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"Damn it, how do you walk?"
I lowered my head in fear and murmured, "I'm sorry, Sister."
Consort Wang glared at me with resentment and said arrogantly, "What’s wrong? Usually, you have Xie De Fei backing you up, so you’ve gotten used to being so arrogant. You little hussy, if Xie De Fei can seduce men, then you’re no better. Today, let me show you what it means to know your place." With that, she raised her hand to slap me.
I let out a cold laugh, intending to turn my face just enough for the slap to sound loud enough to satisfy her vanity while allowing me to avoid it with minimal pain. However, before her expected hand could even reach halfway through the air, it was intercepted by a pair of slender, fair hands.
Consort Huan lightly glanced at Consort Wang and said calmly, "Sister, what’s the big deal that makes you want to resort to violence? There are too many troubles in this palace already. It’s better to avoid unnecessary conflict."
Consort Wang angrily withdrew her hand and gritted her teeth as she replied, "Sister is fortunate to be favored by the Emperor. I’m not as lucky as you—" She then cast a meaningful glance at the string of prayer beads hanging around Consort Huan's neck.
"You flatter me," Consort Xian replied without any sign of anger, her expression as calm as the statues I had seen in temples. I secretly admired her composure and open-mindedness.
She possessed an aura that seemed untouched by the world, as if she did not partake in earthly affairs. Looking at her elegant features, I suddenly understood why Sima Rui held her in such special regard. While everyone in the palace sought wealth and status by flattering the Emperor, she quietly stood by his side, offering him support and her deepest love. I found myself admiring this woman; in this era, such a woman could be considered truly great.
They naturally had no idea of my thoughts. Seeing Consort Xian present made Consort Wang reluctant to take out her anger on me. She said dismissively, "You got lucky this time. Hmph." With that, she turned away with a serpentine sway of her waist. Yun Ying followed behind her, casting a worried glance at me. I smiled slightly at her to reassure her.
With the troublemaker gone, I rubbed my wrist where I had scraped it when I fell earlier and respectfully thanked Consort Huan, who stood nearby smiling at me. "Thank you for coming to my rescue, Consort X."
"It’s nothing. Just a small effort," she replied while glancing worriedly at my arm. Her voice softened with concern as she added, "You must have hurt yourself. I happen to have some excellent ointment; come with me to Xiao Tiao Palace and let me apply it for you."
I hurriedly replied, "No need for that! It's fine! I'll just have a eunuch apply some medicine when I get back."
She maintained her calm tone but smiled even more warmly. "What? Are you afraid I might take advantage of you?"
"That's not it, Firefly didn't mean that." I just wanted to go back and ask Azure Thorn for some medicine to apply; I'm not that delicate of a woman. But since she said it, I couldn't refuse. After thinking it over, I finally relented, "Alright then, thank you, Your Highness."
"What are you saying? We're sisters; there's no need to be so polite." I felt her smile was unusually warm, making me a bit shy to look at her. Normally, Consort Huan wouldn't be here at this time. And it's surprising that she would meddle in my affairs and help me out. This is quite an unusual occurrence in the palace, and I felt a bit flattered.
I chatted and laughed with Consort Huan as we made our way to her Xiao Tiao Palace. We mostly discussed Buddhist philosophy; Consort Xian seemed particularly interested in this topic. Fortunately, I had studied some Buddhist concepts to please Yaya earlier. At one point, I accidentally mentioned some ideas from the famous Western work, The Divine Comedy, and she immediately perked up with interest. After tending to my minor injuries, she kept asking me about hell, Purgatory, heaven, angels, and demons. It was quite exhausting for me. It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky that I finally took my leave.
As I was leaving, she smiled at me and said, "Do come visit your sister often."
I could only nod in response.
As I reached the door, I couldn't help but wonder why I hadn't seen Yaya all day. I casually asked the steward who had been sent by Consort Huan to escort me out, "This steward, why haven't I seen any sign of Yu Jieyu? I've heard she's been studying Buddhist philosophy with Consort Xian."
He hesitated for a moment but eventually whispered to me, "Consort Jie, it’s true that Consort X used to favor Miss Yu and often taught her about Buddhism. However, according to a servant's report, one day Miss Yu remarked that discussing Buddhism was too dull and that eating vegetarian food and chanting every day was boring. When these words reached Consort X's ears, she sent Miss Yu away. This servant dares to speak of this today; please do not take it seriously."
I maintained a calm exterior, but inside I was alarmed: how could Yaya be so indiscreet? Now she had crossed a line with Consort Xian; surely she wouldn't be able to win her favor again.
Excerpt from The Affairs of Women in the Harem, Chapter Six.
"Sister, you should tell the Emperor the truth; perhaps he will be merciful and forgive you and Brother Sheng. Also, this illegitimate child should be dealt with—please listen to me this once?"
Xie De Fei looked at her calmly and cried out, "No way, Yan'er! The Emperor must never know; if he finds out, he will kill me and Sheng. He might even wipe out our entire clan!"
"But—" Yan'er was nearly in tears with urgency. "Deceiving the Emperor is also a death sentence!"
"My dear sister, please help me this once; don't tell the Emperor or anyone else. I'm begging you, Yan'er." Xie De Fei knelt down, sobbing uncontrollably.
Yan'er looked at her sister, who was pleading desperately, and her heart softened. Reluctantly, she said, "Alright, I promise you. But you must also promise me to get rid of the child in your womb by tomorrow."
"Okay. Thank you, Yan'er." Yan'er did not notice the fleeting coldness in Xie De Fei's eyes.
Naively, Yan'er never imagined that her own sister would go so far as to secretly kill her to protect the secret of the child she carried with that man. The plan was executed perfectly because Yan'er had no defenses against her. As a result, everything went smoothly. Yan'er's death was deemed a suicide by everyone, and no one suspected her sister.
The more Consort Wang read, the more alarmed and excited she became. Wasn't this a living example? Wasn't Xie De Fei the same as Consort Xie, who was currently in Sky Prison? Yan'er—could it be that Consort Wang recalled a woman who had been favored by the emperor ten years ago? She was innocent and beautiful, kind-hearted, but soon after, she inexplicably committed suicide. Could it be that she wasn't a suicide victim at all but was murdered in a conspiracy, and that murderer was none other than Consort Xie, who was now imprisoned?
Consort Wang felt a thrill of excitement at her own cleverness and insight. No, I must tell the emperor; he will surely praise my intelligence, she thought.
The mere possibility made her eyes sparkle with anticipation.
"Consort, this is just a story plot; it is purely fictional. What concrete evidence do you have to prove that the person mentioned here is indeed Xie De Fei?"
"Your Majesty—" Consort Wang was so anxious she could hardly contain herself.
After Yun Ying's prior warning, I conveniently appeared here. Seeing Consort Wang on the verge of breaking down, I respectfully lowered my head and said, "Your Majesty, I do have a way to verify whether what Consort Wang says is true."
"Oh? Tell me," Sima Rui said, looking at this usually low-key consort with interest.
On this dark and windy night, for some reason, it felt particularly cold. Xie De Fei curled up in a corner, silent. So cold. I wonder what Shen Lang is doing right now.
"Sister, sister, Yan'er died so painfully—" Suddenly, a chilling wind swept through, causing Xie De Fei to shiver as if she heard a faint voice that sounded so familiar.
A white figure floated by, accompanied by a silver bell-like laugh: "Sister, shall we swing together?" That pure and clear voice reminded Xie De Fei of long-ago childhood memories. When they were young, she and Yan'er were so close; they would tie swings together in the yard and play happily. Back then, Yaner's voice was just as melodious as a lark's song.
If it weren't for being forced into the palace by him later, everything would not have turned out this way. Xie De Fei clenched his fists in the darkness, feeling a deep sense of unwillingness, unwilling to have not avenged himself, to have lost everything. The person he loved, the family he protected, the power he cherished.
At that moment, a white figure suddenly hung in mid-air. Xie De Fei raised his eyes slightly and saw the pair of shoes that Yan'er loved to wear. The white figure suddenly turned fierce: "But you killed me, you killed me—"
Xie De Fei looked up and saw Xie Wanyan with her hair disheveled, blood streaming from her seven orifices, dressed in white, floating in the air, gazing at him with a fierce look.
"Ah—" A piercing scream from Sky Prison shattered the tranquility of the moonlit night.
Xie De Fei's face was filled with terror as he shrank against the corner wall, murmuring, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to harm you, Yan'er, I didn't mean to harm you..."
I looked calmly at this woman who was on the verge of madness. Her hair was messy, her clothes slightly dirty, completely devoid of her usual noble elegance. She sat there, laughing one moment and crying the next, her expressions bizarre as if she were possessed by some kind of madness.
Sima Rui observed this seemingly respectful and humble little woman beside him and couldn't help but recall what she had said a few days ago in the Imperial Hall: "This servant has heard that what one thinks during the day will appear in dreams at night. If Consort De truly harmed my Aunt, then she must feel immense guilt in her heart; over time, she would surely find it hard to sleep at night. This servant has also heard that when a person dies with grievances or cannot close their eyes in death, their soul lingers on earth and does not disperse. This servant knows such notions are absurd, but for those who harbor guilt or feel guilty, how would they react upon seeing someone who should have died but still appears before them? This servant has always been curious about this."
So today's scene serves as proof of what she said—to see what kind of reaction would unfold. If Xie De Fei harmed that innocent girl back then, she would surely be plagued by nightmares and fear; if not, there would be no reaction at all.
But now it seems that the person in the Swaying Green Robes had foreseen this. I wonder who that person is and how they could know everything about matters within the palace so clearly. Sima Rui smiled enigmatically; if that person did not possess prophetic abilities, they must be deeply entrenched within the palace. It was uncertain which possibility was true.
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