The room was utterly silent. Blow after blow came, but for Jiang Yiyun, Consort Chun’s pregnancy was the true calamity.
Even though someone had taken her chastity the previous night, a faint hope still remained in her heart.
She thought that one day, after revenge achieved and her injustice had been cleared, she would be able to tell Chu Yinheng that she was the girl from the banks of the xiang river.
Yet it had all been nothing but delusion. She had thought that perhaps Chu Yinheng had learned that the girl from the banks of the xiang river was dead, and had therefore transferred his affections to Jia Yinger. At least then, it would not have been his fault.
But now she had been mistaken. That man repeatedly claimed that Jia Yinger was the treasure of his heart, yet turned around and grew intimate with other consorts.
Now she was utterly alone. All she had was hatred, and that was the greatest meaning of her existence.
She kept persuading herself that she should give up. After all, she had already lost her chastity. Even if the truth came to light, she would have no face to remain beside chu yinheng.
The shadow guards hiding in the darkness did not dare show themselves. They could only sigh inwardly as they watched her sit there for the entire morning.
After a long while, Tao Ying slowly entered the palace hall and cautiously urged, “princess, eat something!”
“I have no appetite,” Jiang Yiyun replied indifferently.
“Since the emperor can favor Consort Chun, surely he will come around sooner or later and realize how wonderful you are, princess.”
Jiang Yiyun gave a tragic smile. Come around? She did not want such “devotion.”
She stopped discussing the matter and asked faintly, “Where is Lian Ying?”
Tao Ying said indignantly, “Hmph, just thinking about it makes me angry. Today, Huan Cui, one of Noble Consort Li’s subordinates, went crazy for some reason and threw a basin of dirty water near the palace hall. She was clearly looking for trouble. After Lian Ying found out, she secretly followed them, planning to teach them a lesson.”
“Do not cause trouble.”
“Rest assured, princess. Lian Ying is quick and nimble. Creating a little trouble in secret will not be a problem.”
Time passed quickly, and the sky gradually darkened. Both of them felt that something was wrong. Lian Ying had been gone for so long and still had not returned.
When night fell, Jiang Yiyun grew restless and hurriedly sent someone to search for her.
The Imperial Garden should have been quiet and peaceful at night, yet quite a few people had gathered in one place, apparently watching some spectacle.
Jiang Yiyun was drawn over as well. The closer she got, the more uneasy she felt.
“Oh my, isn’t that Lian Ying?”
“Tsk, tsk, what a gruesome death.”
“To do such a thing in full public view.”
…
Someone was already handling the matter. When Jiang Yiyun entered the crowd, the scene before her left her aghast.
A person lay on the artificial hill stones beside a pond in the Imperial Garden. Her entire body was in disarray, and the pink clothing and gauze covering her body had long since ceased to conceal her.
A conspicuous, fatal wound marked her neck. The sight pierced Jiang Yiyun’s heart and nearly made her faint.
When the crowd saw her, they offered a perfunctory salute before lowering their heads in silence, treating it merely as a show.
Seeing this, Tao Ying was stunned senseless and cried out, “Lian Ying! Lian Ying!”
“Princess, Lian Ying is dead. She is dead.”
“How could this happen? How could she suddenly…” Jiang Yiyun could not believe it.
“Lian Ying was perfectly fine this morning. Who wanted to harm her?” Tao Ying sobbed incoherently, quickly covering Lian Ying with a cloak.
Not only had she died, she had been treated this way and left exposed before everyone’s eyes, allowing people to point and whisper. How could she rest in peace?
“Jia Yinger!” Jiang Yiyun clenched her fists and turned toward Liying Palace.
Music and singing continued without end inside Liying Palace, accompanied by laughter and merriment—completely contrary to her state of mind.
The angrier she became as she listened. Before she could enter, a guard blocked her way. “Empress, the emperor is not seeing anyone at this moment.”
Chu Yinheng was actually here as well. Jiang Yiyun had not expected him to come to this place. Should he not have been holding Consort Chun and whispering tenderly to her?
Hah, an emperor’s love truly was something given as charity.
“Jia Yinger, come out!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
The guard hurriedly stopped her. “Empress, please do not make a disturbance here. The emperor is inside. If you disturb His Majesty, neither you nor we can bear the consequences.”
“I want to see Noble Consort Li. Call her out.” She had to seek justice for Lian Ying.
“Empress, please do not make things difficult for this servant.”
“Who is making such a commotion here?” A stern voice rang out. Chu Yinheng appeared, dressed in a white brocade robe, his bearing noble and imposing, with Jia Yinger held in his arms as he slowly approached.
The sight was unbearably glaring. Ignoring everything else, Jiang Yiyun knelt on the cold ground and said sorrowfully, “emperor, my maidservant has died a terrible death.”
Jia Yinger raised her brows and asked, “Sister, what happened to you?” Her words sounded concerned, yet carried a hint of provocation.
“Your maidservant died? How did she die?”
“Her chastity was violated, and she died near the pond in the Imperial Garden.”
Jia Yinger pretended to be shocked and said, looking deeply saddened, “Oh my, how could this happen? That palace maid is truly pitiful.”
Jiang Yiyun glared coldly at her. “How she died is something you should ask Noble Consort Li.”
“Sister, what do you mean? Could it be that you think I killed Lian Ying?”
Chu Yinheng was somewhat displeased. “What does Yinger’s death have to do with her?”
“Your subject and consort…” Before Jiang Yiyun could finish speaking, someone arrived to report the matter, explaining the entire situation in detail.
Chu Yinheng asked, “Have you found anything?”
The reporting eunuch replied, “This was found on jia yinger's person.” He then took out a sheet of paper and presented it.
Jiang Yiyun did not know what was written on it. She only watched the changing expressions of the man and woman before her.
After a moment, Chu Yinheng gave a cold snort and threw the paper in front of Jiang Yiyun. “Your maidservant did a fine thing. Take a look for yourself.”
Only after reading the contents did Jiang Yiyun realize that she had been thoroughly tricked. The writing was filled with words of affection, apparently arranging a meeting in the Imperial Garden to engage in pleasurable activities.
“Hmph. If she had died unjustly, that would be one thing. But this was something she brought upon herself. Engaging in illicit relations within the imperial palace is punishable by death.” The emperor’s cold words plunged her into despair.
“I never thought Lian Ying could do such a thing. Her partner must have decided she was no longer useful, and, fearing that she would reveal their illicit relations, chose to silence them permanently.” Jia Yinger spoke with vivid certainty, as though she had already reached a verdict.
“Guards, investigate this thoroughly. I want to see who was so bold as to engage in such treasonous and rebellious conduct with this servant.” Chu Yinheng issued the order.
He then turned to Jiang Yiyun and said, “Considering that you are the empress, I will waive the charge of failure to properly manage one’s subordinates. But never allow such a thing to happen again. I hate women like this most—women who have lost their chastity and know no shame.”
Lost her chastity and knew no shame…
Those words repeated themselves again and again in Jiang Yiyun’s mind, impossible to dispel.
She became extraordinarily agitated. “No, Lian Ying would never do such a thing. It was clearly her!”
Jia Yinger, the one being accused, turned pale with distress and said aggrievedly, “Sister, younger sister knows that you resent me for always being with the emperor, but younger sister has never done anything to wrong you.”
With tears streaming down her face and a pitiful, delicate appearance, no one would believe that such a fragile woman was the chief culprit. They would only think that the empress was framing her out of jealousy.
“Enough. I was more lenient because you had lost your maidservant, but you have gone too far and slandered Yinger. It is truly detestable.”
“Emperor, your subject and consort begs you to investigate clearly. Lian Ying would never have done this. She must have been forced.” Jiang Yiyun refused to yield.
“She was merely a maidservant. What more is there to investigate? Leave.” He had already turned away and no longer paid her any attention.
Jia Yinger stopped in front of her, then leaned down and whispered into her ear, “Sister, the man who enjoyed himself with your maidservant was Consort Chun’s older brother. He was very satisfied with her, except that he found her disobedient. He had no choice but to silence them permanently.”
“Sister, do not be too sad. She was only a servant. If you like, I can send you eight or ten more. Just do not engage in illicit relations with anyone again, and you certainly will not make the emperor angry, hehehe.”
Jiang Yiyun’s eyes widened. Consort Chun’s older brother, Fu Tiande, was the young marquis of the current dynasty.
Jiang Yiyun had never imagined that her opponent would make such a move. It was probably due to her own negligence: she had focused only on Jia Yinger’s movements and forgotten about the lackeys around her.
She watched Jia Yinger touch her temple, then turn gracefully and walk into the palace hall, swaying merrily.
The palace hall was silent, filled with an atmosphere of grief.
Jiang Yiyun regretted it. She regretted surrendering so easily the empress’s authority over the Six Palaces. Otherwise, she would not have allowed her opponent to grow so emboldened. She regretted allowing Lian Ying to go to Liying Palace so carelessly; otherwise, this calamity would never have befallen her.
In the past, her methods had allowed her to contend with Jia Yinger. But now she was gradually declining. Sooner or later, disaster would descend upon those around her—and in the end, the last one… would probably be herself.