Just as the Queen was about to speak, she remembered it wasn't her pride to do so in that moment. She turned away and continued walking without saying a word, her attendants Kuo Yi and Ye hai quietly following behind her, also staying silent since their Queen hadn't spoken.
Her mind was spinning with thoughts. Something was happening, of that she was certain. Something was going on that she wasn't yet aware of....but whatever it was, it clearly concerned her. But she would find out, carefully, with her usual tact and patience.
They continued walking until they reached the boundary beyond which Kuo Yi and Ye hai weren't permitted to go. Only then did the Queen finally speak as they turned back.
"I've noticed what's happening. It clearly involves me… Go wait for me at my quarters, don't leave. And send for Bai Wuxia and Ms. Bao as well. We'll discuss everything when I return."
"Understood, Your Majesty," they both replied in unison.
Without looking back, the Queen continued on her way, heading straight toward His Majesty's private chambers.
With grace, poise, and quiet authority, she stepped into the grand sitting room, reserved only for the royal family's private gatherings. To her surprise, no one greeted her. Her brows lifted slightly as her eyes swept across those already seated in the room.
It was Concubine Qinnu, seated with one of her grandsons resting on her lap....a boy no older than four or five. Beside her sat Concubine Xueyin, holding her own grandson close, feeding him pieces of fruit from the elaborate trays spread across the room. He, too, couldn't have been older than six.
The Queen wasn't surprised when Concubine Qinnu ignored her. It was Concubine Xueyin, with her usual sly charm, who finally lifted her head and offered a greeting.....cold and insincere.
Sensing that everyone here had their own hidden thoughts today, the Queen silently made her way to an empty seat, sitting down with calculated composure, her posture perfect, her expression unreadable.
For long moments, the room was silent, save for the playful chatter of the children and the soft voices of Concubine Qinnu and Concubine Xueyin fussing over them.
But Zhaiye, the Queen, noticed one thing clearly: there was a hidden meaning behind their actions....a performance for her benefit, no doubt.
The little grandboy from Concubine Xueyin ran around the room, climbing from one chair to another. His grandmother clapped along, singing to him sweetly as he played, then added in a tone laced with false innocence:
"Walk with pride, little one… good… One day, this entire place will belong to you… Yes indeed… Since the rightful heir has failed to produce his own heir… we, the ones with grandsons, must ensure the future of the throne. After all… when others fail, it falls to us to provide."
The words struck deep. The Queen's fingers paused over her phone, her mind reeling. She knew exactly who they were talking about: Yibo, her son.
She looked up briefly, ready to respond.....but then stopped herself. It wasn't worth it. She knew how to handle these games far better than they did. She had always been the master of cutting words with the softest smile, setting their schemes ablaze with calm, calculated grace.
So, she simply ignored them, returning her attention to her phone, though the bitterness of those words burned quietly inside her.
She couldn't understand when exactly Concubine Xueyin had changed. Once, she had hidden her jealousy behind polite smiles. Now, it simmered openly beneath the surface, though still restrained within the bounds of propriety....unlike Concubine Qinnu, who had never been able to hide her emotions in front of anyone, least of all His Majesty.
The moment wasn't lost on Concubine Qinnu, who lifted her young grandson onto her lap and began bouncing him gently, saying with a sharp edge to her voice:
"When fortune smiles on you, no one can stop you… Some blessings, after all, can't be denied."
The Queen let the words slide off her like water, keeping her head down, fingers tapping lightly at her phone. One of her most infuriating traits, at least from their perspective, was that she never openly expressed anger toward their schemes. But they always saw the consequences....eventually, and precisely when she wanted them to.
Barely ten seconds had passed when His Majesty entered the hall, dressed in the relaxed attire he usually wore when among his family....a sign that he wished to be at ease.
It was Zhaiye who greeted him first, instantly drawing his attention. Her elegance captivated him, as it always had. From childhood to now, she had always been a master of poise and beauty.
She rose from her seat, setting down her phone. As he approached the chair he intended to sit on, she gently dusted it off....though there wasn't even the slightest speck on it.
"Welcome back, Your Majesty," she said, looking up at him with a dazzling, soft smile. It caught him off guard....he couldn't help but respond, despite trying to maintain his composure for the sake of Qinnu and Xueyin present.
"Thank you, Zhaiye… I trust your day has gone well?"
She smiled again, bowing lightly as she reached for the ornate crystal jug to pour him a glass of chilled tangerine juice.
"My well-being depends on yours, My Lord," she replied, handing him the cup.
He smiled warmly and took it from her.
"Much appreciated, Zhaiye."
"No need for thanks. This is my job," she replied smoothly, returning to her seat with a quiet, satisfied smile. She knew this was enough to balance the scales after the sting of Xueyin's earlier comments.
Once seated, His Majesty turned to Qinnu.
"Queen of Grace… how are you today?" he asked, reaching out his hand to one of her grandsons seated nearby. The child rushed to him eagerly, clearly familiar and fond of him.
Qinnu, however, couldn't entirely mask her irritation. It showed on her face and tinged her voice as she replied stiffly.
Then he turned to Xueyin.
"And you?"
She tried to smile, forcing a light tone despite her bitterness.
"Well enough," she answered flatly.
His Majesty drank from the cup Zhaiye had served him, now joined by his grandchildren, playing around him. The joyful interaction between grandfather and grandsons brought a soft glow to the room.....enough to temporarily quiet the tension. Only then did he begin the conversation he had called them for.
Meanwhile, the Queen's thoughts were split in two. Half of her mind was fixed on His Majesty and the meeting; the other half drifted back to what had happened earlier. What was going on? Something felt off.....deeply off.
After about an hour and a few minutes, His Majesty dismissed them.
Even then, Queen Zhaiye ensured that she left in a way she knew would sting Qinnu and Xueyin just enough. She walked out ahead of them, her mind already shifting toward uncovering the strange unrest she had sensed.
As she exited, Xueyin cast her a cutting glance and gave a small, smug smile. Though her earlier defeat had unsettled her, she took comfort in knowing that within the next 72 hours.....or less.... Zhaiye and her household would be caught in a storm. The message Xueyin had sent out was already spreading throughout the Palace. Only the universe knew how many eyes had seen it by now.
As requested, Queen Zhaiye met Bai Wuxia and Ms. Bao, who were already waiting for her. They both rose respectfully as she arrived and sat down.
They exchanged greetings, and then the Queen addressed them.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I summoned you here. While Ye Hai and Kuo Yi already know the reason, I believe the rest of you don't."
"That's true," they responded.
She adjusted her posture, then began to explain everything that had transpired.
Silence filled the room. No one spoke. She studied their faces, waiting for reactions, searching for insight and potential solutions.
Ms. Bao, holding a folded photograph she had found earlier that day within the Palace, fidgeted slightly. It was one of several photos she had discovered recently....evidence of something quickly spreading. She had been debating how to bring it to Zhaiye's attention, which explained why she hadn't returned home yet.
The Queen noticed her unease and how tightly she was gripping something in her hand.
"Ms. Bao? Is everything alright?"
Caught under the weight of the Queen's gaze, she tried to lie.....to say it was nothing....but the intensity of Zhaiye's presence made it impossible. Awkwardly, she hesitated, then reluctantly pulled out three photographs and handed them over.
Zhaiye stared at them as if in a dream.
There was her son....her Prince, her only male child.....embracing another man. In one of the images, it even looked like he was kissing him. His face was buried deeply in the other man's shoulder. There was no artistic blur, no stylized illusion. It was real.
The Prince of Tianjin, Yibo, unmistakably.
A wave of dread and confusion struck the Queen as the boy's face flashed in her memory. Her mind raced to place him....who was he? Could it be that all these years they had stayed together? Could it be they never truly separated? That all this time, they had remained in each other's lives....?
She stopped herself from completing that dreadful thought. Her chest tightened. Her heart pounded rapidly as she stood up, visibly shaken. With trembling hands, she passed the photos to Bai Wuxia, casting a sharp look at Ms. Bao before motioning to Kuo Yi and Ye Hai to step outside. Then she turned back to Ms. Bao and asked in a voice that barely hid her rage, "Isn't this the same boy who once married my son just a year ago?"
Ms. Bao nodded without raising her head. "Yes, Your Grace, it's the same one."
The Queen's brows furrowed deeply.
"I don't understand. Where did they meet? Were they already together before, and just never truly parted?" she asked, turning toward Bai Wuxia, her calm unraveling, her usual composure slipping through her fingers.
Bai Wuxia, who had felt a strange calm settle over her the moment she laid eyes on the photographs, lifted her head to meet the Queen's gaze.
"They haven't been together, Your Grace. The Prince has changed so much over the years.....it's enough to show you that."
"And how can I be sure that he's not just pretending? That this isn't all an act?" the Queen pressed.
No one answered.
She exhaled sharply, fury rising.
"If what I'm thinking is true… then Yibo has made the greatest mistake of his life."
This time, Bai Wuxia couldn't stay silent. With careful respect, she spoke:
"I think you should approach this more gently… Prince Yibo is a deeply obedient child.....zzzeveryone knows that. Please don't be too harsh, not now. Don't interfere too much in his life."
"Stop right there, Bai Wuxia!" the Queen snapped, raising her hand in anger.
"Are you suggesting I stand by and watch? That I should let him continue associating with this lowly nobody who's beneath him in every way? That I allow him to throw away everything we've built...his future, his title, his dignity....for someone who should never have even crossed his path?"
She was no longer reasoning....she was burning. Bai Wuxia saw it clearly now. The Queen had gone too far to listen to anything. So, she fell silent again.
The room turned heavy with quiet. Disdain toward Zhan....something the Queen had never truly harbored before....was beginning to grow, forming roots inside her heart.
A few minutes passed before she finally spoke again.
"That boy has always disrupted my plans, every time he crosses my path. Somehow, he becomes the reason for my frustration. From the moment he stepped into my son life, to now...he's always been a threat. And now, he might be the very reason our family's image is dragged into the mud. My son....Yibo....has never defied me, not once since he was born. Even if it hurt him, even if it went against everything he wanted....he obeyed. So tell me, how can I look at him with softness? With pity? With love? No. If Zhan becomes the reason for our disgrace, he will regret ever knowing Zhaiye and her lineage."
She paused, her voice hardening.
"Call the Prince for me. I need to speak with him immediately."
She didn't care whether Ms. Bao or Bai Wuxia was the one to make the call.... she just needed to hear his voice.
PRINCE YIBO
Since the day he returned, he had made up his mind: he couldn't rest until he saw Zhan in person again.
Using the address synced to his phone, he located the house.
At precisely 7:00 PM, he completed his preparations. Dressed in a regal outfit that reflected his heritage and noble blood, he radiated presence....every inch of him composed and dignified. Alone, he took the car and began to drive, following his GPS through winding roads and neighborhoods until he arrived at the gate of the house.
It had taken exactly thirty-two minutes.
Calmly, he parked in an appropriate spot. He turned off the engine, got out of the car, and looked at his phone again. The arrow pointed straight to the house before him.
Slowly, he lifted his gaze from the screen and locked eyes with the front door.
He stared at it for a long moment, his heart brimming with emotion.
"So… this is it. This is where Zhan lives. Where my children are. With him?."
His hands twitched.
A wild thought flashed across his mind.... what if he simply stormed in, took them all with him, drove far away, and taught them to know him? Taught them to love him. Lived with them, alone, away from everyone else....somewhere no one could interfere.
Without another second of hesitation, he slipped his phone into his pocket and took his first step toward the house.
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛