Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 48: Explanation

Wei Yingluo lowered her head, calmly concealing the smile that had begun to form on her face.

Hongli stepped down from the southern kang and strode quickly over to Hongxiao. His expression was complicated, filled with disappointment as he asked, “Hongxiao, do you still remember why the Great Qing divides and eats sacrificial meat?”

Hongxiao looked utterly bewildered and replied, “This humble servant dares not forget. In those days, when Taizu was young and the family divided, he led his brothers into the mountains to gather ginseng and hunt. They survived by boiling meat in plain water, and that habit has been preserved ever since. After the Qing entered the Pass, the Kunning Palace has performed morning and evening sacrifices every day, with a grand sacrifice every other month, so that future generations of descendants would always remember the hardships our ancestors endured in founding the dynasty and how difficult it was to establish the Great Qing—”

Hongli could bear it no longer and cut him off sharply: “Since you remember all of this so clearly, then why did you add salt to the meat?!”

Everyone else in the hall heard these words. Though no one dared to whisper or exchange words in the face of the Emperor’s fury, their eyes met in silent glances and meaningful looks.

Hongxiao was stunned for a moment. “Add salt? This servant did no such thing!” Hongli pointed directly at the meat on the tray and commanded, “Taste it yourself!”

Hongxiao had no choice but to cut off a piece and put it in his mouth. The instant he bit down, his entire body froze.

Everyone was watching his expression and reaction closely. Hongli’s anger reached its peak. He raised his hand and overturned the tray in front of Hongxiao, roaring, “Even our ancestors could endure it, yet you cannot! Adding salt to the meat offered to the gods—this is contempt for the ancestors and disrespect to the spirits. You are utterly audacious!”

Meat juice splashed onto Hongxiao’s princely robes. He dropped to his knees with a thud, panic-stricken as he tried to explain, “Your Majesty, this servant does not know why the meat is salty. This servant truly does not know! Someone must have deliberately framed me—it has to be a frame-up!”

Hongli asked in a deep, grave voice, “The meat was all cooked in the same pot. Who would have any reason to frame you?”

Hongxiao’s venomous gaze swept around the hall. Everyone avoided his eyes—everyone except one person, who met his stare calmly, quietly savoring his disgrace. Hongxiao suddenly came to a realization. He pointed straight at Wei Yingluo: “It was her! It must have been her! The knife she just brought over—the salt must have been on the knife!”

Wei Yingluo shrank back timidly, as fragile and swaying as a willow in the wind. The Empress, clearly displeased, said sharply, “Prince Yi, you committed an act of disrespect toward the ancestors yourself, and now you want to shift the blame onto someone else to escape punishment! Are the palace servants of my Changchun Palace so easily accused?”

Hongli glanced at Wei Yingluo, displeasure evident in his eyes, and said, “Whether it is a false accusation or not, we will know once we examine the knife. Wu Shulai, investigate!”

Wu Shulai responded at once. He picked up the silver knife that had fallen to the floor, examined it carefully from every angle, then shook his head toward Hongli. “Reporting to Your Majesty, there are no grains of salt on the knife.”

Hongxiao was dumbfounded. Then his eyes fell on the cotton paper in the tray, and he seized on it like a drowning man clutching at straws. “Then what about the cotton paper? It must be on the paper!”

Wu Shulai checked the cotton paper and once again shook his head.

Everyone’s eyes were now fixed on Hongxiao—some hiding sympathy, others barely concealing schadenfreude.

Hongxiao cried out in desperation, “Your Majesty, this servant truly did not bring any salt into the palace! That would be disrespect to the ancestors, forgetting one’s roots—how could this servant possibly do such a thing? It must be that lowly woman who framed me!”

The Empress’s anger was unmistakable. She raised her voice and rebuked, “Prince Yi, mind your status and your words!”

Hongli was utterly disappointed in him. Closing his eyes, he said, “I had long heard rumors that some officials found the sacrificial meat distasteful and would secretly carry salt hidden in their sleeves, or bribe eunuchs to tamper with it. I thought they were merely baseless gossip. Never did I imagine that the culprit would turn out to be a descendant of Aisin Gioro himself! Hongxiao, I gave you every chance, yet you have disappointed me time and time again! Come—Prince Yi has shown disrespect to the ancestors and defiled the sacrificial meat. Strip him of his position as a Guard of the Qianqing Gate and hand him over to the Imperial Clan Court for punishment!”

Guards filed in one after another, seized Hongxiao, and dragged him out of the hall. He struggled violently, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Your Majesty! Your Majesty! This servant has been wronged! This servant is truly innocent! Your Majesty!”

Wei Yingluo gently bit her lower lip, afraid that if she relaxed even a little, she would burst out laughing.

Hongli swept a cold gaze across the assembled crowd, his killing intent palpable as he declared, “The Kunning Palace performs morning and evening sacrifices and distributes the sacrificial meat—this is the blessing of our ancestors and the protection of the gods! Yet, led by Prince Yi, the once valiant and battle-hardened sons of the Eight Banners have degenerated into parasites who rely on the achievements of their forebears, spending their days flying kites and playing with dogs, neglecting their proper duties! Forget charging into battle and killing the enemy—they now regard even eating the sacrificial meat as an unbearable hardship! I warn you all: our Great Qing ancestors won this empire through immense hardship. I will never allow this magnificent realm to be ruined in the hands of a bunch of pleasure-seeking, ancestor-dishonoring wastrels! Investigate! Investigate every guard outside as well. I want to see clearly who else has dared to do this!”

Wu Shulai took the order and left. After a period of chaos and panic, Wu Shulai hurriedly returned. Hongli sat on the kang, his expression gloomy as he asked:

“Did you catch anyone?”

Wei Yingluo stood beside the Empress, in a cheerful mood as she waited for Wu Shulai’s reply.

Wu Shulai put on a smiling face and said:

“Your Majesty, all the imperial guards and Qianqing Gate guards have been thoroughly investigated. No one tampered with anything.”

Wei Yingluo was stunned. She looked at Wu Shulai in disbelief. The Empress glanced at her, seeming to notice something.

Hongli’s expression eased slightly. He waved his hand:

“At least there are still some who understand propriety. Continue serving the meat!”

The grand sacrificial ceremony continued without further incident. After the rites were completed, everyone dispersed to their respective duties.

Wei Yingluo returned to Changchun Palace following the phoenix palanquin, her mind restless. As soon as they entered the main hall, the Empress’s face grimed. She ordered everyone:

“All of you, get out. Close the doors and windows. Yingluo stays.”

Ever since entering Changchun Palace, Wei Yingluo had always been deeply favored by the Empress. This time, seeing the Empress speak so sternly and harshly made everyone’s hearts tremble with unease. Ming Yu shot Wei Yingluo a smug glance, while Erqing looked full of worry. Both withdrew along with the others.

The main hall was now empty. Wei Yingluo and the Empress stood facing each other. This was the first time she had seen the Empress truly angry. In her impression, Her Highness the Empress sat high in the clouds, beautiful and dignified in her elegance and grace—but when she was furious, she carried an aura strikingly similar to His Majesty’s.

It was the majestic authority that belonged solely to those in power.

The Empress said coldly:

“Kneel.”

Wei Yingluo obeyed and knelt without a word.

The Empress looked down at her from above and asked:

“Wei Yingluo, do you know you were wrong?”

Wei Yingluo’s expression remained calm. She replied:

“This servant’s entire being belongs to Your Highness. Whatever Your Highness says is never wrong. If I have erred, please punish this servant.”

The Empress laughed in anger:

“So as long as I say you’re wrong, then you’re wrong? Wei Yingluo, oh Wei Yingluo—you’ve truly grown arrogant because of favor. You are a maid of Changchun Palace, the person closest to me. You used petty tricks to frame Prince Yi. If this were ever exposed, could I escape the crime of failing to discipline properly?”

Wei Yingluo suddenly raised her head. Although she had vaguely suspected the Empress might have discovered it, hearing it spoken aloud still shocked her.

The Empress said displeased:

“Speak!”

Wei Yingluo took a deep breath, prostrated herself, and kowtowed:

“This was done by this servant alone. If that day ever comes, this servant will bear full responsibility. Even if it costs my life, I would never implicate Your Highness.”

The hall fell silent for a moment. Wei Yingluo’s forehead rested against the smooth, icy floor. She heard the Empress let out a soft sigh, seemingly somewhat helpless:

“You… what am I supposed to say to you? Have you eaten bear liver or phoenix gall? How is it that no matter what, you never put on any weight?”

Wei Yingluo was startled. Then a hand pressed on her shoulder and pulled her up. The Empress said:

“A young girl like you, carrying such heavy thoughts all day—life and death, life and death. How old are you exactly?”

There was a trace of pity in her tone.

Wei Yingluo was pulled to her feet by the Empress. Cautiously, she asked:

“You’re… not angry with me anymore?”

The Empress lightly tapped Wei Yingluo’s forehead:

“Prince Yi previously framed you—that was also a slap to Changchun Palace’s face. Of course I was unhappy and wanted him taught a lesson. But he is, after all, His Majesty’s own cousin. Without His Majesty’s nod, even I cannot punish him harshly. And yet you—you have such audacity that you dared to target even an iron-capped prince?”

Wei Yingluo touched the spot on her forehead that had been tapped and probed carefully:

“Your Highness, are you blaming this servant only for this matter?”

The Empress looked at her suspiciously:

“You committed other wrongs too? Spit them all out at once so I don’t get any more shocks.”

The image of Fuheng lingered persistently in her mind. Wei Yingluo had been wondering all along why he hadn’t been caught. She shook her head, then asked:

“Your Highness, how did you know this was my doing?”

The Empress studied Wei Yingluo with narrowed eyes for a while before saying:

“Fuheng previously sent me a message saying you were reckless and audacious, and asked me to discipline you properly. Don’t blame him—he was only worried you’d get into more trouble.”

Wei Yingluo’s face turned deathly pale in an instant!

He knew. He knew everything. From the moment she handed him the pepper-salt mixture, he had already known everything!

Wei Yingluo’s nails dug into her palm. She asked:

“Did Guard Fucha say nothing else?”

The Empress said with frustration and disappointment, as if hating iron for not becoming steel: “No, fortunately it was Fuheng who discovered it. If it had been anyone else, they would have long since reported it to the Emperor. But even if they had, it would have been useless—the evidence must have already been disposed of, right?”

Wei Yingluo calmed herself and nodded: “Yes. Please rest assured, Your Majesty—there will absolutely be no loose ends left behind.”

“I am not worried about that—” The Empress furrowed her brows, paused for a moment, then continued: “Never mind. Yingluo, in life and in dealings with others, if you haggle over every little thing and keep score of every grievance, you will never be happy. On the contrary, sometimes you must take a step back to gain a broader view and greater freedom. You should thank Fuheng for this matter. Go on—deliver a bowl of ginseng soup to him on my behalf, and make sure to express your gratitude properly.”

Thank him? After sending that packet of pepper salt, he had gone and reported her to the Empress—essentially tearing all pretense of civility between herself and Fucha Fuheng. Wei Yingluo was actually a little curious what attitude Fuheng would show toward her now. She replied obediently to the Empress: “Yes.”

After the grand sacrifice day meat distribution, the off-duty guards all returned to the guard quarters to rest.

Fuheng sat in a bamboo chair reading a book. Hailancha walked up from behind, took one look, and burst out laughing with a “Pfft”: “I swear, you’re getting more and more impressive. You can even read a book upside down now?”

Fuheng came back to his senses and saw that the book in his hand was indeed held upside down. Irritated, he tossed it onto the table.

Hailancha patted his shoulder and asked: “In a bad mood? Then let me give you some good news—a pretty little palace maid sister has come to deliver soup to you. Sigh, why does no one ever pamper me like that…”

Fuheng was stunned. He turned around and saw Wei Yingluo standing at the doorway holding a food box.

Hailancha grinned mischievously and backed out, closing the door behind him while saying: “You two chat. Have a nice, long chat.”

Wei Yingluo walked to the table, set down a steaming bowl of ginseng soup, and smiled sweetly: “Young Master, Her Majesty sent me to deliver this soup to you.”

Fuheng said nothing. His expression carried the calm of someone who had already seen through everything.

Drip, drip, drip—water fell from the eaves, one drop, two drops, three drops. The two stood facing each other in utter silence. Wei Yingluo’s expression shifted from innocent sweetness to icy indifference: “Don’t worry. The soup Her Majesty ordered me to bring—I won’t poison it.”

Fuheng looked at the white porcelain bowl holding the soup and asked: “You framed Prince Yi.”

Wei Yingluo replied casually: “Didn’t you already report me to Her Majesty?”

A sharp pang stabbed Fuheng’s heart. He forced himself to maintain outward calm and asked: “How did you do it? There was nothing on that dagger or the cotton paper.”

Yingluo smiled, spread her hands, and answered: “Actually, it was very simple. I soaked the cotton paper in saltwater, let it dry until salt crystals formed on the surface, then used it to wipe the blade. When the square of meat was chopped into pieces, all the salt crystals on the knife edge dissolved into the meat. Naturally, examining the knife turned up nothing. But the cotton paper was easy to trace—so while no one was paying attention, I swapped it for a clean piece. Of course nothing could be found.”

Fuheng shot to his feet and stared fixedly at Wei Yingluo. He opened his mouth: “You—”

Wei Yingluo met his gaze without flinching, her momentum not yielding in the slightest: “What about me? Are you going to accuse me of wrongdoing for dealing with Prince Yi? Because he is an iron-cap Prince of Great Qing, a member of the imperial clan, a noble descendant of the imperial bloodline—so if he tells me to kneel, I must kneel; if he calls me a lowly slut, I must accept it meekly, is that it? Ha! Whatever I, Wei Yingluo, want to do, whomever I want to ruin—not a single one of them will escape!”

Fuheng could endure no more: “Yingluo, he is still a prince after all!”

Wei Yingluo gave a cold, mocking laugh: “The seas turn into mulberry fields, the world changes—mountains that once towered high may one day become flat plains. There is no such thing as an unchanging principle! Haven’t you seen? Yesterday he stood high above, lording it over everyone—today he’s crawling on the ground like a dog, begging for mercy! Kowtowing desperately, swearing ‘I didn’t do it, I wouldn’t dare…’ Hahahaha, it’s enough to make me die laughing.”

Fuheng closed his eyes, then slowly opened them again. Almost masochistically, he asked: “And what about me? You schemed against me over and over—was it because of A-Man?”

Wei Yingluo looked at him coldly: “Yes. But haven’t you already escaped disaster? On the surface, Young Master really seems like a gentleman—but where in the world is there a gentleman who destroys a woman’s reputation and honor?”

Fuheng could no longer hold back. Suddenly he seized Wei Yingluo’s wrist and asked urgently: “If I told you it wasn’t me who did it—would you believe me?”

Wei Yingluo gave a scornful laugh. “Do you think I would believe that?”

Fuheng released Wei Yingluo’s hand and took a step back in dejection. Suddenly, he drew the dagger from his waist and placed it in her hand. Feeling the cold, menacing weapon thrust into her palm, Wei Yingluo frowned. “What are you doing?”

Fuheng looked straight into her eyes. Beneath the darkness of his gaze burned suppressed molten lava. He pressed her hand around the hilt, turning the blade to point directly at his own chest. “This matter has nothing to do with me. If you don’t believe me, you can kill me right here!”

Wei Yingluo gripped the dagger and gave a mocking smile. “If I kill you here, I won’t escape either. I have no intention of dying together with you.”

Fuheng said irritably, “Rather than be hated by you, I would prefer to die with you.”

Wei Yingluo was momentarily stunned, her expression turning slightly unnatural.

Fuheng sighed, tossed the dagger onto the table, and said softly, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly just now. If I really wanted to prove my innocence with death, it couldn’t be here in the guard station—it would indeed implicate you. But Yingluo, what I said is the truth! I did not harm your sister. I did not harm A-Man! If I have spoken a single false word, may I be sliced into ten thousand pieces, torn apart by five horses, die without a peaceful end, and after death still bear endless infamy and be cursed and spat upon by all!”

The oath was so vicious and extreme that Wei Yingluo’s whole body trembled. Fuheng looked at her earnestly and openly. “Wei Yingluo, I’ll say it once more: Fucha Fuheng has never done a single act that harms heaven or reason. Never! I never harmed your sister, and I would never… want to harm you.”

Wei Yingluo finally spoke. “The first time, I asked you whether you knew A-Man. Why did you pretend not to?”

A light flashed in Fuheng’s eyes. He quickly answered, “The matter with A-Man caused a huge stir throughout the capital. Even after she left the palace, the rumors didn’t die down for a long time. I had heard of the incident, but I had never actually seen A-Man, so naturally I said I didn’t know her.”

Wei Yingluo pressed her lips together, took out a jade pendant, and showed it to Fuheng. Distrustfully, she asked, “Why was your jade pendant in her possession?”

Fuheng looked equally puzzled. “This jade pendant is indeed mine—I lost it. But why A-Man kept it with her, I have no idea.”

Wei Yingluo stared fixedly at him. “Everything you’ve said—every word—comes from the heart? Not a single falsehood?”

Fuheng shook his head with a bitter smile. “There’s no reason for me to lie to you. If I really were the culprit, I could simply have told the Empress everything. Would you still have any chance to take revenge on me then?”

Though there were still points of doubt, his words made sense.

After hesitating for a long moment, Wei Yingluo gave a small nod. “Very well. For now, I’ll believe you. But if one day I discover you were lying, even if I become a vengeful ghost, I will come for your life!” With that, she shot Fuheng a fierce glare and turned to leave.

That glare ignited something in Fuheng. He grabbed her wrist again, indignant. “Before, when you wanted revenge, you played along, smiled sweetly, and flattered me. Now that you think I’m useless, you discard me like worn-out shoes and won’t even look at me! Wei Yingluo, are you really so good at changing faces?”

The hand clamping her wrist was like an iron vise, radiating a heat that made her heart race. Wei Yingluo stood still, head lowered, saying nothing.

Fuheng’s heart was filled with bitterness. Powerlessly, he said, “Actually, from the very first time you acted against me, I already suspected you. But later, seeing how gentle you were with Snowball, I deceived myself once again. Wei Yingluo, it was never you deceiving me—it was me deceiving myself! Every word you said to me, every smile you showed me, I would replay over and over in my mind. Even though I knew you were lying the whole time, I refused to believe it.”

Wei Yingluo stared at his hand for a long moment. Then she suddenly lifted her face and gave a bright, radiant smile. “Young Master, isn’t this behavior a little… improper? There’s an old saying: men and women should not touch hands when giving or receiving things. You…”

Fuheng froze. He looked down at his own hand and realized he was still holding Wei Yingluo’s wrist. He wanted to let go immediately, but seeing that snow-white wrist, he found himself reluctant to release it for a moment.

Suddenly, a strange laugh came from outside the door. Hailancha leaped in from the doorway and shouted, “Aha! Lovers’ passion, sweet nothings exchanged—I’ve caught you red-handed!”

Fuheng immediately let go. Yingluo quickly stood up straight, hurried toward the door, and said, “There are many matters awaiting me at Changchun Palace. I’ll take my leave.” With that, she picked up the food box and walked away briskly.

Hailancha, realizing he had ruined his friend’s moment, called after her, “Hey! I was only joking! Yingluo, don’t go!”

But Wei Yingluo had already disappeared from sight. Hailancha turned to Fuheng with an apologetic look and said with a placating smile, “Ai, sorry about that. I didn’t expect your little lady to be so thin-skinned. Well, the girl’s gone, but your brother is still here. Come on—let your brother feed you some soup! Ah, open wide!”

Fuheng was disgustingly kicked by Hailancha, who let out a yelp—

STORY OF YANXI PALACE CHAPTERS HOME

  

   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 47: Eating Meat and Sharing Blessings

   The farce involving Prince Yi and Wei Yingluo still stirred up quite a storm in the palace. Changchun Palace rooted out an insider, while in Chuxiu Palace, Noble Lady Jia colluded with Prince Yi to frame the Empress’s personal palace maid, and the accusation was exposed. Deemed unfit to continue raising the Fourth Prince, the Emperor issued an order transferring the Fourth Prince to be raised by Consort Xian.

As for Wei Yingluo… she was still practicing her one hundred large characters. When the Emperor orders one hundred sheets, one cannot write only ninety-nine.

In Changchun Palace, Wei Yingluo lifted her wrist and drew the final stroke, finally completing the last character. She let out a long breath. The Empress looked at the noticeably neater handwriting on the white paper and smiled: “What a clever girl. Your writing is getting better and better. The Emperor was right to punish you with calligraphy practice.”

Wei Yingluo placed the Hu brush back on the brush rest, pursed her lips, and asked: “If there is fault, there should be punishment. Your Majesty, was I truly at fault to deserve this punishment?”

The Empress was silent for a moment, then sighed and said: “The Son of Heaven can never be wrong. If He says you are wrong, then you are wrong. In any case, Noble Lady Jia has been punished—that can be considered the Emperor giving you justice.”

Justice? Wei Yingluo looked at the thick stack of white paper on the desk and felt a touch of irony. She shook her head: “If there is justice… that justice is not for me. It is for you, for Changchun Palace. It’s still the same saying: if there is fault, there should be punishment. Noble Lady Jia was at fault and was punished—but what about Prince Yi?”

The Empress gazed out the window. Sunlight fell on the golden phoenix embroidered with metallic thread on her skirt, making it shimmer brilliantly. Her tone was very calm: “Why must you fixate on this? Prince Yi is the Emperor’s own cousin.”

That resplendent phoenix was almost blindingly dazzling. Wei Yingluo said softly: “Yes, Prince Yi is the Emperor’s own cousin. This servant is merely a lowly palace maid. Let alone suffering an injustice—even if I were to lose my life on the spot, the Emperor would not spare me a second glance! The reason He flew into a rage was only because Prince Yi got involved in inner-palace strife and made a disgraceful spectacle, losing the dignity of the imperial family! That is why Noble Lady Jia received punishment, while Prince Yi remains free and smug!”

The Empress looked at the girl before her and softened her tone: “Yingluo, Prince Yi is, after all, the biological son of the Thirteenth Imperial Uncle—a proper, legitimate iron-cap Prince of Great Qing. The Emperor cannot overly reprimand him.”

Wei Yingluo met the Empress’s gaze. Changchun Palace was her only foothold in this world, and the Empress was the one support she must hold firmly and steadily amid the layers of palace intrigue. The enmity between Changchun Palace and Prince Yi had already been forged. Rather than purely defending, it was better to attack in order to defend. Her eyes turned cold as she thought to herself: An iron-cap Prince… what grave mistake could there be that even the exalted status of an iron-cap Prince could not protect him from?

Seeing the young girl suddenly lost in thought, the Empress asked curiously: “What are you thinking about?”

Wei Yingluo came back to herself, gave the Empress a smile, and said: “Nothing. I was just thinking—no matter what happens, I will always protect you.”

The Empress was slightly taken aback. Her heart softened, and she spoke with tender affection: “Silly girl.”

Time passed easily, and several more days slipped by. Palace life was no different today from yesterday: seeing the same people, viewing the same scenery, doing the same tasks. But when such monotonous days suddenly change even slightly, the difference becomes glaringly obvious.

That day, after delivering items to Yonghe Palace, Wei Yingluo returned to Changchun Palace and pulled Erqing aside to talk: “Erqing, what does ‘eating the sacrificial meat and sharing blessings’ mean?”

Erqing thought for a moment, then asked in return: “Did you see Wu Shulai and the others preparing the black pigs?”

Wei Yingluo nodded: “I saw it on the way back to the palace—a group of people carrying two enormous whole pigs. They were so big it was almost frightening.”

Erqing burst out laughing: “No wonder. We don’t usually get to see such things—did it look fresh to you? This is an old palace custom. The Kunning Palace holds morning and evening sacrifices, and every month there is a grand sacrifice. The Emperor bestows the sacrificial meat to the imperial guards and court officials to ‘eat meat and share blessings.’ The consorts and concubines in the harem also receive a portion. By my calculation, tomorrow is the day of the grand sacrifice.”

At this point, Erqing frowned with worry: “It’s called sharing blessings, but that sacrificial meat is just boiled in plain water—tasteless and flavorless. Sometimes it’s half-raw. Our lady has always hated eating it and has even gotten sick from it before. I only hope this time Her Majesty’s health remains unaffected after eating it.”

Thinking of the Empress’s health, Wei Yingluo couldn’t help but feel concerned as well. She asked: “Is it impossible not to eat it?”

Erqing sighed: “This is sharing blessings. Whoever dares refuse is showing disrespect to the ancestors and to the spirits! In the past, a minister once vomited after eating it and was punished with eighty strokes of the cane!”

Disrespect to the ancestors and the spirits—eighty strokes of the cane.

A thought flashed through Wei Yingluo’s mind. Opportunities are fleeting. The moment she discovered such a perfect opening, she would never let it slip away. Her eyes narrowed slightly. She gave Erqing a sweet smile and said: “I suddenly remembered there’s something I haven’t finished. I’ll come talk to you another time.” With that, she lifted her skirt and hurried out.

Erqing stared blankly at Wei Yingluo’s retreating figure and muttered: “Didn’t you just finish your errands and come back…?”

Guard Station.

   “Squeak—squeak—” Hailancha was desperately winking at Fuheng while making strange noises with his mouth.

Fuheng looked at him inexplicably and asked, “What’s wrong with you today? Lost your mind?”

Hailancha deflated, saying in disappointment, “Sigh, the two of us really have zero tacit understanding. Fine, fine, I’m done playing. Look over there—see who it is?”

Fuheng followed his gaze. Not far away, a young girl dressed in palace maid attire stood gracefully beneath a willow tree. Fuheng immediately stood up, patted Hailancha on the shoulder, and said, “I’ll be right back.”

Hailancha watched Fuheng stride purposefully toward Wei Yingluo, clicked his tongue twice, and muttered, “Well, look at that—the iron tree finally blooms, haha!”

Fuheng’s steps were quick; in just a moment he had covered most of the distance. But when he was truly close to Wei Yingluo, his pace suddenly slowed.

The girl stood beneath a willow tree, her figure as slender and supple as the branches. She had been lost in thought, but upon hearing footsteps she quickly turned her head. Her clear, bright eyes reflected his image. Yingluo smiled at him and called out crisply, “Young Master.”

Indeed, flowers were blooming in his heart, layer upon layer. Unconsciously, Fuheng spoke in the gentlest tone he possessed: “Why did you come?”

Wei Yingluo handed him a small paper packet and said, “I came to give this to you.”

Fuheng opened it, pinched a little to examine, and asked in puzzlement, “Is this pepper salt?”

Wei Yingluo nodded, her manner eager and considerate: “Tomorrow is the grand sacrificial day. I heard the sacrificial pork is half-cooked and completely tasteless—people often vomit and get punished for it. So I specially prepared some pepper salt for Young Master. When no one is watching, just secretly sprinkle a little on and you’ll be able to eat it.”

Fuheng handed the packet back to Wei Yingluo and said disapprovingly, “Yingluo, this isn’t proper.”

As the packet reached her hand, Wei Yingluo suddenly grasped both the packet and Fuheng’s hand together, pushing it back toward him. Her eyes, shimmering like rippling water, met his as she persuaded, “Young Master, just hide one packet in your sleeve. With so many people present, who would notice?”

The girl’s delicate, soft palm felt like a ball of fire. The instant it touched him, Fuheng jerked his hand back as if scalded, his face flushing red all the way to the tips of his ears.

Yet Wei Yingluo seemed completely oblivious to his burning ear-tips. She naturally withdrew her hand and smiled, “Then I’ll take it that Young Master has accepted it. The Empress is still waiting for me—I’ll go first.”

The layered blossoms in his heart slowly withered. Fuheng quietly watched Wei Yingluo walk away, fingers tightening around the paper packet in his hand.

The next day, in the main hall of Kunning Palace.

   The grand sacrificial rites were elaborate. Inside Kunning Palace two large cauldrons steamed vigorously, white pork churning in the boiling water. Eunuchs reverently placed the cooked pork onto the offering table. The deity being sacrificed to was the Manchu god Muli Khan. The shamaness chanted prayers and played music, occasionally emitting “Orolo” cries while striking a hand drum and shaking golden bells.

Hongli and the Empress sat at the head before everyone, with the assembled ministers and officials ranked behind them. Amid the sound of hand drums and bells, all present performed the kowtow to Muli Khan. After the ceremony concluded, Hongli and the Empress took their seats on the southern kang, while the various ministers sat upon their felt cushions.

Li Yu clapped once. Eunuchs carried forward platters of pork that had been roughly divided into foreleg and hind-leg portions and presented them. Hongli personally used a dagger to cut off a piece. Li Yu announced in a loud voice, “Please, Your Excellencies, partake of the meat!”

Wei Yingluo and the other palace maids stepped forward, each holding a tray. On each tray was a large piece of plain boiled pork, accompanied by a small knife and a piece of cotton paper.

Hongxiao sat cross-legged on his felt cushion, looking down at Wei Yingluo with eyes full of mockery and contempt. Wei Yingluo maintained an extremely humble posture, slightly bending her knees and raising the tray high to offer Hongxiao the knife. Hongxiao scoffed with a sneer, roughly wiped the dagger with the cotton paper, then hacked down forcefully—slice after slice—until the white meat was cut into several pieces. Gravy splashed outward, spattering across Wei Yingluo’s cheek.

Wei Yingluo’s expression remained unchanged, her smile perfectly composed. After Hongxiao finished cutting, she calmly retrieved the knife and cotton paper as if nothing had happened, placed the tray among the others, and returned to the Empress’s side.

Next came the moment for everyone to enjoy the boiled pork. Hongli had just sliced off a piece and was about to eat when Wu Shulai suddenly leaned close and whispered a few words in his ear. Hongli’s face instantly darkened with fury. He slammed the dagger point-first into the table and barked, “Investigate at once!”

Everyone in the hall froze in shock. With a wave of Wu Shulai’s hand, the eunuchs surged forward and forcibly seized the meat from the hands of the assembled ministers for inspection. The officials looked at one another in bewilderment and confusion, then all dropped to their knees in terror.

The eunuch inspecting the white meat on Hongxiao’s tray loudly announced, “Reporting to Your Majesty, it has been found!”

 

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 46: Night Meeting

   The brush tip left ink marks on the snow-white paper; the young girl’s posture as she bent over writing was graceful and beautiful. After watching for a while, the Empress frowned and said: “Yingluo, is something weighing on your mind?”

Wei Yingluo was slightly startled. The words Qingxi had spoken surfaced in her mind: “I’ve found out the true cause of Yingning’s death. Tonight at the third watch, I’ll wait for you in the Imperial Garden. Don’t be late!”

She shook her head and answered: “Reporting to Your Majesty, no.”

The Empress walked up to Wei Yingluo, gently took the brush from her fingertips, and said softly: “If your heart isn’t in it, you won’t write well. Are you feeling unwell?”

A thought stirred in Wei Yingluo’s heart. She took two steps back, curtsied, and said: “Your Majesty, this servant does indeed have something to attend to and must request leave from you!”

At the third watch, moonlight like gauze and mist draped over the tips of the flowering branches.

Qingxi walked along the pebbled path and spotted a familiar figure—it was Wei Yingluo. Seeing that she had come as promised, Qingxi felt relieved, but at the same time a wave of contempt rose in him: After all, she’s just a young girl—letting emotions override reason. Too foolish. He stepped forward and said: “Wei Yingluo!”

The girl turned to look at him, her gaze as cold as a blade. For some reason, Qingxi felt a sudden chill. Then he heard her cry out in feigned panic: “Help! There’s a thief!”

A group of eunuchs rushed out from all directions and immediately pinned Qingxi to the ground. Furious, Qingxi shouted: “How dare you! I am a guard of the Qianqing Gate! Wei Yingluo, have you lost your mind?”

Wei Yingluo ignored him and spoke to the other eunuchs: “Don’t be afraid of him. This man abandoned his post and sneaked into the Imperial Garden in the dead of night with wicked intentions. As long as you don’t beat him to death, you won’t be held accountable!”

Emboldened by her words, the little eunuchs really did beat Qingxi until his face was swollen and bloody. Though he had martial skills, two fists cannot defeat four hands. He could only keep cursing nonstop.

Not far away, lanterns flickered as a group of people hurried over. The leader was dressed in luxurious robes, his expression arrogant and overbearing—it was none other than the haughty Prince Yi, Hongxiao. He strode forward, kicked aside one of the eunuchs, and roared in fury: “Are you blind? Who dares lay a hand on him!”

Wei Yingluo caught sight of Prince Yi, and a faint, cold smile curved her lips.

The group of eunuchs dropped to their knees in a row, trembling as they chorused in unison, “This humble servant greets Prince Yi!”

Wei Yingluo also performed a proper curtsy and offered her greeting, imitating them perfectly.

Hongxiao shot Wei Yingluo a fierce glare, yanked Qingxi over by the collar, and demanded, “What’s going on here?!”

Qingxi was in agony all over, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He pointed accusingly at Wei Yingluo and spat hatefully, “It’s Wei Yingluo! She secretly arranged to meet me in the Imperial Garden—she wanted to seduce me!”

Wei Yingluo gave Qingxi a contemptuous once-over and asked with amusement, “Have you never looked in a mirror your whole life?”

Qingxi touched his grotesquely swollen cheek, hatred burning even hotter in his chest. “Wei Yingluo, I never imagined you could be so vicious. Tonight I came here intending to advise you not to misplace your affections, yet you flew into a rage out of shame, gathered a group of people, and had them beat me! Your Highness, the fact that she arranged to meet me has already been reported to you—you must severely punish this shameless palace maid!”

Hongxiao had been waiting for exactly this moment. He waved his hand and ordered, “Take her!”

Two guards stepped forward to seize her. Wei Yingluo had already prepared herself and was about to speak when a clear, resonant male voice cut through the night:

“What are all of you doing here in the middle of the night?”

Wei Yingluo froze for a moment. She looked toward the source of the voice. Through the path the crowd parted to create, Fuheng walked forward, bathed in moonlight that flowed like water.

Fuheng was looking at her. Instinctively, Wei Yingluo wanted to frown and turn her face away, but she could not afford to arouse his suspicion. She had to meet that irritatingly concerned gaze and return it with a warm, intimate smile of familiarity.

And so she did smile—just like that.

Hongxiao couldn’t quite decide which one he detested more: Wei Yingluo or Fucha Fuheng. His brows knitted tightly as he asked in an unfriendly tone, “Fucha Fuheng, today is not your duty shift. Why are you here?”

Fuheng shifted his gaze away from Wei Yingluo, gave Hongxiao a gentle smile, and replied, “His Majesty was in an excellent mood tonight and decided to enjoy the moonlight in the Imperial Garden. He summoned me for a game of chess. I never expected that, just when things had quieted down, I would hear this commotion disturbing the peace, so I came to see what was happening.”

Hongxiao’s expression changed slightly. “His Majesty is here as well? There’s a palace maid who secretly arranged a rendezvous with a guard. I caught them in the act and was about to hand her over to the Careful Punishment Division. We won’t disturb His Majesty’s enjoyment any longer—take her away!”

Fuheng subtly positioned himself in front of Wei Yingluo. With the same warm, spring-breeze smile still on his face, he said, “His Majesty is just ahead in the pavilion. Prince Yi, since this has already disturbed the imperial presence, it would be best to let His Majesty decide.”

In front of the elegant pavilion knelt a dense crowd of people. Hongli sat on a stone bench cushioned with brocade, placed a black piece on the chessboard, then slowly turned his face and asked in a calm voice, “Well? What’s all this commotion about?” His gaze swept across Wei Yingluo, and his brow furrowed slightly.

There is an old saying: The villain files the complaint first.

   Wei Yingluo watched with perfect composure as Hongxiao hurriedly spoke up: “Your Majesty, this palace maid is outrageously bold. She privately tried to seduce the palace guard Qijia Qingxi. Qijia Qingxi refused her again and again, yet she still arranged to meet him here in the Imperial Garden at the third watch tonight! This slave received the report and could not tolerate such a base person who pollutes the palace with debauchery. The earlier noise was us apprehending this woman. We unintentionally disturbed Your Majesty’s enjoyment—truly a crime deserving ten thousand deaths.”

Hongli looked at Wei Yingluo and asked, “Do you admit your guilt?”

When Fuheng heard Hongli open with a direct question of guilt toward Wei Yingluo, his heart jolted. His hand clenched tightly into a fist inside his sleeve.

Wei Yingluo also felt a chill in her heart. She took a deep, secret breath, raised her head slightly, and answered, “This slave knows nothing of what the Prince has said. I do not know on what basis I should plead guilty.”

Qingxi clutched his swollen face and accused, “If you weren’t here to meet me in secret, why were you in the Imperial Garden at midnight?!”

Wei Yingluo lifted the flower basket at her side with an innocent expression. “The weather is growing warmer, and my mistress does not like the smell of mosquito-repellent herbs. I came to gather night-blooming jasmine. Who would have thought I would run into this lecherous scoundrel? Fortunately, the Empress was considerate and specially assigned several young eunuchs to accompany me to the garden. If this were truly a secret rendezvous, why would I bring so many people along?”

Qingxi argued back, “You brought so many people so you could take revenge on me for rejecting you! You lured me to the Imperial Garden and had them beat me like a thief—that was deliberate retaliation!” At this point, Qingxi swiftly pulled a sheet of rice paper from his bosom and held it high. “Your Majesty, this slave has evidence. This is the letter Wei Yingluo sent someone to deliver to me. Please examine it.”

Hongli, clearly losing interest in the farce, said languidly, “Present it.”

Li Yu unfolded the paper and respectfully offered it to Hongli.

On that snow-white rice paper was written a single line:

“Tonight at the third watch, east gate of Qiongyuan in the Imperial Garden. No seeing, no parting. —Yingluo.”

Hongli read it and flew into a rage. He violently flung the paper into Wei Yingluo’s face:

“What else do you have to say for yourself!”

The paper fluttered lightly down from Wei Yingluo’s face and landed on her knees. The characters were crooked and indeed looked like her handwriting.

Wei Yingluo’s expression was extraordinarily calm. She picked up the paper and said:

“The handwriting does indeed resemble that of this servant, but this servant also has evidence proving this was not written by my hand.”

With that, she took out a stack of papers from her bosom and continued:

“Reporting to Your Majesty: thanks to the gracious favor of the Empress, who personally taught me how to write, though I’m is slow-witted, I dared not disappoint Her Majesty’s painstaking efforts. Over this past month, I have tried every method to practice calligraphy. To compare progress, I deliberately numbered every sheet of practice paper in sequence. This afternoon, this servant discovered that page twenty-eight was missing! Therefore, someone must have stolen my calligraphy…”

Her gaze swept across Qingxi and Hongxiao. She spoke each word distinctly:

“…and framed me with it!”

Qingxi uncomfortably avoided Wei Yingluo’s eyes. Hongxiao gave a sneer:

“You say it’s missing, so it’s missing? I could just as easily say you hid it yourself!”

Wei Yingluo asked calmly and politely:

“May I ask Prince Yi—what kind of paper did I use to write the letter?”

Hongxiao answered impatiently:

“Of course it’s the rice paper you practice on!”

Wei Yingluo replied with utmost respect:

“Your Majesty, Yingluo’s salary is limited; I dare not waste fine rice paper, so I use toilet paper instead—oh, that is to say, plain white cotton paper.”

A faint smile flickered in Fuheng’s eyes. He took the secret letter provided by Qingxi as well as the papers Wei Yingluo had brought out, and respectfully presented them to Hongli for inspection:

“Your Majesty, the paper in the letter provided by Qingxi is pure white, thick, and finely textured—the highest grade of raw Xuan paper produced in Jing County, Anhui. But the sheets Wei has here are merely the most ordinary white cotton paper used in the palace.”

Hongxiao’s face grimed. He still tried to argue:

“This woman is full of cunning. Who’s to say she didn’t deliberately choose a sheet of top-grade raw Xuan paper just to avoid suspicion!”

Wei Yingluo gave a soft sigh, as though somewhat helpless:

“It is not for Yingluo to boast, but Her Majesty the Empress once said that in these one hundred and fifty sheets I have practiced, there has been progress every single day. They feared I would notice, so they dared not touch the most recent ones and instead pulled one from the middle. The twenty-eighth sheet happens to be from exactly one month ago. If we simply compare it with my writing from the last two days, the truth will be immediately obvious.”

The ironclad evidence was overwhelming; further denial was impossible.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Qingxi’s forehead. His body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Suddenly Hongxiao kicked Qingxi hard and roared:

“You filthy cur! How dare you deceive me! Your Majesty, this servant never imagined Qingxi would lie like this. It must have been him—”

“It must have been that Qijia Qingxi tried to seduce me and failed, so he deliberately framed me—is that what you mean, Prince Yi?”

Wei Yingluo smiled sweetly at Qingxi. “Guard Qijia, did you hear clearly? You tried to seduce me and failed, then framed me. If you still don’t know what’s good for you, no one is going to save you.”

The last sentence carried deep meaning.

Qingxi’s face turned deathly pale. Hongxiao was ready to sacrifice the chariot to save the general—how could he not understand? Gritting his teeth, he kowtowed repeatedly:

“Your Majesty! It was Prince Yi who threatened this servant into framing Yingluo! This servant doesn’t know why he wanted to do it, but everything was at his direction. This servant swears to Heaven!”

Hongxiao kicked Qingxi in the chest again, furious:

“Filthy slave! How dare you throw mud at me!”

Wei Yingluo pretended to be astonished:

“It was Prince Yi who ordered you? This servant lives deep in the inner palace and has never even met the Prince. I cannot fathom why His Highness would want to frame this lowly servant. My status is humble; the only thing worth the Prince’s notice is my position as a palace maid of Changchun Palace… Could it be that His Highness the Prince Yi actually intended, by framing this servant, to—”

“Enough.” Hongli suddenly spoke. His voice carried suppressed anger.

The wrath of the Son of Heaven was like thunder. Everyone instantly fell silent.

Hongli said:

“Qingxi has falsely accused a maid of Changchun Palace. He is unfit to serve as a guard of Qianqing Palace. He shall receive one hundred strokes of the cane, be stripped of his post, and investigated! Gag him and drag him away! This matter ends here.”

Before Qingxi could utter another word, the guards stuffed his mouth and hauled him off. Hongxiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The four words “this matter ends here” landed on Wei Yingluo like a thousand pounds each. Unwilling to accept it, she opened her mouth to speak again—but Fuheng reached out and firmly pulled her back, seriously shaking his head at her.

“This matter ends here.” The golden words of the Emperor—who could defy them?

Hongli had seen the little exchange between Wei Yingluo and Fuheng. His displeasure deepened. He said coldly:

“Wei Yingluo, you dare call that terrible scribble of yours calligraphy? And you have the face to claim daily progress! I feel sorry for the Empress on your behalf. Go back and practice one hundred more sheets. If you don’t finish, you’re not allowed to rest!”

Wei Yingluo clenched her teeth, bowed her head, and answered:

“…Yes.”

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 45: The Ant

   Night, Embroidery Workshop.

   Candlelight flickered, illuminating the two people in the room.

Momo Zhang sat on a chair. Wei Yingluo knelt beside her like a grandchild attending to an elder, carefully putting the leather knee pad she had made onto Momo Zhang’s knee.

“Ever since I entered the Forbidden City, I’ve felt like my legs don’t belong to me anymore. Whether it’s on rockeries or gravel paths, the moment I meet a master, I have to kneel. I’m still young and can handle it, but Momo, you can’t. In the future it will definitely cause problems.” Wei Yingluo chattered on, “Try it—doesn’t it feel much more comfortable with this pad on your knee?”

Being cared for and looked after like this—even if what was wrapped around her knee was just a bundle of weeds—Momo Zhang would still feel warmth deep in her heart. She smiled and said, “Very good. Your hands are getting more and more skillful.”

The knee pad was sewn by Wei Yingluo herself. She was clever with her hands and had chosen good leather, but she still wasn’t fully satisfied. Looking at it somewhat critically, she said, “I saw how the eunuchs wear them. It’s just a pity I couldn’t find better leather. When I get hold of some really good material later, I’ll make you a new one.”

Momo Zhang sighed softly. “Yingluo…”

“What is it?” Wei Yingluo looked at her.

Momo Zhang hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. “Snowball is obviously pure white all over. Why did you deliberately pick out one with a flaw to hand over?”

Wei Yingluo never hid anything from her. While changing the knee pad for Momo Zhang, she had already casually recounted everything she had done that day.

“Because Imperial Guard Soulun and Fucha Fuheng are good friends!” Naturally she wouldn’t hide the rest either. Wei Yingluo smiled and said, “Soulun is careless and rough, but Fucha Fuheng is very clever. He’ll definitely notice very quickly that I tampered with it. Within a few days, he’ll surely come find me.”

“You deliberately put on that act in front of him?” Why? Old ginger is still the spiciest. After a moment’s thought, Momo Zhang arrived at the answer. “Earlier you acted on impulse and gave him that doctored pig bladder. Although you got away with it at the time, he must have started to suspect afterward! How do you make him drop his suspicions? The only way is to stage a little play—make him think you have a kind heart, that you’re someone who can’t even bear to harm a small animal.”

“Momo, am I very bad?” Wei Yingluo rested her cheek against her knee and murmured, “But to avenge my sister and make things right, I can only be the bad one.”

“If you were a bad person, you wouldn’t have saved Noble Lady Yu three times over, even going so far as to oppose Noble Consort Hui.” Momo Zhang sighed and gently stroked her hair. “If you were a bad person, you wouldn’t have made a nest for Snowball and even saved your own food to give to it.”

Wei Yingluo: “I was just using even a dog to get myself out of there.”

This silly child! Momo Zhang couldn’t help but laugh. “If you were truly a bad person, you wouldn’t be so hung up about it. If you really wanted to be a villain, you’d have to be thoroughly bad—cut the grass and remove the roots, never show mercy or softness. Learn from Noble Consort Hui!”

Chuxiu Palace.

   Concubine Jia knelt on the ground.

How long had she been kneeling? She couldn’t remember anymore. She only felt that her two knees no longer belonged to her. Sweat dripped from her forehead, pattering onto the floor.

“That damned girl has ruined my plans time and time again, yet the Empress keeps protecting her.” Noble Consort Hui’s voice sounded from above her, coolly saying, “I have to consider my position and can’t dispose of her casually. Tell me, what’s the best way to deal with her and let me vent my anger?”

Concubine Jia’s mind raced. Finally, she gritted her teeth and uttered one name: “Prince Yi!”

“Him?” Noble Consort Hui’s tone carried disdain. “That useless man—what can he do?”

“He is, after all, a legitimate prince of the blood.” When it came to plotting against others, Concubine Jia had a natural talent. She immediately smiled with confidence. “Although Prince Yi’s household is no longer as powerful as before, he still holds an iron-cap Prince title.”

Noble Consort Hui said nothing, seemingly waiting for her to continue.

“This proper imperial clansman is now merely a Guard of the Qianqing Gate—he didn’t even make it to an Imperial Guard. He must be seething inside!” Concubine Jia analyzed for her. “Right now he’s extremely close with young Master Gao, and he’s counting on you to promote him, so he’s doing everything he can to curry favor! If you have any instructions, he would surely be delighted to carry them out…”

Noble Consort Hui’s voice finally warmed a little: “But he is still a Qianqing Gate Guard. There are too many eyes watching—his hands can’t easily reach into the inner palace!”

Concubine Jia breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she had survived another hurdle, though her face remained respectful. “To strike a snake, you must hit its vital point. This servant has already sent people to inquire at the embroidery workshop and discovered that Wei Yingluo once had an entanglement with a certain guard…”

“Oh?” Noble Consort Hui was slightly surprised. She sat up straighter. “What is that guard’s name?”

…

“Fucha Fuheng!”

In the Guard Station, Fucha Fuheng turned around and saw his friend Hailancha sauntering toward him.

“What’s wrong?” Hailancha waved a hand in front of his face. “Didn’t sleep well last night? You look completely distracted.”

Fuheng indeed hadn’t slept well. The moment he closed his eyes, he saw a snow-white slender wrist, bearing only his own red mark.

In reality he was so restrained, yet in his dreams he was utterly unrestrained—exactly as she wished, and exactly as he himself desired—he had pressed his lips to it…

He shook his head, trying to dispel those heart-fluttering images, and asked, “What do you need me for?”

“Can’t I look for you without a reason?” After saying this, Hailancha suddenly gave a meaningful glance in one direction and lowered his voice. “That fellow has been unusually diligent lately—not diligent at work, but diligent at chasing palace maids…”

Fuheng looked over and saw a sharp-faced, monkey-cheeked man standing not far away, exuding an extremely arrogant demeanor. He was whispering closely with a palace maid, their heads almost touching—impossible to tell what secrets they were exchanging.

“Prince Yi!”

The other man started, turned his head. “Fucha Fuheng?”

The palace maid beside him, seeing someone arrive—especially someone as important as Fucha Fuheng—immediately paled with fright, hurriedly curtsied, and scurried away with her head lowered.

“Is this palace maid an acquaintance of the Prince?” Fuheng asked with a smile.

“Not really.” Prince Yi laughed. “A few days ago I lost a fan here and was just asking if she had seen it.”

“Oh?” Fuheng looked at him appraisingly. “Is that so?”

“Or else what?” Prince Yi’s expression immediately darkened. He let out a cold snort. “Don’t tell me you actually suspect that I, a proper prince of the blood, would have some illicit affair with a palace maid?”

Without any evidence, even though he harbored suspicions in his heart, Fuheng could only shake his head at this moment: “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Hmph, ‘wouldn’t dare’ is the right answer!” Prince Yi assumed the full airs of a prince, speaking to Fuheng the way a superior scolds a subordinate, jutting his chin toward him. “I inherited my title at nine years old. I am an iron-cap Prince of the Great Qing, entitled to hereditary succession without replacement. And who are you? Don’t think that just because you have the Emperor’s favor, you can disregard me!”

With that, without waiting for Fuheng to respond, he flicked his sleeve and stormed off.

“Once I’ve successfully completed the task Noble Consort sent me and gained her support, let’s see if you can still strut around in front of me!” On the road, Prince Yi still felt indignant and resentful, thinking how unjust the ways of heaven were—that a petty villain like Fucha Fuheng could actually rise to prominence. “But really, Noble Consort is something else… making such a fuss and giving endless warnings about such a trivial matter… Qingxi!”

In the duty room, Qingxi was just preparing to go out and take over the next shift of guards when someone suddenly walked in. He was slightly startled, unsure why this person was looking for him, but he still respectfully greeted: “Qingxi pays respects to Prince Yi.”

Prince Yi (Hongxiao) was quite satisfied with his attitude—this was exactly how inferiors ought to behave in the presence of a prince like him. He pulled the man aside a few steps to a quiet, unoccupied corner and smiled: “Qingxi, I hear you’ve been scheming lately to get a promotion!”

Qingxi gave him a strange look. Where did he get that information? The two of them had never had much contact—what was he digging into this for? So he carefully replied: “Your Highness must be joking. Right now I’m only a second-rank guard. Who wouldn’t want to become a first-rank one?”

Hongxiao seemed to have been waiting for exactly this response. He immediately burst into laughter, then got straight to the point: “If I were to put in a word of recommendation, it naturally wouldn’t be difficult.”

Though he was a prince whose family fortunes had declined, an iron-cap prince was still an iron-cap prince. As he said, if he opened his mouth to speak on the matter, things would indeed become much easier—except…

“Your Highness is truly willing to help me?” Qingxi knew there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. The other party wasn’t a relative or close friend—his willingness to help must mean he wanted something. “If Your Highness is truly willing to say a few good words for me in front of the Minister of the Imperial Guards, then even if it means climbing mountains of blades or seas of fire, Qingxi would be willing to do it for Your Highness.”

“No need for you to climb mountains of blades or cross seas of fire.” Hongxiao smiled slyly. “I just need you to help me crush a tiny little ant to death…”

“Oh? May I ask Your Highness, what is the name of that ant?”

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 44: Disposition

“Woof woof, woof woof!”

Li Yu pressed down with his hand, forcing both the barking and the snow-white dog head that had poked out of the basket back inside.

“Guard Soulun.” He shoved the basket into the hands of the guard before him. “By His Majesty’s order, dispose of this dog.”

After watching him leave, Hailancha spat. “What ‘His Majesty’s order’? It’s eight parts your idea. Afraid Noble Consort Hui will settle accounts with you later, so you dump this rotten job on me! Damn dog that’ll never have descendants!”

In front of the chief eunuch, he hadn’t dared complain, but the moment the man was gone, he started cursing under his breath.

“Guard Soulun.”

Hailancha jumped. “Who? Who’s eavesdropping on me?”

A young woman in yellow palace attire stepped out from around the corner. Hearing his words, she paused slightly. “I only just arrived. Did you say something just now?”

Seeing her expression didn’t seem feigned, Hailancha finally relaxed. Then he gave a curious hum, finding her face somewhat familiar. “You’re… the one from last time at Yonghe Palace…”

“I am a palace maid from Changchun Palace—Wei Yingluo,” she introduced herself.

“I remember you.” Hailancha laughed. “You really don’t hold back, do you? Even without guards showing up, you could’ve killed that little eunuch all by yourself.”

“It was a matter of self-preservation—I had no choice. Please forgive me.” Wei Yingluo smiled faintly, refusing to linger on the topic. She went straight to the point: “I came today because Snowball injured Noble Lady Yu, ruined Her Majesty’s banquet, and got me punished as well. I want to take this dog back with me.”

“Oh?” Hailancha raised an eyebrow. “And what do you plan to do with it?”

Wei Yingluo smiled sweetly, her expression as gentle as a spring breeze, yet the words that followed were as sharp and cold as an east wind in winter: “Naturally, I’ll first vent my anger on it, then slaughter it, skin it, and send the pelt to you—so you can report back to those above.”

“You, a young lady—can you really bring yourself to do it?” Hailancha asked. But even as he spoke, the answer formed in his own mind: of course she could. If she could be that ruthless toward a person, she could certainly do the same to a dog. After a brief hesitation, he handed over the basket. “Fine, then it’s yours! But if anyone asks about it later…”

Wei Yingluo reached out and took the basket. Understanding his unspoken worry, she said, “Rest assured, my lord. Yingluo will keep her mouth shut and won’t make things difficult for you.”

Only then did Hailancha let go, allowing her to carry the basket away.

He watched until Wei Yingluo’s figure disappeared at the mouth of the corridor. Only then did he exhale heavily and lean against a pillar. “Phew… finally rid of this miserable task…”

“Hailancha!”

“Who is it now?” Hailancha spun around in alarm. What was going on today? Why did it feel like everyone was eavesdropping on him?

A figure stepped out from behind the pillar—dressed in the same guard uniform as Hailancha, with an identical sword at the waist. Yet in comparison, his bearing was far more refined and noble, like a flower blooming in the height of a prosperous era.

It was none other than Fucha Fuheng.

“You’ve got some nerve,” Fuheng said, his expression dark. “To actually pass off a task His Majesty entrusted to you onto a mere little palace maid.”

“Look at what you’re saying.” Hailancha hurriedly denied it. “I didn’t force it on her—she asked for it herself.”

“You could have refused,” Fuheng said, frowning even deeper. “You didn’t refuse because you’re afraid that once Noble Consort Hui comes to her senses, she’ll come after you for the crime of killing her beloved pet…”

“Yeah, exactly. Noble Consort Hui can’t do anything to His Majesty, but she can certainly make life hell for a lowly guard like me, can’t she?” Hailancha spread his hands, admitting it openly in front of his friend. “Women are terrifying when they get angry—especially women with power.”

“Then why did you still push the job onto Wei Yingluo?” Fuheng asked, a trace of anger in his voice.

“She’s a maid from Changchun Palace. Changchun Palace and Chuxiu Palace have always been enemies—adding one more grudge won’t matter! But come to think of it…” Hailancha looked thoughtfully at the handsome man before him. “You seem awfully concerned about her. Getting angry with me over her…”

Fuheng’s heart skipped. He turned his face away. “It’s nothing like that… I just don’t think a young girl like her can really bring herself to do something so ruthless. In the end, the job would just come back to you anyway.”

A few days later, Wei Yingluo sought out Hailancha once again and pressed a snow-white pelt into his hands.

“This is…” Hailancha looked at the fur, then at her. “You really killed it?”

“Of course.” Wei Yingluo gave a soft smile. “First I beat it, then killed it, skinned it, and brought the pelt to you to report back with. The rest of the meat I originally wanted to send to the Imperial Tea and Food Bureau, but they said that before the Qing entered the Pass, the Banner people lived by hunting and kept company with hunting dogs. From the time of Taizu, a rule was established: dog meat is forbidden. Even though we were ordered to kill Snowball now, it is still not allowed to be eaten, so I had no choice but to bury it.”

Even a grown man like Hailancha felt a chill run down his back upon hearing this. He hurriedly said, “Enough, enough. I’ll keep the dog skin. You go back to Changchun Palace to attend to the Empress.”

Wei Yingluo complied readily, curtsied to him, and turned to head back to Changchun Palace.

The moment her figure disappeared, Hailancha turned around and tossed the dog skin in his hand toward the pillar opposite him.

A hand reached out from behind the pillar and caught the pelt.

“You still said she wouldn’t dare kill it.” Hailancha folded his arms and laughed toward the other person. “Look at that—she’s far more ruthless and merciless than either of us.”

Fuheng’s brows were tightly furrowed as he lowered his head to look at the pelt in his hands.

“If I ever want to find a woman in the future, I definitely won’t dare choose someone this cruel and heartless. Otherwise, if I take a concubine outside, when I come home I’m afraid what waits for me won’t be hot food and soup, but a kitchen knife… Ouch! Where are you going?” Hailancha called after Fuheng’s retreating back.

Fuheng ignored him, tossed the pelt back to Hailancha with a flick of his hand, and strode off in the direction Wei Yingluo had gone.

Whether it was because he moved quickly, or because she walked slowly, or perhaps because she deliberately waited for him, within moments he had caught up to her.

He reached out and grabbed her arm. Fuheng asked coldly, “Why did you deceive Hailancha?”

Wei Yingluo turned around, looking at him with some surprise. “Young Master, what are you talking about?”

“Wei Yingluo, stop pretending!” Fuheng unconsciously tightened his grip. “The piece of dog skin you sent had a black spot near the tail, but I remember Snowball was pure white all over! Why did you use a fake pelt to fool Hailancha into reporting back? Who told you to do this? Are you trying to frame him?”

It was no wonder Fuheng thought this way. The palace was full of deceit and intrigue—sometimes a single wrong word or a misplaced dish could doom a person to a lifetime of hardship or even ruin.

Hailancha was his friend. He could not stand by and watch him fall into a trap.

Time passed second by second. He received no explanation from Wei Yingluo. She simply looked up at him, a layer of mist gradually gathering in her eyes.

“Woof!”

A bark broke the silence between them.

Fuheng followed the sound. Amid the swaying leaves, a snow-white dog head poked out and barked twice in their direction.

“Snowball?” Fuheng was stunned.

The little dog that was supposed to have been dealt with—how was it still alive?

Snowball wriggled out from the foliage, trotting over on its short legs, barking all the way until it reached Wei Yingluo’s feet. A long rope still trailed from its neck.

“You naughty child. If you’re not going to stay properly in the room, why are you running around everywhere?” Wei Yingluo sighed, then said to Fuheng, “…Could you let go of my hand?”

Fuheng let out an “ah” and quickly released his fingers.

But five red fingerprints remained on her snow-white wrist like brands, as though a selfish man had stamped his mark on the woman he desired.

With a complicated look in his eyes, he watched her play with Snowball, even taking some treats from the small pouch she carried and feeding them to it. Suddenly Fuheng asked, “You’re keeping it?”

“Mm.” Wei Yingluo gave a soft reply. “Dogs don’t distinguish right from wrong. They only know how to obey their master. If the master tells it to guard the house, it guards. If the master tells it to harm someone, it harms.”

Fuheng said nothing more. He simply lowered his head and looked at the girl and the dog, the suspicion in his eyes slowly melting away like winter snow under spring wind.

“…Young Master, is there anything else?” Wei Yingluo suddenly looked up at him. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take it back now, before anyone sees…”

Maybe I’ll have to accuse her of the crime of deceiving the Emperor.

Fuheng’s heart skipped a beat. Almost without thinking, the words slipped out of his mouth: “Give it to me.”

Wei Yingluo was stunned for a moment. The next second, like a protective mother cow, she clutched Snowball tightly to her chest.

“…I’m not going to dispose of it.” Fuheng seemed to guess what she was thinking. With a wry smile, he said, “The Forbidden City isn’t that big. Sooner or later someone will find it, and when that happens, you’ll be guilty of deceiving the Emperor… It would be better if I take it out of the palace and find a good family to adopt it.”

What pleased him was that Wei Yingluo seemed to trust him completely. After he said this, the tension left her brow. She reluctantly stroked Snowball a few times, then gently handed it over to him, saying softly, “Thank you, Young Master.”

Fuheng took Snowball from her hands, but his gaze couldn’t help falling on the red mark on her wrist.

“…I’ll send some medicine over to you later,” he said with a trace of guilt.

“It’s not some serious injury. Not even the skin is broken—just a little red. A puff of breath and it’ll cool down.” Perhaps because the Snowball issue had been resolved, Wei Yingluo was in an excellent mood. She actually teased him for once, then brought her own wrist up in front of her face and blew on it. Suddenly she lifted her eyes, blinked at him mischievously and said, “Why is the Young Master staring at me like that? Are you thinking of blowing on it for me?”

With that, she stretched out her hand. A section of snow-white, jade-like wrist was presented right in front of Fuheng—only the distance of a kiss from his lips.

Fuheng was so startled he took several steps back. His cheeks visibly reddened. He hurriedly lowered his head and said, “Time is short. I’ll go take care of Snowball first…”

Wei Yingluo’s laughter followed behind him. Fuheng walked away even faster, feeling both annoyed and puzzled. How many times had he met her now? And how many times had he fled in embarrassment from her presence?

Clearly, with one hand he could kill ten of her…

Yet in the end, the victor was always…

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 43: Chaos of the Lychees

One after another, dishes made from lychees were carried to the tables like a flowing stream.

There were lychee shrimp balls, deep-fried lychee-stuffed eggs, fresh lychee cold-mixed roast duck, crimson lychee rolls, lychee pork meatballs, and more. The Empress ladled up a spoonful of clear white soup. Floating in the broth was a single snow-white lychee along with a few bright red goji berries—white touched with red, like one or two red plum blossoms drifting through snow. It was utterly charming.

“Empress, this is ‘Snow Amid Red Plum Blossoms,’ specially prepared by the imperial kitchen,” Erqing explained upon noticing her curiosity. “Lychees are prone to causing internal heat, so they were first soaked in warm saltwater, and goji berries were deliberately added to balance it.”

“The Tea and Meal Bureau has truly put thought into this. Just the presentation alone is exceptionally elegant,” the Empress said with a smile. “Your Majesty, please try it.”

Hongli seemed distracted, his gaze wandering around the crowd as though searching for someone among the faces. Only when the “Snow Amid Red Plum Blossoms” was placed before him did he offer the Empress a faint smile. “The Empress has been most considerate.”

A flicker of jealousy passed through Noble Consort Hui’s eyes. Toying with her tortoiseshell nail guard, she smiled and said, “Lychee dishes are quite ordinary—after all, dried lychees are sent as tribute every year. But once seasonings are added, the flavor changes completely! Those who truly know how to enjoy lychees are most interested in fresh ones. Empress, weren’t you going to personally pick the lychees today? Why hasn’t there been any movement yet?”

The Empress also found it strange. By this time, the lychee trees should already have been brought in—yet there was still no sign of them.

“Speaking of which, who exactly is in charge of this matter…?” Noble Consort Hui gave a meaningful smile. “Ah, now I remember—it’s that palace maid named Wei Yingluo, isn’t it?”

Hongli’s hand, which had just picked up a piece of lychee flesh, suddenly paused.

The Empress did not notice. She merely frowned at Noble Consort Hui’s smile. After so many years of rivalry, the Empress could claim to be the person in the world who understood Noble Consort Hui best. That smile clearly carried ill intent. What was she planning? What could she possibly do?

“It’s getting rather late,” Hongli suddenly spoke up. “Have that palace maid… Wei Yingluo bring the lychee trees in.”

The Empress was startled. Though a sense of unease rose in her heart, since the Emperor had already given the order, how could she openly contradict him in public? She could only say, “Where is Yingluo? Have her bring the lychee trees forward.”

The command was passed down, yet no one appeared for a long time.

Gradually, murmurs of discussion began to spread.

“My, my—what nerve that Wei Yingluo has, making so many people and even His Majesty wait for a mere servant,” Noble Consort Hui said, her smile deepening. “Only in the Empress’s palace could such a subordinate be raised. Hehe.”

The Empress’s brows knitted tightly. From what she knew of Wei Yingluo, the girl would never deliberately cause such a scene or show disrespect to so many high-ranking ladies—what benefit could there possibly be for her in that? Something unexpected must have happened.

From the corner of her eye she glanced at Noble Consort Hui and saw the other woman wearing the expression of someone waiting to watch a good show. A chill ran through the Empress’s heart: “I’m afraid this matter has something to do with her…”

The Empress wanted to smooth the situation over somehow, but the arrow was already on the string—it had to be loosed. So many eyes were watching her: the Emperor, Noble Consort Hui, Concubine Jia… all waiting for her response.

How should she reply…?

“Your Highness!” Just as the Empress was at her wits’ end, Erqing’s voice suddenly sounded close to her ear. “It’s Wei Yingluo! She’s here!”

Wei Yingluo had arrived?

Everyone turned to look, all eager to see what this audacious palace maid actually looked like.

At first glance, her clothing and appearance were no different from any other palace maid.

At the second glance, however, she seemed utterly unlike all the others.

That appearance… was simply too striking.

Her breath was fragrant like orchid, her purity like a lotus bud. Not to mention ordinary palace maids—even among the carefully selected consorts, few could compare with her in looks. The Empress must have a truly bold heart to keep such a beauty by her side—did she not fear the Emperor would take notice?

By comparison, the woman supported by Wei Yingluo seemed dimmed and colorless, withered like a flower past its bloom. The only thing that could rival Wei Yingluo was perhaps the robe she wore—the garment of a mistress.

“Noble Lady Yu, why have you come?” the Empress asked in surprise.

The woman being helped forward by Wei Yingluo was none other than Noble Lady Yu, who should have been resting and nurturing her pregnancy in Yonghe Palace.

She smiled at the Empress. “Your Ladyship is hosting a banquet—how could this concubine possibly be absent? Since Your Ladyship is so considerate, this concubine must not be lazy.”

Hongli’s gaze slowly shifted from Wei Yingluo’s face to Noble Lady Yu’s. “Noble Lady Yu, has your illness improved?”

Noble Lady Yu quickly curtsied to him. “Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. This concubine’s spirit has already improved greatly.”

“That’s good. You must take good care of your health and not let the Empress worry and tire herself on your account.” Hongli nodded. “Sit.”

Only then did Noble Lady Yu take her seat. As she sat down, she exchanged a knowing glance with Wei Yingluo.

Almost at the same moment, Noble Consort Hui and Concubine Jia exchanged a similar glance. Concubine Jia spoke up: “Your Ladyship the Empress, when will we begin picking the lychees? This concubine has been craving them and is eagerly waiting to taste the fresh ones—full of color, fragrance, and flavor!”

The Empress was momentarily taken aback. Her worried gaze turned toward Wei Yingluo.

“We have kept the mistresses waiting too long,” Wei Yingluo replied with a reassuring smile, then called out loudly, “Bring it forward!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, two eunuchs together carried in a wooden barrel. A large piece of red silk was draped high over it, covering the lychee tree completely from top to bottom.

“Your Ladyship the Empress.” Wei Yingluo presented a tray on which lay a pair of golden scissors. “Please do the honors of picking them yourself.”

The Empress had already sensed that something unusual was afoot. For a moment she couldn’t think of how to respond, but she trusted Wei Yingluo—she believed the other woman had already devised a way to handle it. So she smiled, accepted the golden scissors, and walked step by step toward the barrel. Then she slowly reached out and lifted the red silk…

“Woof!”

The Empress startled backward a step. When she saw clearly what was beneath, she was left speechless: “This… this is…”

Under the red silk, the lychee tree’s branches and leaves were wilted and sparse; hardly any fruit remained on the branches. Most of the lychees had fallen into the mud in the basin below. On closer inspection, the trunk was covered in deep scratch marks. The culprit was obviously…

Everyone’s eyes turned in unison toward the snowball-like white furball beneath the tree.

As if sensing the unfriendly stares, the furball barked a few more times—” Woof woof!”—then swiftly leaped down from the basin and dashed straight toward Noble Consort Hui.

“Ah!!” Noble Lady Yu suddenly let out a piercing scream. She frantically clung to Wei Yingluo’s arm and shrank behind her. “Don’t come near! Don’t bite me—don’t bite me!”

She cried out so heart-wrenchingly, as though the dog’s teeth had already sunk into her throat and were tearing at her flesh.

Hongli glanced at her. “Someone—catch that dog.”

The eunuchs rushed forward, grabbing and wrestling until they finally secured the little furball. Clearly spoiled and unaccustomed to such rough treatment, it whimpered pitifully a few times, then turned in one direction and barked furiously.

“Be gentler with it…” Noble Consort Hui’s face was unpleasant as she looked toward Hongli. “Your Majesty…”

Before she could plead on behalf of the furball, Noble Lady Yu burst into anguished sobs: “Noble Consort Hui, once was not enough—so you had to do it a second time? Are you truly determined to take this my life?”

Hongli frowned. “What is going on here?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty.” While gently patting Noble Lady Yu on the back, Wei Yingluo replied with perfect deference, “One month ago in the Imperial Garden, this dog named Snowball suddenly rushed out and frightened Noble Lady Yu. Since no one was injured at the time, the Empress, in her magnanimity, did not pursue the matter. But poor Noble Lady Yu has suffered ever since—she could only fall asleep each night after drinking calming soup. Today her spirits had just begun to improve a little, and yet she encountered it again!”

“Insolent slave!” Noble Consort Hui snapped sharply. “What do you mean by saying that? Are you implying that I ordered that beast to frighten someone?”

To protect herself, she no longer called Snowball her “little darling” and had downgraded it to “little beast.”

“This servant would not dare.” Wei Yingluo lowered her head. “This servant is merely speaking the truth.”

Suddenly, Noble Lady Yu broke free from her embrace and threw herself at Hongli’s feet, sobbing, “Your Majesty, save me! Save this concubine, please! If this continues, this concubine will not be able to endure—I will end up with one corpse and two lives lost!”

Hongli lowered his gaze to look at her, like a god or Buddha in a temple hall looking down upon a mortal prostrating on the ground.

“Come, help Noble Lady up,” he said slowly. “Rest assured—this matter, We will decide for you.”

“Your Majesty!” Noble Consort Hui hurriedly interjected. “Surely you do not truly believe her nonsense? Look carefully at that lychee tree—it was clearly scalded to death by boiling water, yet she insists it was scratched to death by a dog…”

Scalded to death by boiling water?

A thought flashed through the Empress’s mind: Oh? You didn’t even examine the lychee tree closely—how do you know it was scalded by boiling water? I’m afraid it was you who secretly ordered someone to do it.

“Noble Consort Hui!” The Empress gave her no chance to explain further and immediately spoke sternly. “You have repeatedly disturbed Noble Lady Yu—was that not enough? Today, at my Lychee Banquet, you deliberately caused trouble and nearly frightened Noble Lady Yu again. What exactly are your intentions?”

“Snowball is usually very well-behaved and has never caused any trouble!” Noble Consort Hui gritted her teeth. “This time, I fear someone deliberately framed me and used it to slander me!”

“Framed?” The Empress shook her head. “That vicious dog attacked Noble Lady Yu in the Imperial Garden last time. Today it didn’t bite anyone—it went straight for the Fujian tribute, the gift His Majesty specially sent to me!”

Noble Consort Hui was rendered speechless.

If not for the prior incident in the Imperial Garden, people might still have believed her.

But with an established history of assault, how could such a vicious dog possibly be as docile and trouble-free as she claimed?

“Noble Consort.” Hongli’s indifferent gaze swept over her. “Do you have anything else to say in your defense?”

In the palace, to survive—and to survive well—one must learn to read people’s expressions, especially the Emperor’s.

Noble Consort Hui dropped to her knees with a thud before Hongli and cried, “It’s all that beast Snowball’s fault—I will surely skin it alive when we return…”

“When tigers and rhinos escape their cages, when tortoise shells and jade are ruined inside their cases—who is to blame?” Hongli suddenly interrupted her.

“When tigers and rhinos escape their cages, when tortoise shells and fine jade are destroyed in their boxes, naturally it is the fault of the one entrusted with their care.” Wei Yingluo suddenly knelt at the side. “Today, while the lychee tree was being transported, Snowball kept darting back and forth underfoot. But because it is Noble Consort Your Highness’s beloved dog, the servants did not dare drive it away. As a result, this incident occurred—it was the servants’ failure to keep proper watch. We are willing to accept punishment! However…”

Her peripheral vision swept across Noble Lady Yu, who was crying like a tear-soaked figure, and she continued in a low voice, “This servant boldly asks one question on Noble Lady Yu’s behalf: the ones who were supposed to guard the lychees have already been punished—so what about the one who destroyed the lychees?”

“Insolent!” Concubine Jia slammed the table and stood up. “This is no place for a mere slave like you to speak!”

“…She is asking for me.” Noble Lady Yu let out a faint, mournful sigh. She lifted her tear-streaked face. While other women grew rounder during pregnancy, she alone had not gained any weight—her cheeks had even sunk inward, making her look almost like a walking skeleton. “This concubine also wants to know—does this palace still have any place left for me?”

For a moment, Concubine Jia was speechless.

“Her Majesty the Empress is merciful, His Majesty is merciful—please forgive this servant’s rudeness!” Wei Yingluo spoke boldly. “Noble Lady Yu carries the imperial heir and holds a precious status; the lychees are annual tribute from Fujian, personally bestowed by the Son of Heaven; Her Majesty the Empress is magnanimous and tolerant, yet her position is supremely honorable and cannot tolerate repeated provocations! Every single incident traces back to Snowball, but after all, that vicious dog is merely an animal—it knows neither etiquette nor rules. If blame must be assigned, blame its owner, who neither disciplines nor restrains it, allowing it to cause trouble again and again! This servant ventures to beg His Majesty to render holy judgment!”

Hongli gazed down at the woman kneeling before him for a long moment, then slowly turned his head. His voice was calm and light, yet carried an lofty, undeniable authority:

“Noble Consort Hui.”

There was no joy in that tone, no anger, no reproach—yet Noble Consort Hui’s body trembled faintly.

“…Yes. Snowball was not properly disciplined,” Noble Consort Hui said, clenching her fists. Suddenly she called out, “Concubine Jia! Come here at once and beg forgiveness from His Majesty!”

Sacrifice the chariot to save the general!

   The same phrase flashed through everyone’s mind.

Including Concubine Jia’s.

She inwardly groaned, knowing there was no escaping this. After all, she had been the one to suggest the plan to Noble Consort Hui—and she was the one who had botched it.

“Your Majesty, it is all my fault,” Concubine Jia rose and knelt before Hongli. “Noble Consort Your Highness was worried that Snowball’s unruly nature might ruin Her Majesty the Empress’s banquet, so she specially instructed this concubine to keep a close watch on it. It was this concubine’s carelessness that led to such an incident—Noble Consort Your Highness bears no responsibility at all! If Your Majesty must punish someone, punish this concubine!”

Hongli tapped his fingers lightly on the table. He didn’t entirely believe Concubine Jia’s words, but Noble Consort Hui had powerful backing; it was impossible to severely punish her over a few trees. Letting the punishment fall on Concubine Jia would satisfy everyone, so he said indifferently:

“The lychee trees are annual tribute from Fujian, transported thousands of miles to the capital. I personally presented them to the Empress so that she might be delighted. Yet because of your negligence, all My effort has gone to waste. Now is not the time to beg My forgiveness—you should be apologizing to the Empress!”

“Yes!” Concubine Jia gritted her teeth, shuffled forward on her knees two steps, and kowtowed heavily to the Empress. “This concubine is incompetent and failed to restrain it properly. I beg Her Majesty the Empress to forgive my crime!”

Having caused such a major disaster, how could a few light words earn forgiveness?

Seeing that the Empress remained silent, Concubine Jia had no choice but to continue kowtowing. For a time the banquet fell utterly quiet, with nothing to be heard except the repeated thud of her forehead striking the floor.

“…Enough.” After dozens of kowtows, the Empress finally spoke. “I have merely lost one banquet, but Noble Lady Yu suffered a severe fright! If things had gone wrong and the imperial heir had been harmed, how would you make amends?”

This was demanding that she not only kowtow to the Empress, but also to Noble Lady Yu and admit fault.

A wave of humiliation surged through Concubine Jia. Kowtowing to the Empress was one thing—after all, she was the mistress of the Inner Palace, and everyone had to bow lower before her. But what was Noble Lady Yu? Did she deserve to have Concubine Jia kneel before her?

   “What?” The Empress said coldly. “Do you harbor resentment in your heart and refuse to admit your wrong?”

“…I dare not.” The situation was stronger than the person. With things having reached this point, Concubine Jia could only grit her teeth and kowtow in Noble Lady Yu’s direction. “Noble Lady Yu, due to a moment’s negligence, I nearly caused a grave disaster. I beg your magnanimity to forgive this older sister this once!”

Once that kowtow landed, it was like spilled water—impossible to take back.

From this day forward, everyone in the palace with even a shred of inside information would know: Concubine Jia had knelt and kowtowed to Noble Lady Yu.

Noble Lady Yu looked at the woman kneeling before her. Her words seemed directed at her, yet also at Noble Consort Hui standing behind her:

“I only hope that you truly repent and will never again indulge a vicious beast in harming others!”

“Woof woof, woof woof!” Snowball seemed to think someone had mentioned it and began barking loudly.

“Enough. I no longer wish to see this dog!” Hongli cast a disgusted glance at it and delivered the final verdict. “Concubine Jia was negligent for a moment and caused a great calamity. She is demoted to Noble Lady and confined to her palace for three months! Noble Consort Hui, as the principal of the Chuxiu Palace, is incapable of managing her people—and equally incapable of managing her dog. She is utterly incompetent. She is fined one year’s stipend and shall reflect properly behind closed doors!”

With that, unwilling to witness any more of the women’s scheming and backstabbing, he flicked his sleeve and departed.

Wei Yingluo couldn’t help but wonder if it was her imagination, but just before he left, Hongli seemed to glance back at her once. That look was exceedingly complex, and Wei Yingluo couldn’t quite decipher its meaning.

Once Hongli departed, the remaining guests also lost interest and began to feel the urge to leave. The Empress saw this and did not insist they stay. After offering a few more cups of wine, she brought the now completely off-topic lychee banquet to an end.

As the music faded and the guests dispersed, Noble Lady Yu stayed behind.

Knowing she had something to say, the Empress arranged a small separate table with a few plates of fruit, snacks, and tea. Smiling, she said to her, “Why did you come today? Weren’t you supposed to be resting and recovering in Yonghe Palace?”

“Resting” was merely an excuse; both women understood the real reason. Noble Lady Yu had been avoiding coming because she feared running into Noble Consort Hui.

“It was Yingluo who persuaded me to come,” Noble Lady Yu said, gently stroking her slightly swollen belly with a smile. “She convinced me that the more I fear Noble Consort Hui, the more she will torment me. Even if not for my own sake, I should at least stand up for Concubine Yi and get some justice for her… Even if my own voice carries little weight, adding this child to it should be just barely enough…”

The two chatted idly about family matters for a while. Perhaps due to her pregnancy, Noble Lady Yu soon showed signs of fatigue on her face. Seeing this, the Empress instructed Erqing to escort her back to her palace to rest. Once she had left, Yingluo suddenly dropped to her knees beside the Empress with a thud.

“This servant acted without authorization. I beg Her Majesty the Empress to forgive my offense.”

Yet the Empress showed no trace of blame. Instead, she reached out affectionately and lightly tapped her forehead with one finger. “You, you… to think you could come up with such an idea. Noble Consort Hui used Snowball to frighten Noble Lady Yu back then. Settling that unsettled debt today isn’t exactly unjust to her.”

Wei Yingluo replied with utmost sincerity, “For this servant to accept punishment is a small matter. But Noble Consort Hui and Concubine Jia’s actions were intended to make Your Highness lose all face—how could I allow them to succeed? It is true that this servant failed in her duty and the lychees were ruined—that is no small offense. But compared to Noble Consort Hui instigating a vicious dog to attack Noble Lady Yu, destroying the annual Fujian tribute, and ruining the Empress’s banquet, it is far less serious.”

The Empress suddenly laughed. “Do you know that His Majesty has already seen through the fact that you were using him?”

Wei Yingluo was greatly startled and almost immediately looked up at the Empress.

Her stunned, foolish expression seemed to amuse the Empress, who chuckled happily. “But you needn’t worry too much. Since His Majesty saw through it and still allowed you to make use of him, it shows that he also feels Noble Consort Hui has gone too far. He was simply taking the opportunity to give her a warning.”

Wei Yingluo let out a breath of relief, though she still felt a slight chill on her back.

“Yingluo,” the Empress suddenly asked her, “what kind of person do you think our Emperor usually is?”

Wei Yingluo didn’t understand why the Empress was asking her this. After a moment’s thought, she gave a safe, conventional answer: “Diligent in governance and loving toward the people.”

The Empress shook her head. “That’s not what this palace means. This palace is asking about his temperament.”

Wei Yingluo offered several words in succession, but the Empress shook her head each time—until she hesitantly ventured one: “Decisive and ruthless in killing?”

“Yes!” The Empress clapped her hands like a child. “Exactly! What kind of person is His Majesty? The Emperor of Great Qing, ruler of all under Heaven. Anyone he finds displeasing—snap! —their head falls to the ground, and that’s the end of it! Why leave someone alive to cause himself trouble later?”

Wei Yingluo felt another chill run down her back. Sweat poured over her like a waterfall. Forcing a smile, she said, “Perhaps… perhaps His Majesty has some reservations?”

“Impossible!” The Empress declared firmly. “What reservations could His Majesty possibly have? Look at E Shan—such great favor, so many officials pleading for mercy, and yet he was killed without the Emperor even blinking!”

“Then… then…” Wei Yingluo’s face crumpled in distress. “Your Highness, is His Majesty really going to settle the account later and take this servant’s head?”

Her pitiful, pleading expression was like that of a cat who had gotten into mischief—ready at any moment to leap onto her mistress’s lap, roll around, meow coquettishly, and beg for protection.

“Rest assured—you will be fine,” the Empress said with a meaningful smile. “You are a young woman… a beautiful young woman.”

Though she said there would be no trouble, after hearing those last words, Wei Yingluo felt not just her back but her entire body turn ice-cold, as though she had fallen into a deep well.

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 42: The Lychee Banquet

   Concubine Jia was utterly shocked.

   Of course she could deny it outright, but upon careful reflection, since Noble Consort Hui had asked such a question, it was clear she had already uncovered something. If Noble Consort Hui could take a life even without reason, how much more so when she had one?

Concubine Jia immediately threw herself at her feet. “Your Highness, everything this concubine has done has been for Your Ladyship’s sake!”

“For me?” Noble Consort Hui sneered coldly. “Using my dog to frame and slander me, and then claiming it’s for my benefit? I’m afraid it’s not for me at all, but for your Fourth Prince—so that Noble Lady Yu won’t give birth to another prince and ruin your plans!”

Complete denial would seem far too fake. Concubine Jia gritted her teeth. “Yes, this concubine admits it: I do not wish for Noble Lady Yu to bear another prince. But everything this concubine has done has also been in consideration of Your Ladyship. You have already formed a deadly enmity with Yonghe Palace. If we do not completely cut off Noble Lady Yu’s path forward, the consequences will be endless!”

Noble Consort Hui pondered for a moment. “Tell me exactly what you did to Noble Lady Yu.”

“Yes…” Concubine Jia hurriedly laid bare all her previous schemes. Upon hearing that Noble Lady Yu had already been taking the fake Zhenzhu powder for half a month, Noble Consort Hui showed a trace of surprise. “Is this woman really so foolish that she hasn’t noticed the slightest thing?”

“That woman was stupid to begin with, and she only has Fangcao as her one confidante. Once Fangcao turns against her, she’s finished.” Concubine Jia smiled. “Yesterday Fangcao came to report that the last batch of shell powder has run out and asked for a new supply to be sent over.”

“Give it to her!” Noble Consort Hui laughed heartily. “Give her as much as she wants—stuff it all into Noble Lady Yu’s belly!”

Seeing her so delighted, Concubine Jia breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, Your Highness.”

Of course Noble Consort Hui could simply revel in the momentary satisfaction and send crates and barrels of shell powder flooding into Yonghe Palace. But Concubine Jia was different from her: compared to quick pleasure, she preferred certainty.

“If we believe every word Fangcao says without question, we will become the second Noble Lady Yu.” Concubine Jia shed the servile, fawning demeanor she wore in front of Noble Consort Hui and calmly instructed her trusted confidante beside her. “Go outside and make inquiries—especially around the Imperial Medical Bureau. Find out what new news there is from Yonghe Palace lately.”

Her confidante soon returned with information.

“Noble Lady Yu has recently been suffering from severe abdominal pain. The people at the Imperial Medical Bureau couldn’t find anything abnormal and prescribed more stabilizing medicines, telling her to take several extra Zhenzhu pills every day.” The confidante asked tentatively, “Your Highness, shall this servant go prepare a new batch of shell powder right away?”

“Go… wait!” When the person had already taken a few steps, Concubine Jia suddenly called out from behind.

“Your Highness, is there anything else you wish to instruct?” The confidante hurriedly turned back.

“Go tell Fangcao…” Concubine Jia pondered for a moment. “The shell powder requires careful preparation—it will take two days. Tell her we’ll meet during the Lychee Banquet to hand it over.”

The confidante looked puzzled. “But there is still shell powder left…”

Concubine Jia cut her off. “Do exactly as I say!”

Though filled with confusion, since it was her master’s order, the confidante swallowed all her questions, curtsied, and left.

“I hope I’m just overthinking it. Noble Lady Yu doesn’t seem like someone capable of coming up with such a scheme,” Concubine Jia murmured to herself as she watched the departing figure. “But just in case…”

Today, as usual, Wei Yingluo came to Yonghe Palace to deliver the Zhenzhu powder.

Fangcao had been waiting for her for a long time. The moment she saw her arrive, she rushed forward anxiously. “Yingluo, Concubine Jia just sent someone to find me. She wants me to go to her place during the Lychee Banquet to collect the shell powder.”

“She certainly has sharp ears.” Wei Yingluo smiled. “The Empress only just decided to hold the Lychee Banquet, and she already knows about it…”

It was clear that Concubine Jia was no simple person—she had quietly extended her claws all the way into Changchun Palace.

“You did very well. Keep it up.” Wei Yingluo patted Fangcao on the shoulder. “As long as you help me catch her red-handed this time, it will count as atoning for your past deeds.”

Fangcao hesitated. “You have to keep your word.”

The two of them settled their plan. Now, all that remained was to quietly wait for the Lychee Banquet.

The banquet was held half a month later. The main attraction was the three lychee trees that the Emperor had bestowed upon the Empress. Not a single lychee had been picked; they remained on the branches, to be plucked one by one right when the banquet began and served to the guests in the freshest, most vibrant state possible.

As Wei Yingluo passed by the banquet venue, she stole a quick glance inside. Among the guests were Consort Xian, Consort Chun, Noble Consort Hui, Concubine Jia, as well as two particularly outstanding selected consorts she had seen during the earlier selection, and finally… the Emperor himself. Wei Yingluo hurriedly lowered her head and quickened her steps to leave.

She arrived at the prearranged dark alley and stood quietly for a moment in the shadow of the wall. Not far away, two figures gradually approached.

One was Fangcao; the other was a trusted confidante of Concubine Jia.

The other woman was extremely cautious, clearly wary of eavesdroppers. She didn’t exchange many words with Fangcao. Pretending it was a casual brush-past, she slipped an embroidered brocade pouch into Fangcao’s arms and immediately prepared to walk away.

How could Wei Yingluo let her escape? She swiftly leaped out from behind the wall, seized the woman’s arm, and said sharply:

“How dare you substitute Noble Lady’s pearl powder! This is an attempt to murder the imperial heir!”

She had hoped to catch the woman off guard with her sudden accusation—perhaps, with luck, startle some confession out of her.

To her surprise, the woman turned back with perfect calm and said:

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Her composure immediately aroused Wei Yingluo’s suspicion. After a long pause, she suddenly unfolded the embroidered brocade pouch right in front of the woman. Beside her, Fangcao let out a startled cry:

“How is it just sweetgrass?”

Inside the pouch there was not a single grain of pearl powder—only a string of dried sweetgrass.

“What else could it be besides sweetgrass?” The confidante across from them gave a half-smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “This is a blessing pouch personally embroidered by Concubine Jia for the future little prince. It’s certainly not pearl powder or shell powder.”

“Concubine Jia is truly sharp— she was prepared long in advance… Oh no!” Since Concubine Jia had already noticed something amiss, why would she still specially send someone to keep the appointment? Unless… Wei Yingluo’s expression changed drastically. “We’ve fallen into a trap!”

Leaving the two women behind, she turned and ran toward the storehouse where tonight’s centerpiece—the lychee trees—was being kept.

Before she even entered the door, she heard sobbing coming from inside.

“It wasn’t me!” As soon as she stepped in, the little palace maid responsible for guarding the lychee trees turned deathly pale and desperately tried to explain to her. “I don’t know who did it! I only stepped away for a short while. When I came back, I found the lychee trees had been… had been scalded to death with boiling water!”

Wei Yingluo pushed her aside and strode to the lychee trees.

From the roots upward, the trees had been thoroughly soaked and ruined. Every lychee on the branches had fallen to the ground.

“What do we do?” The little palace maid wailed. “The Emperor will have my head…”

It wouldn’t just be her head. When tribute items were destroyed, a whole group of people would likely lose theirs—and even Wei Yingluo couldn’t be certain she herself would escape unscathed.

“Stop crying!” Wei Yingluo’s face was grim. She crouched down, picked up several fallen lychees from the ground, and examined them carefully for a moment. Then she turned to the sobbing little palace maid behind her:

“Do you want to die, or do you want to live?”

“I—I naturally want to live…” the little palace maid choked out.

“Open your hands.” Wei Yingluo placed the lychees she was holding into the girl’s palms. “Using these as the standard, pick out the ones from the ground that still look presentable. Send them to the Imperial Tea and Meal Department at once. Tell them the Empress is hosting a lychee banquet and they must figure out a way immediately! When the time comes, you will report to Her Majesty that the lychees from two of the trees were used to prepare dishes, and the remaining tree will be freshly picked on the spot!”

“Fresh—freshly picked?” The little palace maid was stunned. “But… won’t that be exposed right away?”

“That’s not your concern. You only need to do exactly what I’ve told you!” Wei Yingluo said coldly. “Hurry up and go!”

“Yes—yes!” Seeing that Wei Yingluo was willing to shoulder half the blame, the little palace maid had no reason to refuse. She immediately knelt on the ground and began frantically gathering and sorting the fallen lychees. From the corner of her eye, she saw Wei Yingluo hurry out of the storehouse.

Since the Empress had declared early on that she would personally pick the lychees to present to the Emperor, she could not easily go back on her word. At least one tree had to be brought to the banquet.

What would happen if, in the end, not even a single tree made it there?

“The Empress will surely lose all face,” Wei Yingluo thought to herself. “Noble Consort Hui and Concubine Jia will certainly seize the opportunity to accuse the palace servants of mishandling their duties, urging His Majesty to punish the group responsible for the lychee banquet—and that group… happens to include the Empress’s most capable and trusted confidants, as well as the very people she has been grooming for greater responsibility.”

Because the lychee banquet involved tribute goods and the Emperor himself, the Empress had personally assigned her most trusted and promising palace maids to handle it—including Wei Yingluo.

If anything went wrong at the lychee banquet, this entire group would inevitably be punished—and would have no choice but to accept the punishment.

In that case, not only would the Empress suffer a humiliating loss of dignity, she would also be severely wounded at the core. She might lose several of her most loyal heart-and-soul attendants in one fell swoop…

“How can I allow such a thing to happen to her?” Wei Yingluo gritted her teeth inwardly. “I must find a way. I must find a way… Someone! Go find her.”

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 41: Traitor

   “A traitor? How could that be?” Noble Lady Yu was shocked. “Fangcao has always taken care of me. Even in the hardest days, she never left my side…”

“That’s right!” Fangcao tugged at her hand again. “This servant is utterly loyal to Noble Lady—how could I possibly be a traitor?”

“Is that so?” Wei Yingluo tightened her grip and forcibly dragged her in front of Noble Lady Yu, forcing her to open her hand. “Noble Lady, look. Genuine pearl powder is pure white. The powder under Fangcao’s fingernails is clearly yellowish—this is not the color of pearl powder at all!”

“Pearl powder is exactly this color!” Fangcao said through gritted teeth.

Without a word, Wei Yingluo took out the pearl powder she had brought today. No further explanation was needed—the contrast was immediate and unmistakable. One was snow-white and flawless, like the first fine snow of winter; the other was dull and yellowish, like muddy footprints on that same snow.

Noble Lady Yu was not blind. The moment she saw it, her face turned ashen.

“Noble Lady, where are the pearl pills Fangcao made for you earlier? Do you still have any?” Wei Yingluo asked again.

“Yes.” Noble Lady Yu rummaged beside her pillow and finally pulled out a small porcelain bottle, handing it to Wei Yingluo. “Here. I’ve eaten more than half—only a few are left.”

Wei Yingluo uncorked the bottle and poured the remaining three pills into her palm. What met her eyes was a field of snowy brilliance—the three pills were uniformly snow-white and perfectly round.

“You’ve misunderstood me…” Fangcao seized the chance to protest from the side.

Wei Yingluo glanced at her, poured two of the pills back into the bottle, and held the last one between her fingers. With a firm pinch, the pill shattered. Powder scattered like falling snowflakes, piling up in a small heap on the table.

That snow sparkled faintly, like scattered stars.

“This is definitely not pearl powder.” Wei Yingluo dipped her finger into the powder and held it out in front of Noble Lady Yu. “I can’t tell exactly what it is, but the imperial physicians certainly would be able to.”

There were no truly mediocre people in the palace—even Noble Lady Yu, who had suffered so much humiliation, possessed some discernment. She took a small amount of the powder in her hand, sniffed it, examined it closely, and immediately understood.

“…Of course this isn’t pearl powder—it’s shell powder!” Noble Lady Yu’s bloodshot eyes fixed on Fangcao. “Fangcao, why did you pass off inferior goods and secretly replace the pearl powder sent by the Empress?”

Realizing she could no longer hide it, Fangcao immediately dropped to her knees and kowtowed repeatedly, her voice trembling with tears. “This servant is guilty! My mother is gravely ill and we have no money for treatment—I truly had no other choice. Knowing that shell powder is cheap while pearl powder is valuable, I swapped the Empress’s pearl powder, hoping to sell it for money! I beg Noble Lady, in consideration of how carefully I have always served you, please spare this servant!”

Seeing her pitiful state and remembering their past bond, Noble Lady Yu felt both heartache and disappointment. “You… you fool. If your mother was ill, why didn’t you just tell me? Would I really have ignored it? How could you do such a thing? You’ve truly let me down!”

Hearing that Noble Lady Yu seemed inclined to forgive her, Fangcao’s face lit up with joy. “This servant was momentarily confused…”

“Momentarily confused?” Wei Yingluo suddenly laughed. “No—you were extremely clever.”

Both Noble Lady Yu and Fangcao froze.

“Noble Lady, look.” Wei Yingluo poured the two remaining pills from the bottle onto the table. “On the surface, swapping expensive pearl powder for cheap shell powder looks like simple theft. But examine it closely: shell powder is naturally yellowish, and pills made from it would show mottled discoloration. Yet the shell pills Fangcao gave you are snow-white on the outside, with only a faint shimmer of powder inside. Unless you break them open, it’s impossible to tell the difference…”

She slowly raised her head and stared at the woman whose face had gone pale. “Her real purpose was never money—it was to make you swallow these fake pills without the slightest suspicion.”

Noble Lady Yu involuntarily raised a hand to her throat.

It was as though the Zhenzhu pills she had swallowed in recent days had returned to her throat—now stripped of their snowy outer coating, oozing green, venomous liquid.

She wanted to vomit.

“Speak!” Wei Yingluo snapped coldly at Fangcao. “You’ve already botched the job. The master behind you will never come forward to protect you. Your only chance of survival is to confess everything and see whether Noble Lady is willing to forgive you—and perhaps plead for you before Her Majesty the Empress!”

If this matter really reached the Empress, would she still have any chance of living?

Fangcao was now truly terrified. She no longer dared to conceal anything and blurted out, “It was Concubine Jia! Concubine Jia instructed this servant to do it!”

Everyone had expected the name Noble Consort Hui to come out of her mouth. No one anticipated this revelation. Noble Lady Yu was stunned. “Concubine Jia?”

“Yes.” Desperate to save her own life, Fangcao spilled everything like beans pouring from an overturned bamboo tube. “A few days ago, Concubine Jia sought me out and said that Concubine Yi was already gone. In Yonghe Palace, you were now the only mistress left. But you remained shut away in fear every day. Even if you gave birth to an imperial son, you would never win favor. Yonghe Palace was doomed to remain an ice cellar forever!”

Noble Lady Yu trembled with rage. “So you betrayed me?”

“No wonder… no wonder.” Wei Yingluo suddenly understood something. “Last time in the Imperial Garden, when Noble Lady Yu was attacked by the dog, not only did you fail to protect her and help her escape—you actually pushed her from behind, bringing her even closer to the beast. You were already Concubine Jia’s henchwoman back then, weren’t you?”

Fangcao sobbed and dared not answer, only hoping her tears might soften Noble Lady Yu’s heart even a little.

“Fangcao, let me ask you this,” Noble Lady Yu said in an icy voice. “Exactly what did you mix into the shell powder?”

Fangcao hesitated for a long moment before finally whispering, “To change the color of the shell powder… it had to be washed with dye…”

“You wretch!” Noble Lady Yu could no longer hold back. She let out a furious cry. “How utterly vicious you are!”

She was pregnant—how could a child born after long-term exposure to poisonous dye possibly be healthy?

No amount of past affection could withstand the erosion of Fangcao’s various vicious schemes. Noble Lady Yu sharply turned her head away, finding even a single glance at her revolting: “Yingluo, take her to see the Empress!”

“No—no!” Fangcao threw herself forward, sobbing. “This servant has already confessed everything—please don’t take this servant to see the Empress!”

Noble Lady Yu closed her eyes, steeling herself not to look at her. After a moment of consideration, Wei Yingluo spoke up: “Fangcao, when Concubine Jia handed the things to you, was there anyone else who saw it?”

Fangcao shook her head.

As expected. Wei Yingluo turned to Noble Lady Yu and said, “The other side has played their hand very cleverly. There are no witnesses, and the physical evidence is insufficient. If we rashly report it now, we might end up being counter-attacked—they could accuse Yonghe Palace of deliberately framing them.”

Noble Lady Yu was stunned. “Then…”

“Rather than disposing of this traitor right now and letting the enemy simply replace her with someone we don’t know to continue harming you, it’s better to keep her for the time being.” Wei Yingluo gave Fangcao a cold glance. “This way, she’ll believe you’re still consuming the poisoned shell powder…”

Noble Lady Yu thought it over and realized this was indeed the best course—at least it would turn their positions from being in the dark while the enemy acted openly, forcing her to constantly guard against hidden knives from behind.

“Do as you suggest,” Noble Lady Yu said with a heavy nod. “Fangcao, if anyone from Concubine Jia’s side sends someone to ask, you are to say that you’ve finished all the shell powder she sent…”

“We should set a deadline,” Wei Yingluo added after a moment’s thought. “Let’s say half a month from now. You yourself will go and inform Concubine Jia that the shell powder is used up and ask her to send more! Do you understand?”

Fangcao had no other choice but to become this double agent. She knelt and bowed low: “Yes!”

That would do.

Wei Yingluo looked down at her with icy detachment.

This operation was not only to save Noble Lady Yu, but also to protect the Empress who had shown her unwavering sincerity and trust.

If anything happened to Noble Lady Yu, an investigation would quickly trace the source of the pearl powder back to Changchun Palace. Whether it was pearl powder, ginseng, or any other tonic that had been sent, as long as this traitor Fangcao remained, the enemy could always find a way to tamper with it from above.

Wei Yingluo had anticipated this long ago.

“The mastermind behind this loves to frame others. We sent pearl powder from our palace—she’ll almost certainly try to tamper with it.” Wei Yingluo thought to herself. “Using their own trick against them has indeed caught you. I just wonder when Noble Consort Hui will realize that she has a seemingly loyal and devoted traitor right by her side…”

A grand procession marched solemnly down the corridor.

Every two eunuchs carried a wooden barrel between them. Each barrel was draped in red silk and covered tightly, so that at first glance they resembled brides veiled in red, being carried without their feet touching the ground.

“What is that? So secretive,” Noble Consort Hui said from inside the pavilion, pointing lazily at the procession ahead.

“The lychee trees offered as annual tribute by the Fujian governor,” Concubine Jia answered promptly, always well-informed. “One hundred barrels in total. After rewarding the princes and high ministers, the rest are all being sent to Changchun Palace.”

A flash of jealousy passed through Noble Consort Hui’s eyes. “Not a single one has reached me, yet entire trees are being delivered to her.”

Transported across thousands of mountains and rivers from Fujian, many of the trees had already suffered from the change in climate, shedding most of their fruit. What little remained was distributed among the Empress Dowager, the Empress, the consorts and concubines, as well as favored imperial relatives and ministers. Receiving even one lychee to taste was considered an immense blessing—enough to show just how highly the Emperor regarded the Empress.

“It’s only a few trees,” Concubine Jia said soothingly.

“Yes, only a few trees,” Noble Consort Hui echoed, gently stroking the snowball-like white dog in her arms. “The Emperor truly treats the Empress well. And I… treat you quite well too, don’t I?”

Concubine Jia was momentarily taken aback, sensing an underlying meaning. She quickly replied with caution: “Of course. This concubine owes everything I have today to Your Ladyship’s care and favor.”

Noble Consort Hui smiled slightly. Her beautiful yet venomous eyes fixed on her: “Then why did you betray me?”

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 40: The Ferocious Dog

   The argument between the Emperor and the Empress came to a temporary end.

Wei Yingluo had originally thought the Empress would summon her for questioning, yet several days passed and no such summons came.

That phrase—” When employing people, do not doubt them; when doubting, do not employ them”—turned out not to be mere empty words.

A scholar dies for the one who truly understands him. Being regarded so highly by the Empress, Wei Yingluo afterward served her with even greater care and devotion.

The Empress appreciated her quick wit and clever mind, and often kept her close by her side. On this day, she invited Noble Lady Yu to stroll in the garden together. Instead of bringing Erqing or Ming Yu, she brought Wei Yingluo.

The garden scenery was beautiful, though a little chilly. Both ladies wore thick cloaks over their shoulders and carried incense hand-warmers in their sleeves. They slowly walked across the winding wooden bridge. Below, several colorful koi swam past, their trails like drifting silk ribbons.

“You shouldn’t always stay cooped up in Yonghe Palace. Come to Changchun Palace more often when you have time. You can also walk in the garden—just make sure your servants are more attentive and that someone is always by your side,” the Empress said gently.

Noble Lady Yu, pale and thin, forced a smile. “This concubine has received so much kindness from Your Ladyship; I could never repay it in a lifetime.”

The Empress smiled. “I am the Empress—it is only right that I look after the Six Palaces. There is nothing for you to repay.”

Noble Lady Yu chuckled, then sighed. “If everyone in the palace were as tolerant and magnanimous as Your Ladyship, there wouldn’t be so much trouble and conflict.”

The Empress understood whom her words referred to, yet she didn’t know how to comfort her. Worried that too much brooding would harm her pregnancy, she gave Wei Yingluo a meaningful glance, signaling her to find something cheerful to amuse Noble Lady Yu and keep her from sinking into melancholy.

For a moment, Wei Yingluo couldn’t think of any interesting topic. But then Noble Lady Yu herself looked around, suddenly stopped walking, and let out a soft exclamation: “What an adorable little dog.”

Not far ahead, a snowball-like shape came rolling toward them.

On closer look, it was a small dog with snow-white fur, not a single speck of another color. Several young eunuchs chased after it—one carrying a brightly painted food basin filled with delicate hot dishes, another running and shouting, “Aiyo, my little master, wait for this servant! Wait for this servant!”

Wei Yingluo found it amusing—even a dog was being addressed as “master.”

“What kind of master and servant nonsense is this? It’s outrageous,” the Empress, who was always strict about propriety, said with displeasure. “I wonder which consort is raising it…”

The little dog lifted its nose and sniffed the air, then ran straight and unerringly toward Wei Yingluo and the others.

Noble Lady Yu, charmed by its small size and cuteness, showed a faint smile and bent slightly at the waist, as if wanting to play with it. But as the dog drew closer and closer, the smile on her face gradually faded.

In the end, only terror remained.

“Woof woof!” The little dog bared its teeth and, like something possessed, charged madly at Noble Lady Yu. Amid the startled cries of the palace servants, it began tearing and biting at her ferociously.

“Ah—don’t come near!” Fangcao, the senior palace maid who should have been protecting Noble Lady Yu, seemed to have her soul frightened out of her. Not only did she fail to pull her mistress away, she actually pushed her from behind—driving her even closer to the frenzied dog.

Noble Lady Yu’s face had already turned as white as snow. Overcome with terror, she even forgot to call for help. Her entire body stood frozen in place like a wooden statue.

“Woof!”

A miserable yelp rang out.

A parabolic arc flew through the air, landed on the ground, and rolled several times. The puppy’s fur blended almost perfectly with the snow. It whimpered a few times but did not get up, only staring at Wei Yingluo from a distance with frightened eyes.

“How dare you!!”

A hand painted with bright red nail polish reached out from behind the dog and scooped it into her arms.

“What kind of thing are you, to dare injure my beloved dog!” Noble Consort Hui said coldly. “Seize her!”

Wei Yingluo was startled.

She hadn’t expected—no, she should have expected it. In the entire palace, who else was so arrogant and domineering as to promote even her own dog to the status of a master? Only the woman standing before her: Noble Consort Hui.

“Noble Consort Your Highness!” Seeing several eunuchs obeying her command and advancing toward her, Wei Yingluo struck first and shouted loudly, “Was it not Your Ladyship who let your dog run loose and injure someone, intending to harm the dragon fetus in Noble Lady Yu’s womb?”

Framing and accusation came smoothly from her lips. Even if Noble Consort Hui had such intentions, she absolutely could not admit it now—nor could she immediately deal with Wei Yingluo, or it would look like silencing a witness through murder.

“What an audacious slave—not only did you injure my beloved dog, but now you dare slander me.” Noble Consort Hui sneered coldly. “Empress, how do you think such a person should be punished?”

“Before punishing anyone, punish your dog first.” How could the Empress allow her to ride roughshod over her and openly bully her trusted confidante right in front of everyone? She responded calmly, “Dogs do not cause trouble for no reason. Look and see what’s in its food bowl!”

Everyone immediately rushed toward the little eunuch who was holding the food basin, only to discover that the food originally inside it had mysteriously vanished. When they questioned the little eunuch, he stammered and could only say that the dog, called Snowball, had already eaten it all.

Nonsense, yet for the moment there was nothing they could do to him.

One palace servant offered a suggestion to the Empress: “Your Highness, there is nothing left in the food basin. If we want to know what exactly this dog ate, the only way is to cut open its belly…”

“Insolent!” Before he could finish, Noble Consort Hui shrieked sharply, “Whoever dares touch a single hair on it, I will tear her apart!”

How could that palace servant dare offend Noble Consort Hui? He immediately fell silent as if struck by frost, even regretting that he had spoken up.

   Without evidence, the situation reached an impasse. The offender was merely a dog that could not speak human language—surely they couldn’t put a dog on trial?

   In the end, they could only let the matter drop.

   Both sides parted on bad terms. As they passed each other, the Empress suddenly turned back and said, “Noble Consort, Yingluo’s action just now actually helped you. If your dog had truly injured Noble Lady Yu earlier, it would have caused a tremendous uproar throughout the palace. In my opinion, you had better properly discipline the people around you! If they remain so useless that they cannot even keep watch over a single dog and allow it to cause trouble again, next time I will show no leniency!”

Noble Consort Hui’s hand, which had been stroking the little dog, suddenly tightened, causing the puppy to lift its head and let out pitiful whimpers.

Not only was she pondering the Empress’s words—on the way back, Wei Yingluo was also carefully turning them over in her mind.

“So?” The Empress asked with a smile. “Did you notice anything strange?”

“…Was Noble Consort Hui being used as someone else’s weapon?” Wei Yingluo asked cautiously.

The Empress slowly nodded, her expression somewhat grave. “If something had really gone wrong this time, in the end they couldn’t very well take it out on the dog—they would have to hold the dog’s owner accountable. Noble Consort Hui may be arrogant and domineering, but she would not do something so self-damaging and profitless for others. There must be someone else behind this…”

For the moment, it was impossible to determine who that person was.

But one thing was certain.

That means… someone is targeting Noble Lady Yu.

Wei Yingluo carefully recalled the events of the day, and a figure gradually emerged in her mind. With a cold smile, she turned to the Empress and said, “Your Majesty, this servant would like to request an assignment from you…”

She asked the Empress for the task of visiting Yonghe Palace to check on the patient.

Not only to visit, but also to deliver the pearl powder for Zhenzhu.

The reason was that ever since Noble Lady Yu had been frightened, she suffered nightmares every night and could only fall asleep by taking calming pills on schedule. However, those pills were not good for the dragon fetus and should not be taken excessively. If they had to be taken, they needed to be supplemented with top-quality pearl powder. Although pearl powder was not particularly rare, it was still not something a disfavored consort could enjoy every day. When the Empress heard about this, she specially allocated some from her own private storehouse and had it sent over.

The task was troublesome, and Noble Lady Yu was hardly an important figure, so no one wanted to take on such a job. When Wei Yingluo willingly accepted it, the others actually breathed a sigh of relief.

Today, as usual, she came carrying the pearl powder to pay a visit. Because she had been coming and going frequently, everyone in Yonghe Palace recognized her. She entered the bedchamber with ease and saw that Noble Lady Yu was still curled up on the bed. Despite being pregnant, she looked emaciated and skeletal, with not a trace of flesh on her body. Forcing a smile, she said, “Yingluo, you’re here.”

Wei Yingluo glanced around and asked with a smile, “Where is Fangcao?”

“She went to prepare the pearl pills for me,” Noble Lady Yu sighed. “We haven’t finished the last batch yet—you didn’t need to rush to bring more. cough cough Sit down. I’ll have her pour you some tea. Fangcao! Fangcao!”

“This servant is here, this servant is here.” The senior palace maid by Noble Lady Yu’s side pushed the door open and brought Wei Yingluo a cup of fine tea. But the moment the teacup was set down, Wei Yingluo seized the hand that had just served the tea.

“Fangcao.” Wei Yingluo smiled at her. “What happened to your hand?”

Apparently because she had come in a hurry, Fangcao had only hastily rinsed her hands. They weren’t fully clean—there were still traces of pearl powder left in the crevices under her fingernails, faintly shimmering with a slight yellowish tint.

“I… I was making the pearl pills earlier and didn’t wash my hands properly. I’ll go wash them now.” Fangcao tried to pull her hand back, but discovered that Wei Yingluo’s fingers were clamped around her like iron pincers, refusing to let go. Her expression changed at once.

Noble Lady Yu looked from one to the other in confusion. “Yingluo, what’s wrong?”

“Noble Lady.” Wei Yingluo slowly turned her head toward her. “There is a traitor by your side.”

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 39: Confidante

   “You went to sweep snow again.” As soon as Wei Yingluo returned to Changchun Palace, the Empress summoned her close and spoke with motherly affection. “I have already told you—there is no need for you to do such work anymore. Let Zhenzhu and the others handle it. When you have free time, read more books, or come here to help grind ink for me and assist with some of my affairs.”

The Empress clearly intended to groom her as a true confidante. Otherwise, she would have preferred her to remain an ignorant “blind” servant rather than allowing her to read, write, understand matters of importance, and even discuss the disposal of items from the Imperial Household Department’s inventory.

Wei Yingluo felt both alarmed and deeply moved—alarmed that she might be rising too high too quickly, and moved by the genuine trust being placed in her—so she spoke freely and held nothing back.

“I didn’t realize how late it had gotten.” Two hours later, the Empress set down her brush, a trace of weariness appearing on her face.

Wei Yingluo immediately stepped behind her and gently massaged her temples, saying softly, “Your Majesty, please rest for a while. This servant will keep you company and chat.”

“Mm.” The Empress closed her eyes, temporarily setting aside her heavy duties, and chatted idly with her about everyday matters. “Speaking of which, not long ago the imperial physician reported that Noble Lady Yu has recently been waking up startled in the middle of the night. She’s become so gaunt and emaciated that she’s almost unrecognizable. The physician said… it is an illness of the heart.”

“An illness of the heart requires medicine for the heart.” Wei Yingluo spoke carefully. “With Concubine Yi gone, His Majesty is her only medicine.”

The Empress sighed. “But His Majesty is burdened with ten thousand affairs of state—how could he possibly have time for her? It is easy to seek priceless treasures, but hard to find a lover with true affection. Noble Lady Yu is not Consort Dong E—where else could she find another Emperor Shizu…”

Everyone in the world knew that the Shunzhi Emperor had doted solely on Consort Dong E. When she fell ill and died, Emperor Shizu was so grief-stricken that he became seriously ill himself and even shaved his head to become a monk. Even an ordinary man would rarely do so much for his wife—let alone an emperor who ruled all under Heaven.

After a pause, the Empress realized she had spoken too freely and gave a somewhat forlorn smile. “Look at me—I’ve grown muddle-headed. What nonsense am I saying!”

Wei Yingluo understood what was in her heart. Every woman dreams of becoming a Consort Dong E, but when expectations are set too high, disappointment is inevitable.

Wanting to comfort her, Wei Yingluo thought for a moment and said, “Emperor Shizu’s single-minded devotion to Consort Dong E is indeed enviable. But if you look at it from another angle, the feeling is completely different!”

“Oh?” The Empress grew curious. “Go on.”

“Your Majesty, when Consort Dong E passed away, Emperor Shizu was overwhelmed with grief. He suspended court for five days, burned two entire palaces along with countless treasures, and even ordered thirty palace maids and thirty eunuchs to be put to death to accompany her! For Consort Dong E, meeting such a passionately devoted emperor was fortunate. But those sixty innocent palace servants—they too had parents, siblings, and families. They were living, breathing people! Moreover, in order to mourn Consort Dong E, Emperor Shizu disregarded millions of his subjects.” Wei Yingluo sighed softly. “I’m afraid the civil and military officials, the common people, and the other consorts in the harem would all prefer their emperor to be heartless.”

“Insolent!”

A man’s voice suddenly rang out.

Wei Yingluo and the Empress were both so startled that they rose to their feet at once and knelt in the direction of the voice.

A pair of bright yellow boots came to a stop in front of Wei Yingluo.

This was the second time she had seen these boots.

“Who gave you permission to speak so presumptuously about Emperor Shizu? You deserve to die ten thousand deaths!” Hongli’s voice thundered from above her head, filled with boundless fury. “Someone—!”

What should she do!

Wei Yingluo cried out inwardly in distress. She hadn’t expected that an emperor of all people would have a fondness for eavesdropping at walls. Now that she had crashed right into the muzzle of the gun, the only thing left to do was…

Gritting her teeth, Wei Yingluo shouted loudly before the guards could rush in and seize her: “Your Majesty, those words weren’t spoken by me!”

“Oh?” Hongli said coldly. “Then who said them?”

Wei Yingluo: “It was our Ancestral Emperor, Emperor Shizu.”

Hongli was momentarily stunned.

“Your Majesty, the Shizu Emperor once issued an edict of self-reproach in which he mentioned that he had treated Consort Dong E too indulgently, failing to restrain his feelings with proper rites, and he deeply regretted it.” Taking advantage of his momentary lapse, Wei Yingluo hurriedly finished the rest of her explanation. “This servant was merely repeating the words of the Shizu Emperor.”

If he were to punish her for this, wouldn’t that be disrespecting one’s teacher and destroying one’s ancestors?

   Hongli was silent for a moment before slowly saying, “Then what about your accusation that the Shizu Emperor ordered living palace attendants to be buried alive with him? Are you claiming that was also said by the Shizu Emperor himself?”

“That was not,” Wei Yingluo replied.

Hongli immediately scoffed with icy disdain. “Guards—”

Wei Yingluo: “That was said by Emperor Kangxi!”

Hongli: “…”

Wei Yingluo: “Emperor Kangxi long ago issued an order prohibiting the practice of human sacrifice in burials. From that time onward, the rite of burying living people with the deceased has never again occurred!”

Hongli fell silent once more—or rather, he seemed thoroughly stifled.

This emperor, who appeared to be somewhat petty, clearly had no intention of letting her off so easily. After thinking it over for a long while, he finally recalled another point. Grinding his teeth, he said, “Very well. Then let me ask you this: just now you said the common people would rather their emperor be heartless. What exactly did you mean by that?”

Hearing this question, Wei Yingluo actually breathed a sigh of relief.

Because those were more or less all the words she had spoken. Since he was asking about this one, it was clearly the last question.

“In reply to Your Majesty.” Wei Yingluo kowtowed to the ground and spoke slowly. “This servant has heard that Your Majesty rises at the hour of night every day. In summer, when the sky is still bright; in winter, when the fifth watch has barely ended. When military reports arrive from the western frontiers—even in the dead of night—Your Majesty immediately summons the Grand Council ministers for discussion. Those ministers rotate duty every five or six days and already find it extremely exhausting. How much more so for Your Majesty, who does this every single day, year after year? Your diligence in governing is truly admirable! Yet because Your Majesty is so occupied with state affairs and has no time to attend to the inner palace, the consorts and concubines inevitably feel lonely and neglected. It is clear that to be a wise ruler—to have affection for the people and for the realm—one must be heartless toward the consorts and concubines!”

After listening, Hongli opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out for a long time.

“Indeed—great love is heartless. His Majesty is precisely such a diligent and enlightened ruler!” The Empress suddenly stepped forward and waved her hand. “That’s enough. You may leave now. This palace wishes to speak with the Emperor.”

Wei Yingluo’s heart immediately settled. She knew the Empress was taking this opportunity to help her out of the predicament. Once she passed the Emperor’s three questions and stepped out this door, she would be completely safe…

“Wait!” The man’s voice suddenly rang out above her head. “Raise your head!”

Wei Yingluo was greatly startled—and so was the Empress. “Your Majesty?”

“Your tone, your voice… the more I hear it, the more familiar it seems…” Hongli’s voice carried a trace of puzzlement and a trace of scrutiny.

Hearing these words, how could Wei Yingluo possibly dare to lift her head? She remained prostrate on the ground, as motionless as a stone statue that had stood for years.

“I remember now…” Hongli’s voice suddenly turned icy cold. “You are—”

“Leave at once!” The Empress’s voice abruptly cut in. “Don’t upset His Majesty any further. Go kneel outside!”

“Yes, Your Highness!” Wei Yingluo scrambled out in a rush, half crawling and half rolling.

Behind her came the sound of the Emperor and Empress arguing.

“I saw her before—she was nothing but a lowly palace maid. Yet in less than a month, she reached Changchun Palace and gained your deep trust. Clearly, she harbors ulterior motives and is plotting something treacherous! Empress, how can you keep such a person by your side?”

“Emperor, I, as her mistress, know best what kind of character Yingluo has.”

“Empress, excessive leniency may lead to raising a tiger that will devour you!”

“Emperor, when employing people, one should not doubt them; when doubting, one should not employ them. I trust my own eyes—Yingluo is absolutely not the kind of person you describe!”

Wei Yingluo suddenly halted her steps and looked back in a daze.

She wasn’t that kind of person?

No… the Emperor was right. She was exactly the sort of person who harbored dark intentions and plotted no good.

“But I will never betray your trust.” In her heart, Wei Yingluo spoke to the Empress. “I will absolutely never let anyone harm you.”

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