TJAIP Chapter 12

The emperor finally walked through the harem again, and the women in the harem felt both joy and jealousy, for the emperor first picked the card of Consort Rou.

The next day, when Zhuang Luoyan went to the Empress’s Jingyang Palace to pay respects, she saw the other women subtly sparring with Consort Rou in their conversation. However, the Empress remained as composed as usual. Unfortunately, the equally favored Consort Shu was still ill, otherwise, it would have been quite the spectacle.

After the greetings, Zhuang Luoyan felt lazy to engage in polite yet sharp exchanges with the women, so she headed back to Taoyu Pavilion with Tingzhu and Yunxi. On the way, they passed by a few eunuchs walking hurriedly. Their expressions were solemn, but not panicked.

“Master…” Tingzhu looked at the eunuchs in confusion, “Should we ask what happened?”

“No need, let’s go back,” Zhuang Luoyan said indifferently. “The matters of the harem are managed by the Empress; there’s no need for us to be overly curious.”

Curiosity not only kills the cat, but it can also cause trouble. She’d rather stay ignorant of the situation than bring trouble upon herself.

Tingzhu nodded in agreement, knowing that there were many hidden things in the harem, and knowing too much was not a good thing. If something significant happened, the people in the harem would eventually find out.

That afternoon, news spread that the bodies of two palace maids had been found in a dried-up well near the Cold Palace. The Empress was furious and demanded a thorough investigation into the improper conduct within the harem.

After hearing the full story, Zhuang Luoyan found it quite amusing. This was how the harem was—people die, but there are always more than two. The Empress was simply using the situation as an opportunity to warn some restless concubines.

In the evening, the eunuchs from the Ministry of the Imperial Household arrived at Taoyu Pavilion to inspect the palace. Zhuang Luoyan didn’t stop them, allowing them to search freely. Fortunately, the eunuchs were very polite and only did a cursory check before leaving. Even the items on display were left in their original places.

Zhuang Luoyan understood that if she was not favored at the moment, the situation might have been different. But with the Empress ordering a full investigation of the Six Palaces, this method was somewhat risky. Not to mention, the harem’s internal factions were tangled, and causing panic could lead to even more trouble.

The Empress was the type of woman who didn’t deign to engage in petty harem struggles, but if she were to become ruthless, even the most favored concubines would have to tread carefully. Consort Shu, Consort Rou, and even Consort Yan, the current favorites, all behaved properly in front of the Empress, demonstrating her power.

Of course, this also had to do with the Emperor’s respect for the Empress. A wise ruler always favors the small concubines but never neglects the main wife. The Emperor was likely the one with the deepest scheming in the entire palace.

Zhuang Luoyan believed the Empress’s actions today were likely approved by the Emperor, and the main purpose was to warn everyone in the harem to remember their place.

She squinted as she picked up her teacup and took a sip. “Tingzhu, grind the ink.”

Spreading a fine sheet of rice paper, she wrote a large character for “Buddha” and then added a smaller character underneath it. She tossed the brush aside. Sometimes, embracing Buddhist nature wasn’t such a bad thing.

She may be a shameless woman, but as a woman, holding grudges was in her nature. If someone slapped her left cheek, she would use her foot to kick back in return.

Tingzhu and Yunxi came forward to clear away the brush and inkstone, noticing the powerful, imposing character for “Buddha.” They could sense the undercurrent of killing intent.

As the tea gradually blurred the large character, Zhuang Luoyan casually tore the paper away from the table. “Burn it.”

In the charcoal burner, the slightly damp rice paper burned slowly. Yunxi looked up and through the curling smoke saw her master’s cold expression, which caused a chill to run through her. She lowered her head and saw the inked paper turning into ashes.

The Emperor had gone to Consort Yan’s residence, but upon finding the scent of incense unsuitable, he left the Lingyue Pavilion and returned to the Qianzheng Palace. When the palace maid was helping him out of his robes, she accidentally dropped an incense sachet on the floor.

Looking at the palace maid trembling before him, the Emperor frowned and glanced at the incense sachet on the ground. This sachet had been sewn by Consort Shu, with a lively pattern of auspicious clouds, evoking an ethereal feeling. He had worn it since then, but now it was on the floor, and it made him think of another woman.

“Please spare me, Your Majesty! I know my mistake, please spare me!” The palace maid, seeing the Emperor silent for a long time, continued to bow repeatedly, pleading for her life.

The Emperor frowned. “Pick up that sachet and leave. Gao Dezhu, escort me to Taoyu Pavilion.”

When the Emperor arrived at Taoyu Pavilion, the lantern outside the pavilion was not brightly lit. Under the dim light, there was no graceful figure holding a lantern waiting.

Stopping the night watch eunuch from announcing, the Emperor walked straight in.

Taoyu Pavilion was exquisitely built, but not very large. The Emperor walked for a short distance before reaching the outer room of Zhuang Luoyan’s residence. He dismissed the eunuchs and palace maids, leaving only Gao Dezhu to follow him as he entered.

Gao Dezhu, hearing soft voices inside, lowered his head even further, standing quietly behind the Emperor to avoid disturbing him.

“Master, your knee has turned such a dark bruise,” Yunxi said as she lifted Zhuang Luoyan’s pant leg and saw the once smooth, delicate knee now bruised and frightening to look at.

“No need,” Zhuang Luoyan was not a delicate woman. She looked at the bruises with indifference and said, “It’s just an appearance; it doesn’t hurt much. Don’t worry about it. If we summon the imperial physician, it will only cause trouble.”

Yunxi furrowed her brows, knowing her master was right. This was a deliberate attempt by Consort Yuan to make things difficult for her. If the imperial physician was called to Taoyu Pavilion and the news reached Consort Yuan, it would just add more trouble. “But Master, if the Emperor sees this when he visits your residence, what should we do?”

Zhuang Luoyan tilted her head and glanced at the flickering candlelight outside the window. Her expression changed slightly. “Did you notice the green moss on the stone path outside Taoyu Pavilion?”

“Yes…” Yunxi replied, her mood sinking. As she wrung out the hot towel and placed it over the bruises, she heard her master let out a soft sigh.

“Master…”

“It’s nothing,” Zhuang Luoyan said with a smile in her voice. “Your mistress was punished quite a bit not long ago. I’m not that delicate. Just apply the hot towel, and when the bruise fades, it’ll be fine. You can leave to sleep afterward.”

“How can I sleep when you’re like this, Mistress?” Yunxi also noticed the flickering candlelight outside, which was a signal that, if the Emperor suddenly came in the night, they would shake a designated lantern as a warning to prepare. It seemed her master had planned correctly.

“When the Emperor wasn’t visiting Taoyu Pavilion, anyone could bully you, even the slightly higher-ranked Concubine Ma made you kneel for hours. Now that things have improved, your knee’s bruised again. I can’t bear to see it,” Yunxi said carefully, placing the towel gently on her master’s knee. “It will hurt a bit, but once the bruise fades, it’ll get better soon.”

Outside, Gao Dezhu could hear the conversation and, though he couldn’t see the Emperor’s face, he knew the Emperor’s mood wasn’t good. As he was about to step in, Gao Dezhu quickly called out, “Your Majesty is here.”

When the Emperor entered with Gao Dezhu, he saw Consort Zhao kneeling on the floor, wearing a loose outer garment, her long black hair casually draped down, with no adornments on her. The Emperor was reminded of the phrase, “I pity her at first sight.”