Chapter 36: Earrings
The Zhaoshui Palace has not been inhabited for decades, but the palace will carry out basic cleaning and maintenance of these rooms from time to time, so the so-called dust will not really form a thick layer of spider dust.
However, the gray and gloomy atmosphere that greeted them still made Pingting stop Qingzan when she was about to step through the door: "The servants will go in first to do a simple sweep and ventilate the room for a while, and then you can come in, Master."
Qing Zan said she wasn't that squeamish. "Have you forgotten who I was before? I'll just go in with you."
As soon as he stepped inside, the palace maids lit the candles, and all he saw was gold and jade. The golden nanmu beams were polished to a warm shine, and the curtains of golden sea pearls hung there brilliantly.
The palace servants who followed in were also somewhat stunned. It was like a dream. Baoyuyou Pavilion was actually much better than other places, but the regulations did not go far beyond the norm. It was only because of the lotus pond and its isolation in the east wing that it appeared somewhat superior.
But now this Zhaoshui Palace——
In the entire palace, even including the Empress, there are only three people who can live in the main hall.
The shock of the flood tonight has been diluted a lot.
A palace servant came in with a bucket of water and first cleaned a Huanghuali beauty couch: "Master, please sit here."
Qing Zan had just finished looking at a few halls and pavilions and came out, but he also picked up a piece of cloth and said: "I am living in the main hall like this. I feel uneasy. Let me do something with you to distract myself."
Doukou leaned close to Qingzan, smiled meaningfully, and said in the emperor's tone, "Master, why should you be uneasy? Didn't His Majesty say it all? He allowed it. Let's see who in the six palaces dares to object!"
The emperor's impulsive words were repeated with exaggerated language, and the palace servants joined in the fun. Qingzan actually felt a little embarrassed and glared at them, "I've been away for so long, and you've already learned bad habits."
Pingting, intent on calming the crowd after their ordeal, began to quip, "That's right. These past few days, while the master was away, the servants have been locked up, wondering if the master is eating well, sleeping well, and getting along well with His Majesty in Taiji Hall."
The palace maids naturally hoped that Qingzan would be favored. The deeper the relationship between the master and His Majesty, the more hope they had for their future.
Only Suo Ying disagreed, objecting sullenly, "No matter how good it is, it can't be as good as our own palace."
Seeing that she was not in a good mood, Pingting agreed, "That's true."
Suoying pondered for a while, then pulled Qingzan aside. Now she had no problem walking, but her legs and feet were still not very agile.
It was also for this reason that I clearly heard a strange sound but failed to go out and check it out immediately.
Suo Ying whispered, "Sister Qingzan, was it the Queen who did it? Tonight was definitely not an accident. Before the fire started, I heard the sound of water being poured. Now that I think about it, maybe it was oil. I only blame myself for not thinking of it at the time."
Qingzan gently held the man's arm and was about to comfort him when she was interrupted by the exclamation of a lively little palace maid from a distance:
"There's a big hot spring here!"
His companions joked: "How can you be so naive!"
Just as he was about to speak again, Pingting came over and said, "Master, you should take a nap on the couch for a while. You still have to go pay your respects to the Empress later. You should rest up."
Qingzan wiped the area under her hand and washed her hands with water in the basin.
"Thank you for your hard work."
A while ago, in Taiji Hall, she often slept until noon, sometimes not even noticing when the emperor came to or left court. But now that she was back in the harem, she couldn't shirk her slack anymore. She knew she would have to face another tough battle when paying her respects.
There are still many people who can't sleep tonight.
Fangxin Palace. Although Concubine Zhen didn't go to see the excitement in person, she also sent palace servants to investigate the situation. When she learned that Qingzan had actually moved into the main palace, her face darkened.
Even the place where she lived could not be considered the main hall.
"These foolish women harmed her once, and she became a noble. They harmed her twice, and she now lives in the main palace. If they do it again, will we all have to bow down and salute her, calling her 'Empress'?"
So she never hurts anyone physically, she just wants to vent her anger with her words.
Doesn’t she hate Qingzan? She thought she had fallen out of favor a while ago, but tonight she appeared with the emperor?
Concubine Zhen had no way to vent her bitterness, so she tore several pieces of gold-sprinkled paper into pieces with great force, as if she was tearing people instead of paper.
He murmured angrily, "I don't know what this is all about."
Ever since she got up in the middle of the night, Concubine Zhen has been unable to sleep peacefully. She originally thought that she would be able to catch someone and ask them clearly when she came to pay her respects, but no one came.
In Zhaoshui Palace, Qingzan lay on the beauty couch and fell asleep unknowingly.
When I woke up again, I was woken up by the noise outside. It was people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs coming to buy some things.
Qingzan stood up hurriedly like a carp jumping up and down: "What time is it?"
But he was pushed back by the palace maid.
The palace maid smiled and said, "Master, don't worry. His Majesty has sent someone to tell you that you were frightened last night, so you don't need to pay your respects. That's why we didn't wake you up."
Qingzan finally felt relieved and no longer sleepy: "Let's wash up first."
*
The summer that arrived with great fanfare is drawing to a close, but the aftereffects of the heat always linger until early autumn.
The Empress Dowager wanted to stay in Hanliang Palace for a while longer. Thinking it had been a while since she last saw the Emperor, she summoned the others. While strolling through the garden, she said, "The autumn hunt is almost here, so don't leave anyone in the palace to look after Yang. I've been so busy lately, and I'm worried. Let Yang come to Hanliang Palace to keep me company. Huaixuan can come, too, and as for Xuelian, let her have fun at the hunting palace. It's heartbreaking to see a good general's daughter confined to the palace all year round."
Xue Lian was the maiden name of Ming Zhaoyi.
After all, she gave birth to the emperor's eldest grandson, and the empress dowager remembered Ming Zhaoyi's contribution.
The emperor said indifferently, "Well, it's been a long time since I've seen Zhaoyi's graceful figure on horseback."
The Queen Mother seemed to see her son, who had once shown little regard for the concubines in the harem. But recently, from his position to the palace, he had clearly shown a particular affection for someone. The Queen Mother couldn't help but think of her own unparalleled favor. Now, from the outside looking in, this wasn't a good thing.
But the Xiao family members are cold-hearted by nature. Could it be that she gave birth to an exception?
When they returned to the Hanliang Palace, the water hyacinth flowers on the Taiye Pond were in full bloom. The empress dowager stopped to look at them and said nonchalantly, "Then let the queen arrange the food, clothing, housing and transportation for the hunting party."
There is still more than half a month left before the autumn hunt, and the Queen has to make arrangements, so nothing can happen to the Queen during this period.
The emperor heard it clearly. He smiled faintly and said, "There's still nearly a month left, and there are too many variables. It's better to discuss it later."
Seeing someone playing Tai Chi with her, the Queen Mother glanced at them and said, "You are the Emperor. Even if you don't want things to change, how can there be any changes? Make arrangements early so that there won't be any chaos. Only when the palace is peaceful and I can enjoy my remaining years in peace."
The emperor, however, was even more blunt and stern than she had been: "If this is just a facade of peace, is this the peace that the Queen Mother desires?"
The Queen Mother was startled, but she still said, "Yes. I rarely interfere with you. You wouldn't refuse such a small request, would you?"
The emperor nodded calmly: "Son, I understand."
He has always been willing to give face to the Queen Mother.
Even though his eyes were cold, there was still a warm smile on his face:
"However, there will definitely not be a next time. Whether it's the Queen or the Queen Mother."
The Empress Dowager did not expect that the Emperor would speak so harshly this time.
To be fair, she still liked Concubine Ying, even if it was because of their humble background, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. But the country's great unity could never be disrupted because of a woman, so she had to protect the queen and suffer a little injustice.
Besides, the empress dowager didn't believe that the emperor would really be confused by love.
Whether it's the position of a noble lady, the Zhaoshui Palace, or even the Princess Yuan... who can tell whether this is love or compensation?
After leaving Hanliang Palace, Xu Delu saw that His Majesty and the Empress Dowager had finally reached a point of awkwardness, and he couldn't understand why: "Didn't His Majesty intend to do anything to the Empress?"
If the woman he loves is really hurt again and again, given His Majesty's temperament, it will not be as simple as letting the person who did it suffer a loss. Therefore, His Majesty let Master Ying live in Taiji Palace to prevent such things from happening at the source and not put himself in a dilemma.
If that's the case, why bother to argue with the Queen Mother in vain and make her unhappy?
Or does Your Majesty not want the Queen Mother to interfere in Master Ying's affairs anymore?
Xu Delu realized the reason with horror and no longer dared to ask for a definite answer, for fear that the answer would not be one he could hear.
He just stood by and accompanied the emperor as he walked back slowly on the brick-paved corridor.
Suddenly, a little eunuch came out from the horizontal fork in the road.
The young eunuch saluted the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, there is a result."
The emperor nodded slightly and said, "Well, I'll be there after lunch."
The young eunuch's legs were as slippery as a fish in a pond. As soon as the emperor waved his hand, he immediately turned back to report and disappeared in an instant.
The emperor stood on the infinitely long palace road, his eyes solemn: "Not too slow yet."
He started walking towards Chengluan Palace.
*
It has been about half a week since the two eunuchs who set the fire were arrested. Before that, the Queen tried to pass on the news that her grandfather might be in trouble, but all the informants that the Duan family had planted in the palace had been pulled out at some point, and they didn't know how to contact the Marquis' Mansion for a while.
Now there is no need for her to spread the news, as it has already reached the capital with great fanfare, and everyone in the palace has known about it in the past two days.
There was clearly no definite result yet, but the monkeys scatter before the tree falls. Many people in the court seemed to have made an appointment to reveal many of her grandfather's past secrets, and impeachment memorials appeared like snowflakes.
The Queen always felt that when people paid their respects, they looked at her with less respect than before. But there was no reason for this. The Marquisate was still the Marquisate, and she was still the Queen.
I guess it's just my own worries that are playing tricks on me.
In comparison, the arson incident can be put aside for the time being. A'niang had already said that the families of the two palace eunuchs were in the hands of the Duan family, so they were absolutely reliable. Even if they were caught, they would not reveal a single word of the truth. She was told not to panic.
She really didn't have the energy to care anymore.
So when the imperial attendants arrived, the Queen was still in disbelief for a moment, as if in a dream: "What does this have to do with me? What does Your Majesty want to ask?"
The young eunuch could only timidly say, "My Lady, please don't embarrass me."
The queen could not disobey the order, so she could only follow him with a worried look on her face.
As soon as I entered the Taiji Hall, I saw the emperor sitting high on the throne.
The emperor raised his hand and threw the confessions of the two eunuchs in front of her.
The queen forced herself to remain calm, repeatedly using her mother's words to comfort herself, and went to pick up the offering paper on the ground.
I don’t know what method Concubine Hui used, but the two of them actually signed and sealed it!
The confessions were completely consistent. The moment the queen saw the words "Marquis Yongning's Mansion" with horror, she became furious and crumpled the confession paper into pieces.
"Your Majesty, this is definitely slander. It must be Concubine Hui's evil ambitions—"
The emperor frowned and said calmly, "It's just a copy."
Meaning, it’s useless even if it’s destroyed.
The queen knelt on the ground exhausted, covering her face and crying.
But the emperor felt no pity.
The queen only felt that the man's voice at this moment was like that of the King of Hell in the Ten Courts of Hell, and his sharp fangs bit into her heart again and again when he spoke.
"I can consider the Marquis of Yongning's kindness to the late emperor one last time. However, your grandfather was guilty of bribery in his early years. In the Empress's opinion, arson and corruption—where should this kindness be used?"
The queen looked at them in disbelief. Both of them were blood relatives, so how should she choose?
What choice can she make?
No matter which choice she made, it would be like cutting off one arm, or she would give up the other arm with her own hands, which would inevitably lead to condemnation from her family.
She could only shout at the top of her lungs, "Your Majesty, there must be a misunderstanding! Concubine Hui has ulterior motives. She must be greedy for power and wants to harm me, so she deliberately tortured me into confessing! As for my grandfather, grandfather..."
The emperor slowly emerged from his seat, looking at everyone calmly and saying, "If the empress can't be chosen, I can ask Minister Zhu and Marquis Yongning separately which one should be pardoned."
Asking her grandfather and father...? Wouldn't that mean the two families would be separated forever?
The queen trembled all over, but through her tearful eyes, she noticed the emperor was playing with a glowing green object in his hand.
It's a green jade earring.
A woman's earring.
In Zhaoshui Palace, Qingzan took off her earrings in front of the mirror.
Doukou took it and was about to put it into the hairpin box for someone else: "Hey, why is there only one?"
She suddenly looked a little embarrassed: "Could it be that it fell just now? Let me go and look for it."
Just now, His Majesty came to accompany the master for dinner, and then he sat with the master in his arms for a long time. At that time, all the palace servants had left. Although Doukou did not see the situation inside with his own eyes, he thought that it could have been rubbed off at that time.
Qingzan didn't seem surprised at all and said there was no need to look for it: "I'm sure someone will come and return it soon."
Knowing that the matter had come to a conclusion, the emperor went to see Concubine Hui after dinner, and she hooked it on the person's lapel with her own hands.
He hasn't discovered it yet, has he?
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