When they reached Hangu Pass, they were not far from the Capital. The Emperor had finally returned safely, and all the accompanying personnel breathed a sigh of relief. Only Prince Donghai felt increasingly uneasy in his heart. After nightfall, he lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep no matter what.

Princess Consort Tan finally could no longer endure it. She reached out and pinched a piece of flesh at Prince Donghai’s waist, applying gentle pressure, and asked coldly, “What are you fussing about?”

“Ouch, let go quickly, you know perfectly well that…” Prince Donghai felt both itchy and painful. That spot was his “vital point” that others dared not touch, but Tan would reach for it without hesitation, showing not the slightest bit of mercy.

After waiting a while longer, Tan finally released her grip. Prince Donghai had been suppressing his laughter until his face turned red. Fortunately, it was nighttime. He let out a long breath and said, “I am a prince, I am your husband…”

Tan’s hand reached over again. Prince Donghai quickly changed his tune: “And also your little follower. Is that acceptable now?”

“I’m asking you, why aren’t you sleeping in the middle of the night, tossing and turning like this?” Tan was not easily fooled.

“I was thinking about your Tan family.”

“Ha, is there still a Tan family?” Tan turned around, facing away from Prince Donghai. The Capital’s Tan family had now become the Donghai’s Tan family, with only her able to return to the Capital. Moreover, ever since accepting help from Ugly Wang of Luoyang, their status in the pugilist world had plummeted.

“Life’s ups and downs are natural. You’re such a clever person—can’t you see through even this much?”

“I don’t want to become a monk, so why should I see through so much?” Tan said irritably.

Prince Donghai forcefully turned his wife around and asked seriously, “Does your Tan family have any feud with the Deng family of Jincheng?”

He had been keeping this question to himself for several days. Unable to find any clues, he could only ask Tan directly.

“The Deng family? The newly appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry, Deng Cui?”

“Yes, but he’s no longer General of Chariots and Cavalry. His Majesty has dismissed him from office. He’s now awaiting punishment, just waiting to be sent to the Western Regions to build cities. He won’t be back for ten or eight years.”

Tan had no interest in such matters. “The Tan family was formerly in the Capital, the Deng family was in Jincheng. One was commoner, one was official. They never had any dealings—where would any feud come from?”

“That’s strange. If there’s no feud with the Tan family, why does Deng Cui keep fixating on the Champion Marquis affair? He even publicly declared he would seek revenge. Seek revenge against whom? It certainly can’t be His Majesty…”

Tan immediately became alert. “You’ve been back for several days—why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I wanted to find the reason first.”

“Isn’t Deng Cui going to be sent to the Western Regions for several years before he can return? What’s there to fear from him?”

“This fellow… is no ordinary person. When he ambushed the Xiongnu beyond the frontier, he spared Cui Zhao, which shows he’s not targeting the Cui clan. That leaves the Tan family and me. I’ve sounded out His Majesty—Deng Cui will definitely be sent to the Western Regions, but to put his mind at ease, one of Deng Cui’s sisters will most likely enter the palace. This could be quite a troublesome matter.”

“Didn’t His Majesty say there would be no consort selections for three years?”

“The Deng family’s daughter will enter the palace directly, without needing any selection.”

Tan fell silent for a while. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll go inquire tomorrow.”

Prince Donghai was startled and regretted his loose tongue. “Absolutely not! We’re currently in a precarious position. Even looking at someone the wrong way might be reported to His Majesty. Do you know how much effort I’ve expended to gain His Majesty’s trust?”

“Doesn’t Deng Cui have a sister? Since she’s to be sent to the palace, she must be in the entourage too. It’s easier for women to gather information from each other.”

“But you’re from the Tan family. What if the Deng family…”

Tan turned around.

Prince Donghai felt helpless and sighed softly. After lying quietly for a while, he said, “Why don’t I have anyone around me who could be sent into the palace?”

Tan turned back and kicked her husband, nearly kicking him off the bed. “What, are you planning to have me do something about it?”

Prince Donghai had unintentionally spoken his thoughts aloud and quickly explained, “How could that be possible? I’m not like those Cui people. What I meant was… in the palace there’s Empress Dowager Shangguan, Maiden Wang, Empress Cui, and now a Deng family daughter is being added. There’s going to be quite a show.”

“If you want to watch so badly, why don’t you go be emperor yourself?”

Prince Donghai immediately reached out to cover Tan’s mouth, whispering, “Are you crazy? How dare you say such things? Be careful—walls have ears.”

Tan freed herself from her husband’s hand. “You want to do things but lack the courage. Bah! Let me ask you, why are you so interested in palace affairs?”

Even to his wife, Prince Donghai did not speak of wanting to avenge his mother. He laughed and said, “Isn’t it all for us, and for the Tan family? His Majesty has not been ruling personally for long, but he is in the prime of life, handles everything personally, and will likely not slacken for a long time. He appears to be another Martial Emperor. With such a sovereign, it’s nearly impossible for outside ministers to seize power. But His Majesty is also human, and moreover kindhearted, often showing mercy. It will be very difficult for him to suppress the struggles in the inner palace. Mark my words, in as little as a few months or as long as three to five years, whoever emerges victorious in the inner palace will see their family gain great power.”

“Does Maiden Wang have family?”

“Ha! Even wealthy families have many who seek to attach themselves through marriage, let alone the Empress Dowager of Great Chu? Besides, Maiden Wang may not necessarily be the final victor. She has endured in silence for too long, and now that she has gained some power, she’s becoming a bit impatient and lacks the bearing of a great general.”

“What about your cousin, the Empress?”

Prince Donghai had considered this for a long time and spoke readily, “My cousin is gentle by nature and rarely competes with others. She would even voluntarily give up what she holds to others, seeking only to keep the peace. But she was born into the Cui clan and has been cherished since childhood, making her extremely proud in her bones. Her so-called non-competition is actually disdain. Once her bottom line is touched, she will definitely shock her opponents.”

Tan had met the Empress and had even fled through the palace with her. After thinking for a moment, she felt her husband was right and asked again, “What about Deng Cui’s sister? Will she participate in the power struggle?”

“I haven’t met her, but if she shares even three parts similarity with her brother Deng Cui, then she will certainly compete. I just don’t understand—the Deng family has been in decline for so long, what exactly are they fighting for?”

“I’ll find out,” Tan said, about to turn around again.

But Prince Donghai was getting agitated, “Why don’t you ask about the Empress Dowager and Noble Consort Jin?”

“The Empress Dowager has retired, and the Xiongnu woman remains beyond the frontier. What’s there to ask about?”

“Not necessarily. As one wanes, another waxes. Maiden Wang hasn’t accomplished much yet, but the opportunists are already swarming to her. Once she becomes Empress Dowager Wang, who will still care about Empress Dowager Shang-guan? Remember, Empress Dowager Shang-guan is no ordinary person. When she gets angry, she kills people.”

The first person Tan thought of was not her mother-in-law, Grand Consort Cui, but Empress Dowager Shang-guan’s younger sister, and the legendary Graceful Emperor who supposedly died at the Empress Dowager’s hands. “Yes, she is indeed a terrifying person.”

“Noble Consort Jin claims she won’t return to the Capital, yet she left her second brother Jin Chunzhong by His Majesty’s side, with the entire Xiongnu as her backing. She can advance to attack or retreat to defend. Among all the women in the inner palace, her position is the most stable. Of course she’ll sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. Who knows, one day she might march straight in and seize power in the palace.”

“His Majesty is very fond of her, isn’t he?”

Prince Donghai wasn’t particularly concerned about this point, “Such a famous beauty, who wouldn’t…”

Tan’s hand pinched his waist again, and Prince Donghai immediately begged for mercy, “Don’t… you’re the one who asked me. His Majesty isn’t the type to be obsessed with beauty. From what I’ve heard, His Majesty’s agreement to let Noble Consort Jin remain beyond the frontier has many reasons, one of which is his concern that he might become hopelessly lost in tender embraces.”

Tan snorted, then sighed, “Such a beautiful consort, such a resolute emperor.”

“So now you understand—none of the women in the inner palace are easy to deal with. This great battle… it’s a pity we can’t watch it, much less participate. By the time the dust settles, we won’t benefit either.”

Tan had always felt her husband lacked perseverance and couldn’t accomplish great things. But after hearing his words tonight, she discovered her husband actually had other merits and wasn’t completely worthless. “Sleep peacefully. I won’t let you worry about these matters alone.”

Tan lay on her side with her hand on her husband’s chest. Prince Donghai held his wife’s hand, no longer tossing and turning, and slowly fell asleep. Once again he dreamed of his mother, and when he opened his eyes the next morning, his heart was still pounding. He truly feared that one day he might accidentally speak the truth about revenge in his dreams.

After entering the pass, the Capital’s ministers came in groups to receive the imperial procession. The memorials presented to the Emperor were no longer copies that Yang Feng and others had reviewed, but originals that required the Emperor’s personal attention—this too was a manifestation of the restoration of imperial power.

The Emperor suddenly became very busy, frequently having to stop to discuss state affairs with his ministers. The closer they got to the Capital, the slower the procession moved, covering a few dozen miles per day.

Prince Donghai still held no formal official position, nor did he seek one, preferring to remain by the Emperor’s side with an ambiguous status as an advisor and consultant. Thus, he too became busy along with everyone else.

After a full five days, with the Capital now in sight, Prince Donghai finally had some respite, and Lady Tan had also gathered the information he wanted.

Deng Cui’s sister had gone directly to Luoyang earlier, then met up with her brother before entering the Capital together.

As expected, women found it easier to talk among themselves. Lady Tan made several tentative approaches and soon met with Miss Deng, chatting until they became sworn sisters.

“You absolutely cannot guess what the Deng family is thinking,” Lady Tan said while lying in bed. Only after the lights were extinguished did she feel it was safe to speak freely.

“That’s exactly what puzzles me. If they were power-hungry, the Deng family didn’t come to the Capital earlier to assist the Champion Marquis. If it were about revenge, when Cui Zhao went to Jincheng City to send the child, the Deng family was clearly very enthusiastic. But later, when they heard about the Champion Marquis’s son…”

“That’s precisely the issue.”

“What do you mean? Isn’t the Deng family just suspicious that he was switched in the palace?”

“General Deng Liao won many battles during the Martial Emperor’s reign and killed many people. It’s said this damaged his karmic fortune—not only did he die young, but afterward the Deng family has only produced daughters, no sons.”

“So what?”

“So the Deng family wants to adopt the Champion Marquis’s son, using a dragon’s grandson to dispel their bad luck. If the Champion Marquis’s son is fake, naturally it would be ineffective.”

“This… this is too ridiculous. To think I regarded Deng Cui as a capable person, and His Majesty also had high expectations of him, yet he actually… actually…”

“If you don’t believe it, fine, but don’t mock others,” Lady Tan said seriously. She was more inclined to believe such things.

Prince Donghai let out a long breath. “Then I’m relieved. It seems the Deng family isn’t a threat.”

“Not necessarily. As you said, Deng Cui’s sister is no ordinary woman either. If she can enter the palace, she’ll certainly compete.”

“Unfortunately, we can still only watch from the sidelines—no, we don’t even have the qualification to watch. We can only wait to hear news.”

“I’ve been thinking—we should support the Empress.”

“Cousin Xiaojun?”

“Yes. The Empress is currently on the defensive, constantly retreating. Sooner or later, she must counterattack. After returning to the Capital, I’ll find a way to contact the Empress. You don’t need to be involved—if trouble arises, it won’t be connected to you.”

“This… isn’t that inappropriate?”

“My mind is made up. You needn’t say more.” Lady Tan paused. “Maiden Wang has already begun to act. You must be careful—Maiden Wang doesn’t like you, and even fears you.”

Prince Donghai naturally understood this. “What has Maiden Wang done? Who told you this?”

“Have you noticed that after passing through Hangu Pass, the procession has moved slower each day?”

“Of course. That’s because His Majesty frequently needs to discuss state affairs with ministers, and there are many receptions along the way, one after another.”

“Regardless, Maiden Wang has made full use of these days. His Majesty announced in Luoyang that no new consorts would be selected for three years, but while His Majesty hasn’t returned to the Capital yet, Consort Wang has already brought a group of palace ladies into the palace. Can His Majesty really send them back out now?”

Prince Donghai was shocked. “To squeeze out the Empress, Maiden Wang truly stops at nothing.”

“Will you tell His Majesty?”

Prince Donghai thought for a moment. “No. I absolutely cannot do something that would drive a wedge between His Majesty and his mother. Besides—if Cousin Xiaojun isn’t bullied more severely, how can you gain her trust and favor?”

Lady Tan snorted coldly but held her husband even tighter.

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