After Rebirth, I Married my Archenemy - Chapter 24

The cricket chirped for a long time, and Jian Su was still waiting by the gate of the Daoist temple.

He didn’t quite understand whether Lu Huating’s order to ‘stand guard’ meant to stay inside or outside. When in doubt, he kicked a stone underfoot. The stone landed in a patch of grass representing ‘enter.’

Before Jian Su could push the door open, it creaked open by itself. A tall man in white stood inside, his eyelids painted with red rouge, slanted upward, making him look like a hanged ghost. Seeing this unlucky face at night made Jian Su’s skin crawl. He turned around to leave.

But to his surprise, the man in white also moved, floating closely behind him.

When Jian Su looked back, his soul nearly flew out of his body in fright. He bolted, and the man in white chased after him. The two nearly knocked over a little eunuch in their rush…

Moments later, Shou Xi returned to the banquet and whispered, 

“Your Highness, the Daoist temple has been searched, and Lady Qing is indeed not there. The one passing messages to Lu Huating was a steward serving Princess Dan Yang.”

Li Xuan’s fingers, tapping an old secret report, paused when he heard this.

He had deliberately let Qun Qing overhear about the secret report because he still harbored doubts about her. He wanted to test her. If she were indeed working under Lu Huating, she would undoubtedly try to pass on this information to him.

When both Qun Qing and Lu Huating left the banquet one after another, Li Xuan almost sneered to himself, convinced she had finally slipped up. But the cold wine in his stomach made him feel nauseous.

Now that her innocence was once again proven, for some reason, he actually felt a sense of relief.

The enmity between Dan Yang and Meng Guan Lou, and their secret dealings with Lu Huating, were certainly not impossible.

At this moment, Lu Huating returned to the banquet. Li Xuan asked Shou Xi, “Where is Qun Qing?”

“Lady Qing is not in the side hall. We’ve searched everywhere, but she is nowhere to be found. Perhaps she really is using the latrine, but it’s been quite some time now.”

Li Xuan replied, “Forget it, let’s not worry about her. Start the banquet.”

In the main seat, Empress Ma sat down. As the maids arranged her heavy robes, Xiao Yun Ru approached with her attendants, holding three wooden boxes. 

“I greet the Empress Dowager and wish her well. I have completed the palace duties from the past six months and return them to the Empress Dowager.”

Empress Ma opened the boxes and found the rosters and half of the phoenix seal inside. She felt troubled and said, 

“The Emperor has yet to give his orders. How can you return these to me? You should keep them for now.”

Empress Ma, over fifty years old, was the second wife of Emperor Chen Ming and the birth mother of Li Huan. She was timid and weak in nature. When Li Huan was born, he was reportedly so ugly that she fainted at the sight of him as a baby.

Unable to handle the responsibilities of managing the palace, the phoenix seal was divided into two. The affairs of the harem were jointly managed by Concubine Han Wan Yi and Concubine Lu, while the internal palace’s six bureaus were managed by Princess Consort Xiao Yun Ru of Prince Yan.

“Your servant would not dare,” Xiao Yun Ru knelt, “Though I have been assisting the Empress Dowager, I have never forgotten that I am merely holding the phoenix seal on her behalf. The Empress Dowager is the true mistress of the Six Palaces.”

The concubines observed with mixed feelings. The Princess Consort of Yan had acted wisely, sensing that Prince Yan would soon face consequences and proactively relinquishing control of the harem.

It was at this moment that Emperor Chen Ming arrived.

Suddenly, everyone stood up, offering three ceremonial bows to the Emperor. Guided by the palace maids, Emperor Chen Ming ascended to his throne. Seeing Xiao Yun Ru kneeling, he asked, 

“What’s going on?”

The Empress Dowager replied, “You’ve arrived just in time. The Princess Consort of Yan says she wants to return the phoenix seal to me.”

The internal affairs of the palace were vast, and sorting out all the departments would take several days. Empress Ma, having been uninvolved in palace matters for a long time, felt overwhelmed just looking at it.

After hearing the explanation, Emperor Chen Ming glanced coldly at Li Huan, who sat quietly. If Prince Yan hadn’t caused trouble, none of this would have happened.

He took out the rosters and reports from the wooden box and flipped through them. Seeing that Xiao Yun Ru had recorded everything clearly, his tone softened, 

“Have all the servants for each palace been selected?”

Xiao Yun Ru replied, “Father, all the servants for the noble consorts’ palaces have been replenished.”

“And the officials for the Six Bureaus?”

“Eleven positions remain unfilled,” Xiao Yun Ru paused. “Originally, next month we planned to select these eleven officials from the second-class seamstresses of each palace. The remaining vacancies would then be filled by recruits from the prison court.”

During the palace upheaval, the Crown Prince of Chu had fled south overnight with over a thousand palace servants and vast amounts of gold and silver, leaving the Li family with a broken palace.

It was Xiao Yun Ru who proposed selecting palace servants from the convicts left behind in the prison court, earning Emperor Chen Ming’s approval. She had carried out this plan efficiently, but unfortunately, the upcoming selection could not be completed.

The Empress Dowager suggested, 

“Your Majesty, perhaps Prince Yan should stay a while longer and let the Princess Consort handle…”

Emperor Chen Ming’s gaze instantly turned cold. The Empress Dowager fell silent, realizing she had spoken too much about matters involving the princes.

The Emperor waved Xiao Yun Ru away. 

“I’ve been busy with the western campaign and arrived late. Everyone must be hungry by now. Let the banquet begin.”

In an instant, the hall echoed with expressions of gratitude, followed by the clinking of cups and the sound of music filling the air.

Amid the celebratory atmosphere, Lu Huating was reflecting on the message Qun Qing had shared with him.

The Crown Prince showed no reaction, the secret report still lying on his table. It seemed he was waiting until the third round of drinks to raise the issue, as Emperor Chen Ming despised hearing complaints before a meal, especially when it came to trials that left people hungry.

Qun Qing had not deceived him. The information she provided was indeed a matter of life and death.

She had traded this information in exchange for sparing Su Run’s life. Though it was a profitable deal, it left Lu Huating feeling strangely uncomfortable.

The wine cup in his hand had unknowingly shifted to a firm grip, the cold, hard rim pressing into his palm.

During the performance, Su Run returned to Princess Dan Yang’s side, but Qun Qing had not come back.

With her usual skills, it shouldn’t be possible that she couldn’t even shake off a little eunuch, right?

Xiao Yun Ru called Lu Huating’s name softly several times before he came back to his senses. Seizing the moment during a toast, the Princess Consort of Yan whispered, 

“You told me that soon someone from Princess Dan Yang’s side will accuse Meng Guan Lou. But I just saw Meng Guan Lou has already left in his carriage.”

Lu Huating’s expression remained unchanged as he clinked her cup,

“Someone has meddled. It’s not going to happen. If he’s left, then let him go.”

“What should we do then? The earlier retreat didn’t soften Father Emperor’s heart either,” Xiao Yun Ru worriedly said. “If there is anything I can help with, please let me know. I only hope you can come up with a plan to prevent Prince Yan from truly leaving Chang’an.”

Lu Huating, shielding his face with his sleeve, downed the rest of his drink and said, 

“Your Highness, perhaps you should learn from Third Prince’s mindset and just enjoy your meal.”

Li Huan, who usually ate only a few taels of food, was still eating the same amount today. Lu Huating’s words almost seemed like a jab. Since he hadn’t shared his own thoughts, how could Xiao Yun Ru eat in peace? With the help of the palace maids, she forced herself to swallow some fruit.

Before the music ended, a palace-dressed woman suddenly left her seat, supported by two maids, and struggled to approach Emperor Chen Ming. 

“Your Majesty, Lady Wan Yi is feeling unwell and wishes to return early.”

This pale-faced palace consort, her hair damp with sweat, was none other than Han Wan Yi, who was just three months pregnant.

Before she could finish speaking, a deep red stain spread at the hem of her dress. Emperor Chen Ming leaned forward, and Empress Ma cried out in alarm, 

“Quick, help her behind the screen and summon the imperial doctor immediately!”

“Our Lady has been taking great care of herself these past days, not even visiting others. The only exception was a few days ago when Princess Bao An came to see her, and they spoke for a long time. She’s felt unwell since that day,” said one of the maids.

Han Wan Yi’s weak voice came from behind the screen: 

“Xiang Mao, don’t speak nonsense.”

Behind the large six-panel screen in the hall, there was an incense burner and a soft couch for the noble consorts to rest. Han Wan Yi, drenched in sweat, lay on the couch, while a trail of blood seeped down her skirt like a red snake, causing Consort Chen, who was attending her, to be horrified.

Li Xuan looked toward Shou Xi, who shook his head. Li Huan and Xiao Yun Ru exchanged glances and both looked to Lu Huating. Holding his wine cup near his lips, Lu Huating had a confused expression, indicating that he had no knowledge of this event.

This was clearly an unexpected situation that no one could comprehend.

Emperor Chen Ming waved his hand, and the music stopped abruptly, leaving the hall in an eerie silence.

The one suffering the most in this moment was Yang Fu: Han Wan Yi was the only person in the palace with whom she had a familial connection. Not helping her was one thing, but she never expected Han Wan Yi to suddenly turn on her!

Suddenly, she recalled that rainy day when Qun Qing had taken the raccoon away and advised her to seek shelter in Consort Chen De’s hall. Had she gone there, she wouldn’t have gone to Han Wan Yi’s palace that day…

In an instant, she realized—Qun Qing had warned her that day.

But she had been so intent on winning that she had still chosen to go to Han Wan Yi’s palace… Yang Fu’s heart was in turmoil, and regret welled up inside her.

The one attending to Han Wan Yi was an elderly female physician who had always been responsible for her care. She bowed to the Emperor before entering the screen.

After quite a while, she returned and reported, 

“Your Majesty, Lady Wan Yi is showing signs of miscarriage. I have administered acupuncture and medicine, but she must lie down and cannot be moved.”

Empress Ma gazed steadily and asked, “Can you save the baby?”

The imperial physician’s voice was lacking in confidence, “Your servant… will do my best.”

Empress Ma sighed repeatedly, “How did this happen?”

“Lady Wan Yi has a delicate constitution and often suffers from nausea, making it difficult for her to eat. I advised her to eat light meals and keep the windows open for fresh air. It seems this discomfort might have been caused by the overly strong fragrance used by a noble, which contained snow orchid, making Lady Wan Yi dizzy and unable to sleep well, thus harming the child.”

Xiang Mao added, “The day Princess Bao’an visited, I noticed a strong fragrance on her as soon as she entered. Yet, the Princess insisted on closing the doors and windows, dismissing everyone. Our Lady is gentle by nature, and her family owes favors to the Princess’s late mother, so despite my objections, she complied with the Princess. This must be from that day.”

“What secret conversation requires closing all doors and windows?” Empress Ma muttered with displeasure.

Consort Chen remarked, “Regardless of their past relationship, Lady Wan Yi is now a third-ranked consort of the Emperor, with a clear hierarchy in place. Why should Princess Bao An act so haughty that Lady Wan Yi has to humble herself like this?”

Princess Bao An, a former dynasty princess, had long been the subject of debate, especially with the favoritism shown to her by the Crown Prince and Prince Yan. Now, even more gossip arose.

Yang Fu had gone to see Han Wan Yi, hoping she would whisper in the Emperor’s ear and help her secure the position of Crown Princess, thus gaining a firm foothold in the palace. But such matters could never be spoken openly.

A vague sense of danger loomed over her, as if someone were plotting against her, yet she couldn’t even understand why…

“Bao Shu,” Han Wan Yi weakly called out, “Please report to them for me.”

Bao Shu, puzzled by Han Wan Yi’s sudden change, quickly defended her, “That day, I was by the Princess’s side the entire time. The Princess treated Lady Wan Yi with nothing but respect and would never have pressured her. If Lady Wan Yi was feeling unwell, why didn’t she mention it that day? It’s true that the Princess’s incense contained snow orchid, but most incense does, including the one burning in this hall right now. How can we blame that?”

Xiang Mao retorted, “But our Lady only fell ill after meeting with Princess Bao An. How do you explain that?”

This maid seemed certain that the Princess was to blame. After a moment of thought, Bao Shu suddenly bowed to the Emperor and Empress Ma, saying, 

“I just remembered something. Before visiting Lady Wan Yi that day, the Princess bumped into a servant from Lady Zheng’s palace. A maid spilled soup on the Princess’s skirt, but she was in a hurry to meet Lady Wan Yi, so she didn’t change clothes. Rather than focusing on the snow orchid scent, we should investigate the two maids and see what was spilled on the skirt.”

Yang Fu, hearing this, wanted to stop Bao Shu, but in her current vulnerable position, she couldn’t intervene. She bit her lip, remaining silent.

Zheng Zhiyi, who had been listening for a while, suddenly realized that she was being implicated. Her eyes widened in anger, 

“What a brazen maid, dragging others into this to cover for yourself! What does this have to do with us?”

Bao Shu replied, “Then why don’t you ask why your servant couldn’t carry the soup properly?”

Directly provoking a noblewoman, Zheng Zhiyi gritted her teeth, 

“That soup was a tonic I prepared for the Crown Prince and deliver every day! Why don’t you ask why Yang Fu couldn’t walk straight and bumped into it? If you suggest the soup was tainted, are you implying that the Crown Prince has been drinking abortion medicine every day?”

Empress Ma nearly spat out the tea she had just sipped, laughing, 

“This child, what a mouth!”

Li Xuan sternly said, “Mind your words.”

Zheng Zhiyi reluctantly closed her mouth.

Emperor Chen Ming remained silent.

Plotting against an imperial heir was a serious crime. Though Bao Shu was articulate, the Emperor’s cold gaze weighed heavily on her. Meanwhile, it seemed Han Wan Yi had prepared in advance, leaving Bao Shu flustered and without a clear strategy. She glanced around the hall but found no one to support her—Meng Guan Lou had already left, and there was no one else on her side.

The only person near Princess Bao An… was Lu Huating.

Bao Shu bit her lip and shot a glance at Lu Huating, only to find him not looking at her. Trembling, she pulled something from her sleeve and let it fall onto her skirt, and from there, it slipped down to the carpet—a tiny, nearly invisible fragment of yellow jade. “Help me…” she whispered faintly.

The object was light and thin, a broken piece of yellow jade pendant. Lu Huating’s eyelids flickered, and Jian Su, using Lu Huating’s figure to shield his movements, discreetly picked it up. Lu Huating then plucked a cherry stem and tore off a small strip of cloth, writing a few words on it.

“Master, she knows you want the pendant back. She’s giving it to you piece by piece. How long will we let her use us?” Jian Su whispered. “These palace disputes have nothing to do with us.”

“Nothing to do with us?” Lu Huating raised an eyebrow. “Just wait and see.”

Indeed, Ying Su bent over and slipped through the crowd, whispering in his ear, “Chief Advisor, His Highness Prince Yan said the Princess is innocent. He asks you to clear her name.”

Jian Su closed his mouth, took the cloth strip, and crumpled it into a small ball. When no one was looking, he flicked it onto Bao Shu’s skirt.

Kneeling behind Princess Bao An, Bao Shu took the chance to glance at the cloth, and her expression steadied. 

“The Princess’s dress is still in the palace. I request Your Majesty and Your Highness allow me to retrieve it and have the imperial physicians examine it. The cause must lie in the spilled soup.”

Lan Yue also knelt, protesting, 

“Your Highness, you cannot! Any tampering could easily occur on such a trip. The truth is that Princess Bao’an’s cat startled Ruochan, causing her to spill the soup. Princess Bao’an even slapped Ruochan, leaving her face swollen! She then forced Qun Qing, who serves our Lady Zheng, to kneel and wipe her skirt. Now, Bao’an’s maid dares to implicate the Eastern Palace. Empress, you must seek justice for our Lady!”

Lan Yue shot a sly glance at Bao Shu, as if to say—who doesn’t know how to throw dirt?

For a moment, the entire hall was buzzing with gossip about Princess Bao An’s tyrannical behavior in the palace. Empress Ma, already displeased with Yang Fu, frowned, 

“There’s no need to fetch it. This is getting more absurd by the minute. Zheng Fu, go to Luanyi Pavilion and bring some incense for inspection to determine if the problem lies with the fragrance.”

Li Huan glanced at Lu Huating, thinking he had only asked him to clear Yang Fu’s name, not to implicate the Eastern Palace. Now, things had escalated beyond his control!

Li Xuan’s lips tightened, and his expression darkened. From the main seats, the Emperor and Empress couldn’t see the subtle movements on the western side of the hall, but Shou Xi had a clear view. It was obvious that Lu Huating was orchestrating things behind Bao Shu’s actions. Although palace affairs might seem trivial, they could still affect the Eastern Palace’s reputation. Fortunately, the Empress had a level head.

What a schemer Lu Huating was! Did he think stirring up trouble would save Prince Yan?

Lu Huating remained indifferent to the glances directed his way.

Bao Shu continued, “In that case, I ask Your Majesty and Your Highness to also inspect the incense and food in the hall, so as not to wrong Princess Bao An.”

The Empress responded, “Naturally.”

“Your Highness, please allow this servant the audacity to rise and investigate.” Bao Shu stood up and walked directly over to the concubines’ area. She leaned over to inspect the uneaten food on Han Wan Yi’s table and suddenly pointed at one dish. 

“Your Highness, there’s osmanthus cake here. Pregnant women shouldn’t eat it. Lady Wan Yi ate half of it. Could this not be the reason for her condition?”

Everyone was taken aback. The imperial physician was summoned by the Empress to examine the dish. Upon seeing the half-eaten osmanthus cake, he hesitated and said, 

“This… indeed, given Lady Wan Yi’s frailty, she should not have consumed osmanthus.”

“How did the Department of Imperial Meals allow such an oversight?” Emperor Chen Ming, who had been silent with his eyes closed, finally spoke, his words casting a heavy cloud over the hall.

Soon, the head chef and the palace food supervisor were brought forward. Liu, the head chef, cried out in defense, 

“Your servant was well aware of Lady Wan Yi’s pregnancy and had already instructed the kitchen to replace all ingredients unsuitable for pregnant women when preparing the banquet. There should not have been any osmanthus cake in the autumn feast.”

“No osmanthus cake?” Emperor Chen Ming asked, “Then what is that on Lady Wan Yi’s table?”

The head chef and food supervisor looked at each other in shock and confusion. They picked up the dish to examine it, tasting a small piece.

The food supervisor knelt and reported, “Your Majesty, this is not osmanthus cake. It is sweet rice cake that your servant prepared to replace the osmanthus cake. The honey used to make osmanthus cake was substituted with regular honey, turning it into sweet rice cake. There shouldn’t have been any mistake when it was served. However, someone appears to have evenly sprinkled osmanthus on top, making it resemble osmanthus cake. It seems Lady Wan Yi did not notice and mistakenly ate it.”

Emperor Chen Ming’s expression grew stern, and Empress Ma’s fan stopped moving.

“So you’re saying,” Emperor Chen Ming asked gravely, “that someone deliberately sprinkled osmanthus on the dish during the banquet, intending to harm Lady Wan Yi?”

The Empress turned to Xiang Mao, “Do you recall when the osmanthus appeared?”

“I didn’t notice at first, but it must have been shortly after the dish was served,” Xiang Mao replied.

The Empress addressed Emperor Chen Ming, “Where could the osmanthus have come from? We should question the palace maids who served the food.”

Bao Shu pointed directly, “There’s no need to make a big fuss. The osmanthus is right here in the hall—Lady Zheng is wearing it in her hair.”

In an instant, all eyes turned to Zheng Zhiyi. Her eyes widened in shock as her mind went blank from the sudden attention.

She instinctively reached up to touch her hair, feeling the soft, damp texture of the flowers. She suddenly remembered that Qun Qing had tucked spirea and osmanthus into her hair earlier today. Even Han Wan Yi had commented on them.

Now, the osmanthus was glaringly visible in her hair.

“Nonsense,” she croaked, her voice dry. “I’ve been sitting far away from Lady Wan Yi…”

“Indeed, Lady Zheng has been seated far away and hasn’t left her seat once; this maid can attest to that. However, your maid, Qun Qing, has been moving about the banquet,” Bao Shu remarked. “May I ask where Qun Qing, the maid responsible for your garments, is right now?”

“She went to the restroom earlier and hasn’t returned yet,” Lan Yue replied, looking somewhat startled herself.

“She’s merely a maid, yet even after the Emperor has arrived, she has not returned,” Bao Shu pressed on. “Could it be that she dares not come back?”

Zheng Zhiyi’s expression shifted. Qun Qing was normally calm and reliable, so her sudden absence, along with her long delay in returning, was indeed suspicious. Now that Bao Shu had brought it up, it seemed even more likely that she had done something wrong and was hiding out of fear.

The Empress commanded, “As a maid serving garments, she should be well aware of palace rules. Wandering around outside the hall—what is the meaning of this? Send someone to find her. Once she’s brought in, we’ll question her to see if she knows anything about this matter.”

At her command, four Imperial Guards immediately left the hall.

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