Chapter 90. Thank you, Madam, for saving me.

Chapter 90

The banquets at the palace were completely different from those at Shuyu Manor.

It was less of a banquet and more of a gathering of all the emperor's relatives, near and far, to drink and laugh together. Almost everyone wore fake smiles and said nice things to please the emperor. They barely ate any food, but they made up a bunch of ridiculous rules.

The only thing that Shen Suining liked was that the wine in the palace was really good. However, everyone was toasting each other with small cups, which was not pleasant at all. She had been sitting at the table for less than half an hour when she began to feel like she was sitting on pins and needles.

Unable to sit still any longer, Shen Suining called He Hansheng's name and told him, "I'm going out for a walk."

There were many relatives attending the banquet, and more than one person was coming and going. Even the Crown Princess Ouyang Zhiqing had disappeared for a while. Shen Suining didn't think there was anything wrong with this. She only told He Hansheng about it and then went out with Xiangye.

After leaving the main hall, Shen Suining finally breathed a sigh of relief and felt much more relaxed.

Xiangye couldn't help but remind him, "Given the young marquis's current state, he'll inevitably be offered drinks again. Madam shouldn't stay outside for too long, lest she attract gossip."

"Understood." Seeing that no one was around, Shen Suining stretched, loosened her muscles, took a deep breath, and prepared to go back.

Just then, a faint, exotic fragrance drifted into her nostrils. It was very subtle, but Shen Suining's keen sense of smell still detected it.

Having spent many years wandering the martial arts world, Shen Suining, though she herself did not know how to blend perfumes or use medicines, had an extremely keen sense of smell. In particular, she could hardly forget the fragrances she had smelled before. Although this fragrance was faint, it still felt somewhat familiar to her.

Shen Suining immediately became alert; she felt that the familiar fragrance definitely did not belong to the palace.

"Madam?" Xiangye looked worried when she noticed the change in Shen Suining's expression.

Shen Suining glanced at her, said nothing, but took a deep sniff and followed the direction of the scent. When she arrived at a side hall not far from the main hall of the banquet, the scent suddenly became so strong that she choked and instantly realized what kind of fragrance it was.

Three years ago, Zhu Wuyan caused her and He Hansheng a "love tribulation"!

"Xiangye, hold your breath!" Shen Suining immediately stopped Xiangye from stepping back and quickly covered her mouth and nose herself.

There were no guards on duty near the side hall, and even the palace servants and eunuchs coming and going were few and far between, as if someone had done it on purpose. The door of the side hall was tightly closed, and the clamor of the main hall's dance and music drowned out the decadent sounds that could be faintly heard through the crack in the door.

Knowing full well the potent effects of the "Beauty's Calamity" drug, Shen Suining dared not approach it. Yet, this forbidden drug, which was avoided even by those in the martial arts world, had so brazenly entered the palace and was even used on people in the court on such an important occasion.

This matter is of great importance, and Shen Suining couldn't make up her mind for the time being, so she had no choice but to instruct Xiangye: "Go and find He Hansheng and see if he can come out."

Seeing Shen Suining's solemn expression, Xiangye didn't ask any further questions. She simply replied "Yes" and immediately returned to the main hall to find He Hansheng.

Shen Suining waited and waited, but He Hansheng didn't come. Instead, Ouyang Zhiqing arrived with a group of people, looking aggressive as they rushed into the side hall.

Perhaps not expecting anyone else to be waiting there, Ouyang Zhiqing was taken aback at first, then spoke coldly, completely lacking her previous politeness and gentleness, "Is my sister-in-law determined to oppose me today?"

Shen Suining looked completely bewildered and exclaimed, "Huh?" Looking at Ouyang Zhiqing, who had no longer bothered to pretend, and then glancing towards the side hall, she suddenly understood.

She couldn't help but give a cold laugh, stood still, and met Ouyang Zhiqing's arrogant gaze directly.

Seeing that she didn't move, Ouyang Zhiqing took a step forward and approached her. Shen Suining didn't retreat an inch, and the two faced each other. Ouyang Zhiqing asked in a low voice, "Cousin has always prided himself on being neutral, loyal only to Father Emperor, and never participating in factional struggles. How come your stance is different from yours, Cousin's wife?"

Shen Suining chuckled lightly, "He and I are husband and wife, so his stance is my stance."

Ouyang Zhiqing: "Then why aren't you letting me?"

“The road is so wide, I was standing perfectly fine on the side, why does the Crown Princess insist that I’m blocking you?” Shen Suining showed no intention of backing down.

She was already taller, and when she stood her ground and refused to give an inch, she ended up making Ouyang Zhiqing, who had a more distinguished status, look shorter.

"How dare you!" Xinghui, a palace maid beside Ouyang Zhiqing, stepped forward and rebuked sharply, "How dare you be so disrespectful to the Crown Princess!"

Shen Suining glanced at Xinghui, but didn't say anything more to her. She didn't move her feet, but just turned slightly to make a "please" gesture, indicating that she had no intention of blocking her as the other party claimed. However, she was unwilling to give way and let Ouyang Zhiqing walk by.

Seeing Shen Suining's attitude, Ouyang Zhiqing was dissatisfied, but she didn't want to waste time on such a meaningless argument. She pointed at Shen Suining to express her displeasure, and bumped into her shoulder hard as she walked past.

Shen Suining glanced in the direction Ouyang Zhiqing and the others had left, her eyes filled with an icy chill.

Her hearing was better than most people's. When she was confronting Ouyang Zhiqing, there was a commotion in the side hall, which meant that the people inside had probably noticed that someone had come.

At this moment, He Hansheng had just come out of the main hall. When Xiangye came to find him earlier, he was chatting with Ouyang Lan, the father of the Crown Princess.

The Ouyang family rose from humble beginnings, and it wasn't until Ouyang Lan's father, the recently retired Right Chancellor Ouyang Qi, that they finally rose to prominence. It was thought that the Ouyang family would prosper from then on, but Ouyang Lan was an uneducated and dissolute playboy. In his youth, he acted recklessly because his father was the Chancellor, and now that he is older, he is even more arrogant because he is the Crown Prince's father-in-law.

Even while speaking with He Hansheng, Ouyang Lan frequently adopted the air of a superior, as if he were now the emperor's brother-in-law, and his words revealed that he no longer took the Yong'an Marquis's mansion seriously.

Normally, He Hansheng wouldn't bother saying a word to such an arrogant and foolish person, but at the palace banquet, he had to maintain a semblance of politeness and listen to his rambling. So when he heard that Shen Suining was looking for him, He Hansheng immediately found an excuse to leave his seat temporarily, not wanting to say a word to Ouyang Lan.

Not long after He Hansheng left the main hall, before he could find Shen Suining, Jiang Yuchu came over carrying something and whispered beside him, "My lord, this is what Eunuch He Quan brought. He told me to give it to Madam immediately."

He Hansheng frowned; He Quan was the Empress Dowager's man.

He looked at Jiang Yuchu and immediately pulled away what he was holding. Inside was a woman's palace dress, which, judging from the texture and fabric, did not seem to be from the Empress Dowager's palace.

“It’s Prince Zhao.” He Hansheng realized instantly, but Prince Zhao and Shen Suining had never met before, and he hadn’t shown up today either, so why would he entrust He Quan to deliver a piece of clothing to her?

Just then, Shen Suining, who had returned from the side hall, called out to him from afar, jogging forward to whisper in his ear, "He Hansheng, someone has lit 'Red Beauty's Calamity' in the palace. This incense is extremely potent and shouldn't be in the palace. Now it seems..."

Noticing the palace robe in Jiang Yuchu's arms, Shen Suining paused slightly. "What's this?"

Jiang Yuchu glanced at He Hansheng's expression and carefully explained the origin of the palace dress, but did not easily hand it to Shen Suining.

Shen Suining and He Hansheng exchanged a glance. Both of them had experienced the dangers of "beauty's calamity," so seeing this palace dress, they naturally understood what was going on.

After a moment of silence, Shen Suining took the palace robe from Jiang Yuchu and turned to go to the side hall.

Seeing that He Hansheng did not stop her, Jiang Yuchu couldn't help but ask, "My lord, I just saw the Crown Princess heading in that direction as well. Is it really alright for you to do this, Madam?"

“No matter how the previous dynasty fought, the women who were dragged into it for no reason are always innocent,” He Hansheng said with a slightly stern expression. He instructed Jiang Yuchu, “The Crown Princess would not leave the banquet without a reason. Go and find out who did this and who leaked the information to the Crown Princess.”

Jiang Yuchu: "I'll take care of it right away."

He Hansheng pondered for a moment, then looked in the direction Shen Suining had left with a hint of worry for a long time before instructing Xiangye, "Stay with Madam and come back to me immediately if anything happens."

"yes."

On the other side, Ouyang Zhiqing led a group of palace maids into the side hall, but the hall was empty. Apart from a teapot that had been overturned and a charcoal brazier that had been extinguished by the tea, there seemed to be no trace of anyone else having entered.

Ouyang Zhiqing did not see the scene she had imagined, and she felt inexplicably relieved, but there were also some complicated and indescribable emotions mixed in with it, both bitter and depressed. She chuckled for a moment, "She is always so lucky, it's really enviable."

“The Crown Princess still cares about her feelings for the Xu family girl. In the end, it was still Master who went too far,” Xinghui comforted her.

“You don’t understand,” Ouyang Zhiqing shook her head, turned around, and looked at the square sky enclosed by the high palace walls. “I wish Xu Lanji would have a hard time. But she’s just born lucky. From a young age, her family background, appearance, talent, and needlework have all surpassed mine. My mother always used her to suppress me, so I’ve always wanted to surpass her. Even if I just live a little better than her, I’ll be happy. Look how glorious and happy I was when I married into the Eastern Palace.”

"But later I learned that the person who was in love with the Crown Prince was Xu Lanji all along. The reason the Crown Prince chose me was because the Xu family was no longer in a position of power, while my grandfather had a high reputation in the previous court. The Crown Prince hoped to get his help, so he reluctantly broke his promise to Xu Lanji and married me instead. But even so, the Crown Prince still couldn't let her go."

Ouyang Zhiqing raised her chin, her face showing a stubborn yet unwilling expression. She let out a long breath, stepped out of the threshold, and left the side hall.

Behind the pillar, Shen Suining held a palace robe in her arms. After watching Ouyang Zhiqing and the others leave, she quietly slipped into the side hall.

Although the fire in the charcoal brazier had been extinguished, the fragrance of the Beauty's Calamity had not completely dissipated. Shen Suining held her breath and used her inner energy to open all the tightly closed doors and windows in the hall.

Just then, a strange movement came from the roof beam. Shen Suining looked up and, sure enough, saw someone hiding up there.

A section of the light blue dress, as if washed clean, hung down and draped over the emerald green roof beam without looking out of place. Shen Suining paused slightly, then used the momentum to leap onto the roof beam and carefully approached Xu Lanji.

Xu Lan's hair was somewhat disheveled, and the kingfisher hairpin that had been in her hair was nowhere to be found. Her usually cool and indifferent face was flushed with the blush of passion. She bit her lip to restrain herself, blood seeping from her lips. A layer of sweat floated on her forehead, and the clothes she wore were tattered and stained with some unspeakable filth.

Whether from the cold or fear, Xu Lanji's body trembled uncontrollably, especially her legs. She was already in a semi-conscious state, only able to open her eyes halfway with her remaining consciousness to look at Shen Suining. Her eyes showed a hint of wariness and fear, like a frightened rabbit, yet she was powerless to do anything. Her cold face was full of a heartbreaking sense of brokenness.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help you," Shen Suining said softly, still holding the palace robe that King Zhao had asked someone to bring her.

After hanging from the roof beam and confirming that no one was around, Shen Suining picked up Xu Lan and hid in a room inside the side hall. She didn't have any other medicine with her today, only a few hangover pills. They had no effect on the strong medicine, "Red Beauty's Calamity," and could only be held in her mouth to keep her sober.

After a moment of contemplation, Shen Suining gave Xu Lanji a pill and then raised his palm to channel some internal energy into her so that she could maintain her strength.

With such a serious incident occurring, and Xu Lanji's maid not by her side, Shen Suining didn't ask too many questions. She simply handed her the clean clothes in her hand and asked, "Can you change by yourself?"

Xu Lan remained silent for a long time before nodding. Shen Suining then turned her back and went outside to prevent anyone from accidentally entering.

Shen Suining closed the door and turned around, only to see Xiangye silently guarding the door. Knowing that He Hansheng must have sent her, she said to her, "Could you find a way to arrange a carriage or sedan chair to send this young lady out of the palace? In her current state, she probably can't stay in the palace for long."

Xiangye shook her head. "Carriages are not allowed in the palace. Within the palace, only His Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and high-ranking concubines are permitted to use sedan chairs."

Shen Suining frowned. Without a carriage or sedan chair, given Xu Lanji's current condition, was she really expected to walk out of the palace gates by herself?

Xiangye saw through Shen Suining's thoughts. She glanced behind her and lowered her voice, "With the young marquis's status, it shouldn't be difficult for him to ask the Empress Dowager or any other lady for help. However, this way, others might find out about this matter."

“That’s not appropriate,” Shen Suining immediately rejected.

When it comes to matters concerning a woman's innocence and reputation, even someone as shameless as her found it difficult to speak when questioned by her own mother. How much more so for a refined young lady like Xu Lanji from the capital? She seemed like a girl with pride, and after what had happened, Shen Suining was afraid that she might do something rash and slit her own throat.

Just then, the door behind her opened, and Xu Lan used both hands to support herself and stand up straight. She suppressed the strange feeling in her body and calmly said, "I can walk out by myself."

Shen Suining turned to look at Xu Lanji. She had changed into a clean set of clothes and her hair was neatly combed. She was not wearing any jewelry. Apart from the lingering flush on her face and the lip she had bitten, there was nothing else unusual about her appearance.

Shen Suining was quite surprised, "It's quite a distance from here to the palace gate, are you sure you can manage?"

“I can.” Xu Lan took a deep breath, slowly released her grip on the door, and stepped forward to bow to Shen Suining. “Thank you for saving me, Madam. I have a request, and I hope you will grant it.”

"you say."

Xu Lan looked at the jade-inlaid double-bead hairpin on Shen Suining's head, bit her lip, and asked, "May I ask, Madam... to lend me that hairpin?"

Shen Suining paused for a moment, then had Xiangye remove the gold hairpin from her hair. She wiped the hairpin clean with a handkerchief and handed it to Xu Lanji, thinking that she wanted to tie her hair up, so she asked her, "Do you want me to put it back on for you?"

Xu Lan shook her head, took the hairpin with both hands and held it in her palms, "Thank you, Madam."

After bowing and expressing her gratitude once more, Xu Lan lifted the heavy hem of her skirt, straightened her back, and swayed as she stepped over the threshold and out of the side hall, as if she were using all her strength to support herself and maintain the last vestiges of her pride and dignity.

Shen Suining stood still and instructed Xiangye: "You accompany her out of the palace and hand her over to Fengyu. Let Fengyu personally escort her home."

Xiangye nodded. Given the magnitude of the incident, she was worried that someone might die, so she asked, "Should we have someone keep an eye on them for the next few days?"

Shen Suining did not answer immediately, but just watched Xu Lan's departing figure. Her winter clothes were thick, but her figure looked particularly thin, like an orchid about to fall in the wind and rain, weak and boneless, yet resilient and proud. Step by step, she stubbornly left against the biting cold wind, as if she did not want others to see any trace of her dishevelment or weakness.

After a long while, Shen Suining withdrew her gaze and replied with two words: "No need."