Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 173: Reincarnation

   Hongli released her, leaned back into his chair, and let out a laughing sigh. “As expected.”

Chenbi tilted her head, studying his expression. “Your Majesty already guessed?”

“Yingluo has always stayed by the Empress Dowager’s side and is intimately familiar with everything about her. If she wanted to drive a wedge between you, your little head—” Hongli tapped her forehead lightly with one finger and smiled, “—would have already rolled off your neck long ago!”

Chenbi became angry, but not for herself. “Then why do you still turn a blind eye to her?”

Hongli was silent for a moment. “I’m happy about it.”

“No, Your Majesty is not happy! And Yingluo is not happy either!” Chenbi studied him a little longer, then suddenly burst into laughter. “I understand now—you’re deliberately using me to provoke her!”

Hongli: “Nonsense!”

His affected denial couldn’t even fool himself—how could it possibly fool Chenbi?

“Your Majesty, I have eyes and a heart. I can see and judge for myself. You treat me very, very well, but in your heart, another woman has long since taken up residence.” Chenbi suddenly knelt at his knees, gazing up at him with devotion, like a kalavinka bird regarding the Buddha it serves. “Your Majesty, I; Chenbi is willing to help you test Yingluo’s true feelings!”

Hongli froze.

Chenbi continued: “In Your Majesty’s heart, it’s perfectly normal for the women of the harem to be jealous and scheme against one another. But among the Huolan clan, wives can live together in harmony.”

Hongli: “Chenbi, you…”

Chenbi took hold of Hongli’s hand and said earnestly, “Your Majesty, you’ve gone to such lengths to provoke Yingluo because you want to know whether she truly cares about you! As long as I cooperates well, you will surely be able to find out her true feelings—I guarantee it!”

Hongli laughed despite himself. “I used you. You really aren’t angry?”

Chenbi: “You have given me far more. You respect my customs, you sympathize with my homesickness. A man like you are worth my devoting everything to love.”

Hongli: “Chenbi, I absolutely never imagined you would say such words.”

Chenbi gently pressed her cheek against the back of Hongli’s hand and said softly, “Your Majesty, Chenbi is willing to give you the very best things in the world.”

While the two gazed at each other with tender affection, Ming Yu was inside Yanxi Palace, sighing heavily.

“What exactly are you trying to achieve?” She was practically furious with disappointment. “You gave her a brilliant future, and now you’re caught in the middle with the Empress—neither side happy with you!”

“Do you really think the Empress is one of us?” By now Wei Yingluo had thought it through clearly. She smiled a little. “She specializes in killing with a borrowed knife. This time is probably no different. If the Empress Dowager, in a moment of rage, kills Concubine Rong, it will surely provoke His Majesty’s fury. His Majesty is extremely filial to his mother—he could never blame the Empress Dowager over a woman. So whom would he direct his anger toward? The Empress? Consort Shu? Consort Jia? No. The first person he would blame is me—because I stay by the Empress Dowager’s side, I am her confidante…”

She paused, then let out a soft sound. “…and therefore the most likely person to have sown discord.”

If she were seen as the true culprit behind Concubine Rong’s death, who would ultimately benefit? None other than the Step-Empress.

Ming Yu stared at her for a long time before sighing. “Why say so much? In the end, you just can’t bear to do it.”

Wei Yingluo was stunned for a moment, then gave a helpless, bitter smile. “Yes… Although Concubine Rong and I are romantic rivals, her crime does not deserve death.”

After the incident, Concubine Rong returned to her carefree life—riding horses and shooting arrows every day, or dancing gracefully in the Baoyue Tower. Her days passed in great happiness. But Wei Yingluo did not dare relax her vigilance. She knew very well that the Empress would never let Concubine Rong go just like that. On the contrary, the more favored Concubine Rong became, the more determined the Empress would be to strike her down.

Wei Yingluo waited quietly until, seven days later, she received a summons from the Empress Dowager.

“This servant respectfully greets the Empress Dowager and wishes Her Majesty eternal peace and health.” She knelt and performed the greeting, glancing sideways at the Empress Dowager from the corner of her eye.

The Empress Dowager seemed somewhat restless; she held her teacup for a long time without drinking. “Yingluo, Master Guangji said that a reunion in reincarnation happens to only one or two people in a thousand. I’ve turned it over and over in my mind for a very long time, and the more I think, the more something feels wrong. Tell me honestly: is the mark on Concubine Rong’s face somehow related to you?”

The moment Wei Yingluo heard this, she immediately understood.

Not long ago, not only had the Step-Empress sent people to re-gild the Buddha statue, she had also donated rice, grain, and silver to help Wanshou Temple comfort the displaced people. She had done so much, and done it so well, that even if Master Guangji of Wanshou Temple was a high monk who would never bend for five pecks of rice, he would now have to speak a few “fair words” on her behalf.

Her mind raced. On the surface, Wei Yingluo defended herself: “His Majesty favors Concubine Rong so deeply. Even if I bear no grudge against her, I would never deliberately deceive the Empress Dowager just to help her.”

But the Empress Dowager was not convinced by a single sentence. “Yingluo, you have been by my side for three years. I understand you better than anyone. You, little girl, are covered in thorns yet full of cunning. Who knows whether you might lie to save Concubine Rong.”

Just as Wei Yingluo was about to argue further, Aunt Liu suddenly said, “Empress Dowager, Concubine Rong has arrived.”

The Empress Dowager nodded. “Since you refuse to tell the truth, I have no choice but to let you confront Concubine Rong face to face! Let her in!”

Chenbi walked in from outside, once again dressed in Manchu qizhuang. She was naturally beautiful, so she looked stunning in anything—even an ordinary set of flag dress on her became as exquisite as a seamless celestial robe woven from colored clouds.

“This concubine respectfully greets the Empress Dowager and wishes Her Majesty eternal peace and health.” She performed the proper greeting toward the Empress Dowager, yet her eyes kept darting toward Wei Yingluo, making Wei Yingluo’s eye twitch. She wished she could immediately distance herself from her.

Seeing her behave this way, the Empress Dowager grew even more suspicious. Her face grimed as she said, “Concubine Rong, was everything you said last time the truth?”

Chenbi glanced at Wei Yingluo again. Seeing how stubbornly she refused to play along, sweat broke out on Wei Yingluo’s forehead. She thought desperately: This little ancestor—how can she be so clueless? Doesn’t she know that right now she should pretend she doesn’t know me… or better yet, pretend we’re enemies?

What made Wei Yingluo’s insides burn with anxiety even more was that, after a moment’s hesitation, Chenbi suddenly knelt before the Empress Dowager: “I beg the Empress Dowager’s forgiveness—I did not tell the truth.”

Everyone was shocked.

Wei Yingluo was just about to speak when the Empress Dowager shot her a fierce glare, forcing the words back down her throat. Then, in a grave voice, she said:

“Concubine Rong, explain yourself clearly. If anyone instigated you to lie, I will never forgive them!”

Chenbi hesitated again for a moment, then finally gritted her teeth:

“Empress Dowager, I have deceived you. They were right—I really am a demonic evil.”

The Empress Dowager had been furious beyond measure, ready to harshly punish both her and Wei Yingluo once the matter was explained clearly. But now she was somewhat stunned:

“What exactly are you talking about?”

“When I was first born, everything was normal. But by the age of three, I kept falling ill nonstop. I kept saying that I lived in a crystal house, and every day I cried for Wen Mama and for little dancing figures. It frightened everyone.” Chenbi closed her eyes, as though throwing caution to the wind. “Later, a wandering lama passed by and performed a ritual on me. Only then did I return to normal. He said this was called ‘seizing the womb.’ Fortunately it was discovered early, otherwise my life could not have been saved!”

She didn’t open her eyes, so she couldn’t see the expressions in the room. Aunt Liu was horrified, the Empress Dowager was overjoyed, and as for Wei Yingluo… she was full of suspicion.

After rambling on and recounting her entire background, Chenbi kowtowed hard against the floor:

“Empress Dowager, I know that concealing this is the same as deception. If you wish to punish me, then punish me!”

There was a sharp clink—the sound of a teacup falling to the ground. The Empress Dowager had already lost her composure. She pushed away Aunt Liu’s supporting hand, walked over to Chenbi herself, and personally helped her up. She tried hard to suppress the joy surging in her heart, but her voice still trembled:

“Good child, to have encountered such a fate is a blessing bestowed by Heaven. How could I possibly blame you? It’s all right now. Don’t be afraid, okay?”

Chenbi slowly raised her head to look at her. The smile on her face was gentle and docile—the exact kind the Empress Dowager loved most. But… it was far too different from her usual innocent and naive appearance.

Wei Yingluo’s heart gave a sudden chill.

When the two of them finally left Shoukang Palace, both breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what, they had managed to get through this crisis.

“That speech just now—even I didn’t know about it. Who taught you?” Wei Yingluo asked, already knowing the answer.

Whether Chenbi was truly the reincarnation of Princess He’an, she herself knew better than anyone. At most she could add two tiny moles under the other woman’s lips to fool the Empress Dowager for a short time—but the story she had just told might actually be able to deceive the Empress Dowager for a lifetime…

Sure enough, Chenbi replied without the slightest guard:

“The Emperor, of course!”

Wei Yingluo’s heart sank. As expected…

“The Emperor was afraid it would be exposed, so he specially told me!” As if completely unaware of Wei Yingluo’s disappointment, Chenbi imitated Hongli’s serious manner and continued: “Chenbi, remember this—when little He’an took medicine as a child, she would wail and cry loudly. The Empress Dowager had many exquisite glazed objects placed in the room, using their clear, crisp clinking sounds to distract her, just like a crystal house. She was very dependent on her wet nurse Momo Wen. Every dusk she would start looking for her, and no one could comfort her. Oh, and the Empress Dowager even specially had a string-pulled little wooden puppet made just to cheer her up…”

Wei Yingluo replied expressionlessly:

“The Emperor really treats you well.”

“You treat me well too.” Chenbi suddenly turned her head to look at her, her gaze sincere and almost devout, like a devout believer before the Buddha. “You told a monstrous lie for my sake—how could I possibly expose it? You protect me, and I want to protect you too. Don’t worry, I will act very well. I will definitely repay you!”

Wei Yingluo gave a few casual hums, not taking her words to heart at all, and certainly never imagining that one day she would repay her in exactly that way.

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