Contact with Li Pin
As summer approached, the vegetation in the Cold Palace grew increasingly lush. The small peach tree in the corner of the courtyard had grown to waist height, its branches adorned with tiny flower buds, and its green leaves glistening in the sunlight. The vegetables planted earlier were also ready for harvest, and Ya Huan always liked to pick some tender leaves to cook into a light vegetable porridge with rice, which she would share with the Dowager Consort and Consort Su. As the weather warmed, fewer people from other palaces came to the Cold Palace to inquire about Consort Li's whereabouts, and even the patrolling guards were more relaxed than before. Only the door to Consort Li's residence remained tightly closed every day, like a barrier isolating her from the outside world.
I always thought about Qin Lan. A few days ago, Ya Huan learned from a palace maid in the laundry department that Qin Lan's life in the Xin Zhe Ku (a place for palace women to work in the laundry department) was becoming increasingly difficult. Not only did she have to do the hardest work, but the head maid also kept cutting back on her food. When Ya Huan returned, her eyes were red, and she said, "They say that Sister Qin Lan is so thin that she's just skin and bones. If this continues, I'm afraid..." She choked up and couldn't finish her sentence. I clenched the handkerchief in my hand. It was a plum blossom handkerchief given to me by Consort Rong. The finely stitched plum blossoms seemed to remind me that everyone in the palace had untold suffering, and Qin Lan's misery might be inextricably linked to Consort Li.
From that moment on, I began to keep an eye on Consort Li's movements. Every day before delivering her meals, I would deliberately linger a little longer, listening to the sounds coming from inside the room—sometimes the rustling of turning pages, sometimes the soft clinking of porcelain, and occasionally I could hear her low cough, but I never heard her complain or cry. Once, after delivering the meals, I had just turned to leave when a soft sound suddenly came from inside the room, like a teacup falling to the ground. I hesitated for a moment, then stopped and softly asked, "Consort Li, are you alright?"
The room remained silent for a long time. Just when I thought I would not get a response, Consort Li's voice came out, clear and cold with a hint of weariness: "It's nothing, my hand just slipped." Her voice was not as arrogant as rumored, but rather revealed a kind of calmness that came from having experienced the world, which was completely different from what I had imagined.
I stood outside the door, my fingers unconsciously tracing the doorframe, and mustered my courage to say, "If Your Majesty doesn't mind, I'll bring some gauze and ointment tomorrow, so that if you hurt your hand, you can treat it promptly." There was another silence inside, and after a long while, a soft "Mm" came from inside.
The next day, when I delivered the meal, I made sure to include a small jar of ointment and a pack of clean gauze in the food box. It was something I had brewed myself after Consort Su had taught me to identify herbs; it was very effective for scrapes and bruises. As I placed the food box at the door, I whispered, "Your Majesty, the ointment and gauze are next to the food box. Please remember to use them." This time, there was no response from inside, but as I turned to leave, I vaguely saw a sliver of light coming through the crack in the door, as if someone was secretly watching me.
In the days that followed, I would always prepare more food when delivering meals—sometimes a small dish of freshly pickled vegetables to cut through the richness and whet the appetite; sometimes a cup of warm chrysanthemum tea to cool the body and relieve summer heat; occasionally, I would bring some grasshoppers woven by Ya Huan to place on the windowsill, adding a touch of life. Consort Li still rarely spoke, but I could sense that her wariness towards me was slowly easing. One time, after delivering the meal, I had just reached the courtyard gate when I heard Consort Li's voice behind me: "Your name is Tian Zhao?"
I turned around in surprise and saw that Consort Li's door was ajar. Her figure was hidden in the shadows, and only a pair of clear eyes could be seen. "Yes, this servant is Tian Zhao." I replied respectfully, but a ripple of emotion stirred in my heart—this was the first time she had taken the initiative to ask my name.
"You and Qin Lan grew up together?" Consort Li's voice was soft, yet it felt like a pebble thrown into my heart. I paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, this servant and Sister Qin Lan grew up together since childhood, she..." I wanted to talk about Qin Lan's current situation, but I didn't know how to begin.
Consort Li seemed to read my mind and said softly, "I know she's suffering in the Imperial Laundry." She paused, her voice filled with complex emotions, "She came to the palace with me back then, but I failed to protect her." Looking at the figure through the crack in the door, I suddenly felt that the rumored "murder of the imperial heir" might not be the truth. The Consort Li before me seemed more like a pitiful person tormented by fate.
From then on, Consort Li would occasionally open her door and speak to me when I brought her meals. She told me that she hadn't intentionally faked a pregnancy to gain favor, but rather that she had been unable to conceive for many years after entering the palace, and was pressured by the Empress Dowager, forcing her to resort to this tactic; as for the charge of "plotting against the imperial heir," it was a deliberate frame-up—the packet of red flowers wasn't hers at all, but someone had placed it in her palace during the chaos. "I know who did it," Consort Li's eyes turned cold, "but I have no evidence, so I can only accept my fate."
Looking at the helplessness in her eyes, I asked softly, "Your Majesty, does Sister Qin Lan... know about these things?" Consort Li nodded, her voice lowering, "She knows, which is why she's being targeted. Those people are afraid she'll reveal the truth, so they demoted her to the Laundry Department, wanting to silence her forever." Hearing this, my doubts were finally dispelled, and my determination to save Qin Lan became even stronger.
One day, I specially picked some fresh wild roses and, using the method Consort Su taught me, made a small bottle of floral dew, which I then presented to Consort Li. "Your Majesty," I said, "this floral dew will cool you down; it'll be perfect for you in the summer." Consort Li took the dew, opened the bottle, and smelled it, a smile appearing in her eyes. "Thank you, Tian Zhao. You and Qin Lan are both kind-hearted children." She paused, then took a jade pendant from her sleeve and handed it to me. "Take this pendant," she said. "If you ever have the chance to go to the Laundry Department, give it to Qin Lan and tell her I will find a way to rescue her."
I took the jade pendant. It was warm and smooth to the touch, and a delicate orchid was carved on it. It must have been Consort Li's personal possession. "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will deliver it." Consort Li nodded and gently closed the door. The sunlight outside fell on the jade pendant in my hand, reflecting a soft glow.
On the way back, I met Ya Huan, who was carrying a bamboo basket filled with freshly picked peaches—a few small peaches had grown on the little peach tree, still green but full of life. "Sister Zhao, look! Our peach tree has borne fruit!" Ya Huan excitedly held up the basket, her face beaming with joy. I smiled and took the basket, carefully tucking the jade pendant into my bosom, my heart suddenly filled with hope.
As evening fell, I sat in the courtyard, watching Ya Huan distribute peaches to the Dowager Consort and Consort Su, listening to their cheerful laughter, my hand tightly clutching the jade pendant engraved with orchids. The afterglow of the setting sun bathed me in its warmth, and the distant chirping of cicadas and the sound of the wind filled the air; everything was so peaceful and beautiful.
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