“Huixiang, did you really hear that, or were you dreaming? You can’t just make things up!” Lady Zhang said anxiously.
Being caught talking to someone in the middle of the night was not simply a matter of secretly passing information. It could also imply that a palace maid had been secretly meeting a man.
“This servant would never dare to lie,” Huixiang said nervously. “A few days ago, I had an upset stomach and went to the East Chamber to relieve myself. On my way back, I passed by Qunqing’s room. I thought I had run out of candles, so I went over to borrow one.
“When I got near the window, I heard a man and a woman whispering inside, as if they were discussing something. I peeked through the crack in the window. The room was dark, and there was no one on the bed.
“Perhaps they were hiding… hiding in the large bamboo grove behind the room! That place is very secluded.”
Huixiang said everything in one breath. After taking a breath, she was no longer as nervous.
“There are many mosquitoes and flies outside, and I’m not close to her. I didn’t want to meddle in other people’s business, so I went back by myself.”
Pei Jianzuo’s cold gaze swept over Qunqing, stopping only at her neatly tied hair.
“Who were you talking to? And what were you discussing?”
Qunqing lowered her head respectfully.
She remained silent for a moment before calmly following Huixiang’s story.
“Huixiang said that we are not close because I am cold and not good at talking to people. The other palace maids therefore don’t like to stay around me.”
As she spoke, Supervisor Pei did not look at her. Instead, he carefully watched the expressions of the other palace maids.
None of them showed any unusual reaction.
This confirmed that Qunqing’s words were probably true.
Qunqing continued, “But if we are not close, why would she dare to come to my room in the middle of the night and ask to borrow a candle? She didn’t even dare to talk to me during the day.”
Pei Jianzuo’s expression changed.
There was indeed a contradiction in Huixiang’s story.
Just as Huixiang was about to explain, Qunqing continued,
“There is something else this servant does not understand. Supervisor Pei said that palace maids who secretly exchange information with outsiders will receive thirty strokes of the cane.
“But at the beginning of this year, His Majesty reduced that punishment out of mercy. It was changed from thirty strokes to seven, allowing palace maids to recover and continue working afterward. Even the heaviest punishment was only twenty strokes.”
She looked directly at Pei Jianzuo.
“Supervisor Pei, you are in charge of palace discipline, so you know the rules better than anyone.
“If someone deliberately reports a false punishment, they are probably trying to frighten us. If you can find the person who gave the information, simply arrest them. Why make all of us accuse one another in broad daylight?
“Those who have nothing to hide will not panic no matter how many questions they are asked. The person who reacts the most strongly is probably the one with something to hide.”
Huixiang immediately raised her head.
“This servant didn’t!”
She hurriedly explained, “This servant is only a lowly palace maid, and I have always been timid. When the supervisor suddenly said that I would receive thirty strokes, I was so frightened that I almost fainted. How could I remember the laws?
“This servant would never lie! I really heard voices! I really heard someone talking…”
“Perhaps you really did pass by my room that night,” Qunqing interrupted her. “But you certainly weren’t there to borrow a candle or use the toilet.”
Huixiang froze.
Qunqing continued calmly, “I guard the North Warehouse, which is in a remote part of the palace. There is a shortcut from the East Chamber to the palace maids’ quarters.
“There are so many mosquitoes and flies around there. If you really wanted to return to the maids’ quarters, why would you take a detour?
“What were you really doing in the north that late at night? That’s what you should explain.
“Unless you have something you cannot say, why would you risk making up such a complicated lie?”
Huixiang had never expected Qunqing to turn the accusation back on her.
For a moment, she was completely caught off guard.
When she finally recovered, a flash of panic appeared in her eyes.
Pei Jianzuo waved his hand.
Several eunuchs immediately came from different directions.
As Huixiang was dragged away, she finally broke down.
“I was wrong! I only exchanged a few jokes with the guards at the East Gate! I didn’t do anything else!
“I dare not lie! I really heard voices coming from Qunqing’s room! I really heard people talking inside…”
Then came the sound of the cane striking flesh, followed by screams.
The screams became more and more painful, then gradually weaker.
The other palace maids fell completely silent.
Lady Zhang had never expected things to turn out this way.
“It is my fault for not disciplining her properly. Huixiang is usually very timid. I never thought she would dare to frame someone like this…
“I will definitely choose another palace maid.”
“That Huixiang really is timid. She was easily tricked into exposing herself,” Pei Jianzuo said slowly.
He pointed his little finger toward Qunqing and laughed.
“But this one is quite bold. She remembers exactly which palace laws His Majesty changed and when they were changed.
“She has quite a promising future!”
Lady Zhang quickly said, “Supervisor, you are thinking too much. She grew up in the inner palace, so naturally she knows the palace rules…”
As she spoke, she quickly winked at Qunqing.
Qunqing, however, acted as if she had not seen it.
Under Lady Zhang’s nervous and frightened gaze, she suddenly clasped her hands together and bowed happily to Supervisor Pei.
The sudden movement startled him so much that he took half a step backward.
“Supervisor Pei’s appreciation is the greatest honor this servant could receive!
“Although I grew up in the inner palace, I have received four years of palace education. I not only know the palace rules by heart, but I also love studying history and law.
“When I was young, I…”
“Shut up! Who praised you? Can’t you understand what I’m saying? I was only praising you sarcastically, and you’ve actually turned it into this nonsense!”
Pei Jianzuo angrily waved his whisk. He had already decided that this girl was useless.
She looked calm on the outside, but she was actually a complete fool who could not understand a word.
There was a reason the palace maids in the Palace of the Night Court remained there.
Pei Jianzuo took a deep breath. Still feeling uneasy, he pulled Lady Zhang aside.
“Recently, the inner palace has been investigating spies from Southern Chu, so everyone is nervous. Huixiang still hasn’t admitted anything even after being beaten, and I don’t think she was lying. Why don’t we send her to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation? We can send Qunqing along with her. That way, neither you nor I will be blamed if something happens.”
From a distance, Qunqing saw the serious smile on Lady Zhang’s face.
She clenched her fingers and suddenly said, “This servant was indeed outside that night, and I did speak with someone.”
Lady Zhang’s lips moved slightly.
Supervisor Pei also froze.
The two of them looked at her at the same time.
“Who?”
“Palace Tutor Jin.”
Lady Zhang was stunned.
“That’s an old eunuch! How can you call him an outsider? Besides, Eunuch Jin is already over seventy years old…”
“Yes. That’s why Huixiang did not hear wrongly. But this servant was not secretly exchanging information with anyone.”
Pei Jianzuo was confused.
“Then why were you whispering to a deaf and blind palace tutor in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?”
Qunqing calmly answered, “When we meet His Highness later, we need to present him with a gift. I work in the Embroidery Bureau, so I have been preparing some embroidery as a gift.
“However, every palace maid in the inner palace only receives five candles each month. That is not enough for extra work. So I waited until the moon was high and embroidered outside under the moonlight.
“I also had another reason. I wanted to wait for Eunuch Jin to pass by after finishing his night duty so that he could teach me some embroidery techniques.”
She continued, “The night before last, I finally met Eunuch Jin. He took pity on me and gave me some advice. That was the conversation Huixiang overheard.
“If you don’t believe me, you can go to my room and look for a wooden box in the sewing basket on the table. My embroidery is inside. Those are the pieces I prepared as gifts.”
A moment later, the wooden box and embroidery pieces were brought to Pei Jianzuo.
He opened the box and looked inside.
Then he fell silent.
The embroidered pieces were about the size of a palm and as thin as a cicada’s wings. They had been cut into irregular shapes and were meant to be sewn onto the waistbands of skirts.
Such decorations were very popular among noble ladies.
One piece was embroidered on a dark blue silk base. It showed orchids and butterflies spreading their wings.
Qunqing’s embroidery technique was unfamiliar to him, but the butterfly wings seemed to shimmer under the sunlight. At first glance, they were extremely eye-catching.
The other piece was embroidered with pink mimosa flowers on a thin veil.
It was not as impressive as the first piece, but it was still delicate and beautiful.
Pei Jianzuo ran his fingers over the embroidery several times. He then held it up against the light and examined it carefully for a long time.
Finally, he spoke in a strange tone.
“We actually have someone this talented in the Palace of the Night Court?
“Your embroidery is no worse than that of the Shangfu Bureau. Keeping you here is a waste of your talent.”
Under the watchful eyes of the other palace maids, Qunqing lowered her head.
“It is all thanks to Eunuch Jin’s guidance.”
Pei Jianzuo smiled, but there was no happiness in his eyes.
“Do you think I don’t know what level the embroidery in our inner palace is?
“Our Embroidery Bureau isn’t even worthy of carrying the shoes of the Shangfu Bureau!
“It’s strange that a phoenix was raised in a chicken coop.”
Qunqing looked up.
Her simple hairstyle made her natural appearance stand out even more.
Her features were not particularly beautiful, but compared with the other palace maids, her presence was clearly different.
Her thin clothes fluttered in the wind, revealing her neckline and straight shoulders. The longer one looked at her, the more one could sense her strong and unyielding spirit, like a young bamboo growing straight toward the sky.
“I was not allowed to enter the inner palace when I was four. I spent three years washing clothes and another four years cleaning chamber pots before I finally got the chance to enter the Embroidery Bureau.
“For eight years, I have treasured this opportunity every day. I held my needle day and night and never dared to be lazy because I was afraid of being transferred away from the Embroidery Bureau.
“The inner palace may not be as good as the Shangfu Bureau, but an embroidered piece is only an inch in size. If a person spends eight years doing only one thing, how could she not become good at it?”
Her voice was clear but slightly trembling.
The entire area fell silent.
At that moment, even questioning Supervisor Pei any further would seem like an insult to her.
Just then, a young eunuch reported, “Eunuch Jin said that there does seem to have been such a thing.”
Pei Jianzuo raised his hand.
“Fine. I can see that you are diligent, so I’ll let this matter go. But don’t break the rules again. Next time, I won’t be so lenient.”
Lady Zhang’s face immediately brightened.
But Qunqing suddenly swayed.
The palace maid behind her quickly supported her shoulders to keep her from falling.
As her sleeve slipped down, the rash on her arm became visible.
The palace maid cried out, “Lady Zhang! She has developed a rash!”
The rash was an allergic reaction that usually disappeared on its own after a few days.
Some people developed rashes from willow pollen, while others reacted to silkworms. Sudden fright or extreme fear could also cause the skin to break out.
Large red patches could quickly spread across the body.
“Useless!” Pei Jianzuo became furious. “She thinks she’s so dignified, yet look at her now.
“Lady Zhang, replace her. She’s covered in a rash. Don’t let her frighten the noble ladies.”
Lady Zhang had thought the situation had finally turned around.
Her smile immediately froze.
Pei Jianzuo had already made his decision.
“We’ll add someone else to the selection. She’s sixteen, clever and quick-witted, and was recommended by the Palace Court after being selected from Chang’an.
“She will replace Qunqing.
“Bao Shu, come over and meet Lady Zhang.”
The young palace maid who had been standing behind him stepped forward.
She had black hair, red lips, and a lively appearance like a little bird.
She knelt beside Qunqing and lifted the hem of her skirt.
A fresh citrus fragrance came from her clothes.
The unfamiliar scent drifted toward the other palace maids, making them feel hungry.
Qunqing, however, knew exactly what it was.
Only the noble ladies of Chang’an had the money and skill to carefully refine such a fragrance from orange peels.
The palace maids had been using it to scent their clothes overnight.
It had recently become fashionable.
Pei Jianzuo had clearly staged this entire scene so that he could replace Qunqing with someone else.
Lady Zhang’s eyes were cold as knives as she stared at the ground. Her hands were tightly clenched, but she remained silent.
Bao Shu smiled.
“I was in such a hurry to come for the selection that I didn’t have time to prepare a gift for you, Lady Zhang.”
She was beautiful, with a small mole beneath one eye.
She looked at Lady Zhang without the slightest fear.
Lady Zhang stared back at her, so angry that she could not speak for a long time.
Did the head palace maid really need to prepare a gift for her?
In the silence, Qunqing raised the wooden box above her head.
“The embroidery this servant prepared can be presented on her behalf.”
Those were exactly the words Supervisor Pei wanted to hear.
He laughed.
“You’re sensible. I’ll remember you. If I get the chance, I’ll make sure you are promoted.”
Bao Shu picked up one of the embroidered pieces and examined it carefully.
Then she could not help glancing at Qunqing.
The surprise, displeasure, and uneasiness in Qunqing’s eyes felt like sharp blades against her face.
Even with her eyes lowered, Qunqing could sense the emotion in Bao Shu’s eyes.
It was almost as if she were thinking:
Such beautiful embroidery was made by such an ordinary palace maid. Heaven really is blind.
Bao Shu put down the first piece, carefully avoiding the rash on Qunqing’s fingers.
She picked up the mimosa-flower embroidery instead.
Looking at Pei Jianzuo, she said, “Her embroidery is too exquisite. I can’t compare with her. This one looks more like something I would make.
“Thank you.”
“Send these nine people to the selection,” Supervisor Pei ordered.
“But the list only has ten names.” Lady Zhang looked at Qunqing with pity. “Shouldn’t we have a physician examine her…?”
“Stop wasting time. Let’s go!”
Lady Zhang had no choice but to lead the palace maids away.
Their figures disappeared beneath the towering palace walls, looking like a flock of geese flying west.
Qunqing, however, went in the opposite direction and returned to the old and rundown Palace of the Night Court.
Qunqing closed the door with one hand and let down her hair with the other.
Her thick, stiff hair immediately fell freely over her shoulders.
The small room with its low ceiling was already in a mess. When Pei Jianzuo’s men came to retrieve the embroidery, they must have searched the room as well and confirmed that she had not been secretly meeting a man that night.
A towel was carelessly hanging over the bamboo strips.
Qunqing took it down and used it to dry her wet hair.
Relying on her vague memories, she slowly put the jars and baskets back in their original places.
She even touched the torn window paper several times as she reconstructed everything that had happened.
That night, Huixiang had secretly met a young guard in the bamboo grove.
Then she suddenly remembered that Qunqing’s room was nearby.
Afraid that Qunqing might see them, Huixiang had quietly gone to the window to check whether Qunqing was asleep.
Instead, she discovered through the crack in the window that Qunqing was not in bed.
Huixiang had always suspected that Qunqing had seen something, so she had been uneasy.
Today, when Supervisor Pei questioned her, she became frightened and accused Qunqing first.
Qunqing took off her wet skirt and endured the itching.
She reached inside her clothes and pulled out a small strip of cotton cloth, placing it on the cabinet.
The red rash on her arm slowly disappeared.
The cotton cloth had two layers sewn together.
The front was ordinary cotton, while the back had been soaked in crushed vine-seed juice.
It was normally sewn into the sleeve.
When necessary, Qunqing could turn it over and rub the treated side against her arm, quickly causing an allergic rash to appear.
The two noble ladies who had been chosen to select palace maids today were Zheng Zhiyi, the Crown Prince’s concubine, and Princess Bao’an.
If Qunqing had gone with Lady Zhang to Luan Yi Pavilion, Yang Fu would have immediately chosen her to stay by her side.
The two of them would have depended on each other and cried together.
But Qunqing could not see Yang Fu right now.
She was afraid that if she saw that familiar face, she would lose control of her emotions and question her.
That would expose her identity.
So she had no choice but to use this method.
Besides, her mind was in complete chaos.
She needed some time to sort everything out.
Qunqing slowly changed into dry clothes.
Then she rolled up her sleeves, reached into the water vat, and pulled out the black box hidden at the bottom.
Inside the box were bottles and jars of medicine, poison pills she had brought from her abandoned home, and an embroidered sachet.
The sachet had a sheep’s head embroidered on it, with four small bells hanging from its horns.
Qunqing had been born in the Year of the Sheep.
When she was young, Zhu Ying had sewn this little toy for her.
Qunqing held the sachet tightly in her palm and shook it.
The familiar soft sound of the bells reached her ears.
Only then did she finally believe that she had truly returned to the first year of Emperor Shenglin’s reign.
That year, Emperor Chenming, Li Feng, had seized the throne and established the Great Chen Dynasty.
The former Crown Prince Zhao of Chu was unable to defeat the Li family’s army and fled all the way to Huai’an.
With the help of his former subordinates and ministers, he occupied the nine southern provinces and established Southern Chu.
From then on, Southern Chu stood against Great Chen, with the two states facing each other across the north and south.
That year, the new dynasty had just been established, and there were countless matters to deal with.
Emperor Chenming’s eldest and third sons—the Crown Prince and the Prince of Yan—were busy handling political affairs and had not yet begun fighting openly with each other.
Yang Fu had not yet married the Crown Prince.
Qunqing was still only a low-ranking spy who had recently entered the palace and had not yet managed to get close to Yang Fu.
That year, Crown Prince Zhao of Southern Chu mobilized all the spies he had left behind in Chang’an.
They did everything they could to cause trouble for Great Chen, holding onto the dream of destroying Chen, restoring Southern Chu, and eventually returning to Chang’an.
Thinking of this, Qunqing held her breath.
She opened the sachet and took out the poison pill she had once called the “love poison.”
She sealed it inside the black box and quickly pressed the empty sachet against her body.
In her previous life, she had shown all her strength and sharpness to the outside world, sacrificing everything for the incapable Crown Prince Zhao and Princess Bao’an.
In the end, all her efforts had been wasted.
She had never found out where her mother was.
Only at the moment of her death had she finally understood how much regret she carried in her heart.
Given a second chance at life, she was determined to find her mother and live for herself.
At the bottom of the box was a notebook.
When Qunqing realized that it contained handwritten records of Lu Huating’s life, she immediately threw it into the brazier.
The fire suddenly rose, swallowing the pages. Its orange glow lit up her flushed face.
Qunqing sat on the floor with her knees pulled to her chest. She could almost feel the pain of the wound on her abdomen again. The tense confrontation with Lu Huating flashed through her mind, and cold sweat appeared on her temples.
Strangely, after being betrayed by Princess Bao’an, the hatred she had carried for Lu Huating for so many years slowly faded away.
He had only been doing his duty as a strategist.
Still, this man was truly difficult to deal with and frightening.
Now that the country was no longer peaceful, she decided never to provoke him again in this life. As long as she stayed away from him, she could avoid most of the danger and suffering in her life.
After making up her mind, there was still one urgent thing she had to do.
Qunqing picked up the medicine for her injuries. She took the key from beneath the bamboo shelf, unlocked the door to the North Warehouse, and carefully slipped inside.
During an inventory check, she had been able to remember the exact amount of silk without using paper or a pen. This had earned Lady Zhang’s favor, so she was assigned to guard the North Warehouse. Her room had originally belonged to the warehouse manager, which allowed her to live there alone.
A man in a long blue robe walked with a slightly bent back between the piles of cloth.
When he reached a certain spot, he moved aside a piece of dark blue cloth and tapped the floor four times.
Then, with some effort, he moved the dark bricks aside.
Underneath them, lying on the ground, was a man wearing a light blue official robe. His clothes were stained with blood.