Chapter 26 Even with the Emperor's watchful eye, the imperial edict still needed to be exchanged with the Prince of Yan. ...
Palace attendants arrived carrying the imperial edict, along with jewels, beautiful ornaments, and splendid robes. After the attendants placed the items on the tray, Zhong Changjun urged Yuan Chaolu to depart the next day.
"However, if Miss wishes to stay in the Yuan residence, His Majesty will not force her to."
Yuan Chaolu knelt down to receive the imperial decree: "I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty's grace and favor. I will remember it forever and will certainly enter the palace to receive your teachings. How could I dare to refuse?"
Yesterday, she asked He Yi to convey a message to the Prince of Yan, and the Prince of Yan went to the palace to pull strings for her, getting the Emperor to agree. Although entering the Imperial Academy was unexpected, leaving the Yuan family mansion, a place of trouble, was the best thing that could have happened.
Entering the Imperial Academy meant broader opportunities, making it easier to come into contact with the Prince of Yan, many powerful families in the capital, and Physician Qi, the senior sister of the Imperial Physician.
Yuan Chaolu saw Zhong Changjun off at the door, only to find a large group of people kneeling outside the small courtyard. At the head of the group, Attendant Nie was standing under the eaves, holding a scroll of documents in his hand.
When Yuan Chaolu heard that it concerned her, she stepped forward. Nie Changshi raised his hand to signal her to be quiet for the time being, and questioned the person in front of him: "His Majesty's decree is that as long as the Second Miss is in the mansion, everyone in the Yuan family must show her respect. For the first ten days or so, it was all quite proper, but this morning the Second Miss presented her homework, which made me very strange."
Nie Changshi slowly stopped in front of the Second Madam, Li Qing'e. "The Second Miss's daily studies are nothing more than poetry, books, etiquette, and music. These four subjects are already quite demanding. Why is there an extra copy of 'Rules for Women' in the assignments she submitted today, and it's been copied five times? Could it be that Madam finds this inappropriate and insists on imposing additional demands? How dare you be so outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant?"
Li Qing'e's face turned deathly pale. She hadn't expected that after more than ten days of silence from the palace, the first thing she heard was a summons for Yuan Chaolu to enter the palace. She was shocked and Yuan Li pushed her arm, telling her to quickly apologize.
Nie Changshi's eyes were like knives as he said, "In my opinion, Lord Yuan is not in a hurry to return to the palace to report on his duties these days. He should first take good care of the Yuan family and ensure peace and tranquility in his household. This is the foundation of his position!"
Ignoring Yuan Li's kowtow and apology, Nie Changshi turned to Yuan Chaolu with a gentle expression and said, "Second Miss, I'll leave a few capable eunuchs here today to help you pack your things for entering the palace. Tomorrow morning, I'll come to your residence again to personally escort you to the palace."
Yuan Chaolu said, "Thank you for your trouble, Attendant Nie."
The two palace attendants were extremely respectful and humble towards the Yuan Dynasty, while the entire Yuan household knelt on the ground, trembling with fear, their backs shaking like leaves, and no one called them up.
That day, Yuan Chaolu tidied up until late at night.
He Yi put the brand-new palace dress into the box, looked up and saw Yuan Chaolu standing by the window holding a book, seemingly pondering something. She walked over, took the book and asked her.
Yuan Chaolu said, "Eunuch Zhong said that when I enter the palace this time, in addition to bringing two maids with me, I can also choose a young lady from an official family to accompany me in my studies. However, I have just arrived in the capital and have not yet made friends with any young ladies, so I don't know who to choose."
He Yi asked, "Do all the young ladies in the academy have companions?"
Yuan Chaolu nodded and said, "Actually, I wanted to bring that one..."
No sooner had she finished speaking than there was a knock at the door. He Yi walked to the door and opened it a crack. The person who came in was Li Qing'e.
Li Qing'e's eyelids were red and swollen, her face was haggard, and there was no trace of her usual arrogance between her brows. She came with deep regret, first apologizing for the punishment of copying yesterday, her voice choked with sobs. Then she sadly recounted the events of the day, how she had been severely reprimanded by the head of the family and had been in tears ever since.
The already cramped room felt even more cramped after her arrival.
She spoke at length, her voice choked with emotion, and only at the end did she mention the matter of having a reading companion.
"Chaolu, now that you are entering the palace, you should have a close confidant by your side. Have you thought of someone to choose from?"
Yuan Chaolu knew that she must have come for her beloved daughter. The proud and arrogant woman of the past was now willing to put aside her pride and beg for help. She must have been forced to do so. So she went along with her words, softened her expression by three points, and said, "Aunt, I have a headache."
"Then what do you think of your third younger sister, Yan'er?"
Yuan Chaolu's smile gradually faded, and Li Qing'e took her hand again. "Yan'er is gentle and has been well-versed in poetry and literature since childhood. If she could come to the palace with you, the sisters could take care of each other. What happened before was my fault, so please don't take it to heart."
As she spoke, Li Qing'e tearfully recounted her hardships at home, "Your uncle has two concubines, and over the years they have treated me worse than before..."
Yuan Chaolu listened quietly, and only after the woman's sobbing subsided did she speak calmly: "Aunt lives in a noble mansion in Luoyang, dressed in fine silks and satins. No matter how bad her current situation is, she has no way of understanding what it's like for an orphan like me who has been separated from her family since childhood. However, if Aunt wishes to take Third Sister with her—"
She changed the subject, "Aunt, could you tell me in detail about what happened when my mother moved east from Beijing back then?"
Li Qing'e's hand, which was wiping away tears, suddenly paused, and her face stiffened slightly as she said, "These are all things from more than ten years ago, Aunt really can't remember them clearly."
Seeing the change in Yuan Chaolu's expression, Li Qing'e's tone became even more earnest, "It's not that your aunt deliberately hid it from you, it's just that at that time there was chaos and turmoil. On the road there were both attacks by barbarians and robberies by bandits. Every day there were countless corpses on the roadside. Just thinking about the cries of the people there makes me not remember some of the details."
She seemed to be thinking hard: "The imperial decree to move the capital came so quickly that the powerful families were afraid of causing trouble on the way, so they agreed to travel east together. Your mother was one of those prominent families, such as the Xiao, Lu, and Gao families."
Yuan Chao frowned, his gaze fixed on Li Qing'e: "Since there are many families traveling together, with hundreds, if not thousands, of guards and attendants, why is Mother alone?"
Li Qing'e adjusted her handkerchief and said, "I really don't know. Your mother is a cousin of the current Emperor Taizu and has a very good relationship with the Xiao family. She and those other high-ranking ladies were walking ahead, while my uncle and I were lagging behind. How could I possibly get close to those noble ladies to find out what happened to them?"
After a moment of silence, she forced a more intimate expression and took Yuan Chaolu's hand again. "Chaolu, what do you think of what your aunt said?"
Since the Yuan Dynasty's Lu entered the mansion, this noblewoman has always been aloof and looked down on me. She has never been so humble as to beg for help.
The face before her appeared round and plump from years of pampered life, and she leaned closer to say many more words of pleading.
“Then let Yan’er accompany me.” Yuan Chaolu’s tone revealed little emotion.
A hint of surprise flashed in Li Qing'e's eyes: "Really?"
Yuan Chaolu nodded, and upon seeing this, Li Qing'e actually lowered her body and respectfully knelt before Yuan Chaolu, her posture solemn and completely unlike her usual haughty demeanor.
A moment later, Li Qing'e left with light steps, her eyes and brows brimming with undisguised joy, clearly happy that her daughter was able to enter the palace.
Yuan Chaolu watched her retreating figure and said softly, "She still has the affection of blood relatives and is willing to put aside her pride to beg me for her daughter's sake. Has she ever thought about the situation that my sister, mother, and I faced back then?"
She turned her head and saw that He Yi looked unhappy. Ever since Yuan Chaolu let Li Qing'e in, she seemed to have been resentful.
"A-Ju, what are you thinking? Li Qing'e must have ill intentions in letting that third young lady into the palace. She wants to use you as a stepping stone. Having such a hidden danger by your side will not only not help you, but will also implicate you. If you take her daughter with you, then I will not go!"
Yuan Chaolu quickly grabbed her wrist, her fingertips pressing gently, and said soothingly, "Sister Heyi, don't worry."
She sat down in front of the dressing mirror, wearing a lotus-colored robe. Her calm profile was reflected in the bronze mirror. "What state is the Yuan family in now? They can only rely on me. They can only try to please me now. What difference does it make to me whether they ask for one more thing or one less thing?"
She picked up the wooden comb on the table and played with it: "Li Qing'e sent her daughter to me. I should make good use of such a hostage. They should be the ones afraid of what I might do to her daughter, right?"
He Yi was taken aback when she saw her put down the comb and take out the medical book left by Yuan Zhaobi from beside the makeup box.
"To get the antidote, we have to start with the Yuan family."
The lamplight illuminated her lowered face as her fingertips paused on a page of a medical book, displaying a prescription for a poisonous ingredient written on it to He Yi, a faint smile curving her lips.
"Sister Heyi, just wait and see."
**
At dawn, just as the sky began to lighten with the first hint of light, the faint sounds of luggage being moved could be heard outside the courtyard.
Yuan Chaolu had just changed her clothes when He Yi whispered, "Hulilan is also outside, saying she wants to help carry some odds and ends."
Yuan Chaolu said, "Let her in."
Huli Lan, dressed in a plain-colored cloth dress, entered with extremely light footsteps.
She bowed deeply to Yuan Chaolu, hurriedly helped tidy up for a moment, and then turned around and said, "I left in a hurry the night before last, and Miss asked me about more details of the First Madam's murder... I didn't dare to say anything at the time, but I do know some hidden information."
Yuan Chaolu looked up and saw the earnestness in her eyes, and said, "Speak."
Sunlight shone into Huli Lan's deep-set eyes, her chest heaving violently. After a long while, she said, "On the eve of the First Madam's murder, Yingniang came to me, her face pale and her palms sweaty. She said she had nowhere to go."
"She said that the second wife and that noble lady were too vicious. Not only did they plot to separate the first wife's carriage from the convoy, but they also wanted to send a group of fake bandits to kill the first wife and her two daughters."
"Such a vicious scheme, the Second Madam insists on entrusting it to Yingniang. She says that Yingniang has received kindness from the First Madam, and that the First Madam always trusts her and will not suspect anything. She is to have Yingniang serve the First Madam tomorrow and slip a muscle-relaxing drug into the First Madam's tea, so that she will not be able to escape from the bandits..."
Yuan Chaolu's voice trembled: "Was it Yingniang who went to see my mother?"
Hulülan shook her head: "Miss, Yingniang didn't do it. She gave me that tea bag, not wanting to harm the First Madam, but she also died that day. All of this was at the Second Madam's behest..."
A layer of frost had already formed in Yuan Chaolu's eyes: "Has Yingniang mentioned who that noble person is?"
Huli Lan said in a low voice, "I don't know. I asked Yingniang, but she was unwilling to reveal any more information, afraid of causing me trouble. But among the high-ranking families who were traveling with us at the time, the Xiao family and the Lu family had a very grand presence... Perhaps it was someone from one of those families?"
Yuan Chaolu subconsciously clenched the whistle on her neck, feeling the cold touch on her fingertips. This was the only thing she had kept close to her heart all these years, left to her by her mother, but there had been so many twists and turns in between.
She said, "The second branch of the Yuan family is weak and isolated. If they were alone, they would never dare to harm the families of high-ranking families traveling together. Unless the second branch is secretly colluding with other high-ranking families..."
At that time, her father had been unjustly imprisoned, and she and her child, a widow and orphan, were still driven to the brink of extermination... It must have been because they had a very deep hatred for her father or mother that they did this.
The thought of her elder sister and He Yi being poisoned one after another after arriving in the capital sent a chill down her spine.
Could it be that someone is afraid they'll investigate the past, and that's why they're so eager to eliminate them completely?
Amidst her chaotic thoughts, she slowly removed the whistle bone from her neck and handed it to Huli Lan.
"Look at this," she said softly.
Huli Lan's gaze fell on the whistle bone, her pupils suddenly contracting: "This whistle bone... Ying Niang used to carry something similar, she said it was used for taming beasts! How come Miss has it?"
Yuan Chaolu clenched her fist and put away the whistle bone: "This is Yingniang's old thing. If you can do me a favor, I will tell you more about Yingniang."
Tears welled up in Huli Lan's eyes, and she placed her hand on Yuan Chaolu's hand: "Miss, please speak freely."
Yuan Chaolu heard the urging voice outside the wall, "I am about to enter the palace and will not be able to take care of the Yuan residence. In the coming days, I hope you can act as my inside agent at home."
She gave He Yi a wink. He Yi immediately pulled out a folded prescription from her sleeve, unfolded it, and handed it to Huli Lan: "Auntie, get the medicine according to this prescription. Three days later, find a way to mix it into the soup and food of the master's concubine, Liniang."
Huli Lan took the prescription, her fingertips pausing over the names of several herbs, her brows furrowing.
Seeing Huli Lan hesitate, He Yi leaned closer and whispered, "Don't worry, Mother, it's not poison. It's just a mixture of cold herbs that will cause red spots to appear on the back of the neck, making it look like poisoning. It will fade away in a few days and won't harm the root cause."
Huli Lan took it, "But if they investigate, what if they find out about a slave?"
"They will never find you." Yuan Chaolu said with certainty, "The relationship between the Second Madam and the Master's concubine, Liniang, has long been irreconcilable and is out in the open. If Liniang and her two children see that they have been poisoned, who do you think will be the first to be suspected?"
Huli Lan was taken aback, then realized: Li Niang was the beloved concubine of the head of the household, Yuan Li, and had given birth to a son and a daughter for him. In recent years, she had gradually gained the power to rival Li Qing'e in the household. This morning, Li Niang and Yuan Li had a dispute over choosing a study companion, and the matter had spread throughout the mansion.
The second wife hates Liniang to the bone. If something happens to Liniang and her two children at this time, everyone will think that the second wife is responsible.
Yuan Chaolu said, "Yingniang's fate was also related to Madam Yuan, so should Mother help me?"
When Huli Lan heard her mention Yingniang, she finally carefully folded the prescription and hid it in her sleeve.
The servants outside were already waiting under the eaves. When they saw Yuan Chao emerge, they hurriedly bowed and urged, "Miss, the imperial carriage from the palace is waiting at the alley entrance."
Yuan Chaolu nodded in agreement and walked outside.
Her father died unjustly in prison, and her mother perished tragically during their migration. The machinations of the second branch of the Yuan family were far more than just the work of a larger force. Without the instigation of a greater power, how could the second branch, with its limited resources, dare to touch the matriarch of the Yuan family and frame the patriarch? Perhaps besides the second branch, there are other beneficiaries lurking in the shadows. They are likely targeting her now.
Is it a member of the Xiao imperial family, the Empress Dowager Lu family, or some other prominent family?
We must not rush, and even more importantly, we must not alert the enemy or reveal our intention to investigate the past.
What we can do right now is to stir up this mess.
Li Niang's poisoning will inevitably cause a minor upheaval in the Yuan family. In the chaos, the couple will become suspicious of each other and might reveal something, giving her an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
Nie Yan was already waiting by the carriage, his hands at his sides, his eunuch robes gleaming in the morning light.
As Yuan Chaolu approached, he greeted her with a smile, gestured for the eunuch behind him to present a gilded sandalwood box, and bowed, saying with a smile, "Second Miss, please take a look."
The moment the wooden box was opened, a red Buddhist rosary came into view.
"These red prayer beads are a tribute from the Western Regions, which traveled thousands of miles to present them. They are originally a sacred object from the Buddhist kingdom."
Nie Yan's voice was gentle: "Blessed by Abbot Ying Hui after seven days of chanting, this amulet is imbued with Buddhist energy and can ward off evil and bring good fortune. It is extremely efficacious. There are only two such amulets in the world, and one of them is here. I especially wish Miss a happy marriage and hope you will accept it."
It was an item supplied to the emperor; it goes without saying who owned it.
Yuan Chaolu raised her hand to take it, feeling the smooth curve with her fingertips.
The prayer beads are about the size of a pigeon egg, with a color like a rosy sunset. They are covered with a thin layer of beeswax, as smooth as a cicada's wing, and shimmer with a honey-like soft light in the sunlight.
"Thank you for your trouble, Father-in-law."
Nie Yan smiled and said, "It's time to enter the palace, Miss, please."
The moment the carriage curtain fell, it blocked out the morning light.
He gently clenched the prayer beads in his palm, yet a chill crept into his heart.
Was the Emperor's gift of these prayer beads truly a gesture of congratulations? The eunuch's deliberate mention of "Abbot Yinghui" in his voice revealed her petty nature; she felt there was a hidden meaning in his words, a reminder not to forget the events of Chanxu Temple.
Just thinking about what happened in the Buddhist temple made her eyelashes tremble, and her whole body felt like it was covered in barbs, making her restless and unable to sit still. She dared not even think about what it would be like to face the emperor again.
Unfortunately, it happens to be in the palace, so we'll likely meet again quite often in the future.
I am able to escape the Yuan family this time, and I am probably grateful for the help of the Prince of Yan... Even under the Emperor's nose, I should have more contact with the Prince of Yan and get engaged as soon as possible.
Sunlight streamed through the bamboo curtain, bathing the young woman sitting quietly in the carriage and casting a bright glow on her silk skirt.
The canopied carriage drove past the willow trees on both sides and slowly entered the vermilion palace wall.
The wind lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, and she caught a glimpse of the imperial guards standing solemnly before the palace gate, their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
Yuan Chaolu took a deep breath and turned her gaze back to the car.
Amidst this unease, Yuan Chaolu embarked on her journey to the palace.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Prince Yan: ? It wasn't me.
The future Empress Daqi has entered the palace.
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