Chapter 31 Chapter 31 - How can a person wander in the inner courtyard without getting stabbed?
After Qingfu left, I opened my luggage and took out the things inside one by one: the small items awarded by Li Siyan, the clothes and jewelry distributed by the palace every season, the handicrafts I made when I was bored, the essays I drew on a whim, the wicker basket for paper money... There were quite a lot of things, and as it was inconvenient to go to Zichen Palace, I called Xiaodie and gave her three jade pieces awarded by Li Siyan, and then put the other belongings in a basket, and asked her to help me deliver it to Zichen Palace to distribute it to Suxi Huiyue, Jinlian Jinliu and others.
Xiaodie's eyes widened, her tongue tangled as she asked, "You...what are you doing? This jade piece is so valuable, are you really giving it to me?"
"You don't want it? If you don't give it back to me, I'll give it to your sisters." I pretended to take it back.
"I want it, I want it!" Xiaodie quickly stuffed the jade piece into her arms. She was so moved that she grabbed my hand and said, "Sister Yingzi, you are such a kind person, but why are you giving us things? Don't you need them yourself?"
"No, I'm leaving." I touched her head with a smile.
Xiaodie thought I was transferred to another palace and exclaimed, "Nowhere else is as comfortable as Xuanwei Palace. Wait a minute... are you joining Concubine Wang?"
"What are you thinking!" I flicked a chestnut on her forehead. "I'm leaving the palace! Leaving the palace! Forever! The day after tomorrow."
This time it was Xiaodie's turn to be shocked.
"When did this happen? Does the Queen know? You...why did you suddenly...I haven't asked you to teach me how to read yet!" Xiaodie spoke incoherently and hugged my basket helplessly.
I said, "Just now, Grandpa Qingfu came to see me. I happened to have nothing to do, so I thought I'd get rid of the things first. These things are not worth much, but it would be a pity to burn them, so I'll give them to you."
Xiaodie nodded vigorously: "...Okay, then I'll help you send it first..."
"Thank you for your help." I waved my hand and turned around to enter the hall.
"What!" Wei Wan'er dropped the scissors in her hand in surprise and said blankly, "You want to go home? The day after tomorrow?"
"Yes, I am deeply grateful for your care over the past few days, but all good things must come to an end. The Queen will enter the palace the day after tomorrow, and I will kowtow to her and then leave."
"But..." Wei Wan'er was speechless for a moment: "How could His Majesty agree?"
I was silent for a moment, then pulled the corners of my mouth, revealing a not-so-bright smile. "I'm not a worm in his stomach, so I can't guess what he's thinking. But since he's given me a chance, no matter what he thinks, I'm going to stay away. Just like you said, things will work out when the time comes. That's exactly the truth."
She seemed to be in disbelief. She twisted the jasmine branch into a twist with her fingers, then stammered, "It's better to leave."
After a while, she continued, "Although I'm reluctant to see you go, but... to be honest, I also kind of hope that you can fly away, preferably far away from His Majesty... I... I don't know."
I understood what she meant and soothed her gently, "To be honest, I hate the palace, especially the days in the Purple Palace. Every day felt like a year. Now that I have the hope of leaving, I feel relieved and overjoyed. The only things I can truly miss are the few friends I met in the palace—Your Majesty is one of them. I just hope that everything goes smoothly for You in the future. When I return to Chang'an many years from now, I can still arrange flowers and paint with You."
Wei Wan'er stood up and hugged me, whispering, "Okay, I'll wait for you. You should take care of yourself, too. If you have nowhere to go after leaving Chang'an, then go to Xingzhou. That's my hometown, thousands of miles away from Chang'an. It's a place with a flourishing literary scene and is full of wandering knights. No matter where you go, I hope you can write the articles you want to write and marry the person you want to marry. In short, don't be like me."
I heard her about to complain again, and I burst out laughing: "You've become the Concubine, and you're still not satisfied?"
Wei Wan'er smiled and said, "So what if she's a concubine? People outside envy you for being a sixth-rank attendant in front of the emperor. Aren't you also dissatisfied?"
"Well," I grabbed her hand and said, "You're right. We all want to live a life that satisfies us."
Many years later, I still remember this afternoon with a gentle breeze. It was the most peaceful moment I had in the two years in the Inner Courtyard. The peach blossoms in the yard had faded, and the purple locust trees were in full bloom. I climbed up the old locust tree and looked into the distance. To the north was the Taiye Lake, which was like a jade mirror, and further north were the mountains and the sea of clouds. I had never been there, but I knew that it was a place where the palace walls could not extend.
At that time, I didn’t know what was waiting for me in the future. I just wanted to run away, run far away, to Xingzhou, to Youzhou, to outside the Great Wall, to a place where Li Siyan could not reach. The long-awaited freedom was within my reach, and I tossed and turned all night for it.
That night, I lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling with my eyes open.
The walls were as white as a snow-white cave. All my belongings had been given away to the palace maids I knew. With me were only a bloodstained old dress and the bottle Wei Wan'er had given me. Apart from that, I felt empty and without a single thought. It truly lived up to the saying "come and go in innocence." I turned over and buried my head deeply in the soft pillow. Outside, I heard the night watchman strike his gong and sing in a hoarse voice, "Three o'clock—"
At five o'clock in the morning, there was a silent bustle outside. I jumped out of bed, hurriedly ate a few bites of Hu pancakes, and walked into the main hall under the dim light of the sky.
Wei Wan'er had already put on her court dress and was letting Ruiyin apply lead-white powder on her face.
Her eyes were calm and fixed on the distance.
I walked over and stood behind her wordlessly. Not long after, the ceremonial officer came and said respectfully in a thin voice, "The time has come. Please move, Madam Shufei."
Wei Wan'er was stunned for a moment, then nodded slightly after she realized what was happening.
We followed the ceremonial officers along the long imperial road to the Xuanzheng Hall to watch the ceremony.
It was strange. It was clearly an auspicious day for universal celebration, but no one had a genuine smile on their face. Wei Wan'er, Wang Funiang, Shangguan Baolin, and so many other women in the harem—some were apprehensive, some were calm. Simply no one had a look of genuine blessing. I even wondered if anyone in the inner court was truly rejoicing over Wen Baibi's arrival. As a distinguished intruder, would she, like the mountains in the Taiye Lake, remain silently entrenched in the heart of the palace, bearing a noble title, living out a sloppy and pale life?
Wen Baibi's indifferent and distant face appeared in front of my eyes. My heart was in a mess and I felt extremely upset: If my brother hadn't died, and she really became my sister-in-law, what would happen?
The cruelty of the world lies in the fact that there is no if.
While sighing, I watched this long wedding with Li Siyan's concubines.
I have always believed that getting married is the most chaotic thing in the world, because all the weddings I have attended were noisy and messy. A group of relatives and friends surrounded the poor newlyweds and pushed them into the chaotic adult world. After the auspicious day, everything was in a mess. My married friends told me seriously: the adult world is a one-way street.
But the wedding before him was so orderly and solemn that it didn't seem like a marriage.
Watching Li Siyan and Wen Baibi walking up the white jade steps one after the other with graceful manners, and listening to the Huangzhong Dalu playing the most mellow music in the world, I felt uncomfortable all over. I sighed in my heart that he was worthy of being the emperor. His wedding was like a funeral, how unlucky.
The two of them were getting closer and closer. I raised my head and squinted to see that Li Siyan was wearing a thick brocade robe today. The base was bright red, the edges were dark green, and the dragons embroidered with gold thread sparkled in the sunlight. The morning sun shone from the southeast, hitting his angular face, making his eyebrows sharp as a steel knife.
He had never looked so much like an emperor. His expression was indifferent and aloof, with no sadness or joy. The arrogance and pride of a superior were clearly visible, just like what a son of heaven should look like.
The literati always say that character is the best adornment for men, but it is not true. Power can also nourish people. Once power is in hand, even Li Siyan, who was born as a hard laborer in the imperial court, can possess a very noble air.
I smiled silently and turned away.
Even if he could learn the full set of aristocratic etiquette, I am too familiar with his nature beneath the surface - a dark, selfish, and heartless tyrant. I don't expect him to change, because - a person can never betray his childhood, not even an emperor.
Li Siyan mechanically followed the instructions of the ceremonial officer and completed many complicated etiquettes. Next to him stood Wen Baibi, who was wearing a green dress. She was also like an emotionless puppet, walking, turning around, bowing, and bowing again.
Beneath the phoenix crown and pearl curtain, she was as beautiful as before, but she seemed a little thinner than she remembered, with slightly sunken cheeks, which made her look more ethereal but less friendly and natural.
However, what was even more surprising than her haggard appearance was her eyes, which were unusually cold and indifferent, staring straight ahead. From the moment she entered the palace, the new queen had never once glanced at her husband beside her, as if Li Siyan was just a piece of air and a decoration to her.
Her husband was no better, with no trace of joy on his face, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Seeing the state of the two of them, I shook my head repeatedly in my heart: This is the most bizarre wedding scene I have ever seen. Both the man and the woman are absent-minded. It is more like a performance than a wedding - both actors are slacking off.
It was not until the end that Li Siyan turned around, curled the corners of his mouth lightly, smiled at Wen Baibi, and gently pulled her hand. Wen Baibi raised her eyelids, looked at him, and pulled her hand back.
Li Siyan's face immediately darkened, and he was obviously unhappy.
He got humiliated, but I was quite happy. While I was happy, I couldn't help but sigh - what a familiar scene!
Back in the Purple Palace, I'd always slapped Li Siyan's hands away, but how could he be dismissed with a mere slap? He was a domineering man, always insisting on doing what he wanted. Every time I slapped him away, he'd just tug harder. Eventually, I just stopped paying attention. No matter how he harassed me, I'd just treat it like a scratch from a sly dog and not even glance at him.
However, Wen Baibi was not as submissive as I was. After she pulled her hand back, she moved it to the side without leaving any trace, her expression as cold as ice.
Li Siyan bent his fingers, as if he wanted to pull Wen Baibi again, but in the end he did not move.
A whole morning had passed, but the wedding was still going on. From the Taimiao to the Xuanzheng Hall, countless red tapes were repeated one by one, as if there was no end. I stood in the cold hall, my hands and feet were frozen. I wanted to sit down and rest, but I saw that the servants around me were standing upright. I had no choice but to turn my head away with despair and force myself to count the blue bricks under my feet.
One, two... thirty-three...
After counting the blue bricks, I went to count the heads. The space in front of the Xuanzheng Hall was wide, enough to accommodate many ladies and female officials. They stood at the bottom of the high steps, with their heads bowed and standing quietly. I vaguely remembered that according to the ancestral system, these people were not required to watch the ceremony, but Li Si insisted on calling all the relevant and irrelevant people to come... to set the atmosphere.
"Bow again—"
The ceremonial officer shouted loudly.
I was still in a daze when I saw everyone around me bow down, and I quickly followed suit and kowtowed.
"Is it over?" I whispered to Xiaodie beside me.
Xiaodie whispered, "It's still far away. We still have to wait for the Shang Palace Bureau to hand over the things."
The Shang Gong Bureau? My eyes wandered around the hall and saw several female officials standing in a corner, ready for battle. They sat very straight, showing no intention of moving. Especially the old Shangfu, who was holding the Empress's robes and sash in her hands. The wrinkles on her face were so deep that they could kill a fly. She looked at the Emperor and Empress coldly, her lips tightly pursed.
I felt that she looked familiar, and I couldn't help but take a few more glances at her. Then I remembered that she was an old female official left over from the previous emperor's time. She had been serving a princess of the previous emperor. Last year, the princess got married out of the palace. I thought she would go to the princess's house to continue serving, but she applied to Su Xing to stay in the palace. Su Xing had some friendship with her, so he sent her to the Shangfu Bureau.
I withdrew my gaze and continued counting the blue bricks with a look of despair.
Suddenly, my sleeve was pulled by Xiaodie. I turned my head slightly and Xiaodie whispered, "We will go up with Cairen to receive the seal later."
Wei Wan'er has now been conferred the title of Concubine Shu, and is the head of all the imperial wives in the harem, so she will lead the other ladies to pay their respects to Wen Baibi and hand over the seal to the new queen for safekeeping.
I winked at Xiaodie, indicating that I understood. She had told me about this yesterday and was reminding me now because she was afraid that I had forgotten.
Ruiyin handed me the tray containing the seal. I took it swiftly and placed it in my hand. Not long after, the ceremonial officer shouted again, "According to the decree, the empress is granted the seal!"
Here we come, it’s Wei Wan’er and I’s turn to perform.
Wei Wan'er was in a bad mood today, but she still maintained the graceful demeanor of a concubine of the imperial court. She stood up gracefully, walked to Wen Baibi, stood still, and bowed properly.
Books, clothing, sashes, palace seals, each one had to be handed over to the Queen, so not only us, but also the palace ladies and maids who had been waiting on the side came forward, including the old maid who I took a closer look at. She was holding the thick Queen's robes, with a serious expression, standing diagonally behind me.
I lowered my head, waiting for Wei Wan'er to turn around, take the seal from my hand, and give it to Wen Baibi.
If I remember correctly, after handing over these items, the ceremony was almost over, which meant I could run home with the bottle.
Inspired by the thought of returning home, my posture became even more respectful, holding the seal motionlessly...
But suddenly, a silver light flashed in my peripheral vision.
I thought I was seeing things and blinked in confusion. In the blink of an eye, the old man holding the imperial robe behind me moved.
No one expected that at the most solemn ceremony of the coronation of the empress, in the heart of the dynasty, this old palace maid who was over 100 years old would roar, and the robe in her hand would be shaken open like a cassock. Between the expensive scarlet fabric, an old silver dagger broke out of the clothes, and the tip of the sword pointed directly at the emperor and the empress.
Everything happened so fast that the guards didn't have time to react. My pupils suddenly shrank, and I thought she was going to kill Wei Wan'er. Without thinking, I took advantage of my proximity and threw the tray at the old waiter, then flew forward and knocked Wei Wan'er away.
Wei Wan'er was about to kneel down and salute Wen Baibi, but I suddenly pushed her away. She was still dazed and staggered two steps before she stood firm. She looked at Li Siyan in a panic. Li Siyan was stunned for a moment, and reached out to touch his waist as if by reflex, but found nothing - he didn't bring his dagger with him for the wedding today.
The old monk was hit on the waist by a tray and staggered, but he did not stop and rushed forward with a dagger in his hand.
Now, even if I was slow to react, I understood that her target wasn't Wei Wan'er—it was the two people mentioned above. Should I save them? I hesitated briefly. I was unarmed right now, and even if I wanted to save them...
But just as I was hesitating, a huge force suddenly hit me from the side and pushed me straight towards the tip of the knife.
I was caught off guard and before I could react, the world was spinning in front of my eyes and I felt a piercing pain in my shoulder. I screamed and fell to the ground like a bronze statue. The old monk had no time to dodge and was tripped by me. His skinny body hit me hard, and the dagger penetrated an inch deeper.
I almost fainted from the pain when I heard Li Siyan yelling my name: "Chen Ying!"
I raised my head with difficulty and met his eyes, which were filled with shock and pain.
I was stunned, and suddenly felt that this scene seemed familiar. It was so similar, so similar to that day two years ago, when I was covered in blood and fell like a rag in the Xuanzheng Hall, with my face pressed against the cold blue bricks... The only difference was that Li Siyan was high above me at that time, with a playful and cruel attitude. But today was different. I thought to myself, it turns out that the cold and cruel dog emperor would also show such a look.
"...You damn girl ruined my plan! Today I must kill this traitor!" The old monk fell on me and cursed.
Damn it, why didn’t you tell me earlier that you wanted to kill the dog emperor!
...I gritted my teeth: This knife attack was so unfair!
At this time, the guards had rushed up and surrounded her, with more than a dozen sharp knives against her throat. A young general dragged her aside. The old monk could not break free, but was still shouting and cursing.
Everyone present was terrified and at a loss for words: the court ladies, the empress, the ministers watching outside… even the ceremonial officer who was reporting the proceedings had his mouth agape, his legs trembling, unable to utter a single word. Someone howled, "There's an assassin!"
This voice was like thunderclap out of the blue. As soon as the words were spoken, the hall immediately became chaotic. People were crying, calling for the imperial physician, and screaming. The noise was so loud that it made my eardrums hurt.
In the chaos, Li Siyan threw away the Tongtian Crown that was in the way, his face ferocious and terrifying, like a Shura demon from hell.
He strode forward, snatched the guard's machete, and with a swing of the knife, he nailed the old monk to the ground. The old monk's body twitched, blood gushed out, and he soon died.
The king was furious, and the knife was so sharp and cruel that all the women present covered their mouths in fear. Shangguan Baolin even vomited with a wow. After Li Siyan finished the knife, he kicked away the body of the old man in formal attire, turned around and looked at me with trembling lips.
The pain in my shoulder became more distinct and intense. I curled up like a shrimp, holding my shoulder and breathing heavily. It hurt, so much that I wished I could die immediately.
"Sister Yingzi!" "Chen Ying!" "Mrs. Chen!"
I heard screams coming one after another, and my vision went dark. Wei Wan'er and Xiaodie rushed over first. Wei Wan'er grabbed my bloody hand helplessly and cried, "How could this happen? Where's the doctor? She's lost so much blood!"
"Sister Yingzi, hold on a little longer. I'll take the knife!" Xiaodie was also frightened. With trembling hands, she tried to pull out the dagger, but was stopped by two voices at the same time. Li Siyan was full of strong hostility. He kicked her aside and said fiercely: "Get out! Do you want her to die?"
Xiaodie's legs went limp and she collapsed to the ground.
From the moment the assassin appeared to the moment she was killed by Li Siyan, the new queen Wen Baibi looked calm. When Wei Wan'er, Li Siyan... and several nobles in the palace came to see me, she just stood there indifferently, without even moving the hairpin on her head.
Xiaodie happened to fall at her feet. Wen Baibi glanced around the messy hall, lowered his eyes, and said hoarsely, "Her wound is too deep. If you pull out the knife without permission, the bleeding will probably not stop. Without medicine to stop the bleeding, she will bleed to death in a moment."
Li Siyan said angrily, "Shut up."
Even though he was publicly humiliated, Wen Baibi remained calm, not even blinking, and simply said calmly, "Your Majesty, you must have misunderstood."
One is as violent as a volcano, the other is as cold as an icy lake. At this moment, the emperor and empress are surprisingly well matched.
"Just bear with it, the doctor will be here soon." Li Siyan finished his rage and whispered to me, "Does it hurt a lot?"
I lay on the cold stone floor, my hearing gradually becoming blurred. He seemed to say something else, but I couldn't hear it at all. The bone-gnawing pain in my shoulder took away all my sensory abilities, as if this was the only place in my body that was hurting.
"Doctor Fan is here..." Someone was faintly heard shouting in surprise.
I don’t know how long I was unconscious, but a hand pinched my philtrum hard, and I slowly woke up. In front of me was the familiar old face of Doctor Fan.
Doctor Fan could be considered an old friend of mine. Since I entered the palace, I've suffered so many injuries, big and small, and he's been the one who's taken care of them all. Seeing him here, I felt a strange sense of relief. I whimpered like a kitten, "Doctor Fan, my shoulder hurts."
Doctor Fan seemed to have rushed in from afar, his forehead covered in sweat, his brows furrowed, and his expression solemn. After examining my wound, he stood up, whispered a few words to the little medicine boy, and turned to comfort me, saying, "Don't be afraid, I will give you Caowu Powder, and the pain will go away after you drink it."
I closed my eyes in peace: Doctor Fan really understood me and knew I was afraid of pain, so he gave me herbal painkillers. He's a good man...
“Ah!—”
The next moment, my shrill scream pierced the sky above the Xuan Zheng Hall.
It hurts so much! My body instinctively curled up, relying on Xiaodie, Wei Wan'er, and several female officials to lock my limbs tightly. The dagger fell to the ground with a clang. Doctor Fan quickly pressed the several acupuncture points around me and skillfully sprinkled a handful of golden wound powder.
His medicine boy took out a candied fruit and stuffed it into my mouth.
I held the candied fruit in my mouth, tears welling up in my eyes, and uttered incoherently: "Fan Qisheng, you... you are lying... you..."
Fan Qisheng is the full name of Doctor Fan. I am a polite child, and I usually only call him by his full name when I am extremely sad and angry, like now.
Everyone was frightened by my screams, especially Li Siyan. When he heard my wails, his eyes were full of anxiety, and he looked even more painful than me, the injured person.
Doctor Fan was under immense pressure and explained carefully, "...Your Majesty, please understand. She's bleeding too quickly, and there's no time to prepare Caowu Powder. We can only ask her to endure it and put the dagger away first."
Li Siyan gave him a sinister look, clenching and unclenching his fists. He still had a bit of rationality left, remembering that no one should bother a doctor.
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