Chapter 78

Chapter 78

The 11th Prince frowned slightly: "What happened?"

Guo Shi: "As per your orders, I searched everywhere in Yunju Temple but found nothing. After that, I moved the body of Liao Xin down the mountain and brought two young monks back to the city with us."

"When we reached the city entrance, the young monk who had previously spoken to you suddenly turned pale, sweating profusely, holding his stomach and trembling."

"Seeing this, I asked him what was wrong. He said he had a stomachache and needed to use the restroom but didn't dare to say so and kept holding it in."

"Seeing that he didn't seem to be faking it and was continuously sweating heavily, I had the carriage stop and let him go to the woods by the roadside to take care of it, sending someone to watch him."

"But after a short while, the two still hadn't returned. I went to look for them myself, only to find our man lying unconscious on the ground, and the young monk had disappeared without a trace, as if vanished into thin air."

The 11th Prince: "How could a living person disappear without a trace? Did you search the area?"

Guo Shi: "We did. We left enough people to guard the body and the other young monk, and the rest of the brothers went to search, but we really found nothing, not even footprints."

The 11th Prince: "No footprints? Either he has excellent stealth skills or he went through the trees."

Guo Shi slapped his forehead: "I was negligent. I'll go back and check."

The 11th Prince: "It's already too late."

With that, he stood up and walked out: "Come with me to question the other young monk."

---

The next day, Shen Zhinuo woke up, had breakfast, and then took her sister and second brother to Di Guihong's courtyard to find him.

As soon as they reached the courtyard gate, they saw the Little General having trouble carrying a large round vase, walking back and forth in the courtyard.

Shen Zhinuo was very curious: "Little General, what are you doing?"

Di Guihong heard the commotion and looked over, seeing the plump little girl running over hand in hand with Princess Wen'an. He paused his steps, instinctively trying to quickly return the vase to the house.

But then he changed his mind, as it would seem too deliberate, so he continued walking with the vase: "I'm practicing my martial arts."

Shen Zhinuo, holding her sister's hand, ran up to him and walked alongside the little boy, pointing at the vase in his arms with her small finger: "Little General, what kind of martial arts are you practicing? Why are you carrying a vase?"

Di Guihong glanced at the vase in his arms, then at the plump little girl, and after a moment of silence, said: "My father told me to practice this."

Shen Zhinuo found it very strange: "Why did your father tell you to practice with a vase?"

Her father, eldest brother, second brother, and a few Imperial Uncles all practiced martial arts, but this was the first time she had seen someone practicing with a vase.

Di Guihong didn't answer the question, instead pointing with his chin to the ornamental bench under the corridor: "Nuo'er, Princess, you can sit there for a while. I'll change my clothes and be right back."

Seeing that he didn't want to talk about it, Shen Zhinuo guessed that this was probably a Di family secret technique, not to be shared with outsiders, so she didn't press further. She nodded her little head in agreement and took her sister to sit on the ornamental bench to wait.

Di Guihong carried the vase back into the house, and Ying Chun quickly stepped forward to take it, placing it back by the display shelf. Zi Xuan used a towel to wipe the sweat from the little boy's forehead, then helped him change his clothes.

Shen Zhinuo sat on the ornamental bench waiting. Before long, she saw the Little General come out of the house, once again dressed in a white brocade robe.

She said to Princess Wen'an: "Sister, have you noticed that the Little General always wears white clothes?"

Princess Wen'an leaned closer to her sister's ear and whispered: "Because the Little General is still in a period of mourning."

Shen Zhinuo suddenly understood: "Oh, that's why. I had forgotten about that."

As she said this, she felt sorry for the little boy. Without waiting for him to come over, she jumped off the ornamental bench, ran a few steps, and took his hand. She wanted to say something but decided not to say anything, fearing it might make him sad.

As usual, she smiled and said, "Little General, shall we go play?"

Di Guihong nodded with a slight smile, "Alright."

The Little General was always so well-behaved, and Shen Zhinuo smiled happily, holding the Little General's hand with her left and her sister's with her right, followed by her second brother. They strolled out, heading to Fengyi Palace to pay their respects to the Empress.

Before they had even left the Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess quickly caught up with them from behind, smiling at the children, "I’ll join you to pay respects to your grandmother."

Yesterday, Wei Qing brought back news from Fengyi Palace that the Emperor and Empress had discussed and decided to summon the consorts to Fengyi Palace one by one starting today, having A Tong scan them all quickly. Before the Feudal Princes and princesses returned, they wanted to get a clear picture of the harem situation early to avoid another incident like the Imperial Noble Consort and Consort Rong.

Of course, it was also because Nuo Er was running around every day scanning faces, which was too tiring.

So after finishing her tasks, she quickly caught up with them.

Seeing her mother also joining them, Shen Zhinuo was naturally very happy and instinctively wanted her mother to pick her up, but both her hands were occupied, so she had to let it go.

The Crown Princess followed the children’s steps, walking leisurely to Fengyi Palace. Upon entering, they were surprised to find the room crowded.

Shen Zhinuo looked around, spotting Princess Lanzhen, Princess Huayue, Noble Consort, Eighth Prince's Consort, Eighteenth Princess, 17th Princess, and 17th Princess’s mother, Jia Concubine, Noble Lady Zhen, and another young consort she didn’t recognize.

With so many people to scan that early in the morning, Shen Zhinuo was a bit excited but still patiently followed the proper etiquette, greeting everyone before leading the Little General to the couch, climbing up, and sitting next to the Empress, then saying, "Puppy, come out and get to work."

Hearing the little girl start working right away, everyone quickly followed the usual routine—some held teacups, while others fanned themselves—all finding something to do to appear busy and not too abrupt.

Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen, sitting together, glanced at each other and immediately turned away, a flicker of hatred in their eyes.

The little black dog suddenly appeared, "Here, Young Master, so many people, who should I scan first?"

Shen Zhinuo looked at Jia Concubine beside 17th Princess, "Scan Jia Concubine first, see if she made it through."

The system agreed, flew around Jia Concubine, and returned to Shen Zhinuo, reporting, "Jia Concubine is also dead."

Jia Concubine’s face stiffened, and 17th Princess grasped her hand, squeezing it tightly in a silent gesture of comfort.

Shen Zhinuo asked, "How did she die?"

The system replied, "She and Noble Lady Zhen died together."

Died together? Everyone’s eyes shifted towards Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen, curiosity piqued.

Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen also looked at each other in shock, quickly averting their gazes, eyes filled with disgust.

Worried he might get bored, Shen Zhinuo pulled a puzzle lock from her toy box and handed it to him, then continued asking, "Why did they die together? Was there some deep-seated grudge?"

The system said, "Young Master, you know about your sixteenth aunt, right? She’s 17th Princess’s sister, both born to Jia Concubine."

Shen Zhinuo replied, "I know, my sixteenth aunt passed away young, right? What about it?"

The system continued, "And Noble Lady Zhen also had a child who passed away young, the eighteenth prince."

At this, Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen glared at each other again, their eyes fierce. If looks could kill, they would have died on the spot.

17th Princess glanced at the little girl sitting on the couch playing with the puzzle lock, quickly tugging at her mother’s sleeve, signaling her not to be too obvious.

Jia Concubine nodded with a stiff face, slightly turning her body, not wanting to even glance at Noble Lady Zhen out of the corner of her eye.

Shen Zhinuo fiddled with the puzzle lock for a while but couldn’t open it, so she handed it to Di Guihong to play with, then casually picked up another small toy from the box, "I know this too, my parents told us about it. So, is there a connection, but not the one Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen believe?"

This left Shen Zhinuo a bit confused: "Puppy, I don't get it."

The others were equally baffled, only Noble Lady Zhen and Jia Concubine frowned slightly, their expressions somewhat perplexed.

The system checked the storyline and said, "Young Master, ATong should scan Noble Lady Zhen too."

Shen Zhinuo naturally had no objections: "Then go ahead and do it."

The little black dog barked and flew over to scan Noble Lady Zhen's face before continuing, "Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen always thought that the other was responsible for the death of their child."

Shen Zhinuo tilted her head to look at them, but others blocked her view, so she didn't bother to move and asked in her mind, "But it wasn’t really the other’s fault, right?"

The system replied, "Right, neither harmed the other’s child. It was just a misunderstanding."

"Noble Lady Zhen and Jia Concubine are around the same age and entered the palace around the same time. The Eighteenth Prince and the Sixteenth Princess were also about the same age."

"You know, Young Master, humans are essentially social creatures. Once people have some commonalities, they tend to grow closer."

"At that time, both Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen were having their first child, and their palaces weren't far apart. They often visited each other’s places, exchanged parenting experiences, and let their children play together. Back then, they were as close as sisters."

Shen Zhinuo asked, "What happened later?"

The system continued, "Until the Sixteenth Princess got sick and died, their relationship started to fade."

Shen Zhinuo could understand that Jia Concubine reduced her interactions with Noble Lady Zhen after losing her own child, seeing the other’s child would bring back painful memories. But she still had many questions: "How did my Sixteenth Aunt die? Was it a conspiracy?"

Hearing Nuo Er ask the question she’d kept buried for years, Jia Concubine’s heart raced. She tightened her grip on the Seventeenth Princess’s hand without realizing it, causing her pain. The Seventeenth Princess patted her hand, offering silent comfort.

The system explained, "The Sixteenth Princess’s death wasn’t a conspiracy. It was just an ordinary illness. In this era, with the lack of medicine, the mortality rate among children was very high."

Jia Concubine was stunned, the strength in her hand loosened, and the resentment she had held in her heart for many years dissipated. So, it was really just an illness?

Noble Lady Zhen glanced at Jia Concubine with a complex expression.

Shen Zhinuo felt relieved upon hearing it wasn't a conspiracy: "Thank goodness it wasn't a conspiracy."

Honestly, after hearing so many conspiracies, she had developed a psychological shadow.

Originally, she thought that even if the inner palace wasn't as harmonious as their Eastern Palace, at most, everyone was just vying for the Old Emperor's favor. She didn't expect that these seemingly dignified and virtuous consorts often had one or two lives on their hands.

This messed-up palace was turning into a den of killers.

After lamenting in her heart, Shen Zhinuo continued to ask, "Then I don't understand, if it was just an ordinary illness, why did Jia Concubine think it was Noble Lady Zhen's doing?"

The system replied, "That brings us to another person."

Shen Zhinuo asked, "Who?"

The system said, "Consort Yi."

Consort Yi? Shen Zhinuo thought carefully but couldn't recall this person at all, having no impression of her: "Who is Consort Yi?"

The system explained, "The mother of the Eighth Princess."

Shen Zhinuo was clear about how many uncles and aunts she had and was puzzled: "But didn't my Eighth Aunt pass away many years ago? And she was much older than my Eighteenth Uncle and Sixteenth Aunt, right?"

The system confirmed, "Yes, Consort Yi is much older than Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen, and their children's ages are also quite different."

Shen Zhinuo couldn't help but complain again: "Why did the Old Emperor have to marry so many wives and have so many children?"

The system sensed that its Young Master was just venting, and since it had explained this issue before, it chose not to respond, instead continuing, "The Eighth Princess, born to Noble Lady Zhen, was killed by a consort who had a grudge against Consort Yi many years ago."

Shen Zhinuo: "Who did it?"

The system: "That consort was quite foolish. When she killed the Eighth Princess, she left very obvious evidence, almost as if she had signed her name to the crime. She was quickly caught, and the Old Emperor ordered her immediate execution."

"But that happened many years ago. The mention of this incident in the plot is likely to explain Consort Yi's motives, but it's not important to the current matter, so we won't dwell on it. There's simply no relevant plot about her."

Since the person was already dead and couldn't harm anyone else, Shen Zhinuo didn't care: "Alright."

The system: "Because of this incident, Consort Yi was left with severe psychological trauma. She became paranoid and would seize any chance to whisper in others' ears whenever a child in the palace fell ill or died, saying that the child must have been killed by someone."

"At the time, when the Sixteenth Princess fell ill and passed away, Consort Yi rushed to Jia Concubine's side as soon as she heard the news. At first, Jia Concubine loathed her and always had her sent away, but she couldn't stop Consort Yi from repeating it over and over again. After hearing it repeatedly, Jia Concubine started to have doubts."

"Once that idea took hold, it couldn't be shaken. Coupled with Consort Yi's incessant nagging about who was most likely to have done it, Jia Concubine ended up suspecting Noble Lady Zhen."

Shen Zhinuo didn't understand: "But why didn't Jia Concubine consider that Noble Lady Zhen had given birth to a prince herself? Why would she harm a princess? They had such a good relationship; why would Noble Lady Zhen harm someone for no reason?"

The system: "Jia Concubine thought this way partly due to Consort Yi's incessant nagging, and partly because of the issue of promotion. At that time, both of them were concubines, and there were multiple vacant positions for consorts."

Shen Zhinuo recalled how Imperial Noble Consort Rong, when she was still a concubine, had deliberately caused Consort Chen to miscarry in order to compete for the sole consort position, and guessed, "Was there only one consort position at that time?"

The system replied: "There were multiple consort positions. Moreover, both Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen were young and still had opportunities for promotion. Logically, it wasn't a life-or-death situation. Jia Concubine's reasoning was a bit of a stretch, assigning Noble Lady Zhen a motive for evil to rationalize her own unfounded suspicions."

Shen Zhinuo: "Then how did my Eighteenth Uncle die?"

The system: "Not long after the Sixteenth Princess died, the Eighteenth Prince also died, also from an untreated illness."

"This time, Consort Yi, like a dog smelling meat, caught wind of it and went to Noble Lady Zhen, babbling nonsense in her ear, saying that her son must have been killed by someone."

"At first, Noble Lady Zhen didn't believe it and didn't want to engage with her. But she couldn't stop Consort Yi from repeating it every day, and she gradually started to entertain the idea, wondering what if, what if her child really had been killed by someone."

"After thinking it over, she finally recalled something. Jia Concubine had once confronted her, accusing her of killing the Sixteenth Princess. Recalling how Jia Concubine's attitude toward her had changed after the Sixteenth Princess's death, she suddenly believed that Jia Concubine had killed her son out of revenge."

"But in reality, neither of them had done anything. They had just been influenced by Consort Yi, which led to years of resentment between them."

Hearing this, Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen looked at each other, their eyes red. So, it was like this all along.

Shen Zhinuo was furious: "It's all Consort Yi's fault."

The system: "Yes, it's Consort Yi's fault."

Shen Zhinuo: "Then why didn't Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen confront one another?"

The system: "They did. Both of them went to each other's palaces to confront one another, but since neither had done anything, they naturally denied it and angrily accused each other of lying. But in each other's eyes, the other was just trying to cover up their guilt with bluster."

Shen Zhinuo: "If they didn't believe each other, why didn't they go to the emperor and ask him to investigate?"

The system: "Young Master, you've hit the nail on the head. Both of them secretly went to the Old Emperor to cry and complain. The Old Emperor did order an investigation, but naturally, nothing was found. Outwardly, they accepted the result, but inwardly, they continued to resent each other."

Shen Zhinuo didn't know what to say and remained silent for a while before asking, "As for Consort Yi, did she have some kind of mental illness that made her act this way? Or was it because she lost her own child and couldn't bear to see others happy, so she deliberately caused trouble?"

The system searched but couldn't find any relevant information: "Sorry, Young Master, I don't know. We'd have to scan Consort Yi's face to know for sure."

Shen Zhinuo: "Alright then. Earlier, you said the two of them ended up killing each other. How did that happen?"

The system: "When the palace was overrun by rebels, chaos broke out. But that wave of rebels charged straight to the Old Emperor's Chong'an Palace as soon as they entered, so they didn't immediately turn their attention to the harem."

"Many of the consorts in the harem disguised themselves as maids or matrons, trying to escape in the chaos. Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen also dressed as matrons and escaped with them."

As they ran down the road, the two collided head-on, and seeing their enemy, their eyes blazed with fury. They had both previously thought about killing the other to avenge their children, but neither had the opportunity to do so.

Moreover, the strict rules of the harem prohibited random killings, so both had their reservations. Now that the opportunity had arisen, neither wanted to let it slip.

Mainly because the palace had been overrun, the situation was extremely chaotic, and on the escape route, they might be slain by the rebels. So, they thought, why not settle the score first.

Thus, they seized each other and began to fight, and as the fight intensified, they drew their self-defense weapons. One stabbed the other twice with a dagger, while the other jabbed back with scissors, and so they both died.

Shen Zhinuo: "The consorts are so merciless."

Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen looked at each other, both recognizing regret and apology in each other's eyes.

System: "The 18th Prince and the 16th Princess were not like those fetuses that didn't make it to birth; they were living, breathing children. Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen had raised them with their own hands until they were a few years old. Their love for their children was beyond words, so convinced that the other had harmed their child, they were determined to take revenge even if it meant death."

Shen Zhinuo thought about the relationship between herself and her mother and nodded her little head: "Yes."

Then she asked: "How did Noble Lady Yi die later?"

System: "We’d need to scan her face to find out."

Shen Zhinuo: "Alright then, did Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen do anything harmful to others?"

System: "No."

Shen Zhinuo thought for a while and, having no other questions about the two, said: "Then, doggy, go scan the next one. I don’t know that consort, see who she is."

The crowd’s gaze shifted again and landed on the unfamiliar face of the consort, which was Noble Lady Lan.

Noble Lady Lan sat composedly, her face betraying no hint of guilt or fear.

The Empress, the Crown Princess, and Princess Lanzhen exchanged glances.

They thought to themselves that Noble Lady Lan, being so young, was so composed in front of A Tong. Either she was innocent and had committed no wrongdoings, or she was a formidable figure like the former Imperial Noble Consort Rong, who could keep her composure.

Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Zhen were overwhelmed with mixed emotions and could no longer remain seated. They both stood up simultaneously, looked at each other, and then bowed to the Empress, saying in unison: "Your Majesty, if there is nothing further, we shall take our leave."

The Empress did not detain them and nodded slightly: "Go ahead."

Jia Concubine and Noble Lady Yi responded and turned to leave.

Seeing them leave, the 17th Princess wanted to stay and listen to A Tong continue the story, but she was also somewhat worried about Jia Concubine. She shuffled her feet indecisively, and finally bowed to the Empress and the others before chasing after them.

Members of the harem often visited Fengyi Palace to pay their respects, and comings and goings were commonplace. Shen Zhinuo didn’t pay it much mind and waited for the little black dog to finish scanning and return, asking: "Who is she?"

System: "She is Noble Lady Lan, who entered the palace last year and has yet to receive the Old Emperor’s favor."

Shen Zhinuo thought for a moment and said: "Wasn’t it Noble Lady Lan who came down with the cold earlier?"

System: "Young Master has a good memory, it was her."

This cold wasn’t part of the original plot, so A Tong didn’t know what had happened. Shen Zhinuo didn’t ask and muttered to herself: "I remember hearing Imperial Physician Zheng tell my mother that Noble Lady Lan caught the cold because she went to Noble Lady Li's palace for a visit."

System: "That should be it."

Hearing this, Noble Lady Lan’s hand, clenched tightly beneath her sleeve, finally relaxed slightly.

Shen Zhinuo: "Has she done anything bad, harmed our family, or harmed others?"

Noble Lady Lan’s hand under her sleeve clenched tightly once again.

The system chimed in, "Young Mistress, do you remember that your father was once framed by a young consort at the palace banquet?"

Shen Zhinuo's little head turned swiftly towards Noble Lady Lan, her childish voice bursting with curiosity, "Was it her?"

The Crown Princess, the Empress, Princess Lanzhen, and several children all shot icy looks towards Noble Lady Lan.

Noble Lady Lan, under the gaze of everyone, grew tense yet appeared confused. Seeing Shen Zhinuo looking at her, she remembered the Empress's warning and quickly lowered her head, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the non-existent sweat on her forehead, feigning busyness.

The system said, "Young Mistress, calm down, it wasn't her."

Shen Zhinuo was puzzled, "Then why did you bring it up?"

The system replied, "Because in the original plot, Noble Lady Lan was set up to have an affair with a guard, then was blackmailed into framing the Crown Prince."

Shen Zhinuo asked, "Since the person who framed my father wasn't Noble Lady Lan, does that mean she didn't agree?"

The system answered, "Yes, Noble Lady Lan didn't agree. Unable to bear the humiliation and pressure, and fearing that suicide would implicate her family, she deliberately swallowed chestnuts whole, creating an accident and choking herself to death."

Shen Zhinuo's hostility towards Noble Lady Lan dissipated, and she sighed in her heart, "She was a pitiful soul. Then who was the one who approached her?"