Twenty-one, Initial Victory

  The next morning, the empress hastily summoned me to enter the Hui Xiu Palace. I rushed over and saw that Mei Zhuang, Ling Rong, and Shi Mei Ren were already there, so I knew the empress must be inquiring about last night's events. The empress seemed to have had a sleepless night, her eyes slightly darkened with fatigue, which even makeup couldn't conceal, but her spirits were fine. As usual, she asked us a few questions, and we told her everything truthfully.

  Suddenly, the eunuchs inside and outside the palace shouted: "The Emperor has arrived!"

  The queen hastily led us to stand up, just as Xuan Ling walked in, followed by a concubine, who was none other than Consort Hua. Consort Hua's expression was cold and distant, pretending not to have seen us.

  I exchanged a glance with Mei Zhuang, thinking that Xuan Ling had spent the night in the Hua Fei's palace. But it was just that Hua Fei was being too arrogant, following closely behind Xuan Ling as they came over together. Several people looked displeased, only the Empress's expression remained unchanged.

  Xuan Ling said, "As soon as I left the palace, I saw Consort Hua coming towards you. Knowing that Noble Lady Li was not feeling well, I also came to take a look." Everyone then realized that Xuan Ling had actually summoned Consort Hua last night, and it was just a coincidence that they met, and immediately felt at ease.

  The Empress hastily ordered someone to bring a bowl of almond jelly and present it to Xu Ling, saying: "I'm worried about the Emperor's health. However, Li Gui Bin is not feeling well, she fainted for a whole night, I've already summoned the imperial physician, and now she's resting in the side hall."

  Xuan Ling nodded and asked: "What did the imperial physician say?"

  "It's said that she was frightened out of her wits, having received a great shock." The Empress replied: "She spoke a lot of nonsense while in a coma." As she spoke, she cast a glance at Consort Hua.

  The Empress's face changed slightly as she heard this, and she turned to Xuan Ling: "That's right. Last night, Li Gui Bin was shouting wildly, which scared me."

  The Empress said: "As for how things happened, I have not yet learned, but last night the Imperial Consort Hua was with Li Gui Bin, and she knows more than me."

  Xuan Ling asked Empress Hua: "So, last night when Li Gui Bin had an accident, you were by her side?"

  "Yes."

  "Go on and say what you know."

  "Yes. Last night, I and Rui Gui Bin returned to the palace in the same carriage. Who knew that as soon as we arrived at Yong Xiang, the wheel of the carriage was stuck by a stone slab and couldn't move forward? Rui Gui Bin was impatient and got out of the carriage to take a look. Who knew that I heard someone in the palace shouting in surprise from inside the carriage, and then Rui Gui Bin let out a miserable cry, saying she saw a ghost."

  Xuan Ling heard her finish and furrowed his brow tightly, asking with concern: "Did you see it too? Were you scared?"

  The Empress Consort gently shook her head, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. I was in the carriage and did not see it with my own eyes."

  I glanced at her, Empress Hua had always been strong-willed. Although she said so with her mouth, but when she spoke, her ten fingers were tightly clenched and intertwined, revealing the unconscious panic in her heart.

  The corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a faint smile that only he could perceive. As long as someone was afraid, the show would go on.

  The queen also looked worried and said, "I asked the palace maids who attended last night, they also said that they saw a ghostly shadow passing in front of the carriage and circling around Li Gui Bin. No wonder Li Gui Bin was so scared."

  Xuan Ling suddenly turned to me and said: "Wan Yi, what do you think about this matter?"

  I stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I think that although the theory of ghosts and spirits is absurd and superstitious, perhaps in the darkness there is indeed a cause-and-effect retribution, which can encourage people to do good and avoid evil."

  The Empress Hua smiled coldly: "I heard that Yuanyi had been having nightmares for some days, I wonder if it's also because of the retribution of Yu Shi entering her dreams."

  I raised my head and said calmly: "The concubine's nightmare was indeed caused by seeing the ghost of Yu Shi, but it has nothing to do with cause and effect. The concubine is only saddened that Yu Shi's death, although she brought it upon herself, ultimately originated from me. I am truly ashamed, this is because my own virtue is insufficient." By the end of the sentence, my voice was already slightly choked with sobs.

  This cry, three parts are sorrow, seven parts are sighs. This harem is a chaotic scene of beauty killing each other. I have already hurt these people in order to protect myself, and later, I'm afraid I will hurt even more.

  Xuan Lingda sighed and said, "This is the fault of the Yu family, why must you blame yourself? When a strong wind blows down flowers, can it be said that it's the flower's fault?"

  Tears welled up in her eyes as she smiled tearfully at Xuan Ling: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern."

  Xuan Ling Dao said: "I'll go see Li Gui Bin first, everything else can wait until she wakes up."

  It's been a few days since anything happened. Everyone has their own thoughts and is quietly observing every move of the Fengyi Palace.

  I recall people saying that whenever a storm is approaching at sea, the surface of the ocean is always unusually calm. I think it's the same now, the calmer it is, the bigger the waves will be.

  News came one after another: When Xuan Ling went to visit Li Gui Fei, Li Gui Fei kept talking nonsense in a coma, which made Xuan Ling very unhappy.

  According to Emperor Xian's will, no one is allowed to visit Consort Li apart from Empress Dowager.

  Li Gui Bin was unconscious for two days and finally woke up, and the emperor and empress personally asked about her.

  Rui Gui Fei was demoted and moved out of Feng Yi Palace, and was sent to the cold palace, Jin Yu Gong.

  Three days later, in the early morning, I went to pay my respects to the Empress. The atmosphere was different from usual, and even Xuan Ling was there. The concubines sat in order, and the hall was quiet and silent. The Empress coughed twice, and Xuan Ling's expression was unusually calm, saying slowly: "Li Gui Bin has been arrogant and cruel since her appointment, which is not in line with my wishes. I intend to demote her as a warning to others, and send her to the Cold Palace for reflection."

  I slightly raised my eyes to look at Consort Hua, her face was extremely uncomfortable. With her intelligence, she must have known that after Rui Gui Bin woke up, the Emperor had asked about the events of that night in detail, and it must have been because of something she said that provoked Xuan Ling's great anger and demotion.

  It was already quite clear what had happened that day, Li Gui Fei was Hua Fei's confidante, and since the matter of poisoning me involved her, how could Hua Fei possibly be unrelated?

  Li Gui Bin is really useless and can't stand being frightened like that. It's clear that the saying "a thief's heart is always nervous" is true.

  Xuan Ling didn't even glance at Consort Hua, and merely said calmly: "Consort Hua has always assisted in managing the six palaces. Now that the Empress's illness is gradually recovering, all matters of the inner palace will still be handled by the Empress." As soon as he spoke, the four seats were shocked, and the various consorts looked at each other in dismay. Some with a flirtatious nature couldn't hide the smile of gloating on their faces. Xuan Ling turned his head to look at the Empress, his tone slightly sympathetic: "If you're not feeling well, don't force yourself. Take more care of yourself during your leisure time."

  It's been a long time since the Empress had heard Xuan Ling speak with such concern, and she was somewhat taken aback by the favor, hastily saying: "The Emperor is too kind." Turning to Consort Hua, she said: "For many years, younger sister Hua has worked hard, now you can finally rest on your laurels."

  The Empress was struck by the words, her body swaying slightly, but she also knew that saying more would be useless at this time. She forced herself to calm down and knelt down to thank him, but her eyes were red, only because of her self-esteem, she didn't dare to cry in front of everyone. Such a situation was truly pitiful.

  The queen suddenly said: "If Consort Duan's body is good, it would be able to share some of the worries for me, but unfortunately she..."

  Xuan Ling heard this and was slightly stunned for a moment before saying, "I haven't seen Empress Duan in a long time either, I'll go take a look. You all can disperse first."

  After seeing Xuan Ling off, everyone dispersed.

  As I stepped out of the palace gate, I saw Consort Hua. I followed etiquette and knelt down: "I bid farewell to Consort Hua." Consort Hua snorted in disdain, covering her face as she left.

  Ling Rong saw that I was wronged and felt a bit indignant: "Sister, you were previously bullied by Empress Hua, but now that she has fallen out of favor, why are you still being so respectful to her?"

  I smoothed my clothes and said, "She may be out of favor now, but that doesn't mean she won't make a comeback. It's better not to burn our bridges. Besides, her position is higher than mine, it's her fault for being rude, but I shouldn't lose my manners and give people something to talk about. Meizi, what do you think?

  Meizhuang nodded: "Indeed."

  Ling Rong's face turned red, and she said softly: "More elder sisterly teachings."

  I hastily pulled her hand and said: "What can't be taught or advised by one's own sister? Listening to it will only lead to more trouble."

  Ling Rong finally felt relieved. After sending Ling Rong off, Mei Zhuang was in a great mood and smiled as she said: "The weather is particularly good today. Why don't we go to my palace and play a game of Weiqi?"

  I smiled and said: "Look at you, it's taken until now for you to crack a smile, I couldn't learn from you. Alright, let's play a game of cards to celebrate."

  Meizhuang couldn't help but smile all over her face: "You and I can finally vent this breath of anger, it's really refreshing." After finishing, she showed a hint of resentment, "Only one Li Gui Bin was removed, unable to overthrow Empress Hua, what a pity."

  I plucked a branch of azalea and played with it in my hand: "Originally, I didn't expect to be able to win over Empress Hua either. Empress Hua has been in the palace for many years, her power is already deeply rooted, and even the Queen of the Six Palaces must give way to her, showing her influence. Moreover, the court is currently at war with the southwest, which is exactly where Muyong Jiong, Empress Hua's father, is needed, so the Emperor must have his concerns. The Emperor, he also cherishes old feelings, and will not be ruthless."

  "But will always be somewhat cold towards her."

  "Well, that's for sure. Let's just make a show of force to intimidate her and we can live in peace. After all, continuing the investigation will only lead to endless trouble and bloodshed, which is not a good deed."

  "If we can't get rid of her now, it will be even harder to deal with her in the future. She will be a great threat!" Mei Zhuang's eyes were filled with worry.

  "She is our arch-nemesis, and we are hers. Now that she has lost the favor of Empress Li and suffered a great blow to her prestige, having also lost the power to control the six palaces, I'm afraid she will focus on regaining imperial favor and competing with the empress for real power in the harem, and won't have time to deal with us for now. We can take advantage of this opportunity to rest and recover, and wait for a chance to strike."

  "Can't we really cut the grass and eliminate the roots? We can also rest assured." Mei Zhuang's eyebrows were tightly locked, after all, she was not reconciled: "As long as I think of the Thousand Carp Pond incident, I will be sleepless and foodless."

  I shook my head helplessly, "We've already reached the limit by getting this far. If we continue to pursue it further, more people will be implicated. This is something that neither the Emperor nor the Empress wants to see. If we keep pushing aggressively, we'll only end up exposing our own schemes in this matter and making the Emperor think we're ruthless, ultimately losing sight of the bigger picture."

  Meizhuang knew it was impossible, and after a long time of contemplation, she said: "Now that the Emperor has stripped Huafeng's power, he also wants to put an end to this matter. The commotion has been too great, and in the end, it will be a loss of face for the imperial family. I understand... there is no other way."

  I sat with Mei Zhuang under the Osmanthus tree behind her Chrysanthemum Hall, setting up a chessboard of Chu and Han. The two armies faced each other.

  Meizhuang still didn't feel at ease, and he rubbed a chess piece between his fingers, hesitating to make a move. "Xuan'er, Liguifei has been Huafei's trusted confidante for many years. Do you really think Huafei would abandon her? Moreover, Liguifei is beautiful and of high status. Perhaps when Huafei rises again in the future, she will also have a chance to rise again."

  I picked up a chess piece and said, "The Empress Dowager will not care about Rui Gui Bin. She has already been deeply implicated, how can she make the same mistake again? Rui Gui Bin is beautiful and holds a high position, and has followed her for many years. But her words are not humble and do not win people's hearts. The Emperor likes her beauty, but it's just a temporary novelty. Do you think how long it has been since the Emperor last summoned Rui Gui Bin? What use is a woman who does not have the Emperor's favor, no matter how beautiful she looks or how high her position is?"

  Meizhuang smiled and said, "That's right. Li Guifei is the main mistress of the palace, but she has no children to rely on, not as good as Cao Ronghua who has a daughter, Wen Yi Di, to depend on. Speaking of which, Cao Ronghua is so gentle and refined, it's hard to believe she's someone from the side of Empress Hua."

  "Don't underestimate Cao Ronghua, although the emperor doesn't favor her, he spends two or three days with her every month. This has been going on for years, and she's still standing strong." I took a sip of tea, feeling the warmth of the season spreading across my forehead. I focused on the chessboard, saying casually, "To be valued by Empress Hua is not something that can be achieved by just anyone."

  Eyebrows raised, speaking with a straight face, but the hand holding the chess piece didn't relax, "Since the successive incidents, how could I have a careless heart? Saying that all is not well is not an exaggeration."

  "That's not necessary, being overly cautious will only lead to losing the decisive moment." I looked at the chessboard with the neatly arranged pieces and smiled: "Sacrifice the chariot to save the general. Sister, Xuan'er has won."

  The night is deep and dark, the bright moon is like a hook, its clear light is like water, even the stars at the edge of the sky are exceptionally bright, as if the whole sky was filled with sparkling diamonds.

  I know, tonight, Xuan Ling will definitely come.

  Sent everyone away, quietly lying in bed to rest and nourish the mind. In the house, several branches of newly cut jasmine flowers were placed, with a dense green and white color, like jade, warm and elegant, quietly releasing a refreshing fragrance.

  Suddenly a pair of arms gently wrapped around me, I gently closed my eyes, he's here.

  "Xuan Xuan, have you fallen asleep?"

  I gently broke free from his arms, wanting to bow my head in respect. He pulled me back and lay down beside me, I leaned softly on his arm, "Is Princess Duan better now?"

  "Same as before. Just thinner, I saw her struggling to get up when I went to see her - still can't get up after all. It's pitiful to look at."

  "Fourth Master, if you have time, go visit Princess Duan more often. She will definitely be delighted to see you, and who knows, she might recover from her illness sooner."

  He went on talking about Princess Duan's illness, but I knew this was just small talk and not what he really wanted to say.

  Finally, Xuan Ling said: "The matter of poisoning has finally come to an end. You can rest assured, and my heart is also a little more at ease." His eyes condensed with a thread of cold air, "But I have never treated Li Gui Bin unfairly, yet she was so treacherous."

  I said in a low voice: "Since the matter has passed, Your Majesty should not be angry anymore. Li Gui also resented me because she was mindful of Your Majesty."

  "Does she care about me?" The tip of his nose was cold and he snorted: "What she cares about is her own status and glory, or perhaps only she herself understands." He paused for a moment: "Even if she does care about me, if she uses the name of caring about me to do treacherous things, I still cannot let her off lightly."

  My heart slightly stirred, although I was the victim of this matter, but still had to put on a show. Moreover, I had to understand how much weight Huafeng held in his heart at this moment. My body leaned closer to Xuanying, and I said softly: "Li Guifei has been punished for her mistakes. Although Huafeng sister often interacted with Li Guifei, but Huafeng sister was deeply favored by heaven and intelligent, she must not be foolish enough to collude with Li Guifei." The word "guai" can be both good and bad. When used well, it means being decisive and capable of handling matters, when used poorly... I smiled to myself, fearing that it would make people think of being ruthless and cruel. The implication was subtle, requiring careful consideration. In fact, many people were ruined by ambiguous words. The speaker may be "innocent", but the listener has intentions.

  Xuan Ling's hand gently stroked my shoulder, gazing at the inverted reflection of the trees on the window screen, savoring two words "Guo Yi?" A faint smile suddenly rose to his lips: "This time, even if she didn't participate in it, I allowed her to assist with the affairs of the six palaces. When Li Gui Bin had an accident, she didn't want to come and report to me and the empress first, which is somewhat presumptuous. I temporarily stripped her of her powers, she should calm down and reflect!"

  With a hint of sadness in her tone, she spoke word by word, seeping into his ears, "The Empress has served Your Majesty for many years, please consider the care and thoughtfulness with which she has attended to you..."

  The words had not been spoken yet, but he interrupted in a loud voice, "I severely punished Li Gui Bin and also warned Huai Fei, just to warn the harem not to be so gloomy." His voice was full of affection, "Xuan Xuan, you always consider others."

  I said softly, "Huan Huan only hopes that the sisters in the harem can understand each other, harbor less resentment, and His Majesty can focus on state affairs without worrying about internal conflicts." I continued, "Huan Huan heard that Li Gui Bin's incident was due to Yu Shi's vengeful spirit seeking revenge. Now with rumors flying around, it's likely that people in the palace are uneasy."

  Xuan Ling showed a disgusted expression: "I think it's unlikely to be a vengeful spirit seeking revenge, it's probably just her guilty conscience scaring herself and speaking nonsense to deceive people." He thought for a moment, "However, in order to calm the minds of the people, let the monks of Tongming Temple perform some rituals to appease the spirits."

  "Huang Huang thought that the Buddhist ceremony was just a formality, and it was only necessary to claim it was for blessings and peace. If they said it was for the salvation of the palace, people would think that the emperor also believed in ghosts and spirits, which might have the opposite effect."

  "Just follow your instructions for tomorrow." Xuan Ling smiled at me, his eyes filled with warmth and affection like a gentle spring breeze, "With you being so considerate and thoughtful, my heart can also be at ease."

  I gently threw myself into Xuan Ling's arms and softly called out: "Fourth Brother——"

  The room is filled with fragrance, pure white, candle shadows sway red, only the red silk embroidered bed curtains remain, spring intention deep and profound...