Chapter 54 A Letter from Consort Jin
Lian Chenxi returned to the banquet in the East District, looking utterly dejected.
He walked unsteadily to his seat, picked up the teacup that had long since gone cold, his hands trembling so badly that the lid tapped against the rim of the cup, making a soft, crackling sound.
Lian Chenxi's unusual behavior was noticed by Shui Xian, who had been keeping an eye on the banquet in the East District.
She frowned slightly, looking at Lian Chenxi's pale face through the semi-transparent screen.
A sense of foreboding crept into my heart.
"What's wrong with Scholar Lian?"
The newly appointed second-place scholar, Ban Yaozong, waved his folding fan and strolled to Lian Chenxi's seat, feigning surprise with a "Huh?"
"What a unique fragrance! So elegant and lingering... Brother Lian, did you change your clothes and even your incense? I didn't smell it before."
His undisguised tone drew the attention of many newly appointed scholars around him.
Emperor Zhaoheng was surrounded by several scholars admiring some newly published poems from the Imperial Academy when he heard the sound and turned his head.
He was already near Lian Chenxi, and now he casually walked up to him.
He then caught a whiff of that faint, yet strangely familiar, cool and ethereal fragrance.
Emperor Zhaoheng couldn't recall where he had smelled it before, so he raised an eyebrow and asked:
"Scholar, this incense..."
Lian Chenxi hurriedly bowed, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "Your Majesty, I accidentally spilled wine on my clothes and borrowed an outer robe to change into. Perhaps... perhaps the robe was scented?"
He offered a weak explanation, but in reality, he had no idea whose clothes they were or where the fragrance came from!
"Oh? You borrowed a piece of clothing?"
Ban Yaozong closed his folding fan and smiled meaningfully.
"At this Qionglin Banquet, besides us newly appointed scholars, there are also young ladies from noble families and noble ladies... Brother Lian, you are quite the ladies-in-waiting, even at the Qionglin Banquet you can't resist flirting with some women?"
"Brother Ban, be careful what you say!"
Lian Chenxi was both shocked and furious, his face turning from white to red. "Absolutely not! I merely..."
Just then, a young palace maid responsible for sweeping stumbled out of the women's quarters, clutching a plain piece of paper in her hand.
She knelt down before Emperor Zhaoheng with a thud, raising the plain paper high with both hands.
"This servant...this servant found this in the corridor!"
Emperor Zhaoheng lowered his eyes and saw a tender poem written on a plain white piece of paper.
"Do not linger over the flowers and wine in front of the hall; wait by the small window for me to tell you about my life."
At the end of the signature, only the character "熙" was left.
Emperor Zhaoheng, with a stern face, turned the plain paper over and saw four characters written on the other side:
To Consort Jin!
Now, Emperor Zhaoheng finally remembered why the fragrance on Lian Chenxi's body felt strangely familiar to him—it was clearly the styrax that Shui Xian loved to use!
"Concubine Jin!"
Emperor Zhaoheng's voice was terrifyingly deep, "You, come here to me!"
The entire Qionglin Garden was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.
All eyes instantly focused on the narcissus.
Narcissus was unaware of what had happened. She took the silver bead and slowly walked to the other side of the screen. She saw Emperor Zhaoheng clutching a plain piece of paper tightly in his hand, his face ashen.
She stepped forward to pay her respects, curtsied, and said, "Your Majesty, this humble servant greets you..."
Before she could finish speaking, Emperor Zhaoheng threw the plain letter on the ground in front of her.
"Consort Jin! How do you intend to explain this?!"
Emperor Zhaoheng stared intently at Shui Xian's face, not missing a single expression.
Narcissus clearly felt the chilling aura emanating from the emperor. She tried to remain calm and bent down to pick up the light note.
When she saw the words "Written by Consort Jin" and the signature "Xi" on the paper, Shui Xian's heart clenched suddenly.
This whole affair was actually aimed at her and Scholar Lian!
"Your Majesty!" Shui Xian's voice was filled with shock. She looked directly at Emperor Zhaoheng with a clear and honest gaze, without the slightest hint of guilt.
"I swear on my life that I have never met Scholar Lian before today, let alone exchanged anything with him privately! I knew nothing about this letter or this poem!"
Emperor Zhaoheng's voice was as cold as ice, "Then how do you explain the styrax on Lian Chenxi? This fragrance is clearly your usual scent! If it weren't for intimate contact, how could the fragrance adhere so clearly?"
Narcissus's heart sank.
Suhexiang! The other party even took advantage of this detail!
She immediately retorted, "Your Majesty is wise! Although I often use styrax, it is not exclusive to me. The palace spice storehouse also produces it."
"Today's events must have been a malicious frame-up, a deliberate attempt to implicate me and Scholar Lian! I implore Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and clear our names!"
Ban Yaozong then reported, "I have heard that Scholar Lian has been staying at the Dengdi Inn since he came to the capital to prepare for the imperial examination. Coincidentally, that inn is said to be owned by a relative of the Empress?"
"Such a coincidence is bound to lead to speculation... I wonder if Consort Jin and Scholar Lian have truly never met?"
Shui Xian suddenly looked up at Ban Yaozong. According to the information Zhou Yan had sent in earlier, Ban Yaozong was the runner-up in this competition and a disciple of the Yi family!
Today's events are a conspiracy by the Yi family.
Sure enough, upon hearing the words "Dengdi Inn," Emperor Zhaoheng's expression grew even more somber.
He knew that Shui Xian's father ran an inn outside the palace, but he didn't know that Lian Chenxi had been staying at that inn during this time.
What a coincidence... Could it be that Narcissus really has a past with Lian Chenxi?
At this moment, Yi Shuyao suddenly went around the screen and came to Emperor Zhaoheng.
She knelt down and said something that surprised Shui Xian: "Your Majesty, please calm down! I can testify for Consort Jin!"
Shui Xian felt uneasy. Today was a trap set by the Yi family, so why would Yi Shuyao be so kind as to help her out of this predicament?
Yi Shuyao said gently, "Since the start of the banquet, Consort Jin has been seated with Consort Tuoba and the other ladies at the women's table, never leaving their side. The claim of them exchanging gifts privately is utterly baseless and an insult to Consort Jin's reputation!"
The next moment, she changed the subject:
"In my opinion, this matter is clearly the work of someone who is ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth and is delusional!"
Yi Shuyao pointed the finger directly at Lian Chenxi, "It must be this Lian Zhuangyuan! Relying on his newly appointed top scholar status, he has developed inappropriate and lewd thoughts!"
"Having caught sight of Consort Jin's celestial beauty, he dared to be so audacious as to seduce her with poems! His heart is utterly despicable!"
turn out to be!
Narcissus suddenly understood.
The purpose of today's situation is to eliminate Scholar Lian!
The Yi family, or rather Yi Shuyao and the powerful families behind her, truly want to eliminate Lian Chenxi, the leader of the poor family!
They could not tolerate a poor, powerless young man overshadowing the established families!
As for himself, he was nothing more than a tool they used to frame Lian Chenxi and incidentally attack him!
This is truly killing two birds with one stone, and is extremely ruthless!
"Consort Wen!" Lian Chenxi trembled with rage. "I have never..."
"Enough!"
The emperor's face was so dark it could drip water. "Guards!"
"Take the newly appointed top scholar, Lian Chenxi, to a side room immediately and place him under strict guard! No one is allowed to approach without my order! The rest of you, remain where you are and await the results of the thorough investigation! The Qionglin Banquet is suspended!"
The guards immediately stepped forward and, without saying a word, grabbed Lian Chenxi, who was trying to struggle and explain, and dragged him away.
Lian Chenxi cried out for justice in his final moments as he was dragged away, his shrill voice echoing from afar.
He cannot confess; if he does, his head will roll!
Shui Xian was helped up by Yin Zhu, but Emperor Zhao Heng did not look at her.
At this moment, the scent of the incense on the Dengdi Inn and Lian Chenxi were both weighing heavily on Emperor Zhaoheng's mind. He wanted to believe in Shui Xian, but why was today's event only related to Shui Xian and not to the other concubines?
For the emperor's favorite concubine to commit such a serious offense in public is tantamount to trampling on the emperor's dignity!
Narcissus slowly returned to the side of the screen, and Consort Wen, Yi Shuyao, also returned.
Yi Shuyao gave her a fake smile, then returned to sit down next to Consort Li.
Shui Xian sat down again beside Consort Tuoba. Whispers arose around them, all discussing the anecdotes between the currently favored Consort Jin and the newly appointed top scholar.
Yinzhu silently stepped forward, using her body to shield Shuixian from those unfriendly gazes.
At the same time, she placed a delicate, fragrant sachet into Narcissus's cool hand and whispered:
"Your Majesty, here is some cool fragrance made by Xiao Chuanzi. Take a sniff and calm your mind."
As the weather gets hotter every day, Narcissus, who is pregnant, is prone to feeling irritable. So, Xiaochuanzi specially made this cool-fragrant sachet, which can relieve irritability by gently smelling it.
Narcissus took the sachet, leaned in and took a deep breath.
The refreshing aroma filled her lungs, instantly clearing her chaotic and anxious mind.
She must find a weakness as soon as possible!
If Lian Chenxi is confirmed to have committed such a crime at the highly anticipated Xinglin Banquet today, he will be doomed and never be able to recover!
Narcissus forced herself to calm down and casually handed the sachet back to Silver Pearl.
A wisp of that cool fragrance lingered on her fingertips, persisting for a long time.
Narcissus lowered her eyes, looking at her fingertips, her gaze flickering slightly...
......
Time ticked by in the oppressive wait.
Finally, Feng Shunxiang, the chief eunuch in charge of the search, returned quickly with a solemn expression, holding a wrinkled robe that was clearly soaked in water.
“Your Majesty,” Feng Shunxiang said in a low voice, “This servant led men to search all the rooms available for changing clothes. In… in the room where Consort Jin was resting, we found this item.”
He held the wet garment high, "Upon examination, it is indeed the undergarment that Scholar Lian wore before, which was stained with wine!"
The crowd erupted in chaos!
"Good heavens! How did Scholar Lian's clothes end up in Consort Jin's room?"
"This...this confirms it, doesn't it?!"
"An affair! It must have been a failed affair, something dropped in the chaos!"
The noble ladies could not hide their excitement, and their whispers almost turned into open condemnation.
Emperor Zhaoheng's expression was beyond ugly; he ordered Shui Xian to come and explain, his voice terrifyingly deep:
"Consort Jin! Your room! Lian Chenxi's wet clothes! What else do you have to say?!"
"I'm giving you one last chance to explain! Speak! What exactly happened?!"
Shui Xian had never been to that room before, so how could she know that Lian Chenxi's wet clothes would be in the room!
She rushed over the screen, fell to her knees with a thud, and her voice was filled with the panic of being wrongly accused:
"Your Majesty! I am innocent! My room has always been guarded by Yinzhu, and I have never stepped into it!"
"When Scholar Lian changed his clothes and left his seat, it was in full view of everyone. He was led by a servant. How could he have avoided the servants when he entered my room and left his clothes behind? This is clearly a deliberate attempt to frame me! I beg Your Majesty to investigate!"
The attendant, who had been hidden behind the crowd, stepped forward, fell to the ground, and whispered:
"Your Majesty! This servant...this servant was the one who led Scholar Lian to change his clothes! This servant...this servant can testify! This servant did indeed lead Scholar Lian to the empty room in the back courtyard, but..."
"But halfway through, Scholar Lian said he felt a little dizzy and asked me to fetch some hangover soup. I left for a moment, and when I returned, Scholar Lian was gone! I thought he had gone back to the banquet first, so I hurried back to look for him, but I didn't expect..."
He looked up and glanced quickly at the narcissus, his eyes full of implications.
"I never expected that Consort Jin would be so concerned about Scholar Lian's whereabouts, even knowing that he left halfway through... This servant... this servant really doesn't know why Scholar Lian would appear in Your Highness's room!"
Faced with the servant's accusations, a cold smile flashed in Narcissus's eyes.
I've been waiting for you!
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