Chapter 32: A Matter of Life and Death

Chapter 32: A Matter of Life and Death

The servants and eunuchs in Fuhua Palace were completely replaced over two years ago. Those newly appointed were either directly chosen by the despised Emperor or meticulously selected by his people. Therefore, Zhuyan never thought that the Empress’s investigation into internal and external collusion would involve people from Fuhua Palace.

Xiangcao was taken away by Yang Xin on the third night.

Zhuyan was not alerted at the time. She had been awake for two to three days straight and finally passed out that night. She only learned about this the next day at noon when she woke up.

“They just said it was for questioning.”

“What kind of questioning requires taking someone away?” Zhuyan looked at Qu Gu.

“Before Xiangcao left, she asked me to tell you that Zhiyu from Chonghua Palace was arrested.”

“Zhiyu?” Zhuyan felt unfamiliar with the name, but since Xiangcao specifically left this message, there must be a reason. She suddenly remembered that Wei Shuren once sent a message asking for her help. Could this Zhiyu be the person Wei Shuren entrusted?

Realizing this, Zhuyan became anxious. The despised Emperor was known for implicating and displacing his anger. If Zhiyu was associated with the Wei family and was discovered, it would be like 'pulling out the radish and bringing out the mud.' Xiangcao would be that 'mud' and hence taken away.

The Emperor might even suspect that the reason she knew that secret was because Wei Shuren had informed her. As the messenger, Xiangcao would certainly not survive.

“Where is Xiangcao now?” Zhuyan urgently asked.

“I sent someone to inquire. Last night, she first went to Qianyuan Hall to see the Emperor, and then she was taken to the punishment cell,” Qu Gu replied. It was because Xiangcao was sent to the punishment cell that she decided to inform Zhuyan.

Xiangcao had grown up with Zhuyan, and during the major upheaval in Fuhua Palace over two years ago, she was the only servant who was spared.

All the others from that time, their graves are now overgrown with weeds.

Hearing the words "punishment cell."

Zhuyan felt as if struck by thunder, anxious and alarmed, "I must go to the punishment cell immediately."

"Your Highness, you are still under house arrest," Qu Gu quickly reminded her, then whispered, "Xiangcao somehow got involved in a collusion case with Wei Shuren. As for Zhiyu from Chonghua Palace that Xiangcao mentioned, I found out that she was executed in the punishment cell last night after receiving corporal punishment."

Most who enter the punishment cell cannot withstand the torture.

Zhuyan's face turned pale. Once someone is taken to the punishment cell, it's rare for them to come back in one piece. The only people who can extract someone from there in the entire Forbidden Palace are the despised Emperor and Empress Liu. Xiangcao had visited Qianyuan Hall before being sent to the punishment cell, and Empress Liu certainly wouldn't want to intervene.

Realizing this, Zhuyan suddenly looked up at Qu Gu and asked, "Qu Gu, I'm under house arrest. If I want to see the Emperor, tell me, what should I do?"

Upon hearing this, Qu Gu suddenly knelt down, "Your Highness, after I passed your message last time, the Emperor told me that if you ask to see him, your house arrest order can be immediately lifted."

Hearing this, Zhuyan's expression did not show happiness; instead, it turned extremely grim, ending in a cold laugh, "You've been leading me into a trap all this time."

"I dare not, everything I do is for Your Highness."

Qu Gu hurriedly pleaded guilty and advised, "I only hope that no matter what, Your Highness should speak to the Emperor face-to-face. It’s better than keeping it all inside. Besides, since the Emperor said this, he must be very willing to see you. Meeting him could soften his heart. Maybe if Your Highness pleads with the Emperor, not only Xiangcao but perhaps even the Fourth Prince could be brought back."

The distance from Fuhua Palace to Qianyuan Hall is not far, about a quarter of an hour by palanquin.

Zhuyan had not walked this path for over two years.

She thought she would never set foot on it again.

Since the birth of the Fifth Prince on a sunny day, the sky had been clear and the southern wind gentle. The early summer afternoon sun carried a hint of heat. Zhuyan waited under the steps of Qianyuan Hall, for the steward Zhang Zhongguo to announce her presence.

On this outing, Zhu Yan only brought Qu Gu with her.

Whether it was to save Xiangcao's life or to reclaim her son, Zhu Yan knew she had to come, had to walk this path. As for the outcome, she dared not think too far ahead.

Each minute of waiting was agonizing.

Time passed, but Zhang Zhongguo did not appear.

"Your Majesty," Qu Gu saw Zhu Yan turning to leave and hurriedly held her back.

"Wait here for me," Zhu Yan said, pushing away Qu Gu's hand, her usually relaxed gaze now filled with rare determination.

Qinzheng Hall was located to the left of the main Heqing Hall, mirroring Yangxin Hall on the right. Zhang Zhongguo had mentioned the Emperor was in Qinzheng Hall. Zhu Yan ascended the steps, walking along the corridor to the left, stopping at the entrance of Qinzheng Hall, looking up at the wide-open doors and the beaded curtain inside, pausing for a moment.

Suddenly, she walked in, lifting the curtain, the crisp sound of beads chiming as she entered the hall.

"Lady Zhu, without summons, you may not enter," the two eunuchs guarding the door realized and hurriedly chased after her to stop her.

"Lady Zhu, you... you've come."

Standing to the left of the Yanyi case table inside the hall, Zhang Zhongguo turned and saw Zhu Yan, his heart skipping a beat, then feeling relieved. Her direct intrusion was quite in line with her character. After all, since he had gone in to report, at least a quarter of an hour had passed. That she could wait patiently for so long was already a miracle.

As a servant, Zhang Zhongguo wasn’t in a position to comment on Lady Zhu's actions. He only glared at the two eunuchs who had rushed in, failing to guard the door.

He then turned to the Emperor, who was standing in front of the Yanyi case table, and knelt down with a thud. Since his arrival to report, the Emperor had been silent, neither agreeing to see Lady Zhu nor refusing, his expression cold, continuously writing, the atmosphere around him growing increasingly tense, like the heavy silence of a snowy winter day.

This made him dare not move, only able to stand by.

When Lady Zhu burst in, he clearly noticed the Emperor's hand holding the pen pause, his thoughts racing in that moment. Zhang Zhongguo quickly knelt to confess his fault, "Your Majesty, I am at fault for not controlling the situation. Please punish me."

Seeing the chief eunuch kneel and confess, the two eunuchs almost instinctively knelt down and kowtowed to admit their guilt.

The overlapping pleas for mercy shattered the silence, creating a noisy clamor.

"Silence! All of you, get out," the Emperor commanded.

With that stern order, all voices instantly vanished without a trace.

Steward Zhang quickly scrambled up and hurried out, taking two unfortunate souls at the door with him.

Silence returned to the hall.

After more than two years, Zhu Yan returned here, but she couldn't afford to look around. Since entering, her gaze was fixed on the Emperor, who stood before the desk, his face cold as frost, his eyes chillingly stern, more dangerous than the day he left Fuhua Palace, exuding an ominous aura she had never seen before.

Looking at the Emperor like this, Zhu Yan felt an inexplicable fear rise within her, sensing imminent danger as if standing on a cliff's edge, where a single misstep could plunge her into an abyss of no return.

Zhu Yan took a deep breath to steady herself, walked to the front of the desk, and knelt down with great difficulty. Lifting her skirt slightly, she bowed deeply, "Your servant greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live for thousands of autumns and enjoy endless happiness."

"Thousands of autumns and endless happiness?" A cold laugh came from above, "You should indeed hope for my long reign, otherwise, you wouldn't even know how you might die."

Zhu Yan kept her head bowed to the ground, clenching her fists, then releasing them. At least the Emperor didn't wish for her death. Slowly, she raised her upper body, hands folded before her forehead, without retort, "I know I am guilty, deserving of death, hence I dare not plead for mercy."

"All I wish is for Your Majesty to consider our young son, Tian Tian, and allow me to raise him to adulthood. From now on, I will close myself within my palace, speak cautiously, and avoid contact with other consorts." Zhu Yan assured, keeping the big secret she knew from other consorts, and wanting to glance at the Emperor's reaction, she heard his questioning reply.

"Is that all?"

In a tone devoid of any discernible emotion, Zhu Yan felt her heart pounding as if drums were beating inside. There was a calmness so profound that it felt oppressive, like a storm brewing. She involuntarily lowered her head, lacking the courage to look at the Emperor, and pleaded, "Xiangcao knows nothing, please, Your Majesty, spare her."

"Gone?"

"Gone." No sooner had Zhu Yan replied than a sharp sound echoed – a pen crashing forcefully onto the golden brick floor. Her heart skipped a beat. Closing her eyes momentarily, she felt a gust of wind. When she opened them, the Emperor had swiftly moved from behind his desk to her side, holding her chin.

Zhu Yan instinctively tried to pull away, but her chin was gripped tightly, rendering her immovable. As she was about to push his hand away, she heard him speak, "The guilty maid Zhiyu from Chonghua Palace belongs to Wei Shuren. Xiangcao, as the intermediary messenger, deserves death, even if she knew nothing."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yan's eyes widened in shock as she met the Emperor's furious gaze. His eyes, sharp as blades, sent shivers down her spine. He questioned her, "Do you know that Zhiyu revealed herself voluntarily? Wei Shuren, unable to wait for your message, planned to drag you down with him. Zhiyu insisted she told everything to Xiangcao, so Xiangcao must die."

Zhu Yan felt it absurd, her emotions surging uncontrollably. She blurted out, "Does that mean I must die too?"

"Ayan, don't force me."

"If Your Majesty insists on Xiangcao's death, you might as well kill me first."

The moment she spoke, Zhu Yan sensed a dramatic change in the Emperor. Instantly, he became extremely dangerous, his demeanor oppressive. His eyes, filled with cold ruthlessness and defiance, fixed on Zhu Yan, "Are you threatening me?"

Zhu Yan was about to say she dared not, but found herself unable to speak. Her neck was suddenly grasped tightly, the discomfort intense. She had forgotten the Emperor, who ascended the throne at nineteen, was unrestrained and proud, like a wild horse never held back.

How could he ever be threatened.

Years into his reign, his authority had only grown.

Compared to Consort Deng and Consort Wei, even if the Emperor didn’t wish for her death now, discovering the palace's deep secrets meant a grim fate. From Xiangcao's inevitable death, it was clear that this was a hurdle never to be overcome. Whether now or in the future, death or madness awaited her.

Better a swift, decisive action than a slow, painful end.

Life and death hung in the balance.

For her, perhaps it was a release.

She could never adapt to the constraints of this imperial palace.

From initial struggle to eventual surrender, it took only a few moments for Zhu Yan. Her breath became difficult as her neck was grasped; her pale face turned a flushed red, like a blooming peach, as if rouged.

The Emperor gazed at her exquisite beauty, a fragile neck that could break with a twist. Her struggling caused her robe to slightly open, revealing her neck's fair skin, creamy like jade. This reignited memories of intoxicating fragrance and warmth. His grip involuntarily loosened.

Eyebrows like willow leaves, eyes like autumn waters.

Dew on clove, cherry lips parted.

A familiar, intoxicating fragrance enveloped him, igniting an uncontrollable desire. Warm and delicate, he embraced her, lost in a whirl of passion and seduction. He wished he could merge her into his very being, inseparably, but her lips' fragrance and the half-undone robe revealed a shy moonlight.

When Zhuyan regained her composure and could breathe again, her first reaction was overwhelming shame and anger. She reached out to push the person on top of her away. As she looked up, she saw the rising desire in the despised Emperor's eyes and wanted to flee, hearing his heavy breathing, "You still don't want to."

Zhuyan’s neck was in severe pain, and she did not respond.

Her body and actions conveyed her refusal; she tensed up and continuously leaned back and tried to move away. She was unwilling, even though... even though she had once been frivolous in this very room. That was in the past. Just as she was about to knock over a lampstand beside her, she heard faint footsteps outside.

"Who's out there?" the Emperor asked sharply.

Zhang Zhongguo's voice came from outside, "Your Majesty, it's me. Lady Shen has brought you some cooling sweet soup."

The Emperor looked down at Zhuyan and said embarrassingly, "You leave."

Zhuyan, feeling like she had been granted a reprieve, hurriedly pulled her clothes together, covering herself securely, not minding the step-shake and pendants that fell to the ground, and fled the room.

Just as she crossed the bead curtain, accompanied by the tinkling sound, the Emperor's command followed, "Let Lady Shen come in."

Zhuyan's steps faltered upon hearing this, and as Zhang Zhongguo acknowledged the order, she quickened her pace, crossing paths with Lady Shen under the corridor, but did not stop.

"Your Highness," Qu Gu saw Zhuyan's disheveled appearance and the startling red mark on her neck, gasped in shock, and quickly stepped forward to support her, "What happened, did the Emperor..."

"Don't ask, just help me tidy up," Zhuyan interrupted Qu Gu in a hoarse voice, leaning weakly against her, "We're going to the punishment cell now."

She wanted to check the testimony of the servant Zhiyu from Chonghua Palace.

Since the Emperor still didn’t wish her dead, she would go to the punishment cell to watch over Xiangcao, using her past influence in the palace to at least prevent Xiangcao from being tortured.

Having just skirted the edge of life and death, she felt that in that moment, the Emperor truly harbored a murderous intent towards her.

He genuinely wanted her dead.

"If this herb can save her life, she must find a way to get her out of the palace."

Author's Note: