Chapter 49 - 2#
The steward eunuchs held them down, forbidding them from looking away, forcing them to watch the person being beaten until blood flowed.
Those wails gave many people nightmares for several nights.
Shien: “Not long after, that steward eunuch died.”
Jingzhe raised an eyebrow: “How did he die?”
Shien: “He died from accidentally falling into the water.”
This reason sounded truly familiar yet strange.
Although various ways of dying often appeared in the harem, such as falling to death or accidentally falling into water, and even more unlucky ones like someone in Concubine Xu’s palace being smashed to death by a fake mountain before, actually very few people truly died from accidents.
If something really happened, it was mostly man-made.
Except for the lotus pond and the lake in the Imperial Garden, there were no other large bodies of water in the harem. How much truth was there in this so-called accidental drowning?
Shien: “He was only pulled up from a well behind the courtyard after being missing for several days.”
At that time, it was because someone noticed a strange smell in the well that they boldly went to fish it out. Who would have thought they would actually fish out a corpse!
Everyone was unaware, and during the time of the incident, they had been drinking the water from that well.
When Shien said this, Jingzhe found it a bit familiar.
He should have heard of this matter.
When he first entered the palace, he vaguely heard people talking about it, only at that time, in their mouths, that steward eunuch had accidentally fallen into the water. And the wells near their residence were all covered with stone blocks on half of the side, only allowing a bucket size.
It seemed to be a lesson learned from this matter.
Jingzhe: “Do you think this steward eunuch didn’t accidentally fall?”
Shien: “It could also be an accident. You and I both know that when drawing water, it’s too slippery, and it’s really possible to fall. No one cared much before. If someone was unlucky enough to have an accident, it could only be considered their fate.”
The reason why the steward eunuch’s matter caused so many changes was all because the corpse had soaked in the well for quite a few days.
During those days, everyone drank the water with that corpse.
Water soaked with a corpse was the easiest to transmit diseases. At that time, it caused chaos, and they were almost locked up and isolated.
Shien: “But during those few days, Kangman didn’t drink a single sip of water.”
Jingzhe was stunned: “Not a single sip?”
Shien nodded with certainty.
That was summer, very hot; otherwise, the corpse wouldn’t have rotted so quickly, letting them discover the strange smell.
Because the weather was hot, everyone would rush to draw water to drink after finishing work and returning.
This drinking water also had an order of priority.
Who could drink first, who later, this all had to be ranked according to seniority.
But during those days, no matter how others fought, Kangman didn’t participate, drinking only a little bit of soup during meals every day.
Because this behavior was too abnormal, Shien remembered it.
After discovering the steward eunuch’s corpse, Shien was once scared to the point of vomiting. In his panic, he also recalled this matter.
Only at that time, he was still ignorant and didn’t know where this fear came from. Plus, everyone was scared by the fact that they drank corpse water, so they had no mind to think too much.
No matter how much fright, it would almost be forgotten with the passage of time.
Even if Shien was scared half to death at that time.
Human memory always blurs those terrible and cruel things.
However, when he recalled it again, the things that happened that year actually surfaced in his memory again, as vivid as if they appeared right before his eyes.
Shien spent some time recounting the things he remembered. Now perhaps because he was older and had seen many things, looking at the young Kangman again, he felt there were problems everywhere.
Jingzhe blinked. Shien’s suspicion of Kangman could be said to be shooting without a target, but it might not be without reason.
“Assuming the person who acted back then was really Kangman, but so many years have passed since this matter, there should be no evidence left.” Jingzhe said softly, “If you want to investigate, you might not get any good results.”
“I won’t investigate. What does this have to do with me?” Shien pouted a bit meanly, “That steward wasn’t anything good either. Although his death was a bit miserable, I who drank his corpse water am even more miserable, okay!”
Now as long as he thought of this matter, he wanted to vomit a little.
Jingzhe looked at Shien’s pale face, wanted to laugh, but was afraid of hurting his fragile heart, so he held it back in the end.
He coughed lightly, “Then, you were just…”
Shien came to find him in a hurry, could it be just to tell him about Kangman’s youth?
Then there was no need to be so sneaky, just say it directly in the room.
But just now Shien saw someone in the room and chose to call Jingzhe out, clearly wanting to say private words.
Shien: “Wasn’t it because I remembered who Kangman was, so I went to find old friends to chat.”
Jingzhe revealed a helpless expression, and Shien chuckled.
If Shien didn’t know the danger of this person before, it would be excusable. But clearly remembering the things he might have committed, and still trying to investigate, wasn’t this asking for trouble for himself?
Shien: “Don’t always think this is your responsibility. I am a person with heavy curiosity, you also know. Since I remembered him and suspected what he had done, I definitely have to investigate clearly.”
This was indeed Shien’s nature.
Shien’s former friends are now scattered everywhere. Some have climbed to become second-rank eunuchs, and some are like Shien. Among them, the most impressive person is Kangman.
He is already the head eunuch of Yongning Palace.
Someone talked to Shien about the several places Kangman had been through in the past. His tossing and turning experiences were indeed more than ordinary people.
It’s just that everywhere he went, there would always be someone unlucky, either having health problems or causing trouble and violating palace rules. These people were all obstacles on Kangman’s path to promotion. Not long after they were unlucky, Kangman quickly and smoothly replaced their positions.
Whether this was luck or man-made, it was enough to show that Kangman was a person who shouldn’t be approached.
Shien: “I came to tell you that Kangman is too dangerous. No matter when you hear this name, don’t get too close to him.”
Otherwise, he wouldn’t need to rush over in a hurry.
Jingzhe revealed a helpless look: “If you don’t go investigate, I won’t mess around either.”
He had accidentally overheard that conversation.
Even if Jingzhe was given a hundred guts, he wouldn’t go investigate. Why cause trouble for himself?
If it weren’t for the bad luck that day, he wouldn’t have encountered this.
Thinking of this, and then thinking of Shien’s habit, Jingzhe couldn’t help but exhort again: “This matter ends here. Don’t investigate further. Anyway, it has nothing to do with us, lest it cause trouble.”
Shien still knew the gravity of this.
He patted his chest, saying that he avoided others’ eyes and ears when finding people, and his friends were true friends. He wouldn’t interfere in these matters in the future.
Hearing Shien’s repeated assurances, Jingzhe breathed a sigh of relief.
The matter of Kangman was pressed down here. Shien turned to be curious about what they were saying in the room just now. Jingzhe pulled him back into the room together, just hearing Mingyu and Huiping say:
“In a few days, it will be the Autumn Banquet. If there is a chance then, I will steal a few crabs…”
Jingzhe slapped the back of Mingyu’s head.
“Why doesn’t Director Zhu whip you to death?”
Mingyu covered the back of his head and pouted: “How would Director Zhu? Even if it comes to that, there’s still Sanshun to plead for me.”
“If you can eat it, just eat it yourself. Don’t always think about smuggling that stuff out.” Jingzhe said. If people in the Imperial Kitchen want to eat something good, as long as it doesn’t affect official business, even someone as strict as Zhu Erxi will turn a blind eye.
But smuggling it out is a different matter.
Jingzhe didn’t care about this bit of food. If it caused trouble for Mingyu, wouldn’t that be reversing the priorities?
“Autumn Banquet? It used to be hosted by the Empress Dowager. Who is it this year?” Hearing Mingyu’s words, Shien’s eyes lit up, “Could it be that one from Zhongcui Palace?”
“If not that one, who else could it be?” Mingyu said, “The Empress Dowager probably can’t host it.”
After all, she was still lying in bed now.
…
Shoukang Palace was filled with a heavy smell of medicine.
Besides the smell of medicine, there was also a not-so-pleasant stuffy aura, like the decay of closed doors and windows that were rarely opened.
Empress Dowager Huang leaned against the head of the bed, having just finished taking a pill.
Her hair was gray, and there were many more wrinkles on her face. Even the frown lines between her eyebrows were condensed like small hills, as if they couldn’t dissipate for a long time.
The female official beside her was speaking softly to her.
“The news from Prince Rui said that they only received Huang Fu.”
“…Only Huang Fu?”
“Exactly. Head of the Huang family, Lord Huang, and the eldest son of the Huang family were all harmed on the way.”
After the female official finished this sentence, she lowered her head.
The Empress Dowager had no reaction, just took a deep, deep breath.
She had long guessed in her heart, but before verification, the Empress Dowager refused to believe it was true no matter what, always holding a shred of expectation.
Now, the news from Prince Rui simply shattered the last fantasy in the Empress Dowager’s heart.
Only Huang Fu was left of the direct bloodline.
Everyone else in the family was dead. Even ordinary women and children were not spared.
Huang Changcun!
Hatred and resentment burst from the Empress Dowager’s eyes.
Did this old boy think that by becoming the leader of the rest of the Huang family, he could command everyone and become the head of the Huang family?
Dream on!
The position of the head of the Huang family could only belong to the direct line.
If no one from the direct line survived, the Empress Dowager would never allow others to touch it.
Since Huang Changcun dared to be so presumptuous, the Empress Dowager would never let him off!
“Prince Rui still refuses to come to the capital?” The Empress Dowager spoke, her voice somewhat hoarse.
Female official: “Prince Rui said that His Majesty is now attacking the Huang family and targeting the princes. if he returns to the capital, he won’t be able to escape. He hopes the Empress Dowager will forgive him.”
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager was inevitably disappointed.
She wanted Prince Rui to enter the capital; could she harm him?
Prince Rui not entering the capital now was truly missing the best opportunity. The Empress Dowager sighed deeply. How did she raise such a cowardly child?
…
In Prince Rui’s residence, Prince Rui was also talking about the situation in the capital.
In the study sat Chen Xuanming, Wang Zhao, Liu Mingxu, Bi Xintian, and other staff members.
Huang Fu also sat in the corner.
This originally chubby young man had become thin in just a few months, and was even more reticent, completely different from before.
“Does Huang Changcun’s approach mean he is not afraid of offending the Prince at all?” Wang Zhao said angrily, “To actually lay such a murderous hand on the Huang family’s direct line.”
Prince Rui’s face didn’t look good either.
His mother was from the direct line, and Huang Qingtian, who fully supported him, was the former head of the Huang family. In his view, Huang Changcun was just a jumping clown. But now, this jumping clown actually committed such a tragic and evil act.
Prince Rui: “This person cannot live.”
His voice revealed a rare killing intent.
Huang Changcun’s act undoubtedly offended Prince Rui.
Bi Xintian hesitated and said: “Huang Changcun wasn’t such a frenzied character before. Could this act… be supported by His Majesty?”
Chen Xuanming pondered for a moment, shook his head and said: “When Huang Changcun and I were in court, we had little contact. However, I heard that he had a habit of torturing and killing animals when he was young. But these are more or less just rumors, without evidence.”
This is very normal in aristocratic families.
No matter how many problems the children have in words and deeds, as long as they are not leaked to damage the family’s reputation, the family will naturally cover up for them. This is a kind of protection, and also a kind of restraint.
Firmly binding their own children within the family status, twisting them into a force.
“In any case, Huang Changcun cannot be kept. As for those foreign envoys…” Prince Rui thought for a moment, “Do not contact them.”
This was the second piece of news sent back from the capital.
Someone was active and found Prince Rui.
Prince Rui had his heart set on the throne, and with a past life in front of him, he naturally had full confidence in seizing the throne.
Joining hands with foreigners, even if he could seize the throne, would inevitably invite curses from future generations and leave a bad name for ten thousand years. No matter how eager he was, he couldn’t do such a thing.
Opening the country’s gates to welcome foreign enemies, this is to be poked in the spine.
“Report all those people to His Majesty.” Prince Rui raised his eyebrows and smiled coldly, “Our internal strife is our business. We must never invite wolves into the house. Do you all understand?”
His sharp gaze swept across the others in the study.
When this news came, some of Prince Rui’s staff had suggested accepting it. But most people opposed it just like Prince Rui. Now receiving Prince Rui’s clear stance, they were naturally overjoyed.