LF Chapter 39
by VolareThe abandoned Xuanhua Palace was dimly lit by flickering candlelight. A slight, chilly breeze whistled through the dilapidated window frames, causing the shadows to dance.
Your Majesty waved away her attendants, looking at Jiang Yinghua, who stood eight paces away, and asked with some helplessness, “What on earth are you thinking?”
Jiang Yinghua clenched her cold fingers within the sleeves of her court attire, replying softly, “On the Mid-Autumn Night, what I sought was but ‘freedom.’ Since it is unattainable, fame and fortune are but fleeting clouds.”
Your Majesty scoffed, “That’s a far cry from the point. Let’s set aside these empty words of fame and fortune and first discuss today’s transgression. How should I punish you?”
Jiang Yinghua instinctively retreated another step, remaining silent.
Your Majesty was most displeased with her habit of trying to escape, and called out sternly, “Guards!”
As soon as the words left her lips, ten eunuchs entered the hall. Some carried benches and execution rods, ready to carry out orders, while two others held a tray containing a cup of clear wine. Your Majesty sneered, “Since Prince Zhao is unwilling to speak, choose for yourself between these two options.”
Seeing this display, Jiang Yinghua’s scalp tingled. Unwilling to humiliate herself, she steadied her mind and reached out to take the jade cup from the tray.
She secretly surmised that if Your Majesty truly wanted to poison her, there was no need for such elaborate measures. The wine must be a bluff. Thinking this, she unhesitatingly brought the cup to her lips.
A layer of frost had long since gathered in Your Majesty’s phoenix eyes. At the instant Jiang Yinghua tilted her head to drink, Your Majesty raised her hand and knocked the cup away. The wine that spilled on the ground even gave off some abnormal, smoky bubbles. It turned out that the thing in the tray was indeed a genuine cup of poisonous wine.
Seeing this, Jiang Yinghua was horrified, her eyes widening suddenly, unable to recover for a long time.
Your Majesty keenly captured her fear and thus guessed at the fortunate expectations she had held. Her anger flared even more, and she immediately summoned the guards, who mercilessly pinned Jiang Yinghua to the execution bench. Without the slightest hesitation, Your Majesty commanded sternly, “Strike!”
The court’s execution rods were unlike any other; many had died beneath them. The heavy wooden rod whistled as it slammed down, while another guard called out the count from the side: “Two… four… six…”
Jiang Yinghua was already unsettled, and suddenly being pressed onto the execution bench made her feel as though the world was spinning. Having been spoiled since childhood, she did not know the power of the rod. With just one strike, she felt her bones ache. Unable to withstand three strikes, she began to wail incessantly, screaming miserably, no longer caring about face or decorum.
When the counter had passed ten strikes, Jiang Yinghua’s purple court attire was already stained with patches of wet blood. Seeing this, Your Majesty raised her hand to stop the beating and asked coldly, “Were you wrong?”
Jiang Yinghua could only pant heavily, greedily taking in air, relieving the oxygen-deprived dizziness brought on by the relentless pain.
Seeing that she had no intention of responding, her eyes still hiding an indomitable arrogance and stubbornness, Your Majesty steeled herself and ordered, “Continue!”
Jiang Yinghua was caught off guard. The pain, after a brief respite, surged back twofold, and she could no longer bear it. A wave of panic washed over her, as she thought Your Majesty was going to beat her to death. Her psychological defenses had collapsed. She cried, tears streaming down her face, whimpering and begging for mercy: “Ah! Ah… I was wrong… ah!”
Your Majesty walked forward, waved away the eunuchs wielding the rods, and said in a clear, cold voice, “What were you wrong about? If you still want to return to the carefree life in the Northern Territory, think carefully before you speak. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind crippling you and keeping you.”
Jiang Yinghua sobbed and sputtered for a long time, but dared not delay, choking out, “I… shouldn’t have… messed… around, shouldn’t have… angered… Elder… Sister… Shouldn’t have spoken… disrespectfully, abused… my privilege. I… will apologize to… Empress… Mother.”
Jiang Jingche coldly watched Jiang Yinghua, who was trembling with sobs, and replied in a deep voice, “It’s good that you know your place.” With that, she signaled the palace attendants to carry Jiang Yinghua, bench and all, back to the Empress Dowager’s palace.
After this ordeal, Jiang Yinghua was utterly exhausted, body and mind. Fear and pain assailed her. After maintaining half of her consciousness to deal with the Empress Dowager, her head lolled to the side, and she fell into a deep sleep.
At this time, in the courtyard outside Chengming Hall, a figure in scarlet official robes was still kneeling bolt upright in the night. Calculating the time, the palace gates should have been locked long ago. Yan Wanzhi endured the soreness in her waist and knees, clinging to her last shred of consciousness.
It seemed that Jiang Yinghua’s performance in the great hall today had thoroughly offended Your Majesty. Now, Yan Wanzhi had been forced to write that rebellious “confession” for her, and had also been angered by Your Majesty. She was afraid that she would have to spend the night here.
Who told her to be Jiang Yinghua’s adjutant? Who told her to promise Your Majesty that she would guide Jiang Yinghua well? Who told her to seek out the task of persuading people in the Clan Court back then?
Just as she was thinking this, a group of palace attendants carrying palace lanterns led Your Majesty back. Roughly an hour had passed since Your Majesty left.
The person came and went like the wind, not giving Yan Wanzhi even half a glance. Yan Wanzhi could not guess how the two had resolved their conflict, nor could she estimate what Jiang Yinghua’s situation was at this time.
Anyway, it couldn’t be good. Having served beside Your Majesty for many years, Yan Wanzhi knew her temper. This person’s temperament could definitely not be described as magnanimous.
What hurt even more than her knees was Yan Wanzhi’s head. She racked her brains, thinking about how to comfort Jiang Yinghua when she returned. Even if they were sisters born from the same mother, she, as a minister, should not blatantly trample on the monarch’s bottom line in such a way. Beneath the supreme imperial power, flesh and blood were truly insignificant.
Jiang Yinghua was not stupid, but her fatal flaw lay in her emotional attachments. She was born in a towering palace and could empathize with the joys and sorrows of the people and soldiers, which stemmed from the fact that she herself was a person of emotion and cherished affection.
However, such a flaw, when placed in the most callous imperial court, became like a dull knife grinding away at a person. If one could not escape it, they would be filled with desolation.
Thinking of this, a deep sense of powerlessness welled up in Yan Wanzhi’s heart. Speaking of emotional attachments, she herself was also a foolish child deeply trapped in them.
Her closest relatives had been gone for many years, but she could never let go. What supported her as she toiled so arduously among the court officials and nobles was nothing more than the lingering attachment and longing for the lost affection in her heart, and the resulting determination to find the true culprit and avenge herself.
As she pondered this, Yan Wanzhi slightly closed her eyes, and a hazy mist swept over her, her eyelashes stained with a bit of crystal.
“Scholar Yan still has the mind to be sentimental?” Suddenly, a faint, cold voice came from above. Yan Wanzhi subconsciously raised her eyes and met Your Majesty’s gaze, which was as deep as an ancient well.
She immediately averted her gaze, lowering her head and daring not utter a word.
“Scholar Yan, are you covering up something for her? Think carefully before you speak.” Your Majesty stood with her hands behind her back beneath the eaves, her tone even, betraying no joy or anger.
Yan Wanzhi was deeply puzzled by this inexplicable question. She really could not fathom why Your Majesty would ask this. Jiang Yinghua had behaved reasonably well in the Northern Territory, and she had no need to conceal any important matters. Could it be that Jiang Yinghua had gone mad and acted like a biting rabbit in front of Your Majesty?
“I dare not deceive Your Majesty,” Yan Wanzhi said, bowing her head.
“Then it means you have not gained her trust at all. You have disappointed me greatly.” Your Majesty stepped forward, leaning down slightly and lowering her voice.
Yan Wanzhi did not know what this meant. Jiang Yinghua guarded against her openly, never avoiding it; Jiang Yinghua treated her kindly, and it was well known that she wanted her to be her daily companion. If she had to say that there was anything else she did not know, it was that Yan Wanzhi could not enter Jiang Yinghua’s bedroom, and Jiang Yinghua’s heart could only be opened by herself.
Thus, when she could not figure out Your Majesty’s intention, Yan Wanzhi could only remain silent.
Seeing that her goading was useless, Your Majesty could only offer a cold reminder: “Do you know that she resents me to the bone, daring to bring poisonous wine to her lips?”
Upon hearing this, Yan Wanzhi’s body trembled where she lay prostrate, her face buried in her arms already showing great shock.
She knew that Jiang Yinghua had been somewhat despondent lately, but she had never expected that such extreme ideas would arise in her heart out of disappointment. But what frightened and alarmed her the most was not Jiang Yinghua’s boldness, but the fact that Your Majesty had actually resorted to testing people’s hearts with poisoned wine.
Were these two sisters both mad?
Small conflicts could be resolved with a few words of advice. In this way, wasn’t she just adding fuel to the fire?
She was just a nineteen-year-old girl. Some willfulness and rebelliousness were inevitable. Why did Your Majesty have to do this, wasting her concern and pushing people further and further away? Suddenly, she understood the root cause of Jiang Yinghua’s sorrow and awkwardness. This kind of family care was too oppressive and too domineering.
“Are you mute?” Your Majesty was very dissatisfied with Yan Wanzhi’s silence and suddenly raised her voice.
Yan Wanzhi came back to her senses, “I have failed in my duty, Your Majesty, please calm your anger.”
“Indeed, you have failed in your duty. Prince Zhao will not leave the capital for the time being. As for you, go and ferret out the person behind the scenes.” Your Majesty hauled her up from the ground and ordered sternly.
Yan Wanzhi replied tremulously, “I obey the decree.”
“Get lost to the Hanlin Academy and stop being an eyesore here.” Your Majesty dropped these words and then swept back into the hall.
Yan Wanzhi felt relieved. Your Majesty’s words just now meant that she was still protecting Jiang Yinghua, so it seemed that the person’s situation was not too bad.
Yan Wanzhi secretly cheered herself on, determined to ferret out the troublemaker as soon as possible in order to restore Jiang Yinghua’s reputation. In this way, the guilt that Jiang Yinghua had borne for more than a year might also be removed, and the discord between the sisters could be eliminated.
Three days later, in a side hall of the Empress Dowager’s palace.
Jiang Yinghua was half-asleep, huddled on the soft bed. This time, she was seriously injured, and the high fever had continued intermittently for a long time. She was drowsy all day long, and could only lie on the bed, without even the strength to move.
Fortunately, the palace attendants were sensible and dared not provoke her. Moreover, the Empress Dowager had been lacking in energy recently, as if she were ill, and coupled with the awkwardness of the past few days, she had no time to pay attention to her at all.
It was originally not bad to be so at ease, but Your Majesty was on leave and had free time, so she visited the Empress Dowager and then came to find her.
Jiang Yinghua’s arrogance had been shattered by her, but she could not get over her awkwardness. Hearing the movements of the palace attendants outside, she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. Anyway, she could not get out of bed, so there was nothing to fault her for.
In broad daylight, the palace attendants announced her arrival loudly, and Your Majesty naturally knew that she was pretending to be asleep. Seeing that she did not move, she dismissed the palace attendants and stood in front of the bed, getting straight to the point: “On one hand, you keep saying that you don’t care about fame and fortune, but in the great hall, you did not forget to protect your face, denigrating Lou Official thoroughly. This self-deceiving, heedless habit of yours is getting more and more out of hand.”
Like an ostrich, Jiang Yinghua buried her head in her arms, shrinking her body towards the inside of the bed, wishing she could wrap herself in the brocade quilt so that no one could find her.
That day, listening to her uncle-in-law’s accusations, Jiang Yinghua felt particularly wronged.
Especially when Qiao An’s passing was mentioned, her heart felt as if it had been pierced by ten thousand arrows. Although she did not have to worry about food and clothing, and even without the title and honor, she could still be free and stable with her background, she could indeed regard money and glory as dung.
But she could not let go of the battles she had fought with all her heart, which had only left behind the officials’ misunderstanding and scolding. And the erasure of all these achievements stemmed from the one-and-only Emperor in front of her.
“I have no intention of wasting time with you. Seven days from now, at noon, on the tower of the main south gate of the Imperial City, I will be waiting for you.” Your Majesty left these words and then strode away. The unmoving Jiang Yinghua was really annoying. She was afraid that she would not be able to control herself and would stir up her anger again, so she had to leave as soon as possible.
Seven days was neither long nor short, and she felt that time flew by when she lay in bed recovering from her injuries. Trapped in the deep palace, with the palace attendants’ mouths tightly sealed, she knew nothing about what was happening outside. Therefore, she could only drag her half-healed body, limping along, and ascend the Imperial City tower as that person had ordered.
At the highest point of the tower, Your Majesty was already sitting behind a table, waiting for her.
Before she approached, she raised her eyes and scanned the area below the tower. It was a dark mass of people.
Looking closely, she saw that the open space in the middle was the execution ground. There were several people in vermilion and purple robes, as well as yamen runners surrounding the execution ground and several death row inmates and executioners with execution stakes waiting for beheading.
She was too close, and Jiang Yinghua recognized the leader among them with a glance. It was Prince Yun’an, who had rebelled independently, their only uncle. In an instant, Jiang Yinghua seemed to understand why Jiang Jingche had ordered her to come here, and she felt that her feet were filled with lead, heavy and unable to lift, and unwilling to take another step forward.
“Hua’er, come over.” At this time, Your Majesty, a few steps away, called her in a faint voice, clear and without any waves.
Under these circumstances, Jiang Yinghua was very cowardly. She moved her steps and limped slowly forward, bending over to salute.
Your Majesty stood up from her seat and raised her hand to stop her: “Spare the formalities.” With that, she grabbed her wrist and stood on the edge of the city wall, her gaze fixed on the people in the execution ground below, but she spoke to Jiang Yinghua: “Do you know why the Empress Mother is ill?”
Jiang Yinghua shook her head woodenly: “I do not know.”
“She once promised her maternal grandfather that she would protect his only son for his entire life. Now, this person has harmed the country and rebelled, hurting the Empress Mother’s heart. I originally gave him an imperial decree, leaving him a complete corpse, but the Empress Mother insisted on beheading this person to show the others.”
Your Majesty explained slowly, speaking of killing people as if they were ordinary household matters.
Jiang Yinghua allowed herself to be dragged along, listening to these words, lowered her eyes and focused her gaze on the dust on the gray bricks of the wall, unwilling to look at the gloomy execution ground. This method of killing the chicken to scare the monkey made her unbearable.
“Hua’er, remember this. When court officials disobey, they cannot cause any waves for the Emperor. But if the relatives who are wholeheartedly protected disobey, it is more than just disheartening; it is like a betrayal that cuts through the heart.
I heard from the Empress Mother that you have many complaints about me. Everyone has a different style of doing things. You may not approve, but in this position, as long as I am still the Emperor of Da Chu and your elder sister, you have to listen to me, understand?”
Jiang Jingche was very close to her, and her words were light, blowing into Jiang Yinghua’s ears, but they were deafening. Before she could respond, Your Majesty suddenly reached out and tugged at the collar of her neck, ordering coldly: “Look, I called you here today to watch the execution, what are you hiding from?”
Being pulled over, Jiang Yinghua unconsciously raised her eyes and happened to see the moment when those heads rolled to the ground, dripping with blood, and the execution ground was immediately filled with blood. Jiang Yinghua had been on the battlefield, but she had never seen the scene before. Unlike the tragic amputation of limbs on the battlefield, the scene at the execution ground made people feel cold all over, and the fear from the bottom of her heart swept through her body.
She gasped sharply and turned away, and under the skin covered by her robes, goosebumps rose instantly.
Her reaction seemed to be within Your Majesty’s expectations. At this moment, Jiang Jingche, watching the heads of Prince Yun’an’s party roll to the ground, felt that a great hidden danger had been removed, which was a rare delight. She turned her gaze back and fell on Jiang Yinghua again, turning her to face herself, and her voice softened a little: “The words I asked you just now, you don’t intend to answer?”
Jiang Yinghua was stunned for a moment, trying to digest the horror just now. Recalling the words before the bloody scene, she quickly said: “I understand, I will be obedient.”
A hint of smugness flashed in Your Majesty’s eyes, and she pulled her towards the bottom of the tower, threatening as she walked: “No matter where you are in the future, remember this, your face is the face of the royal family, it is my face. If you dare to act recklessly again, falsely accuse yourself, I will not spare you.”
Jiang Yinghua only felt that the person in front of her was like a ghost. Still in shock, she dared not delay and could only answer softly, “Yes.” After saying that, she stopped speaking.
Seeing her following behind in a respectful manner, Your Majesty also restrained her previous sharpness and comforted her softly: “Hua’er, you are still young. A girl of less than twenty, claiming to be grown up, is actually childish. I can tell you the feeling of being alone and widowed, but you won’t understand. As time goes on, there will always be a day when you understand completely. I only hope that when you reach that time, you won’t have to regret it.”
This should be considered a method of slapping someone and then giving them a sweet date.
Although Jiang Yinghua knew it well, in order to make herself feel better and escape from her clutches as soon as possible, she could only maintain a well-behaved appearance: “I will keep Your Majesty’s teachings in mind.”