Chapter 425

Chapter 425 Mama Du pinched Tao Yao's ear. "You dead girl, how dare you say such things in front of the mistress? Have you grown tired of living?!" Tao Yao yelped, "Mama, please spare me! I was only reporting what I saw." Mama Du said angrily, "You are the mistress's trusted confidante, yet you bring such terrifying words before her. If you frighten the mistress, I'll skin you alive!" Tao Yao dared not speak another word and could only beg for mercy as Mama Du shooed her out. Mama Du returned to find Consort Jingshu sitting quietly to the side, seemingly lost in thought, her expression rather grim. She said with concern, "Mistress, has that little wench's words frightened you?" Consort Jingshu shook her head. "Ben Gong simply finds Noble Lady Xi... truly ruthless." "She is ruthless to others, and ruthless to herself." Mama Du said, "Madam, forgive your servant for speaking out of turn." "In your servant's view, the mistress should never have gone there at all, only to incur needless ill fortune." "Noble Lady Xi's temperament—the mistress knew it well from her maiden days. Once she sets her mind on something, not even nine oxen could pull her back, and she refuses to listen to reason." "When the mistress went to see her, she only took it as the mistress coming to mock her." "She has never shown kindness to anyone. Perhaps her drinking poison to end her life tonight was also meant to implicate the mistress." Consort Jingshu seemed somewhat weary. "Perhaps." "But now that she is dead and her lamp extinguished, none of this matters anymore." "If the Emperor punishes Ben Gong for this and strips Ben Gong of the Management of the Six Palaces, it might even be a good thing." Only, if the Emperor wished to punish her, he would not easily find someone to take over the palace affairs at a moment's notice. At the thought of these vexing matters in the harem, Consort Jingshu grew even more troubled. The next day, Consort Jingshu rose early as usual, preparing to go mourn before the Retired Emperor's spirit tablet. While changing clothes, she suddenly asked, "Was Noble Lady Xi's confession letter sent to the Emperor yesterday?" Tao Yao said, "Madam, Noble Lady Xi's palace attendants delivered it, but after the Emperor read the confession, he said nothing." Consort Jingshu nodded. "As long as it was delivered." "After all, we knew each other once. It's good to leave no regrets." The more she experienced in the palace, the more serene Consort Jingshu's state of mind became. As she stepped out, she looked up at the sky and could not help but sigh. "What's been going on lately? Why has the sky been so gloomy?" Tao Yao followed beside her mistress, not daring to speak. What is wrong with the mistress? The sky is clearly fine—bright and clear, no snow falling. It's a rare good day. Why would she suddenly say the sky is gloomy? Noble Lady Xi's confession reached the Emperor. He gave it a casual glance, curled his lips without any hint of a smile. "I was not aware that Noble Lady Xi possessed such literary talent." This piece of writing, without any polishing, was already no worse than many memorials submitted by court ministers. Eunuch Shian stepped forward to offer tea and said respectfully, "When has our Great Yu Dynasty ever lacked talented people?" "Which young lady of noble birth in the capital does not have some reputation for literary grace? But not all of them are as vicious as Noble Lady Xi." The Emperor glanced at Eunuch Shian. "Rarely do I hear you speak this way." A eunuch who could serve in the imperial presence was naturally a seasoned old hand, skilled at saying the right thing to the right person. It was rare to see him offer such a blunt assessment of anyone. Eunuch Shian smiled bitterly. "Your servant personally witnessed Consort Hui's corpse at the time—covered in blood, with over a dozen hairpin wounds to the chest, a mass of mangled flesh... To strike so viciously without any grievance or grudge, your servant is afraid too!" If there had been enmity or resentment, such a brutal act might be understandable. But Consort Hui and Noble Lady Xi had never had any conflict. She killed simply because her schemes had been exposed. It was utterly horrifying! Eunuch Shian said, "But your servant truly cannot understand where Noble Lady Xi's resentment came from." "Everyone inside and outside the palace knows the Empress's Life-span is not long. Why did she have to involve herself?!" The Emperor's expression was indifferent. He casually tossed the confession aside and said flatly, "Her father and brother both died at the hands of the Xia Dynasty people." Her resentment toward the Empress was hardly surprising. Eunuch Shian asked, "Then will Your Majesty show leniency?" The Emperor glanced at Eunuch Shian. "Her father and brother defended the realm, and our Yu Dynasty never treated them poorly." "The descendants of the Suguo Duke's household were incompetent. Imperial Father permitted them three generations without reduction in rank, and their rewards during festivals were never lacking. He even specially promoted many young men of the Yang family—it was they who failed to live up to expectations." "The Empress came as a peace bride from the Xia Dynasty, and as a Xia envoy, she once maintained peace between the two dynasties, sparing much bloodshed." The Emperor said lightly, "The Yang family truly does not know how to raise their children, producing a short-sighted creature like Noble Lady Xi." Hearing these words, Eunuch Shian understood—the Emperor would not show leniency. The spirit hall at Yongning Palace had just been set up when the Emperor's decree arrived. "Noble Lady Xi, cruel and venomous, consumed by jealousy, conspired with Talented Lady Xue to murder Consort Hui. She is hereby stripped of her rank and reduced to commoner status, and shall not be buried in the Imperial Mausoleum!" Consort Jingshu was stunned. Reduced to commoner status? This meant that after Noble Lady Xi's death, no funeral rites could be held, and she could not be interred in the Imperial Mausoleum. Moreover, if the Eighth Prince had a birth mother reduced to commoner status for crimes, his path ahead would be extremely difficult. Consort Jingshu received the decree on behalf of the palace, and could only dismantle the spirit hall that had just been decorated, leaving only a few people to mourn Noble Lady Xi. The death of Noble Lady Xi was quietly suppressed. Upon hearing the news, Concubine Shen immediately went to find Xie Run: "The Emperor actually punished Noble Lady Xi, but only on the charge of harming Consort Hui!" "Now that Noble Lady Xi has received her just deserts, her rank has been stripped, and she cannot even be buried in the imperial mausoleum. It's just a pity that the Eighth Prince, so young, has such a mother—who knows how much he'll be dragged down by this in the future." Xie Run, having rare free time, was holding an embroidery hoop, preparing to embroider a handkerchief. Hearing Concubine Shen's words, her eyes still fixed on her hands, she said, "The Empress's death absolutely cannot be linked to Noble Lady Xi." "First, it would give the Xia Dynasty leverage to attack the Emperor; second... it would also easily dishearten the soldiers of the Yu Dynasty." The fact that Noble Lady Xi had sent a confession to the Emperor could not be hidden from anyone. Xie Run sent people to inquire and learned the contents of the confession, only then discovering that Noble Lady Xi's father and brother had both died on the front lines fighting against the Xia Dynasty. With no one left to support the family name, the Suguo Duke's mansion fell into decline overnight, and Noble Lady Xi went from being a noble lady of the capital to a tool for the Suguo Duke's mansion to curry favor. She must have harbored hatred for the Empress from the moment she entered the palace. Xie Run looked up: "Previously, I couldn't figure it out. Noble Lady Xi had a prince in her care and a rank that wasn't low—why would she risk meddling in the Empress's affairs?" "Until that confession of hers was presented before the Emperor... now it all makes sense." Concubine Shen looked bewildered: "Sister Xie, I also heard about that confession, but when did it ever mention any of this?" Concubine Shen could read, but her literary level was not high. After hearing about Noble Lady Xi's confession, she only knew that Noble Lady Xi had admitted to harming Consort Hui, brought up the achievements of the Suguo Duke's mansion, and tearfully confessed her mistakes, begging only that the Emperor spare the Suguo Duke's mansion and the Eighth Prince. Not a single word mentioned that she was connected to the Empress's death. Xie Run: "That is precisely her cleverness." The Emperor had made it clear he did not want the Empress's death to be tied to the Yu Dynasty. If Noble Lady Xi dared to mention the Empress's death in her confession, the Emperor would likely have disposed of her and the entire Suguo Duke's mansion outright.