Chapter 32 (None)

Jiang Ling sat blankly on the bed, taking a long time to react. She subconsciously thought that Gao Cairen had either been silenced or had been added to the raging fire.

"Your Excellency is in charge of the lamps and candles. Someone from the Xiefang Pavilion has come to report to you," Wenjuan said as she helped Jiang Ling get dressed, pulling a thick hood from a trunk.

Qingwen brought the incense ball filled with charcoal into the house: "It's cold outside, my beauty, take the incense ball."

Wenjuan glanced at the incense ball, took it from her, and said, "Qingwen, go and prepare the lanterns."

Qingwen responded and left. Wenjuan tucked the incense ball under the bedding and whispered, "Consort Lin and the others should have already received the news and rushed to Xiefang Pavilion. My lady, you must hurry. I'll leave the incense ball here for now, so you don't need to do your makeup later. Qingwen was worried that you'd get cold, which was inconsiderate. Consort Gao had a dispute with you before. If you go dressed up properly, those people will gossip, and you'll just be there to laugh at us."

Jiang Ling's mind was a mess; she hadn't considered any of this at all. She hummed in response, casually tied her hair back, and went out the door.

The night sky was endless black, the lamps under the eaves were dim and the air was chilling, like thin branches whipping against your face, and every breath was filled with white mist.

Qingwen brought over a palace lantern, and Wenjuan took one. The two of them, one in front and one behind, accompanied Jiang Ling to Xiefang Pavilion.

The alley was quiet, footsteps echoed, and the lamps glowed dimly.

Jiang Ling gazed at the faint light before her, stepping on the damp bluestone, walking forward step by step, feeling a chill rise from the soles of her feet, her whole body icy cold.

If she makes one wrong step, she will become the one rushing to the funeral that night.

As they arrived at the entrance of the west courtyard, Consort Lin and her entourage arrived just then. Jiang Ling quickly stopped to greet them, nodding and saying, "Consort Jiang has also arrived. Let's go in quickly."

Jiang Ling said that she entered the courtyard with Consort Lin. She noticed that Consort Lin was not wearing any makeup, and her hair was loosely tied back. Presumably, she had received the news and rushed over.

Remembering Wen Juan's reminder, Jiang Ling secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Consort Lin had already entered the courtyard, he hurriedly lowered his head and followed her.

Consort Gao was punished by Emperor Yuanming. After she recovered, she went to the Imperial Temple to practice Buddhism. Although she lacked nothing in terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities, she was only served by two rough-working maids in the courtyard.

Two pale-faced, disheveled maids stepped forward tremblingly to pay their respects. Consort Lin walked into the side room without glancing at them, with Jiang Ling following a step behind.

The window in the side room was wide open, letting in a blast of cold air. The room was as cold as a snow cave, and the charcoal smoke had long since dissipated.

The bedroom curtains were rolled up, and Gao Cairen lay stiffly on the bed, her face flushed, as if she were asleep from being drunk.

Jiang Ling stared blankly, involuntarily recalling the scene when she saw Fang Sideng's corpse. They were both young, beautiful, and vibrant.

Silently and unexpectedly, he perished.

At this moment, footsteps sounded outside the door, and greetings rose and fell. Emperor Yuanming entered the room in front, followed by Consort Zhao and Consort Liu, along with the imperial physician on duty.

Jiang Ling was surprised by Emperor Yuanming's arrival. Coming to her senses, she greeted Consort Lin, who had been weeping unnoticed. Emperor Yuanming's face was extremely grim. His gaze lingered briefly on Consort Gao on the bed before he turned and went to the main hall.

"What's going on!" Emperor Yuanming stood in the center of the room and shouted sternly.

The maidservant outside the door hurriedly came in and knelt down. The two of them lay prostrate on the ground, trembling with fear.

A voice trembled as she reported, “Your Majesty, Consort Gao was frail, so two extra incense burners were lit in her room. I was afraid she would suffocate from the charcoal, so I left a crack in the window of the side room for ventilation before going to bed. When I got up to use the restroom at night, I saw that the window in Consort Gao's room was tightly closed. I thought the wind had blown it shut, and I was startled. I tried to push it open, but found it was bolted from the inside. I rushed back into the room, took a deep breath, and almost fainted. I struggled to open the window for ventilation. When I looked inside, Consort Gao… Consort Gao was gone…”

Another nanny said, "When I heard her shouting, I rushed over to see what was going on and shouted for a long time. It turned out that Consort Gao had indeed passed away. I didn't dare to make the decision myself, so I sent someone to inform the ladies in charge."

The imperial physician who had gone to examine her came out and reported, "Your Majesty, Consort Gao's face is blood red, which is no different from charcoal poisoning. The charcoal in the incense burner has been extinguished, and I have examined it; it is the finest silver wire charcoal."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling knew that Gao Cairen's death was now a certainty—charcoal poisoning—and that she had brought about her own demise by closing the window from the inside.

The palace maids Hongye and Lüzhi, who originally served Consort Gao, were moved to Willow Lane, and their fate is unknown. In the west wing, there was only a lowly maidservant. Emperor Yuanming ordered her to take good care of herself, and her food, clothing, and daily necessities were not reduced. The finest silver charcoal was burning in the incense burner.

The old nanny was probably not lying; initially, the window was only slightly ajar. After all, carbon monoxide poisoning takes time; initially, the person would be intoxicated, while Gao Cairen might have been conscious and called for help.

Besides Consort Gao, two unranked imperial attendants also lived in the east wing of Xiefang Pavilion. A small courtyard separated the two wing rooms, so if Consort Gao made any noise, they might hear it.

Unless Gao Cairen herself closed the window from the inside, she wouldn't have struggled to call for help. It's perfectly reasonable that the maidservant didn't notice.

Gao Cairen suffered a miscarriage, and heartbroken, she was sent to a royal temple to spend the rest of her life in seclusion. Unable to cope, she decided to end her life.

Everything sounded flawless, but Jiang Ling didn't believe it. She had questioned Gao Cairen before about why she had done that, pointing out that someone had promised her benefits, but Gao hadn't answered.

Being sent to the Imperial Temple was probably not the benefit that Gao Cairen wanted; there were other things as well.

The same goes for Fang Sideng. What kind of promises did he make to make them take such a risk, even willing to die?

Emperor Yuanming's face was gloomy. He remained silent for a moment, lowered his eyes, and said, "The servants are not doing their job properly. Drag them away and punish them according to the palace regulations."

The eunuchs immediately stepped forward and dragged the slumped-together maidservant away. Emperor Yuanming lowered his eyes and said, "After Lady Gao suffered a miscarriage, her health deteriorated, and she fell ill and died. Lady Gao was gentle and obedient in life; she shall be buried according to the rank of a concubine." With that, he strode away.

When Jiang Ling saw that Emperor Yuanming attributed the death of Consort Gao to illness following a miscarriage, he knew that the emperor did not want to cause a great commotion.

At least on the surface, the cause of Gao Cairen's death will no longer be investigated.

Consort Lin said to Consort Liu, "You are in charge of the Bureau of Ceremonies, so I'm entrusting you with the task of arranging the funeral procession and ceremonies."

Consort Liu, without any makeup, had red eyes and looked heartbroken. She nodded in agreement and said to her attendant, Granny Shi, "Go and call Consort Chen here. Quickly change her into her burial clothes and put her in the coffin."

Granny Shi sent a palace maid to deliver a message, and the west wing of the courtyard bustled with activity as people began to make arrangements for the funeral.

Consort Zhao remained silent, only dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, wiping away tears from time to time. She wore no makeup, and her usually upturned eyes drooped slightly, making her look less spirited than usual.

Consort Lin stayed for a while before leaving. Consort Zhao then greeted Consort Liu and got up to leave.

Seeing that only she and Consort Liu remained, Jiang Ling hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Highness is very busy, so I won't stay here and cause trouble. If Your Highness needs anything, just send someone to inform me."

Consort Liu looked at Jiang Ling and said gently, "I only need to give the order; the Imperial Ceremonial Bureau will take care of it. It's cold and chaotic here, Consort Jiang, please go back and rest, or you'll catch a cold."

Jiang Ling met Consort Liu's dark, unfathomable eyes, and her heart tightened for no reason. She curtsied and took her leave, and even after leaving the west courtyard, she could still feel those eyes lingering over her.

It was nearly dawn when Jiang Ling returned to Fan Ying Pavilion. He took off his clothes and went to bed, but his eyelids were sore and uncomfortable, and he couldn't fall asleep no matter what he did.

The corpses of Fang Sideng and Gao Cairen flashed before Jiang Ling's eyes. Jiang Ling involuntarily pulled the blankets tighter around herself, still feeling a chill.

At first, she thought that the little squabbles between her and Su Yue were palace intrigue, which was utterly ridiculous.

Now, Jiang Ling only hopes that he won't be unwittingly dragged into this mess and lose his life in vain.

As dawn broke, Jiang Ling dared not sleep too long. After resting for a short while, he got up. After washing up and having breakfast, he went to the storeroom.

Zhang Shanzheng directed the eunuchs to move the candles into the storeroom. When he saw Jiang Ling arrive, he stepped forward to greet her and said, "Consort Jiang has arrived. Don't worry, I have already delivered the candles owed yesterday, along with today's candles."

Jiang Ling breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Zhang Shandao dared not, so he summoned the eunuch who was checking accounts with Qiaoxin and Lanyun and said, "This is the newly appointed eunuch Wu Changgui. From now on, for matters concerning lamps and candles, Consort Jiang can consult him."

Wu Changgui was as thin as a monkey, and as clever as a monkey. He greeted her with a smile: "Beauty Jiang, Sister Qiao, Sister Lan, and I are checking the numbers. Please rest assured, Beauty Jiang, I will not be short a single wick or a single drop of oil."

Shen Yi's job has been taken over, and it seems his chances of survival are slim. Jiang Ling nodded to Wu Changgui and said politely, "Thank you for your trouble. Go ahead and get back to work."

Wu Changgui bowed and withdrew. Jiang Ling pondered for a moment and asked Zhang Shan, "After Zhong Shanggong went to the Palace Administration Office, she disappeared without a trace. Do you know how she is doing?"

Zhang Shan paused for a moment, then said with a complicated expression, "Consort Jiang, I've heard that once a palace servant steps into the Palace Administration Office, if there's no news for a day or two, they'll probably walk in and be carried out."

Jiang Ling froze, her mood as gloomy and oppressive as the sky. She simply said, "I understand."

Zhang Shan glanced at Jiang Ling's expression, said nothing more, and raised his hand to take his leave.

An unease hung over the storeroom, and the palace maids moved with extreme caution. Jiang Ling stood watching for a while, gave Qingwen and the others a few instructions, and then returned to Fanying Pavilion.

That evening, Aruo went to the kitchen to fetch food and returned in horror to tell Jiang Ling, "My lady, the head of the Imperial Treasury, Cai Wanfeng, is dead. I heard that the former steward, Cai Wanfeng's distant nephew, was also taken away and beaten to death!"

Jiang Ling tensed up and called Wen Juan and the other three to his side, sternly instructing them: "Don't go asking around or saying anything! If you cause trouble, you'll die! Wen Juan, go and carefully explain things to the officials outside. Those who aren't afraid of death, go ahead!"

Wenjuan hurried off, while Qingwen and the others looked alarmed and repeatedly agreed.

Consort Gao was buried as a beauty, and her coffin was moved into the main room of Xiefang Pavilion. A reed shed was erected in the courtyard in front of the house, and distant relatives of the imperial family and women of lower rank from outside the family came to mourn and pay their respects.

According to custom, a grand funeral ceremony was held for the concubines of the imperial harem on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month. The coffin of Consort Gao lay in state at Xiefang Pavilion for seven days before being moved to Fengxian Temple, where it was buried on an auspicious day in the imperial mausoleum. The day of the move was the twenty-third, which did not fall on a lunar month or full moon.

Although Jiang Ling and Gao Cairen had the same rank after their deaths, Jiang Ling had higher seniority and only needed to attend the memorial service during the grand funeral.

The palace was rife with intrigue, and everyone acted with extreme caution. Jiang Ling, in particular, was careful in his words and actions, adhering strictly to rules and etiquette, preferring to have none rather than compromise on quality.

The day before the transfer of the body, Jiang Ling got up in the afternoon to prepare to offer incense.

As soon as he stepped out the door, he met the eunuch of the Chuigong Hall. He stepped forward to greet him and said, "Consort Jiang, the Emperor summons you."

Jiang Ling went to Qionghua Pavilion first. Emperor Yuanming looked her up and down and frowned, saying, "What are you doing dressed like that? Who told you to wear mourning clothes for her?"

"Your Majesty, I am not in mourning. Tomorrow the coffin will be moved, and I will go to offer incense," Jiang Ling said.

Emperor Yuanming pointed to the brocade stool, gesturing for her to sit down, and said, "She wronged you when she was alive, yet you are so magnanimous."

Jiang Ling said modestly, but thought to himself, "It's not a big deal if too many rituals lead to death. It's a rare opportunity to observe the scale of a funeral after death, so of course I have to go."

Emperor Yuanming was speechless and choked with emotion. Too lazy to listen to her incessant chatter, he said, "Since you haven't chosen a lamp master for the Lamp and Candle Office yet, you should be in charge of the Imperial Bedchamber Bureau. You should be able to find someone satisfactory from the vast Imperial Bedchamber Bureau."

Jiang Ling's eyes widened, and he froze in place.

Whoever benefits is the murderer.

Now, Emperor Yuanming has put her in charge of the entire Imperial Bedchamber Bureau, and she has become the beneficiary!