Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 164: Integrity and Righteousness

   Yangxin Hall.

   Hongli was bent over the desk, staring at the scroll of “Spring Radiance” that lay spread out before him.

These past few days he seemed almost possessed, constantly gazing at this painting, as though if he looked long enough, the figure in it would come to life and tell him the truth.

“Your Majesty.” Li Yu hurried in. “A report has come from Shoukang Palace—the Empress Dowager is delirious, convulsions have not stopped, and she can hardly swallow even soup!”

It was a long while before Hongli raised his head, murmuring as if in a dream: “…What did you say?”

Li Yu repeated it. Only then did he startle awake from his daze. He snatched up the “Spring Radiance” scroll from the table, rushed out of Yangxin Hall, and hurried without pause straight to Shoukang Palace.

Aunt Liu came out to greet him. Hongli waved away her formalities and said, “I wish to see the Empress Dowager.”

The bead curtain swayed gently. A hand holding a book reached out from behind it, followed by a serene, lotus-like face—it was Lu Wanwan.

“Your Majesty.” She had come from the direction of the inner chamber. Respectfully, she offered the book in her hands to Hongli. “The Empress Dowager says she understands the purpose of Your Majesty’s visit. If Your Majesty opens this book, everything will become clear.”

Hongli took the blue-bound volume and looked—Notes from Yuewei Cottage.

The notebook was filled with many bizarre and supernatural tales. Hongli had no interest in them. He casually took it, glanced at it without really looking, and tossed it to Li Yu. Then he moved to step past Lu Wanwan and enter the inner chamber.

Lu Wanwan subtly shifted a step, blocking his path. Since he refused to look, she smiled and began telling him the story herself:

“There’s a tale in the book about a beautiful farmer’s wife surnamed Guo in Huai Town. Her husband fled famine to another region and entrusted his aging parents to her care. She kept her doors tightly shut, spinning and weaving day and night to support her in-laws. But her earnings were meager and could not sustain them. In desperation, she turned to her neighbors for help, yet no one could aid her. After a bout of bitter weeping, she had no choice but to stand by the door and sell her smiles (prostitution).”

Hongli grew somewhat impatient. He had not come here to listen to her tell stories. “Lady Qing, step aside.”

But Lu Wanwan did not yield. She continued her tale:

“Lady Guo sold her own body to provide for her parents-in-law. With the money earned from selling herself, she purchased a beautiful young girl and raised her in the household. When her husband finally returned, she said to him: ‘You have returned safely, your parents remain untouched and whole, and this innocent maiden is the new wife I have chosen for you.’ Having spoken these words, she raised a knife and took her own life.”

At this point, she suddenly turned her head and glanced toward the inner hall. It was unclear whom she saw or whose silent approval she received, but only then did she muster the courage to finish the story under Hongli’s furious glare.

“…After her death, her eyes remained open, unclosed. The county magistrate judged her unchaste and ruled that she be buried in the ancestral grave but not interred beside her husband.” Lu Wanwan continued, “Only her parents-in-law wept bitterly for her, saying their son was unfilial for abandoning his parents, and that this frail woman had lost her chastity only to fulfill her duty of supporting them—what fault was there in that? At the time, people argued endlessly: between chastity and righteousness, which truly matters more?”

Even earlier, when she had turned her head, Hongli had followed her gaze. Behind the beaded curtain, a corner of a qipao was visible, with a gardenia flower blooming against the hem of the skirt.

“…Your Majesty! Back in the great drought in Shanxi, Lady Qian accompanied the Emperor Yongzheng on his private inspection tour. Amid the fierce struggle for the throne, they encountered numerous dangers. After becoming separated from their entourage, the Emperor Yongzheng was struck by an arrow and wounded. To evade the assassins, he was forced deep into the mountains—only for misfortune to compound when they encountered bandits hiding in the Taihang Mountains. At the moment of life and death…” Lu Wanwan spoke gravely, “…Lady Qian left the Emperor Yongzheng hidden in a farmhouse, put on his clothes, and went alone to draw away the pursuing rebel troops.”

Hongli had been about to walk toward that gardenia flower when these words made him whip around and stare at her. “What did you say?”

Lu Wanwan shrank back a step under his gaze, lowered her head, and said, “Some say Lady Qian was captured by the bandits. Others say she leaped from the summit of the Taihang Mountains… Whether she truly submitted to the bandits or took her own life to preserve her chastity, either way it was to protect her husband—she acted with both affection and righteousness, truly moving and admirable! But once the story spread, she would suffer the same fate as Lady Guo: having performed an act of supreme righteousness, yet condemned and reviled by all under heaven. Even Your Majesty would not escape the storm of gossip and criticism. This is precisely why the Empress Dowager has guarded the secret so fiercely…”

Hongli stared at her fixedly.

If what she said was true, then it was no wonder this matter had become a closely guarded secret.

   Between chastity and righteousness—which carried more weight? It was hard to say clearly. But if such a thing happened to a consort, everyone would demand that she fulfill both perfectly. The best outcome would be for her to take her own life; if she could not, someone else would help her do so—and that someone might very well be the very person she had sacrificed herself to protect…

   How exactly had Lady Qian died? Had she committed suicide, or had she been granted death? Hongli opened his mouth, but the words would not come out…

   “…Beside the Emperor Yongzheng was a personal bodyguard—the very first person to find him that year. He has now retired to his hometown in Jiaozhou.” Lu Wanwan carefully observed his expression. “The Empress Dowager has already sent people to summon him. He will arrive no later than tomorrow. When the time comes, if you have any questions, you may ask him directly.”

Hongli’s mind was in utter turmoil. His gaze flickered between the Spring Radiance Painting in his hand and the Notes from the Yuewei Cottage now held by Li Yu. For the moment he could not tell whether her words were true or false, nor did he know what to ask next. Very well—since a witness had already been summoned, he might as well start with that witness.

“…If what the Empress Dowager says is true, tomorrow I will personally come to Shoukang Palace and kneel to beg her forgiveness.” In the end, Hongli gave one deep look toward the inner hall, toward the corner of the skirt behind the beaded curtain, then turned and left.

The moment he was gone, Lu Wanwan let out a long breath. Her legs went weak; she nearly collapsed to the floor.

“Careful.” A hand reached out from behind and steadied her. Today Wei Yingluo’s qipao was embroidered with several gardenia flowers. She said to Lu Wanwan, “Lady Qing, you’ve worked hard.”

Lu Wanwan pressed a hand to her chest. She had always been timid as a mouse—especially in front of Hongli, barely daring to breathe. For the most part she had behaved like a delicate doll, allowing him to do as he pleased. It had been a very long time since she had spoken so many words in his presence.

Looking at Wei Yingluo with a complicated expression, she asked, “…Your Ladyship Consort Ling, why didn’t you tell His Majesty these things yourself?”

“His Majesty does not wish to see me. I cannot drag the Empress Dowager down with me.” Wei Yingluo smiled slightly. “Besides, with these words, His Majesty will surely remember you. Isn’t that a good thing?”

This was the method of achieving both goals at once: on one hand, conveying the Empress Dowager’s hardships and to Hongli; on the other, winning favor for Lu Wanwan.

If it weren’t for that, how could Lu Wanwan possibly speak up for her like this?

“Now everyone avoids Shoukang Palace, avoids the Empress Dowager and me. For you to come here at a time like this is both your kindness and your good fortune.” Wei Yingluo patted her hand and said gently, “Good intentions should be rewarded. Let me help you along…”

When it comes to beauty, schemes, or methods, this Lu Wanwan falls short in every way. Yet she appeared in Shoukang Palace at precisely this moment. One can only say that everyone has their own destiny. She is fated to use the Empress Dowager’s misfortune—and through Wei Yingluo’s hand—to gain a great opportunity, a lifetime of glory and splendor.

Who would push away such a chance? Even someone as timid as a mouse like Lu Wanwan still harbors a tiny spark of ambition, a faint glimmer of hope. So after her eyes flickered for a moment, she gripped Wei Yingluo’s hand and asked in a small voice:

“Consort Ling, Niangniang… what should this concubine do next?”

Wei Yingluo thought for a moment, then leaned close to her ear and whispered:

“Next, what you need to do is…”

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