Because Zhen Huan had warned Hongli in advance to tell Bai Ruiji to keep a low profile, and because Bai Ruiji herself had originally assumed that, having been purchased and sent into the palace by the Ula-Nara clan, she ought to get closer to Concubine Xian, only to be met with indifference—and because this time she no longer had the Empress Dowager backing her—
when Bai Ruiji once again crossed paths with Noble Consort Hui, she ultimately refrained from making those cutting remarks about the noble consort’s fading beauty.
A few sharp exchanges were all that occurred before Empress Fuca arrived and quickly calmed the situation.
However, some things were destined to happen because the troublemaker behind the scenes remained undiscovered.
Gao Xiyue had never liked Hailan. And when Hailan entered her warm chamber without announcing herself and caught her secretly wearing elaborate clothing against the empress’s orders, Gao Xiyue became even more displeased.
After complaining about the matter to Jin Yuyan, the latter’s eyes darted thoughtfully before she subtly suggested accusing Hailan of stealing charcoal.
And Gao Xiyue, bold as ever, put the plan into action.
That night, Zhen Huan was listening to her attendants chatting and joking when a palace maid hurried in to report that chaos had erupted at Xianfu Palace.
After the public opera incident, Zhen Huan had quietly instructed Fuga to place people throughout the harem.
It wasn’t because she wanted to know everything happening in the inner palace.
She simply hoped to hear about major disturbances as quickly as possible.
After all, she had discovered that the entire harem seemed to have a peculiar sense of priorities.
They always managed to overlook the truly serious problems.
“What happened?” she asked.
“The eunuch who brought the news says Noble Consort Hui accused Lady Hailan of stealing her allocation of red radish charcoal, causing her cold illness to flare up. She’s interrogating Lady Hailan right now.”
The maid hesitated.
“They say… Noble Consort Hui intends to use torture.”
Zhen Huan slammed her hand against the table.
“Torture? Noble Consort Hui doesn’t even have the authority to help manage the harem. Interrogating Lady Hailan is already overstepping her bounds. She actually dares use torture on another consort?”
She immediately stood and instructed Fuga to help her put on an outer robe.
“Fuga, let’s go see what exactly Noble Consort Hui thinks she’s doing.”
As they hurried toward Xianfu Palace, Zhen Huan asked for more details.
“Before the eunuch left, he saw Concubine Xian heading there as well. She was likely going to help Lady Hailan.”
“Concubine Xian? How is she involved in this?”
“Concubine Xian and Lady Hailan have been close friends since their days in the prince’s residence.”
If they were such close friends, why hadn’t Concubine Xian asked the emperor to move Hailan into Yanxi Palace with her?
Wasn’t she supposed to be the emperor’s true love?
Noble Consort Hui’s hostility toward Concubine Xian was written all over her face.
How could she feel comfortable leaving her friend in Gao Xiyue’s palace?
When she learned that Hailan had already been kneeling in the snow for an hour, Zhen Huan grew even angrier and urged the sedan bearers to move faster.
They couldn’t afford to arrive too late and end up with a death on their hands.
By coincidence, the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility was quite far from Xianfu Palace, while the empress’s residence was much closer.
Thus, Zhen Huan arrived at Xianfu Palace’s entrance just as Hongli and Empress Fuca—summoned by Ruixin—were arriving.
Before she could exchange more than a greeting with her bargain-bin son, she heard loud shouting from inside.
They were talking about searching Lady Hailan’s body.
Zhen Huan narrowed her eyes.
“Lady Gao truly is the emperor’s excellent noble consort.”
With that, she strode inside just as the announcement of the Empress Dowager’s arrival rang out.
The moment she entered, the chaos inside Xianfu Palace froze.
Everyone hurriedly knelt to greet the Empress Dowager, the emperor, and the empress.
Zhen Huan glanced at Hailan, kneeling on the ground with a face pale from the cold.
Ruyi was kneeling beside her, draping her own cloak over Hailan’s shoulders and holding her close.
Judging by Hailan’s complexion, Zhen Huan genuinely feared the woman might freeze to death.
At that moment, Hongli stepped forward to ask after Gao Xiyue’s health.
…What?
Hailan looked as though she were on the verge of death. His so-called true love had given away her cloak and knelt in the snow alongside her.
And yet the first person he chose to comfort was the noble consort wearing the thickest clothing in the room?
Zhen Huan immediately instructed Ruyi and Hailan to change into dry clothes and handed her own hand warmer to the shivering Hailan.
While the two women changed, everyone else entered the hall.
Hongli ordered the imperial physician to examine Gao Xiyue, who confirmed that her cold illness had indeed flared up.
For the moment, Zhen Huan remained silent.
The emperor had already been summoned. She ought to give him a chance to handle matters himself.
Perhaps, just perhaps, he would manage it properly.
When Ruyi and Hailan returned, Hongli offered Hailan a seat.
At that point, among everyone present aside from servants, only the emperor’s true love remained standing.
Zhen Huan listened as Ruyi explained that she had heard Noble Consort Hui’s illness had worsened and had come to visit her, only to discover Hailan being interrogated and humiliated.
What kind of excuse is that?
How had she heard about Noble Consort Hui’s illness?
Why not simply say she had heard Hailan was accused of stealing charcoal?
And who visits a sick person in the middle of the night?
Was Gao Xiyue dying before dawn?
Still, Zhen Huan was willing to overlook Ruyi’s clumsy explanation.
At least this time, she had finally learned to speak up.
“Your Majesty,” Ruyi said, “although red radish charcoal ashes were found in Lady Hailan’s chambers and Xiangyun has testified against her…”
For all her irritation toward Ruyi, Zhen Huan let her continue.
Then Hongli suddenly interrupted.
He declared that the charcoal found in Hailan’s room had been sent by Ruyi at his instruction.
Zhen Huan was dumbfounded.
He wasn’t going to verify whether Noble Consort Hui’s evidence was genuine?
He wasn’t even going to let Hailan defend herself?
And what baffled her even more was that the moment Hongli said this, Ruyi stopped trying to argue that Hailan had been framed.
Instead, she pouted slightly, blinked innocently, and accepted responsibility for giving Hailan the charcoal.
What?
Hadn’t she just said she didn’t believe Hailan was the sort of person who would steal?
If Hailan hadn’t stolen anything, then Gao Xiyue had falsely accused and publicly humiliated her.
Shouldn’t she be standing up for her friend?
Was Hailan simply supposed to endure all this injustice for nothing?
Hongli turned to Wang Qin.
“In the future, if Xianfu Palace lacks anything, have it supplied directly from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.”
Wonderful.
The person who had spent two hours kneeling in the snow, been beaten, and nearly stripped of her clothing—Hailan—received no justice.
No one defended her.
Not even she herself spoke up.
Meanwhile, the person responsible for all of it received additional supplies as compensation.
Zhen Huan felt as though the entire world had gone mad.
Before Hongli could stand to leave, she spoke up.
“Since both the emperor and Concubine Xian say that the charcoal in Lady Hailan’s room was given to her by Concubine Xian, then where did Noble Consort Hui’s missing charcoal go?”
Gao Xiyue failed to grasp the implication at first and mistakenly thought the Empress Dowager was supporting her.
A flicker of delight appeared on her face.
It vanished the moment Zhen Huan continued.
“Noble Consort Hui claims to have a witness. Then let that witness explain precisely when and at what hour Lady Hailan supposedly stole dozens of pounds of charcoal.
“And what were the servants responsible for managing the charcoal doing? How did so much disappear under their noses?”
When Xiangyun was brought in, she naturally couldn’t answer any of those questions.
She stammered and hesitated.
Anyone could see something was wrong.
Zhen Huan understood immediately.
This was almost certainly Gao Xiyue’s own fabrication.
After all, with Hailan’s low rank, how many servants could she possibly command?
How could she have secretly stolen dozens of pounds of charcoal from under a noble consort’s watchful eye?
The moment Xiangyun failed to explain herself, Hongli ordered her dragged away and beaten to death.
Zhen Huan was stunned.
Was he trying to silence a witness for Noble Consort Hui?
She distinctly remembered that his true love was supposed to be Ruyi.
Why wasn’t he punishing Gao Xiyue for such an obviously flawed accusation?
Closing her eyes briefly, she intervened.
Citing the mourning period as a reason to avoid bloodshed, she reduced Xiangyun’s punishment to twenty strokes and expulsion from the palace.
In this era, falsely accusing one’s mistress was a capital offense.
She couldn’t stop the punishment entirely.
Whether Xiangyun survived would depend on her own luck.
But surely the true culprit couldn’t walk away unscathed.
“Since Xiangyun cannot explain herself, and Noble Consort Hui’s servants cannot account for the missing charcoal either, may I conclude that Lady Hailan was falsely accused?”
Gao Xiyue stammered, “Perhaps… perhaps someone else stole the charcoal. Or perhaps the servants made an error in counting.”
Zhen Huan snorted.
“Then it means Noble Consort Hui has failed to control her household properly.
“But I must say, Noble Consort Hui has certainly conducted herself with great authority today.
“You and Lady Hailan are both imperial consorts, yet you dared subject her to private punishment.
“If the emperor, the empress, and I had not arrived, would you have beaten her to death?
“When exactly did the emperor grant you authority over the six palaces?”
Gao Xiyue immediately knelt and pleaded for forgiveness, insisting she had only lost control in a moment of panic.
Turning to Hongli, Zhen Huan said,
“It seems to me that Noble Consort Hui’s rank has gone to her head. Your Majesty should impose a suitable punishment to prevent others in the harem from following her example.”
Before Hongli could issue some meaningless reprimand that would only encourage Gao Xiyue further, she added,
“In my opinion, the rank of Noble Consort is too high for Lady Gao.
“And I don’t believe the title Hui—’Wise’—suits her very well.
What do you think, Emperor?”
Hongli offered no objection.
He seemed almost relieved to let someone else play the villain.
“Imperial Mother is right. Lady Gao shall be stripped of her honorific title and demoted to the rank of Consort.”
Zhen Huan glanced at the imperial physician.
“Since the physician says Lady Gao requires rest, she is not to leave Xianfu Palace for the next several months.
“She should recover properly and avoid another unfortunate relapse.
“As for the servants present today, they dared overstep their station.
“Considering they acted under orders, each shall receive ten strokes and forfeit six months’ salary.”
Finally, Zhen Huan arranged for Hailan to move into Yanxi Palace before rising to survey the room.
Hongli, who claimed Ruyi was his true love yet consistently favored Gao Xiyue through his actions.
Ruyi, who called Hailan her dearest friend yet forgot all about Hailan’s suffering the moment her beloved emperor spoke.
Hailan, who accepted everything Ruyi said without question and cared so little for herself that she never voiced a complaint.
Gao Xiyue, whose schemes were riddled with holes, whose judgment was poor, yet whose methods were ruthless.
Looking around, Zhen Huan realized that the only normal person in the room was Empress Fuca.
Nearby, Ruyi and Hongli were exchanging sweet smiles.
What exactly was she smiling about?
Her beloved emperor had been taking Gao Xiyue’s side the entire time.
If Zhen Huan hadn’t intervened, Gao Xiyue would have escaped punishment entirely.
Back in the day, when the late emperor had favored Consort Hua over Shen Meizhuang, Zhen Huan had been furious for a long time.
Didn’t Ruyi feel even the slightest anger on Hailan’s behalf?
Then she looked over and saw Hailan gazing at Ruyi with the same adoring smile.
Well.
If Hailan herself didn’t care about her own suffering, what more could anyone say?
Did the emperor’s harem contain a single normal person at all?