Volume One, Chapter Seven: The Empress Dowager’s Nature

The Old Master looked at her with a probing gaze. "You wrote a Buddhist scripture for the Empress Dowager? What on earth is going on?"

Shi Zhao looked at him indifferently, her heart cold.

When she was first thrown into the imperial prison, she believed that the Marquis of Wen'an’s estate would certainly save her. Even when the pain of torture became unbearable and the eunuchs mocked her, she never wavered in her resolve. She bolstered her own spirits, telling herself that although her family had left her there, they would not abandon her.

It was not until the day her wrist was shattered that she realized the truth: no one was coming to save her. She had to save herself, or she would surely die in that place.

Recalling the harrowing memories of the imperial prison, Shi Zhao gave a cold laugh. "My right wrist may be broken, but I still have my left hand. There may have been no brush or ink, but there was blood. How could I not write?"

The day after her right wrist was broken, the Empress Dowager had indeed sent someone with silk, needles, and thread, demanding that Shi Zhao embroider words to prove her innocence. But how could Shi Zhao possibly embroider in such a state? Instead, she used her left hand to write the Heart Sutra on the silk in her own blood, requesting an audience with the Empress Dowager. Because the current Empress Dowager worshipped Buddha daily with extreme devotion, she granted Shi Zhao her release upon receiving the sutra.

She had finally escaped.

Yu Si realized the truth in a flash. "No wonder the Empress Dowager released you, no wonder..." He had been running about desperately, but no one dared to offend the imperial family for the sake of an adopted daughter of the Marquis of Wen'an’s estate. His efforts had been in vain. He had assumed the Emperor had released her out of respect for the Marquis's house, but it turned out... Yu Si’s face burned with shame.

The Old Master, however, frowned deeply. He swept his sleeves and strode out of the study, ordering the Marchioness of Wen'an, "The Second Young Lady is unwell and cannot enter the palace. Hurry and help her back to her room!"

He was determined: Yu Siyao must not enter the palace. As he pondered how to refuse the imperial envoy, he heard the maid who had delivered the message stuttering, "Old Master, the envoy said that if the Second Young Lady cannot enter the palace today, the people of the Marquis of Wen'an’s estate need not enter the palace ever again."

What?

The Old Master froze, a look of ferocity flashing across his face as he stood silently in the courtyard. Shi Zhao rose with a light laugh, leaning on Nanny Lan as she walked out. She had never seen the Old Master look so frantic and frustrated; it was truly amusing.

Passing the Old Master, he said in a low, heavy voice, "Once you reach the palace, just recite the Buddhist scriptures for the Empress Dowager. Do not say a single word about anything else, do you hear me?"

Shi Zhao gave a defiant smile. "And what could you possibly do to me?" If she could not handle the Old Master herself, surely the imperial family could.

With eunuchs clearing the way, Shi Zhao traveled unobstructed into the palace and arrived at the Empress Dowager’s Ci'an Palace. The eunuchs led her to the center of the main hall, bowed, and withdrew. Shi Zhao stood quietly, her head respectfully lowered, motionless, not daring to look around.

No one spoke in the hall; only the occasional sound of teacups clinking told Shi Zhao that the Empress Dowager was sitting above. After an unknown amount of time, a soft laugh drifted down from the dais.

"I thought the Second Young Lady of the Marquis of Wen'an’s estate was a reckless one; I didn't expect her to be so well-versed in etiquette."

Hearing this, Shi Zhao performed a graceful, fluid kowtow. Without lifting her head, her tone remained steady and respectful. "Commoner Shi Zhao pays her respects to the Empress Dowager."

"Shi Zhao? Not only did you change your surname, but you even invented a name for yourself. It seems the events at the birthday banquet truly chilled your heart toward the Marquis of Wen'an’s estate!" The Empress Dowager sighed and said, "Poor child, come here before me and let me get a good look at you."

Shi Zhao moved then, walking obediently to the Empress Dowager’s side. Her gait was steady and elegant, and the Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction. Shi Zhao lifted her eyes to see a kind-faced old woman, plump and white-haired, wearing no jewelry save for a string of prayer beads on her wrist. This was the first time Shi Zhao had seen her face-to-face, as she had been dragged away at the birthday banquet before she could see the Empress Dowager clearly.

The Empress Dowager took Shi Zhao’s right hand and examined it carefully. "How pitiful, how did this hand swell up like this? The people in the imperial prison went too far." She smiled at Shi Zhao. "The Heart Sutra you wrote in blood in the prison pleased me greatly. Though the handwriting was scrawled, for a girl of your age to be able to recite an entire Buddhist scripture shows you are a child with a true affinity for the Buddha. I like you."

"I believe a child like you would never make a mistake on my 'Hundred Longevity Scroll.' Tell me, what grievances have you suffered? I will stand up for you."

Shi Zhao raised her brows in surprise. She had thought the Empress Dowager summoned her out of mere curiosity, never imagining she would say such a thing. She looked at the Empress Dowager, whose brows were furrowed as if she were truly indignant on her behalf. A faint scent reached Shi Zhao’s nose; the Empress Dowager had worshipped Buddha for so long that both her person and the Ci'an Palace were permeated with the scent of incense. Yet, amidst the heavy fragrance, Shi Zhao detected a different, underlying scent.

The hall was too quiet—quiet in a way that felt eerie.

The Empress Dowager remained smiling, as gentle as the Bodhisattva Guanyin. Her voice sounded ethereal and distant, carrying a sense of unreality. "Good child, tell me. I will be the one to decide for you."

Shi Zhao’s heart hammered against her ribs, both excited and nervous. The Empress Dowager had given her a chance to clear her name. The Empress Dowager’s voice was gentle: "Good child, you don't want to live the rest of your life branded as disrespectful and careless, do you?"

Shi Zhao clenched her palms tight, nearly blurting out the truth, but she forced it down. She could not do it. Whether she spoke or not, both paths led to death. No one cared about her grievances, and no one cared about the truth. The Marquis of Wen'an’s estate had been prominent for generations; her imprisonment was a warning from Emperor Jingxuan to the estate. This time, the Emperor surely intended to use her to strike at the Marquis of Wen'an’s house again. A single "Hundred Longevity Scroll" was not enough to destroy the estate, but since the Emperor had already decreed punishment, the estate would certainly not spare her, the one who had betrayed them.

She was now a commoner with no backing, powerless to fight against a massive noble house. Moreover, the Marquis of Wen'an’s estate had raised her for over ten years... But if she denied everything, her previous defenses would become nothing but sophistry and lies, and neither the Emperor nor the Empress Dowager would spare her.

After a terrifying silence, a thought struck Shi Zhao. With a heavy thud, she knelt before the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager was startled. When she looked down, she saw Shi Zhao’s face streaming with tears. "Empress Dowager," she said, her voice choked with sobs, "I beg you to issue a decree allowing me to become a nun, so that I may chant scriptures and worship Buddha for you."

Become a nun? The Empress Dowager was stunned, momentarily unable to process what Shi Zhao had said.