Palace Rumors
The news of the Empress gifting the jade spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the palace in less than three days. At first, it was just a few scattered rumors, saying that "Tian Zhao, a palace maid in the Cold Palace, has gained the Empress's favor and is likely to rise to prominence." But within two days, the rumors took a turn for the worse, and it was spread that "Lin Zhao is colluding with the Empress, intending to use the connections in the Cold Palace to plot a rebellion."
That morning, I had just finished delivering breakfast to Consort Xian when Qin Lan rushed in, looking flustered, clutching a crumpled piece of paper in her hand: "Sister A Zhao, something terrible has happened! Rumors are circulating in the palace that you colluded with the Empress, and the old case of Consort Hui's father has been brought up again, with claims that you are implicated!"
Ya Huan was so frightened that she dropped the grasshopper in her hand: "How could this be? Her Majesty the Empress clearly gave my sister a jade pendant, how could there be such rumors?" Consort Rong's face also turned pale, her fingertips gripping the embroidered handkerchief turning white: "Could it be... could it be that someone is deliberately framing us?"
Consort Xian stared at the note for a long time, her brows furrowed. "This rumor is suspicious. I'm afraid someone wants to use the Empress's gift of jade to kill two birds with one stone—to suppress our Cold Palace and implicate Consort Hui and her father again." Consort Su returned from outside, her face grave. "I just inquired at the Imperial Kitchen. They say that people in Consort Shu's palace are spreading rumors. Consort Shu has always wanted to curry favor with the Empress, but she has been neglected. I'm afraid she's jealous of the Empress's special treatment of you, so she resorted to this tactic."
Just then, a eunuch announced from outside the courtyard that the Emperor's chief eunuch had arrived. "His Majesty has decreed that palace maids Tian Zhao, Consort Xian, and Consort Li be summoned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation for an audience immediately." The chief eunuch's voice was cold, and his gaze swept over us with a hint of scrutiny.
My heart sank. Consort Shu was going to take this matter to the Emperor. Consort Xian patted my hand: "Don't panic. If you're upright, you have nothing to fear. Let's go with the flow." Consort Li nodded: "Consort Hui's father's case has already been cleared. If Consort Shu wants to overturn the case, she'll need evidence."
Following the head eunuch towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the palace maids and eunuchs along the way all kept their heads down, but their eyes held strange scrutiny, and the whispers pierced my heart like needles. I suddenly remembered my childhood, when Aunt Sun was wrongly accused of stealing by the neighbors, and we followed her to the neighborhood committee to explain. The same looks we received on the way, the whispers, were exactly the same as now, even the suspicion in their tone was exactly the same—the cracks in my dream were faintly resurfacing. The palace road before me occasionally overlapped with the alleyway of my childhood, and the footsteps around me turned into the gossip of my neighbors when I was a child.
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Emperor sat on his dragon throne, his face grim. Consort Shu stood beside him, dressed in a vibrant palace gown, a faint smile playing on her lips: "Your Majesty, I have heard that Lin Zhao, a palace maid in the Cold Palace, obtained the Empress's personal jade pendant and is conspiring with others in the Cold Palace to use the old case of Consort Hui's father to overthrow the court. I implore Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"
"Nonsense!" Consort Xian stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the Empress's gift of the jade was merely out of consideration for her subordinates. Lin Zhao has been behaving herself in the Cold Palace and has never committed any misconduct. The case of Consort Hui's father has already been cleared, and the evidence is conclusive. Consort Shu's words are likely a pretext for something else!"
The Emperor looked at me, his eyes sharp: "Tian Zhao, do you have something to say?" I took a deep breath, recalling the Empress's words in the Phoenix Palace and the companionship of everyone in the Cold Palace, and mustered my courage to say: "Your Majesty, the Empress's gift of the jade was merely out of compassion for the hardships of those in the Cold Palace, and had no other intentions. In the Cold Palace, I have been cared for by Consort Xian, Consort Su, and others. Although my days are hard, they are peaceful, and I have never engaged in any secret plots. Consort Shu's rumors are probably a misunderstanding."
Consort Shu sneered, "Misunderstanding? If it was just out of consideration, why did the Empress specifically give you the jade? If there wasn't a conspiracy, why was Consort Hui's father's old case brought up again when rumors were rampant?" She turned to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I have evidence here proving that Tian Zhao had private dealings with Consort Hui, intending to collude!" As she spoke, she handed over a stack of letters, the handwriting on which was exactly the same as the letter I had given to Consort Hui.
I was startled; those letters were clearly forgeries! Just then, the Empress's voice came from outside the hall: "Your Majesty, I have something to say!" The Empress strode into the hall, her expression icy as she looked at Consort Shu: "Consort Shu, how dare you forge letters to frame Lin Zhao and Consort Hui! Do you know your crime?"
Consort Shu's expression changed: "Your Majesty, I did not... These letters are all genuine!" The Empress sneered and took out another stack of letters from her sleeve: "These are the letters Tian Zhao wrote to Consort Hui. They are just everyday greetings. How can there be any talk of a conspiracy? The handwriting in your forged letters is similar, but it lacks Lin Zhao's unique writing habits. His Majesty will know it at a glance."
The Emperor took the two stacks of letters and compared them, his face growing increasingly grim: "Consort Shu, how dare you fabricate evidence in front of me to frame others!" Consort Shu was so frightened that she knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, spare my life! I was just confused for a moment, blinded by jealousy. Please spare my life!"
The Empress looked at the Emperor: "Your Majesty, Consort Shu is jealous of the sympathy I showed to Lin Zhao, and also jealous of the overturning of Consort Hui's father's case, which is why she resorted to this drastic measure. I implore Your Majesty to confine Consort Shu to the palace and make her reflect on her actions, as a warning to others." The Emperor nodded: "Granted. Consort Shu is confined to Fengzao Palace and is not to step out of the palace gates without my decree."
A crisis was thus averted thanks to the Empress's intervention. As I stepped out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the sunlight was blinding, yet I suddenly felt dizzy. The Empress's figure before me overlapped with the image of Aunt Sun protecting me and arguing with the neighbor from my childhood—even the firmness in her tone was identical. The beeping suddenly intensified, and the kneeling figure of Consort Shu overlapped with that of the neighbor from my childhood who had misunderstood Aunt Sun; the scene was blurry and eerie.
When we returned to the Cold Palace, everyone was waiting at the entrance. They all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw us return safely. Consort Hui also came and took my hand, saying, "Thanks to Her Majesty the Empress, otherwise we would have been in real danger this time." Consort Su smiled and said, "It seems that Her Majesty the Empress truly considers you one of her own. From now on, we in the Cold Palace will have a powerful backer."
At night, I lay in bed, clutching the jade pendant the Empress had given me, the "drip-drip" sound in my ears gradually subsiding. I recalled the thrilling events in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and the way the Empress stood up for me. Suddenly, I understood that everyone in this dream was acting according to the trajectory of their childhood memories—the Consort Shu's jealousy was just like that neighbor who always liked to sow discord in my childhood; the Empress's protection was just like how Aunt Sun protected us.
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