Chapter 317

Chapter 317 Before Talented Lady Wu could rejoice, she heard the next sentence: "But if the Imperial Heir is harmed, see whether your life can bear the consequences." The Emperor's casually spoken words frightened Wu Baolin half to death. Wu Baolin said softly, "This concubine will certainly tell everything she knows without holding back." The Emperor said nothing, his expression indifferent, as if he could not be bothered with Wu Baolin. Jiang Yuanpan (the Imperial Medical Inspector) questioned Wu Baolin in detail about what she ate for her three daily meals, what she used in her daily routine... Such detailed questioning was time-consuming and mentally taxing. After answering four or five questions, Wu Baolin found herself unable to answer more, and said awkwardly, "Perhaps it would be better to have my palace maids answer Jiang Yuanpan's questions..." Jiang Yuanpan nodded. "It would be best if they could answer more precisely." Talented Lady Wu said, "Actually, I suspect that the medicine used to dress my wound may have been tampered with, so I specially brought the ointment for Jiang Yuanpan to examine, just in case." Jiang Yuanpan inspected it and confirmed, "This medicine is indeed beneficial for wound healing and contains no harmful substances mixed in." "Moreover, the person who wrote this prescription is quite skilled in treating external injuries, using medication with great care and precision. Based on this official's familiarity with the prescription, it must have been written by Imperial Physician Liu, correct?" Talented Lady Wu said, "Indeed it was." Jiang Yuanpan stroked his beard and smiled. In the adjacent chamber, the Empress heard these words and laughed. "She does have some ability, managing to have Imperial Physician Liu secretly write her a prescription." "Isn't that so? She's pregnant yet her wound has worsened. If anything went wrong with the child, every imperial physician who concealed the matter would be implicated. Imperial Physician Liu is the most cautious of men, yet he was willing to help her." The Empress had always felt that the Emperor's harem was full of hidden talents, and now she felt she had not been mistaken in the slightest. Even Wu Baolin, who appeared overly arrogant, was not stupid—she had simply outsmarted herself through her own cleverness. Outside, Jiang Yuanpan continued his detailed questioning: "Wu Zhuzi says you use pearl powder on your face every day. Where is this face powder?" "And the beauty cream you consume—could you bring it for this official to examine?" Wu Baolin was actually a meticulous person. She had privately suspected things for many days, and only when she could not find where the problem lay did she decide to go to Xie Run and confess. When she sought Xie Run's help, she had already brought along everything she used daily that could potentially be tampered with, carried by her palace maids. Upon hearing Jiang Yuanpan's questions, she immediately brought out the items. Jiang Yuanpan first examined the pearl powder, then tested the beauty cream beside it. After everyone had been on tenterhooks for a long while, he stroked his graying beard and said, "The pearl powder and beauty cream are both non-toxic." Wu Baolin let out a soft sigh of relief. Then she heard Jiang Yuanpan change his tone: "However, the pearl powder used for the face contains peach kernel powder, which is detrimental to wound healing, and the beauty cream for consumption contains notoginseng powder, which promotes blood circulation and removes stasis—equally harmful to fresh wounds..." Jiang Yuanpan paused. "It's common enough to put peach kernel powder in pearl powder, but Wu Baolin is already pregnant—how can she consume a beauty cream containing notoginseng powder?" "Notoginseng powder promotes blood circulation and removes stasis. A pregnant woman must never come into contact with it casually, let alone consume it daily!" "Who prescribed this beauty cream to Wu Baolin?" The moment Jiang Yuanpan finished speaking, Wu Baolin's mind seemed to go completely blank with a ringing sound. It was common for women in the palace to love various beauty recipes, so Wu Baolin could not be faulted for that. But upon hearing Jiang Yuanpan's words, she suddenly felt a palpitation of fear, her hands trembling slightly. Eunuch Shian stood attending beside the Emperor, his horsetail whisk draped over his arm, appearing to see through everything: "Wu Baolin, the Imperial Heir in your womb is of utmost importance now. The Emperor and Empress are both present—will you not confess?" Wu Baolin was startled, abruptly rising and walking before the Emperor to kneel. "Your, Your Majesty." "This beauty cream was, was..." The Emperor's patience had never been good: "It was what? You've been speaking for half a day—why don't you just say where it came from?" Wu Baolin was so frightened she could not speak. Her palace maid, after being swept by the Emperor's gaze, said tremblingly, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the prescription was obtained by the mistress's family and sent into the palace." "We servants advised the mistress, but she had heard this beauty cream had miraculous effects for beauty and complexion, and after using it she did see results, so she refused to listen and continued using it." Even after being harmed this time, Wu Baolin had never suspected that the beauty cream's prescription could be problematic. The Emperor's face darkened instantly. So Wu Baolin had not been harmed by others—she had harmed herself. The Emperor said in a deep voice, "I suspect that when you privately had imperial physicians examine you those few times, you never mentioned the beauty cream?!" Had she mentioned it even once, and had a physician examined its ingredients, she would never have been allowed to continue using it. Wu Baolin wanted to cry but no tears came. She inwardly resented her attendants for their disloyalty—fearing implication, they had sold her out—and cursed her Wu family for being unreliable, sending in a beauty prescription that had harmed her! "This concubine did not know... This concubine truly did not know!" Wu Baolin wept in grievance, her body going limp as she knelt on the ground, looking utterly pitiful. She cried out, "Your Majesty, someone must be trying to harm me! The notoginseng powder in the beauty cream is one thing, but the pearl powder definitely has almond powder mixed into it—that's what harmed me too!" Court Physician Jiang spoke up at the right moment: "I examined the pearl powder and found nothing unusual. Almond powder is an essential ingredient in making pearl powder. Applying it to the face occasionally can indeed nourish the skin and does no harm to the body." "Lady Wu's wound has been slow to heal, likely because she has been in daily contact with both almond powder and notoginseng powder. Working together, they took effect gradually, influencing Lady Wu's body bit by bit." Court Physician Jiang added: "Fortunately, Lady Wu's arm wound revealed the symptoms early enough for us to discover the problem before it harmed the child in her womb. Had there been no persistent wound, we might not have noticed until Lady Wu consumed enough notoginseng powder to cause abdominal discomfort—by then, both mother and child would have been in grave danger." The Emperor swept his hand across, knocking the hot tea that the palace attendants had just brought to the ground. The teacup full of tea shattered into pieces on the floor, making a frightening sound. Lady Wu trembled all over in fear and knelt on the ground, begging the Emperor for mercy. But the Emperor felt not a shred of pity for her. Had it not been for the child she carried in her womb, that cup of tea might well have been thrown at her instead. Just then, the Empress emerged, supported by attendants. "Your Majesty, please calm your anger." Seeing the Empress, the Emperor suppressed some of his fury. "You're unwell—why aren't you lying in bed resting? Why have you come out?" As he spoke, the Emperor recalled that the Empress was feeling unwell and still had to expend effort dealing with the foolish mess Lady Wu had made, and his displeasure toward Lady Wu grew even stronger. The Empress smiled faintly. "I have come to plead for mercy on Lady Wu's behalf." The concern on the Emperor's face cooled somewhat. The Empress glanced at Lady Wu, who was slumped on the ground in a daze, and said unhurriedly: "Lady Wu has erred, and I have already demoted her to the rank of Baolin according to palace regulations. She is still carrying Your Majesty's child. If she is punished further, she may be frightened, which would be detrimental to the Imperial Heir." "No matter how great her offense, I ask that Your Majesty consider the Imperial Heir in her womb and deal with this matter later." The Emperor slowly reined in his emotions. "Since the Empress has pleaded for her, I will not punish her for now." He stared coldly at Lady Wu. "If you give birth to the child safely, I will let bygones be bygones and restore your rank of Cairen." "But if the Imperial Heir suffers the slightest harm, you will go live in the Cold Palace from then on." It took Lady Wu a moment to react before she hastily kowtowed and admitted her fault. "This concubine knows she was wrong. This concubine will definitely protect the child in her womb and will never dare touch anything carelessly again!" After Lady Wu had kowtowed for a while, the Empress said coolly: "Help Lady Wu up." The palace attendants nearby helped her to her feet. The Empress continued: "There are many clever people in the palace, but those who love to act clever... there is you, and Beauty Duan." "Beauty Duan entered the household as a Side Consort, personally betrothed by the Retired Emperor. Now that she is in the palace, she is loathed by the Emperor, languishes in bed day after day, and has only obtained the rank of Lady of Beauty... Do not follow her example." This was the Empress's sincere admonition to Lady Wu. Lady Wu lowered her head and wiped her tears. "This concubine knows she was wrong and will never dare repeat it. Thank you, Your Highness, for not holding this against me and for pleading on my behalf." The Empress said: "Ben Gong did not plead for you—Ben Gong pleaded for the child in your womb." "Go back now. Later, Ben Gong will have someone deliver the prescription Court Physician Jiang has written to you." "Yes." Lady Wu wiped her tears all the way, not daring to raise her head to look at the road until she had left Fengyi Palace. She walked back to her residence in a daze. When she passed by Talented Lady Ye's pavilion, she ran into her. Who knew where Talented Lady Ye had been visiting from. Talented Lady Ye swept a cold glance at her, then turned and led her attendants into her own quarters. "Look at that miserable look on her face—who knows where she's made a fool of herself and gotten scolded again." Talented Lady Ye spoke without any attempt to lower her voice, and Lady Wu could hear her clearly. She suddenly gathered her skirts and ran back to Yulan Pavilion, throwing herself onto the couch in loud sobs. The attendants around her hurried forward to console her. After crying for a good while, Lady Wu looked at the palace maid who had betrayed her today and said coldly: "Go outside and kneel!" The palace maid dared not argue, lowering her head and kneeling at the door. Lady Wu dismissed everyone else, keeping only one trusted palace maid, and then poured out her heart with tears and hatred. "Today I was demoted and suffered the greatest humiliation—all because of the Empress and Bright and Pure Consort!" "They rely on their high status and don't take me seriously, bullying me at will. One day, I will make them pay!" Upon hearing this, the trusted palace maid nearly collapsed to the ground with weak legs. The maid was shocked at what kind of mistress she had ended up serving! A mere Baolin, daring to hold a grudge against the Empress and the most favored Bright and Pure Consort in the palace, and even planning to oppose them. Who gave her such courage?! The maid did not want to die, but she was someone who had come with Lady Wu from the Wu family, and her deed of sale was still in Lady Wu's hands—she could not utter a single word of refusal. She dared not offer any advice, and could only tremble in fear as she echoed Lady Wu, occasionally offering a few words of caution. From that day forward, Wu Baolin lived in constant fear, haunted by the Emperor's words that he would settle accounts with her. Her disposition grew increasingly gloomy and sullen. After dealing with Wu Baolin, the Emperor did not truly cast the matter aside. "Jing Wu, go investigate this." "I refuse to believe this was merely the result of Wu Baolin's own foolish scheming." The Emperor knew full well that his harem was filled with capable people, and he dared not take the matter lightly. Consort Jing was equally unconvinced that Wu Baolin had not been victimized by someone else. Ever since her face had been disfigured, she dared not look in the mirror during the day. Only at night, by candlelight in her bedchamber, would she secretly study the scars on her face. When word reached her that Wu Baolin's wounds were not healing but instead worsening, she immediately grew wary. Consort Jing: "Go find out what exactly happened with Wu Baolin's injuries and her rank." The attendant at her side said, "Your Highness, I heard that the Bright and Pure Consort specifically sent someone to Fengyi Palace to report the matter. Her Majesty the Empress personally demoted her rank, and the Emperor was present but said nothing, which shows he approved." Consort Jing was somewhat surprised to hear this. "Consort Shu went to report her?" "Indeed. Consort Shu never quarrels with anyone in the palace, but this time she was truly pushed to the limit by Wu Baolin's behavior." "She was worried about being schemed against, so she didn't dare go to the Emperor or Empress, yet she dared to run to Zhaohua Palace and spout wild words. No matter how good-natured Consort Shu is, she is still one of the Four Fei—how could she endure such an insult?" Consort Jing: "Fool." "Xie Run simply doesn't like to show her claws. If you truly provoke her, even a single life wouldn't be enough to pay the price." She thought back to the time when the imperial guards had come knocking at the Prince's residence gates in the dead of night. If Xie Run were truly a woman of no temper and weak disposition, how could she have held the gates of the Prince's residence? It hadn't been that long ago, yet everyone had already forgotten Xie Run's methods. The servant Consort Jing had sent to gather information soon returned. "Your Highness, Wu Baolin secretly had her family send in a recipe for beauty cream to take internally. That beauty cream contains sanqi powder, which promotes blood circulation and disperses stasis—it's detrimental to wound healing. In addition, the pearl powder she applies daily was mixed with almond powder, which is why her wounds have been worsening day by day." Consort Jing was not entirely convinced. "You mean to say no one harmed Wu Baolin, and she simply sabotaged herself?" "That is indeed the case. When the Emperor learned the truth, he originally wanted to punish Wu Baolin severely, but Her Majesty the Empress interceded on her behalf, asking the Emperor to consider the child in Wu Baolin's womb." Consort Jing lowered her eyes in silence. Back then, her own wounds had also failed to heal for a period of time, growing increasingly severe. At first, she had believed the imperial physician's words, thinking it was merely a normal situation. But as time passed and the wounds expanded considerably, it was already too late to remedy the damage. The imperial physician had examined all her belongings and found nothing poisonous, though he did mention that the almond powder mixed into her pearl powder might have been the cause. But almond powder was itself an important ingredient in pearl powder. If one followed the physician's reasoning, then it was an accident? But Consort Jing did not believe it. She had been privately investigating on her own all along. Now that Wu Baolin had encountered the same thing she had, Consort Jing was even more certain of her suspicions. She suddenly rose to her feet. "Ben Gong will go to Yulan Pavilion to see Wu Baolin." Consort Jing went to Yulan Pavilion and looked around, even specifically asking Wu Baolin to see her pearl powder and beauty cream. Wu Baolin's pearl powder was slightly different from what she herself had used, but by and large it was the same. The beauty cream she only glanced at before setting it aside. There were plenty of fine things in the palace, and Consort Jing had been raised in comfort and luxury since childhood. One look at that beauty cream told her it was not of any superior quality. Something like that could never be found in her own palace.