Chapter 761 "Dirty Things"
"Because those hawthorn cakes are inedible."
After Yuwen Yuan asked that question, the entire Liangyi Hall fell into an unspeakable silence. Although it was a short time, because everyone was holding their breath, the silence was prolonged indefinitely, becoming unsettlingly long.
Even Shang Ruyi's breathing and heartbeat tightened at this moment.
Just as she was about to answer, a familiar voice suddenly rang out behind her, making her tense heart skip a beat.
Not only her, but everyone's heart skipped a beat upon hearing those words. Everyone in the Liangyi Hall turned their heads, including Yuwen Yuan, who looked up to see a slender figure walking in with somewhat flustered yet subtly determined steps. Beside her was Eunuch Yu, who looked helpless, seemingly wanting to stop her but unable to bring himself to do so, repeatedly muttering, "Eunuch—Madam Chu, you can't do this! The Emperor hasn't summoned you!"
The person who arrived was none other than Chu Ruoyan!
Upon seeing her, although he hadn't said much yet, the invisible shackles that had bound Shang Ruyi's heart for days, or rather, for years, instantly loosened.
She took a deep breath, her lips pursed, and watched as Chu Ruoyan slowly walked to the center of the hall. Ignoring the somewhat frightened expression on Aunt Hui's face, who seemed about to step forward to stop her, she had already kowtowed to Yuwen Yuan: "Your subject greets Your Majesty, long live the Emperor!"
"you--"
Upon seeing her, Yuwen Yuan frowned.
He tried to avoid meeting Chu Ruoyan because of her status as a princess of the previous dynasty. So even though it was her maid who died this time, he did not call her over to question her. Instead, he summoned Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi.
Unexpectedly, she came to our door herself.
Moreover, she barged in like this, so it's no wonder that the eunuch Yu couldn't stop her. After all, he had watched her grow up since she was a child, and he had some affection for her.
At this moment, Eunuch Yu also knelt down: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. This servant... this servant just said—"
"That's enough,"
Yuwen Yuan suddenly waved his hand, stopping him from continuing and also preventing Aunt Hui from walking up to Chu Ruoyan and trying to ask her to leave. He then looked down at this princess, who was once a golden branch and jade leaf, and who was, in a way, his junior, and even a woman who had almost become his real daughter-in-law. He said calmly without a trace of warmth or emotion, "Ruoyan, why are you here? I didn't call you."
Chu Ruoyan immediately replied, "Your subject has come for the sake of the Princess Consort."
"oh?"
Yuwen Yuan raised an eyebrow, recalling the words she had spoken before even entering the room, and narrowed his eyes slightly: "You just said that the hawthorn cake you gave to Princess Qin was inedible, what's that about?"
Shang Ruyi blurted out instinctively, "Madam Chu—!"
Although the invisible shackles that had bound her disappeared the moment Chu Ruoyan spoke, an even greater unease now loomed over her. Shang Ruyi looked at her with some concern, wanting to say something, but at that moment, a warm hand reached out and grabbed her wrist.
It was Yuwen Ye beside him.
Although he was somewhat surprised by Chu Ruoyan's sudden intrusion, he quickly regained his composure. In fact, the way he looked at Chu Ruoyan with his cold yet clear eyes seemed to indicate that he had already seen through everything.
Shang Ruyi's heartbeat gradually became heavy.
She recalled that last night, she and Yuwen Ye had prepared for the emperor's questioning they might face the next day, and she also speculated that there were three possible outcomes to this matter: best, best, and worst.
The next option is to use the pine branch in Jian Chun's hand as evidence to implicate the person who killed her. Yuwen Yuan will definitely not allow this case to ultimately fall to Chengqian Palace. In that case, Shang Shoufei will inevitably be dragged into it. If he makes wild accusations at that time, the emperor will absolutely not allow such a scandal to escalate further. In the end, it may end with the death of Shang Shoufei. However, Qianqiu Palace and Shang Ruyi will be branded with the marks of "trouble" and "scandal", and may lose the emperor's favor from then on.
The middle one is that Yuwen Yuan discovered that Chu Ruoyan had "poisoned" Shang Ruyi, but seeing that Chun was already dead, he could not investigate further and closed the case with the scandal of Yuwen Ye's unrest in the inner quarters.
And those above...
Shang Ruyi and Yuwen Ye exchanged a glance, then both looked at Chu Ruoyan, who was slowly standing up and calmly meeting Yuwen Ye's gaze—neither of them had revealed this outcome yesterday.
But I never expected it to happen right before my eyes.
Chu Ruoyan said, word by word, "Because those hawthorn cakes contain something dirty."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan frowned. Clearly, the words "dirty thing" had stirred up his uneasy suspicions. Recalling what had happened later, his expression gradually darkened. He said, "What happened? Explain everything from beginning to end."
"yes."
Chu Ruoyan took a deep breath and said, "A few days ago, I heard the news that Princess Qin was pregnant. I was overjoyed and thought of sending her a gift to congratulate her. But Princess Qin is of unparalleled status, and the Emperor has bestowed countless gifts upon her. Even if I gave her everything I had, I could not win her favor. As the saying goes, a small gift carries great meaning, so I thought of sending a heartfelt congratulatory gift."
Upon hearing this, a gentle ripple gradually appeared in Yuwen Yuan's calm eyes.
He asked, "You mean those hawthorn cakes?"
Chu Ruoyan said, "Yes. Your subject sent someone to the Imperial Kitchen to request hawthorn, rock sugar, and some cooking utensils, and personally made hawthorn cake in the Golden Jade Garden. However, since it was your subject's first time cooking, it took several days of practice before you finally finished that box of hawthorn cake five days ago."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan suddenly turned to look at Aunt Hui: "Is that so?"
"...!"
Aunt Hui, who had just tried to "invite" Chu Ruoyan out but failed, could only stand aside. The more she listened to Chu Ruoyan's words, the more her brows furrowed, as if she had realized something. At this moment, Yuwen Yuan suddenly asked, and Aunt Hui took a deep breath and immediately put on a smile: "Yes. The Imperial Kitchen showed me the list, and it only uses ingredients for making pastries. A few days ago, Jin Yu Yuan also set up a small kitchen. It turns out it was to make a congratulatory gift for the Princess."
Yuwen Yuan nodded and then asked, "Since you made it yourself, why is there 'dirty stuff' inside?"
Chu Ruoyan said, "After the gift was made, I felt that although the sentiment was deep, the gift was too light and it was really difficult to give. Fortunately, at that time, I remembered that there was a carved food box left to me by my mother in the storeroom of Jinyu Garden. The carving was exquisite and could add color to that small gift."
"..."
"Therefore, I instructed the palace maid guarding the storeroom to find the box, clean it, and then send it over."
Yuwen Yuan asked, "Is it that Jian Chun?"
Chu Ruoyan said, "Yes, it's that Jian Chun."
At this point, she suddenly said angrily, "But I never expected that this girl would be so absent-minded. I gave very clear instructions that the box was to be delivered to Princess Qin in Qianqiu Palace. Since the princess is pregnant, her health is very delicate, so the contents must be thoroughly cleaned. Who knew that she would only roughly wipe the outside before delivering it? And after I put the hawthorn cakes inside, I didn't expect that all the dust accumulated in the perforated lid would spill onto the hawthorn cakes that I made myself!"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan's aura suddenly darkened.
He didn't speak immediately, but looked at Chu Ruoyan's lowered eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "These are those... filthy things."
Chu Ruoyan replied, "Yes."
Yuwen Yuan gave her a deep look, then turned to Shang Ruyi, who seemed to be holding her breath, and said, "So, Ruyi, you—"
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and said, "Yes, that's why I secretly threw away those hawthorn cakes. It's a pity that Madam Chu's feelings for me were ruined by that palace maid."
"..."
"Afterwards, Lady Chu also came to Qianqiu Palace and asked her son about the reason,"
As she spoke, she deliberately gave Aunt Hui a deep look and said, "What Aunt Hui just said is that Madam Chu came to Qianqiu Palace looking for me in a very 'angry' manner, and that's the reason."
Aunt Hui glanced at her but didn't say anything.
Yuwen Yuan then understood: "So that's how it is."
With the matter settled, the first layer of his worries had been lifted, and Yuwen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. He then asked, "So, how did that palace maid named Jianchun die? Ruoyan, do you know the answer?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Chu Ruoyan knelt down on the ground with a thud.
Everyone was startled, and Shang Ruyi immediately said, "Ruoyan."
After saying this, he was about to step forward to help her up, but Chu Ruoyan waved her hand and said to Yuwen Yuan, "Your subject is guilty."
Yuwen Yuan's brows furrowed immediately: "You, explain yourself."
Chu Ruoyan said, "After learning about the hawthorn cake incident, I was furious. When I got back, I gave Jian Chun a severe scolding. I was so angry that I hit her with something."
Yuwen Yuan asked, "How did you hit her?"
Chu Ruoyan said, "Your subject casually picked up something and threw it at her neck."
Aunt Hui, who already had a gloomy expression, turned even more ashen upon hearing this.
Yuwen Yuan suddenly realized something and said, "Neck? You hit her neck with something?"
"yes."
Chu Ruoyan nodded immediately, then turned to look at the gate of Liangyi Hall and said to Eunuch Yu, "Please bring the things in, sir."
At this moment, Eunuch Yu dared not simply listen to her. He glanced up at Yuwen Yuan and, seeing that the emperor had nodded slightly, immediately turned and left. In front of the Liangyi Hall, Pan Qing, the head palace maid brought by Chu Ruoyan, was standing there, trembling with fear. She was holding something in her hands, which Eunuch Yu immediately took and then returned to the hall, presenting it to Yuwen Yuan.
It's that hollowed-out box lid that's already broken in two.
At this moment, although he tried his best to control his expression and breathing, he couldn't stop himself from having his heart pounding like a drum.
Shang Ruyi clenched her fists and looked at Chu Ruoyan.
That night, she and Yuwen Ye opened the lid of the food box and found the little bit of Five Elements Grass ash that Jianchun had placed in the hidden compartment. After some fuss, they found it. After explaining the matter to Chu Ruoyan, she still had the food box returned to its owner, not exactly intact, but at least returned to its rightful owner.
Unexpectedly, the things she considered useless would come in handy at this time and place!
Looking at the shattered lid of the food box, Yuwen Yuan said, "This is—"
Chu Ruoyan lowered her head and said with deep remorse, "Your subject was really angry at the time. Because Princess Qin had finally become pregnant, your subject was really happy for her, so I specially made those pastries by hand and sent them to her. Not only did Jian Chun mess them up, but if Princess Qin had eaten them without realizing it and it had harmed her pregnancy, your subject would have been willing to die, but the child in Princess Qin's womb is the eldest grandson of the Emperor of our Great Sheng Dynasty!"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan frowned.
Although he valued this matter, what he valued even more was Shang Ruyi's pregnancy, or rather, his eldest grandson. Now, the truth about the little palace maid's death was probably seven or eight parts clear, but he never expected it to involve Shang Ruyi's pregnancy. Any pity he felt for her had vanished because of this.
Indeed, even if a hundred palace maids died, they would not be as valuable as one Princess Qin, let alone one who was pregnant!
He let out a deep breath, and when he looked at Chu Ruoyan again, his eyes were gentler than before. He said, "Not bad."
Chu Ruoyan immediately said, "Therefore, in a fit of rage, I hit Jianchun with this lid."
"..."
"At the time, I saw a bruise on her neck. Although I was still angry, I couldn't bear to punish her further, so I ordered her to go and reflect on her actions. I just didn't expect that she would run to the back of the Hundred Blessings Hall in a fit of anger..."
After saying that, Chu Ruoyan leaned down deeply again and said, "It's all my fault."
Yuwen Yuan looked at her and said, "You—"
"Father!"
This time, it was Shang Ruyi who interrupted him. Shang Ruyi immediately walked up to Chu Ruoyan, knelt down in front of Yuwen Yuan, and earnestly said, "Please, Father, do not blame Ruoyan."
Yuwen Yuan immediately said, "What are you doing? Get up right now."
Shang Ruyi refused to rise, remaining kneeling beside Chu Ruoyan, and repeatedly said, "Actually, after what happened that day, I already knew it was due to the carelessness of the palace maids below. I just didn't expect Ruoyan to be so worried about my health and still punish Jianchun when we got back. Even more unexpected was that Jianchun had such a temper; being scolded and hit a couple of times, she just sulked—"
"..."
"In the end, it is still my fault."
Yuwen Yuan immediately said, "What are you saying? You are pregnant, so you should be careful. If Yan is worried about your health, it is only right to punish Jian Chun. Otherwise, if everyone is so careless, what if my grandson gets hurt?!"
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi and Chu Ruoyan bowed simultaneously: "Thank you for your kindness, Father!"
Aunt Hui, standing to the side, had her brows furrowed into a knot.
Only now did she realize how big a mistake she had made by separating Jianchun's death and injuries into two separate statements because she was afraid of Yuwen Ye. Chu Ruoyan had described Jianchun's death as an accident in just a few words, the injuries as caused by her hitting him with the lid of the food box in a fit of rage, and the broken neck as caused by falling into the dry well.
Furthermore, Shang Ruyi's heartfelt words further convinced everyone that Jian Chun's death was simply due to his temper and suicide!
So, is this matter just over and done with?
In the end, there were no scandals of Qin's Princess Consort and Qin's concubine fighting for Qin's affections, nor any ugly incidents of murder to cover up their wrongdoings. All that remained was their deep sisterly bond. Although a "careless" maid made a mistake, it did not affect their relationship. His Highness Qin still managed his household well, but Chu Ruoyan's methods of punishing the palace maids were too harsh.
However, even if the methods were too harsh, it was all to protect the pregnant body of the Princess Qin!
Is this all there is to it?
Aunt Hui was unwilling to give up. Seeing Yuwen Yuan looking at his two kneeling daughters-in-law, especially the pregnant Shang Ruyi, with obvious heartache, and about to send someone to help her up, Aunt Hui hesitated and stepped forward, saying, "But—"
At this moment, Yuwen Ye said, "It seems that Aunt Hui's judgment behind the Hundred Blessings Hall was correct."
"...!"
Aunt Hui's heart sank, and she turned to look at him.
Yuwen Ye looked at her with a half-smile, but there was no smile in his cold eyes. He said, "The bruise on Jian Chun's neck that the coroner found was caused by Ruo Yan. After Ruo Yan scolded her, whether she felt wronged or resentful, she ran to the back of Baifu Hall. However, due to carelessness, she fell into the well and broke her neck."
"..."
"During those days, because she couldn't find her, Ruoyan searched the palace several times without success."
"..."
"It wasn't until yesterday, when the people from Baifu Palace retrieved the body, that things stopped."
After speaking, Yuwen Ye turned to Yuwen Yuan and respectfully said, "In the end, this matter is due to my lax management. I did not expect that the palace maid beside Ruoyan would be so careless. Ruoyan punished her in a fit of anger, which was also due to my usual indulgence. Please forgive me, Father."
After saying that, he knelt down as well.
"...!"
The more Aunt Hui listened to him, the more anxious she became. Her eyebrows were almost furrowed together. But by this point, she was completely speechless and could not utter a single word.
how so! ?
In the past, she had met that official's wife, who had been tolerant and forgiving towards her after entering the mansion. Aunt Hui assumed that she was afraid of the prestige behind Madam Dong, so she didn't take her seriously at all. After Yuwen Yuan ascended the throne, she also anticipated that Princess Qin, Shang Ruyi, would definitely take action against her, so at Yu Mingyue's instigation, she made her move first.
Yu Mingyue also made it very clear that these two women were bound to fight.
After all, what else can women do in the inner quarters if they don't fight?
But she never expected it to end like this—seeing Shang Ruyi and Chu Ruoyan kneeling side by side, even though they usually ignored each other and she had long known that there was a grudge between them, how could they be so close at this moment!
Aunt Hui was flustered and whispered, "Your Majesty—"
However, before she could utter a word, Yuwen Yuan raised his hand and stopped her.
The emperor placed his hands on the table, his breathing steady, and his tiger-like eyes stared intently at the three people in the hall. His gaze was sharp and shrewd, as if he could see through their skin and flesh and look straight into their hearts.
Chu Ruoyan buried her head, almost suffocating.
At this moment, only Shang Ruyi, who was close to her, could feel that her body was trembling violently.
After all, this is in—
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