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While Jingfen was arranging the bonsai in the palace, her finger accidentally brushed against the Celadon Vase beside her, causing it to wobble and shatter on the ground with a loud crash.
She was slightly startled, her brows furrowing in concern.
Rumeng hurried over to clean up the mess. Once it was tidy, she said to Jingfen, "Your Highness, you should go to the Imperial Storehouse and fetch another vase."
"Replying to Her Majesty the Empress, the palace is wary of us servants taking things from the storehouse under our master's name, so Your Majesty must provide me with a token," Rumeng said softly, her head bowed.
Jingfen casually picked up her embroidered handkerchief. "Use this," she said, handing it to Rumeng with a calm expression.
However, after waiting for a long time, Rumeng did not return. Later, other concubines came to chat with her, and she temporarily forgot about the incident, engaging in light-hearted conversation about palace matters with a faint smile on her face.
After lunch, just as Jingfen intended to take a short nap, leaning against the couch and preparing to close her eyes for some rest, Zaitian stormed in with Huazhen and Rumeng, their faces filled with anger and urgency.
Huazhen threw a handkerchief onto the floor, her eyes challenging. "Sister, this handkerchief belongs to you, doesn't it?"
It was the same handkerchief that Rumeng had taken earlier. Jingfen nodded but hadn’t yet asked what was going on when Zaitian gritted his teeth and exclaimed, "As the mother of a nation, how could you be involved with a wild man from outside the palace!"
His eyes were wide with fury and disgust, his fists clenched tightly.
Jingfen was taken aback; her body trembled slightly as fear filled her eyes. Since childhood, Mother had taught her about propriety and virtue. She would never do such a thing—neither as an empress nor even as a commoner!
"You must speak with evidence as a ruler," Jingfen raised her head to meet Zaitian's gaze firmly. "I have always adhered to my duties."
"Adhered to your duties?" Zaitian sneered, a mocking curve at the corner of his mouth. "Then why is 'In heaven we wish to be like two birds' embroidered on your handkerchief? Who do you wish to be like those birds with?"
Jingfen froze. Picking up the handkerchief, she was stunned to see those very words embroidered in the corner. Her hands began to tremble as confusion and panic filled her eyes.
" Rumeng, what is going on?"
Rumeng knelt down, trembling uncontrollably as she spoke cautiously. "Your Majesty instructed me this morning to secretly deliver this handkerchief to a man outside the palace gates. I felt something was wrong and reported it to His Majesty."
Jingfen did not respond; she understood that she had once again fallen into Huazhen's trap.
Huazhen would go to any lengths to frame her as the Empress. A hint of despair flickered in her eyes as she bit her lip.
Rumeng was given to her by Huazhen last year. At that time, Huazhen had come to chat with her, smiling as she expressed interest in one of Jingfen's maidservants. Being kind-hearted, Jingfen had readily given Rumeng to her.
A few days later, Rumeng was sent over, and Huazhen laughed, saying that she couldn't let her sister go empty-handed.
Seeing Rumeng's graceful demeanor, Huazhen accepted her. At that moment, Jingfen realized that Huazhen's desire for a maidservant was merely a pretext; the real intention was to send Rumeng over.
When Empress Dowager Cixi heard the news, she rushed over with a dark expression.
To prevent the situation from escalating, she subjected Rumeng to severe interrogation. Unable to withstand it, Rumeng bit her tongue and committed suicide, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
Jingfen knew that what Huazhen sought was not just his heart but also the position of Empress. He would believe any accusation Huazhen laid upon her.
Because his thoughts aligned with Huazhen's—only Huazhen was worthy of the position of Empress. Jingfen's gaze dimmed, tears welling in her eyes.
Huazhen, hoping to elevate herself through motherhood, soon became pregnant. Zaitian was overjoyed, pacing excitedly in the palace with a beaming smile.
However, three months later, Huazhen suffered a miscarriage.
Zaitian investigated the cause and discovered a necklace under Huazhen's pillow. Holding the necklace, the imperial physician said gravely, "Your Majesty, this necklace has been infused with musk; it must not be touched by someone who is pregnant."
Zaitian's face turned an angry shade of blue, his eyes blazing with fury. He recognized the necklace—it was a gift from Jingfen when Huazhen announced her pregnancy.
He glared at Jingfen, who trembled in fear and fell to her knees with a thud, burying her head low.
"Empress, do you have anything to say?" Zaitian roared.
Jingfen shook her head gently. "I leave it all to Your Majesty's judgment."
She knew that only Huazhen herself knew whether she had truly been pregnant, and this incident was yet another scheme to ensnare Jingfen.
Jingfen knew that under Aunt's protection, she had narrowly escaped a disaster, but she did not want to argue. What occupied her mind was the thought of revenge; she was determined that one day she would repay the wrongs done to her. A flicker of resolve passed through her eyes as she clenched her fists tightly within her sleeves.
As she had anticipated, with Empress Dowager Cixi's intervention, the matter was quickly suppressed.
The best opportunity for Jingfen's revenge had finally arrived.
The Eight-Nation Alliance invaded Beijing, and Empress Dowager Cixi prepared to flee to Xi'an with Zaitian to escape the chaos.
No matter how Zaitian pleaded, Empress Dowager Cixi refused to take Huazhen along. Frowning deeply, she firmly rejected Zaitian's requests. To avoid any complications, Empress Dowager Cixi planned to have Jingfen and Zaitian leave the next day.
After so many years, Jingfen could finally be alone with Zaitian. She felt a mix of emotions, her gaze complex as she looked at him.
Before their departure, Jingfen addressed the Empress Dowager: "Consort Zhen has bewitched the court; since ancient times, beauty has brought disaster. Our royal family has suffered such heavy losses because of her." She slightly knelt, speaking in a calm tone.
Empress Dowager Cixi nodded. "It is time to put an end to this. I will leave her fate in your hands." A glint of ruthlessness flashed in her eyes.
Under the bright moonlight, a gentle breeze stirred a strand of hair from Jingfen's forehead, causing it to dance lightly in the wind. She gazed at Huazhen, who had long since fallen unconscious in her arms, a smile creeping onto her lips—one that held a hint of coldness.
An hour ago, she had blown sleeping powder into Huazhen's chamber through the window; now, Huazhen lay in deep slumber.
"Little sister, you forced my hand!" With that, Jingfen loosened her grip and threw Huazhen into the well behind the palace. Watching Huazhen's figure disappear into the depths of the well, her expression remained utterly unchanged.
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