Volume One, Chapter Three: The Empress Dowager’s Clemency
Under the blazing sun, Lou Hongling held a flower hoe, appearing busy but quietly vigilant of her surroundings. She knew someone had been secretly watching her lately.
After a few peaceful days, on this day, the palace maids of the Eternal Alley proceeded as usual to the imperial garden to tend to the withering flowers, trees, and grass.
“Move swiftly, watch your steps carefully. If you bump into any noble in the palace, not even a hundred lives would be enough to make up for it.”
She understood that Empress Dowager Deng had been dispatching spies throughout the palace, making it easy to track Lou Hongling’s identity and whereabouts.
Several elder maids close to the Empress Dowager approached the group of palace maids from Eternal Alley. Their presence startled Madam Zhang, who immediately spoke up, worried she might have done something wrong.
The few seasoned maids, seemingly looking down on Madam Zhang, ignored her and directly asked:
“Which one is Lou Hongling?”
As if expecting this, Lou Hongling looked up calmly:
“I am here.”
The leading maid signaled, and the others moved toward her.
“The Empress Dowager wishes to see you.”
“Hey, you’d better hurry along with these ladies.”
Afraid Lou Hongling might offend the Empress Dowager and bring trouble upon herself, Madam Zhang urged her on.
“Here you go.”
Lou Hongling lifted her head and humbly followed behind them toward the most prestigious residence in the entire harem—the Palace of Eternal Happiness.
Zhang Zhiqiu didn’t understand what was happening. She feared Lou Hongling might be in danger and wanted to intervene, but a warning look from Madam Zhang stopped her. She could only grit her teeth and silently pray for her safety.
The atmosphere along the way was heavy. Under their coercion, Lou Hongling was pushed into the palace like a sack of sand. The heavy palace gates slammed shut behind her, leaving only the echo of the closing sound.
Lou Hongling painfully rose to her feet and looked up to see Empress Dowager Deng seated before her. The dowager wore a phoenix crown with tassels and a crimson phoenix robe. A sharp brilliance in her eyes concealed the faint wrinkles at her temples, making her appear vibrant and formidable.
Lou Hongling’s heart suddenly tightened. Remembering all that had happened before, a fierce hatred ignited like a roaring fire within her. She stared unblinkingly at Empress Dowager Deng, locking onto her like a predator zeroing in on prey.
“How dare you look the Empress Dowager in the eye!”
Qing Dai’s voice rang out angrily beside her.
“Empress Dowager, forgive me,” Lou Hongling forced herself to calm down and knelt reluctantly.
“Forgive you? Do you even know what crime you have committed?”
Empress Dowager Deng’s expression darkened as she gracefully stepped forward. The dim candlelight in the bedchamber made her countenance even more inscrutable. She murmured softly:
“You dare to save someone I want dead?”
Then she sneered, her gaze piercing Lou Hongling’s:
“You are Lou Xiao’s daughter? I had forgotten that old scoundrel Lou Xiao still has a daughter clinging to life.”
Hearing her father’s name, Lou Hongling’s heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped, sending sharp pain through her chest.
“Your father once opposed my brother many times. I never thought Lou Xiao’s daughter would ruin my plans again. Today, I will personally end your life—not only to make your death clear but also to settle the long-standing feud between your father and our Deng family.”
The Empress Dowager’s tone was light, as if describing the fine weather.
Her words fell like thunder from a clear sky. Lou Hongling’s eyes widened in disbelief. She clearly remembered that in her previous life, when the Empress Dowager learned who her father was, she first coaxed her with kind words, then sent her to Xu Qing Palace as a spy.
Why was she now being sentenced to death outright? What had gone wrong?
Before she could ponder further, the cold white ribbon of death crept closer to her neck. The image of her own brutal demise in the past flashed vividly in her mind, triggering a primal fear of death. Her back pressed against the cold wall, as if descending into an ice cellar, with no way to retreat.
Lou Hongling felt her heart pounding against her throat. The icy gleam of the white ribbon blinded her, every breath of air sucked away. The shadow of death enveloped her tightly.
Her mind flashed with her father’s unresolved grievances and her hatred for the Deng family. Driven by the instinct to survive, she struggled wildly, her nails gouging deep marks in the ground. Desperate, she was forced to plead:
“Empress Dowager, spare my life!”
Her voice trembled with despair.
“Wait, Auntie!”
Accompanied by a familiar voice, a tall, slender man gradually appeared through her dimming vision.
Empress Dowager Deng looked at him suspiciously but signaled the maids to release her.
Lou Hongling felt immense relief and collapsed like mud, dry heaving as she smoothed her chest. She already recognized the voice and glanced hatefully toward Deng Chumo seated before the dais.
No matter how much time passed, she would never forget that insincere man—the one who wove traps of romance and deceit that left her with nothing.
Suddenly, surprise flickered in her mind. She recalled that her first meeting with Deng Chumo should have been at the New Year’s Eve banquet later.
“Mo’er, what is it?”
Empress Dowager Deng inquired.
“Empress Dowager, this woman must not be killed.”
“Oh?”
The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow, puzzled. Deng Chumo stepped forward and produced a piece of cloth. The Empress Dowager focused her gaze on it, seeing red characters embroidered with a maxim:
“A red mole appears between the brows; the great crane tilts the court’s fate.”
Her expression shifted slightly as she examined Lou Hongling’s face. At this moment, Lou Hongling’s life was spared, though she remained shaken, unaware of what on the cloth had persuaded them to let her go.
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