Chapter 118: Serving Whom
After lying with Lan Wu for a while, Chu Mingheng got up and left Yilan Hall. He still had many matters to attend to, and the first among them was Zhu Qing, whom Lan Wu had said was the one who killed her in her previous life.
As soon as he stepped out of Yilan Hall’s palace gate, Chu Mingheng ordered Chen Kangan to head to Shenxing Si.
Zhu Qing had been taken back to the palace yesterday and directly handed over to Shenxing Si. After a full night of torture, she proved to be a tough one, refusing to utter a single extra word.
The cells of Shenxing Si were perpetually damp and cold, and even though the floors had been scrubbed repeatedly, the stench of blood still lingered. On the walls, untouched by sunlight, occasional bloodstains from past interrogations could be seen.
Chen Kangan reported on the information gathered about this woman named Zhu Qing from yesterday until today.
“Your Majesty, last night Dan Shan identified her, confirming she is the palace maid known as Ziming.”
“Back then, she committed an offense in Empress Dowager Cimin’s palace. The records state that she accidentally shattered the exquisite Eight Treasures Vase bestowed by Your Majesty, for which she was punished by Empress Dowager Cimin and sent to Wanshu Pavilion. It was only seven years later that she left the palace, changed her name to Zhu Qing, and entered Princess Yizhen’s private estate.”
“After entering the princess’s estate, Zhu Qing lived quietly, rarely venturing out. However, according to the palace maids, over the past year, she frequently visited Huguang Temple to burn incense, often returning just before nightfall.”
“I sent someone to inquire at Huguang Temple. The monks there recalled her, saying she always visited on the first or fifteenth day of the lunar month. Occasionally, she was seen not alone but accompanied by a woman dressed in ordinary attire, with whom she would converse.”
“However, since many people visit the temple on the first and fifteenth days, it’s unclear exactly which household the woman belonged to.”
As they spoke, they quickened their pace and soon arrived at the interrogation cell.
The room had been somewhat tidied, but upon entering, the foul smell of blood still permeated the air.
A person was suspended from a rack, her head forced upward, blood dripping from her body. If not for the faint rise and fall of her chest, one might have mistaken her for a corpse.
Chu Mingheng stared expressionlessly at the figure, recalling Lan Wu’s words. His gaze sharpened, and he wished he could tear this person to pieces.
But it was not yet time.
“What was found when her residence was searched?” Chu Mingheng sat in the central chair, flipping through the confessions of his subordinates. Though called confessions, there were only a few lines. Zhu Qing was a tough one, and it was unclear for whom she worked so loyally.
Truly extraordinary.
Chu Mingheng tossed aside the ledger and ordered someone to douse Zhu Qing awake.
A basin of cold water was splashed over her head, chilling her to the bone. Soon, the figure on the rack stirred.
The moment she awoke, Zhu Qing instinctively began to speak, but her words were the same ones she had repeated countless times.
Chu Mingheng paid no attention, speaking calmly as he asked, “To have both you and that palace maid named Hanshuang released from the palace, it would require at least a prince’s influence. Although the princes were young at the time, with various factions interfering, it’s not impossible.”
He raised his eyes slightly and said slowly, “Was it Prince Xuan or Prince Wei?”
Zhu Qing stiffened, her lips pressed tightly together.
Lan Wu slept poorly in the afternoon, waking after roughly an hour.
Upon waking, she did not see Chu Mingheng and guessed he had already left, her heart filled with complex emotions.
Although she had already told Chu Mingheng the truth, it was still too bizarre. Chu Mingheng had believed her, which was why he had coughed up blood—just hearing that “she had died” had made him vomit blood. Had the Chu Mingheng from her previous life also coughed up blood?
The journey from the imperial city to Changyong Mountain was neither too far nor too close, taking about ten days round trip. She had been schemed against on the seventh day after Chu Mingheng left and had died that very day. Even if Chu Mingheng had rushed back as quickly as possible, by then her body would likely have already decayed beyond recognition.
Thinking of this, Lan Wu sat on the couch frowning. She lowered her head to examine her clean, pale fingers, and the image of her own dead body flashed through her mind, making her shudder involuntarily.
Those who were ill were most afraid of catching a chill, but keeping all the windows closed made the room unbearably stuffy. So, Mujin had left a small gap by the window to allow air to circulate, ensuring Lan Wu wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.
There were always palace maids attending in the hall, and upon seeing Lan Wu awake, they helped her get up.
“When I woke up this morning, I wanted to ask—can I take a bath now?” Lan Wu couldn’t stand the sticky feeling after sweating. Although someone had already wiped her down, she still felt uncomfortable.
Lian Qiao gently shook her head and said, “Your Highness, the Imperial Physician said you must not catch a chill, or your condition might worsen.”
“If Your Highness is uncomfortable, this servant can fetch water to wipe you down.”
Lan Wu instinctively touched her forehead and cheeks. This bout of illness had truly been full of twists and turns, with the high fever coming and going repeatedly. Although she no longer felt feverish after sleeping, who knew if it would flare up again during the night?
Disheartened, she draped a cloak over herself and sat up from the couch, saying, “Never mind.”
“I’ve been lying in bed all day, and my whole body aches from it. Let me walk a few steps.”
“Please take it slow, Your Highness,” Lian Qiao said, gently supporting her.
Lan Wu wasn’t so weak that she couldn’t walk. Among her personal palace maids, Lian Qiao was the most straightforward and easiest to extract information from.
“Why haven’t I seen Aunt Dan Shan?” From the moment she woke up until now, she had seen Lian Xi, Mujin, and Lian Qiao, but Aunt Dan Shan was nowhere to be seen.
Lian Qiao supported her and whispered, “Last night, after Your Highness’s condition improved, His Majesty summoned Aunt Dan Shan into the hall. I don’t know what was said, but afterward, Aunt Dan Shan left Yilan Hall with Aunt Luo Yun from the Imperial Presence and hasn’t returned yet.”
“This servant doesn’t know where Aunt Dan Shan went, and His Majesty didn’t say.”
Upon hearing this, Lan Wu softly uttered an “oh.”
Aunt Dan Shan was Empress Dowager Jingwen’s personal palace maid. Where had Chu Mingheng sent her last night?
Wherever it was, it must have been related to Zhu Qing.
“Your Highness, last night when you fell ill, His Majesty summoned all the Imperial Physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy. When the imperial concubines from the other palaces heard the news, they rushed over as well. However, they were making a commotion in the outer hall, so His Majesty became angry and drove them all away.”
As she said this, Lian Qiao couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. The mistress she served was undoubtedly the most favored by the emperor, and her personal palace maids also enjoyed considerable prestige.
“Hmm?” Lan Wu paused mid-step and looked at her. “His Majesty drove them away? How?”
Lian Qiao whispered, “His Majesty said they were being too noisy and sent Mujin to the outer hall to order them to leave. He also said that anyone who dared to speak out of turn would be dragged outside the hall and slapped.”
Seeing Lan Wu lost in thought, Lian Qiao added, “Zhaorong Yue waited outside the hall for a while. When she saw me, she spoke to me, asking about your condition. She also said she would come to Yilan Hall to speak with you again once you’ve recovered.”
Lan Wu vaguely acknowledged with a hum and continued pacing around the hall.
Zhaorong Yue still remembered the help she had offered last time, though Lan Wu didn’t feel she had done much—after all, Chu Mingheng would likely have agreed to see her in the end.
Zhaorong Yue…
Suddenly, something flashed through Lan Wu’s mind—when Zhaorong Yue had come to her palace to speak last time, had she mentioned that there was once a palace maid skilled in making incense in the late Empress’s palace?