Chapter 76: The Incident Unfolds
The imperial concubines returned to their respective palaces from Kongshan Garden, having heard along the way that Consort Rou at Zhaoyun Hall was not doing well. They hurried over as quickly as possible, only to find that she was fine again. Instead, they saw Consort Shu and Consort Li walking out one after the other.
“Your Ladyship, is Consort Rou alright now?”
Consort Shu nodded slightly and dismissed them all. Gathering at Zhaoyun Hall would only disturb Consort Rou’s rest and recovery.
“Lady Lifei’s face…” Wu Guipin had sharp eyes. Even though it was late at night, she could still make out a faint red mark on Consort Li’s face, with what looked like the imprint of a finger.
Who had struck her?
Consort Li quickly covered her face and said angrily in a muffled voice, “It’s from drinking too much earlier—my face flushed. If you have nothing better to do, hurry back to your own palaces. What’s the point of gathering here like this?”
Everyone exchanged glances, unsure why she was so upset.
But since Consort Rou was fine, it was indeed time to disperse. They had thought they might witness some drama here, but now—it was truly disappointing.
Rong Shu Yi and Jia Pin both resided in Changying Hall and returned together.
Taking advantage of the slow walk back, Jia Pin couldn’t help but say a few more words to her.
“I heard earlier that you’ve been keeping to yourself in your palace, only venturing out these past few days. You’re still young, don’t let yourself go down the wrong path. There are still decades ahead of you.”
Rong Shu Yi had always been aloof and reserved, and after her miscarriage from falling into the water, she became even more withdrawn and spoke even less. When they went to Kongshan Garden, everyone thought her temperament would keep her from attending, but unexpectedly, she went and seemed quite close to Consort Rou.
Jia Pin couldn’t quite understand her. Instead of seizing the opportunity after her miscarriage to seek Your Majesty’s pity, she kept clinging to Consort Rou. Could she truly believe Consort Rou was a good person?
Earlier, she had passed on the news from Qiushui Pavilion to Consort Shu, hoping Consort Shu would investigate the Imperial Medical Academy herself. As a mere concubine, she was no lackey of Consort Shu—at most, she was an onlooker who enjoyed stirring up trouble. Naturally, she wouldn’t do too much for her. It had been a while now, and she still didn’t know what Consort Shu had uncovered.
She had some suspicions in her heart, but without solid evidence, she dared not say more.
“Thank you for your concern, Your Ladyship. This concubine understands the reasoning.” Rong Shu Yi kept her head down as she walked beside her. The two of them made their way toward Changying Hall one after the other, the moonlight bright overhead. Though it wasn’t a full moon, it was a clear night.
Compared to the seemingly delicate harmony between them, Consort Li appeared excessively irritable. Having been seen by everyone with her face in such a state, she was furious, feeling that Your Majesty was truly biased for not asking a single question. If Your Majesty had asked, she would have surely exposed that wretched Lan Wu.
Returning to Jinghua Palace, she sat and rested for a while, finally managing to calm her anger a little. Suddenly, she heard some commotion outside the hall. Upon inquiry, her palace maids reported that Feng Meiren from the side hall, Zhihua Pavilion, had returned.
“Why is she only returning now?” Consort Li frowned upon hearing this. Already in a foul mood, she was just looking for someone to vent her frustrations on. “What is she making a fuss about?”
The palace maid replied cautiously, “Your Ladyship, Feng Meiren seems to be drunk. She’s telling the palace maids about… about the beautiful scenery at Kongshan Garden.”
Consort Li curled her lips into a cold smile. “Have her come early tomorrow to pay her respects. Such an ill-mannered thing.”
“Yes, Your Ladyship.”
After the palace maid acknowledged the order, Consort Li’s expression remained far from pleasant. She had someone summon Yu Mei.
Before long, Yu Mei stood before Consort Li.
“His Majesty has commanded me to assist Consort Shu in managing the six palaces. Go and find out what Consort Shu has been busy with lately, so I can go and lend a hand.” As she spoke, Consort Li idly extended her hand, lowering her gaze to examine her painted nails. Today wasn’t entirely without good news. She had always been ranked below Consort Shu and Consort Rou, and now she finally had this opportunity to wield authority. If only Consort Rou had died today in her Zhaoyun Hall…
Yu Mei acknowledged the order and withdrew.
The deep black night appeared exceptionally tranquil, but by early morning, a major incident had erupted in the imperial court.
The Minister of Personnel reported that the Vice Minister of Works had abused his official position, colluding with merchants, falsifying material reports, substituting inferior goods for quality ones, and embezzling tens of thousands of taels from the funds allocated by the court the year before last for repairs. The Sanzhou Canal Embankment, which had been repaired, was in fact a hollow shell, unable to withstand the summer flood season.
The Emperor was furious and had already ordered the Ministry of Justice to detain the Vice Minister of Works along with all officials implicated in the case, to be later transferred to the Dali Temple for investigation.
By the time Lan Wu learned of this matter, other imperial concubines in the palace had also heard about it. As it concerned court affairs, the atmosphere in the palace shifted immediately. Although the imperial concubines each wished to keep their distance, the case had far-reaching implications. The Ministry of Works was so vast—how could a single Vice Minister have embezzled all the silver alone?
In her previous life, the outcome had already been determined, with so many people dead. Instead, she felt the most likely culprit was the seemingly uninvolved yet most crucial figure—the Minister of Works, who was also Consort Rou’s grandfather.
Yue Pingning had been dispatched to oversee the embankment repairs, yet the Minister of Works remained completely untouched. It was unclear whether he was truly honest or simply too skilled at covering his tracks.
Based on what she observed in her previous life, Consort Rou seemed unaffected by the incident. If so, did that mean the Minister of Works was indeed free of blame?
Now that Consort Rou was still ill, Lan Wu wondered how she would react upon hearing this news.
Lan Wu held her brush, absentmindedly letting ink drip onto the paper. Writing was meant to calm the mind, but she couldn’t even bring herself to write, let alone achieve any sense of tranquility.
“What was Yue Zhaorong’s reaction?” she asked about Yue Zhaorong after writing just two characters.
Lian Qiao was momentarily taken aback, then shook her head. “It’s still unknown, Your Highness. Would you like this servant to inquire?”
Lan Wu thought for a moment, then decided against it. “No, of course not. Our own palace must remain peaceful. Go and tell the palace servants below not to discuss this. This is a court matter. If anyone speaks out of turn, don’t blame me for being unforgiving.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Lian Qiao withdrew.
Once Lian Qiao had left the hall and Lan Wu was alone, she let out a sigh, releasing her brush. Then, with little energy, she leaned back in her chair, resting her head gently against the soft cushion placed there for her comfort. Her eyes wandered restlessly, staring blankly at the ceiling above.
Although she had slept peacefully the night before, the impact it had on her was not small.
She had lied to Chu Mingheng about dreaming, and Chu Mingheng had said he dreamed of her too… Was he lying to her?
No, no, Chu Mingheng wouldn’t do such a thing.
Then he truly must have dreamed of her.
And it just had to be about her from her previous life.
Lan Wu furrowed her brows, unsure of what to do.
Suddenly, she sat up straight.
Why did Chu Mingheng only dream of her? Couldn’t he dream of something more useful? Like dreaming of the heavy rain in the Qiunan region at the end of August, or dreaming of who exactly that old palace maid standing outside the door was when she was killed.
Why did he only dream of such useless things.
If he could dream about the dike breach in the Qiunan region, she wouldn’t have to tell him all this, nor go through the trouble of finding excuses, and might even avoid arousing suspicion.