Chapter 152 Leaving the Capital (36) Those born in the Year of the Rabbit and the Year of the Sheep are most compatible...
Two palace maids stood beside the Imperial Concubine, one of whom was Yun'er, whom she had seen before. Yun'er raised her eyebrows slightly, watching Jiu Li brush past her as she walked to the door. She asked the two palace maids in the corridor for tea, fruit, and snacks, naming several kinds of snacks that Jiu Li had never heard of before. After giving her instructions, she turned and came in, glancing at Jiu Li twice, before helping Wan Sheng up and leading her into the warm pavilion on the right, lifting the curtain to go inside.
Wansheng sat down inside, and Fang Qing said, "Come in and sit down, it's warm inside."
Jiuli examined the room closely. The tables and chairs were mostly made of huanghuali and zitan wood, with a glossy sheen and exquisite carvings. The calligraphy and paintings on the walls were mostly genuine works by ancient masters, and the curtains hanging on the screen doors were made of quilted silk. Lifting the curtains, the warm pavilion was even more cozy and fragrant. There was another room inside, which looked like a study, separated only by a beaded curtain.
The imperial concubine gently extended her hand towards her, saying, "Please sit down; the couch is warm."
It was indeed warm when she sat down; there seemed to be a charcoal brazier burning under the couch, and a soft mat was laid out. On the opposite wall hung an image of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, who grants children, and beneath it was a jade plate containing pomegranates, grapes, lotus pods, and Buddha's hand citrons. Where did all these fruits come from at this time of year? Jiu Li looked closely and realized that they were actually carved from various kinds of jade, all symbolizing "many children and many blessings." It seemed that the Imperial Concubine was not satisfied with having four princes and still wanted to have several more.
When the tea and pastries were served, Wansheng said, "The tea is nothing special. You grew up in Suzhou, and the Yu family is wealthy, so you must have plenty of good tea to eat. Try these pastries, which were all developed by the chefs of the Imperial Kitchen. You can't find them anywhere else."
Jiuli casually picked up a small piece and took a bite. It was made of chestnuts, but it wasn't your average chestnut cake. Something else had been added to it, and it tasted sweet and refreshing without being dry. She ate the whole piece. Wansheng watched her eat with a cold eye. Her manners and eating habits were unlike those of a girl raised in the countryside. It seemed Chen Jia was right; the Yu family really treated this adopted girl like a precious gem.
"Your Majesty, please have some as well."
“If you lived in the palace every day and ate this every day, you’d get tired of it too.” Wansheng smiled faintly, then suddenly asked, “I heard you were born in the Year of the Rabbit?”
I was just thinking about this yesterday, but who knew her informant was so quick! Anyway, there's no way to avoid it now! Jiu Li had no choice but to nod and admit it.
Wansheng turned to Yun'er and smiled, "Everyone says that those born in the Year of the Rabbit clash with me. I'd like to see if Miss Jiuli can overcome this clash. If she can't, then don't believe those words anymore."
That's what she said, but judging from her attitude towards Jiuli, it didn't seem like she didn't care. However, Jiuli seized the opportunity to ask, "I saw the Prince Consort's Mansion sending things to the temple yesterday. I heard that Her Highness was having nightmares recently, and many officials and noble families offered prayers to Buddha for Her Highness. It's clear that Her Highness is respected by everyone."
Wansheng couldn't help but smile proudly, "It's just a nightmare. These people are taking it too seriously, wasting time and money. I don't really like it."
"What dream did Your Majesty have?"
Yun'er chimed in, her eyes fixed coldly on Jiu Li, "Your Majesty dreamt that a foolish rabbit transformed into a woman, wielding a dagger to kill you." Jiu Li feigned ignorance of her implication and laughed, "A rabbit becoming a spirit? According to us doctors, it's probably because Your Majesty was mentally exhausted at the time, which is why you had such a dream."
Wansheng nodded with a smile, then suddenly turned to Yun'er and asked, "Speaking of zodiac signs, what is the zodiac sign of the eldest son of Lord Lu of Yan'an?"
"Born in the Year of the Sheep, 26 years old."
Wansheng looked at Jiuli again, "He is eight years older than the young lady. It is said that people born in the Year of the Sheep are gentle and mild-mannered but strong-willed. Last month, he came to pay his respects to the Emperor. I happened to run into him when I came out of Yugan Palace. He is indeed a man of good character and a first-rate talent."
Why bring up the young master of the Lu family? I don't even know him. Why is he talking about this? Jiu Li secretly wondered if he wanted to arrange a marriage for her. The Emperor said yesterday that he would find her a good husband in the future, and he has already taken a liking to him today? That's too fast! But judging from this, the Emperor has not yet made up his mind. He just summoned the Consort to test her attitude.
Jiuli had no choice but to play dumb and pretend not to understand the conversation between her and her servant. She didn't try to provoke them at all.
Just then, Shen Quan came to deliver the Emperor's decree, ordering Jiu Li to visit the Imperial Concubine and then the other ladies-in-waiting. After lunch, she was to return to Cangwu Pavilion to dine with the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine. Jiu Li had no choice but to rise and thank him. Shen Quan smiled at her repeatedly before suddenly remembering something and ordering the little eunuch following her to bring out the contents of the basket box. It turned out to be a bowl of steaming hot rose milk tea.
He said, “The Emperor was drinking milk tea just now. Thinking that your stomach and spleen are somewhat similar to his, he asked that a bowl be sent to you as well. The Emperor said that since you have eaten breakfast before entering the palace, you should not eat any other snacks, but just have a bowl of hot milk tea to warm yourself up, so that you will not be unable to eat lunch.”
After Shen Quan left, Wan Sheng smiled and said, "Look how good the Emperor is to you. Princess Yuan has lived in the palace for so many years, and the Emperor has never eaten with her. He doesn't even know what she likes to eat."
Jiuli could only chuckle awkwardly as he picked up his teacup. While sipping his tea, his eyes lit up. Since he was already here, he might as well take the opportunity to inquire about Shuqiang.
Since Chen Jiaye already knew about Shuqiang's affair with the prince consort, there was no point in hiding it, so she asked directly, "Your Majesty, may I ask, does the prince consort and Shuqiang often have private dealings?"
Wansheng heard about this yesterday afternoon and was extremely surprised. However, according to Chen Jia, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Previously, it was only said that Prince Zhao was lustful and committed rape and murder, which seemed a bit untenable. If he was standing up for his younger sister, then it would make sense. In any case, regardless of who is the mastermind and who is an accomplice, neither of them can escape responsibility.
Looking at Yun'er, Yun'er said, "We only just found out about Shuqiang and the Prince Consort. That girl Shuqiang, it's really unbelievable! She's always so quiet and doesn't fight or compete, but secretly she's been stealing Princess Yuan's thunder. Now that I think about it, they've had some contact. For example, when the Prince Consort and the Princess come to the palace to pay their respects, and sometimes when the Empress sends Shuqiang out of the palace on some business, the two of them might meet somewhere. It's no wonder, even an ordinary woman would be angry if she knew about this, let alone Princess Yuan's temper, how could she tolerate her?! That ignorant brat, I think she deserves it!"
"Judging from what Auntie is saying, perhaps the princess killed Shuqiang?"
Wansheng suddenly coughed lightly, as if to reproach Yun'er. Yun'er, however, spoke frankly: "It's not surprising that the princess could get her hands on the prince's dagger. Besides, now that I think about it, when I came out of the main hall that night to ask the eunuch to go back to Cangwu Pavilion to deliver something to Shuqiang, the princess was sitting at the end of the table in the hall. She must have heard it. I had only been inside for a short while when the princess and her husband left their seats."
"Do you remember the exact time?"
Yun'er recalled, "When I gave the instructions to the eunuch, it was just past 9 PM, and the princess left before 15 AM."
"And when did the prince leave the palace?"
"Your Highness—it seems to be around 11:45 PM."
Jiuli nodded and smiled, "How do you remember so clearly?"
"We palace servants naturally have to remember the time, otherwise we will be punished if we cannot answer when the master asks us questions."
That makes sense. Jiuli picked up her milk tea and sipped it, then had nothing more to say.
Yun'er added, "It's only a quarter of an hour from Qingniao Pavilion to our Cangwu Pavilion. The little eunuch came to deliver a message that Shuqiang should prepare things and arrive at the Camellia Garden no later than 11:45 PM. If the prince is strolling through the Camellia Garden at this time, he must have seen or heard something."
Wansheng glanced at her and said, "The princess is arrogant, but the prince has always doted on his younger sister. As long as the princess asks for something, the prince will find a way to pluck the stars from the sky for her."
According to them, the princess went to the camellia garden and killed someone first. The prince later stumbled upon her, but comforted her and told her to quickly return to the back hall of the Bluebird Pavilion. He then went into the garden to examine the body, and was only seen by Shunzi, who was on night patrol, when he came out. It seems that the prince kept these things from everyone to protect his younger sister, willingly taking the blame himself.
That sounds plausible, and even Jiu Li initially suspected the princess was behind it. But upon closer examination, three questions arise—
Firstly, the prince clearly witnessed the princess committing the crime, so why didn't he take back the dagger that would most arouse suspicion, instead of waiting to be discovered? Secondly, who exactly raped Shuqiang? The prince wouldn't have raped a palace maid in front of the princess. Thirdly, the princess and the prince consort had been resting in the back hall of the Qingniao Pavilion, and they even heard palace servants breaking dishes outside the door, which proves that the princess didn't have time to commit the crime. So what happened?
Thinking of this, Jiuli decided that it would be best to take advantage of the time in the palace to verify the third point. So she excused herself to pay her respects to the other ladies and took her leave. Just as she stepped out of the Cangwu Pavilion, she saw Eunuch Rongle outside the gate, who said that Shen Quan had specially asked him to stay there to guide Jiuli.
Jiuli then said, "I want to go to the pavilion outside the camellia garden. I know the way, so Eunuch Le doesn't need to lead the way. Please do me a favor and call the palace maids who served me in the Bluebird Pavilion on the night of the incident. I'll wait for you there."
Rong Le agreed and went to the camellia garden. She calculated in her mind that it would only take half a quarter of an hour to get to the pavilion. So when Shu Qiang arrived here that night, it must have been around 11:30 PM. She must have met someone here and then entered the camellia garden with that person to talk.
Just as he was deep in thought, Rong Le arrived with more than twenty eunuchs. The group squeezed into the pavilion and stood in three rows. Jiu Li asked, "Which eunuch broke a bowl or plate in the corridor behind the Qingniao Pavilion on the night of the banquet?"
A young eunuch stepped out from the last row, bowing and saying, "Reporting to Miss, it is this servant."
The head eunuch pointed at him and said, "It was him. He broke a bowl and plate at a perfectly good palace banquet. How unlucky! He was even scolded by the servants."
Jiuli then asked the two, "Do you remember the time?"
The young eunuch said, "This servant remembers it was around 3:45 PM."
Just as the incident occurred, Jiu Li hurriedly asked, "Were the princess and her husband resting in the back hall at that time?"
The young eunuch thought, "It was in the back hall. When I was cleaning up the broken porcelain shards, I cut my hand. The prince consort opened the window and told me to wash my hand quickly so that the wound wouldn't fester later."
So, the prince consort can be cleared of suspicion. Jiu Li paused for a moment, then asked, "Did you personally see the princess inside the palace?"
The young eunuch frowned and thought for a long time. "I don't think I saw it. I didn't pay attention at the time."
In other words, the princess might not have been in the palace at all, but had gone elsewhere. She dismissed the eunuchs and sat on the stone bench, pondering to herself. Her third question had been confirmed, and the prince consort was cleared of suspicion. But if the suspicion lay only with the princess, what about the first and second questions? It really didn't make sense.
Meanwhile, Yu Qi and Xu Bai arrived at Jixiang Hutong, inquired about the large courtyard where the palace eunuchs lived, and went straight there, entering the room where Shunzi lived in the Third Courtyard. The eunuch who led the way told them that the room originally housed four people, but after Shunzi contracted dysentery, the other three moved to another room.
The three knocked on the door and saw a pale-faced young man in his early twenties. He was not short, about the same height as Xu Bai and Yu Qi, but because he was always hunched over, he appeared slightly shorter than the two of them. Yu Qi looked him over for a while. His cheeks were thin and his eyes were lifeless. He did look like he was recovering from dysentery.
The eunuch leading the way introduced the two men, saying, "These two are imperial envoys recently appointed by the Emperor to investigate the case of Shuqiang. They have come today specifically to ask you questions. You are not allowed to hide anything; you must tell the truth."
Shunzi's eyes darted away for a moment before he turned and went inside, muttering under his breath, "Didn't I already tell Lord Zou and Lord Qin everything I needed to say? Why are you asking again?"
The eunuch leading the way said, "Since His Majesty has ordered someone else to investigate, everything will naturally have to be investigated from the beginning. Just tell him what he's asking, and stop complaining!" With that, he smiled and invited Yu Qixu and Bai into the room before leaving.
The room was simply furnished. Behind the screens on either side, against the wall, were two large communal beds, each currently covered with bedding and pillows. In the outer room, at the head of the table, was a set of chairs and a large eight-immortal table with long benches on all four sides. There was nothing else. It was said that only the lowest-ranking eunuchs in the palace lived in this official courtyard. Those with some money had houses purchased outside, like Shen Quan, whose residence was comparable to the mansions of many officials, and who had many servants to attend to him.
Shunzi usually only relayed the time and never got to meet any of his masters, so he probably earned very little. Plus, with this illness, he was probably out of money and supplies. But he didn't look poor at all. There was a packet of nourishing medicine on the long table by the wall. Yu Qi walked over and took a look. The herbs were all top-quality.
Shunzi went to the cabinet and took out a packet of tea leaves. He opened it and put some tea leaves into the teapot. The tea stove had been lit when they came in. When Shunzi saw that the water was boiling, he poured the water into the teapot.
Xu Bai glanced at him as he lowered his eyes and smiled, "Is Eunuch Shun's illness any better?"
Shunzi looked up at him and nodded. "I'm all better now, but the head eunuch is worried and told me to rest for a few more days before returning to the palace to work."
"If I'm not working, I wonder if I'll still get my salary?"
"There's no such thing as a free lunch. Taking a few days off is fine, but if you stop working for a month or two, they'll deduct a month's pay and only give you some grain."
Xu Bai looked at the teapot and asked, "Where is Eunuch Shun from, and who else is in his family?"
“I am from Datong Prefecture, Shanxi Province. When I was young, I went to live with my aunt in the capital with my mother. Later, my aunt and mother passed away, and I was left with no way out. So I castrated myself and entered the palace to make a living.”
Seeing that he had handed him the teacup, Xu Bai nodded and asked, "Eunuch Shun has no relatives outside, so does he have any reliable friends?"
“What friends do we lowly eunuchs have? We only exchange a few words with the old men in the tenement.”
"Now that my monthly salary has been cut off and I have no relatives or friends to support me, may I ask you, Eunuch Shun, where did you get this fine tea that costs several taels of silver per catty? Don't tell me that you used to drink such expensive tea, and don't try to fool us by saying that it was a gift from the eunuchs in this courtyard. We will verify it one by one."
Before he could finish speaking, a hint of panic crept onto Shunzi's face. He quickly smiled and said, "Sir, I don't know what to say. I'm afraid you won't believe me. That bag of good tea was bought with money I've saved up. After being sick for more than a month, I've figured it out. What's the point of being frugal? I have no relatives or friends here anyway. I might as well eat and use things well, at least I can be comfortable."
At this point, Yu Qi turned around, holding the packet of medicine at the long table, and asked, "So, these medicines were also bought by Eunuch Shun himself?"
Shunzi hurriedly took the medicine and put it in the right bedroom, saying with a smile, "Shouldn't you buy some good medicine when you're sick?"
Yu Qi followed him to the screen door and saw him carefully packing the medicine and stuffing it into the cabinet. However, he was in a hurry and a wooden box inside was caught on his sleeve. When he pulled the box, it fell to the ground, and a lot of silver ingots clattered out. Yu Qi roughly counted them and found that there were nearly two hundred, as well as two silver notes. Although he couldn't see the exact amount, he figured it was quite a lot.
Hearing the commotion, Xu Bai tilted his head to look inside, got up to pick up the two banknotes, shook them at Yu Qi, and laughed, "One note is three hundred taels. Eunuch Shun has saved quite a bit. Based on your monthly salary of two taels of silver, even if you don't spend it, it would take you twenty or thirty years to save up. I heard that Eunuch Shun has only been in the palace for four or five years. With this money, he must have either stolen palace property or obtained it through illicit means elsewhere."
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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