Chapter 47 (None)

According to Consort Lin's deduction, Emperor Yuanming, herself, Consort Zhao, and Consort Liu all possessed this ability.

Emperor Yuanming should be ruled out first. He is the emperor, so there's no need to hide it or cause any trouble; he can simply issue an edict.

Consort Zhao and Consort Lin can both be considered victims, so they can be excluded with some difficulty.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ling couldn't help but be taken aback: "Could it be Consort Liu?"

However, Jiang Ling quickly composed himself and said nothing.

First, Consort Liu lacked the motivation to do these things. Although she was intelligent and capable, she ultimately had no children.

The imperial harem was cruel. A concubine without children could at most be promoted to the rank of Dowager Consort and live a life of luxury in the harem after Emperor Yuanming's death.

The new emperor added a new harem, and the retired concubines, powerless and helpless, were able to live peacefully to old age by being content with their lot.

Moreover, she needed to exert all her strength to barely surpass Consort Lin and Consort Zhao.

If the two join forces to retaliate, she estimates she will be unable to withstand it and will ultimately suffer more losses than gains.

Secondly, Consort Liu came from Mingzhou Prefecture. Her father had served as Vice Minister of Rites and had passed away ten years ago.

The Liu brothers were of different backgrounds. The elder brother entered officialdom through his father's influence and became a sub-prefect in Yanzhou Prefecture. The younger brother, who was in poor health, stayed at the old family home to care for his mother and manage the Liu family's affairs.

Her family background was considered ordinary among the concubines in the harem.

The person tasked with eliminating the Luo family must act ruthlessly and decisively. The Liu brothers live far away, making communication difficult.

Emperor Yuanming seemed unwilling to make a big fuss about Fang Sideng's death, which led to the subsequent incident involving Consort Gao.

In such a short period of time, it would be impossible to make arrangements for Zhang Sanlang so quickly unless the Liu family had a master in the capital to oversee things.

Alternatively, Consort Liu might have connections within the palace, such as the Imperial City Guard or those involved in dealing with the Imperial City's influence.

Jiang Ling couldn't understand it. If Consort Liu really had this ability, the most direct way would be to eliminate the root of the problem by killing the two princes.

Finally, even if Consort Liu is the mastermind behind it all, the benefits for her if she joins forces with Consort Lin are still unknown, but the disadvantages are obvious.

With Consort Liu overthrown, Consort Lin and Consort Zhao have no rivals in the harem. Perhaps she will be next.

Jiang Ling tried to feign shock and confusion, shaking her head and saying, "Your Majesty, I am very stupid. I really don't know who has such great abilities."

Consort Lin stared intently at her, then smiled faintly and said, "Consort Jiang is too modest. I'm not telling you this to do anything. I just want you to know who is behind this. Sister Jiang, don't blame the wrong person or help the wrong person."

Jiang Ling smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty's advice is correct. But I really don't know who it is. I've heard that when officials investigate cases, they ask the criminals why they committed the crime. For example, if someone commits murder, it might be because they made a grudge against someone, or they might steal silver or family property. I think the women in the harem, like Your Majesty and the other sisters, are all very kind and wouldn't do such a thing."

Consort Lin looked at Jiang Ling quietly and smiled slowly. She didn't continue speaking, but said, "In March, new sisters should enter the palace."

As she spoke, she stood up and said, "The Palace Administration is very busy, and Hu Shanggong is still waiting for something at Chonghua Palace. It's getting late, so I'll head back to the palace first."

The imperial harem was said to have three thousand beauties, but there were regulations regarding their ranks and numbers. There was one empress, five consorts, eighteen concubines, twenty-seven ladies-in-waiting, beauties, and talented women, and eighty-one concubines without ranks, for a total of one hundred and thirty-two.

Originally, Emperor Taizu stipulated that there would only be four ranks of imperial consorts: Noble Consort, Virtuous Consort, Wise Consort, and Wise Consort. Emperor Wenzong created the new title of Consort Chen for his beloved consort, thus increasing the number of consorts to five.

The number of people with titles depended entirely on the emperor's preferences. For example, the title of Imperial Noble Consort originated from Emperor Xuanzong of Ming's special favor towards his beloved concubine, Lady Sun.

Although Emperor Yuanming had a considerable number of women in his harem, few held official ranks. New concubines were frequently favored, and new women were selected to enter the palace each year.

If it's due to genetics, emperors all die young. Living to old age is considered treacherous, especially for emperors who can become a menace if they live too long. Having numerous concubines in the harem is, from an optimistic perspective, their early deaths are retribution.

Emperor Yuanming was weak and had to undergo a selection process every year, so he probably wouldn't live long.

Jiang Ling rose to see her off, but Consort Lin raised her hand and said, "The spring night is chilly, Sister Jiang, please stay a while."

"Your Majesty, please take care." Jiang Ling stopped and curtsied respectfully to see her off.

Consort Lin nodded in acknowledgment. Her attendants, Granny Xu and Xiuyun, lit lanterns, draped hoods over her shoulders, and escorted her away.

Aruo brought a lantern, and Wenjuan took a thick robe and draped it over Jiang Ling, saying, "Please come inside, beauty."

The stars twinkled in the sky, shimmering through the gauze curtains. Jiang Ling felt suffocated, pulled her thick coat tighter, leaned against the window frame, and gazed at the sky, saying, "I'll sit for a while; dinner will be served here later."

Wenjuan agreed, and together with Aruo, they went out, fetched charcoal to add to the incense burner, and arranged the food.

Jiang Ling ate a little, rinsed his mouth, and then walked along the corridor to digest his food.

Wen Juan glanced at Jiang Ling's expression and asked cautiously, "My beauty, has something happened?"

Even though Wen Juan was a confidante, Jiang Ling was unwilling to say more, simply stating, "It's nothing."

Wenjuan hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "This servant has not heard the Emperor summon anyone to serve him. He did not come to Fanying Pavilion tonight, so he must be preoccupied with state affairs. Please put your mind at ease, my lady."

Jiang Ling was stunned for a moment, then found it utterly absurd and couldn't help but laugh.

She was practically glued to the couch most of the time, so it's no wonder Wenjuan thought she was worried about losing favor.

"Don't say those things again. Go back inside," Jiang Ling said.

Wenjuan hurriedly replied, "Yes, this servant will go and fetch hot water for the beauty to wash up."

After returning to her room and washing up, Jiang Ling lay on the couch drinking tea, while Wen Juan sat beside her making her undergarments. Watching Wen Juan's fingers fly across the table, a thought flashed through Jiang Ling's mind, and she asked, "Wen Juan, are you familiar with Consort Liu?"

Wenjuan held the needle, pondered seriously for a moment, and said, "Consort Liu's father, Vice Minister Liu, had excellent calligraphy skills and was highly appreciated by the late Emperor, who promoted him from a junior official in the Ministry of Rites to Vice Minister. At that time, the Emperor had already been made Crown Prince, and Consort Liu was in her hometown of Mingzhou Prefecture accompanying her mother. When the late Emperor learned that Consort Liu's calligraphy was no less than that of Vice Minister Liu, he cherished her talent and betrothed her to the Emperor. Shortly after the Emperor ascended the throne, Vice Minister Liu passed away. Consort Liu was initially granted the title of Jieyu, and after giving birth to a prince, she was promoted to Consort. Consort Liu lived a secluded life and was usually quiet in the palace. This servant has never heard anything about Consort Liu."

"How did Consort Liu's prince die?" Jiang Ling asked, her mind racing.

Wenjuan said, "When Consort Liu gave birth, she suffered quite a bit, but fortunately she gave birth to the prince safely. However, the prince was weak and it was the cold winter, so he often fell ill. One night, not long after the full moon, he developed a high fever and died the next morning."

Young children are indeed prone to illness in the depths of winter, and the death of Consort Liu's son did not seem unusual.

"There are five princes and princesses in the palace who are not yet of childbearing age. The late Empress died during childbirth along with her unborn child. I heard that the child was also a prince; he was still breathing when he was born, but he died less than a day later."

Wenjuan traced a needle on her head, sighed, and said, "Consort Liu cried so much she almost fainted. She was bedridden for half a year without any improvement. Just then, the eldest princess's birth mother passed away, and seeing Consort Liu's excessive grief, the Emperor entrusted the eldest princess to her care. With the eldest princess by her side, Consort Liu's health gradually improved. The eldest princess learned to read and write, and her early education was all personally taught by Consort Liu. The eldest princess is intelligent and quick-witted, and she reads well. Her calligraphy already shows some of Consort Liu's style, surpassing even the eldest and second princes. The Emperor often praises her. He often says, 'It's a pity the eldest princess was born a girl; it would have been better if she were a prince.'"

The princesses of the Great Yin Dynasty held no real power, and those who were demoted were mostly from idle noble families. Consort Liu was not Wu Zetian, and besides, Wu Zetian returned power to the Li family in her later years, while Princess Taiping was defeated by Li Longji.

Under the constraints of etiquette and social norms, no matter how intelligent the eldest princess was, in the eyes of the scholar-officials, she was no match for a foolish prince.

Jiang Ling couldn't fathom Consort Liu's intentions and couldn't help but suspect that someone else was actually behind it all. For the moment, she couldn't figure out who it was, so she put it aside for the time being.

As the weather warms up day by day, the magnolias bloom in succession. However, on the eve of the Flower Festival on the twelfth day of the second lunar month, the supply of flowers and trees in the gardens is still insufficient.

Qin Shanggong sent several pots of orchids to Fanying Pavilion, explaining one by one: "My beauty, this is the Silver-edged Grand Tribute, and this is the Pure Heart Orchid. There should also have been the Fish and Gourd Grand Tribute, but according to the garden, the Fish and Gourd Grand Tribute froze to death last winter."

Jiang Ling examined the pink petals of the orchid, leaned closer to smell its delicate fragrance, paused upon hearing this, and said, "They're all dead? The precious fish maw tribute is all dead?"

Qin Shanggong gave a wry smile and said, "Not only are the fish and scallions being offered as tribute, but the peonies and peonies are also much less."

The Yulu Dagong and Yinbian Dagong orchids, as their names suggest, were precious orchids presented as tribute from the local area. The Huilan Suxin, with its pure white petals, is the most prized variety, its entire flower flawless and exceptionally fragrant.

Orchids bloom around April, and gardens are all cultivated in greenhouses. Even the cheapest Cymbidium goeringii costs nearly five taels of silver per pot.

Jiang Ling laughed and said, "Yuan You is really... Never mind, I can't interfere in this matter. Just report back to the Emperor truthfully. Do the other ladies in the palace have any favorite flowers, and how many are missing?"

Qin Shanggong said, "The imperial concubines mostly like orchids, so I had some spring orchids sent over. The Noble Consort only likes peonies, and the Consort De originally wanted several pots of peonies, but she disliked the 'Yao Huang' peonies because they looked pale and thin, so she had me bring them back. She didn't want any flowers at all. The Virtuous Consort, on the other hand, each chose two pots."

Jiang Ling said, "Please make do with the rest of the place. If anyone only likes orchids, take these few pots of mine. I don't mind; all the flowers in the courtyard are in bloom, and I can't possibly enjoy them all."

Seeing that Jiang Ling was friendly and easy to serve, Qin Shanggong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She pondered for a moment and said, "I heard from the servants that the newly entered Consort Duan likes orchids. They asked her if there were any large tributes of fish and goat. I will send this large tribute of silver-rimmed orchids to Cuiwei Pavilion and ask Consort Duan if she likes it."

Consort Duan was newly selected to enter the palace this year. After being favored by Emperor Yuanming, she was given the title of Consort and moved into the Cuiwei Pavilion, where Consort Li had previously lived. Emperor Yuanming summoned her to his bedchamber for three consecutive days and she was deeply favored.

Having not seen Emperor Yuanming for several days, Jiang Ling wondered to himself if the iron certificate and cinnabar edict had been forged yet.

Judging by the schedule, Jiang Wenxiu and his party should be arriving in the capital soon. Only by obtaining the iron certificate and imperial edict as soon as possible can they truly feel at ease.

Although Minister Qin spoke tactfully, Jiang Ling could tell that she was subtly reminding Emperor Yuanming that he had a new favorite.

Although Jiang Ling didn't care, she was still grateful for Qin Shangshu's kindness, so she readily agreed, "Alright, you can move out then."

Qin Shanggong carried the flowers to Cuiwei Pavilion. About half an hour later, she carried the orchids from before, and Duan Cairen followed her to Fanying Pavilion.