Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 89: The Method

Cleansing Department Accounts Office.

A group of young eunuchs stood with heads bowed in solemn silence, nervously watching Yuan Chunwang across from them.

Yuan Chunwang sat behind the desk, flipping through the account book in his hands. He pointed out several irregularities: “Go back and correct these. Bring them to me when they’re fixed.”

The young eunuchs hurriedly accepted the book with both hands: “Yes, sir!”

After all the young eunuchs had left, a graceful figure suddenly slipped through the door. Leaning against the doorframe like a slender willow, she smiled and said: “Brother Yuan, what are you so busy with?”

Yuan Chunwang glanced at her once, then continued organizing the accounts on his desk.

Since the mountain would not come to her, she would go to the mountain. Jinxiu approached with a radiant, flower-like smile: “Brother Yuan, Wei Yingluo’s death is near at hand. Aren’t you going to turn around and look at me yet?”

The hand sorting the ledgers paused. Yuan Chunwang slowly raised his head, narrowed his eyes, and said: “What did you say?”

Jinxiu simply sat down on his desk, turning her curvaceous body halfway toward him so that Linglong’s figure was right before his eyes. Smiling, she said, “Wei Yingluo has been accused of cursing Noble Consort Hui to death. This time, the evidence and the culprit have been caught together—she absolutely won’t escape! Ai, Brother Yuan, where are you going? Wait for me…”

At the duty room of the Imperial Guards.

A cup of fragrant tea sat on the table, its aroma wafting through the air. Afternoon sunlight spilled over Fuheng as he turned a page in the military book in his hand. Suddenly, a somewhat unfamiliar voice rang out—clear and cool like a mountain spring: “Fucha Fuheng, come out!”

He frowned and turned his head. A strikingly beautiful young eunuch stood at the doorway. Two guards beside him were tugging at the intruder, shouting sternly, “Who are you, daring to barge into the Imperial Guards’ station and address Lord Fucha by name so directly!”

“Who I am isn’t important,” Yuan Chunwang said, gazing coldly at Fuheng. “What matters… is Wei Yingluo!”

Fuheng raised a hand. The two guards immediately released their grip and withdrew from the room.

“You just mentioned Wei Yingluo?” Fuheng did not rise from his chair; he leaned back and asked, “What happened to her?”

“Someone found a voodoo doll in the warehouse and identified her as the one who cursed Noble Consort Hui to death,” Yuan Chunwang said. “She has already been taken to the Yangxin Hall. I’m afraid she will be executed very soon.”

At those words, Fuheng said nothing more. He stood up and rushed straight toward the door.

“Do you want to get Wei Yingluo killed?” Yuan Chunwang called after his retreating back.

Fuheng spun around sharply. “What do you mean?”

Yuan Chunwang sneered. “A grand Imperial Guard pleading for a lowly maid from the Cleansing Division—if you say there’s no private affection between you two, who would believe it?”

Fuheng: “You—!”

Yuan Chunwang said coldly, “Normally a matter like this would be handed over to the Ministry of Punishments for handling. Why has it been taken to the Yangxin Hall instead? Lord Fucha should understand better than anyone! If you go there now, it won’t matter much for you—but it will enrage the Emperor. At that point, Wei Yingluo will truly have no way out!”

Hearing this, Fuheng’s face slowly drained of color.

Leading cavalry into battle was his strength; qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting were also talents he possessed. But when faced with such schemes, intrigues, and mutual deception, Fuheng was completely at a loss, his mind in chaos. After a long silence, he asked in a somewhat dry voice, “Do you have any solution?”

“The solution lies in the Changchun Palace,” Yuan Chunwang said softly and meaningfully. “Only one person can save Wei Yingluo.”

Fuheng stared at him for a long moment, then abruptly turned and left.

He had never felt the road to Changchun Palace to be so long—as though he had walked through an entire lifetime.

“Sister!” With a thud, Fuheng burst into the sleeping chamber, half-knelt at the bedside, and grasped the Empress’s hand. “Save Yingluo!”

Erqing had been feeding the Empress medicine; startled by his sudden entrance, some of the medicine spilled from the bowl in her hand. “Lord Fucha, how did you…”

Fuheng ignored her completely. He gripped the Empress’s hand tightly, his voice full of urgent pleading: “Sister! Sister, I know you can hear me. Ye Tianshi said your body is gradually recovering, but you’ve been escaping reality and refusing to wake up! Can you hear me speaking, Sister?”

The Empress lay motionless on the bed.

Fuheng’s voice grew even more sorrowful: “Sister! Ever since your illness, mother cries every day—now one of her eyes can no longer see. father sighs all day long, unable to focus on official duties! And everyone in the entire Changchun Palace is downcast and lifeless, like stagnant water! You used to dote on Wei Yingluo so much. She went to take revenge for you, went to kill for you. Now she stands on the brink of death—can’t you pull yourself together and help her?”

At the mention of Wei Yingluo’s name, Erqing lowered her eyes, a shadow passing through them. Then she raised her gaze and said, “Lord Fucha, Her Majesty has been asleep all this time. She cannot hear anything.”

“No, she can hear!” Fuheng had run out of options. He could not save Yingluo himself. Across the entire realm, only one person could save her—and that person was right in front of him. No matter what, he had to awaken her. “Sister, you can hear everything. Why won’t you wake up? Why do you insist on lying here? Is it because you cannot bear the pain of losing another child? Or because you dare not face the endless struggles of the inner palace? But how long can you keep escaping? Unless you lie in this bed for the rest of your life—unless you remain a living corpse forever!”

“Imperial Guard Fucha, please don’t do this. No matter how much you say, Her Ladyship she…” Erqing’s voice abruptly cut off.

A single tear had formed at the corner of the Empress’s eye. At the same moment, her pinky finger curled slightly—as though she were trapped in a nightmare, struggling with all her might to break free from it.

“Sister!” Fuheng was overjoyed. He gripped her hand even tighter, as if trying to transmit his strength to her, to help her tear through the nightmare and crawl out. “Please, wake up—wake up! Only you can help her. Only you can save her…”

A soft sigh came from beside him. “You want to save Wei Yingluo?”

Fuheng paused, then turned to look.

“If Her Ladyship doesn’t wake up, there won’t be enough time,” Erqing said. She set the medicine bowl aside, drew out a handkerchief, and slowly and gracefully wiped the medicinal stains from her hands. Even this simple action carried the refined elegance of a lady from a great family. She put the handkerchief down, raised her head, and gave Fuheng a faint smile. “If you want to save Wei Yingluo, there is only one way… It’s very simple. I’ll tell you.”

Inside Yangxin Hall, the atmosphere was tense.

Wei Yingluo had no idea that Fuheng and Yuan Chunwang were currently doing everything in their power to find a way to save her. Even if she had known, she would not have sat quietly and waited. She had never been the type to wait passively for rescue—if no one was coming to save her, she would save herself!

She picked up the small wooden figure from the floor and calmly examined it for a moment. Then she gently tugged at the knot: “Your Majesty, this is a reef knot.”

Noble Consort Xian: “A reef knot?”

“This kind of knot is very easy to untie. Just grip here with both hands and pull hard—it comes apart effortlessly.” Wei Yingluo demonstrated, and sure enough, the rope loosened quickly and fell into her palm like a limp thread.

Momo Liu pursed her lips. “So what?”

“Whether for embroidery or any kind of work, a reef knot comes undone easily. That’s why I never use it. Look!” Wei Yingluo took the rope in her hand and tied a new knot around the wooden figure’s neck. “I prefer to tie knots like this. If you don’t believe me, you can examine all of my embroidery pieces and every knot I’ve ever tied—see for yourself what kind I use.”

Momo Liu scoffed with icy disdain. “Even if the knotting method is different, that doesn’t prove this object has nothing to do with you!”

Wei Yingluo sneered. “Momo Liu, where was this wooden figure found?”

Momo Liu: “In the storeroom where you live!”

Wei Yingluo: “Which part of the storeroom?”

Momo Liu: “The storeroom… behind the firewood pile, in a small hole in the wall—specially used to hide this kind of malevolent charm!”

Wei Yingluo laughed. “Noble Consort Hui has been gone for more than two months. If she really had been cursed to death by me, why would I leave the evidence behind instead of disposing of it? Why keep it for you to find?”

Momo Liu: “That’s for you to explain—I don’t know!”

Wei Yingluo: “Fine! Let’s say I was that stupid and deliberately left evidence. The wooden figure was hidden in a hole in the wall. In summer the warehouse is damp and stiflingly hot; the firewood pile is always wet, and the walls leak and grow moldy. Yet this wooden figure, soaked in such conditions, doesn’t have the slightest trace of moisture!”

Momo Liu’s face grew uglier by the second. “This… this…”

Wei Yingluo stared at her. “That’s because this little wooden figure was only recently placed there!”

Hongli remained expressionless the entire time, silently staring at Wei Yingluo without saying a word.

Something was clearly amiss. Noble Consort Xian could no longer pretend not to notice. She immediately demanded, “Momo Liu, what exactly is going on here?!”

Momo Liu was sweating profusely. “This… this servant doesn’t know!”

Wei Yingluo: “It’s all because you were too stupid—even a small thing like this you couldn’t handle properly. What else are you good for? Noble Consort Xian Niangniang, someone must have instructed her in this matter. Please do not let the person with ulterior motives escape!”

Noble Consort Xian shook her head. “Take her to the Bureau of Careful Punishment. Interrogate her rigorously!”

Li Yu: “Yes, Your Ladyship!”

Li Yu waved his hand, and Momo Liu was immediately dragged away. She cried out in alarm: “Your Majesty, spare me! Noble Consort Xian, spare me! This servant knows her crime—this servant truly knows her crime!”

Wei Yingluo watched coldly as Momo Liu was hauled off.

Noble Consort Xian said: “In that case, Wei Yingluo has been wrongly accused. Your Majesty, perhaps…”

She had thought the matter would end there, but Hongli scoffed with icy disdain: “The crime of cursing and killing Noble Consort does not fall on you. But as a palace maid of the inner court, having a private affair with an imperial bodyguard—how do you explain that?”

Wei Yingluo froze, then suddenly looked up at Hongli.

Noble Consort Xian was shocked: “Your Majesty, this matter concerns a palace maid’s chastity and reputation—it can be grave or trivial. Without evidence…”

Hongli spoke word by word: “I saw it with my own eyes! Someone—take her to the Bureau of Careful Punishment as well!”

The eunuchs stepped forward. Wei Yingluo rose to her feet and walked straight out without the slightest hesitation.

Hongli: “Stop!”

Wei Yingluo halted.

Hongli’s face was extremely dark and gloomy. Though he himself had issued the order, he now faintly appeared to regret it: “Just a moment ago you were so eloquent—why aren’t you defending yourself now?”

It seemed that as long as she explained, he would believe her and set her free.

But Wei Yingluo lowered her head for a moment, then softly replied: “…Since Your Majesty says you saw it with your own eyes, this servant has nothing to say.”

His right hand gripped the armrest of the chair so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand bulged. Yet Hongli still forced himself to appear indifferent, saying coolly: “Very well—nothing to say. Take her away!”

Wei Yingluo sighed softly and was led away by the eunuchs. Hongli kept staring at her retreating figure. Beside him, Noble Consort Xian lowered her eyes to look at the veins standing out on the back of his hand, deep in thought.

“Your Majesty.” Li Yu suddenly hurried in from outside. “Imperial Guard Fucha has arrived.”

“What is he here for?” Hongli sneered. “Don’t tell me he’s come to plead for that woman?”

He suddenly realized he had spoken too freely and immediately shut his mouth. Noble Consort Xian was far too clever; she pretended not to have heard and asked no questions. After sitting in Yangxin Hall for a short while, she excused herself by saying she had palace affairs to attend to and left with Zhener and the others.

Once she was gone, Hongli spoke again: “Is the man still outside?”

Li Yu returned and answered: “He’s still kneeling out there.”

Hongli scoffed with icy disdain, almost venting his anger: “Let him kneel!”

Li Yu hesitated for a moment: “Your Majesty… he says he has urgent business to report to you!”

“What urgent business could there be?” Hongli said coldly. “It’s obviously about that woman. Tell him—Wei Yingluo has defiled the palace; I will show her no mercy!”

Li Yu: “Yes, Your Majesty!”

Just as Li Yu was about to withdraw, a voice called from behind: “Wait!”

In the inner courtyard of Yangxin Hall, Fuheng knelt on the ground. He had waited quietly for a long time, not receiving a summons from Hongli, but instead a pair of bright yellow dragon boots approached.

“Fuheng!” Hongli looked down at him from above. “Fuheng, why are you kneeling? For whom are you kneeling?”

Fuheng took a deep breath and prostrated himself before him: “Your Majesty, this servant has come to request an imperial marriage decree!”

“You wish to marry Wei Yingluo?” Hongli didn’t even know why such fury surged within him—so intense that he didn’t want to hear another word. He cut him off directly: “Let me tell you—it is absolutely impossible. I will not permit it! This time, I will take Wei Yingluo’s head to rectify the palace’s discipline!”

Hongli turned to leave. Halfway out, he suddenly heard a voice from behind: “Your Majesty once bestowed a marriage upon this servant—how could this servant possibly marry anyone else!”

Hongli stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around: “What did you say?”

“This servant… is willing to obey His Majesty’s decree.” Fuheng prostrated himself on the ground, concealing his pained expression. “I will marry the legitimate granddaughter of Justice Department Laibao, the Xitara clan’s Erqing.”

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