Chapter 15#
Concubine Xu had been overwhelmed with her own affairs lately. The strange occurrences in Chenghuan Palace had reached a point where she had no choice but to cry to the Empress Dowager.
This morning, the fourth palace servant in Chenghuan Palace died.
Concubine Xu had already started praying to gods and Buddhas. Even when she went to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, she held a string of prayer beads in her hand, and her body exuded a strong scent of sandalwood.
As soon as she entered, there was a sense of lingering smoke.
The Empress Dowager covered her nose with a handkerchief and said sullenly, “Concubine Xu, why have you made yourself so peculiar?”
Concubine Xu had a mournful look on her face and was on the verge of tears: “Your Majesty, I really don’t know what evil I have provoked. The palace servants are having accidents one after another. If it weren’t for the recent events in the palace, I would really want to go to Tanmen Temple to pray.”
The Empress Dowager had also heard about what had been happening in Chenghuan Palace. She frowned at Concubine Xu, but couldn’t stand the smell on her and ordered her to change her clothes before speaking.
Concubine Xu didn’t want to, but under the Empress Dowager’s cold face, she had no choice but to change.
Consort De, who was sitting below the Empress Dowager, sighed and said to the Empress Dowager, “For someone with Concubine Xu’s generous and cheerful personality to be so frightened, the matter must be too difficult.” She was petite and cute, not old, but she spoke with the maturity of an elder.
Consort Zhang, sitting on the side, smiled faintly, looking very charming.
“These successive accidents must have really scared Sister Xu. Your Majesty, I was also a little startled when I heard about it.”
There was no Empress in the harem, so the highest-ranking consort was Consort De.
Consort De came from the Lu family. Her father was the Marquis of Zhenbei, Lu Minxu, and her mother was the Empress Dowager’s sister, from the Huang family. A few years ago, the Huang family had no daughters of suitable age. Coincidentally, Consort De was of the right age and had a good appearance and talent, so she was sent to the palace.
Although she was not favored by Emperor Jingyuan, she still held the top position in the harem thanks to her relationship with the Empress Dowager.
After hearing Consort Zhang’s words, she smiled again.
“Concubine Xu is so scared, but to say she’s scared is a bit of an exaggeration. I think the people in this palace are too lazy.”
The Empress Dowager frowned, but just patted Consort De’s hand lightly and said nothing.
At this moment, Concubine Xu had returned, changed into a different set of clothes, and removed some of the hairpins from her head, looking quite pitiful.
The Empress Dowager was originally dissatisfied with Concubine Xu’s smell, but now seeing her appearance, she felt pity and let her sit down to talk.
“Tell me clearly, what exactly is going on.”
Concubine Xu then recounted everything from the beginning.
The trouble in Chenghuan Palace started in the first month.
The first to have an accident was a eunuch named Song Rong. When he went to get food with another eunuch, he said he was going to relieve himself but never came back.
That eunuch had to go back alone.
As a result, Song Rong disappeared. It wasn’t until half a month later that the palace servant in charge of the lotus pond noticed that the koi in the pond were not eating their food. Feeling strange, he went into the pond to investigate and ended up pulling out Song Rong’s body.
Perhaps because he had been in the pond for a long time, Song Rong’s eyes had been eaten by the fish, leaving only two sunken hollows. A lot of the flesh on his body had also been eaten away, which was truly horrifying.
At that time, although Concubine Xu was helpless, she just treated it as an accident.
But a month later, a palace maid named Qiao Lan also died.
She choked to death while eating.
Everyone saw Qiao Lan choking while eating with the other palace maids. At that time, she hurriedly went to the side room to drink water. When everyone had finished eating and didn’t see her again, Cheng Lan went into the room to call her, but screamed in terror.
Qiao Lan’s body was on the ground, one hand clutching her throat, with countless red marks from scratching. The other hand had gouged out her eyes, and blood was all over the floor.
Cheng Lan was terrified and couldn’t speak for several days.
Concubine Xu pitied her for her young age and let her rest for a few days before working again. Who would have thought that Cheng Lan, perhaps in a daze, accidentally knocked over a candlestick while taking inventory in the storeroom at night. The entire storeroom caught fire. Fortunately, the others escaped, but Cheng Lan did not survive. When her body was found, it was already burned to a crisp.
By the time she said this, Concubine Xu’s mouth was full of bitterness, and upon closer inspection, her eyes were bloodshot.
Consort De and Consort Kang turned pale when they heard this. Although they knew that Chenghuan Palace had frequent accidents, it was even more frightening to hear it from Concubine Xu’s mouth.
Concubine Xu raised her hand to tuck back a stray strand of hair and said anxiously, “I also wondered if it was an accident, after all, these successive incidents are really… But, this morning, something happened again.”
This time, Concubine Xu saw it with her own eyes.
Concubine Xu woke up in the morning to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager. On her way back, she thought of going to the imperial garden to relax. As a result, the eunuch Shan Rong was crushed to death in front of her by a rock that rolled down from the rockery.
That huge rock had stood on the rockery for so many years, and no one had ever thought that one day it would roll down and smash someone’s head.
Shan Rong’s head was smashed to pieces, and the blood and pulp that splattered out even sprayed onto Concubine Xu’s boots. She could even hear the sound of his eyeballs and skull bursting. Even now, as she spoke, her voice was still filled with terror.
It was no wonder that a bright and generous person had become so flustered and frightened in just two months. Anyone who constantly faced the various accidental deaths of those around them would not be terrified and constantly fear the arrival of death.
How could one know that the next one wouldn’t be you?
Consort De couldn’t help but say, “Is it really an accident?” In her opinion, after so many times, if it was still said to be an accident, how could anyone believe that so many people had died?
Concubine Xu smiled bitterly and shook her head: “Except for when Song Rong died, no one saw it, so we don’t know if he slipped or was pushed. For the others, there were people watching before and after the accidents… If there was an external force, how could it not be discovered?”
In addition, the ones who died were all second and third-class palace servants, not the important personal maids and eunuchs. If someone really wanted to deal with her, shouldn’t they target those people?
Consort Kang comforted Concubine Xu in a soft voice: “Sister Xu, since it’s not man-made, you should relax and not overthink it. The more you think and guess, the more troubles will come.”
Concubine Xu’s visit to the Empress Dowager was a desperate act. Her prayers to the gods and Buddhas were enough to show that this matter had affected her to the point where she could not rest day or night.
The Empress Dowager didn’t have any good solutions. In the end, she just ordered a few more people to guard her and assigned two more rough-work eunuchs.
After Concubine Xu and Consort Kang left, Consort De remained in Shoukang Palace to chat with the Empress Dowager.
“Aunt,” when they were alone, Consort De always addressed the Empress Dowager so intimately, and didn’t force herself to maintain a mature appearance. “Do you think it was an accident?”
“Playing tricks.” The Empress Dowager’s expression turned cold.
“But I sent people to investigate, and I really couldn’t find anything.” Consort De said in confusion, “Who on earth did this?”
Consort De was the Empress Dowager’s person, and also the highest-ranking consort in the harem. The Empress Dowager would delegate many matters to her. She had sent people to investigate Concubine Xu’s matter, but found nothing.
“Consort De, there are many capable people in this harem.” The Empress Dowager frowned and sighed, “In my time, apart from Empress Dowager Cisheng, there were not many who could cause such a stir. But look at the Emperor’s harem, the consorts are not like consorts, the concubines are not like concubines, humph!”
Consort De knew very well that the relationship between the Empress Dowager and Emperor Jingyuan was not good. This insinuation was directed at Consort Kang and Concubine Xu who had just been there.
Consort Kang was clearly a consort, while Concubine Xu was just a concubine. In the palace, sisters’ relationships were not based on age, but on seniority and rank.
Concubine Xu was clearly a concubine, but because she had once been favored by Emperor Jingyuan and had enjoyed some glory in the palace, she could act superior to Consort Kang. Consort Kang was also weak and called her “sister.”
The Empress Dowager disapproved, but couldn’t be bothered to care.
The more chaotic the harem, the more beneficial it was for her.
“It doesn’t matter if we can’t catch them for now, but you have to be careful.” The Empress Dowager said to Consort De, her words carrying a hint of undisguised malice. “The Emperor treats the harem as a place to raise poisonous insects. I want to see, in the end, these poisonous insects… might just bite back!”
Consort De was slightly startled. Was her aunt… She immediately concealed it, not daring to expose it.
Her current honor in the harem depended entirely on the Empress Dowager.
…
Jingzhe waited in Chenghuan Palace for a long time before Concubine Xu returned.
However, Concubine Xu had just returned and was in a bad mood. She took a short nap and didn’t see Jingzhe until the afternoon.
By this time, Jingzhe had already missed his lunch.
Fortunately, Qiu Yi saw that he had been waiting for a long time and had someone bring him two pieces of pastry. With cold water, he barely quenched his hunger and thirst, so as not to lose his composure in front of Concubine Xu.
“Your servant pays his respects to Concubine Xu.”
Jingzhe knelt down and kowtowed. After being told to rise by Concubine Xu, he was carefully examined for a moment.
“You have a good appearance, why have you been wasting away in the North Wing for so long?”
Concubine Xu’s face was a little pale, but her voice was light and casual, very gentle.
“After entering the palace, I was chosen by Steward De and have gotten used to the North Wing.” Jingzhe said cautiously, “I have no ambitions. Being able to eat well, drink well, and sleep well is excellent.”
“For a person to be able to eat well, drink well, and sleep well is already quite remarkable.” Concubine Xu sighed, thinking of the many recent events. “I originally thought, if you were ambitious, since Chenghuan Palace is short of people, it would be fine to have you come over.”
Jingzhe’s eyes widened slightly, and sweat broke out on his back. He didn’t dare to show any of that emotion. Instead, he chuckled lightly and bowed, saying, “I am so dull, my tongue is clumsy, and my hands are clumsy. I’m afraid I will displease the noble.”
Concubine Xu raised her eyebrows: “You speak so well, how can you be dull. Forget it, you can’t force a melon to be sweet. I called you here this time for a reason.” She put down her teacup, and her voice became serious. “I heard that when Concubine Yao was still alive, you were the one serving her?”
Jingzhe: “I did serve Concubine Yao for a period of time.”
Everyone in the North Wing knew that Concubine Yao liked to call Jingzhe over, so it couldn’t be faked.
“Then, did she have any abnormalities before she died?”
Jingzhe was slightly stunned. Seeing his hesitation, Chun Lian, who was standing behind Concubine Xu, said quickly, “My lady and Concubine Yao are distant relatives. My lady is concerned about Concubine Yao’s accident. How dare you, a eunuch, conceal anything!”
Jingzhe lowered his eyebrows and recounted Concubine Yao’s abnormalities before her death one by one, without concealing anything except for the sewing kit he found in her room.
Whether it was her using a silver needle to test for poison, or her being attacked.
The latter was known to everyone, but the former was only discovered by Jingzhe, and it was the first time Concubine Xu had heard of it.
She frowned slightly, lost in thought.
After a moment, she looked up and told Jingzhe to leave.
Xia He was very clever and understood Concubine Xu’s meaning. When she went out, she rewarded Jingzhe with twenty taels.
When Jingzhe left with the twenty taels, not only was the silver heavy, but his heart also sank.
“Tell me, why did Concubine Xu look for me?”
Jingzhe pondered, and couldn’t help but poke the system that had dragged him into this vortex.
“Even if she and Concubine Yao are relatives, it’s been almost three months. Why is she only asking me now… Don’t you think it’s been too long?”
[The system does not know.]
The system is just a system, what else can the system do?
However, under the host’s coercion, it still forced its program to run.
[Why did the host tell Concubine Xu about the silver needle? If you didn’t say it, no one would know, and it wouldn’t threaten the host.]
Jingzhe sighed, “Guess, could Concubine Xu be the one who sent people to the North Wing to search Concubine Yao’s room?”
The system was stunned.
The system does not know.
Jingzhe murmured, “The affairs of this harem are really chaotic, like a quagmire.”
Once you step in, you can’t get out.
Whether Concubine Xu sent the people or not, the fact that she took the risk of being noticed to have him come over was enough to show that Concubine Xu knew something.
For example… discovering that Concubine Yao’s sewing kit was missing.
What kind of person would pay attention to Concubine Yao’s affairs? Relatives, friends… or maybe the murderer.
The matter of Concubine Yao was more troublesome than he had expected.
Fortunately, Jingzhe had already cut open the sewing kit and sewn it into the inside of his quilt, scattered and hidden, so that no one would find it.
The North Wing, which originally seemed to be the quietest place, had now become a source of many dangers because of Concubine Yao.
But Chenghuan Palace was a place he absolutely could not go.
If he went, he might die.
In the North Wing, under everyone’s watchful eyes, he could actually save his life.
These twenty taels from Concubine Xu were really hot to the touch!
Jingzhe had a headache, a very bad headache.
But fortunately for him, he met Rong Jiu on his way back.
Just on the road to the North Wing.
Two rows of guards stood in formation, and Wei Haidong was talking to a person on the side. That person was Rong Jiu.
Jingzhe stepped aside to avoid being misunderstood as eavesdropping.
Wei Haidong glanced at Jingzhe from a distance, then suddenly raised his arm and patted Rong Jiu’s shoulder heavily.
From a distance, it looked like a superior being friendly with a subordinate.
Rong Jiu looked up, his dark and cold eyes freezing one’s heart.
Wei Haidong’s back tingled, and he immediately moved away from this gloomy master.
He had been so damn reckless as to provoke a tiger!
Jingzhe looked at the way the commander left, why did he have the illusion that he was fleeing in panic?
But when Rong Jiu looked up at him, Jingzhe happily cast aside all those trivial matters.
The guard uniform Rong Jiu was wearing today was a bit unusual. It had a cold and chilling smell. Just as Jingzhe was about to approach, he heard his cold words: “I just killed someone, the smell is not good.”
Jingzhe was stunned, his outstretched foot paused, and he changed from taking big steps to taking small steps.
He finally walked to Rong Jiu’s side.
Jingzhe sniffed, and indeed smelled an unusual scent of blood. It must have been from when he was in action.
He suddenly remembered that day, when Rong Jiu compared the size of his palm with his, he said it was not the hand of a murderer…
So that’s what he meant.
Rong Jiu had really killed people.
Rong Jiu looked at Jingzhe’s lowered head and said lightly, “Not afraid?”
“A little.” Jingzhe said honestly, “But, Rong Jiu wouldn’t kill people randomly. If he did, there must be a reason.”
He looked up at Rong Jiu again and smiled.
“I haven’t done anything bad, what am I afraid of?”
Looking at Rong Jiu from this angle, there was a different kind of charm.
The chiseled and handsome face had an innate nobility, a grace that could not be concealed no matter how many clothes Rong Jiu changed. His beautiful and clear black eyes moved slightly, and his long, slightly curled eyelashes fell, casting a shadow.
Rong Jiu lowered his eyes and looked at Jingzhe.
And listened to his innocent and soft words.
“If I were to kill you, what would you do?”
Rong Jiu was intrigued.
Why does killing need a reason?
He had always done as he pleased.
Just like now.
His cold white fingers caressed the sword at his waist, an unintentional movement revealing malice. The invisible killing intent was like a grotesque poisonous snake, flicking its tongue.
The venom was ready to be injected, its fangs already bared, staring at the target’s fair neck.
The target pouted and reluctantly stuffed the twenty taels he was carrying into Rong Jiu’s hands.
“These twenty taels are my life-saving money, just earned from Chenghuan Palace.” Jingzhe said pitifully, “I’ll use these twenty taels, and the gift at the bottom of my chest, to buy my life.”
Rong Jiu was suddenly stuffed with a handful of silver, and when he heard the second half of his sentence, he raised his eyebrows: “You’re really cunning, that’s my gift, it should have been mine in the first place.”
With both hands holding the silver ingots, he had no hands to hold the hilt of his sword.
Jingzhe: “But it hasn’t been sent out yet, so it’s still mine!” He said with righteous indignation, and a smug smile.
What a shameless little puppy.
Rong Jiu stared at him for a long time, then put the silver in his pocket.
He turned around and hit Jingzhe’s back with the back of his sword, causing him to stumble and almost fall flat on his face.
By the time he stood firm, Rong Jiu had already walked away with the twenty taels. His cool voice came from afar: “I’ll take this life-buying money. Don’t forget the gift, bring it next time.”
Jingzhe didn’t resent the lost twenty taels.
To be honest, the money was from Chenghuan Palace, and he didn’t want it at all.
As for the gift…
Jingzhe pouted, he walked away quite quickly.
Rong Jiu must be the type to kill but not bury. When is his next shift, why didn’t he say so clearly!
Author’s note:
Ning Hongru, who has suffered greatly: He is indeed the type to kill but not bury (wipes tears). But how did you survive again and again?
Jingzhe: I spent twenty taels to buy it.