Cui Wan couldn't bear it
Outside Chaoyang Palace, Sui Zhixu held the list of imperial concubines in her hand. She had just stepped out of the threshold and was turning to walk towards the palace in the northwest corner when a charming voice called out from behind her.
"Ah Xu!"
The woman in the distance jogged a little, her red ruqun skirt fluttering in the wind like a dazzling firework in the summer, bright and eye-catching.
"Ah Wan." Sui Zhixu turned around, and it was indeed Cui Wan. Accompanying her was Chu Shiguan, the second son of the Chu family.
She had a bit of a headache. Ayan said that she had severed ties with Alian because of Xi Yushao, and she had just returned to deal with the Pei family's affairs, so she hadn't met with her yet.
"I'm here to see Sister-in-law Chaoyang. Where's Ah Xu?" Cui Wan's words were evasive, clearly indicating that she had ulterior motives.
"I heard that Sister-in-law Chaoyang gave you a princess's decree ordering you to investigate the case of the female official." Seeing her indifferent gaze, Cui Wan spoke very quickly.
He started stammering halfway through his sentence.
"Oh dear, let's see if we can help." Chu Shiguan stood next to Cui Wan and quickly said when he saw that Cui Wan couldn't get to the point.
He remained silent, and knowing that Xu hadn't paid much attention to him, he nodded upon hearing this.
"Keep up."
As Sui Zhixu turned and walked forward, Puyang Kai silently followed a step behind her.
"Where is my wife going? She looks like she's heading to the northwest corner." Chu Shiguan hopped over to Sui Zhixu's side, a smile on his face revealing his clean rabbit teeth.
Before Sui Zhixu could answer, Puyang Kai raised his folding fan to cover Chu Shiguan's face and smiled, "Young Master Chu, men and women should not touch each other. You seem to be getting a little too close to my junior sister. It is against the rules."
Chu Shiguan was stopped, looked up at Puyang Kai, pulled down his folding fan, and his gaze lingered between the two of them. He asked in confusion, "Don't you two need to get so close?"
"You're joking. My teacher instructed me to take good care of my junior sister." Puyang Kai spoke gently, which made Chu Shiguan seem somewhat impetuous.
"Is that so? Okay. Then I'll move further away." Chu Shiguan scratched his head and reluctantly took a few steps back.
He knew that Puyang Kai was the newly appointed top scholar, a disciple of Cong Xiang, and also considered a member of his wife's family. He couldn't be too rash or unreasonable, and couldn't leave a bad impression on him.
Puyang Kai smiled and nodded. He probably knew what Chu Shiguan was thinking; it was all written on his face.
Good, very sensible, easy to deal with.
Although the young master was indifferent to him, he seemed to dislike the somewhat eccentric Xi Langjun even more, especially since he had caused the young master to fall off a cliff, and the simple and innocent Chu Erlang in front of him.
Thinking of this, Puyang Kai smiled and followed.
On the other side, Sui Zhixu walked forward without saying a word. Cui Wan mustered her courage many times, but each time she saw her indifferent profile, she lost her courage again.
The incessant chatter of Chu Shiguan in her ear only made her more annoyed. "Chu Shiguan, just shut up."
"? Me." Chu Shiguan looked bewildered. He had only just said a few words.
Cui Wan glared at him, and Chu Shiguan opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
"May I ask, young master of Puyang, is there any connection between the Northwest Corner Dowager and the Pei family case?"
After hesitating for a long time, Cui Wan still didn't ask Sui Zhixu. She turned to look at Puyang Kai, who seemed easy to talk to.
"There is some." Puyang Kai glanced at Sui Zhixu's expression from the shadows and briefly described the matter of Minister Lu.
"The Lu family actually tortured Sanlang?" Cui Wan's eyes flickered as she muttered to herself, "No wonder I was so flustered when I saw Ayan."
Cui Wan suddenly grabbed the hand of the person next to her, completely forgetting the thoughts that had just flashed through her mind, "What about A-Lian? How is A-Lian? The Lu family is petty and hates her so much, did they torture her too? A-Lian is too weak to withstand the caning at the Dali Temple."
“She’s alright. I’ve already warned Minister Lu that they’re safe for now.” Sui Zhixu’s gaze fell on Cui Wan’s hand resting on her arm, her fingers trembling slightly.
Cui Wan breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, that's good."
Thinking about where they were going next, she added, "Wouldn't it be too late to alert them if we went now?"
Sui Zhixu waved the list in his hand. "First, go find the female official in charge of the Dowager Consorts. The Empress Dowager's birthday is coming soon. As fellow concubines of the late Emperor, the Empress Dowager pities the Dowager Consorts in the palace, and the princess is there to relieve their worries. She specially sent me to check if the Dowager Consorts are well."
The palace is full of people and eyes, and the person talking to Minister Lu may not necessarily be a concubine; it could also be a palace maid.
“Yes, we came because Sister-in-law Chaoyang was coming.” Cui Wan patted her chest. She had never done anything like this before and was a little nervous. Thinking of Pei Qinglian in prison and Ning Yan who was anxious, she clenched her hands and tried to calm herself down.
As the only young woman of the Chu and Cui families in this generation, after Chaoyang and Chu Shize's wedding, Chaoyang treated her very well, even allowing her to freely enter and leave the palace.
She was quite familiar with things in the palace, and nudged Chu Shiguan with her elbow, saying, "Stop grinning like an idiot. You and Puyang Langjun will be keeping watch in the pavilion in the distance. The Dowager Consort in the northwest corner lives in seclusion in the palace all year round and rarely sees anyone. Don't let you scare them."
Chu Shiguan immediately stopped laughing and hurriedly straightened his clothes. Cui Wan rolled her eyes at him. This time, he realized that Cui Wan was talking and quickly responded.
Unaware of their playful antics, they arrived at the northwest corner palace of Xingqing Palace.
Only half of the characters on the plaque at the palace entrance remained, and the vermilion lacquer on the palace gates was peeling off in a rustling sound.
The trumpet creeper climbing the palace wall reached straight into the sky, piling up in large patches on the top of the wall. The top of the wall could not bear such weight and even tilted slightly.
The palace gates were tightly shut, and Cui Wan knocked on the door for a long time but no one answered.
Is anyone there?
“It looks like nobody’s here.” Sui Zhixu raised an eyebrow.
Cui Wan shook her head in confusion, "How could that be? Since Sister-in-law Chaoyang took over the management of the inner palace, she has rarely left her post without permission."
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a head cautiously peeked out from inside. Meeting Sui Zhixu's emotionless eyes, the head recoiled in fright and took a few steps back.
Following the crack she opened in the door, Sui Zhixu opened the palace gate of Xingqing Palace.
"Who are you all, and what brings you to Xingqing Palace?"
Sui Zhixu raised the princess's token, looked at her freckled face, and said, "With the Empress Dowager's birthday approaching, I am here on the princess's orders to extend my greetings to the imperial concubines. May I ask where the female official in charge of the imperial concubines is?"
"This servant greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be well." The freckled palace maid saw the golden princess's decree and quickly bowed.
After standing up, she said tremblingly, "Reporting to my lady, Aunt Cao Bai has gone out."
The sound was extremely faint, like the buzzing of a mosquito.
"She went out? Where did she go? As the lady-in-waiting in charge of the Empress Dowager's food, clothing, and accommodations at Xingqing Palace, where could she have gone? When did she leave? How long has it been since she returned?"
Cui Wan's words came out one after another like firecrackers, and the palace maid shrank back in fear, speaking even softer.
“This servant does not know where Aunt Cao Bai went. When she went out last night, this servant asked her, and Aunt Cao Bai told this servant not to worry about it.”
Faced with Cui Wan's questioning, she lowered her head desperately, as if trying to merge her jaw and chest into one.
Cui Wan was furious and waved her hand, telling her to leave.
Hearing the commotion, some of the imperial concubines and palace maids in Xingqing Palace came out of their rooms and peeked out from behind the palace pillars, whispering among themselves.
"Wait a moment." Sui Zhixu glanced around the palace and called out to the palace maid who was about to leave.
She took a deep breath and cautiously asked, "Is there anything else you need me to do, my lady?"
"What's your name?" Sui Zhixu asked casually. She looked quite old; Sui Zhixu guessed she was in her late twenties.
She was a little stunned, but quickly replied, "My name is Tao Li."
"The peach of the peach tree, the plum of the plum tree?"
Tao Li: "No, it's the 'Tao' of pottery and the 'Li' of separation."
"I see, I was narrow-minded." Sui Zhixu nodded in sudden realization.
Tao Li looked puzzled, not understanding why the elegantly dressed woman in green in front of her suddenly asked her name.
"Tao Li, how many concubines are there in Xingqing Palace, and how many palace maids and eunuchs are there?" Sui Zhixu picked up the list to check the accounts.
Tao Li knew all this, and answered softly, "Xingqing Palace has four imperial concubines, thirty-two palace maids, and eighteen eunuchs."
Sui Zhixu closed the list and said, "Then you can call them out."
Tao Li looked up, "This servant..."
Cui Wan curled the corners of her lips, her tone unfriendly, "What? Why are you taking so long to call someone?"
"This servant wouldn't dare, this servant will go right now." Tao Li hurriedly called people from inside the house, and soon the dilapidated but still tidy courtyard was filled with people.
Cui Wan counted the number of people, and it was indeed correct. She wondered who the "wife" Puyang Kai was talking about was.
Could it be Aunt Cao Bai, the female official Tao Li mentioned? But she's not here, which doesn't make sense, since they only made the decision today.
Sui Zhixu addressed the Dowager Consorts, saying, “I am sorry to trouble you all. With the Empress Dowager’s birthday approaching and a problem arising among the palace ladies-in-waiting, the Princess specially sent us to offer our condolences. I did not expect that the ladies-in-waiting serving you would dare to neglect their duties. This matter will definitely be reported to Her Highness the Princess and they will be severely punished.”
The four imperial concubines are not very old. Those who have not borne children for the late emperor and are still alive were basically selected by the emperor in the last few years before his death. The four women have different appearances, but one can still vaguely see their good looks when they were young.
The late emperor continued this practice from the previous dynasty, requiring that neither empresses nor ministers be flawed in appearance, and preferring those with superior looks.
The four women were all supported by their maids. Years of seclusion had worn away their vitality, and they were all silent and sullen.
No one paid any attention to Sui Zhixu, but she didn't care. She hadn't come specifically to comfort them. Her gaze was fixed on the butterfly that landed on the trumpet creeper. It rested for a moment and then flew over the palace wall.
"The Empress Dowager will be hosting a banquet for her birthday. Please wait a moment while the ladies-in-waiting from the Imperial Wardrobe will be there shortly."
Hearing Sui Zhixu speak, Cui Wan moved closer to her and whispered, "Really?"
As Xu Yingsheng knew, what she said was true. When she went to Chaoyang Palace to ask for the list, Princess Chaoyang remembered that the Empress Dowager's birthday was approaching, so she simply invited the imperial concubines out to make a fuss.
The Empress Dowager's birthday is two months away, and by then the Pei family's affairs should be resolved. The palace needs more activity, so Princess Chaoyang generously arranged for the Imperial Clothing Bureau to prepare new clothes for the several imperial concubines.
"Us?"
After Xu finished speaking, the others finally reacted, exchanging glances, and ultimately one of the imperial concubines spoke up to ask a question.
Sui Zhixu nodded slightly, "Of course."
They visibly cheered; for so many years, they had been confined to Xingqing Palace, praying for the late emperor's well-being.
They were fortunate to have survived because the Empress Dowager abolished the practice of funerary sacrifice. For many years, they were trapped here praying for blessings, never expecting that one day they would be able to get out.
"Do any of the Dowager Consorts know the whereabouts of Lady Cao? The Dowager Consorts were living in seclusion in Xingqing Palace to pray for the late Emperor, and they will need Lady Cao's assistance in going out to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday." Seeing their happiness, Sui Zhixu suddenly spoke up.
The group exchanged bewildered glances. "What does this mean? Can't we go out without her?"
The Empress Dowager's words were harsh, clearly directed at Sui Zhixu.
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