The Dian family was, at best, a third-rate house among the noble clans. However, thanks to Empress Dian and the Crown Prince, their status was rather special.
The current head of the Dian family was also Empress Dian’s full-blooded younger brother, making him the Crown Prince’s uncle. He was a fairly mediocre official, but quite perceptive when it came to people. Noticing his eldest daughter’s remarkable talent for medicine, he gladly supported her interests and pursuits.
As his daughter grew older, her unique medical skills helped her make friends with many noble ladies, and she was now often socializing with several prominent heirs in the capital.
The Dian patriarch saw this, and after careful consideration, ultimately chose to let his daughter be. After all, the Han family, through Han Xuerou, managed to extract benefits from the various adoring noble sons who courted her.
But tonight, when two noble sons called at the house one after another, Dian’s father finally couldn’t turn a blind eye any longer. Han Xuerou, even before entering the palace, would only meet those admirers during the daytime!
So, he ordered the housekeeper to invite the two young men into the outer study. Unless they’d come seeking urgent medical help for a gravely ill or endangered family member, they were not to see his precious daughter.
After all, if his daughter’s reputation was tarnished and word reached the Crown Prince… what if he broke the engagement?
His daughter possessed truly peerless medical skills. After marrying the Crown Prince, she would surely be able to establish herself, protecting both the Crown Prince and herself.
It was not just Dian’s father; the entire Dian household also felt regret. With the Empress dying young, it was only natural that their connections had cooled. Had the Empress lived a few more years… if nothing else, at the very least the Crown Prince would have remained close with his mother’s family, rather than keeping up just a perfunctory relationship as he did now.
In short, the Dian family had made up their minds to “mend old ties” with the Crown Prince by marrying off their daughter.
Those two noble sons, in any case, couldn’t possibly offer anything more valuable than the position of Crown Princess.
That’s why Dian’s father looked rather displeased. “You wouldn’t visit the Three Treasure Hall for no reason. Gentlemen, what brings you here as unwelcome guests?”
The two Fate’s Sons saw his expression and guessed at once that he hadn’t a clue about what had happened in the palace today, nor did he know what part the Dian family’s eldest daughter had played in the Weiguangmei plot against the Crown Prince.
All he knew was that the Han and Wei families had been brought down in one blow, and he likely saw this as a very entertaining show, inwardly clapping with delight.
The two Fate’s Sons didn’t even need to communicate; they cooperated seamlessly to shatter the Dian patriarch’s pleasant dreams.
They told him openly that Wei Guangmei had bribed the Imperial Physician and given him what looked like a nourishing prescription… and that Wei Guangmei’s plot against the Crown Prince had both physical evidence and witness testimony.
They pressed further, asking whether Wei Guangmei would betray all his accomplices in the Sky Prison to save his family.
As soon as the Dian patriarch heard mention of the prescription, his heart began to pound.
Although the two men before him had dubious intentions, he did not believe they would use deceit about something so critical. Having stubbornly refused to let his daughter answer before, he now immediately changed his mind.
The story goes that after Dian Lanyu transmigrated, she still lived like a night owl. While most of the womenfolk had already turned in for the night, she was wide awake, energetically studying in the self-study room provided by the System—no need for her to “burn the midnight oil” by candlelight.
But she had only turned three pages in her textbook before the System alerted her that someone was coming.
Dian Lanyu quickly left the study room, feigning confusion as she looked at the visitor: it was her chief Lady-in-waiting, who said the master wanted to speak to her in the outer study.
At once, a sense of foreboding struck her. Who would drop by at this hour if not to stir up trouble?
After a quick touch-up, she took her Lady-in-waiting’s arm and made her way to the outer study. As soon as she entered and saw the guests, her unease grew stronger.
In the novels she had read, the one who destroyed Great Zhou and declared himself emperor was Wei Guangmei, and these two before her were Wei Guangmei’s right- and left-hand men. In Wei Guangmei’s later years, they had risen to become true power-brokers, just one step short of the title “Regent.”
Then Wei Guangmei died suddenly. She had transmigrated just as the story reached that point.
All in all, these two before her were the sort of powerful figures one should normally befriend… Having the Divine Doctor System meant she was destined for an exalted future, but that didn’t mean she could afford to offend just anyone before she’d established herself.
Accordingly, after greeting them, she quietly sat by her “cheap” father, having just steadied herself mentally when he asked, “Did you give Wei Guangmei a prescription?”
She readily replied, “Yes, I did, Father,” glancing questioningly at the two young gentlemen. “Why?”
Of course she knew what Wei Guangmei intended to do with the prescription, but how could she possibly admit it herself?
The taller of the two smiled benignly. “Perhaps you don’t know, but Brother Wei and his entire family are currently gathered in the Sky Prison.”
Dian Lanyu was dumbfounded and turned hurriedly to look at her father.
Her father knew that his daughter hadn’t been out all day and had only been tinkering with headache medicine in her own quarters, so he hadn’t disturbed her and therefore had not told her about any of this.
And now, although it was a little late, it wasn’t too late.
Upon learning that both the Han and Wei families had been utterly wiped out, Dian Lanyu’s expression twisted: No way! Wasn’t Wei Guangmei supposed to be the founding emperor who destroyed Great Zhou? How had he ended up a prisoner overnight?
She had a lot of confidence in anything produced by the System and didn’t believe anyone could see through the prescription, but… she couldn’t guarantee that Wei Guangmei wouldn’t expose her…
What terrified her even more was the knowledge that Wei Guangmei’s ambitions reached far beyond the Crown Prince.
At this moment, she finally understood why these two future power-brokers from the novel had come: they were all now grasshoppers tied to the same rope!
The perceptive Dian patriarch clearly observed the fear in his daughter’s eyes and instantly gave up any thought of luck.
His voice trembled slightly. “Did you really give Wei Guangmei a prescription? Who was it meant for?”
Dian Lanyu hung her head in silence.
Again, the tall young man answered at his leisure, “It was for the Crown Prince. Why else would the Emperor order General Jiang and the Imperial Guards to ransack the Han and Wei households?”
For a moment, Dian’s father was in turmoil. He was shocked by his daughter’s ruthlessness and decisiveness, so he raised his hand and slapped her, “Why? He is your cousin!”
Dian Lanyu’s cheek stung, but she hardly reacted. “I just didn’t want to become a widow.”
Not wanting to be a widow was only the half of it. What she truly didn’t want was to be the Crown Princess of a fallen dynasty! Even if… since arriving, every choice she made to help Wei Guangmei had actually tripped him up instead…
Dian’s father dropped his hand in defeat.
Since boyhood, the Crown Prince’s health had been weak. The father had thought his daughter’s medical skills could heal him… In hindsight, that was just wishful thinking.
If she was to wed into the palace against her will—if she truly didn’t want to—then perhaps it was best not to force her.
Otherwise, she’d only harbor resentment, which would be of no benefit to the family. And if she grew even bolder… At this thought, his hand itched again. “Are you still not convinced? Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
Dian Lanyu did not reply.
The tall young man once again spoke up for her. “Given the circumstances, shouldn’t we discuss what we ought to do next?”
The other young man laughed lightly. “Very well, let me be the villain here. Brother Wei knows the most, so sending him on his way is the safest course.”
Even if she were a clueless and naive girl, Dian Lanyu could tell that this “sending him on his way” was not about storming the prison to break Wei Guangmei out and smuggle him out of the Capital.
She did not respond; inwardly, she was locked in battle with herself.
The prescription she’d given to Wei Guangmei would only have aggravated his chronic illness, not killed him outright. Now, as she thought about it, her hand trembled beneath her sleeve.
The young man pressed on. “We’re here to ask, Miss Dian, do you know any painless way to send Wei Guangmei off?”
The last pretense was dropped.
To her own surprise, Dian Lanyu felt oddly relieved. After all, these two late-night visitors had acted exactly as she’d expected based on the novel’s plot—power games truly brought out the worst in people.
Even under their veiled threat, she didn’t lose her temper, just asked, “Gentlemen, are you sure you can get someone into the Sky Prison to deliver something? Can you really… trust them? What if… Young Master Wei keeps his mouth shut?”
Hearing that Dian Lanyu was willing to cooperate, the tall young man relaxed a little. “The Wei family didn’t surrender quietly; half of them were killed by the Imperial Guards, the other half are in the Sky Prison. Brother Wei would do anything to keep his family alive—” He left it at that.
Dian Lanyu understood. She glanced at her father, who had calmed down and seemed deep in thought, and then asked, “What about the Noble Consort?”
The tall young man gave a bitter smile. “How could we forget the Noble Consort? If only we could get her out of the palace, there might be hope yet. But which family would dare go up against the Imperial Guards and the palace guards? The two hundred Death Soldiers the Wei family had spent generations building up were killed by the Imperial Guards’ elite like vegetables being chopped.”
It was this battle that made the noble clans realize the Emperor’s true power. Otherwise, why would these two, so deeply entangled in the case of the National Preceptor, have been looking to flee at the very first sign of trouble?
Dian Lanyu bowed her head again. “Let me think about it.”
Seeing their goal achieved, the two young men chatted with courtesy a bit longer, then took their leave.
Once the “evil guests” had gone, Dian Lanyu faced her father. Without dodging or hiding anything, she explained how she had met Wei Guangmei and which other noble heirs she’d come to know through him.
The patriarch felt both relief and worry—relief that his daughter had a clear head, worry that their family truly was caught up in this now…
After some thought, he asked, “Do you have a plan?”
Dian Lanyu answered unflinchingly, “I absolutely cannot agree to their plan.”
Her father shut his eyes in agony. “Right, let’s first think about how to drag things out.”
That night, the father and daughter both tossed and turned, sleepless in their rooms.
The next morning, the Emperor—who had not attended court in years—suddenly arrived at the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The emperors of Great Zhou held court there, so the civil and military officials were astonished, though after the previous day’s events, they weren’t that surprised.
Just as the Han and Wei families were purged, Ling Jing would need to hold a family banquet in the inner palace to account to the imperial concubines, and Qin Jingzhou, bringing Xiao Qing to court, would need to provide a formal explanation to the ministers.
The day before, Wei Guangmei had talked at length in Jingren Palace, in front of many witnesses—including more than a few household Spies from prominent families.
Now, officials hailing from those clans stood in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, listening as the Senior Eunuch Youde recounted the affair in dramatic detail—and drew a different conclusion in their hearts: the Emperor was finally moving against the disobedient nobility and great houses.
Qin Jingzhou, as soon as Youde finished, pointed to the Crown Prince standing at his side. “Since their plot targeted the Crown Prince, let him take charge of the case.”
None of the officials dared object.
Quite a few of them felt uneasy, vaguely aware their own foolish sons had been on good terms with Wei Guangmei, but that was the extent of it. Now, seeing the Emperor seated on the dragon throne, radiant and sharp-eyed…
They truly believed: the wise and heroic Emperor had returned!
Which inevitably led them to wonder—had the Emperor really been muddled all those years, or was he merely acting the part? The more they pondered, the more spine-chilling it became.
After court, the officials clutched their returned memorials as they headed to their respective Yamen. Some, too impatient, opened their memorials for a look and could only concede in admiration, muttering, “His Majesty really is back!”
Meanwhile, after court, Qin Jingzhou summoned the Imperial Family, the princes, the Imperial Cabinet, and the six Ministers to his study in the Qianqing Palace, to arrange his plans for “retirement to country life and convalescence.”
The Crown Prince, Xuan Qing, stopped by the Crown Prince’s Residence before assembling the officials of the Zhan Shi Office and leading a high-profile delegation straight for the Sky Prison.
Wei Guangmei, though awake by now, refused to speak.
But just because he wouldn’t talk didn’t mean others didn’t want to. For example, across the hall, the high-ranking palace maid who yesterday had loudly declared she had something to say.
Xuan Qing interrogated several prisoners who’d voluntarily confessed—sure enough, someone vaguely knew that Dian Lanyu had given Wei Guangmei a prescription. So he sent people to the Dian residence to summon Dian Lanyu.
She had mentally prepared herself for this eventuality. When the Crown Prince’s Inner Attendant and the Imperial Guards arrived to fetch her, she didn’t hesitate at all—she gathered her things and went to the palace with them.
Her father was at the Yamen, but even if he’d been home, he couldn’t have stopped it.
The Inner Attendant from the Crown Prince’s Residence was quite courteous. As her carriage passed through the west gate of the palace, noise rose from the street outside. She lifted the curtain to look: a group of Inner Attendants and Bodyguards were keeping order as pair after pair of young parents stepped forward to collect their children.
Dian Lanyu was struck by a sudden realization: were these the eight hundred boys and girls that the muddle-headed Emperor had seized from the common people?
She asked, testing the waters, if they could go a little slower so she could hear what was happening outside.
The attendant smiled. “Of course.”
So Dian Lanyu sat in the carriage and listened as the Inner Attendants spoke warmly outside. “Everyone gets a bag of fruit, a bag of pastries, five taels of silver, look after your child and take them home! Leave a handprint here—don’t wander off!”
The parents bubbled with excitement; with eight hundred children, there must have been over a thousand parents on hand. Through all the noise, there was only delight and cries of joy.
She could even distinguish one father asking his child, “Did you see the Emperor?”
In a childish voice, the child replied, “No, I saw the Empress. She was like an immortal!”
The father pressed, “And what did the Empress have you do?”
The child said, “She took us to a huge, huge room. Inside was a giant Buddha. We all recited prayers.”
The father’s voice brimmed with laughter. “And then they let you out?”
“Mm-hmm! Daddy, the Imperial Palace is beautiful!”
The father laughed out loud. “Come on, let’s go home.”
Dian Lanyu couldn’t help but smile herself, feeling infected by their joy.
Just then, another attendant’s voice drifted in. “Last night, two kids got into a fight—pushing and shoving, one took a fall and got a cut. The Imperial Physician checked and said it’s nothing.”
Right after came a robust voice: “You little rascal!” and the sound of a slap.
Curious, Dian Lanyu peeked through the curtain and saw a tall, young, well-dressed father picking up his son and administering a lesson with bamboo shoots.
His son’s mother, wearing silver hairpins, was apologizing profusely to the attendant.
The attendant remained amiable. “It’s all right. If you don’t scold a boy for three days, he’ll be up on the roof. Hey, not the face! Wait till his cut’s healed to smack him again.”
The mother beamed and quietly asked, “Eunuch, will Her Highness the Consort need more boys and girls in the future?”
The attendant thought a moment. “I’m not sure. If the Noble Consort wants to pray to Buddha, she might need a few.”
The child’s mother gratefully tried to slip the just-received five taels into the attendant’s hands. “Here, Eunuch, take this!”
The attendant waved his hands in protest. “I can’t—don’t get me in trouble, ma’am! The Consort made it clear the silver’s to settle the children’s nerves. If I took it, the Chief Steward would skin me alive!”
The mother finally understood and put the silver away, sincerely apologizing and expressing her thanks.
Dian Lanyu let the curtain fall, savoring what she’d heard. Politely, she said to the attendant beside her, “Let’s go.”
She had a decent idea of how to approach the Crown Prince now… Honestly, she thought, you really couldn’t just take every novel’s plot as gospel. To have believed in the storyline so devoutly—she really had been a bit foolish.
Completely steeled for what was to come, Dian Lanyu entered the Crown Prince’s Residence and went to the study. But her first glimpse of the Crown Prince—ever since she transmigrated, he’d been bedridden with illness, making this actually her first time seeing him—was thoroughly shocking. The Crown Prince was nothing like the one in her predecessor’s memory.
She stared in disbelief. “Who are you?” Then, summoning her courage, she blurted out, “The sky king covers the land, the tiger rules the earth!”
After coming this far, what was the point of being timid now?
Xuan Qing’s face was expressionless. “That’s quite the way to introduce yourself—you’ve taken me right back to the heyday of cliché transmigration novels.”
Dian Lanyu jumped to her feet, threw herself at him, and grabbed his left hand in sudden excitement. “I was wrong! I’m willing to confess! Please give me a chance to redeem myself! I’ve bound the Divine Doctor System. I’m willing to work off my debt!”
Xuan Qing: …
Well, it wasn’t out of the question.