The great hall was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Huang Liang stepped forward carrying a tray with beeswax candles. His footsteps were extremely light, each step seeming to tread upon everyone’s hearts.
Yuan Mingdi’s face was as cold as frost as he said sharply, “On my birthday, there are actually people wishing for my death!”
To dare curse the Son of Heaven to die was no different from rebellion. At Yuan Mingdi’s words, everyone became as silent as cicadas in winter.
In the rainy night’s Wende Hall, the candlelight was dim and the chill permeated the air.
Jiang Ling was drenched in cold sweat, thinking to himself that indeed, the extinguishing of the beeswax candles would provoke Yuan Mingdi’s fury.
After returning to Chui Gong Hall, he had summoned those in charge of the rear palace and the high-ranking imperial concubines. It seemed he wouldn’t rest until he had turned everything upside down in his investigation.
Yuan Mingdi lifted his eyelids, glancing almost imperceptibly at Jiang Ling, then picked up a beeswax candle and threw it to the ground: “This is the beeswax candle lit in Lan Yue Hall!”
The wrist-thick beeswax candle cracked with a “snap” upon hitting the ground, rolled several times, and came to rest before Lin Guifei.
Lin Guifei lowered her eyes and brows, slowly knelt down, picked up the beeswax candle and examined it carefully before her. After rubbing it between her fingertips, she brought it close to her nose to smell.
“Your Majesty, although I grew up in Jing City, the Lin family’s ancestral home is in Shu Prefecture. Since childhood, I have been familiar with various types of wax. High-quality beeswax closely resembles honey in color and becomes soft yet resilient when made into candles. When lit, it emits a honey-like fragrance. White wax has a very faint scent, typically appearing white or light yellow, and is relatively hard. Beeswax burns quickly, while white wax burns slower. The tribute beeswax is mixed with the finest frankincense from foreign lands, giving it a sweet, mellow aroma with a hint of spiciness. The highest grade frankincense is Jian Incense, with Ping Incense being of secondary quality.”
Lin Guifei spoke calmly and methodically, concisely explaining the differences between beeswax and white wax.
At this point, holding up the beeswax candle Yuan Mingdi had thrown, she changed her tone and stated definitively: “This beeswax candle uses white wax for the core, with only an outer layer coated in beeswax. The fragrance used is made from ground orange peel with some added frankincense fragments. Beeswax burns slowly, while insect wax burns faster. Combined with the cold weather, insect wax tends to form a hard shell around the wick, causing the flame to fluctuate. The candle also uses fewer strands of rush pith for the wick, ultimately causing the candle flame to extinguish.”
Yuan Mingdi said coldly, “The tribute candles in the palace are the Lin family’s business!”
Lin Guifei lowered her eyes and said, “If the Lin family wanted to pass off fake goods for ill-gotten gains, we certainly wouldn’t be so obvious about it. If it were me, I would use more beeswax, add more frankincense powder, use more strands of rush pith for the wick, and deliver them to the palace during hot weather. This way, they would be almost indistinguishable from regular tribute beeswax candles.”
Jiang Ling was utterly impressed. Lin Guifei’s response was appropriate, reasonable and well-grounded. Facing matters concerning her family and life-and-death situations, her composure and calmness alone were something he couldn’t hope to match.
Following Lin Guifei’s unspoken implication, the Lin family wouldn’t be foolish enough to deliver fake beeswax candles during Yuan Mingdi’s birthday celebration.
Moreover, her words were more persuasive than direct denial – the matter of the fake beeswax was not orchestrated by the Lin family.
If the tribute beeswax candles were not problematic, then something must have gone wrong within the palace. Aside from the storerooms, either the responsible Shang Yi Bureau had made an error, or the candles had been tampered with at Lan Yue Hall.
Since Zhao Defei and Lin Guifei jointly managed the Shang Yi Bureau, and the Lin family was innocent, Zhao Defei became suspicious.
Yuan Mingdi’s gaze swept over them with a heavy intensity. Zhao Defei stepped forward and knelt, her voice clear and measured: “Your Majesty, I am not as knowledgeable as the Imperial Concubine regarding candles. I know nothing about making counterfeit beeswax and have little understanding of fragrances. During my years overseeing the Bureau of Candles, I have never found any irregularities in the candles. Your Majesty once taught me to seek guidance without shame in matters I do not understand, and I have always remembered that. Something as obvious as counterfeit beeswax—no matter how foolish I may be, I would never dare to engage in such acts.”
Like Lin Guifei, Zhao Defei neither wept nor made a scene. She reasoned logically, presented facts, and methodically cleared herself of suspicion. Moreover, her words also exonerated Lin Guifei and the Lin family. The beeswax tributed by the Lin family had never been faulty before, yet it caused trouble during the birthday celebration—this was truly too suspicious.
Since both of them were uninvolved, the fault must lie with the storeroom.
Jiang Ling’s scalp prickled, her heart leaping into her throat. Her thoughts were in disarray, echoing repeatedly: “I’m done for, truly—even plunging into the Yellow River couldn’t wash me clean. This wretched assignment pays nothing, and now it might cost me my life!”
Yuan Mingdi frowned, his ears aching from Jiang Ling’s cries. He had never suspected her in the first place—after all, she was lazy, unambitious, and spent her days doing little more than eating and sleeping. With her capabilities, she could never have accomplished such a scheme in such a short time.
“Your Majesty, I am innocent! I beg for a thorough investigation!” Jiang Ling hastily knelt, her face deathly pale, and stubbornly proclaimed her innocence.
Faced with the tension in the room, Jiang Ling’s body stiffened uncontrollably, and her words came out stammering: “I know nothing about beeswax or white wax, I haven’t even finished reading the account books, and I’m unfamiliar with the storeroom. I was only recently honored by Your Majesty as a Mei Ren and moved into Fanying Pavilion… Your Majesty is my heaven, and I am endlessly grateful, praying for Your Majesty’s longevity…”
Yuan Mingdi could bear it no longer and raised a hand to cut her off sharply: “Lady Jiang, silence!”
Her words only reminded him of his anger when she hadn’t even waited to kowtow in gratitude. Not only that, she had spoken ill of him behind his back and complained that he only received a shabby pouch for his birthday!
He slammed the imperial desk heavily, furious: “I will investigate thoroughly! If the culprit is found, I will exterminate their nine clans!”
Jiang Ling stared blankly at Yuan Mingdi, her face growing even paler, as wild thoughts raced through her mind: “What does he mean? He won’t even allow me to defend myself—is he going to force a confession through torture and execute my entire clan? What if I don’t have nine clans? Since I’m his consort, does the imperial family count?”
Yuan Mingdi shot a covert glare at Jiang Ling before turning to Consort Liu and the others: “What do you have to say?”
Consort Liu knelt respectfully and replied: “I have never been well-versed in matters of candles. However, as I assist Zhao Defei in supporting Lin Guifei with palace affairs and managing banquets, I am duty-bound. I beg for Your Majesty’s punishment.”
Zhao Pin, Li Jieyu, and other palace women who held no official duties knelt together and pleaded in succession: “We beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and clear our names.”
At this moment, Imperial Concubine Lin earnestly said: “Your Majesty, the Lin family happened to be in Shu Prefecture and was responsible for the palace’s lanterns and candles. Over these years, the Lin family has been treading on thin ice, constantly fearing any mistakes. Who would have thought such a major error would still occur? This subject is not pleading for the Lin family’s grievances—since the lanterns and candles were indeed offered by the Lin family, they should take responsibility. As this subject and Consort Zhao manage the affairs of the Shang Yi Bureau, we cannot shirk our duties either. This subject will write to Shu Prefecture to advise the Lin clan to cease involvement in lantern and candle matters from now on. There are many merchants in Shu Prefecture dealing in lanterns and candles; Your Majesty can select a few others just the same.”
Consort Zhao lifted her eyes to Yuan Mingdi, her almond-shaped eyes slightly reddened, maintaining her usual stubborn pride. Yet her voice carried a sob, appearing deeply wronged as she said: “This subject failed to manage the Shang Yi Bureau properly, disturbing Your Majesty’s birthday celebration. This subject is guilty and begs for Your Majesty’s punishment.”
She bowed and kowtowed, her shoulders trembling as if struggling to suppress her emotions. Moments later, when she raised her head again, her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“This subject implores Your Majesty to allow a thorough investigation to uncover the mastermind behind this and clear this subject’s name. With my limited capabilities, I should have relinquished control of the Shang Yi Bureau long ago. Whether it be Guifei Niangniang, Consort Liu, or any of the other sisters—all are more capable than I. Entrusting it to them would better honor Your Majesty’s deep affection.”
Jiang Ling could determine that neither of them was the mastermind behind the incident.
Imperial Concubine Lin had unhesitatingly surrendered the lucrative trade of supplying lanterns and candles, cutting losses to survive.
Consort Zhao, caught off guard, had proactively admitted fault and accepted punishment. By relinquishing authority over the Shang Yi Bureau and striving to investigate the case, she avoided being cornered.
Yet, though unrelated to the scheme, both had swiftly yielded power and profit. Presumably, they could not withstand a thorough investigation and chose to sacrifice pawns to save the king.
Thus, it was a case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Anxiously, Jiang Ling mentally reviewed Consort Liu, Consort Zhao, and others.
She had no clues whatsoever, utterly unable to discern who the hidden oriole lurking in the shadows might be!