Gao Shuman froze for a moment, then decisively kowtowed: “In the inner palace, harmony should be prized above all, and the sovereign takes precedence. For Consort Jiang to so flagrantly violate the ancestral rules and contend for favor like this, if he is tolerated now, someone will surely follow his example in the future. My life is in grave danger, and I beseech Your Majesty to investigate this thoroughly.”
Jiang Wangnan could endure no longer and finally spoke up to defend himself, his voice carrying a tearful lilt: “You, you are spouting nonsense! I did not bring this jar of bath beans, and everyone in the palace uses these exact cosmetics daily. Why did a problem suddenly arise the moment I arrived?”
Xiao Quanchuan glanced at him. He was whining and crying just like a little kitten; couldn’t he argue a bit louder?
“Hmph, everyone in my palace saw it with their own eyes. You brought this disgusting thing here yourself, with dozens of eyewitnesses. How could there be any mistake? Consort Jiang, why are you so vicious?” Gao Shuman was silver-tongued and sharp-voiced, presenting what seemed to be ironclad evidence.
At this, Qiu Ruo spoke up: “Your Ladyship, which person in the Palace of Showcasing Purity is not your subordinate? Does that even count as evidence?”
“You have that backward. The entire imperial palace belongs to His Majesty. Since His Majesty is here, who would dare speak falsely? I certainly don’t have that kind of ability.”
It turned out that everything had been prepared long in advance, with all the pieces fully set just waiting for him to walk into the trap.
Yet he had been completely unprepared, and it was already far too late.
Jiang Wangnan instantly fell silent, unable to offer any defense. He simply bit his lower lip as his eyes grew even redder, tears rolling within his sockets and tumbling out. He looked at Xiao Quanchuan pitifully, like a tiny fawn: “Your Majesty?”
Gao Shuman also cried out: “Your Majesty!”
This man was a hundred times smarter than him; it was impossible that he couldn’t see through such an obvious scheme by Gao Shuman.
According to the original novel’s setup, although Xiao Quanchuan was called a tyrant, he was an emperor who meted out rewards and punishments fairly, distinguished clearly between love and hate, and sided with reason rather than relations. Surely he would stand on his side, right?
Xiao Quanchuan rubbed his throbbing temples and stood up. Without even looking at Jiang Wangnan, he turned to comfort Gao Shuman instead: “Alright, anger harms the body. Be careful not to worsen your illness; I will restore justice to you.”
Watching the two of them acting so affectionate and intimate, Jiang Wangnan felt a lump catch in his throat. Finally, the tears held in his eyes dropped with a soft plop.
Gao Shuman’s expression softened with emotion, feeling that he cared about her. It was a rarity indeed, and growing greedy for a bit more pity, she acted coquettishly and whispered: “After this ordeal, this concubine will probably never be able to serve Your Majesty again.”
Xiao Quanchuan sighed: “That is for the best.”
“What?”
“I mean, you should rest with peace of mind and not worry about coming to wait upon me. Your health is what matters most.”
“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. This concubine will surely keep it in mind.”
Facing Jiang Wangnan, Xiao Quanchuan declared: “Consort Jiang has lost his moral virtue and disrupted the rear palace. His salary is docked for one year, and he is to kneel in the ancestral hall to copy scriptures overnight to pray for blessings for the Noble Consort.”
Jiang Wangnan sniffled and bowed in gratitude: “Understood. This concubine accepts the decree.”
At the end, as if recalling something, Xiao Quanchuan added: “Wait, Sun Nianhai, take him there.”
After Jiang Wangnan left, Gao Shuman felt the air become fresh again, and her face didn’t hurt quite as much anymore.
She gently wrapped her arms around Xiao Quanchuan’s waist, looking pitiful and speaking in soft murmurs: “Can Your Majesty come accompany this concubine tonight? I suffered immense terror and am terribly scared to sleep alone.”
Xiao Quanchuan snapped out of a trance recalling the two teardrops that had soaked into the floor, and he removed her hands without the slightest trace of mercy: “Then you can sleep as two people.”
Gao Shuman: “Guard your tongue.”
“I still have many memorials to review. Don’t call me even if something comes up; I’m pulling an all-nighter tonight.” He flicked his sleeves and left.
Jiang Wangnan followed Sun Nianhai out of the Palace of Showcasing Purity and turned left down a smaller path.
He had never been to the ancestral hall and could only follow blindly like a headless fly, but Qiu Ruo, who was by his side, recognized the way: “Grand Eunuch Sun, isn’t it supposed to be a right turn? Where are you taking our master?”
Sun Nianhai smiled slightly: “Didn’t His Majesty say so? He wants Your Grace to kneel in the ancestral hall for a whole night, and the day hasn’t even grown dark yet.”
That reasoning made sense, but a lingering unease pricked at his heart. He had a strong suspicion that Xiao Quanchuan was up to something.
Still, he had no desire to think of that man ever again!
Gao Shuman had blatantly framed him, and not only had Xiao Quanchuan failed to stand by the victim, but he had also docked his salary, cut his rations, and forced him to pray for the perpetrator!
Hateful! Truly hateful!
Just the night before, the man had monopolized his first time, granted him a promotion, and showered him with a whole room full of gifts. He had initially thought the guy wasn’t half bad, but looking at it now, he must have been truly blind.
After winding around for about half an hour, a plaque came into view bearing three large characters: Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Jiang Wangnan asked in confusion: “Grand Eunuch Sun, why are we coming here?”
Sun Nianhai only smiled without answering: “Your Grace, please enter.”
He took a step forward, but a horsehair whisk intercepted him, blocking Qiu Ruo: “Your Grace may enter alone.”
What on earth? Why was everyone acting so mysterious?
Once inside, he found only a few servants sweeping the floors, making the place look cold and desolate.
Standing by the window to gaze into the distance, layer upon layer of the Forbidden City’s golden glazed tiles stretched out until their luster faded into the horizon, seemingly endless, much like his own life, outwardly wealthy and worry-free, but inwardly battered by storms and rain.
Abruptly, as if recalling something, he plunged his right hand into his left sleeve and fumbled around for a long time. It was completely empty. The letter Liu Boshen had secretly slipped into his hand that day was gone.
In ancient times, pockets were sewn directly into the cuffs, and for someone unaccustomed to it, losing things was far too easy.
Oh well, if it was lost, it was lost; there was no turning back. If there was anything important, the sender would likely find a way to approach him again.
At that moment, footsteps gradually drew near, not just one person, but a whole line of people, each carrying trays in their hands.
Before long, the table was covered with a vast array of delicacies. With no space left, they were stacked right up to the very edges of the plates.
Imperial Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, braised shark fin, charred venison joints, stir-fried phoenix tongues, stuffed lotus pockets, cherry pork, Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix, double-boiled fat duck, osmanthus shark fin, sweet and sour pork ribs, spicy pig tripe, mushrooms with hair moss, crispy apples, steamed flour cakes, red bean dietary porridge, and milk pastry.
Roughly thirty dishes in total, complete in color, aroma, and taste.
Jiang Wangnan stood dumbfounded: “Grand Eunuch Sun, what is the meaning of this?”
“Prepared as your midday meal.”
Hearing only the voice without seeing the person, Xiao Quanchuan strode in, looking travel-worn with a few damp strands of hair clinging to his forehead.
“Me? Did Your Majesty make a mistake?” Jiang Wangnan chuckled bitterly.
Xiao Quanchuan replied: “My ears might be bad, but my eyes work just fine.”
A faint, woody scent of dragon’s saliva drifted over. Last night, he had found this fragrance quite pleasant, but for some reason, it now felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Jiang Wangnan took two steps back: “Your Majesty is joking. This concubine is a sinner who disrupted the rear palace; how could I still be qualified to share a midday meal with Your Majesty?”
“Do you not like these dishes?”
Xiao Quanchuan acted as though he hadn’t heard a word, as if the incident at the Palace of Showcasing Purity had never happened at all.
Jiang Wangnan pouted. The grievances he had managed to suppress with great difficulty welled up once more, his nose stinging as he fought back tears and said in a shaky voice: “Your Majesty can eat alone. This concubine still has to go to the ancestral hall to copy scriptures. I take my leave.”
And off he marched in a huff.
Sun Nianhai stood stunned for a moment. Indeed, no one else in the world dared to give the Emperor the cold shoulder like this: “Your Majesty, this…”
Xiao Quanchuan let out a soft laugh and muttered: “Such a delicate little darling. Let him be; I haven’t lost yet.”
Qiu Ruo waited outside the door, and seeing Jiang Wangnan storming out angrily, she asked with concern: “Your Grace?”
“Let us go. Let us head home to eat.”
“This, this servant just saw the Emperor go inside. Didn’t His Majesty say anything?” Qiu Ruo asked cautiously.
“Mhm, he spoke, but it was as good as not speaking. I do not feel like dealing with him. Let us go,” he answered listlessly.
Kneeling and copying scriptures overnight was quite a physical ordeal, so Jiang Wangnan ate his midday meal to the absolute brim. Before setting off for the ancestral hall, he stuffed himself with another plate of milk pastry and a bowl of lotus seed soup, setting out full of energy.
The moon gradually climbed into the night sky, and the cicadas chirped endlessly.
Jiang Wangnan obediently knelt on the prayer mat, sticking his hips out as he gripped a wolf-hair brush to copy scriptures stroke by stroke. Watching his own handwriting turn prettier by the moment proved quite amusing.
After an unknown length of time, his stomach let out a loud rumble that pierced through the quiet night.
Jiang Wangnan’s concentration was broken. Hunger rushed over him like a breached dam, accompanied by intense thirst and a dull, aching pain in his knees.
He suddenly remembered that before leaving, Qiu Ruo had wrapped a few pastries and a bottle of water in a handkerchief and tucked them into his sleeve. On second thought, however, he recalled being searched and frisked by Miaojuan upon entering, with the threat that the ancestral hall was a sacred place where eating and drinking were strictly forbidden.
It was clearly an act of abusing public office for private revenge on Gao Shuman’s orders. Having his food taken away was one thing, but they hadn’t even left him a drop of water.
At that moment, a dull, muffled thud echoed from somewhere, very soft and light, as if something had dropped down.
Jiang Wangnan had no heart left for practicing calligraphy or copying scriptures right now; he was bored to the point that even swatting mosquitoes felt immensely interesting.
Another dull thud sounded.
He looked around in every direction, wishing his eyes could rotate a full three hundred and sixty degrees without blind spots: “Where is it?”
Thud.
“Ow!” Something hit him right on top of the head; it was soft and didn’t hurt at all.
The object bounced off and rolled across the floor right before his eyes. It was reddish-green on the outside with dull little spikes on the skin. It was actually a lychee!
Jiang Wangnan’s eyes lit up and a smile bloomed on his face. Without a moment’s hesitation, he picked up the lychee, pressed down with the thumbs and forefingers of both hands, and with a soft pop, the lychee split open with a grin, revealing translucent, tender white fruit meat whose faint, sweet fragrance made his mouth water uncontrollably.
He was just about to shove it into his mouth when he hesitated.
This lychee had appeared out of nowhere; could it be another trap set by someone? Ever since the allergic incident with Gao Shuman, he no longer acted as recklessly as before, growing increasingly suspicious.
What would happen if he ate it? He wasn’t sure.
What if he didn’t eat it? He would feel miserable and deeply unhappy.
His current situation was already bitter enough; why not let himself feel a bit better?
Before him stood the golden statue of the Buddha. He hesitated for a moment, then pressed his palms together in a devout bow: “No offense intended.”
He opened his mouth and swallowed the plump, white lychee. It burst with juice upon the first bite, the flesh crisp and refreshing, sweet without being cloying, and the seed was exceptionally small. What kind of blessing-sent lychee was this!
The heavy lump in his chest indeed felt much lighter.
Just then, he spotted another lychee hiding deep beneath the table. He lowered his waist and reached his hand underneath, but accidentally brushed it further in, sending it rolling farther and farther away until it was completely out of reach.
“What a pity,” he said, putting his hands on his hips. “Never mind. You escaped by a hair’s breadth, so this palace will spare you this once.”
Having tasted just a single lychee, his craving was only whetted further, leaving him even hungrier and thirstier than before. It would have been better not to eat it at all.
Clatter, clatter.
This time, lychees gently slid out right in front of him: one, another one, and yet another one. Miraculously, they lined up obediently in a neat row, spaced about half a meter apart, identical to the last.
Jiang Wangnan was both surprised and delighted. He sprang up in a flash, his knee pain entirely forgotten, bent down to pick one up, ate it, took two steps, picked up another, and ate it again.
Whenever he reached the end of the line, a fresh supply of lychees would continuously roll out, just like laying down a trail of breadcrumbs to guide him somewhere, right toward someone’s side.