LF Chapter 23

Chapter 23: A Splendid Cage

The Emperor’s return to the capital was a grand affair, the procession moving at a snail’s pace. By the time they entered the palace, a crescent moon had already risen in the east, its starlight outlining the brilliance of the night sky.

Jiang Yinghua declined Your Majesty’s invitation, stepping out under the stars and moon, and left the palace gates with Yan Wanzhi, riding side-by-side on the official road for a short while.

Rarely, Yan Wanzhi took the initiative to speak: “Your Highness, something on your mind?”

Jiang Yinghua glanced at her, a wry smile on her face, and said: “In this capital, how many people are without worries?”

Yan Wanzhi knew her distress. She had intended to start a casual conversation, hoping to ease her burden, but she hadn’t expected this person’s defenses to be so strong, unwilling to reveal anything. She said nothing more, the horses’ hooves clattering on the bluestone-paved road, the sound echoing in the emptiness.

After a long while, Jiang Yinghua suddenly spoke: “Scholar Yan, are you occupied tonight? I wonder if you would do me the honor of returning to my manor for a cup of wine?”

Yan Wanzhi was somewhat taken aback by this sudden invitation, because she couldn’t imagine what matters they could discuss over wine. But a certain unspeakable anticipation welled up in her heart, urging her to agree to the person before her as soon as possible, as if doing so would bring her happiness.

After a moment’s hesitation, she cupped her fist and said, “It would be my honor to accept Your Highness’s invitation.”

Jiang Yinghua didn’t respond, only smiled slightly, cracked her whip, and quickened her pace. Seeing this, Yan Wanzhi followed her example and caught up.

The sudden return of Prince Zhao, who had been missing for over a month, filled the servants with surprise and joy.

Your Majesty had concealed her whereabouts and hadn’t blamed the servants, high and low. It wasn’t until yesterday that these people learned that the pampered young prince of the manor had actually gone to such a crude place as the North Garrison. They were all filled with emotion and heartfelt sympathy.

But Jiang Yinghua’s return was marked by a rare change in temperament. Meeting the eager gazes of the servants, she actually smiled sweetly: “What are you all standing around for? I want to drink wine. Prepare good dishes. Don’t neglect Scholar Yan.”

The servants scurried off to prepare the food and wine. Jiang Yinghua led Yan Wanzhi, not toward the main hall, but to the north garden of the manor, finding a quiet pavilion in the heart of the lake: “How is this place?”

“The evening breeze is gentle, the water ripples, it is naturally elegant and tranquil,” Yan Wanzhi replied with a slight bow.

The two chatted idly about the scenery for a few sentences as they sat down, and soon the wine and dishes were ready.

Perhaps influenced by her time in the military camp, Jiang Yinghua’s alcohol tolerance had increased, and she drank more heartily.

Yan Wanzhi was a little worried, not for her, but for herself. She was afraid of getting drunk, afraid that the sorrows in her mind might inadvertently spill out.

But as it turns out, she was overthinking things. Jiang Yinghua had a bellyful of secrets she couldn’t tell anyone, and she was once again getting herself drunk. On the surface, she had invited Yan Wanzhi for wine, but in reality, she only offered a token toast, gulping down her own share in hasty swallows.

At the banquet, when she was sober, she asked about the trivial matters that had occurred in the capital over the past month. When she was drunk, she couldn’t help but shed tears, two lines of clear tears streaming down her flushed face, involuntarily reminding one of a crabapple tree in spring, dotted with light rain.

Yan Wanzhi reached for a silk handkerchief, about to hand it to her, when she collapsed on the table and murmured: “Wanzhi, have you ever had a sister? What was your relationship like?”

Hearing these words, Yan Wanzhi’s hand froze in mid-air.

For many years, she had buried herself in tedious court affairs, her mind filled with consolidating the country for Your Majesty, with no time to spare day or night. All for the sake of escaping, escaping those horrific memories that were worse than death.

Today, she had imagined many words to comfort Jiang Yinghua, considered all sorts of topics she might ask about, but she had never expected her to mention her own sister.

Did she have one? Yes, she did.

She too had once had a complete, happy family. She should have been the most carefree youngest daughter in that family, protected by her parents, brothers, and sisters, living a life free of sorrow.

The year she turned nineteen, everything changed.

In an instant, she had nothing left. Her remaining life should have been swallowed by the waves flowing east into the sea, but Your Majesty had rescued her.

Yan Wanzhi looked at Jiang Yinghua’s drunken face. Her already fair complexion was even paler. That person was already drifting into sleep with tears in her eyes. Yan Wanzhi rose and gently called her, but she didn’t respond. Finally, Yan Wanzhi murmured, as if to herself: “I did, it was beautiful, and it hurt.”

A moment later, Yan Wanzhi walked out of the pavilion and beckoned to the attendant not far away: “Your Highness is drunk. Help her back to rest. I’m returning to my residence.”

By the time the guards carried her away, Jiang Yinghua had already lost consciousness. The sleeping face of the drunken girl was a rare sight of serenity.

Hua Yan followed closely behind, not with the usual worried look, but with a hint of other concerns, a glimmer of struggle in her eyes. Having been by Jiang Yinghua’s side since childhood, she knew her master’s temperament very well.

The next morning, Jiang Yinghua rubbed her aching head, unable to remember anything from the previous night. How strange, in just three days, she had blacked out twice.

Beckoning Hua Yan over, she hoarsely instructed: “Bring the green plum wine from under the tree and prepare it. I want to make some pastries for my mother.”

Hua Yan nodded in agreement, a complex expression on her face, and walked out. Jiang Yinghua, still drowsy and with a headache, didn’t notice her, nor did she detect Hua Yan’s worries.

The Empress Dowager liked pastries, but not overly sweet ones.

Jiang Yinghua had always been exceptionally good at pleasing people, but she was only willing to put her heart into it for her parents, brothers, and sisters.

These exquisite little snacks were one of the only two things she knew how to make. The other was the iced cheese that her father liked, but unfortunately, her father had already left her, and for years she couldn’t bear to hear those three words.

There wasn’t much green plum wine in the jar, and the amount of osmanthus-green plum cakes she made wasn’t much either. With the remaining osmanthus, Jiang Yinghua made lotus seed paste osmanthus candy. Thinking it was just right, she could divide the osmanthus plum cakes in half for her elder sister, the faint fragrance with a hint of alcohol being her elder sister’s favorite flavor.

Carrying the food box into the palace, she happened to run into Yan Wanzhi, who was returning from the Secretariat Council. Jiang Yinghua’s eyes crinkled in a smile as she stopped her: “Scholar Yan, stay your step.”

Hearing this, Yan Wanzhi paused her hurried steps and turned around. Seeing who it was, she stepped forward to pay her respects and softly said: “Does Your Highness have any instructions?”

Jiang Yinghua took the food box from Hua Yan’s hands, took out the bottom layer, and handed it to Yan Wanzhi:

“What good fortune, I just made some new pastries. I originally intended to deliver them to my elder sister myself, but since I’ve met you, I’ll trouble you. I still need to pay my respects to my mother, so I’ll go ahead. Take care.” With that, she threw the food box into Yan Wanzhi’s arms.

Hua Yan made a gesture to stop her: “Your Highness, you’ve taken the wrong one. That layer is the osmanthus-green plum cakes, aren’t they meant for the Empress Dowager’s Palace?”

Jiang Yinghua glanced at her: “Nosy. I made two plates, there was always one for my elder sister. Increasingly out of line.”

Yan Wanzhi obeyed and took the food box to Chengming Hall, while Jiang Yinghua took two maids and went to the Empress Dowager’s Palace.

Upon entering the hall, Your Majesty was lowering her eyes and handling affairs. Seeing Yan Wanzhi carrying a food box in and placing it on the table beside her, she was quite surprised: “What is this?”

“Your Majesty, this is a pastry that Prince Zhao asked me to bring to you, saying it was newly made, one for you and one for the Empress Dowager,” Yan Wanzhi said as she opened the food box, taking out a small dish of exquisite rabbit-shaped snacks.

Your Majesty casually picked up a piece to examine it. “That girl, always knows how to please people. She’s probably afraid of the Empress Dowager’s scolding.” She chuckled and put the pastry back, continuing to handle official documents.

The inner attendant waiting beside her quickly stepped forward. Logically speaking, food sent from outside the palace had to be tested. If Prince Zhao had come in person, they might not have dared to step forward, but since Yan Wanzhi was delivering it, they had to follow the rules.

The delicate silver needle was inserted into the white, soft, and glutinous pastry. Your Majesty glanced at it but didn’t say anything, but there seemed to be some displeasure in her eyes. The inner attendant was just performing his official duties and didn’t think much of it, about to put away the silver needle when, unexpectedly, the silver needle quietly turned black.

“Poison! It’s actually poisonous!” The little eunuch had never encountered such a situation before and, surprised, disregarded the rules and shouted out boldly.

Your Majesty raised her eyes in surprise to look. At this moment, Yan Wanzhi’s reaction was even faster. She hastily rose and said, “Oh no, Empress Dowager, I’ll go ahead.”

Your Majesty was still relatively calm, ordering behind her: “Don’t make a fuss. Bring Prince Zhao here, summon the imperial physician for the Empress Dowager.”

As Yan Wanzhi led people to the Empress Dowager’s Palace, she saw Jiang Yinghua kneeling aggrieved in the courtyard, the food box safely placed beside Hua Yan’s hand. Yan Wanzhi breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, Jiang Yinghua heard the rattling of the guards, who had completely surrounded her, and was very surprised as she looked at Yan Wanzhi, who was leading the people: “You, what are you doing?”

Yan Wanzhi very respectfully cupped her hands and asked, “Did Your Highness give the Empress Dowager the pastry?”

Jiang Yinghua shook her head in confusion: “I didn’t, my mother ordered me to receive punishment here, how could I give it to her? It’s right there, what’s wrong?”

Yan Wanzhi gave the guards a look, and the guards walked toward the two maids beside Jiang Yinghua. Just then, the Empress Dowager, hearing the commotion in the palace, came out to investigate the situation. She looked at the crowd and suddenly sternly said, “Hua’er, be careful!”

Jiang Yinghua subconsciously turned her head, only to see Hua Yan clenching a sharp silver hairpin in her hand, about to stab Jiang Yinghua’s neck. The distance between the two was less than half an arm’s length. Jiang Yinghua immediately lowered her waist and leaned back, doing a somersault and kicking her to the ground, snatching the silver hairpin. Then the guards held her down and escorted her away.

Although Jiang Yinghua’s reaction to save her life was quick, she was now full of bewilderment.

Hua Yan had grown up with her since childhood, how could she suddenly assassinate her?

Her hand clenching the silver hairpin was trembling, and she couldn’t speak properly. She just looked at Yan Wanzhi with confusion, hoping this person could give her an explanation.

The Empress Dowager had now walked into the courtyard. Seeing that Jiang Yinghua was fine, she didn’t say much, turned her head and asked Yan Wanzhi: “What’s going on?”

Yan Wanzhi bowed and softly replied: “Reporting to the Empress Dowager, I am under Your Majesty’s orders to invite Prince Zhao to Chengming Hall. The pastry just now was poisonous.”

Jiang Yinghua turned back in shock, looking at Yan Wanzhi with a look of astonishment, her eyebrows furrowed.

The Empress Dowager looked at Jiang Yinghua. Although she was a little frightened, she wasn’t stupid. She faintly ordered: “Go.”

She naturally knew that Jiang Yinghua would never be foolish enough to personally poison her mother and sister. Hua Yan’s impulsive actions had already given herself away.

If there was a problem with Hua Yan, the crux of the matter was actually on the Empress Dowager’s side. This person was originally the attendant that the Empress Dowager had personally chosen for Jiang Yinghua, still a palace servant brought back from the Yue Kingdom.

Jiang Yinghua stumbled all the way into Chengming Hall, somewhat apologetic and not daring to raise her eyes to meet people. Her legs went weak and she knelt before the steps, lowering her eyes and not saying a word.

Yan Wanzhi stepped forward and whispered a few words in Your Majesty’s ear. Your Majesty’s expression was faint. She turned around and walked down, standing in front of Jiang Yinghua and said sternly: “Your mother and I have taught you many times to act cautiously, why are you always so careless?”

Jiang Yinghua was still thinking about why Hua Yan had betrayed her, but now that she heard these words, she suddenly realized and her mind cleared up a lot.

Someone was clearly trying to use her to harm the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty.

No, it should only be the Empress Dowager, Your Majesty was the accident.

If that was the case, then what was the motive? And when did they start planning this?

As long as she could extract some clues from Hua Yan’s mouth, these problems would be solved.

Jiang Yinghua thought to herself, a trace of sorrow flashing in her eyes: “I was negligent and almost caused a great mistake. I beg Your Majesty to punish me.”

“Punish you? What crime should I punish you for? Matricide, intending to rebel? How ridiculous?” Your Majesty’s expression was a smile that wasn’t a smile, and her tone added a bit of coldness.

Hearing this, Jiang Yinghua woke up as if from a dream. If it wasn’t for Hua Yan’s impulsiveness, then this setup was clearly meant for the two sisters!

Suspicion, scheming, discord… In this way, it would be difficult for Your Majesty to regard her younger sister as a trusted subordinate. If something happened to the Empress Dowager, Jiang Yinghua would inevitably be punished, the sisters would be alienated, and who would be the beneficiary? What a vicious scheme.

Presumably, this was a disaster brought about by Jiang Yinghua gaining military power, which caused others to be jealous and worried. As long as there was some commotion, Your Majesty would have to give an explanation to the court, at least for the crime of failing to properly oversee her subordinates. How could she possibly go back to commanding the 90,000 imperial guards?

A slip of the hand can lose you the ship. Even though she made the food herself every time she sent it, she neglected that she ultimately relied on others for the selection of ingredients, and she never inspected the finished pastries.

Still too naive, too careless, Jiang Yinghua cursed her own stupidity in her heart.

During this thought process, her expression flickered, and Your Majesty saw it all. She reached out a hand and said faintly: “It’s good to have someone give you a lesson, think it through and get up.”

Jiang Yinghua didn’t rush to get up. She raised her head to meet Your Majesty’s gaze and requested: “I want to hear Hua Yan tell the truth in person, I beg Your Majesty to allow it.”

“Granted. Wanzhi, you go with her,” Your Majesty withdrew her hand and turned to instruct Yan Wanzhi.

The two left Chengming Hall and headed toward the Court of Retribution. On the way, Jiang Yinghua was dejected and said softly, “Thank you, otherwise, I would never be able to redeem my sins.”

“I didn’t do anything, it must be Heaven’s pity. The prison is bloody, Your Highness be prepared.” Yan Wanzhi had been in charge of the Secret Service for a long time and knew the methods there like the back of her hand. She was very afraid that this little princess wouldn’t be able to bear it.

This time, Jiang Yinghua nodded woodenly.

In just over a quarter of an hour, when they saw Hua Yan again, she was already a bloody mess, unrecognizable. When Jiang Yinghua went in, Hua Yan was being taken down from the torture rack and dragged out.

“Wait, I have something to ask her,” Jiang Yinghua struggled to endure the heavy smell of blood and stopped the jailer.

One of the jailers cupped his hands and said: “Your Highness, this person, in order to die quickly, has already injured her tongue and cannot speak. The confession has been compiled. This humble servant is acting under the Empress Dowager’s decree to dismember her alive.”

Jiang Yinghua clenched her hand in her sleeve, turned her head away and didn’t look again. Two long bloodstains were dragged on the ground. Jiang Yinghua looked into the duty room on the inside. The Empress Dowager was sitting upright at the table, probably reading the confession.

Jiang Yinghua walked over with heavy steps, supporting herself with one hand against the wall, and stared at the confession in the Empress Dowager’s hand and asked, “Mother, why?”

The Empress Dowager rarely had a trace of pity on her face. She raised her hand and brought the statement closer to the candlelight and said softly: “It was my negligence, I shouldn’t have assigned a Yue person to you. Forget about a maid who was coerced into colluding with rebellious parties.”

Jiang Yinghua stared at that ray of light and asked, “Uncle’s plan?”

The Empress Dowager did not speak, her eyes sank, and she closed her eyes slightly, which was considered a response. Then she looked at Yan Wanzhi and said, “Send someone to escort Prince Zhao back to the manor, you go see the Emperor with me.”