Chapter 339

Chapter 339 Fang Yuan'er: "Whether I apply it or not makes little difference. Don't leave—come over and talk with me." The maid lowered her head and obediently approached. Fang Yuan'er: "I had you keep watch on Consort Li. What did you observe today?" The maid furrowed her brow, as if recalling. "You told me to watch Consort Li's expression when she saw the snake, and I did see it—Consort Li is indeed very afraid of snakes." "But..." "But what?" Fang Yuan'er pressed. The maid: "Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but I also noticed the expressions of the other maids and eunuchs—most of them were terrified as well. I wonder if this observation doesn't really reveal anything?" "You have a point." Steam rose from the bathwater as Fang Yuan'er lowered her gaze in thought. After a moment, she slowly closed her eyes. "You may leave now." "Yes." Once the maid had gone, Fang Yuan'er sat alone in the bath, and a flood of terror suddenly surged within her. She knew that today Xie Run was reminding her—reminding her to at least consider the Emperor. But her probing of Consort Li today had yielded some results, and combined with what she had uncovered some time ago, she had a bold conjecture. Yet this conjecture filled her with dread and sent chills through her body. If her suspicions proved true, she feared there would be no turning back. Her body trembled involuntarily, and looking down, Fang Yuan'er realized the water in the tub had grown cold. Meanwhile, when Xie Run returned to Zhaohua Palace, she heard of the Empress's punishment of Fang Yuan'er. Fang Yuan'er had clashed with Consort Li, causing Consort Li to fall into the water and be injured—she was to be demoted to Chongyi. Xie Run was somewhat surprised but regained her composure in an instant. Xie Run: "Lately, it seems the palace is increasingly fond of demotions when punishing people." Xiaoshu happened to be bringing tea over and couldn't help but say: "Isn't that so? Demotions left and right—and the Emperor rarely promotes anyone. Once you're demoted, you can never climb back up. Let's see who dares to make mistakes now!" Promotions in the harem were never easy to begin with, and now even minor offenses led to demotion—soon everyone would be terrified for their own position. For those of low rank, a single step down affected their daily treatment entirely, determining what kind of life they would lead. As for those of high rank, needless to say—climbing even one small step was already an immense struggle. Xie Run: "It was truly the Empress who punished her?" "I personally went to inquire—it was indeed the Empress who ordered it." Xie Run was puzzled, feeling more and more unable to fathom the Emperor and Empress's sense of proportion in their decisions. She wondered what schemes everyone was harboring. Before the conflict between Fang Yuan'er and Consort Li had even been resolved, Wu Baolin had already sparked a new dispute with Talented Lady Ye. Xie Run overheard the discussion while paying her morning respects. Concubine Fang said softly: "Apparently, when Wu Baolin was moving residences, she mistakenly took several of Talented Lady Ye's belongings. Talented Lady Ye caught her and cried out that she'd caught a thief." Xie Run glanced at her in puzzlement. Everyone knew that Concubine Fang was a silent as a gourd—you couldn't get a single word out of her no matter how hard you tried. Yet here she was, voluntarily bringing up this matter. Xiuyuan Hua laughed: "All items in each courtyard are recorded in the ledgers, each with its designated count." "Wu Baolin took Talented Lady Ye's things—a simple claim of 'mistake' doesn't explain it away." "How could such a coincidence exist in this world? It's understandable that Talented Lady Ye would harbor some misunderstanding." Ever since the Emperor had favored Xiuyuan Hua for several consecutive nights, she had grown bolder, daring to speak a few more words during the morning greetings. Consort Jing glanced at her sidelong and smiled: "By saying this, Xiuyuan Hua, you suspect that Wu Baolin truly harbored improper intentions, don't you?" "Though Talented Lady Ye lives next door to Wu Baolin, it is precisely a case of 'melon fields and plum orchards'—with this trouble stirred up, who would believe Wu Baolin?" "If she had merely disgraced herself, that would be one thing, but she carries the Imperial Heir in her womb—she has dragged the Heir's reputation down with her for no reason."