Chapter 240: Snowy Night, Warm Lights Never Go Out
The chill wind stirred by Qianlong's dragon boots treading across the threshold had yet to dissipate, and the lingering imperial pressure within the warm chamber weighed heavily on everyone's heart. Ziwei leaned back against the brocade cushions of a rosewood chair, as if all her strength had been drained. Erkang's warm palm remained pressed against the back of her cold hand, a steady stream of warmth seeping into her frozen heart like a tiny stream. She closed her eyes, her long lashes clinging together wetly, her chest rising and falling slightly with her suppressed breathing. The fear that had been trapped there, cold and hard, finally cracked open with the heavy words, "I'll take care of it," and transformed into scalding tears that silently slid down her pale cheeks, splashing onto the cloud pattern of Erkang's stone-blue cloak, leaving a small, dark, wet mark.
"Sister..." Xiaoyanzi half-knelt in front of Ziwei, her voice filled with sobs and lingering anger after surviving a disaster. She raised her hand and clumsily but gently wiped away the tears on Ziwei's face with her fingertips. As she did so, the gold bracelet given to her by Fang's mother slipped off her wrist and hit the armrest of the chair with a soft "ding" sound. "Don't be afraid, really don't be afraid!" She sniffed, trying to make her voice sound more resolute. "The Emperor has spoken! The Sticking Rod Department has taken action! Let's see how long those rotten-hearted and rotten-tongued bastards can keep jumping around!" She gritted her teeth, two burning flames burning in her eyes. She wished she could rush out immediately to find the culprit hiding in the gutter and throw her into the cauldron of the Ministry of Punishment to boil her.
Yongqi stood aside, his gaze heavy as he gazed out the door in the direction of Qianlong's departure. His hand finally loosened the grip on the hilt of the sword at his waist, his fingertips turning slightly white from the pressure. He turned to Xiaoyanzi, his voice low but steady with a rock-hard strength, trying to soothe her rage that threatened to explode: "Xiaoyanzi is right. The Emperor will personally conduct a thorough investigation, and if we take action at the sticky pole, we will surely get to the bottom of this." He paused, his eyes sweeping sharply across the moonlight still trembling on the ground, then warily gazing out the window at the dark night where the wind and snow howled. His voice dropped even lower, barely audible to the few people in the warm room. "However, to be able to spread rumors throughout the palace, even to the ears of court officials, while Concubine Gao is confined to Jingren Palace... the dark hands behind this are likely not just in Jingren Palace."
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 stamping his feet in the corridor outside the door due to the cold. Upon hearing the sound, he immediately jumped in as nimbly as a rabbit. There was a look of fear on his face, but his eyes were much steadier than Mingyue's, and revealed a cleverness.
"Has the person you invited come?" Yongqi asked, his tone calm but with an unquestionable coldness, and he deliberately emphasized the word "invite".
Xiaodengzi immediately bowed, his voice also very low, with a barely perceptible hint of seeking credit: "Your Highness, I just spotted Wang Shun'er wandering around the west corner gate of the Imperial Garden, with his neck shrunk like a quail. I didn't alarm others, but just said that Shufangzhai had an important errand and was in need of a nimble helper, so I asked him to come and help. When the boy heard it was an errand for Shufangzhai, his eyes lit up and he followed me happily. Now he is drinking tea with Xiao Wanzi in the side hall to warm himself up!" He deliberately emphasized the words "drinking tea to warm himself up" and winked at Yongqi.
"Okay." Yongqi's eyes flashed coldly, and he nodded slightly. "Keep an eye on him. Later, I will go and ask him in person if he finds this bowl of Shufangzhai tea comfortable and heartwarming."
"Oh! Don't worry, Your Highness! I will make sure he is 'warm' without missing a single word!" The little stool responded promptly and decisively, bowed and retreated, his steps light and quick, like a cat slipping across the snow.
Erkang supported Ziwei's shoulders, allowing her to lean back more comfortably. His gaze fell on her hand, still tightly clutching the half-piece of jade. The edge of the jade pendant nearly dug into her delicate palm, and her knuckles were bluish-white from the excessive force. His brow furrowed in pain, and he coaxed her gently, his voice like melting snow: "Ziwei, loosen your grip a little. Be obedient. The jade pendant hurts. Loosen it a little, let me see." He tried to pry open her cold, stiff fingers with his fingertips, ever so gently.
Ziwei seemed awakened by the gentle touch. She opened her eyes abruptly and looked blankly into Erkang's deep, worried eyes. Then she looked down at the jade pendant in her hand, almost digging into her flesh. Deep, red nail marks were vividly imprinted on the smooth jade surface. She looked at them, as if she could see her own immense fear and despair. Her eyes instantly turned red again, and a lingering tremor lingered in her heavy nasal voice: "Erkang... I... I'm really scared... Afraid of those words... Afraid that the Emperor... What if..."
"Nothing could possibly happen!" Erkang interrupted her without hesitation, his words reassuring and undeniable. He picked up a clean white silk handkerchief nearby and gently wiped the glaring red mark on her palm from the jade pendant. His eyes were focused and determined, as if he were polishing the most precious porcelain in the world. "The token is real! The emperor's words are true! My, Fu Erkang's feelings for you are even truer than gold! Ziwei, look at me," he lifted her chin, forcing her tearful eyes to meet his gaze, "you are the Mingzhu Princess of the Qing Dynasty, the wife that I, Fu Erkang, have chosen for this life, the one who will see the mountains and rivers with me and spend the rest of my life with me! Those sewage crawling out of the gutter don't even have the qualifications to touch your skirt! You also heard what the emperor said just now. In this world, no matter how hard the truth is, it cannot be harder than the emperor's will! With the emperor here, me here, Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi here, and everyone in Shufangzhai working together, no one can hurt you in the slightest!" His voice was not loud, but every word was clear and resounding, like a magic needle that stabilized the sea, firmly nailing Ziwei's shaky defenses.
Xiaoyanzi also nodded vigorously and patted her chest: "That's right! Ziwei, you believe me! Believe in the Emperor! And believe in Erkang! Our Shufangzhai is an iron wall! We are not afraid of monsters and demons!" As she spoke, her eyes swept over the plate of forgotten sugar-coated fruits on the table, which had turned cold and oily. The evil fire in her heart had nowhere to vent, so she reached out and grabbed one, bit it hard, and chewed it with her cheeks puffed up, as if she was chewing the flesh of the person who spread rumors and caused trouble.
Just then, Little Wart cautiously entered, carrying a steaming food box. He forced his usual carefree smile, his voice deliberately brisk and loud: "Goodness! The snow outside is hitting my face and it hurts! I went to the kitchen and hey, there's some freshly brewed red date and ginger tea! Madam Gui says it's the best for dispelling cold and calming nerves! Ladies, Master Fu, and Princes, drink some to warm yourselves and calm your nerves!" He spoke as he deftly lifted the lid of the food box. Instantly, the rich, spicy aroma of ginger mixed with the warm, sweet fragrance of red dates spread like a warm current through the cold air, dispelling some of the oppression. He carefully served a bowl to Ziwei first, then to Erkang, Xiaoyanzi, and Yongqi in turn.
Xiaoyanzi took the coarse porcelain bowl. The scorching heat pierced through the bowl's walls, searing her palms and relaxing her anger-tightened nerves a little. She looked down at the red dates bobbing in the bowl and muttered sullenly, "You've got some good sense, kid." Then she leaned over the bowl, puffed up her cheeks, and blew hard at the steam before taking a sip. The pungent warmth rushed straight down her throat, choking her and causing her to cough twice, but it also felt like a small flame, warming her frozen lungs.
Yongqi also took the bowl and thanked him, but his gaze passed over the rim, casting a thoughtful glance out the window. The sky was completely saturated with a thick, dark ink. The red silk lanterns hanging from the eaves of Shufangzhai swayed violently in the howling north wind, their dim glow casting twisted, restless, and pulsating shadows on the snow. Fine snowflakes, whipped by the fierce wind, resembled countless tiny icicles, tapping the window paper with a dense, relentless rustling sound, reminiscent of countless ears whispering in the shadows.
***
Jingren Palace.
The heavy, vermilion-lacquered palace gates were tightly shut, shutting out all sound and possible light from the outside world, and also locking in the suffocating, cold, and dead silence within the room. Only two tiny oil lamps lit in the corners of the hall. The faint, dancing flames distorted and deformed the figures, casting them into monstrous, eerie shapes, casting shadows on the stained, aged walls, like ghosts waiting for action.
Concubine Gao, formerly the Imperial Concubine Gao, was clad in a half-worn, plain quilted jacket, her hair tangled like dry grass. Like a lost clay statue, she sat on the edge of the icy, cold, red sandalwood kang. She clutched tightly a wrinkled and warped handkerchief, a faint trace of a golden peony pattern visible. Her knuckles were strained and bruised from the strain, her nails digging into her palms unnoticed. In the dim, flickering candlelight, her face, once meticulously maintained and the most beautiful of the harem, had completely lost its luster. Her eye sockets were sunken, her cheekbones prominent, her lips chapped and peeling. Only a pair of bloodshot eyes, like poisoned hooks, stared fixedly at the closed palace door, swirling with deep resentment, gnawing fear, and a touch of near-mad desperation.
The shrill, desperate cries of Li Ma Ma as she was roughly dragged away by the guards from the Sticking Pole Office—"Madam, save me! Madam—!"—still seemed to pierce her ears, each cry like a dull, rusty knife, repeatedly slicing at her nerves. She flung the tattered handkerchief to the ground, as if discarding a dirty rag, and a hoarse, shrill curse emanated from her throat, stirring a chilling echo in the empty, deadly palace: "Waste! Useless old thing! You're more likely to cause trouble than to help!"
She stumbled to her feet, her bare feet treading on the icy, iron-like gold brick floor. The chill instantly shot from her soles to her head, causing her to shiver all over. She ignored the situation and, like a ghost, moved step by step to the tightly closed carved window. With her bony fingernails, she painstakingly pried open a narrow crack in the window. In an instant, a biting, cold wind, swirling with snowflakes, seemed to have found an outlet and rushed in fiercely, shaking her frail body and causing the already weak candlelight to sway wildly, its light and shadow dancing wildly, nearly extinguishing it. She squinted her eyes and, through the narrow gap, stared intently and resentfully in the direction of Shufangzhai. Over there, a row of red lanterns hung from the eaves, swaying stubbornly in the wind and snow, emitting a warm, festive orange glow, like countless eyes mocking her.
"Fang Ci...Xia Ziwei..." She gritted her teeth, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth and from the blood foam, with a poisonous hatred that was so thick that it could not be dissolved. "Two bitches! Vixens! On what basis... on what basis can you have all the glory, win the favor of the emperor, and get such a good marriage with so much prosperity! And I...I am a noble concubine..." She remembered the concubines' overt or covert mocking eyes after she fell out of favor, and the icy and cold gaze that Qianlong gave her. She remembered this situation that was even more dead and desperate than the cold palace. The huge gap and the overwhelming sense of humiliation were like poisonous snakes, biting her internal organs fiercely, almost forcing her last bit of sanity into the abyss of madness.
"You think... this is the end? You want to marry off in style and honor? Dream on!" The madness in her bloodshot eyes suddenly widened, twisting into a strange, resentful smile. Her cracked lips moved silently, like the most vicious curse. "Even if I, Gao, die, even if I go to hell, I'll drag you down with me! 'Ironclad evidence'... huh... Even though that fool, Nanny Li, had her tongue ripped out and thrown out of the palace, the things she left behind... may not be truly lost to the sea..." She slammed the window shut with all her might, completely shutting out the wind and snow and the glaring red light. Turning, like a hungry wolf, she pounced on a dusty, unassuming rosewood dressing box in the corner. With a morbid eagerness, her skinny fingers frantically groped in the uneven carved crevices at the bottom of the box. The harsh "scratching" sound of her nails scraping against wood was infinitely amplified in the deadly silent hall, like the scratching of a ghost.
In the dim, flickering candlelight, threatening to go out at any moment, her face, distorted with resentment, resembled a demon crawling out of the depths of hell. The night in Jingren Palace was colder and more piercing, more hopeless and bleak than the howling wind outside Shufangzhai or the heavy, leaden clouds hanging over the Forbidden City.
***
The snowstorm didn't subside despite the torment, but instead grew even more violent as night fell. The Forbidden City's towering palaces and pavilions were submerged in an endless blanket of snow. Only the dim, flickering lanterns in the patrolling guards' hands moved through the bottomless palace alleys like will-o'-the-wisp lights, their dim light quickly swallowed by the howling wind and snow.
The movements of the Sticking Rod Division were like the silent slithering of a venomous snake in the night. The chief eunuch, Zhao Dequan, a middle-aged man with an ordinary face but eyes as sharp as a hawk, clad in a nondescript gray squirrel fur coat, personally led a team of skilled confidants, trudged through ankle-deep snow, and silently surrounded a row of low-rise guardhouses near the western corner gate of the Imperial Garden. There were no shouts, no brightly lit intrusions, only a few dark figures, swift as civet cats, scaling the wall and entering. A moment later, a few short, muffled groans emanated from the guardhouse, followed by a dead silence. A young eunuch, dressed in ordinary eunuch uniform, his face pale with fear, was dragged out with his hands tied behind his back and his mouth gagged, like a dead dog, and swiftly disappeared into the wind-swept, snow-filled alleys of the palace. The entire process was so swift and ghostly that even the nearby night watchmen were unaware.
The Jingren Palace's reception was far more grand. Eunuch Su Peisheng, accompanied by a large group of guards from the Sticking Rod Office and eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department, arrived at the palace gates in a stately ceremony. The heavy gates clanged open from the outside, sending a chilly wind whistling in, carrying snow and foam. The few remaining candles in the hall were instantly extinguished, plunging the room into even deeper darkness.
"By order of the Emperor!" Su Peisheng's shrill and cold voice echoed in the empty hall, carrying with it an unquestionable majesty. "All the palace maids of Jingren Palace are under immediate custody. No one is allowed to leave without the Emperor's order! Anyone who violates this order will be killed without mercy!"
The order came crashing down like an icicle. The few remaining palace maids and eunuchs, already frightened, were now utterly terrified. They fell to their knees, kowtowed profusely, and begged for mercy with tears streaming down their cheeks: "Eunuch Su, please spare me! Eunuch Su, please spare me! We know nothing!" Their cries resonated with a frightening echo in the empty hall.
Amid the chaos, no one noticed a thin figure, shielded by his companions and the dim light of the hall, scurried away like a frightened mouse behind a large blue-and-white porcelain vase in the corner. He held his breath, his entire body trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind. It was a young eunuch named Xiao Shunzi, a lowly eunuch in charge of sweeping the Jingren Palace. He was usually quite inconspicuous.
Su Peisheng's icy gaze swept across the kneeling crowd, begging for mercy, before finally settling on Concubine Gao, who remained frozen by the window, her back to the others. He didn't offer any greeting, but simply raised his voice, his tone flat and steady: "Master Gao, the Emperor has commanded that you remain within the palace and reflect on your mistakes. If anything goes wrong… your servants cannot bear the consequences, and you… cannot bear the consequences even more." The warning in his words was undeniable.
Gao Guipin turned abruptly, her messy hair covering half her face. The one eye that was exposed flashed a terrifying red light in the dim light. She stared at Su Peisheng intently, making a strange hoarse sound in her throat, but she couldn't utter a word. The hatred in her eyes was as vicious as a dagger tempered with poison.
Su Peisheng looked away expressionlessly, as if he hadn't seen the madness in her eyes. He waved his hand, and the guards from the Sticking Rod Office immediately pounced forward like wolves and tigers, violently searching every corner of the palace, rummaging through boxes and cabinets. The sound of porcelain shattering and furniture toppling was endless. The eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department, holding the list, began to count and tie up the pale-faced palace servants.
Chaos, crying, yelling, searching... the overwhelming noise assaulted the eardrums like a tidal wave. Xiao Shunzi, huddled behind a blue and white porcelain vase in the shadows, covered his mouth tightly with his trembling hands. His teeth dug deep into the flesh of his hand, leaving bloody marks, his eyes filled with utter terror. His gaze darted uncontrollably to the corner where Concubine Gao had just pounced—a dusty rosewood dressing box, now roughly overturned by a guard from the Sticking Rod Department, its contents tumbling and clanging. The guard kicked at it, but seeing it was just ordinary, old items, he ignored them and turned to search the nearby cabinet.
Xiao Shunzi's heart was in his throat.
***
In the side room of the Shufangzhai Hall, a charcoal basin burned brightly, dispelling the bitter cold outside. Wang Shun'er, the young eunuch on duty at the western corner gate of the Imperial Garden, felt uneasy. He grasped the cup of hot tea that Xiao Wanzi had forced upon him, his hands shaking so much that he spilled most of it onto his brand new cotton trousers, leaving a dark stain, oblivious to the fact. His forehead was covered in sweat, his face pale as paper, and his eyes darted around in fear, not daring to look at the person sitting in the chair opposite him.
Yongqi sat there, having shed his cold outer robe for his homely stone-blue brocade robe with dark patterns. He toyed with a warm, mutton-fat jade ring, his posture seemingly relaxed. However, his deep eyes, like a cold pond, were devoid of any warmth. They rested silently on Wang Shun'er, carrying an invisible, heavy pressure.
"Wang Shun'er," Yong Qi spoke. His voice was low, even calm, but it made Wang Shun'er shudder violently and almost slip off the stool. "You work in the Imperial Garden, exposed to the wind and sun, and it's hard work."
"No...it's not hard...I'm a servant...it's my duty..." Wang Shun'er was tongue-tied and spoke incoherently.
"Duty?" Yong Qi raised his eyebrows slightly, his fingertips stroking the smooth surface of the jade ring. "Then I'm asking you, this afternoon near the West Corner Gate, which of your 'good brothers' did you speak to, and what were your 'duty' words?"
Wang Shuner's face turned from pale to blue in an instant, and his lips trembled like a fish out of water: "No...nothing...slave...slave is..."
"Just gossiping about Princess Mingzhu's background? And even bringing up Madam Li from Jingren Palace? Hmm?" Yongqi's voice suddenly turned cold, like an icicle, piercing Wang Shun'er's last shred of hope. He slid off the stool with a thud, his forehead clattering heavily on the cold tile floor. "Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me! This servant...this servant deserves death! This servant deserves death! Someone gave this servant money...told this servant...told this servant to spread...those words..."
"Who?" Yongqi's voice was like a steel whip tempered with ice.
Wang Shuner trembled even more violently, tears streaming down his face. "I...I don't know him...it was a stranger...it was dark...I couldn't see his face clearly...He...he gave me a silver ingot...said...said that if I spread the word...then...then..."
"So what?" Xiaoyanzi came in at some point, leaning against the door frame with her arms folded, staring coldly at Wang Shuner who was shaking on the ground, as if she wanted to eat him alive.
"Just...just give me another ingot..." Wang Shuner's voice was as thin as a mosquito and full of despair.
The cold light in Yongqi's eyes grew even brighter. Sure enough! There was someone behind this! He waved his hand, signaling Xiaoyanzi to take the person away and keep him under guard. Xiaoyanzi was so angry that she kicked the door frame: "What a bastard! He dared to slander the princess for a few taels of silver! Yongqi, you must not let him off easily!"
Yongqi stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open a crack. Outside, the snowstorm that had raged all night had, without anyone noticing, gradually subsided. The thick, leaden clouds seemed to be torn apart by an invisible hand, allowing a few faint, cold, damp rays of sunlight to filter through with difficulty, illuminating the thick snow in the Shufangzhai courtyard.
"Dawn is almost here," Yongqi said, his voice low and firm, as he gazed at the faint light. "The snow has stopped. The truth should finally be revealed." He clenched the jade ring in his hand, feeling the warmth as if drawing strength from it. This storm was far from over, but dawn would eventually pierce the darkness.
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