Chapter 405

Chapter 405 Xie Run felt somewhat flattered and taken aback. Could the Emperor's words mean he truly held her in high regard? After all, there were still quite a few old retainers who had come with him from the mansion. With a single sentence, the Emperor had dismissed them all. But upon further reflection, Xie Run realized that with the Empress gone, she truly was the most senior person in the palace now. Xie Run clasped the Emperor's hand in return, her voice gentle yet carrying strength, "Your Majesty, this concubine will always be by your side." She guided his hand to rest on her lower abdomen, "And our child." The Emperor lowered his gaze to Xie Run's slightly swelling belly, his eyes gradually deepening, as if gathering too many emotions. But even Xie Run could not fathom the meaning contained within the Emperor's gaze. After the evening meal, the Emperor went to Fengyi Palace. Only later did Xie Run learn from her subordinates that the Emperor had punished Zhaorong Huizhao with half a month of house arrest and a month's reduction in allowance. Zhaorong Huizhao had intended to observe mourning for the Empress. Upon hearing this news, she wept and wanted to go plead her case before the Emperor. Xiaoshu said with unease: "The Emperor seemed to have anticipated that Zhaorong Huizhao would not accept the punishment, so he sent people to guard Yongming Palace and prevent her from leaving." "Zhaorong Huizhao made it all the way to the gate, but was still escorted back. I heard she wept most pitifully, and even frightened the Third Princess." "There was quite a commotion in Yongming Palace." Although Xiaoshu had been angry at Zhaorong Huizhao for suspecting her own mistress yesterday, she did not feel much joy now seeing Zhaorong Huizhao punished so severely. House arrest was not harsh in itself, but during these half a month of confinement, Zhaorong Huizhao would be unable to attend the Empress's funeral rites. For someone as loyal to the Empress as she was, this could be considered an extremely severe punishment. Dantao also said: "I heard Zhaorong Huizhao wept and said she admitted her mistake, and that she could come and apologize and confess to Your Ladyship, only begging the Emperor to let her attend the Empress's funeral rites." The Empress was the mother of the nation, so her funeral rites would certainly be most grand. The water and land Dharma assembly alone would last forty-nine days, with ministers, princesses, princes, and noble ladies gathering daily to mourn and pay their respects. But Zhaorong Huizhao was under house arrest, and by the time half a month passed, many of the ceremonies in the Empress's funeral rites would have already been missed. Xie Run said: "...I only hope that through this punishment, she can learn to see things more clearly." The Emperor's punishment of Zhaorong Huizhao was indeed a blow to the heart. But judging from the severity of the Emperor's punishment, he must have uncovered quite a bit of information. The Emperor could confirm that the Empress's death had nothing to do with Xie Run, and was therefore angered by Zhaorong Huizhao's groundless troublemaking. Xie Run said: "I wonder when the Emperor will be able to determine how that spy from the Xia Dynasty managed to infiltrate the palace and harm the Empress." Xie Run had only just muttered these words when news came from the Emperor's side the very next day. After returning from Fengyi Palace where she had paid her respects at the Empress's funeral rites, Xie Run was weary and drowsy. She was just thinking of taking a quick nap when she saw Dantao hurrying in. Dantao glanced sidelong at the palace attendants standing around. The attendants tactfully retreated, leaving space for the two of them. Dantao approached and said, "Your Ladyship, Guard Jing has discovered that the spy was one of Jieyu An's people." "Jieyu An?" Xie Run was startled. "That Princess Chenghuan from the Xia Dynasty? But didn't she die long ago?" That woman had been caught up in the struggle between the Xia Dynasty and the Yu Dynasty, and was ultimately dealt with personally by the Empress. "I was also very surprised when I heard this." Dantao lowered her voice: "Later I learned that among those who had accompanied the two Xia Dynasty princesses on their diplomatic mission, quite a few were spies specially trained by the Xia Dynasty." Xie Run was not surprised to hear this. "The Emperor and Empress have always been cautious in their dealings. Those people should have been dealt with long ago, shouldn't they?" How could they have been left to cause harm until today?! Dantao said: "Jieyu An's death was not honorable, but she was after all a princess of the Xia Dynasty." "After her death, those who had served her closely were all executed, but some of the menial laborers were assigned to other places." The Emperor had not been cruel enough to kill everyone who had accompanied Princess Chenghuan after putting her to death. Doing so would also have caused the Empress and Consort Wen to lose face. Such an act would not reflect well if it got out. But those who had accompanied Princess Chenghuan were also sent to remote places to work, with people assigned to keep watch over them. The original plan was to find an excuse to release them all from the palace when the opportunity arose. Who would have thought that before that opportunity came, they would be given a chance to strike. Xie Run asked: "What is the Emperor's stance?" Dantao shook her head: "No word has come down from the Emperor yet." Xie Run let out a breath: "Princess Chenghuan is probably just a front. If it truly was someone from her entourage who did it, once the evidence is conclusive, the Emperor will order their execution." Dantao said: "Princess Chenghuan didn't stay long in the harem, and her death was somewhat peculiar. It's too convenient for someone to use her name to harm others." "Your Ladyship, if there were Xia Dynasty spies among Princess Chenghuan's people, could there also be spies among Consort Wen's people?" Having served Xie Run for a long time, Dantao now thought about more and more things. "If someone used Princess Chenghuan's name to harm the Empress, how do we know they wouldn't use Consort Wen's name to harm the Empress as well?" Xie Run's expression gradually grew grave. Dantao grew increasingly frightened as she speculated further. "Using the Empress's mother's death to force her to die, and then pushing the Empress's younger sister forward to talk back... If that's really the case, the people of Xia Dynasty hate not the Emperor, but the Empress?" Having guessed this far, Dantao no longer dared to continue. She instinctively looked toward Xie Run. To her surprise, she found Xie Run also staring back at her with a pair of dark, wide-open eyes. Their eyes met, and both instinctively held their breath. If this were truly the case, the turmoil in the harem would not subside anytime soon. Inside the main hall of Yongming Palace, Consort Wen had just returned from weeping at Fengyi Palace. She was now preparing to change clothes and have a meal, as she would need to go back again later. With the Empress gone, the other consorts and concubines were required to mourn and wail, and as her biological younger sister, she had to be even more diligent. She could not miss a single day of the forty-nine-day Water and Land Dharma Assembly. She had barely managed to eat a few bites when she suddenly heard footsteps. Consort Wen looked up and met Eunuch Shian's somewhat solemn face. Startled, Consort Wen quickly rose and stepped forward. "Why has Eunuch Shian come? Has the Emperor given some instruction?" Eunuch Shian, holding his horsetail whisk, was exceptionally respectful. "Reporting to Consort Wen, Lord Jing has interrogated the Xia Dynasty spy and extracted quite a bit of useful information." Consort Wen's eyes brightened slightly, and she hastily asked, "Do you know who plotted everything?!" Eunuch Shian looked at Consort Wen and seemed to let out a silent sigh. Consort Wen instinctively felt something was amiss. Then she heard Eunuch Shian speak: "That person is named Jin Yuan. He was once Jieyu An's dowry servant. Later, when Jieyu An was granted the title of Lady of Handsome Fairness, he received ten taels of silver and left the palace, settling outside with his family and starting a small business." When Consort Wen heard the name Jieyu An, her expression turned somewhat sour. She was a clever woman, and upon hearing that the person who harmed the Empress was connected to Jieyu An's dowry servant, she immediately thought of those around her. It felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her heart—heavy, and bitingly cold to the bone.