Chapter 22 Imprisoned in the Palace
In May of the seventh year of the Jiaping era, the name Dunluye gradually spread.
He was an envoy from the Northern Rong, yet he was more favored by the emperor than the civil and military officials of the court, and they often went hunting and held banquets together.
He led the Northern Rong warriors in a martial arts contest against the Imperial Guards, and defeated them decisively in wrestling and archery. The Emperor was not angry at all, but instead issued an edict to appoint him as a warrior and rewarded him with countless silks, satins, and rare treasures.
He was known for his generous and open-handed nature, and he actively cultivated relationships with prominent families in the capital. He maintained close ties not only with the Marquis of Yanping but also became a guest of honor of the Prince of Han, and even had connections with the declining Ruan family of Jingxi. Officials of all ranks in the capital considered it an honor to befriend him…
Of course, there were also some unconventional individuals who thought he was being pretentious. For example, the Duke of Dingguo directly refused Dunluye's visit, berating him as nothing more than a defeated opponent and a clown. Then there was General Zhao, who submitted a lengthy memorial to the Emperor, nearly a thousand words long, stating that he had clashed with Dunluye several times in the Northwest and knew him well—outwardly arrogant but inwardly cunning, associating with powerful officials and nobles, harboring ulterior motives, and suspected of spying—and that precautions must be taken… However, the Emperor dismissed it with a single phrase: "The heart of a petty person." General Zhao, upon reading the reply, was furious and coughed up blood, from then on refusing all visitors.
On the first day of the sixth month, the Northern Rong delegation and the negotiating team composed of various tribes of the Great Zhou reached a preliminary agreement. The Northern Rong would regard the Great Zhou as the superior state and pay tribute annually with 10,000 taels of horses and 50,000 head of cattle and sheep. The two sides would establish a market on the border to facilitate trade. The Northern Rong envoys sent the agreement back to the Northern Rong capital by express courier, awaiting confirmation from Ji Nuli.
On the same day, Dunluye presented an account book to the emperor as a gift for the alliance. The account book contained evidence that a subordinate officer under General Zhao, when he commanded the Northwest Army, colluded with horse traders from the Northern Rong to sell military horses. The entire court was in uproar, and civil and military officials submitted memorials demanding severe punishment. The subordinate officer committed suicide. Although there was no concrete evidence to prove General Zhao's involvement, he could not escape the charge of lax governance and was stripped of his official position. However, considering he was the father of Empress Zhao, he retained his title. Subsequently, many members of the Zhao clan who entered officialdom were either demoted or exiled. Like the Ruan family of Jingxi, the Baokang Zhao clan gradually declined after a century of prosperity.
On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, as was customary for the concubines to visit their families, I rose early and entered the palace. Before the Fourth Miss, I described in detail the banquet I had hosted for Dunluye… Many people came that day, even the arrogant Censor-in-Chief… Unexpectedly, Dunluye, a foreigner, spoke our language so fluently, his manners were so elegant and proper, and he was also very witty and humorous. No wonder the Emperor admires him. He even said he would put in a good word for your father with the Emperor…”
The fourth daughter, hearing her mother's effusive praise, frowned and said, "Mother, Dunluye's loyalty and treachery are unclear. You should advise Father not to get too close to him."
Da was immediately displeased, and snorted coldly, saying, "Are all the officials in the court blind, and only you have clear eyes?" He paused, then continued, "That Dunluye heard you were in the palace and specifically asked me to bring you a treasure, saying it would guarantee your wishes come true and that you would be favored greatly. But you judged him with your petty mind, and completely wasted his good intentions."
The fourth sister asked curiously, "What treasure?"
Da Yiran, still looking displeased, pulled a black lacquered sandalwood box from his robes and handed it to her without a word. The Fourth Sister took it, opened it, and saw three brown pills inside, emitting a strange fragrance. Puzzled, she asked, "What are these?"
"Their secret medicine from the Northern Rong is said to enable a woman to conceive a son in one go if a man takes it."
The fourth girl's heart skipped a beat, her face flushed red, and the wooden box she was holding suddenly felt hot to the touch. Da Shu slammed the box shut, pushed it towards her, and said, "Hide it quickly, don't let anyone see it." Dunluye said, "This medicine should be taken fifteen minutes beforehand, dissolved in warm wine."
The fourth sister's face turned bright red, almost to the point of bleeding, but she still put the medicine into her bosom.
"By the way, your Aunt Lan asked me to pass on a message to Fifth Sister. Could you send someone to invite her?"
After a moment's hesitation, the Fourth Miss said with a troubled expression that she was currently residing in the Empress Dowager's palace and it might not be convenient for her, but she would pass on the message to her.
Da sensed something was amiss and stopped pressing the matter. "It's nothing serious. It's just that your Aunt Lan said she's been ill and has difficulty moving around. She'll go to Yangzhou when she feels a bit better."
“Mother, since Fifth Sister has asked everyone to go to Yangzhou, she must have a reason. You should try to persuade Grandmother and Aunt Lan.”
"I've tried to persuade them all, but they just can't bear to leave. After all, it's been their home for decades." Actually, she'd love to go to Yangzhou all the time. If she went to Yangzhou, she wouldn't have to pay her respects morning and night, and she'd be all-powerful in the prefecture.
After exchanging a few more casual words, he announced his departure from the palace.
The fourth sister opened the medicine box, took out the pills, and examined them for a long time. Ultimately, she remained suspicious and dared not take the risk. She considered throwing them away, but feared they might indeed be a miraculous medicine, and she would lose them forever. After much deliberation, she decided to hide them temporarily and consult a royal physician before making further plans. Having hidden the medicine, she then began to consider how to relay Lan Gu's words to Ruan Bi. Since she moved to the East Hall of the Cining Palace, living under the Empress Dowager's watchful eye, the eunuchs and maids dared not risk relaying messages for outsiders. In the past ten days, she had requested the Empress Dowager to see her fifth sister several times, but had been refused each time. She had also heard that Empress Zhao had requested the same, and had been refused as well.
After thinking for a long time, she couldn't find a second way besides pleading with the Empress Dowager. So she went to Cining Palace with Qiuyan and her personal eunuch, only to be stopped at the gate by a eunuch who said that the Empress Dowager had urgent business to attend to and that Consort Ruan should return.
Fourth Sister had no choice but to accept it.
The young eunuch watched her walk away, then returned to the palace to report to Consort Ruan that everything was settled.
The Empress Dowager nodded and said to Palace Attendant Lu, "You may continue."
“…Every day she gets up, first does her morning lessons, then practices calligraphy. When she gets tired of calligraphy, she reads. She takes a short nap at noon, then continues practicing calligraphy and reading. Sometimes she hums a song. In the evening, she does her evening lessons.” As Lu Gongling spoke, she handed over a stack of papers she was holding. “These are her writings. Would Your Majesty like to take a look?”
The Empress Dowager glanced at it sideways and remarked that it did indeed have beautiful handwriting.
"without."
"Has no one really spoken to her?" (This is a question from a website that doesn't skip words.)
"No, I've already given the orders. Anyone who dares to say a word to Miss Ruan Wu will have their tongue cut out. She initially tried to talk to Caiqing and Mingxia, but when they didn't answer, she probably guessed what was going on and stopped talking."
The Empress Dowager took the calligraphy scrolls and examined them closely. Some were delicate, small regular script, others were flowing white script, some elegant, some neat, each character clear and without a trace of frivolity. She pressed the scrolls down on the couch, snorted coldly, and said, "I've confiscated her brushes, ink, paper, inkstone, and books. Let's see how she can entertain herself now."
Isn't this going too far? Lu Gongling hesitated for a moment, then agreed. "Immediately, he led his men to confiscate all the writing implements, paper, inkstones, and books from Ruan Bi's room."
A few days later, the Empress Dowager took a nap, sipped her tea, and asked her how she was doing.
Lu Gongling bowed and said, "It's the same as always. I have morning and evening lessons every day, and the rest of the time I practice calligraphy. When I get tired of writing, I hum a song."
"Weren't the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones confiscated? How can you write?" The Empress Dowager raised her head in surprise.
"She dipped her chopsticks in water and practiced calligraphy on the table."
The Empress Dowager held her teacup, speechless. She'd finally met her match. A mere fourteen-year-old girl, yet she possessed such inner strength. Back then, she'd imprisoned the ten-year-old Seventh Prince in the East Palace's embroidered chamber, providing him with the best food and drink, refusing to let anyone else see him. As a result, he collapsed after only half a month. Even after the imperial physician's treatment, he was left with a chronic illness, occasionally experiencing fits of madness, especially when faced with an empty, dark room.
"Your Highness," said Lu Gongling cautiously, "rumors are already circulating outside that Fifth Miss Ruan has died in the palace, otherwise she wouldn't have returned to Yuxu Temple?"
"Hmph, a petty trick." The Empress Dowager slammed her teacup down on the table. "Trying to use the people's voices to force me to release her? Trying to get the order from the Meilu Palace? Give the order that I will be going to the Five Sacred Mountains to perform a wind and rain sacrifice on the fifteenth. Take her with me."
Lu Gongling was taken aback, then quickly understood: the Empress Dowager intended to parade her through the streets to dispel the rumors. Just as he was about to agree, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall, followed by a young eunuch announcing that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager had urgent business to discuss with Eunuch Yu.
Upon hearing that it was a eunuch serving the Emperor, the Empress Dowager's heart skipped a beat, and she said, "Come in."
The eunuch, covered in sweat, entered and knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, please get up, your nose is bleeding profusely..."
The Empress Dowager abruptly stood up, interrupting him, and asked, "Has the imperial physician been summoned?"
"It's already been sent."
Where is he?
"Guanju Palace".
The Empress Dowager said no more, her face grim as she walked out. A group of eunuchs and palace maids hurriedly followed, some fanning the emperor, others carrying his palanquin, all in a flurry of activity. When they reached Guanju Palace, all the imperial physicians arrived. Some were smelling amber wine cups, some were taking the emperor's pulse, and others were examining his nose…
Upon seeing the Empress Dowager's arrival, everyone immediately knelt down.
The Empress Dowager glanced around with a grim face. She saw the Emperor sitting with a white handkerchief stuffed in his nose, his face flushed, wearing only a white undergarment with bloodstains on the lapel, half red and half black, a shocking sight. The Fourth Miss knelt at her feet, her long hair disheveled, her head bowed so her expression was unreadable. She too wore a white undergarment, with bloodstains on the lapel and cuffs. The thin blankets and sheets on the bed were also stained with blood.
"Rise," the Empress Dowager said, then walked to the Emperor's side and examined him closely. "My son, why are you suddenly bleeding so much from your nose?"
The emperor gave a wry smile and said, "I don't know either."
The Empress Dowager looked at the imperial physician who had just taken his pulse and asked him, "What happened?"
The imperial physician hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty's pulse is strong and powerful, like a flood, rising high and falling low. This is because you took a medicine that generates excessive heat, causing your Yang energy to become excessive and impact your blood vessels..." Seeing the Empress Dowager's wide-eyed, puzzled expression, he continued, "Although this medicine has remarkable effects and can temporarily arouse one's emotions, its effects are too strong and will harm Your Majesty's health. Moreover, Your Majesty is in the prime of life and does not need medicine to enjoy the pleasures of intimacy."
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