Chapter 121 (None)
The intense stench of blood surged in wave after wave, like a tidal wave, leaving no place to hide and completely enveloping one in its embrace.
Consort Liu wept uncontrollably, but she remained oblivious. As always, she sat upright in the armchair behind her desk.
The armchair was made of rosewood and was placed in her small courtyard in the northwest corner when she first entered the Prince's residence. She sat in it countless days and nights; it was the only piece of furniture she owned alone. Later, she brought it into the palace and placed it in her study. Twenty years have passed, and the armchair has been polished to a smooth, lustrous finish.
Granny Shang was an old servant from the Prince's residence. She served at the second gate when Consort Liu brought her into the palace. After Granny Shi fell ill and passed away, Granny Shang was promoted to head maid and made her her personal maid.
"You will all leave, you will all leave. You will all leave me."
Consort Liu gently stroked the armrests of the armchair, murmuring softly. Large red, swollen patches of her hand were covered by dripping candle wax, which concealed the fine blisters.
"You've all forgotten those vows of the past. It doesn't matter, I've kept them in my heart for you."
The faces of Yuan Changsheng, Granny Shi, Granny Shang, Xiao Jiatong, and others flashed before my eyes.
"You all pride yourselves on being intelligent and clear-headed. It's all nonsense, a blatant lie!"
Consort Liu suddenly gripped the armrest tightly, her hand tense, and blisters burst. In the instant she looked up, a tear traced a glistening line through the air.
"Someone come here!"
The curtain was lifted, and Shan Ying appeared in the doorway. She was about to greet her when she sensed something amiss. Looking down uneasily, her pupils constricted sharply, and she cried out in a trembling voice, "Granny Shang!"
Consort Liu said calmly, "When Granny Shang lit the lamp, she accidentally knocked over the candlestick. We've taken care of her."
Shan Ying's mind went blank. She stared intently at the bronze flower-shaped candlestick stuck in Granny Shang's head, nodded in terror, and turned to call for help.
"Yakana," Consort Liu called out.
Shan Ying stopped abruptly, turned to look at Consort Liu, and squeezed out a "Your Majesty".
Consort Liu said, "Granny Shang has some savings; you can take them and distribute them among yourselves."
Shan Ying and Granny Shang often worked together, so Shan Ying knew about Granny Shang's family situation. Granny Shang was from the outskirts of the capital. She was sold into slavery due to poverty and eventually ended up in the Prince's residence. Granny Shang had four siblings; her brother and sister had both passed away, leaving only her and her younger brother. Her brother was hardworking and honest, and with the help of her monthly salary, he got married and started a family. Her family was kind; her nephew was also married and ran a small general store. They weren't wealthy, but they could at least support themselves. She married a kind woman, and her nephew had sent several letters offering to take her back to live with him in his old age.
The palace allowed palace maids over the age of eighteen to leave. Granny Shang had mentioned this several times, often counting her savings, saying it was her nephew's thoughtfulness, but she was still family. When relatives came to visit, everyone was happy; staying too long would become annoying. Her younger brother and sister-in-law were getting old, running a small general store, with elderly parents and young children to care for; they couldn't possibly live at her nephew's house. Granny Shang had saved nearly fifty taels of silver; she planned to buy a room next to her nephew's house so they could look after each other.
Shan Ying stammered, instinctively stammering, "Your Highness, Granny Shang, she... she also has a nephew..."
Consort Liu said calmly, "The palace rules are strict. You still want to send money out of the palace?"
Shan Ying dared not say anything more, and hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, this servant will go right away."
"Shanying," Consort Liu called out to her again, asking softly, "Do you wish to leave the palace?"
Shan Ying's hometown is two thousand miles from the capital. She has a large family of siblings and is the middle child. She has never been loved by her father or mother since childhood. She is already twenty-one years old and is still hesitant when she hears the imperial decree to leave the palace.
For some reason, Shan Ying instinctively shook her head, "Your Majesty, this servant does not intend to leave the palace."
"Alright." Consort Liu smiled and stood up. "Afterwards, go to Xiefang Pavilion and ask the eldest princess to come see me. I haven't seen her in a long time, and I'd like to talk to her."
Shan Ying agreed to everything and sent a messenger eunuch to report to the Ministry of Personnel. She then led the maids to the study to prepare. Granny Shang's body was wrapped in white cloth and mat, and at dawn, it could be handed over to the Ministry of Personnel to be sent out of the palace for burial.
If a palace maid or eunuch dies accidentally or from a sudden illness, the palace has a thin coffin and she can be buried in the Louze Garden. Granny Shang is the head maidservant of Consort Liu. Consort Liu claims that she died accidentally from hitting a candlestick. She is the mistress, and both the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Granny Shang are servants who can only obey orders and no one dares to question her.
Granny Shang's blood seeped into the cracks of the bluestone floor. Shan Ying knelt on the ground, carefully wiping with a cloth. She changed the water countless times, but the stench of blood still lingered in her nostrils. Consort Liu, who was fond of cleanliness, lit an incense burner; the rising smoke finally dispelled the bloody stench.
At this moment, the sky was just beginning to lighten, the candles under the eaves were extinguished, and the pale gray morning light shone on the snow-white window lattice paper, creating a hazy, ink-wash painting effect.
Looking at the spotless ground, Shan Ying felt dizzy and disoriented, only remembering that she still had errands to finish. She walked stiffly and absentmindedly to Xie Fang Pavilion.
Walking through the alley, Shan Ying was stopped by patrolling guards. Zhang Shan rested his hand on the hilt of his sword, looked her up and down, and questioned, "Halt! Where are you going alone so early in the morning?"
Whether it was going to rain or not, the morning air was still unbearably hot and humid. Shan Ying's hair and clothes were soaked with sweat, her face, hands and palms were all sweaty, but her lips were so dry that she could hardly open them. She had to purse them hard before she managed to reply, "I went to Xie Fang Pavilion to deliver a message. Her Majesty asked me to go to Xie Fang Pavilion. Her Majesty misses the eldest princess and wants to see her."
Zhang Shan suddenly perked up, squinted his eyes, and chuckled, "Your Majesty misses the Eldest Princess, who is probably still asleep. Could it be that Your Majesty has been missing the Eldest Princess all night? According to custom, the two of you should go on errands together, but you came here alone, disheveled. Hehe, it's obvious you're planning something mischievous!"
Shan Ying's mind was in a daze. She stared blankly at Zhang Shan's opening and closing mouth, as if she hadn't heard anything. She could only anxiously try to defend herself: "I went to deliver a message for Her Majesty. I'm going to find the Eldest Princess. I went to deliver a message for Her Majesty..."
Lai San was taken away by the Imperial City Guard, and Zhang Shan didn't know his whereabouts. Jiang Ling, still resentful of the torture he had inflicted on Lai San, remained uneasy. Seeing an opportunity to prove himself, he wasn't about to let Shan Ying go. He immediately waved his hand and ordered, "Take her away!"
Shan Ying was firmly held by the guards. Having learned her lesson, Zhang Shan quickly added, "It must be neat and tidy. Her Majesty cannot bear to see bloodshed!"
Qionghua Pavilion.
Qin Shanggong arrived early to wait for him, and Jiang Ling summoned her to the washroom, where he listened to her reply while she washed up.
"Your Majesty, before dawn, someone from the Imperial Secretariat came and said that Rouyi Palace was missing and needed to be sent out by carriage. It's hot and they can't wait, so they asked me to prepare it as soon as possible. I asked a few more questions and it turned out to be Granny Shang, who served Consort Xian. Granny Shang and I entered the Prince's residence around the same time, and we were about the same age. Granny Shang was very healthy and never even had a headache or fever. How could she suddenly be gone?"
Jiang Ling paused in scooping up water, turning her head to look at Qin Shanggong. Her eyes were slightly red, and her expression was downcast.
"I called Granny Shang 'Old Granny Shang,' that's what I called her when I was young. She looked mature beyond her years and spoke in a very old-fashioned way. Even the former Palace Attendant Song often got impatient listening to her. Our family was poor, and we didn't have any close relatives. Old Granny Shang always talked about her parents, brothers, and sisters. Although the whole family was poor, they took care of and helped each other, sharing the last bit of coarse porridge from their bowls. When palace maids were allowed to leave the palace, I knew Old Granny Shang would definitely leave too. Sure enough, Old Granny Shang came to say goodbye. I felt something was wrong at the time, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Seeing the joy on Old Granny Shang's face, I couldn't bear to dampen her spirits, so I kept quiet. Who knew that Old Granny Shang would pass away? They said she accidentally knocked over a candlestick and pierced her head. Old Granny Shang was so nimble, how could she be so careless?"
Jiang Ling took the cloth Qin Shangshu handed her and slowly wiped the water droplets from her face, saying, "You mean, Granny Shang was killed by Consort Liu because she wanted to leave the palace?"
Qin Shanggong hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this servant has no evidence and would never dare to say such a thing."
Jiang Ling said, “Your idea is not without merit. The candlestick is at a certain height, so unless it falls from above, it will not hit your head. However, you cannot interrogate Consort Liu, and neither can I. I can interrogate her, but that would be going against the rules.”
Qin Shanggong stood there, looking puzzled. "Your Majesty, Consort Liu... only the Emperor can issue an edict to deal with her."
Emperor Yuanming was the most unruly and unrestrained person in the world. Jiang Ling couldn't help but laugh. "Rules are for protecting the weak. For example, Consort Liu shouldn't kill people at will, but she disregarded the rules and killed Granny Shang because the rules didn't restrain her. I could disregard the rules and directly deal with Consort Liu. It sounds like I'd get my revenge. But if I killed people at will, even Consort Liu could be killed, so killing a few maids and servants would be a piece of cake. At that time, who could restrain me?"
Seeing that Qin Shanggong still looked bewildered, she patted her shoulder and walked outside. "Don't overthink it. If it really was Consort Liu who did it, she won't get away with it. If you want to leave the palace, relax and go register with Consort Lin. You can take all the money and valuables you've earned out of the palace."
Qin Shanggong hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this servant does not want to leave the palace. In the palace, this servant is a powerful and influential female official. After leaving the palace, I will be a helpless old woman. I will not be able to keep my money or health, and I might even lose my life."
Jiang Ling laughed and said, "Alright, you can continue to stay in the palace as a powerful and influential female official."
Qin Shanggong also smiled. Jiang Ling saw Huang Liang peeking in from the doorway of the main room and said to her, "I have some things to do. I'll talk to you about them later. You can go back now."
"Yes, this servant takes her leave." Qin Shanggong also saw Huang Liang and curtsied as she left through the side door.
Emperor Yuanming was having bird's nest soup in his bedroom when Jiang Ling gestured to Huang Liang and came to the main room. "What is it?" he asked.
Huang Liang said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Shan claims that Shan Ying, a palace maid in Consort Xian's palace, is wandering around the palace, saying that Consort Xian misses the eldest princess and went to summon the princess to speak with her. Zhang Shan saw that she was disheveled and looked dazed, and thought she was lying and had ill intentions, so he arrested Shan Ying. Zhang Shan wants to see Your Majesty and begs Your Majesty to order her to be dealt with."
Jiang Ling couldn't help but laugh and said, "If a palace maid is walking around the palace without following the rules, and I have to give orders to deal with her, then I'm taking on far too much of a responsibility."
Huang Liang looked embarrassed and quickly apologized, "Your Majesty, I also told Zhang Shan the same thing, but he took it as a very important matter and kept pestering me to see Your Majesty. Your Majesty has ordered that those serving as palace guards are not allowed to come to the Emperor's presence at will, and I dared not disobey. Out of consideration for my acquaintance with Zhang Shan, I shamelessly came to Your Majesty to report this. It is all my fault, please punish me, Your Majesty."
Jiang Ling was well aware of Zhang Shan's ulterior motives. Without pointing it out, she pondered for a moment and said, "Go and tell Zhang Shan that Shan Ying was sent by Consort Xian to deliver a message. Bring her back to the Consort and ask her. If it really was the Consort's order, release Shan Ying and let her follow the rules and go on the message together."
Huang Liang hurriedly agreed, but Jiang Ling stopped him again, "Go to Xiefang Pavilion and tell the eldest princess directly that she may be in mortal danger if she goes to Rouyi Palace to see Consort Xian."
Huang Liang's expression changed drastically. "Your Majesty, this..."
Jiang Ling said, "Go ahead, if the eldest princess wants to go, then go. Everything is up to her."
Huang Liang swallowed hard and hurriedly ran to Xiefang Pavilion.
Yuan Changsheng, Granny Shang, and Xiao Jiatong were all among Consort Liu's closest confidants.
Now, one by one, they have all left her. Yuan Changsheng and Granny Shang are both dead; only Xiao Jiatong remains alive.
Xiao Jiatong has been causing a lot of trouble lately, complaining about everything and everyone. The palace maids and eunuchs working at Xiefang Pavilion are all suffering. She was raised by Consort Liu, and the two are actually quite similar in temperament, almost like mother and daughter.
Life and death are preordained, and Jiang Ling has done everything he could to be benevolent and righteous.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
