Lifting the Skirt
She ate and slept with Chu Fu, and went in and out of the palace. Liu Che, who had been in a cold war with her for many days and swore never to talk to her again, suddenly broke into her room and found a Gu puppet with his birth date written on it from under her bed.
Then he was furious, drew his sword and killed Chu Fu, and handed her over to the Censorate for interrogation.
"Is this puppet the Queen's?"
"I guess so."
"Yes, then it is. No, then it is not. What does it mean to be?"
The interrogation took place in her bedroom which was sealed off by Liu Che's order. She looked at the puppet and played with the belt in her hand from time to time.
"That was the birthday present His Majesty gave me earlier, but Chu Fu took it away."
"You mean to say that the witch was the only one who did this and you were completely unaware of it?"
"I don't have eyes on my back, so how can I know what he does all day?"
"If it was a birthday gift from His Majesty, and someone took it away, you didn't even know about it?"
"He gave me a birthday present every year since he could talk. I asked the maids to put them away. They weren't valuables. Who knows which one was lost?"
Zhang Yannian felt helpless at the careless attitude of Empress Chen. Others might have said this to make excuses, but what she said was indeed reasonable.
"What about Chu Fu? Why did he curse Your Majesty?" He tried to find another crime against her.
"How should I know?" Gillian sat there feeling a little bored, fiddling with the incense burner in front of the table. "Maybe it's jealousy, or maybe it's love."
This wasn't a word that should be used for a man accompanying the Empress. Zhang Yannian didn't comment, but continued, "Who is he jealous of? Who does he admire?"
Gillian glanced at the man in front of her, who was sitting upright with a cold expression, and was writing down what she said with a pen, as if nothing she said could move his emotions.
She put down the incense seal, looked up and smiled, "Is Lord Zhang always so perfunctory in his trials? I said something and you just repeated it. Isn't that obvious?"
"He's jealous of Your Majesty because Your Majesty is my husband, and a husband who treats me poorly. I'm sad and angry about him every day, and I worry about him all the time, so he's jealous. Jealousy stems from love, and he loves me, so he hates everything that makes me sad."
She didn't seem to be ashamed of it, but rather quite pleased with it.
Zhang Yannian frowned slightly, "The Queen, please be careful with your words."
Even if this was true, she shouldn't have said it directly to him.
"Be careful with your words...be careful with your words? Am I not cautious enough in the palace? I can't do this or that. That's not what they said when they asked me to be the queen! And Liu Che, why is it legitimate for him to find a woman, but I have to be careful with my words when it comes to finding a man? Besides, he just has a crush on me, what's wrong with him?"
"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and you are the Empress. The Empress is the head of the concubines and should follow the etiquette and observe the virtues of a woman. The Emperor having concubines is also permitted by etiquette and law."
"Bah!" She sneered, "What etiquette and womanly virtue! Don't use your status as empress or emperor to pressure me. You should go ask Liu Che what he promised me before. You have the guts to ask me here, why don't you have the courage to ask him?"
She said this with anger rising from her heart, pushing the person in front of her away, "Go ahead and tell him to speak!"
Zhang Yannian faced the closed door, feeling a headache. This Empress Chen was arrogant and domineering, acting at will, and the emperor had instructed her not to be beaten or scolded. He finally understood why the people in the Censorate were unwilling to take on this job and had pushed him out.
He showed the emperor his transcript. The emperor's face turned livid and he was so angry that he kept calling her a shrew. "Keep investigating. Who brought Chu Fu into the palace? How did she and he know each other?"
When he came the second time, Gillian was enjoying the cool air in the garden. The garden was small, but very exquisite. It was surrounded by a variety of fruit trees, forming a natural shade. There was water in the garden, and a pond with fish. Across the pond, a flower trellis was built, and underneath it were a large area of exotic flowers and plants.
She slept on a small covered chair, with four or five large jars of ice on either side. As if she couldn't stand the heat, she rolled up her sleeves to her upper arms, revealing her snow-white wrists, their gold bracelets gleaming in the sunlight.
A dark figure appeared in her peripheral vision, and the shadow hit her face. She frowned, "Don't block the light, move away."
"Since it's so hot, why not bring the flowers inside to enjoy?"
Gillian curled her lips. "What do you know? These flowers are all famous and precious. They can't be exposed to the sun, nor can they be kept in the shade all day. If you move them into the room, they will wither quickly.
Since I want to admire it, I'd rather stay outside with it in the sun. After all, it can't survive without the sun, but I have other ways to cool down.
Zhang Yannian said, "I am a crude man and do not understand these things."
"It's not that I don't understand, it's that I don't love them." She said meaningfully, "If you truly love flowers, even though they can't speak, if you observe them from time to time and care for them, you will naturally understand how to care for them."
Gillian suddenly smiled, "I didn't understand these things before. I used to be busy at home, dressing up, riding horses and hunting, and playing with cats and dogs. Later on, I had some free time..."
She said mockingly, "He only comes once every three or five days, and I'm all alone in the palace, unable to do anything. Even to go out riding I have to wait for him. When I have free time, with nothing to do and can't sleep, I go out to look at the flowers, make rouge and powder, and make flower dew..."
"You men can discuss things in the court, and then go home and sit on the couch, asking about each other's well-being. But I have to stay here all day. Master Zhang, do you think this is fair?"
It's really unfair, he thought. But how can anything be fair in this world?
"When Marquis Tangyi was alive, the Princess took in many male favorites and often beat and scolded him. Does the Queen think this is fair to Marquis Tangyi?"
She frowned as if about to explode, "How dare you mock me?"
"I simply wish to advise the Queen that times have changed. If you cling to the past and fail to adapt, you will not only suffer yourself but also hurt others."
A Jiao sat up and sneered, "According to you, it's my fault?" It was obvious that Liu Che broke his promise first, and she was just returning the favor.
"That's not what I meant. I meant..."
"I know what you mean," she said. "The Empress Dowager is dead, and my uncle is gone too. There's no one to control him anymore, and no one to make him afraid. So he can do whatever he wants. I can't control him anymore."
"When Lord Zhang makes a judgment, will he increase or decrease the guilt based on the criminal's status?"
"I don't know how." He has no right to interfere with others.
"The Imperial Censor is the master of worldly principles and laws, and he holds the power to judge and balance, and he must not distort them. If we set aside the distinctions of social status and gender, Lord Zhang, please make the final judgment on who is right and who is wrong."
Zhang Yannian was silent for a long time, lowered his head and stopped talking.
The person beside him suddenly laughed, "Master Zhang is really interesting. I was wrong about you."
He didn't know what this woman was suddenly laughing at, nor did he know what she had thought of him before. He frowned and asked solemnly, "Who introduced Chu Fu to the palace and brought him to the Empress?"
"I asked him to come."
"The Queen is in the palace, and Chu Fu is outside the palace. How can he get to the palace?"
"I asked A Sui to help me find a way to kill someone. I heard that he has superb witchcraft skills and can cast a spell to kill the singer, so I sent someone to find him."
"Who is A-Sui?"
This time, she no longer looked at the flowers in front of her. Instead, she held the tea and turned her head to carefully observe the expression of the person in front of her. He picked up his pen and wrote it down, his expression seeming a little tense.
She curled the corners of her lips and suddenly reached out to touch his eyebrows. The man was startled and stepped back suddenly, accidentally tripping into the flowers.
She burst into laughter, her hands on her hips, and laughed for a long time before she remembered to hide her sleeves. Seeing the man's ears blush slightly, she stopped laughing and pointed at the broken flowers, frowning and said, "You crushed all my flowers. How are you going to compensate me?"
He looked back and saw that the originally plump and light yellow flowers now had broken branches and leaves, a large part of them was shriveled, and the petals were withered.
"Just deduct it from my salary."
She sneered, but stepped forward to help him up. "How much is your salary? I don't want your salary. I want you to help me convey a message to him."
"I'll take my leave."
"Don't go. If you don't want to talk, forget it. He won't see me or listen to me, so please bring something to him for me."
A Jiao took out a box and handed it to him. Zhang Yannian looked at the things inside and hesitated.
"It's a piece of clothing. Please give it to him for me."
Seeing him hesitate, she suddenly pulled his arm, "Master Zhang——"
"I'll take my leave."
Before she could finish, he hurriedly left Changxin Palace holding the box as if he had seen a ghost.
Liu Che looked at the files presented today and asked, "What do you think of the witchcraft case?"
"I believe what the Queen said is true. That Gu puppet was indeed made by Chu Fu. The handwriting on the other Gu puppets with Concubine Wei's name on them was written by the Queen.
The Empress has spent long days in the inner palace, and a man dressed in Chu clothing, dressed as a woman, has been by her side, perhaps hoping to deceive her into manipulating power and gaining wealth. The Empress is jealous and indeed displeased with Concubine Wei, but she likely has no intention of harming Your Majesty.
Liu Che nodded, seemingly unsurprised. He raised his head and was about to speak when he caught a glimpse of the dirt on the right side of Zhang Yannian's robe, and his gaze paused.
"Did the Queen attack you?"
"I accidentally bumped into the flowers. The Queen was so kind that she didn't punish me."
"A shrew." The emperor did not believe his excuse. The woman was spoiled and domineering, and even looked down on him. She must not be in a good mood after being questioned by him like this.
"Next time you go, I'll assign two attendants to accompany you, so you won't be teased by her."
Zhang Yannian frowned. There would be next time... He could see that the emperor did not really want to punish the queen severely. Since it had been found out that Chu Fu was the only one who did it and Chu Fu was dead, what was the point of interrogating her?
"We need to investigate the year that Ah Sui entered the palace, what he did at home before entering the palace, and who he was close to."
These things seemed to have nothing to do with Changxin Palace...but since the emperor had spoken, he had no choice but to do as he was told.
So he agreed, "I have something to give to Your Majesty. The Queen entrusted me to Your Majesty."
The emperor glanced at it, and the eunuch beside him stepped forward to take the box.
"I understand."
"I'll take my leave."
The box was held in the hands of the eunuch. The emperor was focused on the memorial in front of him. The candlelight was flickering, and he seemed to have no interest in opening it to take a look.
The young eunuch Jiang Chongzheng came in from outside the hall carrying tea and snacks. He glanced at the emperor, then at the thing in his master's hand. He looked surprised and asked quietly, "Master, what is this? Why are you holding it all the time?"
The eunuch shook his head and said, "The Queen sent it. His Majesty is reading the memorial..."
"Ah, ah—don't open it, you idiot!"
"It's a piece of clothing. The material is really good, and the pattern is beautiful..."
"What are you mumbling about? Bring it to me and let me see it."
Liu Che put down the pen in his hand and stood up. Jiang Chong hurriedly handed the box to Liu Che.
"Isn't this the piece of fabric that His Majesty gave to Her Majesty last time? I've never seen Her Majesty wear it. It turns out it was saved to make clothes for His Majesty."
He pursed his lips slightly, reached out and carefully took the clothes out of the box.
"The stitches are so thick, and the bat isn't even finished yet. How dare you give half of the flowers away as a gift..."
The emperor seemed to be disgusted, with a cold expression. Jiang Chong smiled and said, "Your Majesty, don't you know the Queen's temper? Who can trouble her to do it herself? Your Majesty. It doesn't matter if the embroidery is not good. What matters is the Queen's intention. Please try it on yourself. It will definitely be comfortable."
Liu Che let Jiang Chong take off his outer robe with a cold face, and walked behind the screen to change clothes. When he was fully dressed and Jiang Chong put the other sleeve into the emperor's right hand, the smile on his face completely faded, and goose bumps appeared on his back.
This dress... was much smaller than the emperor's size. The soft cloth was tightly wrapped around the emperor's sturdy body. His back, which was slightly bent to accommodate the dress, slowly straightened up. With a crisp sound, the cuffs and back broke apart.
Jiang Chong didn't dare to look at the emperor's expression and knelt down with a thud.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me! I was clumsy and ruined my clothes. I accept the punishment!"
Liu Che took off the clothes on his body and looked at them carefully from the collar to the corners. The more he looked, the more difficult it was to suppress the murderous intent in his heart.
It wasn't his size, and the undergarment she had made wasn't made for him, but for someone else. It was that androgynous Chu costume!
He saw an extra piece of thin silk in the box, which was originally the thin silk placed on the clothes.
Thin fiber, clothes...
Jiang Chong knelt on the ground, trembling. Suddenly, he saw a flash of silver light, and a sharp sword pierced through the screen. Then, with a loud bang, the sword and the screen collapsed together...
If you don't think of me, then there are others.
? The madness of a mad boy!
If you think of me, I will lift my skirt and wade through the Wei River. If you don't think of me, is there no other man? The madness of a mad boy is just that!
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