Hanxiang quickly made up her mind and hurriedly called over Yinlingzi, who was beside her, to ask if the Emperor had said where he would sleep tonight.
Yinlingzi shook her head, and Hanxiang made up her mind: tonight she would announce that she had caught a cold and was unable to serve the emperor, and that Hanxiang would come into the palace to serve her after nightfall.
Although Yinlingzi didn't know what her princess wanted to do, she would naturally do as the princess instructed.
The Emperor was still in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, reviewing memorials, when he realized it was almost time for dinner when his eyes started to feel tired.
He pinched his brow, rubbed the corner of his eye, and called out, "Li Yu."
"Yes, Your Majesty, what are your orders?" Li Yu, who had been dozing off by the pillar next to him, rubbed his face vigorously and went inside when he heard the Emperor call him.
"Serve the meal." The Emperor glanced at Li Yu, who seemed to be getting lazier and lazier the more he served, no longer reminding him to eat on time.
Li Yu received a glare from the Emperor and immediately realized that it was time for dinner. Instead of coming over to say something, he said, "This servant deserves to die. I'll go and make the arrangements right away."
The emperor had barely sat down for his dinner when someone from the Imperial Household Department came to ask him something. Without thinking, the emperor immediately said it was Consort Xiang.
The young eunuch who arrived said tremblingly, "Consort Xiang said she caught a cold today and is unable to serve the Emperor." The young eunuch was afraid that these noble ladies would take their anger out on him.
"Oh? Did you send the imperial physician over to take a look?" The emperor paused in his meal and turned to look at Li Yu.
Li Yu hurriedly said, "I heard that Baoyuelou has invited Physician Li from the Imperial Hospital, who said that there is nothing serious, just a cold. Your Majesty's health is the most important thing."
"Hmm, then go... never mind, I'll stay at Yangxin Hall tonight." The Emperor waved his hand, dismissing the eunuch. He himself didn't know where to go. Going to Yanxi Palace, he felt that he no longer had the same feelings for Consort Ling as before.
Go to Kunning Palace, but I always feel like I'm not well received there. The Empress seems to ignore him, going about her business as usual, and even reverting to her virtuous and gentle ways, generously advising him to rest in the palaces of the younger concubines.
Since he couldn't get any favors or be liked anywhere, he might as well just stay in the Hall of Mental Cultivation and review memorials.
The young eunuch respectfully withdrew, patting his chest in lingering fear and wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
*
As night fell, Yinlingzi quietly entered the inner palace, just as Hanxiang was still awake.
Princess Yinlingzi did not light any lamps after entering; she simply called out softly.
"Come in." Hanxiang heard Yinlingzi's voice and let her in.
"Since the Emperor isn't coming tonight, take off your clothes and switch with me," Hanxiang said seriously, her expression quite solemn.
Although Yinlingzi was puzzled, she did as the princess said.
After changing into a palace maid's clothes, Hanxiang lowered her head and left Baoyue Tower, heading straight for Cining Palace. Looking at the majestic Cining Palace, Hanxiang felt a little nervous.
Moreover, if the princess or the Empress Dowager had already retired for the night, her arrival would disturb them, and the entire Cining Palace would likely be alarmed.
As Hanxiang paced back and forth at the door, unsure of what to do, she happened to run into Xingxing, who was about to leave the palace.
When Xingxing heard someone call her, she turned around and looked at the clothes. It seemed to be someone from Baoyuelou, but when she got closer, she found that it was actually Consort Xiang.
"Is the noble lady visiting Cining Palace so late at night to see the princess?" Although Xingxing didn't know what had happened, she knew that the Noble Lady Xiang was definitely not here to see the Empress Dowager.
If the intention was to see the Empress Dowager, they should have waited until the next day, or they should have knocked on the door earlier. Instead, they stopped her at the door.
"Yes, I have something very important to tell the princess. Has the princess rested?" Hanxiang asked nervously.
"No, Princess said that there might be someone waiting for me at the palace gate, so I came out to take a look." Xingxing then looked as if she suddenly realized that the princess had already anticipated that Consort Xiang would come. "Please come in, Consort Xiang." Xingxing politely invited Consort Xiang inside.
Hanxiang also looked surprised. She hadn't expected the princess to anticipate her coming to Cining Palace to see her late at night. Instantly, she felt she had made the right decision.
As soon as Hanxiang arrived at Cining Palace, she felt that the chill on her body had dissipated a lot. Although it was not as cold as when the snow had just fallen or when the snow was melting, it was still late at night and the dew was heavy.
And so, with Xingxing leading her, Hanxiang was taken directly to Anke's bedroom.
Meanwhile, Anke was sitting at the table, having prepared flower tea and pastries, and was waiting for Hanxiang to arrive.
Upon seeing Hanxiang, Anke immediately stood up to greet her, saying, "It's so late and the dew is so heavy, it's really kind of you to come all this way. Have a cup of herbal tea first to ward off the chill. I have a general idea of what you want to say, so there's no rush."
Hanxiang finally calmed down and sat on the stool, sipping the flower tea from Anke. Everyone said that the flower tea from Anke was the best in the palace.
While seated, she glanced around the hall's furnishings, which exuded understated luxury. After a brief look, Hanxiang lowered her head and looked away.
After drinking a cup of flower tea, Hanxiang felt her whole body warm up, and then she slowly began to tell Anke what Ziwei had told her at Baoyue Tower that day.
"Oh, I didn't expect she even thought of drugging the Emperor?" An Ke had to admit that at this moment, her opinion of the seemingly weak Ziwei had changed, and she looked at her with new respect. Her actions were ruthless, killing with a single blow. "Did she say what kind of drug she wanted to give the Emperor? Poison?"
"She didn't say that. She just said that I should cooperate with her and she would take care of the rest." Hanxiang carefully recalled what Ziwei had said after she came to Baoyue Tower today.
“Then let’s not alert her for now. After you go back, invite Ziwei to your Baoyue Tower tomorrow and tell her that you have agreed to this matter.” An Ke held a teacup in her hand, but her eyes gleamed with a cold light.
"Yes, Your Highness understands. Then Your Highness will take your leave." Hanxiang had already told the princess everything and felt there was nothing more for her to do here.
"It's getting darker and the dew is heavier outside, so bring a hot water bottle." Anke gave Hanxiang a hot water bottle, and then called Xingxing from outside, asking Xingxing to give Hanxiang his cloak.
Hanxiang knew that Anke meant well, so she didn't stand on ceremony. She simply put the cloak on herself, grabbed the hot water bottle, and left.
Although An Ke wanted to arrange a sedan chair for her, in order not to alert the enemy, he could only ask her to endure the cold and return home.
"Princess, you should rest now." Xingxing looked at her princess's bloodshot eyes, which were obviously from staying up all night, and couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
"It's time to rest, after all, there's still a battle to fight." Anke said meaningfully, then lay down on the bed to go to sleep.
The next morning
Early in the morning, Ziwei heard from Jinsuo, who was doing her hair and makeup, that news had come from Baoyue Tower that Consort Xiang had invited Ziwei to meet at Baoyue Tower.
Ziwei smiled confidently, but when she thought of the scene when Xiaoyanzi stopped her on her way back from Baoyue Tower yesterday, Ziwei frowned again.
The thought that Xiao Jian, who instigated Fu Erkang to murder the emperor, was Xiao Yanzi's own brother, was unbearable for her. Consequently, she lost her former closeness and trust towards Xiao Yanzi. However, since she still needed her, Ziwei could only patiently try to comfort her.
Fortunately, she didn't see Xiao Yanzi during breakfast, nor did she have to answer any questions Xiao Yanzi asked her. Ziwei felt a sense of relief, and even her steps on the way to Baoyue Tower were light.
After Ziwei left, Xiaoyanzi stood quietly at the entrance of Shufangzhai, watching Ziwei's retreating figure. She was also wondering why her once best sworn sisters had become like this.
Ultimately, it all boils down to one sentence: this palace is not the place for her. Little Swallow stared blankly at the clouds on the horizon, thinking that her own brother would be taken to the Meridian Gate for execution today.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yanzi couldn't help but feel a little sad. She had finally found her biological brother, but she never expected to be separated from him so soon. Fortunately, the Emperor had already dealt with the murderers who killed her parents, so she was free of any ties.
Little Swallow returned to her room in a daze, knelt down facing the Meridian Gate, and silently prayed, "Brother, don't worry, I will definitely leave the palace alive and return to Dali."
Ziwei was in a good mood on her way to Baoyue Tower when she ran into Consort Ling. Consort Ling seemed a little flustered, but Ziwei greeted her with concern.
"Your Majesty should also take good care of yourself and not miss your family too much." Ziwei said to herself, her eyes reddening first. She thought that Consort Ling's refusal to see her yesterday was only because Erkang had just passed away, and she was heartbroken.
But no one expected it was because of her, since Consort Ling didn't want to get involved with anyone from Shufangzhai right now.
So Consort Ling accepted Ziwei's concern with a forced smile, and then asked with concern, "You should also take good care of yourself. Where are you going so early in the morning?"
Ziwei wiped away her tears, thinking that Consort Ling was still concerned about her as usual, and immediately said without any guard, "Consort Xiang said that I should go to Baoyue Tower to chat with her."
"Oh, it's Consort Xiang. You'd better hurry." Consort Ling could barely keep her composure. She said hastily and then left in a hurry.
After all, Consort Xiang now spends the most nights with the emperor in the palace, whereas Consort Ling used to enjoy the emperor's exclusive favor. But the current Consort Xiang is practically the same as she used to be, so how can she maintain a facade of calm as before?
Ziwei didn't notice the expression on Consort Ling's face, assuming that Consort Ling had something else to do, and didn't pay much attention to it, and went directly to Baoyue Tower.
After receiving Hanxiang's affirmative answer, Ziwei finally smiled with satisfaction. After all, this was what she wanted; for the past few nights, she had dreamed of Erkang every night.
If she had known things would turn out this way, she would have used all her strength to climb over that mountain, so that there wouldn't have been a case of one person taking another's place and the other usurping her place. In that case, she and Erkang would have been a perfect match from the very beginning.
But all of this was ruined by Xiao Yanzi and her brother. First, Xiao Yanzi usurped her position as a princess, and then her brother instigated Fu Erkang to rebel and kill the emperor.
"So what kind of medicine are you going to give the Emperor? Are you going to use poison?" Hanxiang was still a little worried, wondering if she could get some more information out of Ziwei.
However, Ziwei was very wary at this moment, and only glanced at Hanxiang indifferently, "I have my own plans for this matter, don't worry, but you will have to do it yourself when the time comes." Hanxiang nodded timidly.
Ziwei left Baoyue Tower and looked at the rising sun, feeling that her revenge was going incredibly smoothly. In an exceptionally good mood, she returned to Shufangzhai, where she saw Xiaoyanzi cleaning.
A complex emotion flashed through Ziwei's heart. Today was the day Xiao Jian was to be executed, but Xiao Yanzi didn't know that Xiao Jian was her own brother. Should she tell her? Should she let her go and see her brother off?
Ziwei hesitated for a moment, but finally decided not to tell Xiaoyanzi. After all, if she told her, Xiaoyanzi might not work for her anymore if she knew the truth. Only after Xiaojian was gone could she shift the blame onto someone else.
"Little Swallow, why are you sweeping the floor again? Didn't Xiaozhuozi sweep this floor this morning?" Ziwei pretended to be concerned and went over to ask.
Little did she know that Xiao Yanzi's heart had already turned cold. She had just seen Ziwei standing at the entrance of Shufangzhai in a daze out of the corner of her eye, and she thought that Ziwei had figured it out and was going to tell her the truth.
Xiao Yanzi was still hoping that Ziwei would tell her that they could be good sisters again, but Ziwei only paused for a moment before choosing to keep it from her.
Little Swallow closed her eyes, swallowing the bitterness in her heart. "It's nothing, I just saw the snow that just fell, and I was bored, so I swept it up." Little Swallow made up a lie on the spot. She just didn't want to stop thinking about it. If she stopped, she couldn't help but think about how her most trusted sister had kept it from her, and how her own brother was going to be executed today.
"Hmm, Little Swallow, would you like to leave the palace and visit Liu Qing and Liu Hong?" Ziwei pondered for a moment before speaking.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanzi paused again while sweeping the floor. Yes, when Ziwei left the palace last time, she only had Erkang in her heart and mind and did not care at all that Huibinlou had closed down and that Liu Qing and Liu Hong had long since left the capital.
"Leaving the palace isn't that convenient, so I'd better not go out." Little Swallow was getting agitated, and she increased the pressure on her hands. The broom swished across the ground, making her even more irritable.
At this moment, outside the Meridian Gate
Xiao Jian has been escorted to the execution ground. What happened in the palace at that time has not been reported outside the palace. After all, family scandals should not be made public, let alone the fact that the emperor was almost assassinated in the palace.
Therefore, most ordinary people had no idea about it. As for the incident involving Fu Erkang, the people were only discussing him at the time and had no idea that the palace had almost been assassinated by the White Lotus Sect.
The other remnants of the White Lotus Sect have long been executed, some dead and some wounded, and have been wiped out from the world.
Xiao Jian glanced sadly at the sun high in the sky, and gave a self-deprecating laugh. His laughable life was finally coming to an end. But when he saw Elder Qing below the stage, he was also somewhat shocked.
Unexpectedly, Elder Qing, who had always been his adversary, came to see him off, even though Elder Qing did not say a word.
That's enough. He had met his younger sister before, and now someone came to see him off. That was enough.
Xiao Jian closed his eyes. As the executioner's blade fell, his body was severed, and blood splattered everywhere. His tragic and heartbreaking life came to an end.
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