Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 166: Family Letter

   He was the Empress’s most loyal dog, and also the most prominent figure in the rear palace.

Yuan Chunwang pushed open the door and frowned.

There was an extra trunk in his room.

It was half a person tall, made of red sandalwood, with hibiscus flower patterns carved in relief on the surface. Yuan Chunwang stared at the trunk for a moment, then said coolly, “Come out.”

The trunk opened.

A young maiden emerged like a lotus rising from water. Dressed in green, she looked timidly upward at Yuan Chunwang, her eyes rising from below.

“Who permitted you to come in?” Yuan Chunwang’s expression darkened.

The girl quickly lowered her gaze, clearly frightened of him; even her voice stuttered: “I… I… was sent by Steward Liu to serve Chief Steward Yuan…”

Before she could finish, a single finger pressed against her chin.

That finger slowly lifted her chin. A pair of phoenix eyes gazed at her from the opposite side.

“At first glance, there is about five parts resemblance.” The phoenix eyes narrowed, growing even more radiant and alluring. “What’s the matter—are you afraid of me?”

After saying this, he leaned in close, his breath warm and mere inches away, as though he were about to kiss her.

Whether from shock or from shyness, the young girl suddenly squeezed her eyes shut.

Slap!

The girl tumbled to the floor, one hand covering her face as she stared up at him in horror. “Yuan… Chief Steward Yuan…”

Screams rang out again and again. The people outside heard them but dared not enter to stop it.

After an unknown stretch of time, the sounds abruptly ceased. The door slid open with a whoosh, and Yuan Chunwang stepped out from within. Calmly he said, “Go inside and clean up. Oh—and by the way, tell Steward Liu that the gift he sent… I am very satisfied with it.”

“Yes!” The two young eunuchs hurriedly responded.

Only after Yuan Chunwang had walked far away did the pair cautiously turn back and peer inside the room.

On the floor lay the corpse of a young woman, her figure graceful and slender, clad in green silk that from a distance resembled a pool of spring water reflecting lotuses. Around her neck was wound a length of white silk ribbon, twisting and coiling like a white snake that had taken her life.

Though terrified, the two young eunuchs did not dare disobey Yuan Chunwang’s command. One took her arms, the other her legs, and together they carried the girl out to the courtyard to bury her.

As one of them swung the hoe, he asked, “Since Chief Steward Yuan said he was satisfied, why did he still kill her?”

The other glanced at him. “Don’t you think she looked a lot like someone?”

At those words, the first eunuch took a closer look at the girl in the pit. Suddenly his face went pale. “She… she looks like… Her Ladyship Consort Ling…”

At first glance, the girl bore at least a five-part resemblance to Consort Ling.

That was precisely why Yuan Chunwang had looked at her a few extra times while inspecting the embroidery workshop.

But he had not expected that every one of his glances would be noticed by others. In order to curry favor with him, Steward Liu of the embroidery workshop could not even wait until the next day—he hurriedly had the girl packed into a box and delivered straight to him.

“Your Ladyship Empress.” Having composed himself, Yuan Chunwang entered the upper floor of Chengqian Hall. He took the comb from a young palace maid’s hand and began gently combing the Empress’s long hair, stroke by stroke. “This servant has something to report.”

“What is it?” In the mirror, the Empress smiled, a trace of mockery in her expression. “If it’s about the women in your quarters, handle it yourself.”

Nothing escaped her notice. She was the cleverest woman in the Forbidden City—and also the most ruthless.

“It concerns the Empress Dowager,” Yuan Chunwang said. “The Empress Dowager has taken Consort Ling and moved into the Yuanmingyuan Gardens. His Majesty has gone there several times but has not been granted an audience. Your Ladyship, do you think His Majesty might…”

“What is there to fear?” The Empress smiled slightly. “That letter was left behind by Lady Wenshu. It was hidden by Dowager Consort Yu and discovered by the Prince of He—from beginning to end, what does any of it have to do with me?”

Yuan Chunwang lowered his gaze. “Your Majesty, if the weed is not pulled up by the roots, it may bring great trouble later.”

The Empress raised an eyebrow and looked at him through the mirror. “Why do I get the feeling that you hate Consort Ling even more than I do?”

Yuan Chunwang merely smiled and said nothing.

His smile was truly beautiful, like a flower in springtime. Merely looking at it brought a sense of peace to the heart.

That Wei Yingluo really was useless. To have such a capable man—one with a beautiful smile and exceptional skills—slip through her fingers and end up serving her rival instead… The Empress adjusted her hair ornament. Yuan Chunwang’s combing technique was superb; the hairstyle he created made her appear several years younger.

“His Majesty knows the Empress Dowager has gone to the Yuanmingyuan to recuperate from illness and immediately sent a large number of servants to accompany and attend her—clear proof of how concerned he is for her. To act against her at such a moment would only invite disaster upon ourselves, wouldn’t it?” The Empress laughed. “Moreover, I am now firmly seated on the fish platform. Even if Consort Ling has won the favor of that old fox by following the Empress Dowager, she has lost any chance to compete for His Majesty’s affections. By the time she returns—if she returns—the Forbidden City will already belong to a new master!”

In spring one views flowers, in summer gathers lotuses, in autumn welcomes maples, in winter admires snow. Compared to the Forbidden City, life in the Yuanmingyuan was carefree and joyful.

Freed from the confines of the palace, Wei Yingluo began to live like one of the secluded young ladies in Dream of the Red Chamber: practicing calligraphy every day, burying fallen flowers, and paying no attention to worldly affairs.

Only at the end of each month, forced by the Empress Dowager, did she write a letter to Hongli—one family letter after another, all in an attempt to slowly win back his heart.

At first, Wei Yingluo was unwilling to write, and Hongli was unwilling to reply. It was only after three or four months that, for the Empress Dowager’s sake, he reluctantly sent back one or two words—such as “Noted” or “Understood.”

Wei Yingluo, however, remained tirelessly diligent. She wrote that a particularly beautiful peony had bloomed in the Yuanming Garden; she wrote that the Empress Dowager had recently been feeling drowsy all the time. She wrote in fine, trifling detail, chattering on and on, until unconsciously the family letter stretched to several long pages.

He still replied. At first it was just one or two characters, but gradually the number of words increased. With every additional word, Wei Yingluo would feel happy for a very long time. Then, coming back to her senses, she would feel both ridiculous and pathetic, swearing to herself that she would never do such a foolish thing again—only to immediately spread out fresh letter paper once more.

“Who sends brocade letters from the clouds? When the wild geese return in formation, the moon fills the west tower.”

“This feeling has no remedy to dispel; just as it leaves my brow, it rises again in my heart.” Looking at the line of poetry she had unconsciously let fall onto the paper, Wei Yingluo sighed and crumpled the letter into a ball.

Forbidden City.

   “Your Majesty.” Li Yu presented the letter. “A family letter from the Empress Dowager.”

“Set it down.” Hongli spoke as though he didn’t care.

Li Yu placed the letter down. He had barely taken a step out of the main door of Yangxin Hall when he heard Hongli call from inside:

“Li Yu!”

“This servant is here.” Li Yu hurriedly turned back.

The letter had already been opened. He had acted as if he didn’t care, yet the moment no one was nearby, he had eagerly torn it open to read.

In fact, the instant he picked up the envelope, Hongli had already sensed something was wrong.

—It was too light.

Compared to the previous family letters that often contained several pages, this one felt far too thin. When he opened it, sure enough, there was only a single sheet.

And on that single sheet was just one character: 安 (Peace/Safety).

The handwriting was unfamiliar—even this single character had not been written by Wei Yingluo. Hongli frowned at it for a long while before finally raising his head to ask Li Yu:

“Go and find out what has happened at the Yuanming Garden.”

Seeing the grave expression on his face, Li Yu also grew tense. He quickly withdrew to make inquiries. Not long afterward, he returned to report:

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty… a while ago the Empress Dowager caught a minor cold and was bedridden for three days. Fortunately, the imperial physicians treated her promptly and she was well cared for. She has now fully recovered.”

Hongli was stunned. “The Empress Dowager was ill?”

Li Yu: “Her Ladyship Consort Ling, attended to her during the illness and also fell ill.”

Hongli’s expression changed dramatically. He rose abruptly to his feet. “She also fell ill?”

Li Yu: “Please do not be anxious, Your Majesty. When this servant made inquiries, Consort Ling’s condition had already greatly improved. Yesterday she was already able to get out of bed. It was only because of this that the family letter was written by a palace maid on her behalf…”

Hongli let out a breath of relief, then suddenly felt somewhat embarrassed.

He kept insisting that he didn’t care about her, yet the moment he heard something had happened to her, his face changed color, his hands and feet grew flustered. And he still claimed he didn’t care? Even he himself could no longer believe those words…

Fortunately, at that moment Hailancha arrived, sparing him from further awkwardness.

“Your Majesty!” Hailancha’s face was full of joy. “A great victory for our army in the Battle of Altishur! The elder and younger Khoja brothers fled in panic to Badakhshan with only three hundred men, but were finally captured by the pursuing troops. The great army will soon return in triumph to the capital!”

Hongli’s face lit up with delight—both at the complete victory and at the perfect timing of Hailancha’s arrival, which saved him from further embarrassment.

“Excellent! Immediately issue orders to prepare for the triumphant return of the western expedition generals and soldiers to the capital. I will personally welcome them and hold a banquet in their honor!”

Hailancha: “Your Majesty, General Zhaohui also said he will bring back a gift.”

Hongli was taken aback. “A gift?”

Whether it was an illusion or not, he always felt that Hailancha’s current expression was somewhat strange.

“It’s…” Hailancha said with a complicated look on his face, “the Tuerdu Taiji of the Dzungar tribe intends to present to His Majesty the Emperor of Great Qing a… beautiful gift.”

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