Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Yanxi Palace.

He Xiurong stood before the dry well, her breath ragged and her face flushed with a mix of fear and anger. She could hardly articulate her feelings—terror mingled with fury.

Who could have dared to leave the bodies so close to her palace?

The thought that two corpses lay not far from where she had peacefully slept sent a chill coursing through her.

The pallid, waterlogged corpses were covered with white cloths. The moment He Xiurong laid eyes on them, she retched violently. When Consort Zhou arrived, her curses pierced the cold night air:

“To commit such a heinous act on the Mid-Autumn night—may they suffer a lifetime of loneliness and misery!”

Consort Zhou had already been restless, and the commotion only worsened her headache. Irritated, she snapped, “Be quiet for a moment!”

Still trembling from fright and now scolded, He Xiurong’s indignation only grew:

“It’s easy for the Consort to say! The bodies weren’t dumped in your Chaohe Palace; naturally, you can pretend it’s none of your concern!”

Her harsh words were also an attempt to clear her own name. After all, the bodies were found near her palace, and as the lady of Yanxi Palace, she could hardly avoid blame for negligence.

It was at that moment that Chu Qingwan and Xu Yanheng arrived.

The sight of the corpses drained the color from Chu Qingwan’s face. She turned away, nausea rising violently. Grabbing Xu Yanheng’s sleeve, she forced him to stop as well.

The others heard the noise and turned to look. Consort Zhou swallowed her scolding of He Xiurong and cast her a cold glance.

He Xiurong did not notice. Upon seeing Xu Yanheng, tears streamed down her face like pearls broken from a string. Her crying was pitiful and heartbreaking:

“Your Majesty, you must stand up for me! I have no idea which scoundrel dared to dump the bodies near Yanxi Palace. It is clearly ill-intentioned!”

She held a position only one rank below Song Zhaoyi, who bore the Crown Prince, and her status was not solely due to the Empress Dowager’s favor. To see her so frightened and weeping in front of Xu Yanheng was proof of her genuine terror.

Gripping Xu Yanheng’s sleeve, her jade hairpin teetered precariously, its dangling pearls brushing her ear as she sobbed, eyes pleading.

Xu Yanheng, slightly annoyed at having his sleeve pulled, glanced at her sharply:

“You are a palace lady as well—don’t make a fool of yourself.”

He Xiurong was struck dumb. Was she to be the only one allowed to appear fragile and delicate? It seemed unfair.

She immediately let go, tilted her head to wipe away her tears, voice choked:

“I apologize for my outburst.”

Xu Yanheng ignored her. Having been roused from sleep, his mood was sour; he had no patience to comfort anyone else.

The only one who shared Xu Yanheng’s feelings was Chu Qingwan. She had waited a long time before going to bed, and just as she finally fell asleep, this distressing news came—truly tormenting.

Chu Qingwan released Xu Yanheng’s sleeve and glanced toward the dry well, where a group of consorts stood, their faces pale and expressions uneasy.

She wondered why, if they were so frightened, they still chose to come out. Had she not received the news with Xu Yanheng, she would never have ventured out in the dead of night.

Xu Yanheng’s face turned cold:

“Is this some famous scenic spot that you all have to come running out in the middle of the night?”

The group fell silent instantly, sensing the irritation in his voice. They shrank back, realizing that their impulsive gathering had drawn the Emperor’s notice.

The bodies, soaked overnight, were now barely recognizable. Xu Yanheng frowned.

The autopsy and official examination would be left to the imperial physicians and coroner. Xu Yanheng merely cast a glance before turning and entering Yanxi Palace, the closest to the scene. He Xiurong hurried after him.

Chu Qingwan glanced sideways at Nong Qiu, who shook her head silently—she had not seen the eunuch who dumped the bodies.

Soft lantern light, like gentle rain, illuminated Yanxi Palace.

Xu Yanheng sat at the main seat, his expression cold and detached as he asked, “What exactly happened?”

Consort Zhou had been silent since his arrival. Now, she sighed:

“It was one of Zhang Yunu’s maids who discovered her missing and reported it to Chaohe Palace. I was about to send someone to search when news came that bodies had been found near Yanxi Palace.”

He Xiurong felt a lump in her throat. Finding the bodies was one matter; why mention Yanxi Palace at all?

Xu Yanheng twisted the corner of his mouth, his tone unreadable:

“A palace lady missing for so long before anyone reports it?”

Consort Zhou, perceptive to his displeasure, barely furrowed her brows.

Inside Yanxi Palace, Zhang Yunu’s maid knelt and wept as she defended herself:

“When I realized my mistress was missing, I searched the vicinity immediately. Only after she failed to return all night and could not be found did I dare report to Your Highness.”

She had hesitated to report immediately, fearing that if her mistress returned shortly after, it would unnecessarily disturb the Emperor and Consorts.

Everyone understood this unspoken reasoning. They wondered if the tragedy could have been avoided had the report been made sooner, but without certainty of an accident, a late return hardly warranted troubling the high-ranking consorts.

Consort Qiu looked around and, seeing no one else speak, asked, “Who discovered Zhang Yunu’s body?”

Consort Zhou pressed her temple, apparently bothered, before answering:

“It was a palace servant on duty today.”

The palace servants who sweep fallen leaves usually start before dawn to clear paths before their masters appear. The servant on duty today had just reached the dry well when a faint scent of blood caught her attention. Peering in, she nearly fell into the well from fright.

Without delay, she reported it, leading to the current scene.

Li Meiren murmured softly, “Could she have fallen in by accident?”

Chu Qingwan involuntarily twitched her lips. There was more than one body in the well, and one corpse bore wounds—clearly not a mere accident.

Xu Yanheng did not even bother to look at Li Meiren.

He Xiurong shot her a sharp glare. “If you’re foolish, better to stay silent than make a fool of yourself.”

Consort Zhou turned to Xu Yanheng and quietly said, “I have already sent someone to question the palace servants on duty yesterday.”

Xu Yanheng gave a faint nod.

Soon after, someone was brought in. Chu Qingwan recognized the person as the young eunuch who had guided her when she first entered the palace. She exchanged a glance with Nong Qiu.

The incident had occurred near Yanxi Palace, and He Xiurong, eager to clear her name, hurriedly asked:

“You were on duty yesterday—did you see anyone acting suspiciously?”

The young eunuch’s face was bitter: “Your Highness, yesterday it rained heavily, so I took shelter and truly saw nothing unusual.”

Receiving no information, He Xiurong scowled fiercely at the eunuch.

Suddenly, a voice spoke up: “Speaking of suspicious behavior, my palace maid mentioned something to me.”

Everyone turned to look at Consort Du. Chu Qingwan met her gaze and was momentarily taken aback, a faint frown appearing.

What could this possibly have to do with her?

Consort Zhou also noticed, raising an eyebrow. “If you have something to say, do not hide it.”

Consort Du hesitated, as if debating whether to speak. Chu Qingwan inwardly scoffed—if she truly wished to keep silent, why look at her so intently?

After a long pause, Consort Du frowned and said:

“At last night’s banquet, my palace maid went back to fetch an umbrella and happened to see Chu Qingwan’s palace maid heading toward a secluded area. She found it odd and mentioned it to me.”

Nong Qiu was stunned, unable to believe the suspicion could fall on her.

Chu Qingwan thought it absurd, but as all eyes turned to her with doubt, she forced her emotions down and furrowed her brow slightly:

“It rained yesterday, and I instructed my maid to avoid getting wet by taking the covered walkways. I never imagined this would arouse suspicion from Consort Du.”

Nong Qiu bowed and defended herself: “My mistress was concerned for me, so she told me to use the corridors. If Consort Du’s maid truly saw me, she would surely have noticed this.”

Consort Du simply replied:

“Is that so? But I recall that when your maid returned yesterday, she appeared to have changed clothes.”

If she was avoiding the rain, why change her garments? It seemed suspicious.

Nong Qiu was momentarily at a loss for words.

At that moment, a trembling voice spoke:

“If I may explain, I was rushing to avoid the rain yesterday and accidentally bumped into this lady, staining her clothes. She kindly did not blame me.”

Nong Qiu did not expect the young eunuch to speak up for her.

She still remembered how, after revealing Zhang Yunu’s identity to her yesterday, the eunuch had warned he would not interfere.

Thus, she was not surprised by his testimony.

Though the eunuch was older, Nong Qiu followed a well-known mistress and accordingly accepted being called “elder sister” by him.

Consort Du frowned; what a coincidence.

Chu Qingwan lowered her eyes, offering no grievance, only a faint smile: “I did not expect Consort Du to be so concerned about one of my servants.”

Xu Yanheng lifted his eyes, glancing at her. He recalled what the women had said earlier that night—before the official greeting the next day, the subtle machinations and difficulties had already begun.

Consort Du’s face stiffened. She bit out, “Perhaps I was overthinking. I hope Consort Chu will not take offense.”

Chu Qingwan’s tone was cold:

“I bear no ill will toward Consort Du, but I hope she will think twice in the future. If it weren’t for my servant’s testimony, I fear I could not have cleared my name today.”

Nong Qiu glanced subtly at the young eunuch, who did not raise his head.

Chu Qingwan discreetly squeezed her hand, calming her heart.

If Gu Meiren were here, she might have sensed something amiss in this exchange. Yet Gu Meiren never involved herself in such affairs and had not come to Yanxi Palace.

Consort Qiu, recalling Consort Du’s earlier disrespect toward her, was pleased to see her put in her place.

Lu Baolin, observing the situation, interjected lightly, “Why of all places, Yanxi Palace?”

Her remark drew the group’s attention back to Yanxi Palace, conveniently shifting focus away from Chu Qingwan.

He Xiurong’s face changed:

“What do you mean, Lu Baolin?”

Lu Baolin bowed gracefully: “Your Highness, please do not be anxious. I only wonder if the culprit chose Yanxi Palace to dump the bodies precisely to frame you, or if the crime was committed nearby. If it were truly your doing, would they choose this location to discard the bodies?”