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墨書 Inktalez
The bottom of the fan is not a peach blossom face, and the moon in the well does not reside at the bottom of the well.
Xing branches make a fuss in the spring night, and the golden sun spreads the peach petals red.
After a brief "ding ling" sound, a bright figure stepped into the hall. Consort Zhaohua walked gracefully, her ornaments jingling. Her jet-black hair was coiled into a spiral bun, and she wore a colorful ensemble of red, blue, orange, green, and pink. She held a white jade fan in her delicate hands, covering her face, revealing only her captivating eyes. As she entered the hall, she bowed and greeted, "Sister Noble Consort."
Noble Consort Cao offered a seat cushion and instructed a maid to bring fruits, smiling and calling out, " Xiaoyu has arrived." Meng Xiaoju handed the fan to the maid and said, "Emperor just bestowed this thing to me, and I heard that Noble Consort sister had a headache, so I came. I see this fan is exquisitely embroidered, so I brought it to you." As the fan moved away, her face, more dazzling than her colorful attire, left people dazzled. She continued, "I heard that yesterday, Emperor sent some guards to your courtyard, perhaps they were unclean, causing you to catch a chill. Your headache seems similar to the one you had a few years ago due to the same reason."
Cao Rongyue took the fan and smiled faintly, "It's true, I don't quite remember. It seems that when Emperor went on a northern expedition, my maids in the palace took a nap, and I enjoyed the cool breeze for a long time, which led to my headache, almost not making it here."
Consort Zhaohua's eyes seemed to have grown thorns, first pricking Tao Hong by Noble Consort's side, then looking at Noble Consort, her voice inexplicably softened: "Yes, sister, there is a maid here. That day, she happened to see a guard coming out of your palace. Otherwise, sister wouldn't have known."
At this moment, in the blazing sunlight, the beautiful Consort Zhaohua sat in a cluster of golden light, her shadow falling on the couch, tugging at Noble Consort's sleeve. Noble Consort Cao closed her eyes, her dark eyes moved towards her, saying, " Xiaoyu, you care about me so much. When did you start sending people to guard my palace? That night, when I couldn't breathe, I called for the imperial physician, it was probably that time. Speaking of which, I also have a folding fan, a gift from His Majesty, I will return it to you. Tao Hong, go to the first drawer of that cabinet and bring it here."
Meng Xiaoju nodded and smiled, "Most likely, it's as sister said. Perhaps, there are others who remember even more clearly than you and me. But these are not important. What's important is for sister to recover from her illness first. These days, the wind is indeed strong, many flowers in the palace have been blown off."
Tao Hong returned with a round fan, lowering her head as she handed the fan to Consort Zhaohua. Although it was also a round fan, it was made of wood, and the carved patterns were not particularly exquisite. Meng Xiaoju smiled with her eyes and took the fan, holding it close to her heart as if it were precious. "I prefer this one from my sister; it can create a good breeze," she said. Cao Rongyue replied, "As long as you like it, it's fine. It can't compare to your delicate one. Take a look at this sword; the Empress Dowager sent it, saying it has wind evil and should be used to suppress it." Meng Xiaoju tapped the blade with the handle of the fan and said, "Sister, this blade is not sharpened. If there are evil spirits, can it really suppress them?" Cao Rongyue frowned slightly and pondered, "Then I will order someone to sharpen the blade. I'm just worried that my maids might get hurt and bleed."
Meng Xiaoju stopped smiling and said, "Sister, I have some matters to attend to in my palace, so I must take my leave. If you are able to move around, come out for a walk. I have some dried fruits and freshly delivered tea from Huizhou Mountain for you to try." Cao Rongyue responded, "Alright."
Consort Zhaohua then returned. Tao Hong stayed in The Noble Consort's Palace until afternoon when she heard that the Emperor was coming to have dinner with Noble Consort Cao, so she hurriedly left. The heat from the floor tiles had subsided, and the sound of her shoes on the ground was cool. Many groups of maids and eunuchs crossed paths at the intersection. As she reached one corner, the crowd suddenly became noisy. Tao Hong saw their astonished expressions as they exclaimed, "A maid has died!"
Tao Hong felt a cold hand grab hers, startling her so much that she almost jumped off the ground. "What's wrong with you? Why do you look like this after coming back from Consort Cao?" Xing'zi's voice relieved her anxiety. Under the oil lamp, Tao Hong's face turned pale, but she just shook her head.
As the sky darkened, many maids rushed back to take a break, boiling water, eating, changing clothes. The room was filled with warm mist and lively chatter. A few maids gathered around, discussing the corpse found in the palace garden. They said the person lay among the flowers, and at a glance, it looked like a red flower blooming on the ground. The detailed descriptions made Tao Hong cover her ears and shiver lightly.
Xing'zi, who was eating hot porridge beside her, leaned in and patted her back gently. Tao Hong suppressed her voice and whispered, "I'm scared, Xing'zi... I'm so scared! I saw the face, it was Consort Zhaohua's person, it was..." Xing'zi interrupted, "Who? You don't know them, and neither do I. If we don't know them, they don't count as people. Don't think about it, don't listen." But Tao Hong had seen Consort Zhaohua during the day at The Noble Consort's Palace, and heard many things. How could she forget and not think about it? The juxtaposition of Consort Zhaohua's stunning figure with the miserable bodies of the maids made Tao Hong feel colder and more frightened the more she thought about it.
A voice came from the side, cutting through the air towards the two of them: "I know both of you. You are both from Consort Cao's people." Looking for their maid, with white powder on her face, named Guizhi, and had a quarrel with Xing'zi. At this time, she made things difficult, saying, "So you two stick together and ignore the rest, especially you!" She glared at Xing'zi and continued, "But don't get too pleased with yourselves. I heard that Noble Consort has made a mistake this time and can't save herself." Xing'zi coldly cursed, "I advise you not to speak anymore. Do you know who dies the fastest? Those who are too talkative!" Guizhi angrily laughed, "I will say it anyway, you deserve to die! Noble Consort is cheating, there are witnesses. She betrayed the emperor and will die without a complete corpse! Your fate won't be any better! The night you went out, you might have followed your mistress to cheat as well!" Xing'zi, in anger, retorted, "You are a festering sore! You say these things here, with so many people around, do you think it won't be spread by others? What witnesses? Saying whatever you want out of thin air, does that count as a witness? Shut your mouth, be careful of your life!" Unable to argue, Guizhi's neck and face turned red, and in a fit of rage, she raised her hand to strike, but was dragged away by the other maids. The commotion attracted the attention of the matron, who punished Xing'zi, Tao Hong, and Guizhi by making them carry water for the whole night. Each person had to carry three loads, or they couldn't come back to sleep. Guizhi was furious, Tao Hong kept her head down and remained silent, while Xing'zi said coldly, "The matron also listens to rumors. But she just doesn't know which source it came from."
In the dim light of the oil lamp, the old maid laughed, her aged eyes resembling thin black nails as they fixed on Xing'zi. "Do you think I, an old woman, wouldn't dare to move you? You may have climbed high branches, but with so many people climbing, who knows if they still remember you? If you don't carry enough water today, don't even think about coming back!"
Tao Hong grasped Xing'zi's arm anxiously and urged, "Xing'zi, please stop saying that! I'm begging you!"
Xing'zi lifted her chin defiantly. "If I have to carry it, then I will! Tao Hong, let's go together and fetch the water." Tao Hong was pulled along as she grabbed two bamboo poles and ran outside. It was pitch dark, and the ground was hard to see; she carefully lifted her dress and followed quickly. As they ran, Tao Hong couldn't help but shake Xing'zi and pleaded anxiously, "Xing'zi, when we go back, you must apologize! The old woman isn't bad; if you just plead with her, you won't have to carry so much!"
Xing'zi ran fast, breathing heavily. Her breaths were rough, but if one listened closely, they could detect a hint of laughter mixed in. She turned to Tao Hong and said, "Don't believe what I just said; I was just saying that for their sake. I was worried about how to get out of there. Come on, let me take you somewhere."
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