Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 23: The East Window Has Been Blown Open

   “Yingluo, have you… gained weight?”

Not only did the consorts and concubines have new clothes measured and tailored—the palace maids did too. Especially the newly arrived young maids, who were still growing; after just a few months, their sleeves would already be too short.

Since they “eat off the mountain when on the mountain, drink off the water when by the water,” the embroidery workshop never shortchanged its own people. So when it came time to measure and make new clothes for the maids, the first priority was given to Wei Yingluo’s group of newcomers.

But the moment the soft measuring tape was wrapped around Wei Yingluo’s waist, Momo Zhang frowned. “Your waist has gotten at least an inch bigger. What have you been gorging yourself on lately?”

Wei Yingluo remained silent. Jixiang, standing beside her, immediately spoke up in her defense.

“No way!” Jixiang said. “Sister Yingluo has been throwing up everything she eats lately. She hasn’t had a proper meal in days!”

Momo Zhang shot her a fierce glare, annoyed at her loose tongue, then turned back to Wei Yingluo and sighed. “The clothes you’re wearing now are already too small. Before the new ones are ready, go to the storeroom and pick out an old one that fits for the time being.”

“Thank you, Momo,” Wei Yingluo said with a touch of shame. While the others continued with their measurements, she went alone into the storeroom.

Inside the storeroom were piles of new fabric and new garments, as well as old fabric and old clothes. The world is unpredictable—fortune and misfortune can change in an instant. Sometimes brand-new clothes are finished, yet the person who was meant to wear them is already gone. Sometimes, in just a few short months, the most fashionable patterns fall out of style, and so these garments and fabrics are tucked away on high shelves, untouched for years, their colors fading, mold slowly spreading, growing shabbier and older… until finally, no one will ever wear them again.

Just like the women of the rear palace who grow old.

Wei Yingluo walked slowly past rack after rack of hanging clothes. At last she selected a subdued stone-blue garment. After glancing around and confirming no one else was present, she removed the clothes she was wearing so she could try on the old stone-blue one in her hands.

Stripping off her outer garment revealed the close-fitting inner clothing beneath.

It could no longer conceal the slight swell of her abdomen.

And none of this escaped the watchful eyes of Jinxiu, who had followed closely behind.

When the news reached Aunt Fang’s ears, she slammed the table and stood up, laughing: “Excellent! This is truly a case of catching the adulterer red-handed with the evidence right there. I’m going to fetch Chief Steward Wu this instant!”

Jinxiu, standing to one side, eagerly added fuel to the fire: “While you’re at it, call Momo Zhang over too—let her see with her own eyes what kind of ‘outstanding disciple’ her prized protégé really is!”

“Exactly right! And drag that old hag along as well—let’s see if she’ll still dare to show off in front of me after this!”

Aunt Fang scoffed with icy disdain, then hurried off impatiently to find Chief Steward Wu.

This was no trivial matter. Wu Shulai immediately set aside whatever he was doing and rushed to the palace maids’ quarters.

“Wei Yingluo!” He fixed his gaze on the young girl before him. “Someone has accused you of shameful conduct. Do you plead guilty?”

Wei Yingluo was wearing a freshly changed stone-blue gown that made her demeanor appear even more composed and steady. She first respectfully curtsied to Wu Shulai, then calmly replied:

“May I ask, Eunuch, what exactly is this ‘shameful conduct’ being alleged, and who is the accuser?”

“It’s me!” Aunt Fang stepped forward from the crowd, her eyes like knives slicing into her. “I accuse you of carrying on an illicit affair with a guard and secretly conceiving a child!”

Wei Yingluo let out a soft sigh. “Auntie, I have never offended you. Why would you use such baseless slander to harm me?”

“Whether it’s baseless or not will become clear with an examination!” Aunt Fang turned to Wu Shulai. “Chief Steward Wu, please summon an experienced mama to examine her—then the truth will be plain for all to see!”

Seeing her so confident and fearless, Wu Shulai couldn’t help but frown.

From what he knew of Aunt Fang, she would never dare make such a public accusation without some solid basis. Could it really be true, as she claimed, that Wei Yingluo had…?

Wu Shulai did not want the matter to escalate further. If Wei Yingluo lost face, his own reputation as the chief eunuch in charge of the palace maids would suffer as well. So he spoke with a hint of persuasion:

“Wei Yingluo, if you truly did this, it would be better to confess honestly now. Otherwise, if it’s discovered during the examination, the humiliation will be even greater.”

“Defiling the palace carries the penalty of death by random beating. I; Yingluo values my life—how could I possibly have the nerve to do such a thing?” Wei Yingluo cast a faint glance at Aunt Fang. “Just as Aunt Fang suggests—summon an experienced mama and let the truth come to light.”

Wu Shulai was now thoroughly confused by the two of them. Aunt Fang acted as though she held irrefutable proof and intended to destroy her opponent completely, yet unexpectedly Wei Yingluo appeared just as upright and unafraid of scrutiny. This…

“Very well,” Wu Shulai finally said. “Someone, go and summon Momo Yan!”

Momo Yan was a midwife.

According to her own account, she had served across two reigns of emperors and had personally delivered three princesses and four princes. No one knew whether she was telling the truth or simply boasting.

To secure her services, Wu Shulai had to use both his personal influence and a certain amount of silver.

Otherwise, this formidable figure would not have been moved.

But to Wu Shulai, the expense was worthwhile. The matter had already grown quite public, so only a midwife whose status and skill were universally respected could produce a result that everyone would accept.

Of course, if she could be persuaded—thanks to the silver—to quietly resolve the issue and make it disappear, that would be ideal…

Aunt Fang saw through his thoughts and sneered: “Momo Yan, with so many eyes watching and so many mouths ready to talk, you had better examine her very carefully. Otherwise, if in a few months this little wretch gives birth to a full-term child, your golden reputation will be ruined.”

“Chief Steward Wu,” Wei Yingluo shot her a sideways glance, then turned back to Wu Shulai. “Though I am only a palace maid, I am still the daughter of a respectable family. To have my spotless reputation slandered like this—any other person might dash their head against the wall in despair! The one making this accusation clearly intends to drive me to my death. May I ask: if in the end I am proven innocent, how will the accuser be dealt with?”

“The palace has its rules. Those who defile the court are beaten to death at random. Those who make empty accusations and falsely incriminate others are beaten with random blows and expelled from the Forbidden City! Enough—everything now depends on the result of this examination!” Wu Shulai waved his hand. “Momo Yan, begin!”

“Miss, come with me.” Momo Yan led Wei Yingluo into a small room that had been prepared in advance.

The doors and windows were tightly sealed, and not a single sound leaked out. Those waiting outside had no idea what was happening inside; to them, the time dragged on like years. Jixiang paced back and forth on the spot. Momo Zhang’s gaze once again turned toward the door. Aunt Fang’s right foot tapped the ground impatiently.

At last, with a creak, the door opened again.

Momo Yan stepped over the threshold, wiping her hands with a damp cloth.

“How is it?” Aunt Fang rushed forward in a single stride. “What’s the result? Is her belly really big?”

Momo Yan paused for a moment. “It is… bigger…”

“Did you hear that? Did all of you hear that!” Aunt Fang was overjoyed. She spun around and shouted to Wu Shulai, to Momo Zhang, and to everyone standing in the inner courtyard: “Wei Yingluo is pregnant!”

Her words were like throwing a live chicken into a pot of boiling water.

Instantly the water splashed everywhere, feathers flew in all directions.

“My God, she really did something shameful!”

“I always said she was sneaky all the time—turns out she was sneaking off to meet someone!”

“Tch, so what if her embroidery is good? Her character is rotten—she’s completely disgraced us all!”

“No, no—Sister Yingluo would never do something like that!”

Momo Zhang swayed on her feet. If Jixiang hadn’t quickly supported her, she might have collapsed to the ground right there. Not far away, Wu Shulai’s expression was also very dark. The look he directed toward Wei Yingluo was filled with disappointment.

He had once held such high hopes for this child… sigh…

He was just about to raise his hand and bring the matter to a close when Momo Yan suddenly roared: “Enough! Can’t you all let me finish speaking?!”

The chaotic clamor abruptly stopped. Aunt Fang froze for a second, then said, “Didn’t you just say her belly is big…”

“I said her belly is bigger… than usual!” Momo Yan finally got the chance to finish the sentence she had left hanging. Then she scoffed with a sneer. “It’s most likely she ate something hard to digest and bloated her stomach. But the most important thing is—she is still a virgin. Her chastity is intact!”

“What!” Aunt Fang could hardly believe her ears. She grabbed Momo Yan’s arm. “What did you say? Did you… did you make a mistake?”

“Pah!” While others might give her face, Momo Yan had no intention of sparing hers. She immediately spat in Aunt Fang’s direction and, relying on her seniority, snapped: “Shut your mouth! A little girl like you dares to act experienced in front of me? How many women have you actually seen that you would dare declare someone is pregnant? I’ve been in the palace for forty years—I’ve examined countless candidate consorts and palace maids. Do you think I can’t even tell the difference between a married woman and a maiden?!”

Aunt Fang’s face was sprayed with spittle, yet she didn’t even have the presence of mind to wipe it off.

The stares all around made her feel ice-cold all over. Almost pleading, she clung to Momo Yan: “You’ve never made a mistake before. Maybe… maybe just this once you did? Please—I beg you, Momo Yan—check her again. Just once!”

“No need!” Wu Shulai stepped forward and said in a deep voice, “Momo Yan is an old momo with forty years in the palace. When it comes to women’s matters, even the head of the Imperial Medical Academy can’t compare to her experience! Dozens of eyes saw it clearly—Wei Yingluo has indeed been wrongly accused. You, as the managing auntie, have truly acted disgracefully!”

Aunt Fang could no longer hold herself up. Her knees buckled and she dropped to the ground, sobbing bitterly: “Chief Steward Wu, Chief Steward Wu, I—I was only misled by that girl Jinxiu’s nonsense! She wanted to frame Wei Yingluo—it wasn’t me!”

Suddenly dragged out to take the blame, Jinxiu jumped in fright. Seeing everyone turn their gazes toward her, she kept retreating, but she had nowhere to go. She could only wave her hands frantically: “No—no, it wasn’t me! Aunt Fang, how can you blame me? It was clearly you who told me to keep an eye on Yingluo. I only reported what I saw—I didn’t exaggerate a single word!”

“Hmph! It was obviously you who had a grudge against Wei Yingluo. You deliberately fed me false information to scare me, using me as your weapon. I… I…” The more Aunt Fang spoke, the angrier she became. Suddenly she lunged at the other woman, grabbing her by the hair and clawing at her face, roaring: “I’ll fight you to the death!”

The two of them grappled together like lifelong enemies. Even three or four people couldn’t pull them apart. For a moment, dust flew up and hairpins and jewelry scattered across the ground.

“Enough!” Wu Shulai roared, “What a disgrace, what an utter disgrace! Someone, come! Pull these two apart!”

In the end, it was the eunuchs he had brought with him who stepped in, forcibly separating the two women. Even then, they refused to settle down, continuously kicking their legs at each other while crying out and begging for mercy toward Wu Shulai.

Wu Shulai’s head throbbed from their noise. His gaze turned to Wei Yingluo as he slowly said, “Wei Yingluo, you are the victim here. What do you say?”

From the tone of Wu Shulai’s words, it seemed he was handing the decision over to Wei Yingluo?

Aunt Fang and Jinxiu exchanged a glance, then immediately switched targets, pleading desperately toward Wei Yingluo in turn.

Aunt Fang: “Yingluo! Yingluo! I was wrong, I was truly wrong! It was my fault, I was too harsh and unfair. Everything is my mistake—please forgive me! From now on, I won’t pick on you anymore. This is all Jinxiu’s doing—she’s the one who sowed discord! You’re a good girl; it’s all her fault!”

Jinxiu: “Yingluo, don’t believe her! She’s just trying to beg for your forgiveness! You and I entered the palace together—you know how timid I am. How could I have planned something this big all by myself? It was her—she’s the real mastermind behind it. I only went along with it because I had no choice!”

Wei Yingluo ignored the two of them completely. She curtsied once more to Wu Shulai, her tone calm and steady: “People’s words can be fearsome. If not for Your Excellency Chief Steward Wu upholding justice, Yingluo would likely have had no choice but to die to prove her innocence. Now that the truth has come to light, I ask that Chief Steward Wu handle this impartially.”

“Oh?” Wu Shulai chuckled. “Even if I were to let them both go, you wouldn’t hold any resentment in your heart?”

Aunt Fang and Jinxiu’s eyes instantly lit up with fervent hope. They looked at Wei Yingluo with anxiety and pleading, only to see her gently shake her head and reply, “No resentment.”

Wu Shulai smiled with satisfaction. “Though you bear no grudge… I cannot simply let them off like that! Momo Fang!”

“Here, here—your humble servant is here.” Aunt Fang, whose full name had been called, hurriedly knelt down.

“You slandered others and committed the sin of malicious speech. Forty strokes of the cane, then expulsion from the palace!” Chief Steward Wu said coldly. Then his gaze shifted abruptly from her collapsed, paralyzed form to the trembling Jinxiu. “Palace maid Jinxiu, jealous of your fellow maids and sowing discord—twenty strokes of the cane, and sentenced to hard labor in the Laundry Department.”

The two immediately burst into loud sobs and screams.

Aunt Fang: “No! Chief Steward Wu, I know I was wrong! I truly know I was wrong! Chief Steward Wu! Chief Steward Wu!”

Jinxiu: “It’s not my fault! It was all Aunt Fang—she’s the one who harmed me. This really has nothing to do with me!”

Wu Shulai truly could not bear to hear their voices any longer. With a wave of his hand, several eunuchs stepped forward together and dragged the two women away with force.

“What kind of place is this palace that you dare to spout nonsense and stir up trouble? Anyone who dares to cause more chaos or make trouble out of nothing—those two will be your example!” Wu Shulai swept his gaze around. Wherever his eyes fell, everyone lowered their heads—until they reached Wei Yingluo, when his expression softened somewhat. “If you want to learn from someone, learn more from Wei Yingluo. She is the true role model worthy of your emulation.”

Perhaps he had only said it casually, but so what?

   Once he left, everyone raised their heads again, and the way they looked at Wei Yingluo had completely changed.

   Aunt Fang was gone from the palace maids’ quarters.

   And now, with Chief Steward Wu’s words added on top…

   …From this day forward, in the palace maids’ quarters, who would dare to oppose Wei Yingluo again?

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