TICIEC Chapter 46.2

“If I had no backup plan, I wouldn’t have let Cai Ye go.” Ning Wanyin said calmly.

Cai Ye was a palace maid from Lingxue Pavilion.

If Ning Wanyin didn’t confirm that she had been bribed, how could she dare to let her lure the snake out of its hole?

This morning, Ning Wanyin summoned Lian Rui alone.

“Every morning, the palace servants from each palace deliver the waste to the Xinzheku. Judging by the time, it should be delivered soon.” Ning Wanyin said.

She looked at Lian Rui and instructed her: “Go and get some incense ash from Qionghua Garden.”

Every morning, the palace maids would send the previous day’s incense ash, leftover food, fruit peels, and night soil to the Xinzheku. There, people would process it, either using it to fertilize the fields or sending it out of the palace.

“Yes.” Lian Rui accepted the order.

It wasn’t difficult. She just needed to find an excuse to go to the Xinzheku and smuggle some incense ash.

“But what does the Master need this incense ash for?”

“To scent the silver notes.”

…

Many people couldn’t sleep that night.

Ning Wanyin, on the other hand, was sleeping soundly.

Early the next morning, Wang Degui brought in the rewards for conferring the title of Jieyu, a riotous array filling the courtyard, and two more palace maids were added according to her rank.

As usual, Ning Wanyin gave a reward to everyone and then went to Qianxin Hall to express her gratitude.

The Emperor was discussing state affairs with his ministers and didn’t see her, telling her to go back directly.

That night, the Imperial Bedchamber Office brought over the imperial concubine jade plaques.

Ning Wanyin had just been promoted to the rank of Jieyu, and the Imperial Bedchamber Department hurriedly made her a new jade plaque.

They were afraid of delaying the Emperor’s selection of her.

But Helian Qi’s gaze lingered slightly on ‘Ning Jieyu’ before he said, “Go to Linlang Palace.”

Wang Degui was taken aback.

Linlang Palace again?

The one in Linlang Palace had been frightened, so it was understandable that His Majesty would take extra care of her.

However, in the following days, His Majesty successively flipped over the nameplates of other concubines and did not go to Lingxue Pavilion again.

This left the concubines in the palace completely bewildered.

Didn’t the Emperor just promote Ning Wanyin’s rank?

Why was he suddenly turning against her?

Although everyone knew that His Majesty was capricious, this was far too unpredictable!

Deep in the night, inside Lingxue Pavilion—

Ning Wanyin sat on a bamboo couch by the window, quietly setting up a game of chess.

Lian Rui, attending to her, couldn’t hide her worry.

“Master, His Majesty hasn’t seen you for quite some time…”

When Helian Qi stopped coming to Lingxue Pavilion, she sensed that something was wrong.

Ning Wanyin picked up a white chess piece from the chessboard and said calmly: “His Majesty is naturally suspicious. He must have guessed that I was the one who put those five hundred taels of silver notes in.”

“How did His Majesty guess?” Lian Rui was extremely shocked.

Ning Wanyin said, “There are two high-ranking concubines from two big families in the palace. When Xue Guiren is plotting something big, of course, she will use a loyal deadly servant who will never betray her. She also has the ability to plant people in the Lingxue Pavilion, so there’s no need for her to spend money at the last minute to bribe an outsider—it’s far too risky.’

“Therefore, logically speaking, there shouldn’t be any silver notes in Cai Ye’s room. Even if she wanted to give a reward, someone from the Xue family outside the palace could just send it to her house; wouldn’t that be more discreet and safer?”

 

 

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