Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Sun Miaoqing Wants to Die [Since you’ve been reborn, you should know that at this time, the harem is under my control. Even if you take this matter to the Emperor or the Empress Dowager, you won’t gain any advantage!] What was I even expecting? Old woman… fine, as long as she’s happy. The Empress silently set down her handkerchief. “Changzai Gong was indeed reckless.” Nian Shilan had no patience to beat around the bush with a mere Attendant. She got straight to the point: “I heard that yesterday, Changzai Gong allowed her maid to offend a noble lady in the palace. Not only did she show no remorse, but she also caused a public scene. Is this true?” No matter how much Sun Miaoqing looked down on Nian Shilan, she had to admit that Consort Hua during this period was arrogant and domineering—when she said she would punish someone, she truly meant it. As much as she valued Lvzhu, she wasn’t willing to sacrifice herself for a maid. “Your Highness Consort Hua, Your Highness Empress, please understand—Lvzhu’s actions were not ordered by this concubine. It truly was an accident last night.” Nian Shilan was in no hurry to refute her. “No wonder Changzai Gong came here with gifts—it was to apologize for your maid’s recklessness.” Sun Miaoqing didn’t understand what Nian Shilan meant by this, but she knew when to yield. She admitted her fault: “The maid was ignorant, and it is indeed this concubine’s failure in teaching her properly.” [Hmph, I was waiting for you to say that.] Nian Shilan turned to the Empress. “Allowing a maid to commit an offense warrants punishment according to the Palace Regulations. What does Your Highness the Empress think?” A light punishment as a warning wouldn’t be unreasonable. But the Empress, fearing that Nian Shilan was setting a trap for her, did not immediately agree. She only said, “How does Consort Hua think she should be punished?” “Yesterday’s incident was known throughout the harem, and its impact was severe. If the punishment is not harsh, I fear others will follow suit, corrupting the harem’s atmosphere. In that case, even the Emperor would not be able to focus on state affairs.” This accusation was heavy enough, even invoking the Emperor, making it difficult to refute. Nian Shilan glanced sideways at Sun Miaoqing. “However, considering that Changzai Gong is a first-time offender and has admitted her mistake willingly, we shall be lenient.” Sun Miaoqing’s heart felt like it was on a rollercoaster. “Thank you, Consort Hua—” Before she could finish, Nian Shilan declared: “Let Changzai Gong be awarded Zhang Hong.” The words “Zhang Hong” struck Sun Miaoqing’s mind like three heavy boulders, leaving her head buzzing. “Z-Zhang Hong…” If this was considered lenient, what would a severe punishment be like? Sun Miaoqing recalled a foreign film she had once watched—those marked by Death would inevitably meet their end in the same way, no matter how hard they tried to escape. So, Xia Dongchun’s Zhang Hong, though delayed, was destined to fall upon her, wasn’t it? Having experienced several instances of bearing the consequences of others’ actions, Sun Miaoqing couldn’t help but panic. For the sake of her own life, she had no choice but to humble herself repeatedly: “Consort Hua, spare me! Even if this concubine is at fault, my crime does not warrant death.” [Who said anything about killing you? In the past life, Xia Dongchun was only crippled—you know that, don’t you?] [Wretched woman, it seems your pretentiousness is acting up again!] The Empress felt a headache coming on: Why was Consort Hua so fixated on Zhang Hong? “Changzai Gong has erred and must be punished. However, the Bathing the Buddha Festival is approaching, and Her Highness the Empress Dowager is devoted to Buddhist rituals. She cannot bear to witness such severe punishments. Since the offending maid has already been detained…” The Empress paused, "Then before the Bathing the Buddha Festival arrives, let Changzai Gong transcribe a copy of the Avatamsaka Sutra for Her Majesty the Empress Dowager. If she fails to complete it, punishment can still be administered later." [Copying one sutra over two months—how could she possibly fail? That old woman, she only knows how to oppose me!] Upon hearing that she only needed to transcribe one copy of the Avatamsaka Sutra to settle the matter, Sun Miaoqing repeatedly expressed her gratitude. "Your Majesty is most merciful. This concubine will keep this in mind and will certainly be cautious in speech and conduct in the future, properly restraining her servants." At that moment, she very much wanted to retort sarcastically to Nian Shilan: "Consort Hua's teachings, this concubine will remember deeply and will surely repay generously in the future." But she feared provoking Consort Hua, to the point where even the Empress might not be able to restrain her from administering Zhang Hong. Forget it—a wise person knows when to retreat. The Empress smiled faintly, "Very well, you may rise." I hope you'll still feel grateful to me after finishing the transcription. [Letting her off is fine; after all, my goal isn't here.] Nian Shilan laughed inwardly, [That wretched maid Lvzhu won't be leaving Shenxing Si. I must order a thorough interrogation to see just how many rotten ideas this Sun Miaoqing brought into the palace!] This remark reminded the Empress. Sun Miaoqing had not entered the palace in her previous life; even if she had someone inquire on her behalf, she shouldn't know everything so clearly. There must be some hidden trickery they were unaware of. Lvzhu was an excellent breakthrough point. The Empress felt it necessary to properly understand this Changzai Gong, who was capable of defying fate and altering destiny. Nian Shilan rose to take her leave. Before departing, she glanced at Sun Miaoqing, the corner of her mouth twitching in a hollow, insincere smile. [Don't rejoice too soon; the good show has only just begun.] The Empress was somewhat pleasantly surprised: Consort Hua has grown shrewd, even learning to keep a backup plan. She was rather curious about what kind of "good show" Consort Hua had arranged for later. After leaving Jingren Palace, Songzhi walked beside the palanquin, somewhat resentfully saying: "The Empress is far too lenient. Simply ordering the Sun Clan to transcribe a Buddhist sutra—what kind of punishment is that?" Nian Shilan snorted, "Where is she being lenient? She merely wants to use her own magnanimity to highlight my harshness." "No matter. She knows how to kill with a borrowed knife, and so do I." In her previous life, the Empress had used the Empress Dowager to punish Yu Ying'er, preserving her own dignity and leaving the Emperor with nothing to say. Nian Shilan knew she didn't have that much influence in front of the Empress Dowager, so she intended to use the Emperor. Wasn't that dog Emperor trying to use the Sun Family to restrain the Nian Family? Then let him issue the order to punish Sun Miaoqing himself! Thinking she had gotten off lightly, Sun Miaoqing returned to Yanxi Palace and immediately ordered the eunuch Xiao Lezi to borrow the Avatamsaka Sutra from the library. Xiao Lezi went and returned, "Mistress, do you want all of it?" "Nonsense!" The Empress had spared her from Zhang Hong; if she slacked off even in transcribing a Buddhist sutra, wouldn't that be seeking death? "Bring all of it to me." Xiao Lezi seemed to hesitate but ultimately went out. Approximately over half an hour later, the sound of cart wheels rumbled outside Yanxi Palace. Sun Miaoqing was dumbfounded when she saw the Avatamsaka Sutra brought by Xiao Lezi. "This... how much is this?" "Reporting to Mistress, a total of eighty volumes." !!! Sun Miaoqing nearly staggered: E-eighty volumes? Th-this must be o-over a million characters, right? "When is the Bathing the Buddha Festival again?" Hongqu hurriedly supported her mistress, "Reporting to Mistress, the eighth day of the fourth month." Sun Miaoqing began calculating inwardly: Assuming one million characters, if she could write twenty characters per minute, without sleeping, eating, or resting, maintaining a steady pace, it would still take over a month to complete. If we factor in eating, drinking, sleeping, and the fact that she was writing slower and slower, there was no way she would be allowed to step out of her room even half a step before the eighth day of the fourth month. And that was under ideal conditions. Sun Miaoqing was nowhere near as fast at copying as she had imagined. Occasionally, she would even be summoned by the Emperor to serve that old man in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. "This is too hard." Half a month had passed, and Sun Miaoqing hadn’t even finished copying ten volumes. She had lost count of how many times she had thrown up from the sheer exhaustion of copying—literally thrown up. Copying nonstop during the day was bad enough, but trying to read by candlelight at night was simply torturous. Back when she used to watch TV dramas, she had always thought that being punished to copy texts was child’s play—something only naive, overly merciful characters would choose as a form of punishment. Now that she was experiencing it firsthand, she realized just how unbearable it was. Killing someone was a quick affair, but being forced to copy texts was pure torment. She would have preferred a swift Zhang Hong punishment over this. Her hands were trembling, her vision was blurry, and her neck felt like it was about to give out. She couldn’t finish—there was simply no way she could finish. She really wished she could just die for a moment and wake up when this ordeal was over. Hongqu said sympathetically, "Please rest for a while, Mistress." Sun Miaoqing also wanted to rest, but seeing the towering pile of scriptures, she could only bury her head and keep working. She was starting to resent Lvzhu as well. "Can’t even hold a lantern properly, that useless maid! Why wasn’t she burned to death on the spot?!" "Mistress, you used to often say, 'Amidst the sparse shadows of apricot blossoms, playing the flute until dawn,'" Hongqu comforted her. "Back in the first month, you instructed Xiao Lezi to set up a swing under the apricot tree in the Imperial Garden. The swing is ready now, and the weather has been lovely these past few days. Why don’t we take your flute and go for a stroll in the Imperial Garden?" "That swing is in a secluded spot, so it’s unlikely anyone will notice us."