Chapter 239: Secret Investigation on Snowy Night, Jingren Cold Light
Qianlong's bright yellow figure vanished from the Shufang Fasting Cave, carrying with him the imperial might but leaving behind a heavy silence. In the warm room, the charcoal fire crackled softly, startling Jinsuo's hand. Several plump pearls tumbled from the tilted rosewood tray, clacking and bouncing across the blue brick floor. The crisp sound was particularly piercing in the stagnant air.
Ziwei leaned back against a rosewood chair covered in brocade, feeling as if all her strength had been drained from her. Erkang's warm palm remained fixed on the back of her cold hand, a constant warmth seeping through her skin. She closed her eyes, her long lashes clinging to her wet chest, her chest heaving violently. The cold fear that had been trapped there was finally pried open by Qianlong's final, weighty words, "I'll take care of it," and it transformed into boiling tears that silently flowed down.
"Sister..." Xiaoyanzi half-knelt before Ziwei, her voice choked with sobs and lingering anger. She raised her hand and clumsily yet gently wiped the tears from Ziwei's face with her fingertips. As she did so, the gold bracelet given to her by Fang's mother slipped from her wrist, clattering against the armrest of a chair. "Don't be afraid! The Emperor has spoken! The Sticking Rod Department is in action! We'll see how those gossiping, rotten tongues end!" She gritted her teeth, two small flames burning in her eyes, eager to rush out and find the culprit.
Yongqi stood aside, his gaze solemnly fixed on the direction Qianlong had left. His hand finally loosened from the sword at his waist, his fingertips turning slightly white from the pressure. He turned to Xiaoyanzi, his voice low but soothing, "Xiaoyanzi is right. A thorough investigation by the Emperor himself will surely reveal the truth." He paused, his eyes glancing at Mingyue, who knelt on the ground, still trembling, then looked out the door again, his voice lowered. "However, to spread the rumor throughout the palace and even to the imperial court while Concubine Gao was under house arrest, I'm afraid it wasn't just the Jingren Palace that had wielded it."
He tilted his head slightly and called out in a deep voice to the outside of the warm room, "Little stool!"
"I'm here!" Xiaodengzi had been waiting outside the door. He trotted in immediately upon hearing the voice. He also had a frightened look on his face, but his eyes were much steadier than Mingyue's.
"Have the guests arrived?" Yongqi asked, his tone calm but with an undeniable coldness. He deliberately emphasized the word "please".
Xiaodengzi immediately bowed and lowered his voice: "Your Highness, when I went out just now, I had already spotted Wang Shuner strolling near the west corner gate of the Imperial Garden. I didn't alarm others, and just said that there was an important errand in Shufangzhai and asked him to come over to help. He didn't suspect anything, and now he is 'drinking tea' in the side hall accompanied by Xiao Wanzi." He deliberately emphasized the word "drinking tea", and there was a hint of cleverness in his eyes.
"Okay." Yong Qi nodded, a cold glint in his eyes. "Keep an eye on him. I'll go ask him in person later if he enjoys his tea."
"Yes! Don't worry, Your Highness!" Xiaodengzi responded straightforwardly, bowed and retreated, his steps light and quick.
Erkang supported Ziwei's shoulders, letting her lean back more comfortably. His eyes fell on her hand, which was still tightly gripping the half jade pendant, her knuckles turning white. He frowned distressedly and said softly, "Ziwei, please loosen your grip. The jade pendant hurts." He tried to gently pry her fingers apart.
Ziwei, as if startled awake, suddenly opened her eyes and looked blankly at Erkang, then looked down at the jade pendant in her hand, which was almost embedded in her palm. She took a deep breath and finally slowly loosened her grip. Several deep nail marks were clearly imprinted on the jade pendant's smooth texture. Her eyes reddened again as she stared at the marks. Her voice was thick with nasal twang and a lingering sense of fear: "Erkang... I... I'm really scared... Afraid of those words... Afraid of the Emperor..."
"Don't be afraid." Erkang interrupted her without hesitation, his tone firm and reassuring. He picked up a clean silk handkerchief beside him and gently wiped the red mark on her palm caused by the jade pendant. His eyes were focused and firm. "The token is real, the emperor's words are real, and my feelings for you are even more real. Ziwei, you are the pearl of the Qing Dynasty, and the wife I, Fu Erkang, have chosen for this life. The dirty water in the gutter can't touch you at all. You also heard what the emperor said just now. In this world, no matter how hard the truth is, it can't be harder than the emperor's will! With the emperor here, me here, and all of us here, no one can hurt you!" His voice was not loud, but every word was clear, like a rock falling to the ground, knocking on Ziwei's heart.
Xiaoyanzi also quickly agreed and nodded vigorously: "That's right! Ziwei, you believe me! Believe in the Emperor! Believe in Erkang! We are united in Shufangzhai, there is nothing for us to be afraid of!" As she spoke, her eyes turned to the plate of forgotten, cold sugar-coated fruits on the table. She was holding back her anger with nowhere to vent, so she reached out and grabbed one, taking a big bite, as if she was biting the flesh of the person who spread the rumors and caused trouble.
At that moment, Little Warts cautiously entered, carrying a steaming food box. He forced a smile, his voice deliberately light and cheerful, "Dear, boom! The snow outside is hitting my face and it hurts! I went to the kitchen and saw some freshly brewed red date and ginger tea, perfect for dispelling the cold and calming the nerves! Ladies, Master Fu, and your Highnesses, drink some to warm your bodies and calm your nerves!" As he spoke, he deftly opened the lid of the food box, and the rich aroma of ginger mixed with the sweet fragrance of red dates immediately filled the air. He first offered a bowl to Ziwei, then passed it to Erkang, Xiaoyanzi, and Yongqi.
Xiaoyanzi took the bowl, the scorching heat penetrating the porcelain walls and reaching her palms, relaxing her anger-tightened nerves a little. She looked down at the red dates bobbing in the bowl and muttered sullenly, "Little Mosquito is clever." She blew on the hot liquid and took a sip. The spicy ginger flavor rushed straight down her throat, bringing a warm feeling with it.
Yongqi also took the bowl and thanked him, his gaze cast thoughtfully out the window. It was already dark. The palace lanterns under the eaves of Shufangzhai swayed in the howling cold wind, their dim glow casting uneasy shadows on the snow. Snowflakes, swept by the wind, clung densely to the window paper, making a continuous rustling sound, like countless ears whispering in the dark.
***
At the same time, Jingren Palace.
The heavy, vermilion-lacquered palace gates were tightly shut, shutting out all the noise from the outside world and enveloping the chilly silence within. Only a few dim candles lit within the hall, their dancing flames stretching the figures of people into distorted, elongated forms, casting them like ghostly shadows on the gilded and painted, yet already worn, walls.
Concubine Gao, formerly the Imperial Concubine Gao, sat languidly on the edge of a cold, rosewood kang, wearing only a plain, old quilted jacket and her hair loose. She clutched a crumpled handkerchief embroidered with gold-thread peonies, her knuckles bluish-white from the strain. In the dim candlelight, her once-well-kept face lost all its radiance, her eye sockets sunken, her lips chapped and peeling. Only her eyes, fixed fixedly on the closed palace door, churned with deep resentment, fear, and a touch of near-mad desperation.
The wails of Li Mama as she was taken away seemed to still echo in her ears. Those cries of "Madam, save me!" cut her heart like blunt knives. She hurled the handkerchief to the ground, her voice hoarse and shrill like a night owl: "Waste! All waste!" In the empty palace, only her own voice echoed, sounding particularly mournful.
She stumbled to her feet, her bare feet treading the bone-chilling golden brick floor as she inched her way to the tightly closed, carved window. She pried a crack open with her fingernails, and a biting wind immediately rushed in, making her shiver and causing the candlelight to flicker wildly, nearly extinguishing it. Through the narrow slit, she stared intently in the direction of Shufangzhai. The red lanterns beneath the eaves swayed in the wind and snow, casting a warm glow that seemed a cruel mockery of her.
"Fang Ci...Xia Ziwei..." She gritted her teeth, each word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth, filled with poisonous hatred, "Two bitches! On what basis... on what basis can you have all the glory, win the emperor's favor, and get such a good marriage! And I...I am a noble concubine..." She thought of the scene when she was ignored by everyone after she fell out of favor, the cold and heartless eyes when Qianlong looked at her, and the current situation that was like a cold palace. The huge gap and humiliation almost drove her crazy.
"Do you think... this is the end?" The madness in her bloodshot eyes suddenly magnified, and a twisted and weird smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. Her voice was low and hoarse like a curse, "Want to have a grand wedding? Dream on! Even if I, Gao, die, I will drag you down with me! 'Ironclad evidence'... heh... Although that fool Nanny Li had her tongue pulled out, the things she left behind... may not be impossible to find..." She slammed the window shut to keep out the wind and snow, turned around and rushed to an inconspicuous, dusty dressing box in the corner, her fingers trembling as she groped for something at the bottom of the box. The scratching sound of her nails scraping against wood was particularly clear in the silent hall.
In the dim candlelight, her face, filled with resentment, resembled a demon crawling out of hell. The night in Jingren Palace was even colder and more piercing than the howling wind and snow outside Shufangzhai.
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