Chapter 18: The Murderer's Intent (Part 2)

  As the night wore on, the palace had fallen silent. The Tongli Palace also extinguished half of the lights in the courtyard as usual, but in this quiet and peaceful deep night, a hidden killing intent was lurking, waiting for an opportunity to strike. I still couldn't sleep, maintaining my vigilance and alertness like a nocturnal beast in the dim and flickering candlelight. I began to feel that there was a strange and bloody smell in the quiet night of the harem, mixed with endless conspiracies and curses, lurking around every concubine and palace maid, watching and waiting. In this silent spring night, I suddenly felt awakened and grown up, those simple and peaceful thoughts gradually moving away from me. I deeply realized that I was already unable to avoid it, deeply trapped in the huge vortex of the harem struggle.

  The sound of drums was getting closer and closer, the loud beating of the drums was so loud that it might shatter people's spring dreams. But to me, it sounded like a sharp cry. I quietly walked into the courtyard with a group of small eunuchs already hiding under the palace wall. Tong Sai quietly approached me, pointing at a figure crouching on top of the Tongli Palace gate and whispered: "Xiao Lianzi is up there, just waiting for that thief to appear, then he'll jump down and catch him alive." I nodded, Xiao Lianzi had some skills, he was hiding on top of the palace gate, if you didn't look carefully, you wouldn't notice.

  Only the sound of two cuckoo birds calling outside the palace wall, and then Shi Yao holding a lantern also imitated the call twice. Sure enough, from the hole in the palace wall, a hand stretched out with a small paper package on its palm, which had a scar on it. Shi Yao nodded, and the little eunuch beside him immediately covered his mouth and grabbed that hand tightly. The hand panicked but couldn't break free no matter how hard it tried. Then, from outside the wall came several "ah"s, and Xiao Lianzi shouted loudly: "Reporting to Young Master, it's done!"

  In an instant, the palace lanterns were all lit up, and the courtyard was as bright as day. Xiao Lianzi pushed that person in, kneeling in front of me. It was a small eunuch's appearance, only lowering his head and refusing to raise it, with a familiar figure. I lowered my head and thought for a moment, then coldly hummed: "Isn't this an old acquaintance? Lift up his dog head."

  Xiao Lianzi struck the back of his neck with force, and the little eunuch felt pain, instinctively raising his head. Everyone was shocked at the sight, and their expressions turned contemptuous. The little eunuch hastily retreated in shame, shrinking his head back, but it wasn't the same Xiao Yinzhi who used to attend to me.

  I smiled faintly and said, "Elder Yin, it's been a while."

  Xiao Yinzhi didn't dare to make a sound, and Zhu walked up to him and said: "Oh, isn't it Lord Yin? You've climbed high enough in the past, but now you're here to see us still holed up in the Tongli Palace guarding the old master's remnants? Thanks for your concern." He reached out and tugged at his hat, chuckling and saying: "Nowadays, where are you serving in a high position? You're still sneaking around the old master's palace in the middle of the night."

  Xiao Yinzhi remained silent. Liu Zhu's voice suddenly became stern: "How can you not speak, that's not acceptable for a thief. Since you're a thief, you'll have to be punished. Xiao Lianzi, get someone to bring the wooden board and beat him severely!"

  Xiao Lianzi clapped her hands and said, "Since it's Flowing Vermilion Maiden's orders, come on, bring the big board here, break this thief's legs before we can call it a day!"

  Xiao Yinzhi was frightened and repeatedly knocked his head to beg for mercy. I smiled and said, "What's the panic? Although it's been a long time since we met, after all, we are master and servant, I ask you what answer is just fine, why would I want to hurt you?"

  I said to the left and right: "Bring a big board up in advance, so that when Mr. Yin speaks, he won't have any worries behind him and will stop being hesitant and annoying."

  Xiao Yuanzi immediately went to fetch two rods used for execution in the palace, and had a small inner guard hold one rod on either side of Xiao Yinzhi.

  "Where is he serving now?"

  "In... In Yu's dressing room."

  "That's a bit of a letdown. Yu Ge is now living in an old house on Yong Xiang, which isn't exactly a great place."

  Xiao Yinzhi lowered his head and replied weakly: "As a servant, I just follow the young master, there's no good or bad."

  I chuckled and said, "You're quite open-minded. Didn't you follow your master to Li Gui's place at first? How did you end up following Yu Gengyi instead?"

  "I changed into casual clothes and went in that day, the hostess said there were not enough people at the banquet, so she pointed to me to go."

  "Lizhu zi indeed has your long-term interests at heart. In just half a year, you've switched masters three times, and you're still enjoying the benefits." Xiao Yinzhi's face turned bright red with shame, and he didn't dare to speak up. I calmly asked: "Let's consider this old matter settled. Now, I only want to ask you, what were you doing sneaking around outside my palace in the middle of the night?"

  Xiao Yinzhi was frightened and stunned for a moment before coming back to his senses and saying: "I'm just passing by."

  "What's going on at this late hour?"

  "This... slave can't sleep and came out for a walk."

  "What? I think you're still not awake yet. I'm too lazy to waste words on you." I turned my head to Xiao Yanzu and said: "Get all the palace maids from the imperial harem out here, have them watch as I thoroughly beat this ungrateful thing until it wakes up and tells the truth!" I coldly added: "I wondered how outsiders could understand the situation in my palace so clearly, turns out it's because of the old people who left this palace."

  Xiao Yuanzi walked up to me and asked: "May I ask, young master, how much will you have?"

  I said in a low voice: "Leave him alive, don't beat him to death." I stood up and said: "Let Flowing Vermilion and Azure guard me here, so that the people below also know the consequences of betraying their lord and forgetting his kindness. Qian Lei, it's chilly outside, help me inside.

  Qing Yu supported me as I walked in and said softly, "Young Master has been busy for half the night, it's time to rest."

  I listened to the mournful wails outside the window, similar to the sound of pigs being slaughtered, but I just sat there without saying a word. However, after a while, the commotion outside gradually subsided. Xiao Yanzu came in and reported: "Young Master, that thing couldn't withstand torture and confessed after just a few blows. He said it was Yu Gengyi who instructed him to do it."

  "Tie him up with Huasheng and lock them together, keep a close eye on both of them."

  Xiao Yuanzi responded and went out. I gritted my teeth and said, "Looking at this situation, how can I not feel a chill? It was actually someone from my palace who left in the past... I didn't treat him poorly."

  "Master, please don't be disheartened by this filthy thing. The situation is already clear: it must be that Yu has been harboring resentment in his heart and has retaliated."

  "I know." As for Yu, I have been tolerant and patient enough with her, but she still keeps pressing me step by step, determined to take my life. After a long silence, I said softly: "Why is it so hard?"

  "What did the young master say?"

  I silently sighed: "To live in peace and safety in this palace, why is it so difficult."

  "When a man has no intention of harming a tiger, the tiger will have an intention of harming the man."

  "Now I understand why the palace always prays for peace and good fortune, it's because peace is what the harem lacks the most. Because of the scarcity, one can't help but think about seeking it all the time." I thought to myself, "This matter still needs to be reported to the Emperor and Empress."

  "Yes."

  "Tomorrow morning you will go back to the Emperor first."

  "I understand. Where is the changing room..."

  I pondered for a moment, "She can't deny it since the evidence is clear." I hesitated for a moment, "If the Emperor still has feelings for her, it would be troublesome. She had sung loudly outside the Yiyuan Hall that night, making the Emperor take pity on her again. This woman is narrow-minded and vengeful... If we can't eliminate the problem completely, I'm afraid there will be future troubles."

  "Does the young master have an infallible plan?"

  My fingers lightly tapped on the table, quietly pondering for a while, when suddenly a bright idea flashed through my mind, and I smiled slyly: "With the poison curse and the crime of deceiving the king, I'm afraid her life is doomed."

  "What does 'young master' refer to?"

  "Do you still remember when you asked me on New Year's Eve if there was anyone in the plum blossom pavilion who could distinguish between pearls and fish eyes?"

  She suddenly came back to her senses and exchanged a smile with me.

  This night passed quickly, I slept very soundly. When I woke up, the servant told me that Xuan Ling had already settled the matter with Xiao Yinzi and Hua Suo, and was waiting for me to wake up in the hall. I hurriedly got up and washed my face.

  Keeping the Emperor waiting is already a breach of etiquette for an audience. I saw Xuan Ling sitting alone, his complexion not looking good, and softly called out to him: "Fourth Brother."

  Xian Ling's face slightly cleared up as he saw me come out, and he said, "Huan Huan, did you sleep well?"

  I anxiously said: "Thank you Your Majesty for your concern, I'm afraid it's just that I sleep too soundly and that's the problem."

  "I know that the people around you have been reporting back to me and the empress. From today on, I will make sure that your food and medicine are carefully monitored, and this kind of sinister thing will not happen again." His voice was laced with a cold chill in his last two sentences. "The intrigue in the harem is so vicious, I really couldn't have imagined it! That Hua Sui and Xiao Yinzi, I've ordered them to be taken to the punishment room and beaten to death; as for Yu Geng Yi, I've issued an edict to throw her into the Jin Leng Palace, where she will be imprisoned for life! Xuan Xuan, you don't have to worry anymore."

  The emperor indeed showed mercy, and as I thought of the past, my heart was both anxious and aching. I knelt down again, sobbing and shedding tears: "Huan Huan has always been weak and uncompetitive in the world, but unexpectedly offended Yu Ge without realizing it, causing so many lives to be lost. Huan Huan is truly guilty of deep sin, not worthy of receiving imperial grace."

  The emperor patted my arm and said warmly, "You're worrying too much. You were innocent and suffered a series of frights, don't cry and hurt your body again."

  I wept and refused to get up, bowing my head and saying: "Huan Huan once prayed for blessings on New Year's Eve, wishing that 'adversity would be easy to resolve, and ease would not be destroyed', but unexpectedly the heavens did not grant her wish..." I stopped speaking here, intentionally not continuing, only looking at Xuan Ling, quietly sobbing uncontrollably.

  As expected, he was shocked, his eyebrows raised, and he pulled me up to ask: "Xuan Xuan, what wish did you make? Where did you make it?"

  I seemed to be at a loss, and stammered: "In the Mei Garden, I only hope that 'the wind is easy to understand, and it's easy to be broken'. I looked at his expression and said carefully: 'That night, Xuanxuan accidentally got her shoes and socks wet in the snow.'"

  Xuan Ling's eyebrows slightly furrowed as he looked into my eyes and asked, "Then have you met anyone?"

  I stared at him in surprise, not avoiding his gaze, and said: "How did the Fourth Prince know? That night, Xuanxuan met a strange man in the garden. Because she was out with an illness, and it's not proper for men and women to be close, she had to lie and say she was a palace maid to get away." I exclaimed, suddenly realizing: "Could it be that the man from that night..." I knelt down in fear, saying: "I really didn't know it was Your Majesty, I was impolite, please forgive me!" After finishing, I cried again.

  Xuan Ling grasped my arm, and under the surge of emotions, his hands unconsciously exerted a few more points of strength, causing my arm to feel slightly sore. "So it's you! It was actually you! I mistakenly suspected someone else."

  I pretended to be confused and said: "What is Your Majesty saying to others?"

  Xuan Ling called out to the inner servant Li Chang, who was standing outside the hall, and said: "Pass on my decree. Leng Gong Yu Shi has deceived the emperor and harmed the concubines. She is to take her own life."

  Li Chang saw the emperor suddenly change his mind, but he didn't dare ask more questions. He bowed and went out to transmit the order to the Cold Palace. I pretended to be puzzled and said: "What's wrong with Your Majesty? Suddenly wanting to grant death to Yu Shi?"

  Her expression turned icy in an instant: "She, deceiving the monarch and lying to me, actually dared to claim that she was the one who spoke with me at the Mei Garden that day. She must have been eavesdropping on our conversation from the side, only then could she vaguely recall a few sentences. This 'Reversing the wind like a gentle breeze, easily destroyed' sentence is something I couldn't think of no matter what, and yet she pushed it off as being too nervous to remember." His voice was cold and stern: "She has repeatedly committed offenses against me, but I have spared her each time due to our past relationship. Now, however, there is no room for forgiveness."

  I hastily pleaded: "Yu Shi is wrong, but it's all because of her admiration for Your Majesty. Moreover, this matter originated from me, so I beg Your Majesty to be lenient with Yu Shi."

  Xuan Ling sighed and said: "You are always too kind-hearted. She has harmed you like this, yet you still plead for her."

  I have a slight pang of regret in my heart, after all, it was the life of a member of the Yu family that fell into my hands, and I couldn't help but feel sorrowful and shed tears. "I still hope Your Majesty will show mercy."

  "I understand your intention. However, you must not speak lightly, and the crime of the Rong family cannot be forgiven. Nevertheless, since you plead for her, I will grant her body to be returned to her hometown after death."

  I bowed again and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

  Now that everything has been settled, Xuan Ling and I both let out a sigh of relief. He grasped my hand, and my face grew even hotter, but I didn't dare pull it back, so I just let him hold it. With a smile, Xuan Ling casually asked: "Speaking of that day when we prayed for blessings in the Mei Garden, what treasured item did you bring with you? Was it an amulet bag, a fan pendant, or a pearl flower?"

  I saw him ask as if he didn't know at all that the small pendant I wore that day was not in his hands. Although slightly suspicious, I didn't take it to heart and simply replied: "It's just something a girl likes to play with, Fourth Brother can have Huanhuan make another one if you like."

  "This time, you must have been frightened. If we are to do it, let's wait until your heart is at ease." His gaze was fixed on my face, and he tightened his grip on my hand: "The days between us are still long, no need to rush for the moment."

  I heard him say "the days are still long" with his own mouth, and my heart softened like honey, as if someone's hand had lightly stroked my heart, so gentle that my eyes stung, I called out to him in a low voice: "Fourth Brother."

  Xuan Ling held me in his arms, silently not uttering a word. Under the painted beam hung several silver-plated incense balls, intricately carved with lush floral patterns, shining gold and silver, emitting fragrance and musk, wafting gently through the hall. The soft wind outside could be clearly heard.

  After a long while, he spoke in a gentle voice: "I'll stay with you today."

  I whispered: "Huan Huan's body is not convenient."

  Xuan Ling's face turned gloomy and he lost his smile: "Accompany me for a meal, can't you even talk?"

  After having lunch together, Xuan Ling said: "There are still some government affairs, you can rest for now, I'll come to see you again tomorrow."

  I stood up and saw Xuan Ling off, not calming down until he had walked for a long time. I slowly returned to the warm pavilion and summoned Qi Wei to come in. "After the palace maids and eunuchs die, aren't they all taken to the burial grounds for commoners?"

  His expression was slightly hurt, and he said in a low voice: "Yes."

  I knew she was moved by the scene and sighed, saying: "I didn't want to take the lives of Hua Sui and Xiao Yinzhi, sending them to the penal colony to suffer hard labor would have been enough. Who knew that the Emperor had issued an edict, and there was nothing I could do about it."

  "They also brought it upon themselves."

  I smoothed out my clothes and said, "Although it's like this, I still can't bear the thought. Take some silver to have someone collect the bodies of Hua Guan and Xiao Yinzi, and buy two coffins to give them a proper burial. In the end, that will be considered serving me once."

  Qingyu was taken aback for a moment, as if she had not expected me to give such an order. She then replied, "Master is kind-hearted, I will definitely send someone to take care of it."

  I waved my hand and said in a tired tone: "Go down. I'm tired and want to rest alone for a while."