Chapter 127: Heart Knot

Chapter 127: Heart Knot

Shi Cairén seemed to be reminiscing, and after a pause, she continued, "The late benevolent Empress Yi was merciful. That year, she planned to release a group of palace servants. Asu and I were of age and had already planned to leave the palace and buy a small house in the capital with our savings. We didn’t need a prime location – just a front for a small eatery run by Asu, who was skilled in cooking, and living quarters in the back. We were sure we wouldn’t lack customers..."

These words might not have been crucial, but Jiang Hui listened quietly, without interruption.

"…But the Empress Dowager chose us, and we couldn't leave... we couldn't escape." Shi Cairén lifted her head to glance at Jiang Hui, then looked away, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Liu Shi is different from us; she aspired to climb higher. In the desolate depths of the palace, what does sisterhood matter to her?"

"She tricked A Su out…" Shi Cairén's voice faltered, then turning to Jiang Hui, she asked, "Does Noble Consort Zhao know about 'dui shi'?"

'Dui shi', the loneliness of the deep palace, eunuchs with palace maids, palace maids with each other… Jiang Hui was, of course, aware of it.

She nodded and said, "This consort is aware."

Shi Cairén then continued, "Back then, in Changchun Palace, there was a powerful senior eunuch, a godson of Li Momo, who had long coveted A Su…"

She paused briefly, skipping over this part, and resumed with the latter events, "…Not long after, A Su took her life by jumping into a well. Liu Shi and I entered Prince Ying's mansion together. She relished the thrill of becoming superior, enjoyed the flattery from the palace maids, and I let her grow more reckless and bold… until she lost her life."

"But her death wasn't enough," Shi Cairén's voice finally fluctuated, madness gleaming in her eyes, "We were supposed to leave the palace! It was the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, this cursed imperial palace that trapped us!"

She said to Jiang Hui, "Noble Consort Zhao, you don't like it here either, do you?"

Jiang Hui's eyes remained calm, unswayed by the story, and she simply said, "If one is too insignificant, even outside the palace, injustice is inevitable."

Rising to her feet, she delivered her final words, "For such grave errors, I will petition His Majesty to demote you to a commoner and grant you poisoned wine, preserving your body intact."

"I... thank Noble Consort Zhao for granting me this mercy," Shi Cairén knelt and kowtowed, then pulled out an old magpie bead hairpin from her bosom, knowing a cup of poison was her best outcome, she only requested, "Please throw it into the Jinshui River outside the imperial city, let it drift away, leaving this place…"

Jiang Hui paused, Qiukui stepped forward to take the hairpin, wrapped it in a silk handkerchief, and placed it in her sleeve, then followed Jiang Hui out of the still relatively clean and bright room.

Luo Yunlai humbly escorted Jiang Hui and her entourage to the door of the Ministry of Punishments. Qiukui signaled him to stop, then helped Jiang Hui into the jade palanquin, turning back towards Yaohua Palace.

Huayang had already woken up from her nap and was rolling around on the rug with Xue Xue. Nian'er sat beside them, holding a more complex version of a Kongming lock, deep in thought.

Hearing the maids' greetings from outside, Huayang was the first to stand up and rushed into Jiang Hui's arms, exclaiming loudly, "Mother!"

Jiang Hui squatted down, smiling as she embraced her, tenderly asking, "Did Huayang wake up?"

Nian'er put down his Kongming lock and followed, excitedly saying, "Mother, the flower paper!"

"Alright, let's continue making flower paper." Jiang Hui took Nian'er's hand with her left and Huayang's with her right, and sat back down at the table by the window.

Shan Zha and Shiliu brought over Huayang's little chair and set her on it. Nian'er, no longer needing such assistance, climbed onto a nearby armchair, resuming his original position. He dipped his hands into the jar with hibiscus and mica water, tilting his head to ask his mother, "Mother, should I crush it vigorously?"

The setting sun cast thin rays through the half-rolled bamboo blinds, turning Nian'er's small, fuzzy face golden. Jiang Hui used a paper-cutting knife to cut fine Rohan paper into small pieces, looking at Nian'er's bright eyes and gently laughing, "Yes, crush it finely."

As June ended, the death anniversaries of the Empress Dowager and Princess Chengping were approaching.

The Emperor told Jiang Hui they would go to Pulo Temple to offer eternal lights for the Empress Dowager and Princess Chengping, and naturally, Jiang Hui would accompany him.

Although she didn't yet hold the title of Empress, she already had the responsibilities of one. Occupying such a position, she inevitably had to arrange various palace affairs. As she and the Emperor went to Pulo Temple, the palace staff would also pray for the Empress Dowager, and rites had to be performed for the recently deceased consorts and maids.

In the case of Wang's treason, three consorts had perished: Consort Liu of Changchun Palace's Xianyu Pavilion, a selected attendant of Tangli Palace, and Wang Meiren, who had taken her own life.

A consort’s suicide usually brought disaster upon her family, but with the Wang clan destined for ruin, such an act was no longer a significant matter.

Since they needed to fast for three days before offering the eternal lights, the Emperor hadn't visited Yaohua Palace during this period.

As night deepened, Jiang Hui left Wan Song on night duty and lay on her Phoebe zhennan bed, pondering a question that had long weighed on her mind – why did Princess Chengping die so suddenly?

From the second to the fourth year of the Jianzhao era, Jiang Hui had pondered this question for two years.

Over these years, she had meticulously recalled various events and remembered the first time Princess Chengping showed signs of discomfort in her presence, which was during the first year of Jianzhao. It was when she had requested the Emperor to grant a marriage decree for Jiang Yun.

At that time, the Emperor sent Physician Li to examine her. He diagnosed her with a coughing ailment, saying it could be treated with a few prescriptions.

Back then, she had recently given birth to Nian'er and was still weak. Neither Physician Liu nor Physician Li had yet come up with the Snow Essence Four-Counterbalance Restorative Decoction for her recuperation. It was natural for the Emperor and Princess Chengping not to worry her.

The second time was when she was pregnant with Huayang. Princess Huaiqing was choosing her study companions, and Princess Chengping secretly confided her intention to act against the Empress Dowager. She also mentioned accelerating the marriage of Ah Yun to use it as a celebratory counterbalance. Physician Liu examined her but gave the same diagnosis – a weakness in the lung channel causing coughing. To avoid her worries, she secretly took some strong tonics.

A coughing ailment...

Jiang Hui murmured softly, knowing her mother had always suffered from it. Ever since she could remember, her mother would cough whenever she became angry.

Princess Chengping told her it was an ailment that developed after giving birth to Jiang Yun, but was it really so?

Was it a long-standing illness or someone's sinister plot? Without getting to the bottom of it, Jiang Hui couldn't let go of this matter.

If it was indeed an incurable chronic illness, then so be it. But if there was something more, she was determined to uncover the truth.

However...

The faint scent of sinking-water incense lingered at the tip of her nose, and the bamboo pillow under her head was warm. Jiang Hui knew that if there were other machinations, Princess Chengping couldn't have been completely unaware. Why did she hide it from her daughter?

And the hurried return of Marquis Ningyuan to the capital – could there have been other reasons?