The ice couldn’t be preserved. The basin of ice sent by Su Yue had completely melted into water before evening. Fortunately, rain began to fall after nightfall, cooling the weather overnight as Jing City officially entered autumn.
The autumn rain lingered, falling continuously without cease. With no one occupying the central palace, Jiang Ling was exempt from morning and evening courtesies, leaving her with nothing to do but eat and sleep.
Sleeping during rainy days was most comfortable. Jiang Ling had been sleeping for several consecutive days when, one afternoon, she found herself unable to sleep any longer. Bored, she half-propped open the window lattice and leaned against it to watch the rain.
The cicadas that had been so annoying during the hot weather had quietly disappeared at some point, leaving only the rustling sound of falling rain.
The vast Xie Fang Pavilion was so quiet it felt desolate.
At this moment, A Ruo holding an umbrella and Xue Yan carrying a plate of grapes came laughing and chatting from the direction of the West Side Courtyard.
The clacking of wooden clogs sounded, and the door to the side room creaked open. Xue Yan cheerfully shook the grapes in her hand, while A Ruo casually glanced over.
The two walked together toward the side room. After about half an hour, A Ruo led Xue Yan into the secondary chamber.
“Jiang Cairen, our Cai Ren obtained some grapes and sent me to bring some for you to taste,” Xue Yan said with a curtsy.
Jiang Ling glanced over and noticed that from the original two bunches of grapes, only one remained.
The rear palace certainly didn’t lack fresh fruits throughout the seasons, but palace maids’ rations didn’t include fruit—at least Jiang Ling had never seen any.
That Su Yue could obtain grapes could only mean they were either bestowed by Yuan Mingdi or came from Fu Ning Hall.
Jiang Ling had never been particularly fond of fruit to begin with, so she didn’t mind that A Ruo and Fang He had eaten half the grapes first. Moreover, since Xue Yan usually interacted frequently with A Ruo and Fang He, it was quite ordinary for her to offer them grapes first.
“Sister Su is very thoughtful,” Jiang Ling expressed her thanks and had A Ruo accept the grapes.
After Xue Yan took her leave, A Ruo affectionately saw her out. Jiang Ling looked at the snow-white plate paired with the purple grapes—truly a beautiful sight.
Beautiful things are always dangerous!
Jiang Ling possessed strong defensive awareness. Food was the easiest medium for poisoning, and her mind began to wander through all the poisoning methods from those palace intrigue dramas.
Before long, A Ruo returned and said boldly, “Why aren’t you eating them, Cairen? These grapes are tribute from the northwest, extremely precious and very sweet.”
“Have you eaten them?” Jiang Ling asked.
A Ruo froze. According to protocol, if Jiang Ling hadn’t eaten first, her eating beforehand would be presumptuous.
“Every year the northwest must present grapes as tribute. The northwest is thousands of li from Jing City, making delivery extremely difficult—there are only a few baskets. How could someone like me ever taste them? Su Cairen is favored and fortunately obtained a few bunches. Xue Yan and Ming Cui were lucky enough to taste a few and told me how the grapes tasted.”
In her flustered state, A Ruo’s response was seamless as she deliberately said with a tinge of envy, “How could someone like me have the fortune to eat tribute grapes?”
Jiang Ling had only asked casually, but A Ruo’s frantic explanation immediately aroused suspicion.
Grapes used to be just common fruit to Jiang Ling—she hadn’t realized they were tribute items. Since they were so rare, and Su Yue had only obtained a few bunches, yet sent two bunches with Xue Yan.
The missing bunch of grapes meant either the three of them had privately withheld and eaten them first, or it was Su Yue’s instruction that A Ruo and Fang He should also receive a share.
Jiang Ling didn’t particularly care about their private distribution of grapes. If Su Yue had specifically sent grapes to A Ruo and Fang He, she was buying their loyalty.
Having those around her be bought over—this was highly unfavorable!
Seeing Jiang Ling remain silent, A Ruo glanced at her typically dull and slow-witted expression, then turned and walked out.
“Stop.” Jiang Ling had been racking her brains for a strategy on how to handle the situation. Seeing A Ruo about to leave, she instinctively called out to stop her.
A Ruo halted, thinking Jiang Ling had instructions for her, and asked, “What does Cai Ren require?”
In her nervousness, Jiang Ling blurted out, “I saw everything earlier when Xue Yan brought the grapes.”
A Ruo froze, never expecting that Jiang Ling—who usually slept so soundly that not even thunder could wake her—had actually been awake at noon! Panicking, she tried to cover up and asked, “What did Cai Ren see?”
Jiang Ling was also filled with regret. She had originally intended to remain calm and guide A Ruo step by step into confessing voluntarily. Who would have thought she would reveal everything as soon as she opened her mouth?
Since things had come to this, Jiang Ling simply said, “Go and call Fang He as well.”
A Ruo paused briefly before hurrying off to fetch Fang He. Jiang Ling waited for quite a while before the two of them entered the room. Without needing to think deeply, she knew they had been coordinating their stories.
“Did Su Cai Ren give you grapes?” Jiang Ling asked directly.
The two exchanged a quick glance before stepping forward together and bowing to plead for mercy.
A Ruo said, “It was all because this servant was greedy. When I heard they were tribute grapes, I secretly tasted one first. But once I tried it, the grapes were so incredibly sweet. I told Xue Yan about it, and she was also tempted, so we ended up eating them together in secret.”
Fang He followed up, “When this servant saw A Ruo eating grapes, I wanted some too. There weren’t many grapes to begin with, and with the three of us sharing, we finished the bunch quickly. Cai Ren has always been generous. We beg Cai Ren to forgive us this once—we will never dare to do it again.”
Their hastily coordinated story was full of holes. However, if Jiang Ling hadn’t witnessed it herself, she might have been fooled by them.
A Ruo and Xue Yan had both come from Su Yue’s side, and they had chosen to come during her usual midday rest period.
If this matter had nothing to do with Su Yue, she wouldn’t have sent Xue Yan on this errand in the afternoon. Su Yue also rested in the afternoon, and A Ruo wouldn’t have gone to visit at such a time.
The only possibility was that Su Yue had summoned A Ruo and given her and Fang He the grapes.
Jiang Ling was furious and wanted to command them to slap their own faces with full authority. Unfortunately, the two were in this together. If they refused to obey and she had to do it herself, it would lack authority, and besides, she had never hit anyone before—she was inexperienced in such matters.
For a moment, Jiang Ling was stumped about how to deal with the two of them.
If she wanted to dismiss them, she would have to report to Lin Guifei, who was in charge of palace affairs. Bringing in new servants didn’t guarantee they would be any more honest. What’s more, if Lin Guifei found out, the situation might only become more complicated.
“You’re lying!” Jiang Ling exclaimed in frustration, demanding, “What exactly did Su Cai Ren ask you to do?”
“We’re wronged! Su Cai Ren didn’t ask this servant to do anything,” A Ruo said anxiously, rushing to explain.
Fang He also denied it, saying, “Su Cai Ren is kind-hearted. She took pity on our difficult life in Xie Fang Pavilion and rewarded us with some food.”
“After all these years in the palace, you let yourselves be bought off with such trivial favors? How foolish can you be, and yet you still dream of promotion and wealth?”
Since she couldn’t get a straight answer from them, Jiang Ling stopped pressing further and threatened, “Only if I remain safe and sound will you be safe. If anything happens to me, as my personal maids, you will be the first to suffer. Don’t even think about escaping unscathed—because you will be silenced!”
The two turned pale and stammered, unable to speak.
Jiang Ling was utterly frustrated. She didn’t want to see them anymore, and the grapes were an eyesore. Waving her hand, she said, “Take them away, take them away!”
As for whether they would go and inform Su Yue, Jiang Ling didn’t care anymore—besides, she couldn’t control them anyway.
Given Su Yue’s cleverness, they couldn’t even hide things from her; the slightest unusual reaction from either of them would be seen through.
Jiang Ling remained on edge for over ten days, but everything remained peaceful, and she gradually began to relax.
After the rain, the weather cleared up. With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the palace began decorating for the celebration, and chrysanthemums were displayed everywhere.
Xie Fang Pavilion wasn’t allocated any precious chrysanthemums. The Shang Qin Bureau’s Si Yuan Division sent over a few pots of common Golden Chrysanthemums, which bloomed sparsely in the corners.
Fortunately, in the palm-sized flowerbed in front of the main hall, wild daisies were blooming exuberantly. A sweet osmanthus tree as thick as a bowl would likely fill the garden with its fragrance in a few days.
Life was unbearably dull. Rather than joining the crowds in the Imperial Garden, Jiang Ling often strolled along the flowerbeds to admire the blossoms.
“It’ll bloom in a couple of days,” Jiang Ling said, pulling down a branch and gazing at the tiny, rice-like buds covering it, her heart swelling with delight.
The sweet osmanthus had a rich fragrance. When the time came, she would pick some to add flavor to her stale tea.
“Sister Jiang.” Su Yue emerged from the West Side Courtyard, calling out with a honeyed smile.
Hearing the voice as cloying as osmanthus honey, Jiang Ling’s hand trembled involuntarily, and the branch snapped back.
It had been some time since they last met. Su Yue had filled out a bit, her skin so delicate it seemed it might break at a touch under the sunlight. The dimples in her cheeks appeared to be filled with sunshine, making her glow radiantly.
It seemed Su Yue had been living well, completely transformed from before.
“Sister Jiang is admiring the flowers,” Su Yue said with a smile as she approached.
Judging by Su Yue’s expression, it was as if nothing had happened. Jiang Ling couldn’t tell whether she was still unaware or simply too deep, capable of reducing someone to ashes amid casual conversation.
Jiang Ling quickly steadied herself, nodded slightly, and murmured an agreement.
“The flowers in the Imperial Garden are truly splendid. All the sisters in the palace love to take a stroll there, yet I never see you, Sister Jiang.”
Su Yue’s eyes roamed over Jiang Ling’s face as she covered her mouth with a handkerchief, giggling. “I was just telling Consort De earlier that I thought Sister Jiang preferred quiet. But now it seems Sister Jiang is wise in appearing foolish.”
Jiang Ling had no idea how to respond to Su Yue’s insinuations and could only offer a perfunctory, “Not at all, not at all.”
“Look at those Golden Chrysanthemums over there. If they weren’t potted, one might mistake them for common wildflowers by the roadside.”
Su Yue pointed a delicate finger toward the corner, disdainfully criticizing them before sighing and changing her tone. “I received a few precious Ink Chrysanthemums, but alas, I dare not gift them to you anymore, Sister Jiang.”
“Oh no!”
Jiang Ling inwardly groaned. Su Yue already knew about A Ruo and Fang He—this visit was far from friendly!