“Why are you helping Lady Wang?” Tingzhu asked cautiously while massaging Zhuang Luoyan’s shoulders. “I feel that while Jiang Xianpin and Lady Wang don’t have enemies in the palace, they certainly aren’t the best allies.”
“They’re only able to protect themselves right now, so they don’t help me. It’s just that they don’t want to make enemies,” Zhuang Luoyan replied, leaning back lazily in her chair, almost as if she wished she had no bones. “Today, the emperor did see me walking with her. Besides, she did offer a bit of help today. In the harem, what can you afford to owe but a favor? That said, Jiang Xianpin probably mentioned Lady Wang’s illness today intending to get me to help her.”
Tingzhu immediately understood. However, recalling Jiang Xianpin’s reminder for Zhuang Luoyan not to be swayed, she felt a jolt in her heart, remembering the words spoken by her mistress two months ago in Lihua Garden. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
When she looked up again, she saw that her mistress had already closed her eyes. She stopped what she was doing and signaled the palace maid behind her to be quieter before getting up and leaving quietly.
“Is the mistress sleeping?” Yunxi, holding a bowl of sour plum iced soup, looked at Tingzhu as she came out, then glanced at the inner room and whispered, “Should I place the soup in the ice tray?”
“The mistress just had an ice bowl; the sour plum soup can wait for now,” Tingzhu said, wiping the fine sweat from her forehead as she looked at the sun. “The weather isn’t hot this year. Last year, during the hottest period, the emperor, the empress dowager, and several high-ranking ladies all went to the summer retreat.”
“Last year was indeed scorching,” Yunxi remarked, recalling how the Zhuang family had been preparing to send the mistress into the palace. Now, she was a third-rank Charged Consort, and time seemed to pass so quickly.
“Master Zhuang asked if our ice supply was sufficient. If not, we should send more immediately,” Fubao arrived, drenched in sweat, and asked the two of them.
“The mistress is sleeping now, and the ice in the room is still being used. There’s no need for more at the moment. Have them bring more after noon,” Tingzhu thought for a moment, then added, “Remember to reward the servants who came to ask.”
“Got it,” Fubao nodded. “I’ll go tell them.”
As night fell late during the summer, Zhuang Luoyan sat by the window, wearing a gauzy dress to enjoy the cool breeze. After a while, she noticed a strange light in the northwest corner. Frowning, she heard a commotion outside, as if something major had happened.
“Your Majesty,” Yunxi entered, her face not showing much panic. “There’s flooding at Ruqing Palace in the northwest.”
“Ruqing Palace?” The name of the palace sounded very solemn, but no concubines seemed to live there. After a moment’s thought, Zhuang Luoyan asked, “Who lives there?”
“That used to be the former imperial concubine Wei’s residence. After she was executed by the late emperor, her son, Prince Gou, was confined there,” Tingzhu, who had been in the palace longer, spoke with a calm face. She had heard many palace rumors.
“Prince Gou?” Zhuang Luoyan understood from this title just how much the late emperor had hated Wei.
“Go and find out if any other concubines have gone to check,” Zhuang Luoyan murmured. “This doesn’t concern us; there’s no need to know too much.”
Once Tingzhu and Yunxi left, Zhuang Luoyan continued to stare at the fiery light in the northwest corner. Whether it was her imagination or not, she suspected that tonight’s incident might not be just simple flooding.
Soon, Tingzhu and Yunxi returned, walking faster than before. “Your Majesty, besides the emperor and empress dowager, several other concubines have already rushed over. I saw Consort Shuxin from Anqing Palace hurrying to Ruqing Palace on a palanquin. I also heard that even the empress dowager has gone.”
“Then let’s go take a look,” Zhuang Luoyan said as she stood up, changed into a formal gown, and tied her hair into a simple bun before heading out.
As she sat in the slightly swaying palanquin, Zhuang Luoyan thought about the rumors from years ago. The late imperial concubine Wei had once been the most favored, even more so than the empress, but she was eventually discovered to have secretly collaborated with her maternal family to support the second prince in becoming the crown prince. In a fit of rage, the late emperor executed Wei with a white silk cord, and the second prince was imprisoned in her former residence, Ruqing Palace. The emperor, already suffering from severe blood loss, managed to drag on for a few more months before passing away. The then-crown prince, now the current emperor, succeeded him, and Prince Gou never left Ruqing Palace again.
When they neared Ruqing Palace, they saw many eunuchs and palace maids carrying water to douse the flames. The fire had been brought under control. The emperor and his entourage were sitting not far away, but because it was night, Zhuang Luoyan could not make out the emperor’s expression.
Though still some distance away, Zhuang Luoyan respectfully got out of the palanquin and, holding Tingzhu’s hand, walked quickly toward the royal party. When they got closer, she noticed a dignified woman sitting next to the emperor. She looked to be in her forties. Zhuang Luoyan knelt and greeted, “Consort greets the Emperor, Empress Dowager, and Empress.”
The Empress Dowager glanced at Zhuang Luoyan, noticing her proper attire and headpiece, then turned to the Empress. “This is one of the new consorts this year. I don’t think I’ve seen her before.”
“Your Majesty, she is indeed a new consort this year,” the Empress answered, her tone formal, not like her usual attitude toward other concubines.
The Empress Dowager nodded and asked, “Which family is she from?”
“She is from the family of Lord Zhuang,” the Empress replied.
The Empress Dowager nodded again, then rewarded Zhuang Luoyan with a pair of jade bracelets, clearly showing favor to the legitimate daughter over the others.
Standing among the concubines, Zhuang Jieyu felt humiliated, though she forced herself to act indifferent. She likely thought no one would know how resentful she felt inside.
Throughout all this, Feng Jin had not spoken. Only when Zhuang Luoyan had received her reward and was retreating did he glance at her, then calmly watched the fire at Ruqing Palace being slowly extinguished?
By the time the clock struck midnight, the fire at Ruiqing Palace was finally extinguished. Feng Jin, looking at the head of the Imperial Forest Army, asked in a low voice, “Is the Prince of Filth still alive?”
“Your Majesty, I was unable to save him. The Prince of Filth inhaled too much smoke and… has passed away,” the head of the Imperial Forest Army knelt, unable to look at the Emperor’s face.
“I will go see my second brother,” Feng Jin stood up and began walking toward Ruiqing Palace.
The once splendid palace, now dilapidated due to years of neglect, looked even more desolate after the fire. Gao Dezhong looked at the soot and contaminated water covering the ground and stepped forward to support the Emperor.
Feng Jin waved Gao Dezhong’s hand away and walked swiftly toward the body of the Prince of Filth. The prince lay there in a pitiful state. Despite being covered in soot and dirt, his terrified face was still recognizable.
The Prince of Filth did not inherit the beauty of his mother, Lady Wei, but instead appeared rather ordinary. He had been reckless in the palace, even causing trouble for other servants, and after being confined, he had lashed out. Now, he lay there in such a pitiful state.
Seeing the Emperor silently staring at a dead body, everyone held their breath, likely remembering the past events surrounding this prince.
“Let it be known, although the Prince of Filth acted recklessly and arrogantly during his life, he is to be buried with the honors of a Marquis, and his title shall be changed,” Feng Jin glanced around the palace one last time before turning and leaving.
The decree was ironic, stating that the prince had been reckless, yet he was still granted the honors of a Marquis. The head of the Imperial Forest Army looked at the prince’s body and ordered his subordinates to speed up the cleanup before following the Emperor out.
When the concubines saw the Emperor return, they nervously bowed. Feng Jin had no interest in listening to their meaningless chatter, so he waved them all away.
The Empress Dowager, gazing at the desolate Ruiqing Palace, spoke in a calm voice, “Since Ruiqing Palace has been flooded after it was rebuilt, it should be given a new name.”
Although Feng Jin respected the Empress Dowager, he never allowed her to interfere with his decisions. Upon hearing her words, he replied, “Mother need not worry, I know what to do.”
The Empress Dowager nodded, but upon seeing his indifferent expression, she chose not to say anything else and left, leaning on the Empress’s arm.
Feng Jin watched their retreating figures and slowly spoke, “Return to the palace.”
By the time the incident had been resolved and it was past midnight, Zhuang Luoyan sat in her palanquin, yawning, so much so that she didn’t even notice when Yan Guipei’s palanquin passed beside hers.
“Zhao, are you tired?” Yan Guipei said with a hint of meaning, “You truly are an open-minded person.”
Zhuang Luoyan turned to see that it was Yan Guipei and replied indifferently, “Sister, what do you mean by that? We are both concubines in the imperial harem. Matters like this are for the Empress Dowager and the Empress to handle. Why should I be concerned?”
Yan Guipei wanted to bring up the flood at Ruiqing Palace and the death of the Prince of Filth, but remembering past events, she decided against it and instead said, “You misunderstand. I was merely concerned that today’s events might have frightened you.”
“Thank you for your concern, Sister,” Zhuang Luoyan smiled lightly. “Please rest assured.”
Yan Guipei forced a smile. “Of course.” Just as they reached a fork in the road, Yan Guipei instructed her servants to take the other path.
Not far behind them, Shuguifei and Su Xiuji’s palanquins quietly proceeded in the darkness. Seeing that Yan Guipei and Zhao Chungi’s palanquins had parted ways, Su Xiuji said, “Sister, it seems Yan Guipei didn’t get the result she hoped for with Zhao Chungi.”
Shuguifei glanced ahead and smiled sarcastically, “She still thinks she’s the most favored.”
Su Xiuji glanced at Shuguifei, then looked ahead again, choosing not to speak.
How did Ruiqing Palace catch fire? Was it an accident, or was it deliberate?
The next day, the Emperor ordered a full investigation, but everyone knew that whether or not it was investigated, it didn’t matter much. The Prince of Filth was a thorn in the Emperor’s side, and it would be better to remove him than leave him, even if he no longer posed any threat.
None of the ministers dared to trouble the Emperor, and whatever the Emperor decided was final. After all, with so many hidden secrets in the imperial family, if they started digging into everything, they’d lose their heads.
For the concubines, the Prince of Filth had nothing to do with them. The only difference was that the Empress Dowager, who had been absent from the harem for nearly a year, had now appeared again. What kind of changes could happen in the harem now?
Also, would the already-deposed Ye Shurong and Ye Ronghua try to lean on the Empress Dowager to rise again? After all, the Ye sisters were her nieces, and their relationship was something no other concubines could match.
Zhuang Luoyan didn’t have as many thoughts as the other concubines. For her, it didn’t matter which concubines were related to the Empress Dowager. What mattered was the Emperor’s opinion.
From her experience with television dramas and history, any concubine who was the Emperor’s cousin but didn’t have power in her family, and who kept things low-key, could live comfortably in the harem. But if her family had real power the Emperor’s mother kept meddling, and the concubine wasn’t very clever, she might enjoy a short period of glory, but her end wouldn’t be good.
So, whether the Ye sisters were one of these types didn’t matter much to her, unless the position of Empress was currently vacant.
While Zhuang Luoyan was sipping on sour plum ice soup, a reward from the Empress Dowager arrived.
Zhuang Luoyan glanced at the silk jade pendant on the table and smiled faintly. The Empress Dowager wasn’t just rewarding the concubines; it was likely a message to the women of the harem that the Empress Dowager was coming back into power, and they should all behave accordingly.
Mouse On AVL Chapter 9