My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion

Though his heart harbored countless grievances, Yin Weiyin could only swallow his pride and endure silently for the moment.

Yin Tingxue bowed her head, her lips trembling slightly. After a long pause, she gathered her courage and refused:

"Your Majesty need not punish this guilty maid, nor elevate this guilty maid to Commandery Princess. A guilty maid is ultimately still guilty—bearing sins, to live as I do now is already a great Heavenly grace."

The Empress Dowager narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly and said:

"Do you not realize? Not only will I no longer pursue your crimes, but I intend to pardon you, adopt you into the Prince Mansion of Jing, and grant you the title of Commandery Princess."

At these words, the legitimate daughter of Prince Jing, Yin Weiyin, widened her eyes in astonishment.

The one-armed woman, however, remained composed, slowly sipping her tea as though uninvolved.

The female official Su Xin, standing beside the Empress Dowager, despite having mentally prepared herself, was still visibly startled when the Empress Dowager spoke these words aloud.

Pardoning a guilty maid and elevating her through marriage to Commandery Princess was not without precedent.

However, if one were to tally the instances, they were exceedingly rare.

In the Jianghu, one says misfortune does not extend to family, but in court politics, it is precisely the opposite—misfortune undoubtedly implicates family.

If this matter were brought to the imperial court, it would lead to repeated objections, yet now, the Empress Dowager has made up her mind.

What extraordinary grace!

Su Xin thought to herself that whomever this kindness was bestowed upon ought to accept it, for further refusal could veritably be deemed insolence.

Yin Tingxue did not lift her head and instead knelt down silently.

The Empress Dowager gazed at her moving lips, waiting for her expression of gratitude.

Yin Tingxue hesitated for a long time, her voice very low:

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace… However..."

"However?"

The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow slightly, and even Su Xin's complexion changed.

Yin Tingxue, word by word, uttered something that sounded absurdly childish:

"However, if this guilty maid is granted the title of Commandery Princess, then won't I be unable to… become his concubine?"

Not only Su Xin froze where she stood, but the Empress Dowager, the mother of an empire, was also taken aback.

Even the white-robed female crown almost dropped her tea bowl.

Only the one-armed woman cast Yin Tingxue a meaningful glance.

The Empress Dowager furrowed her brows and, after a pause, smiled: "What sort of bewitched nonsense has he fed you? Listen to yourself—how could you say such things?"

Yin Tingxue sniffled, still keeping her head lowered.

In history, there were men willing to abandon their career to hide in the wilderness as commoners, choosing not to become ministers—but a woman willing to be a concubine, even at the cost of refusing to be a Commandery Princess? Such a person truly never existed before. The Empress Dowager's expression turned strange; she had assumed that with such a grand display of kindness, this daughter of Prince Xiang would ultimately acquiesce. Yet today, Yin Tingxue's refusal to accept the title was something she had never anticipated.

The Empress Dowager glanced sideways and noticed Su Xin, who seemed ready to speak. Raising her hand, she motioned for the words to be said.

Su Xin swept her gaze over Yin Tingxue and then said:

"In Her Majesty's presence, do you understand the implications of your words?"

"This guilty maid understands."

"Very well. Ignoring that you are imperial kin who dares refuse the grace of the Heavenly Family, how could you willingly—willingly consent to becoming a concubine? Concubinage is tied to the husband's family, not the maiden's family. According to the laws of Great Yu, concubines and maidservants are similar in rank. Even if he were to beat you to death, at best he would lose his official position."

"He wouldn't."

The soft response startled Su Xin, leaving her temporarily speechless, unsure of how to proceed.

The low status of concubines was widely known—who wouldn't understand this?

She had initially thought this daughter of Prince Xiang had been blinded by sweet lies from the man, yet even with everything laid bare, this woman seemed steadfast in her delusion.

Not far away, Yin Weiyin, recovering from her shock, pondered quietly. She surmised that Tingxue might not truly wish to be a concubine, but rather had sensed ulterior motives behind the Empress Dowager's incognito visit. Thus, she chose a strategy of refusal, adhering to the principle of "remaining unmoved amidst change," appearing obstinate while actually avoiding the trap.

Seeing that Yin Tingxue seemed deeply infatuated and hopelessly deluded, the Empress Dowager pinpointed the issue, narrowing her eyes as she said:

"Do you realize that after assuming the title of Commandery Princess, you could become his co-wife?"

Under the laws of Great Yu, there was one husband and one wife, but multiple concubines. However, with imperial special permission or through dual ancestral obligations, one could marry a co-wife or a titled "left and right lady."

Even without imperial assent, falsifying a family registry to claim multiple ancestral bonds could justify marrying co-wives. Chen Yi's mysterious origins meant this posed no issue; inventing lineage ties to bind himself to ten ancestral houses would be simple, though it might invite censure.

Seeing that Yin Tingxue remained silent, the Empress Dowager continued:

"You would refuse to be a co-wife? Even if not the principal wife, co-wife still ranks higher than concubine."

Yin Tingxue furtively glanced at Zhou Yitang, murmuring:

"But wife—a wife is not as good as a concubine."

The one-armed woman shot her a frosty look.

Yin Tingxue shivered and fell silent, trembling slightly.

At this juncture, Zhou Yitang was her only possible lifeline.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, she can be considered half my disciple and thus partially a recluse herself. This matter ought to be her own choice."

The one-armed woman spoke slowly.

The Empress Dowager raised her eyes to meet the other's gaze and replied with irrelevance:

"It has been some time indeed since we met, Master Tongxuan, since our farewell in the underground palace."

"Not too long," Zhou Yitang replied.

"It feels like a lifetime ago," countered the Empress Dowager.

The one-armed woman offered no further response, lowering her gaze while remaining seated, her expression indifferent as though the matters of the underground palace bore no relation to her.

The Empress Dowager let out a string of cold laughter but refrained from exposing any hidden truths. Instead, her face took on a reminiscent look, as if discussing the past:

"Speaking of which, those days were rather remarkable. Though I hold the title of mother of all under heaven, I did not anticipate gaining another son. Since that was the case, should parents not plan for the future of their child? He once informed me he had taken a concubine, and I did not object, only hinted that his principal wife would be appointed by me. My visit today is for the purpose of bestowing marriage."