Seven, Knife Shadow

  It was several days later, when one evening was particularly quiet and the sky gradually darkened. I quietly called in Liu Zhu and Huan Bi to the inner hall, and they quickly helped me change into Huan Bi's palace maid attire. They also partially tied up my hair and adorned it with silk flowers that covered most of my face. Seeing their puzzled expressions, I glanced around and saw that there was no one else present, so I whispered in a low voice: "I want to go to the Cuihuatang to see Master Mei."

  Li Zhu exclaimed in surprise: "Why are you suddenly going? Didn't the Emperor say that no one is allowed to see Master Mei without an imperial summons?"

  Miss, don't go. There's no preparation at all in such a hurry.

  I fiddled with the buttons on my collar and said, "Isn't this what we're preparing for right now? You are my family's born servant girl, not many people in the palace have seen you, so they naturally won't remember you clearly. I'll just pretend to be you, and say that Yulan brought you to Cuihua Hall to deliver food. Everything is ready on that end, we just need to wait for the night watch guards to change shifts and sneak in. It's foolproof."

  Li Zhu still didn't feel at ease, "Miss, if we're discovered, it's a serious crime of deceiving the Emperor. It can't be settled with just a reduction in salary. Moreover, your current imperial favor is flourishing, there's no need to take this risk."

  I looked at myself in the mirror, and my appearance was different from usual. I just lowered my head and walked out, and it shouldn't attract attention. Then I said: "Whether the emperor's favor is high or low, I have to go anyway. Tonight, the emperor has already chosen An Mei to serve him in bed, which is a great opportunity." I turned back to Huan Bi and said: "You stay alone in the inner hall, don't let anyone see you. Liu Zhu will guard the door and not allow anyone to enter the inner hall. I'll take Xian Cai with me."

  As they spoke, they had already walked out of the door. Without regard for the astonished expressions of Liuxiang and Biyu, he quietly turned and left.

  Yulan had long been waiting outside, pretending to be taking the palace maid out. As they walked to the outer gate of the Weihua Temple, she heard a eunuch chuckle and say to Yulan: "Where is the young master going? Ah, isn't this Xuanbi Miss? The young master must have entrusted you with an important task."

  "Right, I'm in a hurry to go out."

  The attendants hastily made way and flattered: "Yes, yes. We won't disturb the young lady and her daughter."

  A few feet away, Fang and Qiuyue locked eyes for a moment, couldn't help but smile, and said: "Looks like I made a pretty good disguise."

  Yi Xian also smiled, "Miss Huan Bi's figure is somewhat similar to that of the young master. If you examine her features carefully, her eyes are most like those of the young master."

  My face slightly sank, and I just said, "Perhaps it's because of the long time we've been apart."

  Qingyu probably felt that she had misspoken and didn't dare to continue speaking, silently proceeding for a while before turning out of Yongxiang and entering Shanglin Garden. Among the several artificial hills was a small two-room house, originally used as a place for consorts to change clothes and rest. Qingyu said in a low voice: "This servant will accompany Young Master inside to change clothes. Gonggong Yun is waiting inside."

  I let out a sigh, "Hopefully today's events were just my imagination running wild." Seeing Gong Xi being respectful and not speaking, I could only say repeatedly: "You can go. Be careful on your way."

  She immediately changed her clothes and came out, restored to her usual imperial concubine appearance, with only half of her hair hanging down to cover her face, and the pearls and flowers on her head were simpler, making her look like a woman visiting relatives at home.

  She got up and took Xiao Yuzi's hand, walking towards the secluded path. After passing through the dense bamboo forest, it was the back door of Feng Shuyi's Yunzhao Hall. Someone had already responded there, and they went straight into Feng Shuyi's side hall. Not even half a person who wasn't expected appeared, and she felt much more at ease. Through the gauze curtain, she saw Feng Shuyi sitting alone with her head down, fiddling with a small piece of clothing. She smiled and said, "Sister is in a good mood."

  Feng Shuyi was startled and quickly lifted her head, seeing it was me she smiled and got up to greet: "How did you come so quietly, you scared me."

  I lifted the curtain and walked in, saying: "After dinner, I was strolling around and happened to pass by sister's Yunzhao Hall. I thought I'd drop by to see my sister, but didn't expect to disturb you."

  She sat down with me, calm and smiling: "What's the disturbance? It's nothing, I made a small skirt to give to Princess Shu. What do you think?"

  I took a closer look, and Madame Feng was just about to call someone in to serve tea. I hastily stopped her, saying: "No need for that. Let me have a good chat with my sister instead. If those servants come in, they'll only spoil our mood."

  Feng Shuyi thought for a moment and said, "That's true. I also find them quite restrictive. It doesn't seem like I'm restricting them, but rather they're restricting me. It's really laughable."

  The wind blows through the bamboo leaves behind the temple, rustling like a sudden rain. I smiled and said, "That's what makes sister so quiet."

  Sat quietly with Feng Shuyi for a while, the sky slowly darkened. Judging from the movements in Yingxintang, although everything was ready, it was unknown whether Empress Hua and Cao Jieyu would take advantage of this opportunity, and couldn't help but feel secretly worried.

  Across from me, Feng Shuyi sat quietly, chatting about some trivial matters concerning the emperor's daughter and the crown prince. These amusing stories between children slowly calmed my slightly uneasy mood. I gazed at her, she was indeed a dignified and gentle woman, with delicate features, every frown and smile showed a quiet demeanor, intelligent and beautiful but not showy, even if one looked closely, it was just the temperament of an ordinary lady from a good family, with a kind of familiarity and closeness that felt like home.

  Among the imperial consorts, she never stood out or intentionally vied for favor. Occasionally, a glimpse of her lively eyes would flash by, but she quickly lowered her head and blended in with the crowd. I suddenly thought that she was probably just someone who didn't easily provoke trouble, quietly surviving and living in a corner of the palace, submerged among the intricate struggles and rivalries between the consorts.

  Although she had been in the palace for many years, her rank was only second to that of a concubine, but among those of similar status, there were also Lu Zhaoyi and Li Xiurong who were on an equal footing with her, as well as Xin Gui Bin who followed closely behind. Xuan Ling treated her with courtesy, if not favor, far surpassing the already out-of-favor Lu Zhaoyi and Li Xiurong. Generally speaking, women like her, who did not attract attention, could always move people with their gentle and elegant demeanor, having a protective edge that was not sharp, without provoking the intention of others to challenge them.

  I smiled to myself, but in this harem, many people have hidden their sharp edges, just like the person in front of me. If she was truly useless and had no defensive skills at all, how could she have held onto her position as Shu Yi for so many years under Empress Hua?

  Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside the hall, as if many people had rushed in together, shouting and scolding. However, it wasn't heading towards Feng Shuyi's Yunzhao Hall, but rather seemed to be going towards the adjacent Cunjutang.

  The corners of his mouth curled up into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. "It seems like something big has happened," he said casually.

  Feng Shuyi was calm, and the aunt who had things to attend to came in with a hint of jade and reported: "The Empress Dowager has arrived. It seems that the concubine's personal maid, Qiuxiao Auntie, wanted to bring someone to deliver something to Mei Zhuang, but somehow caused some misunderstanding."

  Feng Shuyi looked at me with surprise and suspicion, saying: "It's someone by your side."

  I calmly said: "It was I who sent Xiaoyu to deliver some things, and it shouldn't be anything serious. I won't go out for now, if I see him, I'm afraid the situation will become even more unclear."

  Feng Shuyi knew about the relationship between me and Empress Hua, saying: "Don't rush out to pay respects for now. Presumably at this time, Empress Hua will also not have the heart to meet with us. Let's wait and see how things develop before going out."

  Standing with Feng Shuyi at the window, quietly listening to the movements outside. It was Fang Ruo's voice, respectfully saying: "Qian Cai came here just to ask the slave to pass on some daily necessities and food to Shen Changzai, because there were many things, so she brought two slaves from Tongli Palace together to take them to the outer room, and did not see the young master to pay respects."

  "Like Fang said, I'm just following the orders of my young master to deliver some things and haven't disobeyed the emperor's decree by meeting with Mei Zhuang."

  "Isn't it said that you, Consort Hua, brought two people over? Why is it now only you and the one beside you? Where's the other one? Could it be that they're busy with official duties and have no time to pay respects to me?"

  The voice of the eunuch was slightly flustered, "This... that is a palace maid from Tongli Palace, I'll let her go back first."

  "Is that so? Then I don't need to waste any more words with you here. I've heard rumors that someone secretly entered the Storied Jade Hall to visit a palace maid under house arrest, which goes against imperial rules and decrees, so I came specifically to investigate."

  Fang Ruo just said with good intentions, "The young master of Mei Zhuang is under house arrest, the emperor has ordered someone to guard him, how could anyone get in and have a private meeting with the young master?"

  The Empress Hua sneered and intentionally raised her voice, saying: "That's not necessarily true. There are many people in this palace who rely on their power to be arrogant, it's possible that someone has eaten the heart of a bear and the gallbladder of a leopard."

  My face slightly changed color, and Empress Hua also couldn't help but be too condescending, speaking sarcastically to my face and behind my back.

  Feng Shuyi looked at me and said: "It seems that the Empress is suspicious of you in Cuihudang, why not go out now to explain clearly?"

  I quietly hid behind the window and said, "No need to rush, now go out, where can the majesty of Empress Hua be displayed? If she is not allowed to search inside, I'm afraid that after hearing the rumors, there will be another time when I'll be framed."

  "Feng Shuyi remained silent for a moment before saying: 'Recently, the Empress has been acting hastily and seems to have lost her usual composure.'"

  I smiled faintly and said, "What was the measure of the past? Compared to today, it's just a matter of fifty paces laughing at a hundred paces. In the past, she had everything, but now she wants to quickly recover lost ground, and it's hard to avoid being hasty, which is also human nature." However, in my heart, I secretly wondered, although Empress Hua was being hasty, Cao Qianmo was cautious and meticulous, so even if I intentionally let Yu Mei report back, how could Empress Hua arrive so quickly? She was Empress Hua's right-hand woman, shouldn't she have been more vigilant for her sake? Or did they trust Yu Mei too much? There was always a faint feeling that there was something not quite right about this. Could it be that Cao Qianmo had intentionally let Empress Hua come so hastily? Perhaps she didn't want Empress Hua to rise to power so quickly either. Suddenly, my body shuddered, and the place where I couldn't understand before suddenly became clear.

  If it wasn't Cao Qinmo who personally plotted against me, then it must be the Empress Dowager Huai. In the past, I thought that Cao Qinmo loved her only daughter dearly, but who would harm their own flesh and blood to gain favor? However, Princess Wen Yi was not born to the Empress Dowager, so she wouldn't truly care for her. Recalling what happened in Shende Hall back then, there were indeed some clues, but I didn't notice them at the time. It's possible that a rift has formed between them because of this incident.

  I couldn't help but smile wryly, it seems that this round is even more complicated and confusing.

  But all of this is just my speculation. For now, I'll focus on Mei Zhuang's affairs and deal with Cao Qinmo and the Empress's entanglement later.

  The commotion outside the palace grew more intense, and Fang Ruo and I only knelt down, not daring to let Consort Hua enter. I nodded at Han Zhu, she was a veteran aunt in the palace, what kind of situation hadn't she seen? She immediately retreated with a curtsy and hastily ran from the back door to Emperor's Yiyuan Palace.

  Feng Shuyi simply nodded with a smile: "Sister Jieyu seems to like watching plays."

  I smiled at her: "People watch plays, and plays also watch people. At this moment, sitting below the stage watching, perhaps it won't be long before you're in the play itself."

  Feng Shuyi spoke in a low voice, not letting the words spread beyond six ears: "Sister's plays are always able to delight people's hearts. If we sing together on one stage, although I may not be able to go on stage myself, I will certainly beat the drum and pluck the strings for sister. What does sister think?"

  I smiled: "Thank you so much, sister."

  She let out a soft sigh, seemingly unable to hear the ups and downs of her tone, only staring blankly outside the window. "I once had a chance to be sealed as a concubine, did you know that, sister?" Her voice gradually became more despondent: "I'm afraid for this lifetime, with her around, I can only end up as a concubine."

  "My words are low, but they are clear and enter the ear: 'Sister, rest assured. The position of the four consorts is still vacant, and being a first-rank lady is also a vacant position waiting for you. Sister, with your kindness, there will be a day when you will be appointed as a consort.'"

  Her smile seemed to have a stabilizing effect, just as calm and peaceful as usual. "With sisters like you, what do I have to worry about? The glory and honor that my sister will have in the future is probably something that I can only look up to."

  My smile froze on my face as I said faintly, "I hope it's as you say, sister."

  Feng Shuyi is indeed a good friend of mine, apart from Mei Zhuang and Ling Rong. Shi Meiren is naturally flattering, Chun Chang is still young, and the only one who can say half a sentence that touches my heart is Feng Shuyi.

  Counting on his fingers for a moment, the outside suddenly quieted down, and the two parties who were originally arguing knelt down to greet him.

  I smiled knowingly and followed Feng Shuyi out of the room with a gentle smile.

  I beamed with joy and bowed my head in greeting, Xuan Ling stretched out his hand to support me, "You're here too?"

  "I was chatting with Princess Shuyi to pass the time," I said, bowing my head in greeting to Empress Hua, a bright smile spreading across my face: "Your Majesty is well."

  The Empress suddenly saw me, her face turned white in an instant, and she almost gasped, involuntarily saying: "How did you get here?"

  "I respectfully said: 'Your Majesty didn't hear the concubine's words to the Emperor, the concubine is accompanying Shu Yi now.'"

  She could hardly believe it, her eyes scanning the room in an instant, looking towards Cui Juan Tang, where the previous arrogance had vanished.

  "Master, you called me to find something, and it turns out that I came quietly to Shu Yi's place. I can only bring the things Master ordered for Mei Zhuang first."

  I smiled and said to Empress Hua, "Just now in the palace of Lady Feng, I heard a huge commotion and thought something big had happened. I was so scared that I didn't dare come out, it's really rude of me." As I spoke, I put my hand on my chest, as if I had been frightened by something.

  Xuan Ling's gaze was as gentle as ever, but his tone hid a careless coldness: "The Empress is not in the Miao Xiu Palace, what are you doing here?"

  The Empress Dowager composed herself and said: "I heard that someone had secretly entered the Cuihu Pavilion to visit the banished consorts, so I came to take a look."

  Xuan Ling gazed at her lightly, "Do you have the imperial edict from the Empress?"

  The Empress was even more embarrassed, slightly shaking her head, her tone already somewhat stiff, "I hurried to come and didn't have time to ask the Empress for an imperial decree."

  Xuan Ling's gaze had a stern meaning, coldly saying: "When I was confined with Shen Chang, I once ordered that no one was allowed to visit Shen without my imperial decree. Have you forgotten?" He paused for a moment, "So what is the result of your search of the palace?"

  The Empress's forehead was covered in cold sweat, "Chief Palace Maid Fang Ru blocked the way, I haven't even had a chance to see what happened."

  Xuan Ling smiled slightly, but didn't look at Empress Hua, only saying to Fang Ruo: "Very good, you're indeed worthy of being in front of me."

  Fang Ruo knelt upright and said loudly, "Your servant obeys the emperor's decree and dare not disobey." The Empress's expression turned cold in an instant, and she stood up straight with a stiff waist.

  Xuan Ling spoke to Fang Ruo in this manner, clearly sweeping away a great deal of face for Empress Hua.

  Feng Shuyi stepped forward to mediate, saying: "Consort Hua has always been decisive in her actions and must have evidence before coming here. Why don't we go to the Cuihua Hall to investigate? On one hand, Your Majesty won't have made a trip for nothing, and on the other hand, there will be a conclusion to this matter. What does Your Majesty think?"

  I glanced at Feng Shuyi, and she was indeed a clever person who knew how to stir up the situation. Yingying kowtowed and said: "Shen Chang has been suffering in prison, if he is still accused of disobeying the imperial edict and privately beheading someone, I really cannot bear it. Please ask Your Majesty to send someone to investigate the case at Cuihuatang and clear Shen Chang's name."

  Xuan Ling said without hesitation: "Since it's so noisy, we must investigate. Shen Changzai is guilty and under house arrest, but he can't let her be humiliated for nothing." He called Li Chang: "Take a few reliable eunuchs to go in and take a good look."

  Li Chang went in response and came out about half an incense stick later, saying respectfully: "Only Shen Chang is with her personal maid inside, there's no one else."

  The Empress's face turned even paler, her legs slightly weakening, fortunately the palace maid quickly supported her. The Empress trembled and knelt down saying: "Your subject is terrified, mistakenly listening to rumors which led to this misunderstanding. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

  Xuan Ling simply stood up straight, coldly saying: "I have always known that the harem is full of rumors and disputes, but you have been in charge of the six palaces for many years, yet you still ignore my orders and want to search the palace without distinguishing right from wrong. This is truly disappointing."

  The Empress Huabi could hardly bear such severe words and hastily knocked her head on the ground, repeatedly begging for forgiveness.

  Xuan Ling's eyebrows furrowed involuntarily, and he said in disappointment: "I originally thought that after your introspection, you had changed for the better. Unexpectedly, you have become even more impatient, and are not even as good as before." His tone suddenly turned cold, and he said icily: "I had intended to restore your authority as the manager of the six palaces, but it seems today that it is completely unnecessary."

  The Empress's body trembled slightly as she stared at Huan Ling, her eyes filled with incredulity and suppressed anger. In an instant, her gaze turned fiercely on me. I couldn't help but flinch, but refused to show weakness, instead flashing a faint, almost imperceptible smile back at her.

  Xuan Ling said impatiently, "You'd better go back to your own palace and stop causing so much trouble." The Empress Dowager kowtowed heavily, her voice trembling with fear: "Thank you for the emperor's kindness."

  Xuan Ling was about to turn and leave, but turned back to add another sentence, "Do not allow her to see Wen Yi Di again, lest she corrupt my daughter." The Empress Huai's face was a mixture of grievance and indignation, almost bringing tears to her eyes. She barely managed to hold them back. I turned away, not looking at her, feeling slightly relieved in my heart.

  Meizhuang, you're listening in Cunjutang, it's comforting, isn't it?

  Just as Feng Shuyi was about to send Xuan Ling out, she suddenly said: "I have a word to present to Your Majesty."

  Xuan Ling nodded and said: "Shu Yi, you speak."

  "Feng Shuyi said: 'I think that since Shen Chang is currently under house arrest in the Anjing Hall, and I am in charge of the main hall of the palace, it is only natural for me to share some of the Emperor's worries. I was thinking that since we are already in the palace, and Shen Chang is just under house arrest, would it be possible to request that the Emperor remove half of the guards? Firstly, there is no need to waste manpower on guarding the palace, and secondly, there are several consorts living in the Anjing Palace, having so many guards here not only causes inconvenience but also makes people feel uneasy at heart.'" I looked at her with gratitude, but she just had a calm expression, as if concerned about an ordinary consort.

  Xuan Ling thought for a moment and said, "Alright. But since you're staying in the palace, I'll have to trouble you to take care of him."

  "Feng Shuyi replied with a smile: 'Your humble servant obeys your orders.'"

  I saw Xuan Ling off at the gate, and he gently squeezed my hand, saying, "Fortunately, you weren't implicated."

  I shook my head, "I won't take risks and I don't want to go against the Emperor's will." His eyes softened slightly, and I leaned in close to him, saying: "The Emperor is busy with state affairs, I've already had someone prepare a medicinal soup and sent it to the Yiyuan Palace. When the Emperor returns, he can drink it to refresh himself."

  He smiled, "Always you're most considerate."

  My face turned red as I knelt down and respectfully saw him off as he boarded the imperial carriage.

  The Empress Hua's eyes were slightly red, her gaze sharp as an arrow, and she said with hatred: "This palace was momentarily careless, and actually fell into your trap!"

  I just paid my respects as usual, "The words of the princess are not understood by the concubine. The concubine only knows that the princess may not be careless, the princess is a clever person and should have heard the story of Yang Xiu's cleverness being misled in the Three Kingdoms. Is that what you mean, Princess?"

  The Empress tightly clenched her fingers and coldly said, "Very good, you're quite skilled at playing tricks on me. It's my fault that I didn't take you down earlier, no one else is to blame."

  I smiled like a gentle spring breeze, and the blue sapphire on my earring touched my neck as I spoke. "Your Majesty is joking. In the harem, we are all sisters serving the Emperor together. Why would Your Majesty say such heartless words about overthrowing or not? If the Emperor hears it, he will get angry again, and you will also lose your dignity."

  The Empress was momentarily speechless. Her personal palace maid saw that things were not going well and hastily advised, "It's getting late, please return to the palace to rest first, Your Majesty."

  I didn't let her finish speaking and no longer wanted to say another word to her. I said, "Farewell, Your Ladyship."