Yuan Mingdi wavered between panic, suspecting he might be losing his mind, and delight, believing only the Son of Heaven possessed the noble ability to hear others’ thoughts. At times he grew furious—why had this power been granted not over his ministers, but over a consort in the rear palace he could barely recognize? Then rage would overwhelm him: how dare this insignificant Cairen mentally refer to him as “cow dung”!
Imperial Concubine Lin noticed the emperor’s strange expression and masked her own suspicion, saying respectfully, “Your Majesty, the matter has been clarified. We await your judgment.”
Yuan Mingdi snapped back to awareness. Noble Lady Xu was gazing at him with red-rimmed eyes, tears welling up, the bloodstains on her fingertips clearly visible—a pitiful sight indeed.
His eyes shifted instinctively to Jiang Ling. Her makeup had smeared into a comical, patchy mess, leaving her looking both wretched and disheveled. Yet faced with crisis, she showed no tears, instead pressing her lips tightly together, brow furrowed, eyes darting keenly.
“Oh no! The reason they framed me doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is how to clear my name. Can I beg that cow dung for help?”
Yuan Mingdi’s face instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot. He nearly choked on the urge to strangle her right then.
“Not familiar with cow dung—begging him would be useless. That muddleheaded fool would bungle the case like a blind monk judging a gourd dispute… Better to just confirm the charges against her and stab the wretch to death. I’ll be Rong Momo—stab, stab, stab!”
So it seemed she truly had been falsely accused. And yet, look at her foolishness—facing death, still letting her thoughts run wild, chirping away like some noisy sparrow!
Yuan Mingdi’s head throbbed. On such a fine day, someone dared play tricks right before him. This was beyond endurance!
Fine. He’d strangle her another day.
“What have you to say for yourself?” Yuan Mingdi demanded, glaring at Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling started, then threw caution to the wind. Pointing at Noble Lady Xu and Su Yue, she cried, “They’re the ones who framed me!”
Though she had no evidence, Jiang Ling accused them on instinct: “Su Cai Ren had been planning to harm me all along. She bribed my palace maid, falsely claimed I admired Ink Chrysanthemums, and picked some to give me. I barely know Noble Lady Xu—we’ve no grievances between us. She must have been bribed by Su Cai Ren too. They collaborated to set me up.”
Yuan Mingdi’s headache worsened. She truly was too stupid—he’d given her a chance, yet she acted like those censors who only knew how to accuse.
Even as emperor, he still had to investigate before passing judgment.
Now she just kept lodging complaints—did she expect him to openly disregard the palace maid’s testimony and the bloody needle to favor her before everyone?
Noble Lady Xu paled slightly and began weeping delicately. “Your Majesty, this subject is wronged!”
Su Yue pressed her lips together, eyes brimming with tears as she pitifully said, “Your Majesty, this subject did have a few disagreements with Jiang Cairen. It was all my fault for offending her.”
She slowly knelt, placing both hands on the floor and kowtowing reverently. “This subject deserves punishment for arguing with Jiang Cairen and causing discord.”
Jiang Ling stood frozen. Since the argument involved both of them, if Su Yue was admitting guilt, didn’t that mean she was guilty too? Should she also kneel and kowtow?
Yuan Mingdi glanced at Jiang Ling standing rigidly there and found it unbearable to watch. Turning away, he said to Imperial Concubine Lin, “This is a serious matter that must be thoroughly investigated. Set it aside for now and hand it over to Gong Zheng Si.”
Logically, this matter should have been handled by the imperial concubines in charge of palace affairs, such as Imperial Concubine Lin and the other two. Although the Gong Zheng Si was under Yuan Mingdi’s control, he had never directly ordered it to handle matters of the inner court.
Yuan Mingdi’s sudden change made Imperial Concubine Lin’s expression turn stern, while Consort Zhao also furrowed her brows. Consort Liu was extremely surprised, her face thoughtful.
Su Yue’s face instantly paled, and Noble Lady Xu momentarily forgot her tears, standing there in a daze.
“Everyone may disperse.”
The banquet, which had been going well, was now marred by this unpleasant incident. Yuan Mingdi had no desire to stay longer and strode out of the hall.
The Gong Zheng Si was Jiang Ling’s only hope. She silently prayed in all directions: “I beg the Buddha to protect me and keep me safe. I hope Niu Fen is clever enough not to wrong an honest person like me.”
Yuan Mingdi swayed slightly, took a deep breath to steady himself, and thought, “Once this is investigated, I’ll make sure she pays!”
As the banquet dispersed, some who were unaware of what had happened began quietly inquiring, and soon the hall was filled with whispers.
Seeing this, Imperial Concubine Lin raised her voice and declared, “Regarding today’s events, anyone who spreads rumors or discusses them privately will also be handed over to the Gong Zheng Si for punishment!”
Hearing the name Gong Zheng Si and seeing Imperial Concubine Lin’s severity, everyone fell silent and bowed their heads respectfully as she and the others departed.
Jiang Ling stood there bewildered, unsure whether to wait for the Gong Zheng Si officials or return first to Xie Fang Pavilion.
Su Yue shot her an icy glare before turning and leaving the hall. Noble Lady Xu even rushed ahead of her, catching up to Su Yue, and the two began speaking in low voices.
Seeing this, Jiang Ling hurried back to Xie Fang Pavilion. Noticing that Su Yue and Noble Lady Xu were walking together, she suspected they were coordinating their stories and stealthily followed, hoping to eavesdrop.
When Su Yue and Noble Lady Xu saw her approach, they stopped talking and glared at her with venomous eyes, as if they wished they could tear her apart.
Jiang Ling wanted to ask Su Yue and Noble Lady Xu where their hatred came from, but after a moment’s thought, she found it pointless and dismissed the idea.
Things had reached this point—there was no turning back between them. Even if it was a misunderstanding, it was too late to resolve it.
Su Yue and Noble Lady Xu quickened their pace, turned down a side path, and disappeared. Feeling disheartened, Jiang Ling trudged forward with her head down. She saw Consort Zhao ahead, leading Xiao Yunjue toward the Imperial Garden. There were two routes back to Xie Fang Pavilion, and this was the shortest. Trusting no one now and unwilling to provoke anyone further, she decided to take the southern detour.
Unexpectedly, Consort Zhao stopped and turned to look at her. Seeing this, Jiang Ling had no choice but to brace herself and approach.
Consort Zhao instructed the wet nurse to take Xiao Yunjue to the Imperial Garden, then said with a smile, “The chrysanthemums in the Imperial Garden are in full bloom. Since you rarely have the chance to come out, if you miss them now, you’ll have to wait until next year. Why not come along and take a look?”
Before Jiang Ling could refuse, Consort Zhao continued walking forward, while Huang Momo, Xiang Li, and the others subtly separated A Ruo and Fang He, who had been trailing behind.
Consort Zhao walked slowly, glancing sideways at her. “The palace maids serving you don’t seem very capable.”
Jiang Ling was momentarily confused before remembering that the two should have been by her side. When Noble Lady Xu and the others falsely accused her, the two had hidden somewhere and failed to come forward to testify on her behalf.
Zhao Defei said, “If you had spoken up when the seating arrangements were changed during the banquet, I could have helped you, ensuring you returned to your proper seat. Ah, it’s all my fault. A Jue was being mischievous, and I had to keep an eye on him, so I was momentarily distracted, causing Jiang Cairen to suffer this injustice.”
Jiang Ling grew wary, her mind racing. Whether Zhao Defei had truly been negligent, Jiang Ling couldn’t discern, but her mention of the seating arrangement highlighted its significance.
It seemed Chen Shanggong from the Shangyi Bureau was not under Zhao Defei’s influence.
Zhao Defei said no more, pointing at the running Xiao Yunjue and exclaiming, “Oh dear, A Jue is acting up again. I must keep an eye on him. We shall go flower-viewing together another time.”
The nursemaids and palace maids clustered around him like anxious hens, urging, “Second Prince, slow down! Be careful not to fall!”
Zhao Defei, Huang Momo, Xiang Li, and several others stepped forward, surrounding Xiao Yunjue like stars encircling the moon, and the whole group noisily departed.
Jiang Ling halted, glanced at the silent A Ruo and Fang He, and headed straight back to Xie Fang Pavilion.
A Ruo and Fang He fetched water and entered to attend to Jiang Ling’s washing. After changing her clothes and cleansing the makeup from her face, Jiang Ling sat on the daybed in the secondary room and summoned the two before her. “You should have been standing behind me in attendance at Lan Yue Hall. You must have seen everything that happened clearly.”
“Cairen, the hall was so lively. This servant was momentarily distracted, and then Noble Lady Xu’s hand was bleeding,” A Ruo paled, hastily explaining in a fluster.
Fang He quickly added, “This servant was the same. Xue Yan was discussing the dancers’ figures and movements with me. It was only when Noble Lady Xu cried out that this servant realized something had happened.”
Xue Yan pulling Fang He to watch the dancers indicated that Su Yue had come prepared, knowing Jiang Ling was wary of A Ruo and Fang He, and had instead chosen Noble Lady Xu, whom Jiang Ling was less familiar with.
Both A Ruo and Fang He were trembling with fear. Jiang Ling, who could hardly ensure her own safety at this point, had no energy to deal with them and dismissed them. She lay listlessly on the daybed, awaiting news from the Gong Zheng Si.
By evening, the room had grown dim. A Ruo rushed in, breathlessly reporting, “Cairen, Huang Daban is here. He requests your presence.”
Thinking it was someone from the Gong Zheng Si, Jiang Ling hurried out without tidying herself. She recognized Huang Daban—she had seen him serving by Yuan Mingdi’s side at Lan Yue Hall.
“Jiang Cairen, please accompany this humble servant,” Huang Daban Huang Liang said courteously, raising his hand in salute.
Jiang Ling assumed Huang Liang had been sent by Yuan Mingdi on business to the Gong Zheng Si, and her heart leaped into her throat. She nodded stiffly, forgetting even to freshen up, and followed Huang Liang with heavy steps toward the Gong Zheng Si.
Arriving in front of a palace building, Jiang Ling paused in confusion at the sight of the guards. She looked up: on the hanging plaque, the three characters “Chui Gong Hall” were inscribed in a dynamic, flowing script.
Chui Gong Hall was a complex of several buildings. The front hall was where Yuan Mingdi held court, the rear hall housed the imperial study, and his living quarters were connected to it.
Assuming Yuan Mingdi intended to personally question her in the imperial study and envisioning the impending rigorous interrogation, Jiang Ling followed Huang Liang in a daze through a narrow passageway into a courtyard planted with rare and exotic flora.
The courtyard was bathed in the soft glow of lanterns, and full-length windows shone with bright light.
The eunuchs stationed at the door, upon seeing Huang Liang arrive, sprang into action—one went inside to announce their arrival, while another stepped forward to lift the blue satin door curtain.
Huang Liang stood by the door and said, “Jiang Cairen, please enter.”
Jiang Ling murmured an absent-minded acknowledgment. She secretly drew a deep breath to steady her nerves, lowered her head, and stepped inside.
Yuan Mingdi, dressed in casual attire, reclined lazily on the central low couch, his gaze burning intently toward her.
It was only then that Jiang Ling belatedly realized there was no one else in the room but Yuan Mingdi.
The place she had come to was Yuan Mingdi’s bedchamber!