Chapter 104 The Death of Consort Xian

Within Kyoto, if one were to rank first among the most luxurious and extravagant places, aside from the recently shut-down Wuji Cinema, the Secret Pavilion would be the next most prestigious. Located in Chongren Ward in the southeast of the city, this pavilion, though situated in a bustling marketplace, possessed an air of refined elegance. The five-bay, three-story vermilion building gleamed brilliantly under the sun, so dazzling that it was almost blinding.

As dusk approached and the city lights began to twinkle, the Milou building stood majestically amidst the rosy glow of the sunset, exuding an air of grandeur.

As soon as Liang Ye's carriage came to a stop at the side gate, a waiter in a blue robe and small hat stepped forward, bowing and saying, "Greetings, Lord Liang. Number three is ready." Liang Ye lifted the curtain, casually tossed him a few taels of silver, and smiled, "What new dishes do you have today?"

The youngest son accepted the reward money, his smile deepening: "We just brought back several baskets of sea crabs from Huainan today. I specially prepared a bowl of snow crab soup for you, Lord Shaoqing. It is made with crab meat mixed with hibiscus petals, and it is the most exquisite dish."

Upon hearing this, Liang Ye felt quite regretful: "That's unfortunate. My wife is pregnant, and I'm afraid she can't eat these cold foods."

The young boy peeked inside and saw a beautiful woman sitting beside Liang Ye, her head bowed and her belly slightly protruding. He quickly bowed and apologized, "I will have the kitchen prepare a new order, one that Madam Liang can use."

"Thank you for your trouble." Liang Ye smiled faintly and lowered the soft curtain.

The carriage entered the inner courtyard through the side gate, and Shanhe was helped alight by Liang Ye. As soon as they stepped out, they saw a hidden paradise within the courtyard. White stones paved the ground, and winding corridors stretched out. The entire east wall was a brick-built fishpond, where dozens of koi swam. Shanhe passed by the pond, her flowing robes attracting the fish to dart about. Liang Ye, while leading Shanhe up to the third floor, chuckled, “The secret of this secret building lies in its secrecy. Even the passageway we’re currently walking through is only accessible to officials and their families; ordinary people have no idea such an entrance exists.”

Shanhe was secretly surprised when he heard this.

The two arrived at room number three in the "Heaven" section, pushed open the sliding door, and saw that the four treasures of the study (writing brush, ink stick, inkstone, and paper) were prepared on the sandalwood table by the window, and several volumes of thread-bound books with blue cloth covers were stacked beside it. Shanhe couldn't help but ask, "Is this a restaurant? It seems more like a place for studying."

Liang Ye stood behind her, his eyes lowered as he looked at her thick, black hair and the snow-white skin on the back of her neck. He couldn't help but hug her from behind, gently biting her earlobe and kissing his way down to Shanhe's lips. He said in a low voice, "Hmm... the person who introduced you to him today is a scholar."

"A scholar?" Shanhe asked suspiciously, dodging his kiss.

Before Liang Ye could answer, footsteps sounded outside the door. Cheng An stood under the eaves and bowed, saying, "Mr. Cui has arrived." As he spoke, a lean old man slowly walked in, wearing a slightly worn indigo robe and a yellow silk sash around his waist, exuding a simple and refined air.

"Mr. Wenzhai," Liang Ye straightened his clothes and bowed, "Thank you for coming."

Cui Wenzhai returned the greeting with a smile, his gaze lightly falling on Shanhe: "This must be Madam Xue? Indeed, she possesses the elegance of a woman from the countryside."

Shanhe bowed and made a gesture of respect.

After the three of them were seated as host and guest, Cui Wenzhai stroked his beard and said to Liang Ye, "Jichen wrote this letter to me this time, is it to write a biography for this lady?"

Liang Ye turned to look at the astonished Shanhe, gave her a reassuring smile, and then personally poured wine for Mr. Cui Wenzhai, saying with a smile, "Sir, you are wise. Although my wife comes from a humble background, she is virtuous and kind. When our ancestors were alive, we relied entirely on her to serve us day and night and accompany us in our old age. Therefore, I am asking you today to write her biography to record her good deeds and set an example for future generations."

Shanhe stood there stunned, her hands on her knees twisting nervously.

Upon hearing him mention Old Master Liang's name, Cui Wenzhai sighed, "If the old master were still alive, it would be perfect if he personally wrote the preface." Cui Wenzhai took the wine cup, "Jichen, aren't you planning to have a biography written in history? You want His Majesty to see this 'Biography of Lady Xue' and then bestow a marriage upon you two?"

Liang Ye, having seen through his thoughts, blushed slightly and said with a shy smile, "To be honest, my wife comes from a humble background, and according to the rites, it is difficult for us to have a proper marriage."

"Even if the entrance fee is a bit lower, it doesn't matter—"

“His father was a student of my ancestor, Xue Yin, the former Sima of Jinling,” Liang Ye interrupted Cui Wenzhai.

"Xue Yin?" Cui Wenzhai stroked his beard, pondering, and slowly recalled the name. "That traitor?"

Shanhe's heart sank heavily, her knuckles clenched tightly, turning slightly white. Under the table, Liang Ye quietly took her hand and gently squeezed the back of it soothingly.

Liang Ye continued, "It is precisely because this matter is difficult that I have troubled you with your help, sir." He called out, "Cheng'an."

Shortly after, Cheng An entered carrying a long box. Liang Ye opened the brocade box and saw a scroll inside. He carefully took it out and slowly unfurled it; it was a piece of calligraphy. Liang Ye lowered his eyes and said, "This is a legacy from my ancestors. If you don't mind, sir, please accept it. I have also prepared a fee for the calligraphy; please accept it without hesitation."

Upon seeing Old Master Liang's calligraphy, Cui Wenzhai's old eyes suddenly brightened. He tremblingly reached out and touched the elegant characters, and when he looked up again, tears welled up in his cloudy eyes: "Decades have passed... Since we parted in the capital, I haven't seen your grandfather for decades. Now we are separated by life and death, but I never thought I would see his calligraphy again in this lifetime!"

Taking advantage of the situation, Liang Ye presented the scroll, saying, "My grandfather specifically instructed me before his death that this scroll should be given to a kindred spirit."

Cui Wenzhai looked at the scroll for a long time before sighing, "There are only three things to write a biography for a woman: chastity, filial piety, and righteous deeds. Even one of these is enough to write a biography. If all three are present, then writing a book is also possible."

Liang Ye hurriedly said, "That's exactly right." He secretly patted Shanhe's hand, then turned to Cui Wenzhai and said, "Please hear me out, sir. Since Xue Yin was convicted, my wife, Shanhe, was made a government slave. Fortunately, my grandfather rescued her and took her to Mizhou. Shanhe has always been grateful. Two years ago, I was focused on the imperial examinations, and my younger brother, Liang Shao, was not interested in household affairs. It was entirely thanks to her that my grandfather was cared for, without any complaints! It was also Shanhe who saw him off in his final days. At that time, my grandfather was critically ill, and I personally saw Shanhe use her hands as a basin to receive his vomit, without even twitching her brow. In my humble opinion, this can be called filial piety and brotherly love."

Cui Wenzhai stroked his beard and said, "With your connection to me, sir, it's not in vain."

Shanhe quickly lowered his head and said respectfully, "This is my duty, and I dare not take credit for it."

Liang Ye smiled and said, "I'm not trying to take credit, I'm just recording the facts." He continued, "After my grandfather passed away, we fell in love, and she followed me north to the capital. Because of our different social statuses, she only served as my maid. At the end of last year, I was invited by the second son of Mr. Ouyang Wensheng to a banquet at Wuyou Garden in the capital region, where I was unwittingly involved in a debt dispute at Wuji Market. During the event, I was seriously injured and nearly died. I was only saved by Shanhe risking her life."

Hearing him deliberately omit the fact that she and Liang Shao had become husband and wife, Shanhe felt a pang of bitterness well up in her heart. She bit her lip, quietly turning her face to the side, unable to resist recalling the times she had spent with Liang Shao. But as she thought about it, anger inexplicably rose again, and as she grew angry, tears inexplicably welled up. She herself didn't understand why, now, whenever she thought of Liang Shao, even the most beautiful memories could stir up resentment and make her secretly angry with him. After a while, the anger would subside, but a painful bitterness would always return, and she couldn't help but want to cry.

Just then, Liang Ye was recounting how Shanhe had hidden him in the lotus pond to escape pursuit. Because he was seriously injured, Shanhe had walked three or four miles round trip to find a cart, supporting him onto it with her slender back and leading him to a farmhouse for lodging. Seeing Shanhe secretly wiping away tears, he couldn't help but chuckle, putting his arm around Shanhe's shoulder and saying gently, "It's all in the past, why are you crying?"

Cui Wenzhai listened intently to this passage, and seeing how sensitive and sentimental Shanhe was, he couldn't help but sigh, "I never imagined that Lady Xue, with her delicate and frail appearance, would be such a strong and resilient person. She is truly a rare find in this world. This passage alone is enough to earn her a place in history."

Liang Ye laughed and said, "There's more to come. She even dared to draw her knife and almost killed someone."

Cui Wenzhai gasped: "But those thugs are chasing us again?" He couldn't help but want to hear more.

Just as Liang Ye was about to speak, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside. Immediately afterward, Cheng An stood under the corridor, his voice urgent: "Lord Shaoqing, Eunuch Mi from the palace has sent word that Her Highness has started bleeding, and the imperial physician and midwife have been summoned to Zhongcui Palace!" Liang Ye frowned. Calculating the time, Consort Xian's due date was still eight or nine days away, so it was understandable that she was going into labor now. However, with the Emperor's visit to Shanglin Garden, everyone from the Meng and Shi families was attending to her, and Consort Xian had nowhere else to turn for help, so naturally she came to him.

Liang Ye hurriedly stood up and said apologetically to Cui Wenzhai, "Mr. Wenzhai, I'm afraid I'm..."

Cui Wenzhai laughed and said, "It's alright, you may go into the palace now."

Liang Ye bowed again, then turned to Shan He: "You stay here and have your meal with Mr. Wen Zhai. Huai Feng is here too. After you finish eating, you and Huai Feng can come to the palace."

"Me too, enter the palace?"

Liang Ye nodded: “Now that the six palaces are with the Emperor, and even the Consort is not in the palace. The Empress is about to give birth, so things must be hectic. You are already quite heavy-hearted; if you go now, you might be disturbed, which would be unwise. After we finish eating, I should also take care of Consort Xian's affairs. Then you can go and keep the Empress company.” Having said this, Liang Ye bowed deeply to Cui Wenzhai before hurriedly leaving. As soon as he reached the corridor, he instructed: “Huaifeng, stay and accompany Lady Xue. Cheng'an, you come with me to the palace. Chengmin—” He paused, “and call another servant to bring Caixiang and Caiping to accompany Lady Xue; they can all enter the palace together later.”

Having given these instructions, Liang Ye immediately went downstairs, mounted his horse, and headed straight for the palace.

Inside Zhongcui Palace, candlelight flickered, and palace maids shuttled back and forth carrying copper basins. As soon as Liang Ye stepped through the palace gates, he smelled a strong stench of blood. Eunuch Mi, pacing back and forth in the corridor, saw Liang Ye and hurried over: "Oh, Lord Liang, you've finally arrived! I was so worried!"

Liang Ye asked in a deep voice, "What's wrong? Is Her Majesty alright?"

Eunuch Mi said with a bitter face, "That's exactly why we invited you, sir, to come and oversee things!"

Liang Ye frowned: "What exactly happened?"

Eunuch Mi said, "This afternoon, after Her Majesty's nap, I helped her stroll in the Imperial Garden, and a few palace maids bumped into her. It wasn't a big deal; Her Majesty didn't fall, just scraped her stomach. She was fine then, but after resting for about an hour, she suddenly complained of stomach pain. The imperial physician came and said she was going into labor. Everything else was fine, but the bleeding was all black blood! The continuous bleeding has panicked the Imperial Hospital; if it doesn't stop, I'm afraid..."

"Has the bleeding stopped?" Liang Ye asked anxiously.

"It's stopped, it's stopped, but it just won't stop. We remember that Your Majesty was always healthy and well-cared for during your pregnancy, so it's impossible that you would have such a massive hemorrhage, let alone black blood!"

Liang Ye pondered, "Eunuch, please select two people to take the Zhongcui Palace token and quickly go to Shanglin Garden to invite His Majesty and the Imperial Concubine! The palace is in chaos right now, so please coordinate the manpower, assigning tasks such as boiling water, changing water, and serving in the palace. There must be no mistakes. Also, find some people to guard the palace gates and prevent outsiders from entering. Nothing can be done wrong. I will immediately send my servant to find a physician to enter the palace." He paused, "Oh, and leave two people behind to keep watch secretly, lest any malicious person take advantage of the chaos to enter the inner palace and offend the Empress and the young prince."

Eunuch Mi accepted the order and left. Liang Ye stood alone under the corridor, choosing a stone step to sit on. Dusk was approaching, and a pale moon hung above the glazed tiles. Behind him came the piercing screams from the inner palace, enveloping the entire Zhongcui Palace. Palace maids and eunuchs came and went, basin after basin of bloody water. He heard the Empress's roars, the palace maids' cries, but heard no echo of new life.

Liang Ye felt a pang of worry. The best-case scenario, and what he most hoped for, was for both mother and child to be safe. They had to survive, and it had to be a prince. He clenched his fists tightly.

But the birthing process was still not over. Liang Ye and the others grew impatient and grabbed a palace maid: "Not done yet?"

The palace maid cried, trembling, "It was a... a difficult childbirth, and then a massive hemorrhage. When Her Majesty pushed, what came out wasn't the baby, but blood..."

Just then, a baby's cry came from inside, followed by bursts of crying and laughing.

Shanhe was helping Caixiang and Caiping into Zhongcui Palace. As soon as they stepped into the palace gate, they heard a loud shout from inside: "It's a baby boy!" Zhang Fengliang, who was following behind, couldn't help but show joy when he heard this.

Seeing the two approaching from afar, Liang Ye lifted his robe and walked closer, taking Shanhe's arm: "Shanshan, go in and keep the Empress company."

Shanhe glanced at the tightly closed inner hall door and nodded.

Liang Ye patted her back: "Go." He then whispered, "You must hold the little prince at all times, and never give him to anyone else. If anything happens, have Cai Xiang come out and tell them. Do you understand?"

Shanhe responded softly, then helped Caixiang and Caiping into the inner hall.

The stench of blood lingered in the hall. Five or six imperial physicians, kneeling behind a screen, rose to offer their congratulations. Shanhe hurriedly turned the screen aside and saw blood splattered on the floor tiles of the bedchamber. Two matrons were washing the prince's body, while a palace maid knelt on the ground wiping away the blood. The rest of the people were gradually retreating. Only Consort Xian lay on the bed, staring intently at the prince.

Shanhe stepped forward and gave a slight bow. Consort Xian had not spoken for a long time. She slowly blinked and moved her lips, signaling Shanhe to stand up.

After the little prince was washed and wrapped in swaddling clothes, Consort Xian spoke weakly and hoarsely, "Give her... to hold." She pointed to Shanhe.

Shanhe quickly took the child and brought him to Consort Xian's side. The baby cried loudly, its voice echoing throughout the hall. Upon seeing this little life that was by no means beautiful, Consort Xian's tears streamed down her face.

"It's so...noisy..." she said with difficulty.

Only a vigorous life force can create a commotion.

With tears in her eyes, Shanhe lifted Consort Xian's hand and gently touched the child's head with her fingertips.

The little prince is still crying.

Shanhe was also crying.

Only the virtuous concubine smiled faintly.

The more the little prince cried, the paler Consort Xian's face became. It was as if the child was devouring his mother's life to sustain himself.

"Why are you crying too...?" Consort Xian smiled faintly, "Xue, you're back."

With tears in her eyes, Shanhe said, "I am crying with joy."

Consort Xian's voice grew slower and slower: "I'm happy too. I heard that A-Ye is going to marry you... That's wonderful..."

Shanhe nodded, forcing herself to hold back her tears.

"Then... what about Liang Shao..." Consort Xian's lips curled slightly.

Shanhe stared in astonishment.

"I am not a fool... about your affairs..." Consort Xian looked at her calmly, "Don't let those two brothers... be at odds... If my son ascends the throne... please have A'ye assist him... If someone else succeeds... please have Liang Shao take my son away from the palace... don't let him... also die in the palace..."

"Your Highness, what are you saying! If you have something to say, just tell them yourself!"

"The full moon banquet... the first birthday banquet... are all excellent opportunities for marriage... You must earn a reputation for virtue and make a name for yourself..."

"Your Majesty! Please rest! Don't worry anymore!" Shanhe choked with sobs.

The Virtuous Consort ignored her: "Only then can you earn the opportunity for a bestowed marriage... A-Ye will contact the court officials to submit a memorial... Ah, originally, the young prince and I would also submit a memorial for you..." She paused, then murmured, "How wonderful, Lady Xue. If only someone loved me like this, vied for me... and planned my future..."

Consort Xian suddenly asked, "Have my parents arrived yet?"

Upon hearing just this one sentence, Shanhe was heartbroken, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Even with one's own flesh and blood in one's arms, when facing death, one's thoughts are still most for one's parents.

Shanhe hurriedly said, "They'll be here soon! Your Highness, please wait a little longer, they'll be here soon!"

"Very well..." Consort Xian slowly exhaled, "Even on her deathbed, she wouldn't let me see my parents..."

"This damned place..."

Shanhe hurriedly turned around to look inside the hall. Apart from Caixiang and Caiping, there were only a few of the Consort Xian's personal maids, all of whom were busy with their heads down, as if they could not hear what she was saying.

Just then, a commotion broke out outside, and Liang Ye shouted, "Who dares to trespass into Zhongcui Palace!" Immediately afterward, it sounded as if weapons were clashing. Shanhe quickly hugged the child in her arms tightly.

"With Shaoqing here, there's no problem..." Consort Xian held Shanhe's hand, "Since Father and Mother aren't here, I can only tell you... Remember to tell my son what kind of person his mother is..."

Shanhe's face was already streaked with tears. She nodded vigorously and pulled the little prince in her arms closer to Consort Xian: "Your Highness, the little prince is listening too."

Then, Consort Xian smiled and spoke slowly and softly: "Consort Xian of Zhongcui Palace, Mengchi Garden..."