Chapter 40: Reunion

As Qiu Che walked toward the study, she spoke as she walked. "My mother didn’t say anything to you, did she? She’s getting old and sometimes speaks nonsense. Don’t take it to heart."

Her concern was that Madam Wang might still be struggling to come to terms with everything and, failing to persuade her, might instead try to talk Li Qingwu into changing her mind.

However, Li Qingwu simply smiled and said, "Mother is fine… She just mentioned that it’s been a long time since she’s had a meal with you."

Qiu Che’s steps faltered slightly.

She suddenly recalled that in her past life, after Li Qingwu was sent away, she had returned to the Qiu household, unable to leave Madam Wang alone. But at that time, neither of them had truly decided to sever ties with the Qiu family. Like now, Qiu Che had been busy with official duties, leaving little time to spend with her.

Madam Wang had always swallowed her hardships in silence, never complaining when she saw how busy Qiu Che was. The servants, who initially feared Qiu Che because of her official position, began to grow bolder over time. Although she had not formally severed ties with the Qiu family, the incident involving the drugged wine had created a rift between her and the Qiu men. Finding no outlet for their frustrations with her, Qiu Zhe and his father took it out on Madam Wang, subtly instructing the servants to show their disdain.

With the tacit approval of their masters, and seeing that Madam Wang never uttered a word of complaint, the servants gradually became more brazen.

Whenever Qiu Che visited, she noticed faint traces of mistreatment, but Madam Wang would always brush it off with a smile.

Whenever Qiu Che asked if there was anything she wanted, Madam Wang would always say the same thing: "When you have a day off, let’s have a meal together."

"Just one meal, with the whole family together. That’s all I want."

Such a simple wish, and yet, Qiu Che never managed to fulfill it.

By the time she finally had a moment to spare, she had already forgotten that promise.

Years later, on an ordinary scorching summer day, Madam Wang was finally worn down to death.

Qiu Che had just been promoted and returned home in high spirits, only to be met with the devastating news, her mother, exhausted from doing the laundry, had collapsed into the well and drowned.

It was only then that she truly understood the kind of life her mother had endured all these years.

After being reborn, she had decisively taken Madam Wang away from the Qiu household, unwilling to let history repeat itself.

She still remembered that moment when Madam Wang’s body was retrieved, her lips were pale, and her breath was faint.

Qiu Che had held her in her arms, unsure of what expression to wear.

She couldn’t even cry. Her face twisted awkwardly as she called out, "Mother."

"Mother, wake up."

And just like that, Madam Wang actually opened her eyes.

Her lips trembled, too weak to speak.

Qiu Che held her hand tightly, her vision blurred with tears, watching as her mother’s fingers trembled, as if she wanted to write something.

But before she could finish, her hand fell away.

It was as if she had merely woken for a moment to see the daughter she had not seen for so long, and with that final glance, she closed her eyes forever.

A long time later, on a cold night, countless lanterns lit up the world.

But not a single one belonged to Qiu Che.

Alone, she drank under the bright, full moon. And suddenly, she recalled the unfinished words her mother had traced upon her palm.

Then, she finally understood.

It wasn’t a word.

It was a half-circle.

An incomplete circle.

A reunion that was never complete.

The family meal Madam Wang had yearned for never came to pass.

Perhaps, in some unseen way, it also foreshadowed Qiu Che’s future, one where she would never again find someone to share a reunion with.

Now, after all these years, hearing those same words again, but from Li Qingwu, felt almost surreal.

Perhaps it truly was another life altogether.

Li Qingwu noticed her momentary daze and asked, "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing." Qiu Che shook her head and continued forward.

After a moment’s thought, she added, "From now on, I’ll come home for lunch. If something urgent comes up, let Yuming inform you."

Li Qingwu was momentarily stunned, then smiled. "Alright."

Whenever Qiu Che headed to the study, it meant she had official matters to discuss. Li Qingwu guessed, "Did something happen again?"

Qiu Che relayed what Yang Qiu had told her in a low voice and asked, "Who do you think leaked the information?"

Li Qingwu frowned slightly. "Prime Minister Wu?"

This kind of revelation would shake the court at any time, yet it had been released now—at a moment with no apparent benefit to anyone behind it.

Except that Qiu Che would be implicated.

So soon after wrapping up a major case, for such a scandal to spread, the Empress was bound to suffer consequences. More importantly, just yesterday, she had whispered a few words in the Emperor’s ear, securing Qiu Che’s promotion.

Whether Qiu Che liked it or not, she was now linked to the Empress.

Li Shi would inevitably suspect that Qiu Che had been negligent in investigating the Duke’s household, failing to uncover the Empress’s connection with Yuan Fu.

The worst-case scenario? Li Shi might outright brand her as part of the Empress’s faction.

Since the target was clearly Qiu Che, the most likely culprit was her enemy.

And at present, Prime Minister Wu was the most obvious suspect.

"But how would he know…?"

That the Empress had an affair with the commander of the Imperial Guards?

The two of them exchanged a look, Qiu Che’s gaze carrying a touch of approval for Li Qingwu’s quick thinking.

A disciple personally trained was indeed the most satisfying, her mind worked just as hers did, making discussions effortless.

Noticing this, Li Qingwu’s face turned red.

She averted her gaze, but by the time she did, Qiu Che had already turned away, stepping into the study.

"I’m not entirely sure who it is," Qiu Che admitted. "If it’s Prime Minister Wu, that’s simple enough. But if it’s not him, that means we have another unseen enemy."

After a pause, she added, "Since we’re already being watched, be careful with your business dealings these days. Make sure Fufeng stays close to you at all times."

"And… if anyone causes trouble, inform me immediately."

"Alright."

Qiu Che knew that a scandal involving the royal family would be handled swiftly.

She just hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.

The next morning, as she attended court, the air was thick with tension. The Emperor looked exhausted and dismissed everyone after only a few words.

Lingering behind, Qiu Che caught whispers among the palace attendants. She heard the word "Empress" before she could eavesdrop further.

Just then, the chief eunuch, Fuzi, called out, "Minister Qiu, Minister Qiu!"

Fuzi smiled as he bowed. "Minister, please stay. His Majesty requests your presence in the Imperial Study."

Qiu Che thought to herself: Here we go.

She took a deep breath and smiled. "Understood."

As soon as she stepped inside, she heard the Emperor’s cold command to the commander of the Embroidered Guard, Cui Wenshen: "Depose the Empress, strip her of all titles, remove her name from the imperial records, and throw her into the paupers' grave."

Cui Wenshen bowed without a word and left to carry out the order.

Qiu Che knew this was just the beginning.

Li Hengyu seemed to want to explain, "Second Brother, I wasn't—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Qiu Che approaching from the opposite direction. The two brothers immediately fell silent.

Looks like these two have had a falling out.

Qiu Che thought to herself, indifferent as ever.

She had to admit, the Crown Prince's way of thinking was almost adorably naive.

Her expression remained unchanged from start to finish. With a habitual, faint smile, she offered the two a perfectly polite bow before brushing past them.

The Crown Prince, however, glared at her and gritted his teeth. Turning to the Third Prince, he demanded, "Was he mocking me just now?!"

Li Hengyu hesitated. "I... I don't know."

"What do you mean you don’t know?! You used to be great at reading people. Just because Mother is gone doesn’t mean I’ve lost power yet. Are you already too cowardly to stand up for me? You don’t even dare to scold him on my behalf?"

The Crown Prince ground his teeth in frustration. "He's just a lowly fourth-rank official who climbed the ladder by latching onto Fourth Sister. So what if he got promoted quickly? What's there to be so smug about?"

Li Hengyu stammered another weak response.

The Crown Prince scowled, his expression darkening as he fell silent.

Just then, a figure carrying a food box, leading a smaller figure by the hand, approached gracefully from a distance, followed by a procession of palace maids and eunuchs.

Compared to the two kneeling on the ground, this group was like stars orbiting the moon.

Without even sparing a glance at the two kneeling figures, Consort Xu walked past them without hesitation.

Princess Pingyi, puzzled, looked between the Crown Prince and Consort Xu. "Mother, what’s wrong with Crown Prince Brother? He looks terrible."

Only then did Consort Xu feign surprise, turning back to glance at them. "Oh? So it’s His Highness the Crown Prince and the Third Prince? I thought it was some blind fool blocking the path to imperial study... My apologies. How terribly rude of me."

Despite her words, her expression held not a hint of remorse.

Veins bulge on the Crown Prince’s temple as he spat through clenched teeth, "No need to be so pleased with yourself, Consort Xu. As long as I am still the Crown Prince, you are still required to bow before me! Kicking a man when he's down... be careful, lest the tables turn one day!"

It was a childish threat.

Especially coming from someone who had spent his days bullying the weak and preying on the helpless. If karma was truly at work, he would be the first to suffer retribution.

Hearing such words from him, Consort Xu found it amusing.

"Oh my, the Crown Prince has grown up, he actually knows how to threaten people now. What a pity..."

She let out a peal of laughter, shaking with mirth. Then, as if remembering something, she leaned in close and, with a smile as cold as ice, hooked a freshly polished nail guard under the Crown Prince's chin. "The Empress had an affair with the commander of the Imperial Guards. Do you really think, as her child, His Majesty has never doubted your parentage?"

"He may not act against you now, but do you really think he never will? How much longer do you think you can hold onto your title as Crown Prince?"

Consort Xu whispered this before straightening up, curling her lips into a smirk. Ignoring the sudden pallor that overtook the Crown Prince’s face, she took Princess Pingyi's hand and waltzed triumphantly into the imperial study.

She never once looked at the Third Prince, who remained kneeling beside him.

…

Back at the Princess’s residence, Qiu Che had just finished relaying the latest palace news to Li Qingwu when she received a messenger pigeon from Wu Yiqi.

The letter contained only three words: Imperial decree—death.

Qiu Che immediately understood. The Empress hadn’t committed suicide out of fear of punishment, she had been executed by the Emperor.

Unexpectedly, despite being merely a low-ranking Banner Officer of the Imperial Guards, Wu Yiqi had managed to obtain information even faster than she had as a fourth-rank official.

She handed the note to Li Qingwu, who also seemed surprised. Hesitantly, Li Qingwu asked, "Are you sure... Wu Yiqi is truly our ally now?"

Qiu Che considered it. "With how shrewd he is, he wouldn't pretend to be a double agent... Even if his words were mere drunken ramblings, he should have realized by now that we are his best choice of allies."

Perhaps Wu Yiqi had caved to Wu Rusheng after returning home and used some method to uncover the truth.

Li Qingwu nodded and burned the letter over the candle flame.

Watching the practiced motion, Qiu Che was suddenly reminded of something Li Qingwu had once said, Li Clan had raised her to be their eyes and ears within the court, to watch over the powerful officials.

Now, she was a trusted figure before the throne. She could barely be considered a "powerful official" herself.

Qiu Che had once overheard Fu Ling say that whenever the Empress or Emperor sent letters, Li Qingwu would scribble nonsense in reply before forwarding them to the Li Clan. Whether that was true, Qiu Che wasn’t sure.

She hoped it was.

Because, despite her own suspicions, she believed that while Li Qingwu had her own ambitions, she wouldn’t willingly remain a puppet for the Emperor forever.

Qiu Che had always tried to pull her forward, to show her that a woman's path wasn’t singular, not just out of guilt, but because she truly wanted her to see a different future.

But Li Qingwu had never mentioned this topic in front of her, so Qiu Che could only pretend not to remember it either.

After a few moments of quiet contemplation, Li Qingwu suddenly turned and asked, "By the way, what about Yuan Fu?"

Now that the Empress had been forced to ‘take her own life,’ what had become of her supposed lover?

Qiu Che paused. "Stripped of his title as commander and demoted to a commoner. He is scheduled for execution after the autumn trials."

She had expected the Empress to drag others down with her before her death. Even baseless accusations would have been enough to plant doubt in the Emperor’s mind.

Yet, judging by the Emperor’s reaction, the Empress hadn’t implicated anyone.

His suspicion of Qiu Che stemmed only from a few words the Empress had spoken about her in the past days.

That was unexpected.

However, Yuan Fu did not even survive until autumn. Less than half a month later, he was sent to the execution grounds.

Qiu Che watched the scene from an elegant room in Linglong Pavilion, conversing with Yang Qiu. At some point, a sharp feeling pricked at her senses, and she looked down to see Yuan Fu, shackled in a wooden restraint cart, raising his head.

Their eyes met.

His were filled with hatred, resentment, and a hint of madness.

Like a gambler making his last desperate bet.

By the time Qiu Che registered it, the cart had already moved past her window.

As if that fleeting moment had been nothing more than an illusion.