Thunder and rain are both acts of kindness (Part 1)
The gates of Jingfang Garden have been closed for several days.
At Zhiwei's door, Shao Yang, carrying a bowl of warm chicken soup, stood with Shao Zhao outside. Although it was early winter, their fingertips were red from the cold.
It's a cold winter. Shao Zhao exhaled slowly.
The copper spoon struck the porcelain bowl, making a soft, clattering sound.
Since the day of the banquet when news of Zhu Mingyu's death broke, the entire imperial city was in chaos. The emperor was the first to collapse; almost seconds after hearing the news, his majestic body fell to the ground with a thud.
Shao Zhao wasn't there and couldn't personally experience the chaos of the time, only that the atmosphere in the palace was like an ice cave.
The emperor fell into a coma and suffered a stroke. The imperial physician kept him alive with miraculous medicine, but on the fifth day, he finally succumbed to his illness and died. The empress was heartbroken upon hearing the news and left the palace to spend her days in solitude.
Zhu Liji soon ascended the throne, changed the era name to "Jinghe", and his first imperial edict was to send a large army to counterattack Siam and Ying, vowing to avenge the mission.
Shao Zhao sighed. She knew that Zhiwei was sitting on the soft couch by the window, like a clay sculpture without a soul.
Her older sister never cried in front of her.
In the days leading up to the news of Zhu Mingyu's death, Zhiwei clearly did not believe it, and complained that Li Mingjing was senile. It wasn't until the body was transported back to the capital that Zhiwei lifted the white cloth and saw several charred corpses embracing each other. The one in the middle still had a piece of cloth with some remaining red residue in its arms, which must have been hidden near its chest and was not completely charred.
It is said that they were burned to death at midnight. At that time, Siam was still in turmoil. The mission was resting as usual when a fire broke out in the courtyard. Dozens of people in the mission were drugged. Except for a few servants who were slacking off and went to the red-light district for fun, none of them survived.
"The delegation fell into the trap of Siam and Ying. Siam and Ying even joined forces with the rebels of our Great Zhao. This fire is just the prelude to the rebellion," Jiang Qin analyzed in front of everyone.
Zhiwei didn't react, so Shaozhao held her bluish hand.
Zhiwei stared silently at the several charred corpses that were unrecognizable for a long time. Her mouth opened and closed, and she cursed "bastard" in front of the new emperor before turning around and returning to Jingfang Garden.
——
"Sister," Shao Zhao called softly against the door, her voice trembling, "the chicken soup is getting cold, could you have a sip?"
There was no response from inside.
Shao Zhao lowered her head, and Shao Yang took the chicken soup from her hand: "Master ate two steamed buns this morning, which is already very good."
This was hardly a consolation. After returning to Jingfang Garden, Zhiwei secluded herself at home and didn't eat or drink for two days. It was only after Shaozhao came up with a brilliant idea that he proposed a radical solution: he would fast with her. This finally persuaded Zhiwei to open the door and swallow some dry food.
"I'll take it in." Shao Zhao was about to say something more when footsteps sounded behind her.
It was Cheng Yuzhi, now the Empress. She was wearing a phoenix robe and took the chicken soup from Shao Yang's hand: "Zhiwei, it's me. You should at least give me some face."
The door creaked open.
Two maids stood outside the door, and Cheng Yuzhi dismissed the servants and went into the room alone.
The room was dark, the blankets on the bed were haphazardly folded, and several opened letters lay at the head of the bed. The letters were wrinkled and haphazardly laid out, still bearing traces of undried water.
Cheng Yuzhi looked around the room, which was not as clean as the stove where Zhiwei used to cook. She remained silent, her gaze shifting to the potted plant by the window that had been trimmed of weeds, before finally settling on Zhiwei's thin face.
“Zhiwei…” Cheng Yuzhi’s voice was very soft, with a cautious concern.
She was at a loss for words when faced with the person before her. Comfort seemed impossible, as any words would appear pale and powerless at this moment.
Zhiwei spoke first, her voice soft yet carrying a strange calmness: "Her Majesty has arrived."
Zhiwei patted the wrinkles on the bed and stepped out of the shadows: "Your Highness, the Crown Princess, no, now Your Highness the Empress, look at me, I haven't been out these days, I'm sleeping a little groggily."
"I'm fine. I just had an upset stomach these past few days and rested a bit. I was planning to visit your palace in a few days to pay my respects, but I didn't expect you to come first." Zhiwei even gave a slight bow and smiled jokingly.
"No need for greetings, we're all family." Cheng Yuzhi said softly. She paused halfway through her sentence, carefully observing the expression on the person in front of her, which was unchanged. She continued slowly, "What I mean is, no matter what, I will always consider you my sworn sister."
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty." Zhiwei twitched the corner of her mouth and looked away. "But you, with the new emperor's ascension to the throne and the affairs of the harem being so complicated, please take good care of your health."
“I…” Cheng Yuzhi opened her mouth, then paused slightly. Looking into Zhiwei’s eyes, which were as calm as an ancient well, a complex bitterness welled up in her heart.
"I'm used to it. As the Empress, these are all my duties." Cheng Yuzhi smiled and stopped staring at Zhiwei's thin face. She took out a warm, smooth white jade pendant from her sleeve. The pendant was carved with simple auspicious cloud patterns, which showed that it was made by a novice and the carving skills were a bit immature.
“Sheng’er…he misses you very much. He carved this by hand, saying he wanted to give it to you to bless you with peace.”
"Thank you, Your Majesty, and please thank Sheng'er on my behalf. I will definitely go and express my gratitude in person when I have time." Zhiwei held the jade pendant in her palm.
"You flatter me," Cheng Yuzhi replied.
The bedroom was empty, and the two made some dry conversation before falling silent again.
Finally, Cheng Yuzhi looked at Zhiwei's still smiling face and sighed.
"If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to come to me. The Crown Prince's Palace will always welcome you." With that, she got up and left.
——
After Cheng Yuzhi left, Shao Zhao quietly tidied up the almost untouched chicken soup.
As she carried the food tray to the courtyard gate, she saw Shao Yang frowning and whispering something to an unfamiliar eunuch. The eunuch looked helpless, his eyes revealing resentment.
"What happened?" Shao Zhao walked over and asked.
When Shao Yang saw her, his expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
The eunuch whispered, "When I went to collect this month's charcoal allowance, the people from the Imperial Household Department said... that Jingfang Garden is located in a remote area and they don't need that much, so they only gave us half the amount we usually give them. When I went to argue with them, they said that everything is tight now, and the war at the front is costing a lot of money, so they told us to use it sparingly."
Upon hearing this, Shao Zhao was immediately enraged.
What do you mean, "not that many are needed"? In previous winters, Jingfang Garden always had plenty of charcoal. This is clearly because they see their elder sister has lost her support, and they're trying to help their elder brother again…
Those people from the Imperial Household Department are clearly trying to make things difficult for us!
"Bullshit!" Shao Zhao's face turned red with anger. She shoved the food plate into Shao Yang's hands. "I'm going to find them, those snobbish bastards!"
Shao Zhao rushed to the Imperial Household Department like a gust of wind, and sure enough, he saw Eunuch Li, who was in charge of distributing charcoal, sitting with his legs crossed and drinking tea, surrounded by several eunuchs who flattered him.
"Why are we only given half of the charcoal allowance for Jingfangyuan?" Shao Zhao approached him, hands on her hips, her voice clear and loud.
Without even lifting his eyelids, Eunuch Li slowly blew on the tea foam: "The charcoal allowance is distributed according to regulations. The higher-ups said we should live frugally."
"Rules? What rules are you using to cut our share at Jingfangyuan? Why wasn't this the case in previous years?" Shao Zhao's chest heaved. "I think you're deliberately making things difficult for us! Is it because of our master..."
"Oh dear!" Eunuch Li slammed down his teacup and interrupted Shao Zhao in a shrill voice, "You can't say things like that! What do you mean by making things difficult? These are the rules of the palace! Yan Shangshi is just a female official, and her monthly allowance is only this much. In previous years, the Second Prince secretly supplemented her allowance without telling you. Otherwise, with just the allowance of Shangshi, how could she afford to use the gold thread charcoal?"
Several eunuchs nearby joined in the jeering, making sarcastic and mocking remarks:
“That’s right, our father-in-law allocated the money according to the rules. It was someone who was late.”
"Master? She's just a female official a few ranks higher than us. If it weren't for the Second Prince's protection..."
"If you know what's good for you, leave now and don't get in my way!"
The contemptuous looks and harsh words pierced Shao Zhao's heart. She remembered how her older sister hadn't eaten or drunk anything these past few days, and the faces of these snobbish people gradually twisted into grotesque expressions, a surge of anger rushing to her head.
"You bunch of lackeys!" Shao Zhao could no longer hold back. Like an enraged leopard, she pounced and grabbed the head eunuch by the collar. "I'll teach you to skimp on things! I'll teach you to be so foul-mouthed!"
The young eunuch was caught off guard by Shao Zhao's aggression and was suddenly grabbed, screaming in fright. Several other young eunuchs nearby were stunned for a moment, then reacted and rushed forward to pull Shao Zhao away.
Although Shao Zhao was quite strong, she was no match for the many hands that were on her, and was quickly pushed to the ground. In the chaos, she didn't know whose fist or foot had hit her in the face.
"Stop! All of you, stop!" Shao Yang's anxious voice rang out. She and several eunuchs who had rushed over after hearing the news managed to separate the people who were wrestling together.
When Shao Zhao was helped up by Shao Yang, her hair was disheveled, her face was bruised, her lip was cut and bleeding, and her clothes were torn and messy. She glared at the other injured eunuchs, her eyes burning with anger.
"Don't let me see you again!" Shao Zhao cursed as she was being carried away.
——
That night, Shao Yang helped Shao Zhao back to a side room in Jingfang Garden, brought warm water, and carefully cleaned her wounds.
When the powder touched the wound, Shao Zhao hissed in pain, tears welling up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Shao Yang loosened her grip a little.
"It doesn't hurt!" Shao Zhao gritted her teeth, her voice trembling with tears. "I'm just angry! They're bullying us because they think my sister has lost her backing! Why? What did my sister do wrong? She always greets the people from the Imperial Household Department with a smile, but they..."
Before Shao Zhao could finish speaking, the door was gently pushed open.
Zhiwei was standing at the doorway at some point. She was still wearing a plain dress, her figure slender, and her eyes, which had been silent for a long time, were fixed on Shao Zhao's purplish face.
"How did it get like this?" Zhiwei walked over quickly, took the medicine from Shao Yang's hand, and carefully wiped the bruises from Shao Zhao's forehead.
Upon seeing her familiar elder sister, Shao Zhao could no longer hold back her tears and began to recount the grievances she had suffered in the Imperial Household Department.
"Sister, they're bullying us! Let's go find the Empress, she'll definitely help us!" Shao Zhao's idea was simple. She knew the power in the palace. Although her brother Zhu was gone, there was still the Empress and the Empress Dowager. As long as her sister shouted out her grievances, they would definitely stand up for Jingfang Garden.
What a lousy Imperial Household Department, what a crippled eunuch Li, they all deserve dozens of lashes!
Shao Zhao snorted angrily.
Hearing Shao Zhao's words, Zhi Wei slowed down. The smell of medicine on her fingertips mingled with Shao Zhao's tears, giving off a bitter taste.
She was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Shao Zhao, Her Majesty the Empress has her difficulties. Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, the court is unstable. Although she is the Empress, she cannot handle everything perfectly. We should try not to trouble her if we can avoid it, don't you agree?"
Zhiwei held Shao Zhao's head. She had already seen through the cause of everything when Shao Zhao recounted what had happened in the Imperial Household Department that day. It was her fault, really. Her reforms in various aspects, such as the Imperial Kitchen, had been too profound. For every achievement she made, there was just as many complaints. Her influence was too deep, and her manner too arrogant. It was likely that more than just the people in the Imperial Household Department hated her.
Zhiwei stroked Shaozhao's head: "It's because you were too arrogant before, that's what caused this..."
"It's not my sister's fault!" Shao Zhao interrupted, choking back tears. "Now that Brother Zhu is gone, they treat us like pushovers!"
Zhiwei's heart clenched again.
“These are the rules of the palace, and the truth of this chaotic world.” She explained patiently, “There is no permanent support, nor is there permanent protection. When Mingyu was alive, we could rely on his influence to avoid some storms, but now that he is gone, we have to bear these hardships ourselves. It is better to stand firm on our own than to ask others for help.”
She gently patted Shao Zhao's shoulder: "Just bear with it for a while. Those people in the Imperial Household Department are very shrewd. With my official position, they wouldn't dare to go too far. We'll get through this eventually."
"But it's my elder sister!"
"Listen to me," Zhiwei whispered again.
Shao Zhao didn't understand Zhiwei's considerations; she only felt more wronged, and tears started flowing freely.
As she cried, she gradually lost her strength and fell asleep on the pillow.
Zhiwei tucked the blanket around her, sat by the bed for a while, and then got up and left the room.
The moonlight in the courtyard was faint, spilling onto the ground like a thin layer of frost. Zhiwei looked up at the cold moon.
Just then, the voice of a palace attendant came from outside the courtyard. It was Pinghai, Zhu Liji's personal eunuch. He slowly walked into the courtyard and bowed: "Lady Yan, His Majesty summons you to the Hall of Mental Cultivation immediately."
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