Chapter 11: The Setup

Chapter 11: The Setup

Consort Jia glanced at the Emperor's dark eyes, hesitated, but with no turning back, she maintained a worried expression and hesitantly said, “Your Majesty, I don’t know if I should speak…”

“Speak,” Xiao Sheng was brief and to the point.

“Yes.” Consort Jia steadied herself and began, “Your Majesty knows that I am usually in good health and rarely fall ill. If it were just a cold, it would be one thing, but ever since I returned from visiting the sick at Yaohua Palace, I’ve felt unwell, and today it worsened, compelling me to summon the imperial physician.”

Xiao Sheng sat quietly, not interrupting, prompting Consort Jia to continue:

“Does Your Majesty know that recently, everyone around the Noble Consort in Yaohua Palace, from top to bottom, has experienced vomiting to varying degrees?”

“Do you suspect it's an epidemic?” Xiao Sheng asked in a deep voice, his tone more flat than questioning.

“I dare not!”

Consort Jia’s face showed surprise, and she immediately knelt down, prompting all the maids in the hall to kneel as well, creating a sudden solemn atmosphere.

Her tea-colored soft yarn Luo dress flowed on the ground as she knelt, and the jade butterfly hairpin in her hair clinked, making a clear sound. She said urgently:

“At first, I did have some suspicions, but after several visits to Yaohua Palace, I noticed that the people in Fuyang Palace showed no similar symptoms, and there was no news from the Imperial Medical Bureau. I realized I was wrong.”

“Oh?”

Xiao Sheng didn’t offer to help Consort Jia up but took another sip of tea, speaking indifferently, “Then what is it that you wish to tell me with this action?”

Tears filled Consort Jia’s eyes, her face showing uncertainty and fear as she looked up at the Emperor. After a moment's hesitation, she trembled as she spoke:

“I, I suspect someone is trying to harm Sister Noble Consort!”

The sound of the candle flame flickering on the white-glazed lion candle stand by the wall was faint, and the maids bowed even lower, their breathing nearly inaudible.

“Bang—”

Xiao Sheng set down his teacup heavily and slowly said, “Do you realize what you are saying?”

Looking down at the woman he had personally titled Consort Jia, he saw her tearful almond eyes. He slightly frowned, not liking this pitiable appearance. He enjoyed seeing her smile, dimples forming on her cheeks, but this look of helplessness was irritating.

Even as an emperor, Xiao Sheng couldn't help but compare Consort Jia with the Noble Consort. If Hui'er were dressed like this—

He couldn't help but chuckle softly. The Noble Consort would never show such an expression. She always had a dignified and lofty air, and even in similar attire, she would appear to others as an orchid in a secluded valley, not a fragile silk vine.

Consort Jia, misinterpreting the Emperor's brief, gentle chuckle, let out a relieved sigh and presented the argument she had rehearsed countless times in her mind.

“Your Majesty, although Sister Noble Consort’s health has been declining since the birth of the eldest prince, the symptoms of nausea and weakness only began after her confinement, even affecting those close to her...

“If it's neither an epidemic nor a common ailment, I dare to speculate that there might be something unclean in Sister Noble Consort’s chamber...”

Xiao Sheng frowned in thought, appearing to consider Consort Jia’s words, and asked, “Unclean? According to what you say, what kind of thing is it?”

The repeated question from the Emperor seemed to imply something else. Consort Jia, about to speak, was interrupted, suddenly realizing her plan might be working. Her overheated mind cooled down.

Did the Emperor really come today without knowing anything?

She maintained a timid appearance, momentarily silent.

The Emperor didn’t seem in a hurry for her to reply. He casually picked up a book from the carved and gilded small table beside the soft couch. Flipping it over, he saw “Han Shu” (The Book of Han) neatly written in small characters on the cover and asked:

“Is this book hand-copied by you?”

Consort Jia looked up and replied, “Yes.”

Still kneeling on the ground, with the Emperor not inviting her to rise, she watched as he flipped through the pages.

“You come from a family with a deep scholarly tradition and have always loved reading. Do you know who Zhao Xin was?”

Consort Jia’s body trembled slightly, barely managing to say, “I…I know.”

The “Book of Han” records that Zhao Xin was the queen of Guangchuan King Liu Qu, a former concubine of Liu Qu who gained favor through meticulous service. She was notoriously jealous and cruel, personally murdering numerous concubines and even exhuming and burning their corpses – a true wicked woman.

Xiao Sheng, without looking at her, continued flipping through the book, then casually remarked as if making small talk:

“I remember, you are from Liang City, born into a noble and scholarly family. Your father has made significant contributions to Confucian studies, hasn’t he?”

With sweat dampening her temples, Consort Jia could no longer maintain her composure, collapsing to the ground. Moments later, she crawled on her knees and clung to the Emperor’s legs, her long nails creasing his robe.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I truly don't know anything! I was just speculating. There were only a few items used by Sister Noble Consort after her confinement. If we inspect them carefully, yes, carefully, we can surely find out where the problem lies!"

As she spoke, seeing no reaction from Xiao Sheng, Consort Jia stepped back, her head hitting the ground as she prostrated herself, her voice unexpectedly returning to a bizarre calm.

"Your Majesty, my suspicions arise because I once witnessed Sister Noble Consort secretly meeting Prince Qi at the Summer Palace. Empress Dowager Li plotted against her, desiring to eliminate her quickly—"

"How dare you!"

The hand-copied “Book of Han” was thrown heavily to the floor, bouncing slightly on the velvet carpet embroidered with magpies perching on plum branches. The pages scattered, causing a fluttering sound that left everyone in the hall anxious and alarmed.

Sheng An quietly signaled, and soon all the palace servants tiptoed out, leaving only the Emperor and Consort Jia in the inner chamber.

As Sheng An closed the carved double doors coated in vermilion lacquer and stood guard outside, he signaled to An Jing, who understood and quickly gathered a group of robust eunuchs to subtly encircle the other palace servants.

Inside the hall, Consort Jia didn’t stop speaking despite the Emperor’s anger, continuing:

"At that time, I didn't understand these matters. Believing Empress Dowager Li’s explanation, I thought Prince Qi bore a grudge against Sister Noble Consort because of past events, so I agreed to send the incense burner to her as an apology. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can verify it with Empress Dowager Li at the imperial mausoleum—"

The Emperor sneered, "If it was an apology, why would it be mixed in with Father’s gifts and sent from the Palace Warehousing Bureau directly to the Noble Consort’s hands?"

His voice became increasingly angry and rapid:

"If indeed as you say, the Noble Consort and Prince Qi... that commoner Xiao Xu had something between them, why would Empress Dowager Li seek to harm her life? Wouldn't it be better to harm us both?"

Consort Jia remained calm, saying, “I don’t know, but what I say is true. Your Majesty can verify it with Empress Dowager Li.”

Xiao Sheng, seeing her suddenly cold expression, felt an unfamiliarity and sat back down, calming his anger.

"You still insist on your story. The incense burner in the Noble Consort’s chamber is fake, and here you are playing this sick and weak charade. What else is there to say?"

Consort Jia suddenly looked up, unable to maintain her composure, "You knew, you knew...!?"

She muttered a few words, then burst into laughter, "Hahaha, all this time I thought she was just acting, never daring to tell Your Majesty that the incense burner was fake, that her illness was also fake. I never imagined, never imagined! Your Majesty trusts her so deeply! Coming to Fuyang Palace, it wasn’t for me to explain, but to mock me!"

The sharp female voice echoed in the inner chamber, the speaker bitterly saying:

"Today, she, Jiang, has conspired with Your Majesty to deceive me. Who knows if she will deceive Your Majesty with someone else in the future!"

"Noble Consort, your actions are known to me. Consort Hu, you have overstepped your bounds."

"For the sake of Yan'er, I gave you three chances," Xiao Sheng said, looking down at the hysterical woman. "But you failed to cherish them."

"Three chances..." Consort Jia recalled the Emperor's words and actions since he entered Fuyang Palace, then laughed bitterly, her face changing rapidly as tears spilled from her eyes. "I am guilty, but what I have just said is also true—"

"—In the thirty-first year of Qian Ning, in May, when Your Majesty was inspecting water conservancy in Jin and Xu provinces, the late Emperor took everyone to the Summer Palace outside the capital. At a small pavilion near Liubo Lake, together with Empress Dowager Li, I discovered Noble Consort with the commoner Xiao Xu—"