Chapter 64: Witchcraft (Revised) The truth is never important
The emperor's deep voice had a kind of hoarseness that seemed to bewitch people.
Coming from a king who rules the world, it might be wise not to believe such straightforward words of love.
But thinking about all the things he did to her, Qingzan could no longer treat it as just a casual joke in bed.
So she didn't say anything for a long time, just resting her head in the emperor's arms, leaning silently.
The emperor did not urge her. He stroked her satin-soft and shiny hair again and again, entangled and played with the softness around his fingers, and never tired of it.
Until Qingzan raised her face and happened to meet the emperor's eyes.
But if she looked at him a little longer, she would know that he had been gazing at her deeply for a long time before she looked up.
A wind was blowing outside, and the windows weren't closed tightly enough. The tent outside the bunk bed was enough to block the wind, but the strong wind blew out all the candles in the room. The next moment, darkness spread across the sky and earth.
People hugging each other can only listen to each other's breathing.
In the darkness, Xiao Fang seemed to still be able to see those eyes with shimmering water looking at him. These eyes were so good at ebbing and flowing that a smile from them was like the spring flood of peach blossoms, making people mistakenly think that she was smiling and affectionate, and willingly fall for her trick.
Somehow, he suddenly remembered what the eunuch had just brought up with trembling hands... a voodoo puppet. They had found it under the Queen's bed when they were removing items from her palace.
He actually didn't believe in these weird things, but when he thought that this thing might be cursing her and what kind of evil intentions and hatred it contained, he wanted to cut the man into pieces and feed him to Songtsen.
Xiao Fang couldn't help but hug the person who was resting her head on his arm tighter. Fortunately, she was safe and sound in his arms at this moment.
He asked, "Why aren't you sleeping yet? Are there any other things that are bothering you?"
The emperor's concern made Qingzan feel a little guilty. Had she cried out in pain too much today? But if she wasn't pitiful enough, how could she reveal the queen's guilt?
Qing Zan said in a somewhat nonchalant tone, "I'm fine, I just can't sleep. Your Majesty, can you tell me a story?"
When she was a child, lying in her mother's arms, she must have pestered her mother to tell her stories. Although Qingzan has no recollection of this, Pingting Doukou and the others all have such memories. Her mother is so gentle and kind, there is no reason why she doesn't have such memories.
Xiao Fang was stunned: "Telling stories? How old are you?"
He flicked his finger on her forehead.
Qing Zan was really acting out of spite at this moment. He covered his forehead and cried out in pain, groaning softly, "Your Majesty, is it possible that you don't know how to speak?"
Xiao Fang was somewhat unable to resist her soft and delicate manner. A smile unconsciously appeared on his thin lips, and he began to search his mind for his life experiences and memories. He had never told stories to anyone, and no one would make such an unreasonable and childish request to him.
Qing Zan thought he hadn't agreed, and she kept on asking, "What will happen to the child in my womb when she wants to hear it? Should I ask the ladies-in-waiting of the Six Shangs to come and tell him (her)? If I don't listen now, how can I know whether Your Majesty's explanation is good?"
Does that mean I have to tell a story to her child and practice it here with her?
It was the first time that Xiao Fang realized that a woman about to become a mother would have so many lovely little thoughts.
"You have to let me think about it?"
Qingzan calmed down and turned sideways, resting her head on his chest.
After the wind came the rain. Before the emperor could figure out what was going on, a stream of autumn water began to flow, and heavy rain poured down, soaking the dusk of who knew how long it was.
The emperor turned his head and glanced out the window, which was hidden from view through the heavy curtains. He suddenly sighed, "Ever since you came, it seems like it's been raining a lot in the palace."
Qing Zan retorted: "If it rains, can it be blamed on me?"
The emperor gave no explanation.
Perhaps it wasn't that this year was too rainy, but because of her presence, he remembered many of the sunny and rainy days that should have been ordinary. When they first met, wasn't it because of a night of rain that kept them together that he and her had more stories?
The emperor told a story about a little princess.
As soon as Qingzan heard it, she knew he was talking about Lianbi. The first half of the story was an anecdote that had already spread throughout the palace, but the second half was the first time Qingzan had heard of it.
Because the queen was injured when giving birth to Lian Bi, she could no longer give birth to a prince, so Lian Bi was thrown into a remote palace to fend for herself since she was a child. Thanks to her royal brother who took good care of her, when she grew up, she knew to take the initiative to act coquettishly and ask for pity from her father. In addition, her royal brother was very likely to be the crown prince in the future, so the princess's situation finally improved day by day, and her temperament became more and more spoiled, with a self-love that was almost selfish.
However, not long after the crown prince was established, Lian Bi rebelled with another prince. The prince asked her why she chose the fourth prince when he treated her so well. Unexpectedly, the princess said that it was because the fourth prince obeyed her in everything, and once he ascended the throne, she would be the regent princess.
Those who commit treason should be punished by slow slicing during their lifetime. The emperor ordered the prince to supervise the execution in person to prevent him from being too lenient. When the plot of treason had not yet been laid out, the news had leaked out. It was the prince's kindness that prevented him from exposing the princess, which ultimately led to her disaster.
Finally, the prince could not bear to see his sister suffer such torture, so he replaced her with a condemned prisoner, then killed his sister himself and fed her to his beloved pet.
At the height of the little princess's glory and pride, she was granted a precious title, and the nameless palace where she grew up also had a name.
This is Lianbi Hall.
It’s a pity that the person is gone, leaving only the fragrant hall covered with dust.
Perhaps the emperor's tone was too casual, as if he were just a bystander. Qing Zan couldn't help but ask, "Is what your majesty said true?"
Did he really feed his beloved sister to the lion with his own hands?
"How could the story be completely true?" The emperor curled his lips lightly. "If it were me, I would have chosen to condone the matter before it was accomplished. It would only be to see if the sister I have loved since childhood would truly go so far as to betray me, not out of pity."
Qingzan sat up a little, lowered her head and stroked her belly, her long black hair untied, hanging down tenderly on the side of her face: "This story is not acceptable, it's too bloody and will scare the baby."
Xiao Fang also sat up, approached her, lowered his eyes and smiled: "Which baby?"
"Your Majesty is not serious again!"
Qingzan changed the subject somewhat abruptly: "I haven't had dinner today."
But I was really hungry.
She had just heard that the Queen and the wife of the Marquis of Yongning were hanging out outside, so in order to run into them, she went out without having dinner. After she came back, she pretended to be sick in bed and had not eaten anything except a bowl of medicine.
Upon hearing this, the emperor summoned people to prepare food.
After the palace servants prepared the meal, the emperor had a small table with low legs placed on the bed and placed the food on it.
He lifted up the woman's cascading black hair, revealing a face as pure and bright as a lotus seed.
Qingzan turned around and smiled at the person.
But the emperor held her head and prevented her from turning back.
The story just now was not meant to warn or scare her, but he was never the kind and benevolent monarch who stood on the throne, looking down on the people without any dust on his body. He was far more cruel than she thought.
He suddenly said, "Don't worry, if it were Qingqing, I would never give her the chance to betray me."
*
The emperor went to court early the next morning. When Qingzan woke up, it was almost noon.
The rain stopped, and carp were jumping in the lotus pond outside the hall. The sound of water was light and cheerful, and Qingzan was feeding the fish by the pond.
Did the fish in Fengzao Palace also take the poison bait she prepared for them?
How can a rich lady who can get everything by acting coquettishly tell which bait is the most dangerous? The queen must have thought that yesterday was a dead end, but she didn't know that everything that happened yesterday was just a prelude.
A moment later, Doukou came in, somewhat excited but also somewhat worried, reporting, "His Majesty has ordered the Palace Administration Office to interrogate the servants of Fengzao Palace. The Empress Dowager even went to Fengzao Palace herself! Word has spread that... a voodoo puppet was found in Fengzao Palace yesterday."
She asked in a voice only the two of them could hear, "How did the master know that the eunuchs would definitely find it?"
She personally handed the doll over to an aunt in Fengzao Palace.
Qingzan had just grabbed a handful of fish food and put it in her handkerchief. She had almost finished feeding the fish. "When Concubine Zhao was confined, I saw that Chunhezhai had been stripped bare, leaving only the walls. If Chunhezhai was like this, how much more so Fengzao Palace? The people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs know that Fengzao Palace has countless treasures, so they will definitely turn the palace upside down."
Doukou suddenly realized: "These people are the best at finding opportunities to enrich themselves."
Seeing that the master's hands were empty, he said again: "This servant will go get some more!"
*
In Fengzao Palace, all the luxurious carved tables, painted desks, silver pots and jade screens were swept away. The queen had never felt that Fengzao Palace was so empty and so big.
After being confined for half a year, there will be no luxurious objects left for people to enjoy.
The people from the Palace Administration Office finally found the queen in a dim corner of a side hall.
The queen didn't know what was happening when her golden silk dress was taken off. She shouted, "What are you doing? Even if I'm under house arrest, I'm still the queen. Your Majesty is only confining me!"
The palace lady thought, "Maybe soon it won't be that way." In front of the strict palace ladies-in-waiting, she didn't say anything directly to add insult to injury.
Soon, the queen was taken to the front of the palace with her golden hairpins and phoenix robes removed.
After seeing the Queen Mother, the Queen calmed down a little. She saw a familiar person standing next to the Queen Mother - Madam Lu, who used to be a person in her Fengzao Palace.
Before the queen could think about it, the queen mother raised her eyelids.
The Queen Mother was still as noble and dignified as ever, sitting in the somewhat empty hall, in the seat most often occupied by the Queen. "Look at yourself, what a sight!"
The court lady placed the burnt doll, now only a blackened half, in a mahogany box. The Empress Dowager's body was too noble to be touched by such a filthy object. Instead, the palace attendant, along with Nannies Lian and Lu, examined it. The court lady reported to the Empress Dowager, "Imperial Physician Lin said he couldn't pinpoint Concubine Ying's illness, but it turned out to be witchcraft. That proves it. The doll's abdomen and limbs are riddled with needle holes."
The queen had no idea what was going on. What did the puppets and witchcraft have to do with her?
She said bewilderedly, "Mother, where did you get this doll? I have never seen it before. I am innocent."
Seeing that the Queen's expression didn't seem fake, the Queen Dowager was willing to give her a chance to defend herself. "Then tell me, why did this thing appear under your bed? The people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs found it yesterday. There were more than ten people watching. It's impossible that they are all wrongly accusing you."
"But I also find it strange. If it was all burned, why is there still half left?"
The Queen simply cried out in injustice: "Someone must be trying to harm me!"
The palace maid glanced at Madam Lu beside her and suddenly said to the empress dowager, "Perhaps something interrupted the burning just as it was about to begin. There's only a small amount of burnt ash under the bed, which doesn't match the burnt half. It looks more like a part of it fell off during the disposal."
Madam Lu warned softly, "Don't speak nonsense."
The Queen Mother pondered for a moment and said, "Let her speak. I think there is some truth in what she said."
Upon hearing this, the Queen fell on the Queen Mother's knees with tears streaming down her face. "Mother, Mother, it must be the Qing Zan. She bribed someone to put it in my room! I have never done anything like this."
Jinyu, Fucui, everyone in this palace could be an accomplice!
When the empress dowager saw her behaving so improperly, a hint of disgust appeared on her face. How could such a person be worthy of the emperor?
The Palace Maid asked again, "As far as I know, the Empress and Concubine Ying have had a long-standing feud. Now that Concubine Ying is pregnant and at the peak of her powers, is the Empress resentful and unwilling to let Concubine Ying give birth to a prince?"
The Queen knew the dangers of witchcraft. If she used it to harm the heir to the throne, it would be a serious crime that would implicate the entire family.
She suddenly remembered something, like grabbing a lifeline, and clung to the empress dowager's emerald and golden skirt. "I can attest to this. I absolutely would not use witchcraft to curse Concubine Ying and her child. There is absolutely no need to do so, because the so-called pregnancy is completely fake!"
"What did you say?" The question of the royal heir undoubtedly touched the most sensitive chord of the empress dowager.
But she would not just listen to empty words.
She questioned with a sharp gaze, "Several imperial physicians have taken Concubine Ying's pulse and found nothing unusual. How did the Queen know?"
"Your son..." The Queen hesitated, feeling guilty and timid, "It was Imperial Physician Fang. Imperial Physician Fang told me that Concubine Ying threatened him to help her fabricate the pulse diagnosis."
The more she spoke, the softer her voice became. The Queen was not sure whether A Niang still had the energy to control the people in the Fang family after such a thing happened. The situation was so unfavorable, would Doctor Fang still cooperate with her?
This is an easy matter to handle. The Queen Mother said, "Go and summon the imperial physician."
However, the palace maid whispered to the Empress Dowager that Doctor Fang had accidentally fallen off a horse on his way home yesterday and was injured, and was currently recuperating in bed.
At this moment, the palace maid went out to see a subordinate, and when she returned, she whispered to the empress dowager, "I've asked someone to check Concubine Ying's pulse. The pregnancy is definitely not fake."
The queen didn't know what the two men said to the empress dowager, but she saw that the empress dowager's face suddenly became gloomy, as if it was a sign of a sudden storm.
How could the Queen Mother not be furious when she thought about how her grandson was almost wronged?
"At this time, you're still trying to frame others and lie to me? Doctor Fang has confessed everything!"
Confess? The Queen was in a state of panic. At this critical moment, she could not care about many things. Even if Doctor Fang confessed, she could clearly tell which was the less serious crime, using witchcraft to harm a pregnant concubine or framing someone else for a false pregnancy.
She said anxiously, "I did lie just now, but I really only designed Concubine Ying to be pregnant. She was not pregnant with the emperor's heir at all. Why would I use witchcraft to curse her?"
The Queen Mother's expression didn't soften at all, but instead grew colder. "Are you saying that you teamed up with Imperial Physician Fang to frame Concubine Ying for a fake pregnancy?"
The Queen then realized that the Queen Mother had just been deceiving her.
She just said it herself?
Seeing that the Queen Mother had abandoned her like a worn-out shoe and had already stood up to leave, the Queen also got up from the ground and suddenly burst into tears of despair, "Your Majesty, I have always hated you. I know it all! Since I entered the palace, the Sixth Shang has always obeyed your orders. How can I be considered a Queen?"
The Queen Mother paused, and until she left Fengzao Palace, she didn't even look at the Queen again in disgust. Thinking of how many times she had protected her, it was like swallowing a fly.
"Send someone to tell the emperor that the witchcraft case has been investigated and he can decide the outcome. There's no need to mention the false pregnancy to him."
Nanny Lian nodded in agreement. "Your Majesty, do you think that since the witchcraft incident has already spread, there's no need to add another scandal?"
The Queen Mother sighed, "My grandson must be born innocent and safe, and must not suffer the hatred and harm of evil people again."
Nanny Lian looked back at Fengzao Palace with emotion. In this palace, the truth was not important, and sometimes it was even impossible to find out. The likes and dislikes and interests of the superiors came first.
The palace lady-in-chief deliberately left a step later and walked slowly to the queen who had collapsed and was kneeling on the ground.
Now that things have come to this, it’s better to let the Queen know what’s going on.
"Your Majesty is wrong about one thing. The Empress Dowager originally wanted to hand Liu Shang over to you."
"Did you see Madam Lu standing next to the Empress Dowager just now? Madam Lu is a retired elder from the Six Shangs, and she is the most impartial. She was originally going to be promoted to a Shang Gong, but the Empress Dowager sent her to Fengzao Palace instead to assess your character and abilities, and to find a suitable opportunity to hand over the Six Shangs to you."
"But the Queen doesn't seem to trust her at all, and she even instigated people in the palace to bully her—"
The Queen remembered that she had initially valued this nanny, but that time when she asked Lu Nanny to supervise Qingzan in making snacks, Lu Nanny actually spoke up for Qingzan! And when she had caned Suoying, she asked Lu Nanny to supervise the punishment, but Lu Nanny had someone rescued.
Only then did she ignore Madam Lu.
How could you blame her?
Gong Zheng smiled faintly: "Madame Lu used to be my master."
Just now she deliberately said something unfavorable to the Queen, just to avenge the difficulties and bullying suffered by her master. Even if her master didn't care much, as a disciple, she would feel distressed.
When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down. Isn't this how things have always been in the palace?
*
In Chengluan Palace, the lotus pond was calm, with only the water as still as a mirror, flowing leisurely all day long. Chanyi walked to the lotus pond and said to Qingzan, "I didn't tell your majesty that the master had long discovered that someone had given you a drug to delay your period."
Qing Zan: "I know, you did a great job."
Chan Yi was puzzled: "Master, aren't you worried that this servant will tell?"
She had a rough understanding of what had happened over the past two days. The drug used to delay menstruation was intended to trick women into thinking they were pregnant. Someone was trying to frame her, but that person surely hadn't anticipated her true pregnancy, leading them to act without regard for the heir. If she reported this to His Majesty, the master would inevitably be suspected of playing along with her, deliberately luring her into a trap.
Qing Zan said, "You were sent by His Majesty, yet you chose to report the results to me alone when His Majesty and I were separated. If you wanted to tell him, why did you go to such lengths?"
The two of them didn't say a word, but a palace servant came over and said, "Master, Miss Dong'er is here."
Qingzan raised her eyes. She hadn't seen Dong'er for a long time. Why did she suddenly come to see her at this time?
When Dong'er was brought in by the palace servants, she seemed to be full of worries, so that her face was miserable, her brows were frowning, and her eyes were swollen as if they were covered with bubbles.
Seeing Qing Zan, she regained some vitality: "Master Ying, please help me save someone!"
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