Chapter Thirteen: Encircled Before My Eyes
Early in the morning, several maids searched the entire Shaohua Courtyard and returned to report: "Miss, it's strange, we've searched the whole courtyard but can't find Sister Chunyun."
The second daughter was having breakfast when she heard this, and a mouthful of porridge immediately got stuck in her throat.
Another maidservant added in a low voice, "We haven't seen her since it got dark last night. Her bed was made up neatly, as if no one had slept there last night."
The second young lady swallowed her porridge with difficulty and said in a nonchalant tone, "It must be because I kicked her yesterday, and she's still angry with me. She must have run off somewhere to hide. Never mind her. Chunliu, prepare my clothes. I'm going to the palace."
After changing into a light yellow top and a green skirt, she boarded a carriage and left the Ruan residence. The sun had just risen, and the shops on the main street had not yet opened, with very few pedestrians on the road.
Milky white morning mist drifted across the eaves and willow branches, turning into wisps of smoke at the touch of sunlight. This morning hadn't yet been completely drowned out by the clamor of carriages and horses; it was quiet and unassuming. However, the second daughter's head was in a cacophony of noise...
"Second Sister, the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty stipulate that a servant who accuses her master will first be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane. She certainly wouldn't dare to go to the yamen to accuse you, and a runaway slave, once caught, will be tortured. She has no other choice but to take this path. Therefore, as soon as you see her escape, you can go to the palace gate and request to enter the palace to see Fourth Sister. Most of the eunuchs in charge of the palace are controlled by Consort Xie. If she allows you to enter, it means she has already received the news and has set a trap for you..."
Lost in thought, the carriage suddenly stopped. The second young lady lifted the curtain and glanced out; they had arrived at Donghua Gate. The gate was wide open, sunlight slanting across the vermilion door studs, making them gleam brightly, each one seeming to pierce the heart. The armor and swords of the imperial guards guarding the gate also gleamed, exuding a chilling aura. Suddenly, she had a feeling that this was the gate of hell, and those expressionless imperial guards were the underworld officials of Yama's court.
Seeing that she was looking at Donghua Gate with a hint of hesitation and fear between her brows, Chunliu couldn't help but call out softly, "Miss?"
"Ah?" The second young lady suddenly woke up, thought for a moment, gritted her teeth, took off the purse hanging from her waist and handed it to Chunliu, saying: "Take this to the palace gatekeeper and say that there is an emergency at home and that you need to see Consort Ruan. Please ask him to make an exception for you."
Chunliu nodded, got off the carriage, and returned a moment later, saying, "My father-in-law said he would go and inform him, but he couldn't guarantee anything."
The second girl nodded, her heart pounding, and sat there with a tense expression.
Half an hour later, a eunuch came out and said to the carriage, "Second Miss Ruan, Consort Ruan invites you."
Her heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, finally settled, but not completely; it continued to sink. In that instant, the thought of turning her horse around and fleeing flashed through the Second Miss's mind. But where could she escape to? The crumbling Ruan family mansion, or her uncle's house in Zhuozhou? If the Ruan family fell, she, the Second Miss Ruan, would be finished. The Fourth Miss was already in the palace, and Ruan Bi had a new identity; now she was truly the one with nowhere to go. Taking a deep breath, she lifted the curtain, climbed out of the carriage, and into the sedan chair.
Ruan Bi's voice echoed in his mind again: "Consort Xie has two major weaknesses. One is her arrogance and overconfidence; she always thinks she is better than others and can control the whole situation. Therefore, even if she suspects something is amiss, she will definitely play along. You must be careful at every step and absolutely not make a mistake..."
The second young lady closed her eyes, knowing the eunuch's shrill voice announced, "We've arrived at Guanju Palace." She then opened her eyes, sighed inwardly, alighted from her sedan chair, and entered the main hall. The fourth young lady was already waiting there, a look of surprise on her face. She stepped forward and curtsied, saying, "Greetings, Consort Ruan."
The fourth sister pulled her up and said anxiously, "Second sister, what happened at home? Is it serious?"
The second daughter said, tears welling up in her eyes, "Grandmother...she's seriously ill..."
The fourth daughter's eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she called out softly, "Grandmother..."
If the old lady were here, she would be astonished, wondering when her two granddaughters had become so close to her.
The fourth sister wiped her eyes, took the second sister's hand, and led her inside, saying as they walked, "Tell me all about Grandmother's illness." Once inside, she immediately released her hand and asked, "Is Grandmother really ill?"
"The house is a complete mess, but she's still holding on. I don't know when she might suddenly collapse."
"So, it was Fifth Sister who replied?"
The second young lady nodded and said, "Tell Qiuyan to keep watch at the palace gate. If she sees Eunuch Lu, who serves Consort Xie, coming over, she should come back and inform us immediately."
When the Fourth Miss entered the palace, fearing that Qiu Lan's sharp tongue and straightforward nature might offend people, she only brought Qiu Yan with her. Although he didn't understand the Second Miss's intentions, he still called Qiu Yan in without saying a word and gave her these instructions. Qiu Yan nodded and withdrew.
As soon as she left, the second young lady leaned close to the fourth young lady's ear and whispered the most important things to her.
Just as she finished speaking, Qiu Yan's voice came from outside: "Why is this parrot so quiet today?"
This was the pre-arranged code. The second and fourth young ladies felt a chill run down their spines, exchanged a glance, and nodded almost imperceptibly. Then, the second young lady's expression changed. Her eyebrows furrowed, her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she raised her voice, saying, "...You still want to argue? You've ruined our family! Don't you feel any remorse for being so heartless?"
Hearing the approaching footsteps, the fourth sister said resentfully, "I was just a superfluous person in this world. I did more and made more mistakes. Now I don't even have anyone to care about me. All I get are accusations and scolding. What's the point of living like this? I'm heartbroken. Since you say I've ruined the whole family, fine, fine, I'll use this to pay for it."
After saying that, he stood for a moment, and when he saw the door being pushed open, he slammed his head against the wall.
The group of eunuchs who pushed open the door were stunned by the sight before them.
The second young lady, quick-witted and agile, grabbed her arm, tears streaming down her face, and said, "I only said one word to you, and you're already threatening to kill yourself. If you die, how can I live? Fine, fine, you're going to ruin my life sooner or later anyway, I might as well die here." With that, she released the fourth young lady's hand, pulled out a gold hairpin from her hair, and pointed it at her own throat.
The fourth sister exclaimed in surprise, and grabbed her hand, saying, "Second sister, no, no, it's all my fault."
The group of palace maids stormed in, originally intending to find fault with the two, but upon entering, they saw the two women acting as if they were about to die. They were at a loss for what to do and looked at Lu Ping.
Lu Ping was also dumbfounded. In his mind, the Second Miss Ruan and Consort Ruan should be deeply in love with each other and whispering to each other about how to deal with Consort Xie. When he and his men barged in, they should be panicked and begging for mercy.
But the situation was completely unexpected, and even though he was very knowledgeable, he couldn't figure it out for a while.
After a moment, he rolled his eyes and said soothingly, "Miss Ruan, please don't get agitated. Put down the hairpin and tell us what's wrong. The Empress Dowager and the Empress will naturally take care of things for you." With that, he started walking towards the young lady.
No sooner had she lifted her foot than the second young lady opened her eyes wide and shouted sharply, "Don't move! Don't come any closer!" Then, she clenched the hairpin in her hand, and drops of blood immediately dripped onto the pale yellow ruyi, strikingly conspicuous and startling everyone present.
Lu Ping dared not move again, standing there rather awkwardly, one hand unconsciously touching the face powder tucked in his pocket—it was given to him by Consort Xie before he left, with the instruction: "We already have witnesses, and with physical evidence, it'll be a done deal. If it's the best face powder Ruan Er brought in, then give her one; if not, then give her one." He had originally planned to bring people in to search, and then slip the face powder away in the chaos. However, now, the Second Miss was staring intently at him, her gaze following his every slight movement, her gaze piercing and making him feel uneasy.
Little did he know, Ruan Bi had already instructed her: "Consort Xie has two trusted confidantes. One is Aunt Wan, who appeared at the lotus viewing party at the Marquis of Yanping's residence, and the other is the eunuch Lu Ping, who appeared when I became a disciple of Master Ziying. She will definitely send one of them. Remember, remember, no matter who appears, you cannot let him get any closer, nor can you let him out of your sight, otherwise you and Fourth Sister will be finished. There must be the Empress's spies in Fourth Sister's palace. Just hold out until she arrives. The Empress controls the Phoenix Seal and rules the six palaces. Consort Xie's actions have already offended her, and she certainly won't let it go easily. When she arrives, you must also subtly suggest that she search Lu Ping..."
After an eternity of waiting, a voice finally rang out from outside: "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived."
Lu Ping raised his eyebrows and slowly knelt down.
The second young lady let out a sigh of relief, almost collapsing from exhaustion. Everyone around her knelt down, but she couldn't kneel yet; her eyes remained wide open, and she pointed at her neck with her hairpin.
Empress Zhao entered with a retinue of attendants. Seeing the second young lady still staring blankly, she was initially taken aback, then frowned. The palace eunuch following closely behind shouted in a low voice, "How dare you, lowly commoner, not bow before Her Majesty the Empress?"
The second young lady glanced at Lu Ping, then at the Empress, then back at Lu Ping, then back at Empress Zhao, repeating this several times until Empress Zhao's eyes showed a thoughtful expression. Only then did she release her grip and kneel down with a thud, the gold hairpin falling to the ground with a clink. "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress."
Empress Zhao sat down and asked sternly, "Consort Ruan, Palace Attendant Lu (a maidservant of the Empress Dowager), and Eunuch Lu, what are you all doing here?"
The fourth young lady said in a low voice, "When I was talking to my elder sister just now, we had a little argument and were arguing when Lu Gongling and Eunuch Lu came in with a group of people. They did not ask anyone to inform us, and I do not know why they came."
Lu Gongling was a first-rank female official by the Empress Dowager's side, so she naturally had a certain air about her and did not put the Empress in her eyes. She said in a humble but not arrogant manner, "Reporting to Your Majesty, a eunuch just informed us that Miss Ruan Er brought contraband into the palace. The Empress Dowager ordered me and Eunuch Lu to come and investigate."
"What contraband? Did you find it?"
Lu Gongling said, "It's because as soon as we entered, we saw the Ruan Xiuyi sisters trying to kill themselves, and we hadn't even started searching yet."
"You still haven't told me what kind of prohibited items they are?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a voice came from outside: "His Majesty has arrived."
Everyone was stunned. Ever since Consort Xie's miscarriage and the Empress Dowager's anger, the Emperor had not set foot in the "Guanju Palace" for over a month. His coming here today, defying the Empress Dowager's order, was clearly because of... the Fourth Miss, with everyone kneeling and bowing their heads.
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