leaked the news, and just as her mother was preparing to take the items out of the palace to dispose of them, Liu Che arrived at the Pepper Room Hall... and then she was deposed.
Ajiao felt a wave of melancholy.
It was no wonder her health had been so poor afterward; her body had been eroded by that evil energy early on.
"How is it different?" Liu Che poked the doll with his sword. Seeing no movement, he regained his composure.
"With mine... even if I died, nothing would have happened to you!" Ajiao continued to sob quietly.
"..." Liu Che sighed. "Was it really worth it? Why would you trade your life for a child?" He hadn't realized Ajiao had been willing to pay such a heavy price to give him an heir—however, since she had practiced sorcery, she still had to be deposed. Otherwise, how could the rules be upheld?
Ajiao didn't know what Liu Che had misunderstood this time, and for the moment, she didn't feel like talking.
"Your Majesty, General Tiantong has arrived," Yang Deyi announced, lifting the curtain.
"Send him in." Liu Che sat back down.
Chu Haiguang followed Yang Deyi inside. Just as he was about to perform his salutations, he suddenly froze in shock.
"Your Majesty, the treasure on Lord Huikang is gone!"
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 宣室殿 | Xuan Shi Hall | The Emperor's main residence and office in the Han palace. |
| 光禄勋 | Ministry of the Household | One of the Nine Ministers, responsible for palace security and the Emperor's attendants. |
| 光禄卿 | Minister of the Household | The high-ranking official heading the Ministry of the Household. |
| 惠康君 | Lord Huikang | The title given to Ajiao in her current child form. |
| 天通将军 | General Tiantong | "General of Heavenly Communication," the title for Chu Haiguang. |
| 褚海光 | Chu Haiguang | A character with spiritual or Daoist expertise serving the Emperor. |
| 楚服 | Chu Fu | A historical/fictional sorceress associated with Chen Ajiao's downfall. |
| 椒房殿 | Pepper Room Hall | The traditional residence of the Empress. |
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