Chapter 158 Prevention is better than cure. Lin Quan'an is back to serve you. Cheng Qianyue…
Lin Quan'an returned to serve her. Cheng Qianyue saw him in the morning of mid-July; he limped in to pay his respects.
Cheng Qianyue both suspected that he was deliberately putting on this pitiful act, and at the same time, she felt that he really looked quite pathetic. To be honest, in all these years of being the mistress, she had only punished those around her by spanking them a handful of times; this was the first time she had ordered someone to bring in a court rod. Nevertheless, she still asked him sternly, "Do you know you were wrong?"
Lin Quan'an had barely gotten up when he knelt down again, his face contorted with remorse as he said, "Your Majesty is so kind; this servant knows his mistake."
Seeing his straightforward reply, Cheng Qianyue nodded. "You've served me for many years, so there must be some master-servant affection between us. But if you offend me again, I won't keep you here." To put it bluntly, with her current status, she wasn't worried about not having obedient people to serve her. She paused, then said, "Alright, get up." She then asked him with concern, "Are your injuries healed?"
After getting up, Lin Quan'an smiled ingratiatingly and replied, "This servant's injuries are almost healed." He had rushed over as soon as he could walk. Although he had served his master for a long time and still held considerable influence among the younger generation, he was still afraid that some ambitious and foolish individuals might try to overstep his bounds.
Cheng Qianyue didn't believe his claim that everything was fine. She could only see that he was still walking with difficulty, so he was only able to walk and hadn't fully recovered at all. Therefore, she told him, "Go back and rest for a while. Come and take care of me when your injury is completely healed."
Lin Quan'an was slightly relieved upon hearing this, thinking that his master was still as kind-hearted as before. He bowed and said, "This servant thanks the master for his kindness."
After he left, Cheng Qianyue slowly shook her head.
She knew that Lin Quan'an was afraid someone else would take his place, which was why he had come to pay his respects. However, Lin Quan'an was, after all, an old servant who had served her, and this was the only time he had made such a mistake over the years; she had to give him a chance to make amends. She thought she would instruct him to do a few things to calm his mind so that he could focus on recovering.
Well, there are a few things to do. For example, she sent someone back to inquire about any recent events in the palace, whether the Empress Dowager's and the concubines' quarters were peaceful, and whether Lady Jin's illness had improved. Also, she heard that Ruoyun and Ruohong had all given birth, and she prepared some items for the new mothers and children to calm their nerves, which she planned to send out. Lin Quan'an didn't need to do any of this personally; he just needed to instruct his subordinates to complete the tasks and report back. This way, it wouldn't interfere with his recovery, and it would also let him know that she kept her word and would still rely on him.
A few days later, Lin Quan'an came to express his gratitude again, and she received a lot of news from him. In particular, the palace maid Jin said that she had been moved to Chuxiu Palace and was being taken care of by people sent by Fan Shi. She said that her illness had almost recovered, and that Fan Shi did not allow Jin Shi to do any rough or heavy work.
This was good news. Cheng Qianyue's expression relaxed considerably, but a moment later she heard him say, "The head eunuch of Baohua Palace has accused the head maid, Ahajueluo, of negligence. Ahajueluo has been sent to the Shenxing Division. I inquired and found out that Ahajueluo admitted she forgot to clean the incense burner, but said nothing else. The people in the Shenxing Division punished her by making her pound 100 catties of rice, and then expelled her from the palace."
Um?
Cheng Qianyue was surprised to hear such a thing, and couldn't help but frown, a ripple of unease stirring within her. No sooner had Lady Jin fallen ill and entered Chuxiu Palace than her aunt from Baohua Palace was expelled from the palace. The timing was too coincidental, making her suspect that there might be something fishy about Lady Jin's illness. She said, "Where is Lady Ahajueluo's home? Send someone to keep an eye on her."
Lin Quan'an replied, "Ever since Quanxi entered the Shenxing Division, she has been kept under surveillance. But I heard that after leaving the palace, she didn't interact with many people except her neighbors."
Cheng Qianyue nodded to indicate that she understood. It made sense; if this Ahajueluo woman was indeed acting on someone's behalf, it would have happened before Jin Shi fell ill. By now, the loose ends had probably all been dealt with, so it was really difficult to continue investigating. Besides, the principle of "innocent until proven guilty" applied; she couldn't just arrest someone and torture them arbitrarily, could she? What would that look like?
After a long while, Cheng Qianyue said, "Alright, just be more careful about things in the palace from now on."
Lin Quan'an quickly replied, "Yes."
Seven or eight days passed in this way, and Lin Quan'an came to report to her again without stopping. This matter was bigger than the previous one; it was said that there were some rumors about her outside the palace.
Rumors? Cheng Qianyue perked up instantly, a bad memory flashing through her mind. "What rumors?"
Lin Quan'an said, "The matter originated outside the palace. It was first spread by a lowly eunuch outside. The matter involves your time at Xian'an Palace, and it's said that you're not a good person..."
Cheng Qianyue had just been recalling the rumors from back then, and she didn't expect that this matter was still related to the past. She quickly asked, "How were they all rumored?"
"At first, they just said you were favored by the emperor. Later, I don't know how it spread, but they started talking about what happened when you first entered the palace. They said you dared to order food on your own back then, and then they said that because you served the emperor for so long, um... you committed... one of the seven grounds for divorce." Lin Quan'an went over his words in his mind twice before daring to say them out loud.
Seven grounds for divorce... Cheng Qianyue was speechless. What seven grounds for divorce? Just say she's jealous, or to be even harsher, call her a vixen. She was genuinely unhappy, thinking that these people outside really knew how to treat people differently based on their status. What kind of nonsense was it to insult her? If they had the guts, why didn't they insult the Emperor instead of pointing their fingers at him and calling him a tyrant?
But she didn't know how to handle this. Should she publicly declare herself a good person? Hey, that would be like a peddler praising his own wares—utterly foolish. Besides, they wouldn't believe her; they'd only believe what they themselves believed. Yet, she couldn't simply ignore it. Taking a deep breath, she said, "This matter... was leaked to Chen He privately..."
She could manage things within the palace, but things outside the palace were truly beyond her jurisdiction. Furthermore, she couldn't directly tell Yinreng that she knew people were spreading rumors about her, so she could only let him know in this way. Presumably, if Chen He received the news, he would definitely report it to the Emperor.
But before Lin Quan'an could even order his men to return to the palace, Chen He entered the garden that very evening. Soon after, Cheng Qianyue learned why Chen He had come. Relieved, she said to Lin Quan'an, "Since the Emperor already knows, we won't interfere."
That evening, Chen He and Jing Shun returned to the capital together, and the two rested temporarily at Chen He's residence outside the palace. This residence was located east of Jingshan Hill, close to the palace and the living quarters of the lowly eunuchs. Knowing that they hadn't eaten yet, the servants in the residence immediately started cooking, first boiling a pot of noodles, then stir-frying a few side dishes and bringing them up.
Jing Shun stood by, serving Chen He his meal, just like before. Chen He sat down first and said, "Alright, you're a respectable person now, don't bother."
Jing Shun smiled and said, "Look at what you're saying, a master is a master, and a disciple is a disciple." He served Chen He noodles and only sat down after Chen He's repeated urging. Soon after sitting down, he said, "Master, what do you think we should do about this?"
Chen He slurped up some noodles and said, "Easy, arrest those who should be arrested, and kill those who should be killed."
Jing Shun raised an eyebrow. Did his master mean that the person spreading the lies had already been investigated?
Chen He smiled and glanced at him: "You're still a long way from having my skills. To tell you the truth, I left as soon as the rumors of the Imperial Concubine's favor began to circulate." He had guessed then that someone was up to something, and sure enough, he was right.
Jing Shun gave him a thumbs-up repeatedly, then asked, "Master, what exactly happened?" He lowered his voice and pointed upwards, "But that person..."
Chen He coughed. "You should know how outsiders die." Jing Shun quickly hummed in agreement, cutting him off. Chen He sighed and instructed him, "Remember, a servant only recognizes one master. Even when trying to curry favor, you must consider your master's wishes. But if you forget your master and resort to empty talk, you might die without even knowing how."
Jing Shun nodded hurriedly and didn't say anything. He slurped down his noodles and then went to his room to rest after he finished eating.
After Chen He waited for him to leave, he stood up and moved around to digest his food. He thought to himself that although Jing Shun wasn't very capable, he was luckier than him because Jing Shun had only served one master, unlike him, who had served the late emperor. While the late emperor was alive, he had sold countless pieces of information about the emperor; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to retire at this crucial moment. However, even though he had left the Hall of Mental Cultivation, it didn't mean he wanted to retire early. So, he requested an honorary position in the Imperial Household Department. Firstly, there were other stewards there, so everyone would be watching over things, which would reassure the emperor. Secondly, he was still useful; his master Zhao Chang had left him with his connections after leaving the palace, allowing him to better serve the emperor.
Doesn't this incident with the Imperial Concubine demonstrate his abilities?
Chen He smiled. Although he had just been lecturing Jing Shun on loyalty to the Emperor, he himself was already pondering the future. He still felt that the Forbidden City would eventually belong to the Imperial Concubine. Leaving aside the Emperor's favor and affection, the eldest prince's character was far inferior. That Consort Ke was no pushover, constantly causing trouble; didn't Prince Hongxi know? Heh, Prince Hongxi would be dragged down by Consort Ke sooner or later.
As for the Imperial Concubine, he probably hadn't offended her, and since he was doing the Emperor's bidding, he could also curry favor with her.
Chen He paced around the room several times, going over the matter in his mind, before finally drifting off to sleep. Time to sleep, I'll be taking him out first thing tomorrow morning.
Cheng Qianyue didn't ask anyone to interfere in matters outside the palace, but she was constantly monitoring the news. Then she heard the rumors outside shift in direction and people started saying good things about her, although in her eyes these weren't really good things.
What was being circulated? It was the commentary given to her by the Holy Ancestor Emperor, also known as Kangxi. It claimed that Kangxi allowed her to enter Xian'an Palace because of her auspicious destiny, and correspondingly, there were also rumors of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau's calculations of her fate, claiming her birth chart was extremely Yang and could ward off evil and disaster—the rumors were as exaggerated as could be. In short, this was the reason why Yinreng (the future Yongzheng Emperor) consistently favored her.
Cheng Qianyue felt that these words might not be empty talk. Otherwise, why would Kangxi have chosen her alone to serve Yinreng instead of anyone else? Back then, when she was preparing for the re-selection and learning etiquette in the palace, she was practically invisible!
Well, there's no use reminiscing now. She just felt like she'd been branded with a human-shaped curse, a ridiculous and absurd notion. This kind of feudal superstition applied to a person was practically a mockery of their very nature. She wondered, if her destiny was truly so extraordinary, why didn't she ascend the throne instead of constantly living a precarious life, switching between being a master and a servant?
Lin Quan'an and the others were overjoyed, glancing at her as if she were a god reborn. Cheng Qianyue gave a forced smile and snorted twice, inwardly cursing the Imperial Observatory for their harmful influence. If her human-shaped talisman really worked, she would curse those bastards in the Imperial Observatory to be plagued by misfortune, choking on their food, choking on their water, having nightmares, and getting hit by a car!
Cheng Qianyue rolled her eyes when no one was around. After that, she couldn't be bothered to listen to the rumors anymore; otherwise, she would be driven mad with anger before anyone else even received the curse.
Time flew by and it was already the end of July. Everyone thought Yinreng would spend the Mid-Autumn Festival in the garden, but he said he wanted to return to the Forbidden City. Cheng Qianyue thought to herself, "Let him go, let him go. Otherwise, without anyone in the palace to keep things quiet, all sorts of monsters and demons will come out!"
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