Chapter 38: Peering into the Inner Court

Chapter 38: Peering into the Inner Court

The Capital.

In Chongyangfang, adjacent to the Imperial City, a carriage stopped in front of the mansion of Chongyang Princess. A frantic, noblewoman in her twenties hurriedly alighted and rushed into the princess's residence.

"What did you say?"

Chongyang Princess, facing Linchuan Princess who had suddenly visited her, was in disbelief, "The palace maid from Fuhua Palace who died, the box of pearls found in her room, you had it placed there?"

"Sister, lower your voice," Linchuan Princess shrank at her sister Chongyang's glaring eyes, frightened.

"Sister, you really are bold,"

Chongyang commented with astonishment. Her sister, usually timid and fearful, had surprisingly committed such an act, "Even I dare not meddle with Fuhua Palace, yet you boldly framed someone."

"I had no choice, Deng Lang told me to do it."

"He told you to do it, and you just did? Are you out of your mind? Don't say it's all for the Deng family. Even our aunts and Sister Xiangyang didn't step in. Why did you? Are you brainless, or did you get kicked by a donkey?" Chongyang furiously scolded, "Even if the Deng family collapses now, what does it have to do with you? You're a princess; just change your prince consort if needed. At the very least, you could have saved your daughter, if not your son. Why get involved in their mess?"

Linchuan's face was filled with bitterness as she muttered in defense, "I thought at the time, it was just a palace maid, no harm..."

"Yes, just a palace maid. Everyone thought entering the Imperial Prison meant certain death, but unexpectedly, even with conclusive evidence against her, this palace maid was exonerated and posthumously honored. Even Yang Xin, highly favored by the Emperor, was dismissed. So, you panicked," Chongyang immediately pinpointed the issue.

"Sister, you must help me," Linchuan Princess pleaded, grasping Chongyang's hand.

"How can I save you?"

"Sister, you've always had prestige among us, and you are of the same mother as the Emperor..."

Hearing this, Chongyang, instead of feeling flattered as usual, shook off Linchuan's hand and interrupted, "Yes, I am more esteemed than our sisters, but my fief and allowance were granted by our father. The Emperor only gave me the title of Senior Princess."

The standard for princesses of the dynasty was an allowance for 500 households.

Of the late Emperor's eleven daughters, the seven who survived, Chongyang was the most favored.

"If my mother were alive, I might have followed my aunt Longyang Senior Princess's example and meddled in the inner court affairs. But my mother was a beauty doomed to a tragic fate."

Chongyang dared to say this, but Linchuan did not dare respond.

Chongyang then said, "I grew up with the Emperor, I understand him better than you. To cross him is to court death." At most, she dared to present beauties to the Emperor or occasionally stir up minor troubles.

"Sister, what should I do?" Linchuan cried in desperation.

Chongyang didn't want to get involved, especially with the palace's recent unsettling atmosphere. She hadn't even left her residence, let alone entered the palace. But seeing Linchuan's pitiful state and her pleas, she asked, "Is the person you found still alive?"

"Still alive, a palace maid from Fuhua Palace."

"You are daring indeed, to have planted your own person in such an impenetrable place," Chongyang was surprised.

Linchuan repeatedly waved her hands, "It wasn't me, it was the Deng family's doing."

The involvement of the Deng family was not surprising.

Chongyang scoffed and shrugged, "If it were a maid from any other palace, you could've found a way to kill her quietly before anyone noticed, to ensure dead men tell no tales. But it's someone from Fuhua Palace; even I can't handle that. Sister, you'd better pray for your own fortune."

"So, you really won't save your sister."

"The most I can do is not report you," Chongyang stated. Her silence was already a gesture of sisterly affection, "You should leave now. Don't let your affairs delay you here."

Linchuan's eyelids drooped, tears perching on her long lashes, about to fall, "That box of pearls came from the Wei family and is somewhat related to you."

"What does it have to do with me?"

Chongyang, just lifting her head, suddenly felt a jolt in her heart. Remembering an old incident involving the Wei family, she had once given a box of pearls to the then Consort Wei. Widening her eyes in disbelief, she pointed at Linchuan, "You're trying to drag me into this."

After Zhu Yan entered the palace and became uniquely favored, Chongyang, while Zhu Yan was pregnant, had sent her a box of pearls as a gift. But Zhu Yan had declined it, saying it was too extravagant. Annoyed, Chongyang ended up giving the pearls to Consort Wei.

Seeing Linchuan not denying it.

Suddenly, Chongyang stood up, startling Linchuan, who thought Chongyang was going to attack her. She quickly tried to explain, "It's not about dragging you in, I just hoped you would..."

"Shut up," Chongyang snapped, shouting outside the pavilion, "Someone, prepare my carriage. I'm going to the palace."

"Chongyang, what are you doing?" Linchuan, realizing something was amiss, tried to stop her. Contrary to what her husband Deng Lang had said, Chongyang wasn’t going to collaborate with them to resolve the issue with the palace maid.

"You got one thing right; I'm different from you,"

Chongyang gave Linchuan a cold look, "At least I have more sense than you. I'm a Senior Princess. Unless I commit treason, given my birth from the same mother as the Emperor, and out of respect for our late parents, the worst I'd face for any misdeed is a scolding. The Emperor won't truly hold a grudge against me, especially for something like this. I'll go to the palace and explain everything to the Emperor."

"You can't leave."

Linchuan, in a panic, tried to stop Chongyang but was evaded. As she watched Chongyang leave, Linchuan's heart raced with anxiety. She ran after her, trying to intercept her, but they both ended up falling to the ground with a thud, drawing the attention of the servants waiting outside the pavilion.

It caused quite a commotion.

Chongyang, Senior Princess, had a large bump on the back of her head, furious yet ignoring Linchuan. She had the palace physician dress her wound and, despite the pain, went straight to the palace with a swollen head.

At Liu, the Empress's Fengyi Palace, Chongyang was relieved she came without delay, as Ling Zhao, a palace maid from Fuhua Palace, had already confessed and was kneeling outside.

"What happened to your head? How did you get hurt?" Empress Liu first expressed concern upon seeing Chongyang.

"Don't ask. I was almost silenced by Linchuan," Chongyang exaggerated, then recounted her sister's visit, without embellishing the facts. Though she was angry at Linchuan, she didn’t wish her dead, "Sister-in-law, I think Linchuan was coerced."

She even spoke in Linchuan’s defense.

"You should discuss this with your brother," Empress Liu shook her head, baffled by the Deng family's actions. It was like they were deliberately handing over a handle against themselves, "It seems when heaven seeks to destroy, it first makes mad."

Empress Liu had a physician summoned to check Chongyang’s head, then accompanied her and Ling Zhao, the kneeling palace maid, to Qianyuan Hall.

Inside the Qianyuan Hall, Chongyang, encountering the newly appointed Dali Temple Vice Minister Qiu Yuyang, shivered, recalling her husband's description of him as hawk-eyed, wolfish, harsh, and unkind.

Qiu Yuyang, previously the magistrate of Chenzhou, was known for his ruthless methods and strict enforcement of law, instilling fear and respect, but was labeled as a cruel official by the literati.

Qiu Yuyang's appointment to the capital was due to the aging Dali Temple Minister Fan Ning and his ineffectual deputy, Yan Zhou, known for his leniency. The Emperor reassigned Yan to Honglu Temple and appointed Qiu as the new Vice Minister.

Qiu Yuyang’s arrival in the capital sent shivers through the elite.

Now facing Qiu Yuyang, Chongyang could only sigh at her misfortune. The literati's attempts to ostracize him would likely fail, especially with his handsome appearance, which she was sure the Emperor would favor.

If Qiu proved to be exceptionally capable, he might quickly rise to prominence, possibly becoming the next Linghu You, the Imperial Secretary.

After returning, she knew she must warn her husband to steer clear of this ruthless man.

"…I've long heard of Minister Qiu's reputation for not shying away from the powerful. Now that you're in the capital, there's no need for timidity. Go ahead with your duties; you have my full support. I grant you the right to report directly to me in the palace. Take charge of the Dali Temple and make it an effective arm of my administration, unlike the past when it was unresponsive."

"Your Majesty, I shall do my utmost to repay your great favor."

Qiu Yuyang, about to take his leave, heard the Emperor call him back, "Just in time, there's a matter here you should hear." He then turned his attention to the entering Empress Liu and Chongyang.

Empress Liu's report was brief, having apprehended the person involved and reported it to Qianyuan Hall. Chongyang, however, repeated everything she'd told the Empress to the Emperor without covering up for Linchuan.

Chongyang dared not look up at her brother's reaction.

Empress Liu added, "The palace maid is outside the hall, Your Majesty may wish to question her."

"No need," the Emperor said indifferently, "Hand her over to Minister Qiu for interrogation. The Empress need not intervene further. Arrest Linchuan Princess and Deng, the consort's husband, on charges of spying on the inner court."

Qiu Yuyang acknowledged and took the detained palace maid Ling Zhao away.

Chongyang, feeling a chill, turned pale and tried to speak but was cut off by the Emperor, "Chongyang, return home and take care of your health. Stay put in your residence for now, no more meddling or acting like you can influence everything."

"But, brother, you're wrong about me," Chongyang protested.

"Have Doctor Lin check your head thoroughly to avoid complications," the Emperor instructed, referring to the court physician specializing in external injuries.

Hearing this, Chongyang suddenly clutched her head, exclaiming, "Ouch, my head hurts terribly!"

The Emperor, finding her act unconvincing, felt exasperated. He thought she was spoiled by their father and not very astute. He quickly dismissed her, eager to visit Fuhua Palace, recalling the Empress mentioning that Ling Zhao had been brought to Fengyi Palace and not yet informed Zhu Yan.

Author's note: