Chapter 84: They are also being watched by those eyes. [Three updates]

Chapter 84: They too were watched by those eyes. "Third Watch."

Jiang Yunran chose a sunny afternoon to leave Tingxue Palace, accompanied only by Qing Dai and Qian Xiaoduo.

In the bitter cold of winter, if not for their thick-soled leather boots, the chill from the glazed vitrified bricks would have seeped through their soles, penetrating from the feet into every limb.

Jiang Yunran wore a heavy cloak with a hood that shielded her from the biting gusts sweeping through the palace pathways.

Qian Xiaoduo carried a bulging bundle, its contents unknown.

The three quickened their pace and soon turned into a secluded wutong-lined alley.

Just ahead lay Guanghan Palace.

Soon, Jiang Yunran arrived at the entrance of Guanghan Palace.

It was just past mid-morning (approximately 10 AM), and no one was entering or leaving. The copper lock on the palace gate was tightly fastened, clearly indicating that ordinary people were not permitted access.

Without instructing the other two, Jiang Yunran stepped forward and pulled out a key from her sleeve.

It had been handed to her personally by Eunuch Little Liu when she returned to the palace that morning.

With a clunk, the lock fell to the ground. Qing Dai took the bundle from Qian Xiaoduo and followed Jiang Yunran into Guanghan Palace.

Inside, a desolate stillness pervaded.

Wild weeds sprouted from between the paving stones, growing unchecked.

Even though a new disgraced noble now resided here, no one tended to the courtyard’s plants, leaving it unchanged from their last visit.

Qing Dai tightened her grip on the bundle. "Your Ladyship, Commoner Wang lives in the west side hall."

Jiang Yunran nodded. Her gaze swept past the spirit wall and through the gaps between the wutong trees, catching sight of the dilapidated windows of the west side hall.

The window screens had not been replaced for years, their dark, jagged holes resembling the depths where deep-sea leviathans might lurk.

Opening the door felt like stepping into a void that could swallow one whole.

Qing Dai, her voice trembling with fear, asked, "Your Ladyship, should I go in first?"

"No need," Jiang Yunran replied. "There are two of us. Surely we can handle Wang Xunuo?"

Indeed, Commoner Wang, a delicate woman from the Jiangnan region, seemed hardly intimidating.

They approached, and Jiang Yunran stood outside, knocked on the door.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

The sound echoed through Guanghan Palace, startling a few magpies perched on the wutong branches.

The hall remained silent, as if deserted.

Jiang Yunran did not knock again. She glanced at the door latch and pushed it open without hesitation.

With a creak, sunlight suddenly flooded in.

To Jiang Yunran’s surprise, the west side hall was clean. Though the tables and chairs were old and worn, they had been wiped impeccably clean.

The floor tiles showed no signs of dirt, clearly well-maintained by someone.

Jiang Yunran stepped inside, searching the room, and soon found Commoner Wang in the bedchamber.

She lay on her side on the bed, fast asleep.

The room had only a worn-out luohan bed, and the broken window frames let in drafts from all sides, yet she seemed perfectly at ease, catching up on sleep comfortably.

Jiang Yunran sighed softly before speaking, "Wang Xunuo?"

The figure on the bed showed no reaction, as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

Jiang Yunran wasn’t in a hurry. After a quick look, she led Qing Dai to take a seat on an armchair to the side, then instructed Qing Dai to put down the bundle so she wouldn’t have to carry it.

"Wang Xunuo, I brought you some things. Don’t you want to see what’s inside?"

Wang Xunuo remained completely still.

Not even her eyelashes fluttered.

Unlike what she had imagined, Wang Xunuo’s self-control was impressive.

Jiang Yunran glanced at her, gave a slight tap, and Qing Dai spoke up, "My Lady, let’s go. It seems Commoner Wang doesn’t need these things."

The woman on the bed suddenly opened her eyes.

She sat up, her gaze clear and alert, without a trace of drowsiness.

"Just woke up," she said with a smile to Jiang Yunran, her face showing no sign of dejection. "Thank you... thank you for your concern, Consort Jiang."

Clearly, Wang Xunuo didn’t know what Jiang Yunran’s current rank was.

Jiang Yunran looked at her and laughed softly.

"It seems you’re doing all right here."

From her earlier scan, she had noticed candles, a water jug, and a tinderbox on the table in the outer room. Though the room was cold, the quilt covering Wang Xunuo was thick enough to keep out the cold.

Besides the palace lantern, the bedchamber also held a sewing basket, a food box, and a teapot, and even a small heating stove in the corner for heating water and keeping warm.

Though living in the cold palace, Wang Xunuo’s life was not one of hunger or cold, nor was she helpless—it was likely someone was secretly aiding her.

Hearing this, Wang Xunuo let out a low laugh.

"Your Highness, those words are like the saying, ‘Why not eat meat if there’s no rice?’"

"If my situation is considered 'quite well,' then Your Highness must be living a life of luxury."

Jiang Yunran’s expression remained calm, not bothered by the provocation. Instead, she looked at Wang Xunuo and smiled faintly.

"Wang Xunuo, we never spoke before and weren’t acquainted, but it seems now that had we met earlier, we might have become friends."

Friends?

The mockery on Wang Xunuo’s face grew more pronounced. "There are no friends in this palace."

At this, she seemed impatient. "I have sewing to do soon, and clothes to wash. I don’t have time to waste. If Your Highness has business here, speak plainly."

Jiang Yunran nodded, getting straight to the point.

"I only want to ask you—was it really you who did it?"

Her question was clearly within Wang Xunuo's expectations, so she showed no surprise and replied directly, "His Majesty has already made the judgment. Why ask me now?"

Jiang Yunran had only been testing the waters, but her next words startled Wang Xunuo.

"During the Dragon Boat Festival, Consort Wu was already one month pregnant. She herself didn’t know, but you come from a family of medical practitioners and were as close as sisters with her—how could you not have known?"

Wang Xunuo’s eyes flickered. She closed them briefly and remained silent.

"I have no grudge against you, and you had no reason to drag me into this. The method of framing me may seem meticulous, but in reality, it’s full of holes. With a little effort, the truth can surely be uncovered."

Jiang Yunran continued, "You’re just a Cainu, from an ordinary background—a common medical family. You’ve entered the palace for years without gaining favor, with no hope for the future."

"That eunuch Wang is so opportunistic—why would he work for you? Willing to risk execution to help you poison Moral Consort Xu?"

After saying all this in one breath, Jiang Yunran finally looked at Wang Xunuo.

As she listened, Wang Xunuo’s expression darkened. She lowered her eyelids, avoiding Jiang Yunran’s gaze.

Jiang Yunran was meticulous and sharp-eyed; Wang Xunuo feared she might detect something.

"Someone threatened you, didn’t they?"

Wang Xunuo’s eyelids twitched.

Jiang Yunran let out a soft sigh and smiled faintly. "You don't have to be scared. Today, I was able to enter the Cold Palace because I obtained the key from His Majesty. Here, you are safe. You know that very well in your heart."

Wang Xunuo slowly raised her head, now calm again.

"You’ve been promoted and are now the most favored imperial concubine in the palace. Riches and status are yours for the taking," Wang Xunuo said slowly. "Do you truly wish to know the truth?"

"This truth may plunge you into danger once again."

But Jiang Yunran laughed. "Before, I did nothing, yet someone still wanted me dead. When that failed, they resorted to framing me."

"Whether I know or not, it’s the same outcome—death," Jiang Yunran said firmly. "Rather than waiting passively, I’d prefer to take the initiative and eliminate all my enemies."

"Only then can I rest easy."

Jiang Yunran’s tone was calm. "Otherwise, I might end up like my sister, wasting away in this Cold Palace."

Wang Xunuo suddenly laughed.

As she laughed, tears streamed down her face.

"I don’t know much either. As you said, I’m just an unfavored imperial concubine—what use am I? If I hadn’t shared a palace with Consort Duan and come from a medical family, no one would have cared about me."

She coughed as she spoke.

Clearly, the cold silence of the Cold Palace on winter nights had seeped into her bones.

Jiang Yunran asked Qing Dai to brew some tea before saying, "Can you answer my question?"

Wang Xunuo sighed.

"During the inquiry, I said that my medical skills are not refined. At that time, Consort Wu was only a low-ranking beauty and not favored. We relied on each other in Changchun Palace, and life was actually quite manageable."

"Until one day, I noticed she was often drowsy and hard to wake even during the day. But after Imperial Physician Cen took her pulse, he said it was just spring fatigue and told us not to worry."

"As I said, my medical skills aren’t proficient; I just prefer reading pharmacopoeias. At the time, I also took her pulse but detected nothing unusual."

"A few days later, her symptoms improved. She reassured me that it was nothing serious, so I didn’t pay further attention."

That didn’t add up.

Jiang Yunran clearly remembered that during the palace banquet, the moment she touched Consort Wu’s wrist, she detected an abnormal pulse.

How could Wang Xunuo, who had studied medicine since childhood, be worse than her own amateur skills?

Impossible.

Jiang Yunran didn’t interrupt, letting her continue. "Later, at the Dragon Boat Festival palace banquet—you hadn’t entered the palace yet, so you probably only heard rumors—Consort Wu had just passed the one-month mark, and the slippery pulse became clear. That’s when it manifested."

It still felt somewhat strange.

"Don’t you find it odd?"

Wang Xunuo sighed. "Your Majesty, for us, this was a tremendous joy. Because of this child, she was promoted to Consort Duan, and I was elevated to Cainu. We moved together to Yongfu Palace to await the birth of the child."

"Back then, every day began with anticipation."

Jiang Yunran didn’t press further.

Wang Xunuo clearly didn’t want to implicate Consort Wu. She sighed and continued, "Yongfu Palace had been unoccupied for a long time. After we moved in, it was often plagued by insects and rodents. The medicine from the Palace Matron Bureau was completely useless. Consort Wu was afraid and couldn’t sleep well at night, so I had to ask my family to bring some Qiufeng Sha (an insecticide poison) into the palace to prevent insects and rodents from harming the child."

At this point, Wang Xunuo looked up at Jiang Yunran. "I couldn’t possibly tell anyone about this. Qiufeng Sha is, after all, a poison. If others found out, it would cause trouble and invite disaster. But that eunuch Wang somehow found out."

Wang Xunuo’s eyes darkened. "When he mentioned Qiufeng Sha, I knew I couldn’t escape. They had been targeting my family all along. This information must have come from my home."

Hearing this, Jiang Yunran felt a chill down her spine.

She finally understood why Wang Xunuo had hardly refuted eunuch Wang throughout the process—she knew all too well that the forces behind eunuch Wang were far more powerful than she had imagined.

It was beyond what a mere Cainu like her could resist.

This conclusion aligned with that of the Court of Judicial Review.

Eunuch Wang was a loyalist agent raised by a certain faction, lurking in the palace, waiting for an opportunity.

No wonder, once Wang Xunuo confessed, Jing Huayan closed the case without further ado.

Digging deeper would only risk alerting the enemy.

Jiang Yunran exhaled. "Was it also for Consort Wu?"

After all, Consort Wu was still carrying a child.

Wang Xunuo looked up at her, fear in her eyes.

She was truly terrified.

Only now, in the Cold Palace, did she seem to feel somewhat at ease.

"I suspect that the mastermind, or one of them, was present in the courtroom at that time."

Jiang Yunran was startled.

Instantly, she felt a creeping dread.

Seeing her rare change in expression, Wang Xunuo offered a strained smile.

"Otherwise, why would neither eunuch Wang nor Wang Xiuniang confess in front of His Majesty?"

"They, too, were under the watchful eyes of those present."