Chapter 16: Demoted to Attendant Lady

Chapter 16: Demoted to Attendant Lady

Rivalry

Luanming Palace - Intoxicated Sparrow Pavilion

Su Jiaojiao, red-eyed, knelt before the Empress, her delicate frame as graceful as a willow yet held perfectly straight. Beside her knelt Miaoyu, who also wept like a delicate flower in the rain, utterly aggrieved, begging the Empress to see the truth.

The Empress couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

The palace servants sent to investigate yesterday came up empty-handed, with no one noticing anything unusual. The servants of the Intoxicated Sparrow Pavilion trembled in fear, stating that Lady Ji's daily necessities had passed through more than one person’s hands, and no single servant had the chance to touch them alone, let alone any servants from another palace.

She had the entire Luanming Palace searched thoroughly, yet not a trace of the poison that harmed Lady Ji was found. Whether the culprit was too deeply hidden or the poisoned person was exceptionally cunning, it was done so secretly that no one noticed.

After Lady Ji woke up and heard about the poison and its catalyst, and that no clues were found, she was utterly despondent and immediately pointed the finger at Miaoyu, claiming that Miaoyu resented her favor and planned to disfigure her to eliminate a rival.

Lady Ji and Miaoyu were both newly favored concubines, and it was reasonable for them to secretly compete.

But Miaoyu vehemently denied it, saying she minded her own business with Lady Ji, never having quarreled or disputed, so why would she harm her? Moreover, Miaoyu enjoyed greater favor from the Emperor, so she had neither the need nor the motive to do so.

The two had been confronting each other in the palace for a long time, causing the Empress a great headache.

It would not do to frame someone based solely on Lady Ji's words and imagination. Without evidence, as the Empress, she had to uphold justice.

But it was true that Lady Ji was poisoned, and the mastermind behind it had not been found.

This incident had caused a great uproar, and regardless, a conclusion had to be reached to quell the storm and stabilize the royal family and her own authority as Empress.

Unexpectedly, in her desperation, Miaoyu dragged Su Jiaojiao into it, claiming that Su Jiaojiao must know something, or at least could clarify what had happened.

In truth, the Empress knew that Su Jiaojiao had not been involved in this mess.

But Su Jiaojiao had just been newly enfeoffed and was attracting attention the day after her first night with the Emperor, making her a rising star. Since she couldn't be used by the Empress, it was worth smearing her reputation a little to diminish the Emperor's favor for her.

Thinking this, she invited Su Jiaojiao and the Emperor together, so that regardless of who was right or wrong, the Emperor would have the final say.

Su Jiaojiao, with tear-reddened eyes, was actually lowering her head slightly, pondering the current situation.

Earlier in the morning, Noble Consort Wang had already pointed the finger at her, and her explanation was reasonable and convincing, clearly accepted by the Empress. But tonight, she was brought here again, and even the Emperor was invited.

The implications of this move were intriguing, and Su Jiaojiao couldn't help but think more about it.

When she allied with Consort Mi, it was known throughout the palace that very day, and the Empress was no exception. Su Jiaojiao sneered inwardly; it was simply because she wasn't under the Empress's command, so enduring some unwarranted trouble was acceptable.

But the most important thing now was the Emperor's attitude.

Although the Emperor favored her more these days, she knew that this favor was only due to novelty. Before her, he had favored Miaoyu, Beauty Zhong, and even earlier, Consort Mi, not because she was special.

She wasn't sure whose side the Emperor would take at this moment.

Today's incident was already a mystery with no leads, but since the Emperor had been alerted, regardless of whether the real culprit could be found, someone would be pushed forward as a scapegoat to uphold the royal family's dignity.

The scapegoat was obviously between her and Miaoyu.

The night grew deeper.

Inside the Intoxicated Sparrow Pavilion, a crowd stood or sat, the atmosphere eerily quiet.

Su Jiaojiao had been kneeling on the ground for a long time, hearing only the faint sobs of Miaoyu beside her.

The solemn atmosphere was like the calm before a storm. Time seemed to stretch endlessly, and the longer they waited, the more anxious they became, filling their hearts with unease.

At last, when the Emperor's arrival was announced, everyone’s wait was over, and they eagerly looked toward the main entrance.

Shen Huai walked ahead expressionless, with Consort Mi following a step behind.

Catching sight of Consort Mi, the Empress’s eyes flickered, but she maintained a solemn expression and discreetly stepped forward to greet them. "Your servant pays her respects to Your Majesty."

"Stand up."

Once permitted, she confidently took her place beside the Emperor, and they walked together toward the inner chamber of the Drunken Sparrow Pavilion.

The Emperor and Empress walked side by side, as was their right, leaving Consort Mi, who followed behind, feeling quite superfluous. She watched as the Empress took her place before the Emperor, unable to contain the anger welling up inside her.

She sneered to herself, gripping her handkerchief tightly as she glared at the Empress’s back.

It’s laughable that the Emperor has always been indifferent to the Empress. What does it matter that she’s the mistress of the palace? The Emperor barely visits the Phoenix Palace a few times a year!

Consort Mi lifted her chin slightly, entering the Drunken Sparrow Pavilion with a cold expression. She gazed down at the three low-ranking concubines kneeling on the floor, her eyes landing on Su Jiaojiao.

It’s ridiculous. What does Su Jiaojiao have to do with Lady Ji’s poisoning?

This seat was clearly arranged by the Empress herself, and now that Su Jiaojiao is favored, she’s being pushed out as a scapegoat!

As the Emperor took his seat, he gave Su Jiaojiao, her face streaked with tears, a subtle glance and said calmly, "Empress, speak."

The Empress gave a small nod, sighed, and said, "Ever since Lady Ji was poisoned at the Spring Banquet, I’ve sent people to interrogate all the palace servants in Luan Ming Palace and search the grounds, but we found nothing. After Lady Ji woke up, I questioned her thoroughly about any recent conflicts or contacts, but she couldn’t identify any issues, and we found almost no clues. Who would have thought..."

At this point, the Empress deliberately paused, glancing at Lady Ji, and said softly, "Lady Ji firmly believes it was Miaoyu, saying she is of common birth and might have brought in some unspeakable filth, and that Your Majesty favors her, so Miaoyu must be jealous."

"But all of this is just Lady Ji’s word, with no evidence to back it up. Miaoyu insists she’s innocent, and I’m at a loss, so I thought to ask Your Majesty to decide. As the Son of Heaven, you will surely uncover any ill intentions, and in doing so, Lady Ji’s grievances will be resolved, bringing peace to the palace."

The Empress spoke gently as she relayed the events to the Emperor, her eyes reflecting her helplessness over the harem’s infighting.

After listening, Shen Huai asked thoughtfully, "Why was Su Jiaojiao brought here?"

The Empress was momentarily taken aback, not expecting the Emperor to ask about Su first. She replied, "Miaoyu said Su Jiaojiao was sitting next to Lady Ji before she fell ill and that she personally saw Su Jiaojiao speaking with Lady Ji, so there must be something amiss. I thought if Su Jiaojiao knew something, it might help to have her provide some clues, so I had her brought here to participate in this matter."

As soon as the Empress finished, Consort Mi sneered and said loudly, "As the head of the harem, the Empress should oversee all the palaces and act with fairness. Who would have thought she’d be so desperate this time!"

"Lady Ji and Miaoyu living in the Luan Ming Palace is one thing, and the suspicion cannot be washed away. But Su Jiaojiao has lived in the palace for three years, always well-behaved, and has never even known Lady Ji. Even their seating together at the Spring Banquet was arranged by the Empress herself. Now, to drag Su Jiaojiao here in the middle of the night to suffer—what kind of sense does that make? If this gets out, people will laugh at the Empress’s actions!"

Consort Mi was sharp-tongued, always relying on the Emperor's favor to be fearless, and now pregnant with the royal heir, she was even more brazen.

She eloquently shifted all the blame onto the Empress, while also protecting Su Jiaojiao in her words. The Empress’s gentle expression twisted for a moment, but quickly returned to normal, calmly saying, "As the head of the palace, I would not want to wrong any of my sisters. If it were just for the glory of the Empress’s position, I could have easily let this matter pass, and there would be no need to make such a big deal by inviting Your Majesty to decide."

Consort Mi sneered, about to retort, but heard the Emperor’s calm warning, calling her, "Shi Huai."

His voice was calm and deep, and Consort Mi immediately stopped, feeling somewhat deflated.

After all, the Empress is the Empress, and if the Emperor did not maintain the Empress’s dignity in front of everyone, it would be a loss of his own face. This was a principle Consort Mi was not unaware of.

Although Shen Huai had no deep feelings for the Empress, after several years of marriage, she was his rightful wife, and now the mother of the nation, with no merit but also no fault. If the Empress had no major faults, he always had to maintain her dignity.

This time he called Consort Mi by her pet name, not her title.

With this subtle difference, even though Consort Mi was the one being reprimanded, she did not find it too hard to accept, instead feeling that the Emperor was still leaning towards her by calling her name, so she softened her voice and said coquettishly, "Your Majesty—since the Empress is only questioning Su Jiaojiao, not punishing her, why keep her kneeling on the ground so late at night? The night is cold and damp, and if her knees catch a chill, it could lead to illness."

Shen Huai glanced at her and heavily tapped the armrest with his index finger: "Since Consort Mi has pleaded for mercy, you may rise."

He looked out the window, his expression indifferent, making it hard to read his thoughts.

The full moon hung high, and the early spring chill lingered in the room, now devoid of the warmth of the charcoal fire.

After a moment, Shen Huai emotionlessly glanced at Miaoyu and issued his decree.

"Demote Miaoyu to the position of Cairen and confine her for three months. She is forbidden from leaving without an imperial decree."