After returning to Chui Gong Hall, Yuan Mingdi intended to rest for a while. But when he closed his eyes, his mind was filled entirely with Jiang Ling’s voice.
Song Gongzheng from the Gong Zheng Si had been ordered to investigate the matter and came to report his findings. Yuan Mingdi was feeling irritable and was about to cut him off when Song Gongzheng mentioned Jiang Ling, so he restrained himself and listened.
After Song Gongzheng withdrew, Yuan Mingdi couldn’t wait and sent Huang Liang to summon Jiang Ling for an audience. He sat on the couch, staring intently at the person following Huang Liang in, unconsciously straining his ears, waiting for her “inner thoughts.”
Unfortunately, Yuan Mingdi heard nothing. He felt somewhat disappointed, wondering if the words he had heard from her before were merely his own imagination.
Jiang Ling stepped forward to pay her respects. Yuan Mingdi waved his hand, signaling her to sit. After a moment, seeing her standing there with her head bowed, he couldn’t help but chuckle wryly.
How foolish!
But the smile quickly froze on his face as he once again heard Jiang Ling’s thoughts: “This bullshit emperor hasn’t spoken for so long; would standing up without permission count as disrespecting the imperial authority? Oh no, oh no! Right after meeting, the bullshit emperor is trying to intimidate me—definitely not a good sign. Just goes to show how clueless he is; what the hell could he possibly find out?”
Yuan Mingdi’s expression turned extremely unpleasant. Jiang Ling’s mouth hadn’t moved; she looked tense and dazed. He glanced at Huang Liang, who was serving tea, but he was bowing his head with downcast eyes, showing no awareness of anything unusual.
“Rise!” Yuan Mingdi almost growled through gritted teeth, startling the usually composed Huang Liang, who nearly spilled the tea.
Huang Liang set down the teacup and hurriedly prepared to apologize, but Yuan Mingdi waved him away impatiently. Then, pointing to the brocade stool and fearing Jiang Ling might not understand his expression, he said aloud, “Sit!”
Jiang Ling stiffly sat down, holding her breath as she waited for Yuan Mingdi to announce the result.
“What if the outcome is bad? Will it be confinement or being sent to the cold palace? Confinement doesn’t matter—I can’t go out anyway. The cold palace? Xie Fang Pavilion is already like a cold palace. Will I be demoted? A fifth-rank Cairen is already the lowest rank; any lower would be an unranked common consort. The title isn’t important, but the treatment would be worse. The food and clothing are already terrible; if it gets any worse, I might as well not live!”
Yuan Mingdi’s mind buzzed as if a thousand flies were swarming around him, irritating him so much that he wanted to drag her out and have her beaten!
“The Gong Zheng Si has already investigated,” Yuan Mingdi said, unable to bear it any longer. Jiang Ling immediately looked up at him, and the buzzing in his ears ceased.
“You and Su Shi had an argument, each sticking to your own story. Su Shi claims she treated you with sincerity, but you were ungrateful. She believes Su Shi harmed you again.”
Jiang Ling felt like rolling her eyes upon hearing this. Su Yue was most skilled at acting; her words were seamless and easily swayed people. In this regard, Jiang Ling dared not compare herself to her.
“Su Shi claims you publicly humiliated her. When you were at Lan Yue Hall, you bluntly said Xu Shi was ugly.”
At this point, Yuan Mingdi couldn’t help but scrutinize Jiang Ling. Her face, free of makeup, was snow-white and radiant as peach blossoms.
Though she wore a stiff expression, she appeared cautious and docile. But since Yuan Mingdi could hear her inner thoughts, he knew she was anything but docile—instead, she was vulgar, noisy, and audaciously bold.
“Your Majesty, please discern the truth. This humble consort is not skilled with words. At that time, Noble Lady Xu slandered me, and I was merely responding in the heat of the moment, forced to defend myself.”
Jiang Ling had repeatedly pondered what Zhao Defei had said to her. Chen Shanggong must be aligned with either Lin Guifei or Consort Liu. Zhao Defei was certainly not offering well-intentioned advice; she aimed to use Jiang Ling’s hand to strike against her rivals.
Su Yue and Noble Lady Xu were already more than she could handle. Making more enemies would only make the next hurdle even harder to overcome, even if she managed to clear this one.
With her life at stake, Jiang Ling instinctively defended herself, omitting any mention of seating arrangements.
With witnesses, testimonies, and evidence all stacked against her, she could only insist, “If Su Cairen wishes to move into the main room of Xie Fang Pavilion, I will gladly yield it to her. I have never made enemies of anyone and have always kept to myself. It is Su Cairen and Noble Lady Xu who are colluding to harm others, blatantly lying through their teeth—they are deceiving Your Majesty!”
Yuan Mingdi couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. While he believed Jiang Ling to be innocent, she was truly the master of “blatantly lying through her teeth”!
The thought of her being completely transparent before him, of him holding all the cards, filled Yuan Mingdi with a secret delight. For now, he would forgive her audacity.
“Hmm,” Yuan Mingdi lowered his gaze and said noncommittally, “Gong Zheng Si is still investigating. The truth of the matter will eventually come to light. Those who stir up trouble will not be spared.”
Jiang Ling inwardly scoffed but replied respectfully, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Yuan Mingdi glanced at her and called for Huang Liang. “Serve the meal.”
Seeing this, Jiang Ling rose and curtseyed. “I take my leave, Your Majesty.”
Yuan Mingdi was taken aback, exasperated by her denseness. He decided to be direct. “It is the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for reunion. You shall stay and dine with me.”
Jiang Ling recalled A Ruo and Fang He mentioning that multiple provinces had suffered droughts during the spring planting season this year, leading to poor harvests. The Mid-Autumn celebrations, where the emperor, consorts, and officials would traditionally cruise on boats to admire the moon, had been scaled down.
Yet Jiang Ling was baffled. What did Yuan Mingdi’s “Mid-Autumn reunion” have to do with her?
At the noon banquet, she had only eaten a few fruits and was now starving, her stomach clinging to her backbone. Even so, being forced to dine in the emperor’s bedchamber made her so anxious she felt on the verge of losing her mind.
Though Yuan Mingdi couldn’t hear Jiang Ling’s inner thoughts, her reactions were enough for him to guess what was on her mind.
“What? Are you unwilling?” Yuan Mingdi grew irritated. How dare a mere Cairen show such disdain toward him!
“I would not dare,” Jiang Ling hurriedly apologized and sat down stiffly.
“Hmph!” Yuan Mingdi snorted coldly. He had half a mind to lose his temper, but curiosity got the better of him, and he listened closely to her true thoughts.
“What will the imperial meal be like? If it’s not tasty, this will be such a loss. Even if it is delicious, it’s still a loss! Can’t even have peace during the festival—I can’t go on like this!” Jiang Ling lamented internally.
Yuan Mingdi gritted his teeth in frustration. Why did she feel she was at a loss?
“Now I’ll become everyone’s target… Oh, there’s grape wine! ‘Grape wine, luminous cup’—what’s the next line? ‘Glistening red wineglass’…”
Yuan Mingdi looked at the eunuchs and palace maids bringing in the meal. They held crystal cups and grape wine, leaving him speechless.
Her mind was truly a mess, jumping from one thought to another so quickly it was disorienting.
The imperial meal was served separately, with individual trays placed before Yuan Mingdi and Jiang Ling. This arrangement allowed Jiang Ling to relax slightly.
However, separate dining had its drawbacks. Eating in front of the emperor came with cumbersome rules and etiquette. If she finished every last bit of her meal, the empty plates would be glaringly obvious, exposing her one true talent: her ability to eat and drink heartily.
After Yuan Mingdi picked up his chopsticks, Jiang Ling eagerly took a sip of the grape wine. Instantly, her face scrunched up.
The wine was sour and astringent. Jiang Ling nearly spat it out and quickly set down the crystal cup.
On the table, aside from wine, there were mooncakes that Jiang Ling never ate and mutton she had grown tired of. Fortunately, a few dishes suited her taste perfectly, and she finished them all.
Yuan Mingdi, holding his wine cup, observed Jiang Ling’s every move. At this moment, he was utterly convinced that Su Yue’s claim—that Jiang Ling disdained tribute grapes—was true.
After the meal, Yuan Mingdi habitually took a stroll to aid digestion. With his hands clasped behind his back, he cast a sidelong glance at Jiang Ling and said, “The moonlight outside is lovely. Accompany me for a walk.”
Jiang Ling silently rose and stepped outside. The cool autumn breeze whispered, and moonlight bathed the courtyard, mingling with the lantern light to create a dreamlike scene.
“Vanish, vanish, vanish! In the name of the moon, I’ll annihilate you!”
Yuan Mingdi paused mid-step, briefly closed his eyes, and then continued walking.
“Sorry, bright moon, for making you witness such foolishness. Look how ridiculous mortals are—day after day, ‘aiding digestion’? I haven’t even eaten my fill yet—what digestion is there to aid!”
Yuan Mingdi could no longer restrain himself and inwardly cursed, “What a glutton!”
She had earlier devoured an entire fish, a plate of fresh lotus root, a bowl of sour duck soup, a plate of Zao Goose Meat, and a bowl of Geng Rice—yet she claimed not to be full!
Thoroughly exasperated by her incessant chatter, Yuan Mingdi halted and said displeasedly, “Dismissed!”
Jiang Ling immediately breathed a sigh of relief, hastily bowed, and took her leave.
Yuan Mingdi watched her fleeing figure, his expression darkening. Gradually, suspicion surfaced in his eyes, and he summoned Huang Liang, instructing, “Investigate the Jiang family’s background thoroughly!”