The Death of Yuping

The Yuanhe Hall was the emperor's domain, and the Dragon Feather Guards were on duty inside. Xichun felt that the safest place in the palace was the Yuanhe Hall.

After finishing her shift each day, Xichun would immediately return to her residence and never wander around other parts of the palace. During this time, she had heard Yuping tell many secrets about the palace. There were thousands of ways a person could die in the palace, and the Imperial Garden was a hotbed of accidents. Once, a palace maid saw a noble lady's secret, and the noble lady sent someone to knock her unconscious and throw her into the well in the Imperial Garden.

That day, Xichun had her period and was listless all day, so Peilan told her to rest in the house.

After finishing her shift, Yu Ping originally intended to detour to the kitchen to spend some money on a plate of pastries, but on the way, she encountered an unfamiliar eunuch who asked her for directions, "Does the young lady know where Miss Xi Chun lives?"

Yu Ping glanced at the food box in his hand and asked suspiciously, "What do you want with Xi Chun?"

"This servant will bring Miss Xichun a bowl of freshly made rose cheese from the Imperial Kitchen," the young eunuch said.

Yu Ping didn't have any doubts. The palace maids and eunuchs in Yuanhe Hall often had people from other palaces come to curry favor with them. "Was it done by Chief Steward Zhang?"

The young eunuch hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Give it to me. I share a room with Xichun. I'll take it to her for you." Yuping said, taking the food box from the little eunuch's hand.

Back inside, Xichun was leaning against the bedpost, embroidering a handkerchief in fits and starts.

"Xichun, would you like some cheese?" Yuping gestured to Xichun, holding up a food box.

Xichun shook her head. "I have no appetite, I can't eat."

"Then you should rest well. Although this bowl of cheese was given to you, if you don't have an appetite, I'll eat it for you. This stuff won't taste as good when it's cold." Yu Ping happily took the cheese out of the food box, sat down at the table, and started eating with a spoon.

The rose aroma was rich, and the texture was silky smooth and refreshing. Although she felt the young eunuch wasn't telling the truth—based on her years of observation of Chief Steward Zhang's culinary skills—if Chief Steward Zhang were to make this cheese, the sweetness would have to be reduced by three-tenths. It was probably made by another imperial chef in the kitchen, but that didn't detract from its deliciousness.

Yu Ping finished the whole bowl of rose cheese in no time. Turning around, she saw that Xi Chun had already fallen asleep against the bedpost. Seeing that Xi Chun was still holding the embroidery hoop in her hand, Yu Ping was afraid that she might prick her hand with the needle while she was sleeping, so she went over and put the embroidery hoop in the sewing basket next to her.

Just as she was about to turn around and tidy up the table, Yu Ping felt a churning pain in her abdomen. She forced herself to walk to the bedside, but before she could lie down, a sharp pain shot through her heart, and she fell to the ground with a thud, less than a step away from the bed.

Xi Chun was awakened by the sound of Yu Ping falling to the ground. She opened her eyes and saw that Yu Ping had fallen, so she quickly went over to help her up.

Yu Ping stared blankly ahead, her eyes wide open, having lost consciousness.

"Yuping, Yuping, what's wrong? Don't scare me."

"Yu Ping, Yu Ping!" No matter how much Xi Chun called out and patted, Yu Ping did not respond.

Xichun considered the worst possible outcome. She reached out and placed her hand in front of Yuping's nose to check her breath, but she could not feel any heat emanating from her nasal cavity.

Yu Ping is dead.

A living person died, right before her eyes.

Xi Chun glanced at the empty bowl on the table; Yu Ping had finished the cheese inside. Remembering what Yu Ping had said before eating the cheese, there must be something wrong with it.

Xi Chun, fighting back tears, reached out and closed Yu Ping's eyes. She had intended to move Yu Ping to the bed, but suddenly felt weak all over; she tried for a long time but couldn't even lift one of Yu Ping's arms. The most urgent task was to investigate the cause of Yu Ping's death. Xi Chun reached out and held Yu Ping's gradually cooling hand, looking at Yu Ping's lifeless face. Thinking of all the times she had spent with Yu Ping, the tears that had been welling up in her eyes could no longer be held back and fell in large drops.

Yu Ping couldn't just die like this. Xi Chun wiped away her tears, took one last look at Yu Ping, and then got up and ran out of the room. She ran all the way to the outside of the Imperial Study; she had to find Michide. There was definitely something fishy about Yu Ping's death.

"Oh dear, Miss Xichun, what are you doing? I clearly told you not to run around in the palace. What if you bump into someone important?" Guang Jinfu said in a low voice, stopping Xichun at the entrance of the Imperial Study. Seeing that Xichun was still panting, he quickly pulled her to the corridor outside the hall.

"What exactly happened?" Guang Jinfu asked her, frowning.

“Yu Ping… Yu Ping is dead,” Xi Chun said in a trembling voice.

"Yu Ping is dead?" Guang Jinfu exclaimed in shock. His voice was so loud that it drew the attention of the palace servants who were cleaning in the hall. He quickly lowered his voice and asked Xi Chun, "What exactly happened? Yu Ping just went back from her shift not long ago."

“I don’t know either. It might be the cheese. Yuping went back and ate a bowl of cheese. Not long after, she collapsed on the ground. I went over and called to her, but I couldn’t wake her up. I checked her breathing, and she was already dead,” Xichun cried.

Guang Jinfu sighed. The death of a palace maid was not a big deal in the palace, but the death of a palace maid in Yuanhe Hall would certainly be of concern to the Emperor.

He said to Xichun, "The Emperor is discussing matters with the officials in the Imperial Study, and my master is also inside. You wait here for him to come out and explain the matter of Yuping to him. I'll go to your place now to check on Yuping's situation."

Seeing Xichun's terrified state, he instructed her again, "Don't run away anymore, just stay here. And don't cry anymore, this is Yuanhe Hall, what kind of scene is this with all this crying?"

Xi Chun's mind was filled with Yu Ping's empty, terrified eyes. She anxiously peered into the palace from the corridor, her hands clenched, but the door to the Imperial Study remained closed. She wanted to go back and see how Guang Jinfu was handling Yu Ping's situation, but then she remembered her promise to wait for him here. Xi Chun was restless and anxious, but there was nothing she could do.

Half an hour later, the door to the imperial study opened from the inside, and Wei Qiao, dressed in a red official robe, stepped out. Golden sunlight streamed through the carved wooden window, illuminating him. Half of his face was in the sunlight, while the other half remained in shadow. The light and shadow intertwined ambiguously on him, and the bright red robe shimmered with a rippling luster in the sunlight, making him appear like a bewitching red lotus. Yet, his face remained expressionless, cold as ice, which only accentuated his dashing demeanor.

Xi Chun never expected to meet him in such a scene. A tear rolled down her cheek. After wiping away the tear, she turned away and walked a few steps to stand by the wall.

Wei Qiao spotted Xi Chun at first glance. She was even more beautiful than when she was at the Wei residence, her slender waist accentuated by a lotus-colored palace dress. However, the look in her eyes was no longer one of joy and affection, but rather of resistance and rejection. Wei Qiao felt as if his heart had been gripped, making it difficult to breathe. He straightened his belt, strode out of the hall, and slowed his pace after crossing the threshold, searching for her figure.

Xi Chun stood by the wall, her eyes fixed on the high red walls of Yuanhe Hall. She heard Wei Qiao's footsteps growing closer; she both hoped he would stop and look at her, and also hoped he would simply walk out of the palace gates and ignore her. They were no longer uncle and sister-in-law; Wei Qiao was the emperor's favorite minister, and she was a palace maid in Yuanhe Hall, and also a potential lover of the emperor. There was no longer any possibility between them.

Wei Qiao finally stopped, standing two or three steps away from Xi Chun. Xi Chun's brows were furrowed, her hands tightly clasped together, her whole body filled with fear and unease, like a fawn fleeing a hunter's pursuit.

"Are you alright?" Wei Qiao asked her gently.

Xichun heard his voice, but she didn't turn to look at him or respond to his words. She dared not look at him; she was afraid she would burst into tears in front of him without restraint.

But she couldn't; this wasn't Qingwu Garden, this was Yuanhe Hall.

She thought of Youlan and Yuping; in her short time in the palace, she had witnessed the loss of two lives. She didn't know if she would be next. She recalled the painting the Emperor had shown her in the Imperial Study, the painting personally delivered to the palace by Wei Qiao. In truth, Wei Changsong's decision to send her to the palace was also, in a way, facilitated by Wei Qiao. Thinking of this, a surge of resentment towards Wei Qiao arose within her.

The two remained stubbornly silent for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, neither of them uttering another word.

Miao Wendao presented the new regulations from the Ministry of Rites regarding the investiture of imperial relatives to the Emperor at the Yuanhe Hall. As soon as he entered the hall, he saw Xichun standing under the corridor. He quickly walked up to her, smiled, and bowed to her, saying, "Miss Xichun, how have you been?"

Seeing that it was Miao Wendao, Xichun forced a smile and nodded to him. Noticing the memorial in his hand, she guessed he was about to meet the Emperor. "Lord Miao, may I inform him of your arrival?"

Miao Wendao nodded. "Thank you."

When Xichun thought of Yuping's matter, she could take this opportunity to tell Eunuch Mi about it, and then go back to her residence to see how Guangjinfu would handle it.

Xi Chun didn't glance at Wei Qiao once, bypassing him and quickly entering the hall. Wei Qiao turned to watch her retreating figure, a profound sense of loneliness rising within him. He turned back and coldly glanced at Miao Wendao, a junior official in the Ministry of Rites, standing below the steps. He vaguely remembered Miao; he was said to be a good writer, highly praised by Yan Zhongyou. Recalling Xi Chun's warm smile and friendly manner towards him earlier, a pang of jealousy rose within him. Before entering the palace, Xi Chun had never been so enthusiastic towards any other man.

Miao Wendao knew of Wei Qiao; everyone in the court and beyond knew that Wei Qiao was the emperor's absolute favorite. Opinions about Wei Qiao among his colleagues were mixed, and Miao himself, having only recently entered officialdom and having little contact with Wei Qiao, didn't know him very well. However, Wei Qiao's official rank was considerably higher than his, so he still greeted Wei Qiao with a smile: "This humble official, Miao Wendao, greets Lord Wei."

Wei Qiao slowly walked down the steps and stood beside Miao Wendao. This man was about the same height as him, with handsome features, but with a more heroic air about him. He had heard Fu Qing mention that she wanted to find a heroic man to be her husband. Could it be that Xi Chun had also fallen for such a person?

His sharp eyes lingered on Miao Wendao, and a nameless anger rose within him.

Miao Wendao was puzzled by Wei Qiao's gaze, but then he remembered that Wei Qiao was the deputy commander of the Dragon Feather Guard, and perhaps staring at people was just a habit of his. He continued to smile, his eyes also scanning Wei Qiao.

The moment he entered, he saw Wei Qiao standing under the eaves, staring intently at Xi Chun. He could tell from the look in Wei Qiao's eyes that a man cared deeply for a woman. He hadn't expected that this close advisor to the emperor would also covet a woman by the emperor's side. But then he thought about it, and Xi Chun was indeed a very good girl—beautiful and kind-hearted. It wouldn't be surprising if anyone liked a girl like that.

"Lord Miao, the Emperor summons you." A eunuch came out of the hall and said to Miao Wendao.

Miao Wendao nodded to him, then turned to look at Wei Qiao, bowed to him, and said, "Lord Wei, I bid you farewell." After saying that, he quickly walked up the steps and followed the eunuch into the hall.

Wei Qiao turned his head to look at Miao Wendao's back. Thinking that Xi Chun would meet with Miao Wendao again inside, he rubbed his brow, let out a heavy sigh, and walked out. He had only taken two steps when he saw Guang Jinfu walking hurriedly.