Chapter 29 (None)

Jiang Ling hurried out to greet her, but Consort Lin walked quickly and arrived at the front of the house in the blink of an eye. Her posture was elegant, and as she walked, the hem of her skirt swayed lightly like a breeze across a river.

"Your Highness, Imperial Concubine." Jiang Ling nervously curtsied and stepped forward to greet Imperial Concubine Lin in the hall.

Consort Lin, as usual, said indifferently, "I apologize for disturbing you."

"No, no," Jiang Ling replied, inviting Consort Lin to sit at the head of the table. Wen Juan and Qingwen then served hot tea.

Consort Lin picked up her teacup and took several sips. After putting the teacup down, she said, "There are so many things to do early in the morning. I'm so busy that I don't even have time to drink tea."

"Your Highness, you've worked hard," Jiang Ling said dryly.

Consort Lin nodded slightly, whether in acknowledgment of hardship or simply a habitual gesture, it was unclear. She glanced around, her aloof face remaining completely expressionless. She didn't seem to care that Fanying Pavilion had once belonged to the Empress.

"A lot has happened recently, all because of candles. The beeswax in the Lanyue Palace went out for no reason, Fang committed suicide, and Consort Gao claimed to have miscarried. Lin used to keep the palace candles, and you have also been implicated."

Consort Lin spoke calmly and unhurriedly: "You and I are both victims. In the years I have been in charge of palace affairs, I must have offended many people. I cannot tell for the moment who is pulling the strings behind the scenes to put me, the Lin family, to death. I wonder if Consort Jiang has offended anyone?"

Jiang Ling was stunned. From Consort Lin's words, it seemed that since they were all victims, they were allies.

Dancing with wolves requires exceptional skill, and Jiang Ling has a clear understanding of herself. Moreover, she had previously been a background character, never intentionally offending anyone, and truthfully stated, "I haven't offended anyone."

Consort Lin asked, "Does Consort Jiang still remember the former Consort Su, Su Yue?"

Jiang Ling understood what Consort Lin meant and said, "I remember, Su Yue and I shared a room. At the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, she slandered me, saying I was going to harm someone."

“Su Yue was very clever. She didn’t do it herself, but encouraged Xu to take the lead. Consort Xu and Consort Jiang had no grudges against each other. She listened to Su Yue and conspired with her to harm Consort Jiang.”

Jiang Ling was simply not good at expressing himself. What he didn't realize at the time, he would come to understand when he thought about it carefully in his spare time.

Arranging the seating was something Su Yue couldn't possibly do; someone was helping her behind the scenes. But even though Su Yue was punished and sent to the Imperial Temple, she didn't reveal the mastermind. It seems someone saw through Su Yue's intentions and was simply going along with it.

Consort Lin said, "Consort Jiang is kind to everyone, and I trust you. But a tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind, and Consort Jiang is not what she used to be. Although her rank in the harem is not high, she manages affairs and lives in Fanying Pavilion..."

She raised her hand and pointed into the room, a very faint smile appearing on her lips: "It's just that it gets in other people's way and blocks their path."

Jiang Ling said sincerely, "I am truly foolish and have no idea who I have blocked. Could Your Highness please enlighten me?"

Consort Lin said, "I thought Consort Jiang hadn't gotten in any way out. Consort Jiang was personally appointed by the Emperor, assigned to his own palace, and personally agreed to Consort Zhao entrusting you with the duties of managing the lamp and candle department. If anyone was dissatisfied, let them go to the Emperor and ask him to elevate their rank, assign them their own palace, and assign them their own duties. Unfortunately, not everyone thought like me. They picked on the weak and didn't dare to question the Emperor; they all came after Consort Jiang."

These words almost brought tears to Jiang Ling's eyes. No one had ever asked for her opinion; she had been thrust into the spotlight and made a sitting duck.

Simply because they all bully the weak and fear the strong!

Consort Lin smiled and said, "Consort Jiang, don't underestimate yourself. You are not stupid. Yesterday, when you faced Consort Gao, you were calm and composed and handled the situation properly. If it were me, I would have been speechless and the crime of harming the prince would have been impossible to clear my name."

Jiang Ling calmed down instantly, the turmoil in her chest quickly subsiding. She considered herself dull-witted, not that she was being self-deprecating or insecure. Consort Lin was clearly trying to flatter her to death; if she listened to her praise and recklessly charged forward, she would become like Consort Xu, charging into battle for Su Yue.

Consort Lin glanced at Jiang Ling's expression, then changed the subject, saying, "Consort Jiang, I came today to ask for your help. Yesterday you handled the situation calmly and meticulously, thinking of things that others wouldn't. What is Consort Jiang's opinion on Fang Sideng's death?"

Seeing that Consort Lin didn't intend to use her to do anything, Jiang Ling's anxiety subsided temporarily. She had thought about it last night: although Fang Sideng had committed suicide, the clues hadn't been lost.

Because Fang Sideng needed a motive to commit suicide. Jiang Ling was unaware of Fang Sideng's background and influence in the palace. It would take her time to figure these things out.

Consort Lin knows the inner palace inside and out; if she were to investigate, she could grasp the whole picture in no time.

Jiang Ling was somewhat unsure; she could think of things that Consort Lin and the others couldn't. After considering her options, she asked, "Your Highness, where is Fang Si Deng from? Who are his relatives? Does he have any friends in the palace?"

Consort Lin said, "Fang Si Deng's surname is not Fang. During the reign of the late emperor, she was bought into the palace at the age of eight and learned etiquette and manners from the tutor, Lady Fang. She said that all her relatives had passed away and she took Lady Fang as her adoptive mother. Lady Fang died of illness when she was ten years old. She started from a lowly errand boy and later rose to the position of Si Deng. Fang Si Deng never made enemies with anyone and did not like to make friends. She always kept to herself. As for where Fang Si Deng was from, the records do not record it clearly. It is only known that she was from Ganzhou Prefecture."

Jiang Ling thought to himself, "As expected, Consort Lin had already thought of it. She had already investigated Fang Sideng, but couldn't find any clues."

"Is Fang Sideng's original surname on the list?" Jiang Ling asked.

Consort Lin paused for a moment, then said, "I must go and see for myself. If it is, what does Consort Jiang intend to do?"

Jiang Ling fell silent. Fang Sideng had committed a heinous crime. If it were discovered that she had family and relatives, they would all be implicated.

Sold into the palace at the age of eight, Fang Sideng was either from a poor family or was not tolerated by her family, who deliberately sold her.

Consort Lin observed Jiang Ling discreetly. Having formed a general idea in her mind, she did not urge him but picked up her teacup and began to drink.

Jiang Ling struggled for a moment, then finally gave up. She believed that so-called political maneuvering was simply people complicating simple things and then scheming against them. She couldn't help but laugh at herself, claiming to hate political maneuvering, but in reality, she couldn't do it.

As for Fang Sideng, that's the end of it for her.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I don't know what to do," Jiang Ling said.

Consort Lin looked at Jiang Ling, remained silent for a moment, put down her teacup, stood up, and said, "Since Consort Jiang does not know, I will not ask any further. Consort Jiang, although I am not in charge of the lamp and candle department, I still know a little about lamps and candles. If you have any questions, you can come to Chonghua Palace to find me."

Jiang Ling hurriedly expressed his gratitude and saw Consort Lin out. The sky cleared, and the sun was faintly visible, but a chill still lingered under the eaves.

Qingwen went inside to tidy up the teacups and came out. Jiang Ling said, "Put them down first. I have something to tell you."

After returning to the room, Jiang Ling told her about sending her to the candle-making department, "Go ahead and do it in a bit. Please take good care of yourself and make sure nothing goes wrong."

Qingwen looked stunned, seemingly quite surprised. After a moment, she respectfully agreed, put the teacup in the side room, and then went to the storeroom.

Jiang Ling let out a sigh of relief and went back to the side room to continue reviewing the accounts. Wen Juan entered the room carrying silver charcoal and an incense burner. She exclaimed in surprise, "It's not even the opening ceremony of the furnace yet, where did you get this charcoal?"

Wenjuan added charcoal to the incense burner and said, "Zhang Shan from the Imperial Palace sent this over, saying it was the Emperor's decree. Although it's not yet the Incense Burning Festival, the weather is cold, so regardless of the festival, we'll warm the charcoal brazier first. We'll put incense balls in the burner for you to hold and warm your hands."

The silver charcoal was almost smokeless and odorless. Wenjuan packed the hand warmer and handed it to Jiang Ling, then propped up the window frame, leaving a small gap for ventilation.

Jiang Ling held the small, exquisite gilded incense ball; no matter how she rolled it, the charcoal inside wouldn't fall out. She played with it with obvious delight, asking curiously, "I've never seen anything like this before. Where did you get it?"

“Zhang Shan brought it along with the charcoal; it must be a gift from the Emperor to the beauty,” Wen Juan said.

Jiang Ling said "Oh," and then asked, "Is gilded metal more expensive, or is bronze more expensive?"

"My beauty is truly something!" Wen Juan said, speechless, and then chided, "Gilded items are valuable, and the craftsmanship of the palace artisans is unmatched by those in the common people. Do you really think you can exchange palace items for silver?"

Jiang Ling thought to himself that Emperor Yuanming was quite generous; the incense ball was not only valuable but also useful. He casually said, "I was just asking."

"You can't ask about a beauty when she's out in public." Wen Juan rolled her eyes, and seeing that no one was around, she walked over to Jiang Ling and whispered.

"Old Madam Gao made a fool of herself before. I heard that when she came to the palace to visit Consort De, Consort De rewarded her with a gilded incense burner. She took the incense burner to a pawnshop and tried to pawn it. The pawnshop clerk had a sharp eye and recognized it as a palace treasure at a glance. The pawnshop dared to accept it in secret, and Zhao's servants didn't even try to hide it from people and took it without any restraint. Seeing that people were watching, the clerk was in a terrible predicament and could only reluctantly refuse. Later, the news spread and everyone in the capital knew about it. The Emperor also found out and rewarded Zhao with several gilded incense burners and Buddha statues. Consort De and Consort Zhao knelt before the Emperor for a long time, and Old Madam Gao did not come to the palace for half a year."

Jiang Ling listened with great interest, secretly chuckling to herself. If someone got angry and threw something valuable at her, she would feel it was worth it even if she got bumps all over her head.

However, Jiang Ling asked in confusion, "Is the Zhao family so poor that they have to be given away as a gift from the palace?"

Wenjuan said, "Some wealthy families look glamorous, but they have a lot of masters in their households. They have to eat, wear and use the best things. Their income is small and their expenses are large. Gradually, they can't make ends meet and have to pawn their belongings to make ends meet."

Jiang Ling thought of the Jia family and said, "That makes sense. Gifts from the palace can only be kept as offerings. The Zhao sisters have both entered the palace, so the Zhao family is considered an in-law family. They can't afford to lose face, and it's not easy to maintain their status."

At this point, a thought flashed through Jiang Ling's mind, and he fell into deep thought.

The Zhao family is short of money, and if Consort Zhao has any, she will definitely help them out. The palace's cloth, rice, flour, cooking oil, charcoal, ice, and other supplies can all be exchanged for money if they are skimmed off.

Consort Zhao was only in charge of the lamps, candles, tea, and flowers and trees; the rest were managed by Consort Lin and Consort Liu, respectively.

The expenditure on lamps and candles accounted for a very small percentage of the palace's expenses. Of the little money saved on lamps and candles, Consort Zhao had to share some with the servants, and she didn't receive much silver in a year.

Even the smallest thing is still something, and Consort Zhao gave it to Jiang Ling unless she wanted something much bigger!

Jiang Ling pondered that the most consumed and most expensive item in the imperial palace was undoubtedly cloth!

You shouldn't be greedy for fabrics, firstly because they are too obvious, and secondly because the fabric, once made into clothes, is prone to fading and wearing out.

Her attire was a matter of royal dignity, and she couldn't hide it when she went out to meet people. Her clothes for all four seasons had never been skimped on.

If the palace were to purchase cloth, that would be a different story.

"Do you know which family the palace purchases its fabrics from?" Jiang Ling asked.

"Does Your Excellency not know?" Wen Juan asked in surprise. "The Lin family is based in Shu Prefecture, and Shu Prefecture's silk fabrics are famous throughout the world. The brocades in the palace are all from the Lin family's business. I've also heard that the Lin family has a share in the trade with foreign countries at the border markets."

Jiang Ling immediately understood: Consort Zhao had abandoned the candle and lamp department and set her sights on the Lin family's cloth business. Before she could completely extricate herself from the candle and lamp department, the beeswax incident occurred at Lan Yue Palace.

Neither Consort Lin nor Consort Zhao fared well; they both perished in the attack.

Whoever benefits is the murderer.

Jiang Ling's heart skipped a beat, and a figure gradually appeared before his eyes.