Chapter 19

After escorting Chu Qingwan to Yuqiong Pavilion, Xu Yanheng headed straight back to the Imperial Presence.

Consort Yu had also just returned to Ganquan Palace. She was on the verge of visiting the Second Prince when she received the news, and her gaze grew still for a moment.

Qinxin awakened her, "Your Ladyship, the Second Prince is waiting for you."

Consort Yu snapped back to reality. She entered the inner chamber, where the Second Prince sat upright and proper, waiting for her. The little boy’s attempt to act grown-up made her heart melt, and she cast aside her earlier thoughts. She stepped forward to embrace him, unable to suppress a smile. "Why is Zhou'er so well-behaved today?"

Blushing deeply at the praise, Zhou'er buried his face in her arms, not forgetting to offer his greetings, "I greet you, Mother Consort."

Consort Yu felt as though she were bathed in warm sunlight. She laughed, and after a long moment, she remembered the Mid-Autumn banquet that evening and tapped the tip of his nose. "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Tonight, Zhou'er will see the Emperor. Are you happy?"

The Second Prince did not have much contact with Xu Yanheng, but Consort Yu had taught him to be close to his father. Perhaps out of a deep-seated longing for paternal affection, he couldn't help but look forward to the meeting. At her words, he nodded immediately.

Consort Yu pulled him close, her expression earnest. "Don't worry, Zhou'er will surely be the Imperial Father's favorite prince."

Qinxin glanced at her mistress and sighed inwardly. If only the Second Prince were truly her own son. She worried that all the painstaking schemes her mistress was plotting for the child would ultimately lead to nothing.

After the midday meal, the concubines began preparing for the evening banquet.

Around the hour of the Rooster (5:00 PM to 7:00 PM), Nongqiu paced back and forth, peering at the sky outside. She couldn't help but ask, "Mistress, should we be leaving now?"

Chu Qingwan glanced at the water clock in the hall. Seeing that the time was near, she nodded to Nongqiu.

Chichun hurriedly retrieved a cloak prepared in advance and draped it over Chu Qingwan’s shoulders, reminding her, "Autumn is here, and the wind is strong at night. Mistress, wait until you reach the Taihe Hall before taking it off."

The Taihe Hall was quite a distance away. Chu Qingwan had not been walking long when she encountered Lady Bao, who curtsied and naturally began to walk alongside her.

Lady Bao was adept at climbing the social ladder, and her form of address grew increasingly intimate. "Sister."

Lady Gu also noticed the two but did not approach. She was different from the others; despite being only a Beauty in rank, she possessed her own retinue. She cast a glance at Chu Qingwan, muttering to herself, surprised that the Beauty had found someone to associate with so quickly. Silently, she instructed her palace attendants to take a detour, distancing herself from the pair.

Chu Qingwan was bewildered. Why did she have the impression that Lady Gu was treating her like a venomous serpent?

She was not wrong; Lady Gu was indeed avoiding her. In fact, it was not just her—Lady Gu chose to stay away from Consort Zhou, Consort Yu, and even Attendant Du. Lady Gu possessed a clear mind; she saw that Chu Qingwan had gained favor immediately upon entering the palace. In other words, such people were the most likely to stir up storms of blood and tragedy. She wanted no part of such trouble.

Unable to decipher the behavior, Chu Qingwan set her doubts aside. By the time she reached the Taihe Hall, it was already bustling. She glanced toward the upper seats; Consort Zhou had already arrived, but Consort Yu had not yet appeared.

She took her seat and realized that Lady Gu was sitting next to her. Lady Gu’s expression was awkward; she hadn't expected that after dodging her for so long, they would still end up sitting together, with no way to avoid it.

A sudden realization dawned on Chu Qingwan, and she asked with a dimmed gaze, "Does Lady Gu not wish to sit with me?"

Lady Gu awkwardly denied it, "No."

She said nothing more, however. Feeling guilty, she lowered her head and began peeling a lychee, using the fruit to keep her mouth busy so she wouldn't have to speak.

Chu Qingwan had no time to focus on her further, for she heard someone asking Concubine Su, "You and Beauty Chu share the same residence, so why are you always walking separately?"

Chu Qingwan frowned. Looking up, she caught sight of Lady Xiu casting a glance at her before slowly turning her gaze toward Concubine Su.

Concubine Su paused for a moment before lowering her eyes. "Fate is also a matter of chance between people." She spoke as if merely stating a fact, devoid of any emotion.

Lady Xiu sneered. What fate? When living in the same palace, it was only natural for those of lower rank to follow those of higher rank. "That you can live in the same palace is the rarest of fates." However, she did not dwell on Concubine Su; her target was not the Concubine. Lady Xiu glared at Chu Qingwan, lifting her chin. "Although Beauty Chu has not been in the palace long, you must still conduct yourself according to palace rules."

Chu Qingwan frowned slightly. Was she being accused of being unruly? But Lady Xiu seemed to have forgotten that although Concubine Su held a higher rank, she was not the mistress of the Zhaoyang Palace; there was no need for her to prioritize Concubine Su in all matters.

When someone is determined to target you, will they ever reason with you? Chu Qingwan did not argue, leaving Lady Xiu feeling as if she had punched a cloud. "Lady Xiu is right."

Consort Zhou watched from above. She shifted her gaze, pretending not to see Chu Qingwan being targeted, and curled her lips slightly. This newcomer was young and reckless, believing she could succeed on her own. She would have to suffer a few setbacks before she learned her lesson.

Lady Xiu looked coldly at Chu Qingwan. She was about to say something more, but catching sight of something in her peripheral vision, she swallowed her words and let out an ambiguous hum.

Lady Gu was not surprised that Chu Qingwan was being targeted. A tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind—such was the rule of the world, one that no one could escape.

Chu Qingwan looked down at her cup. It contained fruit wine; she did not touch anything that could be easily tampered with. She looked toward the unpeeled fruit, and just as she was about to pick up a lychee, she heard a sound from outside.

Nongqiu peered outside and, hearing something, turned back, looking worried. "It’s raining. What shall we do?" They had not brought umbrellas. Would they be drenched like drowned rats when they returned after the banquet?

Nongqiu did not dare to delay. "While the rain is still light, I will run back to get umbrellas so we don't have to worry later."

It was not just Nongqiu; other palace attendants in the hall were quietly slipping out. Chu Qingwan frowned and instructed earnestly, "Be careful yourself. Walk under the covered walkways; don't just foolishly stand in the rain."

Leaving the words, "I understand, Mistress," Nongqiu hurried out of the Taihe Hall.

Nongqiu trotted along, remembering her mistress's instructions to stick to the covered walkways to minimize getting wet. Before she could reach Yuqiong Pavilion, she met Little Mo, who had been sent to bring umbrellas.

As they exchanged the umbrellas, Little Mo breathed a sigh of relief. "Sister Chichun saw the rain and immediately ordered me to bring these."

Seeing that the rain was light, Nongqiu didn't bother opening an umbrella. She smiled and said, "Sister Chichun is always so thoughtful."

She did not continue chatting with Little Mo, remembering that she needed to return to serve her mistress. She clutched the umbrellas and ran back. As she reached the Imperial Garden, she heard a sound and couldn't help but turn her head.

At that single glance, her face turned deathly pale.

The banquet was about to begin, and because of the rain, even the guards had gone to seek shelter. The night was dark, and the area was silent, making it impossible to see the surroundings clearly.

In that silence, someone walked over. After glancing around surreptitiously, he waved his hand, and soon, others carried a corpse and threw it straight into a dry well.

That was the sound Nongqiu had heard.

The two men moved with practiced efficiency. Nongqiu finally snapped out of her shock, covering her mouth in terror. She knew that if they discovered she had seen this, her own life would surely be in danger. Just as the group was about to turn around, there was no time to hide, but suddenly, someone grabbed her and shoved her into a crevice between the rockeries.

Beside the dry well, the head eunuch, Lu Desheng, turned his head. He saw no one and frowned. Had he misheard?

Another attendant asked, trembling, "Master, can we leave now?"

Seeing no one, Lu Desheng put aside his suspicions and nodded, his expression somber. "Keep your mouths shut! If you lose your lives, don't blame it on anyone else!"

The attendant’s face also drained of color. With Lu Desheng’s permission, the two turned to leave. Lu Desheng lagged a step behind. With a dark look at the attendant in front of him, he picked up a stone from the ground and silently struck the man on the head. He lunged forward, covering the attendant's mouth to muffle any potential scream.

A long time passed, and the heavy rain began to pour, soaking their clothes completely. Only when the attendant in his arms stopped struggling did Lu Desheng release his grip. With a blank expression, he pushed the attendant into the dry well as well.

The rain washed away the bloodstains on the ground and rinsed the blood from Lu Desheng.

Nongqiu watched this from the rockery crevice, completely struck dumb, her face drained of all color.

I do not know how much time passed before Lu Desheng finally left. Nongqiu's hands and feet remained cold. Someone whispered to her, "Stop looking."

Nongqiu snapped back to reality. She turned to look at the person who had pulled her into the rockery, her eyes flashing with surprise. She recognized the attendant—it was Little Lu, the one who had guided her mistress when she first entered the palace.

Nongqiu lowered her voice. "Why is it you?"

Little Lu felt it was a stroke of bad luck. It was his turn to stand guard, and he had only sought shelter in the rockery to escape the rain. Who could have known he would be unlucky enough to stumble upon such a thing?

Little Lu also recognized Nongqiu.

Nongqiu fought back her terror and asked as calmly as she could, "What do we do now?"

Little Lu frowned. "I saw nothing."

In this palace, being blind and deaf was sometimes the only way to live a long life. He certainly knew who Lu Desheng was; it was precisely because he knew that he had to act as if he had seen nothing. As for exposing Lu Desheng, what evidence did he have? Wouldn't Lu Desheng just turn the tables on them?

Nongqiu understood his implication. She trembled all over, but gritting her teeth, she stood up and walked to the edge of the dry well. Little Lu frowned, not understanding why she would go look when she was already so terrified.

Nongqiu peered into the dry well. It was pitch black, and she could only vaguely make out two corpses. Her face grew paler, as if she might faint at any moment. She suddenly grabbed Little Lu's hand. "Do you recognize who she is?"

She could only tell that the first corpse thrown in was a woman.

Little Lu kindly reminded her, "Do not meddle in other people's business."

Nongqiu shook her head. "You can stand by, but my mistress may already be caught in this trap. I cannot pretend to be blind as well!"

Little Lu felt he shouldn't get involved, but Nongqiu looked at him with pleading eyes. "Eunuch Lu, please be a good person to the end and help me one more time."

Little Lu fell silent.