Chapter 23 A Bet
The Empress Dowager finally understood and asked the Emperor, "Have you taken any medicine?"
The emperor, looking bewildered, said, "I haven't taken any medicine. I just drank a cup of wine while I was asleep, and for some reason, I woke up with a nosebleed that wouldn't stop."
The Empress Dowager hesitated for a moment, then fixed her gaze on the Fourth Miss with a sinister look, and asked Ruan Xiuyi sternly, "Did you poison the wine?"
The fourth young lady, her face filled with terror, shook her head repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, I did not."
The Empress Dowager stared at her for a moment, then made a gesture to Palace Attendant Lu, who understood and said, "Search."
At the command, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor's eunuchs rolled up their sleeves and began frantically searching through drawers and cabinets. The Fourth Miss vaguely sensed something was amiss, but she couldn't understand why there was poison in the wine when there was none. Her heart trembled, her limbs shook, and she forced herself to remain calm. A moment later, she heard the eunuch Yu shouting loudly, "Found it! Found it!" Turning her head, she saw him holding a black lacquered sandalwood box. Her vision blurred, and she almost fainted.
What happened next, though she experienced it firsthand, felt like a dream.
The eunuch presented the black lacquered wooden box. The Empress Dowager opened it, examined it, and handed it to the chief imperial physician. The chief physician sniffed it, then summoned the other imperial physicians. After a brief discussion, the physicians concluded that this was indeed the medicine. The Empress Dowager slammed her hand on the table, her brows furrowed, and said, "Consort Ruan, you are truly audacious! How dare you commit adultery in the palace and harm the Emperor!"
The fourth daughter knelt down with a thud, trembling as she said, "Your Majesty...no, Your Majesty really didn't."
"If not, then why would such a medicine exist?" The Empress Dowager threw the black lacquered sandalwood box to her knees. The lid fell off, and the pills rolled out, spinning around.
"It was brought into the palace by my mother... who said it was a rare gift from Dunluye... that it could bring a son in one fell swoop..." the fourth young lady said incoherently, "Actually, I didn't intend to use it at all, I just kept it... I never thought of using it, so it might have ended up in the wine?"
"Does this medicine somehow find its way to the feet?" the Empress Dowager said coolly. "Guards, summon Lady Ruan and Lady Dunluye to the palace for questioning."
Dunluye had moved from the post station outside the city to the embassy in the capital, located on Zhuque Street, very close to the palace, so he arrived quickly. After understanding the situation, he smiled and said, "No, this medicine was indeed sent to Ruan. I originally thought she intended it for Minister Ruan, but it ended up in the palace. This medicine is merely an aphrodisiac and has no effect on conceiving a son. I suppose Ruan has already learned its lesson."
Although Da was incompetent, he wasn't stupid and wouldn't frame someone. Therefore, upon hearing Dunluye's words, the Fourth Sister completely understood that she and Da had fallen into someone else's trap. After understanding, she wasn't as flustered as before, and glanced thoughtfully at Dunluye.
When Dunluye saw that her face was as beautiful as a lotus flower, with water stains and her eyes still half full of tears, she was not as helpless as an ordinary woman. He couldn't help but admire her in his heart. Not only was Consort Ruan naturally beautiful, but she also had a lot of composure. No wonder Consort Xie regarded her as a formidable enemy and was determined to get rid of her as soon as possible.
After what seemed like an eternity, Da was brought into the palace. Seeing the scene before her, she turned pale with fright and stammered an explanation. But the Empress Dowager would never believe her. With a grim face, she ordered her men to give this shameless woman twenty lashes and throw her out, forbidding her from ever setting foot in the palace again.
Upon hearing the words "shameless slut," she collapsed to the ground in terror, her tongue slurring, unable to even utter the words "injustice." Two eunuchs entered, grabbed her arms, and dragged her out. At the palace gate, she finally came to her senses and began to scream her innocence…
Before the word "in vain" could be uttered, the eunuch covered his mouth.
Hearing the abruptly stopped cry of "injustice," and hearing the dragging sound slowly fade into the distance, the Fourth Sister felt a chill run through her body and soul. She lowered her eyes to the ground, desperately trying to think of a solution, but her mind was in turmoil, and she had no idea what to do.
"Ruan Xiuyi, do you have anything else to say?"
"Your Majesty, I only have one thing to say." After a pause, the Fourth Princess said, word by word, "I did not poison her; someone is framing me."
"Even now, you still refuse to admit it." The Empress Dowager sneered. "Consort Ruan, listen to my decree: You have committed adultery in the palace and poisoned His Majesty. Considering this is your first offense, you are to be moved to the Xixin Palace to reform yourself and atone for your sins."
The Washing Dust Palace was a cold palace. The Fourth Miss swayed slightly, biting her lip, and remained silent.
Seeing her pale face and eyes brimming with tears, the Emperor felt a deep pang of sorrow. He coughed lightly and said, "Mother, Consort Ruan is still young and has been deceived. There's no need to move her to the Xixin Palace. Let her remain in the Guanju Palace to reflect on her actions."
The Empress Dowager turned to look at him and said sternly, "Emperor, if you continue to be so lenient, what will become of the other concubines if they follow suit? If you don't cherish your health, I won't allow you to ruin mine."
This was a very serious matter. The Emperor, still furious, dared not show favoritism towards the Fourth Miss. He secretly gave her a reassuring look, hinting that he would definitely rescue her once things calmed down. The Fourth Miss glanced at him, and the tears that had been welling up in her eyes finally slid down her cheeks. The sight of her weeping like pear blossoms in the rain instantly tugged at the Emperor's heartstrings. He recalled her earlier tender moments in bed, and a surge of emotion coursed through his chest. A warm stream flowed through his nose, and he knew something was wrong. But it was too late; blood dripped from his nose onto his newly changed clothes.
The Empress Dowager glanced at him, then at the weeping Fourth Miss, and said angrily, "Fine, fine! Even in this state, you still dare to bewitch the Emperor! Guards, immediately take this little vixen to the Cleansing Heart Palace for strict supervision!"
The emperor watched as the two palace maids led the fourth young lady away, and he felt quite uneasy.
The Empress Dowager noticed his slightly furrowed brow and dismissed the Fourth Miss from the Cold Palace, which displeased him. He was both annoyed and disheartened; he had worried himself sick over these two, yet neither of them showed gratitude, only incurring their resentment. The more he thought about it, the more worthless it seemed. He abruptly stood up, flicked his sleeves, and left.
Back at Cining Palace, he expected the emperor to apologize soon, but to his surprise, he didn't even see the emperor that evening, only sending a eunuch to inquire after him. He became increasingly angry, and the next day, he skipped the morning court session and had the eunuch keep him outside the hall.
As a result, everyone felt that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor had a falling out, and everyone became very cautious.
After lunch that day, the Empress Dowager tossed and turned on her bed, thinking of Prince Jin and Ruan Bi, and of the Emperor and the Fourth Miss. The more she thought about it, the more desolate she felt. Her children had grown up and no longer listened to their mother… Just as she was grieving, she heard a faint commotion outside. She flew into a rage and demanded, “Who is making such a racket outside?”
Lu Gongling came in from outside and cautiously said that Fifth Miss Ruan was making a fuss about wanting to see the Empress, and a young eunuch tried to cover her mouth but was bitten in the process.
"Why don't you tie her up with a rope and gag her with a cloth?"
"Yes," Lu Gongling replied, and was about to leave when the Empress Dowager said, "Wait, why is she making such a fuss about seeing me?" Ruan Bi had been in the palace for almost a month, and had always been quiet. This loud and disruptive behavior was completely different from her usual unassuming demeanor. Had she broken down?
She said, "The Empress has fallen for the trap."
The Empress Dowager's heart skipped a beat. It took her a long while to recover her senses. She sat up against the back of the couch, smoothed her hair, and said, "Bring her up."
Lu Gongling turned and went out, then brought Ruan Bi in a moment later. Perhaps because she hadn't seen the sun, she looked even paler than before. She wore a blue Taoist robe, her hair styled in a Taoist bun, and her expression showed no trace of the weariness of imprisonment. She moved with a gentle breeze, exuding an air of carefree wandering.
After exchanging greetings, she straightened up and began to tell the story of the Empress Dowager and King Goujian of Yue, who endured hardship and humiliation to achieve his goal.
Palace Attendant Lu scoffed at this absurdity, saying, "Even a three-year-old knows this; how dare they test the Empress with this?"
"This is not a test for Your Majesty, but history serves as a mirror to reflect on the past and present. Since ancient times, national hatred and family feuds have been irreconcilable. This is why King Goujian of Yue painstakingly plotted, first by flattering the State of Wu, and then by enduring hardship and humiliation. However, King Fuchai of Wu was blindly arrogant and unprepared. Even when his ministers warned him, he dismissed them as petty men, ultimately leading to the destruction of his kingdom and the ruin of his family." After a pause, Ruan Bi continued, "For over a hundred years since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it has been constantly at war with the Northern Rong. The hatred between the two countries is higher than mountains and longer than rivers, just like the Wu and Yue states a thousand years ago. Now, the Northern Rong have sent an envoy, Dunluye, to seek peace. First, they flattered Your Majesty, then they sowed discord, framed the King of Jin, and eliminated General Zhao. Now they are interfering in the palace affairs. How similar are these methods to those used by Goujian back then? I hope Your Majesty will see clearly and not fall for the schemes of these petty men."
The Empress Dowager stared at her silently for a long while, then coldly said, "Palace Commander Lu, arrest all the palace maids and eunuchs serving Miss Ruan and torture them severely. Who leaked the information to her?"
"Your Majesty, please calm down. It wasn't someone else who told me this, but I overheard Caiqing, Xiaoguizi, Mingxia, Pingxiang, Xiaoyaozi and others chatting."
The Empress Dowager looked at her suspiciously.
"Your Majesty, the back of the embroidered pavilion in the east wing is partitioned by wooden boards. The walls are extremely thin and have gaps. When it is late at night and all is quiet, even the faintest sound can be heard." This was the truth. The Empress Dowager also said that when the Seventh Prince was imprisoned in the embroidered pavilion, he often heard all sorts of strange noises from there.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand, and after everyone else had left, she said sarcastically, "You can't even protect yourself, yet you still want to save me?"
Ruan Bi shook her head slightly and said, "Fourth Sister doesn't need my help. She's been wronged, and the truth will come out in the future. The reason I want to see the Empress Dowager is simply to make a bet with her. If I lose, I will never see Prince Jin again in my life."
"Oh?" The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow. "You want to gamble with me?"
"Soon afterward, Dunluye will surely present Your Majesty with beautiful women from the Northern Rong."
The Empress Dowager remained silent for a moment, then said, "I am not so idle. Bring her away."
As expected, she refused, but Ruan Bi achieved her goal.
Lu Gongling escorted her back to the embroidery pavilion, taking Mingxia, Caiqing, and others with him, presumably to be subjected to severe torture. Hopefully, Mingxia could withstand it. Although she had never revealed her identity, she always consciously led the conversation, relaying outside news to Ruan Bi's ears.
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