Chapter 45: Rewards and Punishments

The emperor was only concerned with enjoying the cool air, knowing well there were many people in the pavilion but without glancing at who they were. Suddenly, a young lady rushed forward and knocked away the pastries, her face turning pale. “And who are you?”

“Your servant, Han Shuwei.” Han Shuwei had always remembered that Xue Tan could not eat osmanthus cakes. Even knowing this might merely be a ploy of Consort Xian, she could not restrain herself from intervening. When the emperor questioned her, fear struck her, and she fell to her knees. “Your servant, Han Shuwei, pays homage to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years…”

Suddenly, Han Shuwei's words trailed off. The piece of pastry she had knocked down had been eaten by Consort Xian’s cat. At that moment, the cat let out two cries, blood trickling from its mouth, and went mad, crashing into the pillars. The palace attendants all fell back in fright. After just a few collisions, the cat collapsed, never to move again.

Heavens! The pastry was poisoned!

The emperor was puzzled as to why Han Shuwei had fallen silent. Following her gaze, he saw the white cat had only nibbled a corner of the cake before whimpering, going berserk, and swiftly dying.

Consort Xian, who had let the cat down when she knelt, had not been paying attention to it. In the blink of an eye, her beloved U'er was gone. She fell to the ground in tears, clutching the cat. “Your Majesty, this pastry was brought by Consort Li for me to eat, but instead it ended up in U'er’s mouth, and now she’s dead. If not for my cat, I would have been the one to die! Your Majesty, you must do me justice!”

“Consort Xian, you—you…” Consort Li, trembling violently, cried out, “Consort Xian, you falsely accuse me! If I wished to harm you, why would I offer it to Lord Xinguo?”

Her words, once spoken, made matters worse. Consort Li realized her mistake immediately and was left speechless, unable to retract her words.

Consort Xian inwardly sneered; the fool had fallen into her trap. Now, all she had to do was watch and see how Consort Li would defend herself.

The emperor had been stunned at first. Hearing the cake was intended for Lord Xinguo, he shouted, “Consort Li, how dare you! You dare to harm my Xue Qing? Guards, take her away and execute her immediately!”

The emperor was ignorant of such matters, and Xue Tan remained silent. Liu Chuyan and the others kept their heads down, hearts pounding, hoping not to draw Consort Li’s attention, lest they be dragged into the matter and wrongly accused.

Consort Li looked around, but her maids were useless and would not speak for her; besides, she herself had made the pastries. At this moment, with no one to plead her case, she had to save herself.

Han Shuwei had never imagined there would be poison in the cake. Though Xue Tan was safe, she had revealed herself; if Consort Li were clever, she could easily implicate Han Shuwei. Thus, Han Shuwei knelt and quietly edged backward.

Liu Chuyan wanted to tell Han Shuwei not to move and draw attention, but she moved anyway, bumping into Prince Xin behind her with a startled gasp.

Consort Li’s eyes lit up. “Yes, it’s her! She knew there was poison in the cake—that’s why she knocked it away out of guilt!”

Han Shuwei was so shocked she couldn’t speak, unable to defend herself. Liu Chuyan, fearing Han Shuwei would be blamed, knelt and explained to the emperor, “Your Majesty, please see clearly—Shuwei did not know there was poison. She only remembered that Lord Xinguo cannot eat osmanthus cakes. Lady Xue has always been kind to us, often inviting us to the Xinguo estate, so Shuwei is aware. Last time at Jiming Temple, Lord Xinguo merely brushed against osmanthus pollen and broke out in a rash. How could he eat a cake made with osmanthus? But Consort Li insisted he try the lotus seed osmanthus cake. Anxious, Shuwei knocked it away, offending both Your Majesty and Lord Xinguo, but her intentions were good. Please, Your Majesty, judge fairly!”

The emperor, hearing this, immediately understood. “That’s right, Xue Qing is allergic to osmanthus cakes. I don't remember as clearly as this young lady—my fault. Xue Qing, you should thank her.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Xue Tan replied, bowing slightly. “Thank you, Miss Han.”

“No need,” Han Shuwei said hastily, but was quickly pulled behind by Liu Chuyan.

Consort Li, having just found a scapegoat, was blocked by Liu Chuyan, and it seemed the emperor believed her. Though she knew herself innocent, she realized they would never believe her. Suddenly, she caught sight of Lady Fengxian approaching from afar, and immediately fell to her knees, her face flushed purple, matching her ornate coral and agate headpieces. “Madam, I am innocent! Please help me!”

Liu Chuyan turned to see a woman in her forties, splendidly dressed, walking along the path in a deep purple palace robe embroidered with large, blood-red peonies, still in bud. A floral ornament of jade and pearls gleamed on her forehead, her earrings were moon-shaped sapphires set in gold, and her gaze alone could chill the soul.

“Long live Your Majesty,” Lady Fengxian said, stepping forward and curtsying, her expression gentle and kind. “Your Majesty, allow this matter to be handled by your servant.”

“Very well, as you decide, Nanny.” In front of Lady Fengxian, the emperor was as obedient as a child. Seeing Xue Tan, he added, “This woman tried to harm my Xue Qing and must not be spared.”

Lady Fengxian did not give an opinion, merely inquired with a few other attendants, then stood before Consort Li, her face suddenly turning cold and severe. “Consort Li, you are truly audacious! No sooner were you promoted than you stirred up trouble, and now this. Were it not for the emperor’s whim, I would suspect you of plotting against His Majesty. Today, it was only thanks to someone knowing Lord Xinguo’s allergy and knocking the cake aside that only the cat died instead of a person. The young lady from the Han family has truly rendered great service and must be rewarded.”

Consort Xian, hearing Lady Fengxian scold but not convict her, stepped forward, sobbing, “Madam, the cake was originally made for you. This morning, she only brought jujube and yam cakes and mung bean cakes, but upon seeing me, she sent her maid back for the osmanthus cake. I do not know what I did to offend her, that she would wish me harm…”

“Oh?” Lady Fengxian bit her lip and eyed Consort Li coldly. “For me?”

Indeed, the cake had been intended as a tribute to Lady Fengxian. Thinking honesty might win her favor, Consort Li swallowed her sobs. “Madam, I heard you had recently become fond of lotus seed osmanthus cake. I rose early to make it for you myself, see—my hand is burnt. I would never seek to harm Consort Xian, let alone you.”

“Is that so?” Lady Fengxian glanced at the red mark on Consort Li’s wrist, knowing she had been wronged, but found her foolish, overconfident, and an embarrassment, constantly cleaning up her messes. Even if the Yongkang Marquis’s family pleaded with her, she could not keep such a useless woman. Most importantly, Consort Li had incurred the wrath of Lord Xinguo, who was the emperor’s untouchable white lotus.

Regardless of Consort Li’s guilt, she had overstepped a forbidden line and could not be easily forgiven.

Consort Li had attained her rank only through family ties, and even then it had taken four years. Now, seeing Lady Fengxian’s cold, wintry eyes, she felt utterly abandoned and swayed with fear. “Madam, I am truly innocent!”

Lady Fengxian scanned the room. She could not order Consort Li’s execution, or it would be difficult to appease the Yongkang Marquis’s family, and it might implicate hundreds of people in a great scandal. Harmony in the harem was paramount.

“Then tell me, who tried to poison me?”

“Madam… Madam…” Consort Li, seeing Lady Fengxian’s gaze shift to Nanny Zhu, suddenly understood and grabbed her arm. “It was her! She taught me how to make the cake—though I handled it, she did most of the work. After you punished her the other day, she must have harbored resentment and sought revenge, and my eagerness nearly harmed Lord Xinguo. Please, Madam, see the truth!”

“Oh? Is that so?” Lady Fengxian had long disliked Nanny Zhu but spared her for the Marquis’s sake. Today, given the chance, she would remove her. “Nanny Zhu, confess yourself. If you do not, I’ll let the Embroidered Guards deal with you.”

When Consort Li thrust her forward, Nanny Zhu knew escape was impossible. Lady Fengxian’s icy gaze cut through her like a cold serpent, making her hair stand on end. Her face ashen, she collapsed. “It’s true. It was me. I wanted to harm you.”

“Wretched servant!” Lady Fengxian kicked her in the stomach, sending her sprawling. “Take her away and flog her!”

“Yes, Madam.”

Everyone understood Nanny Zhu was taking the blame, but none spoke of it.

As for the real culprit, Lady Fengxian had no intention of investigating further. However, she noticed the emperor’s eyes were full of clear shock and doubt as he stared at the weeping Consort Li, her face powder running like paint in the rain. “A servant’s crime is not their master’s fault. As for Consort Li, she shall be…”

“Madam?” Consort Li looked up in shock. She had just been exonerated, yet now was to be demoted. Her relief vanished, replaced with dread.

Lady Fengxian regarded her anxious expression, her pent-up frustrations dissolving. “She shall be demoted to the rank of Concubine Li, moved out of the Hall of Cherished Joy, and relocated to the side hall of the Palace of Dragon Virtue, under Consort Xian’s supervision. Any objections?”

Consort Li collapsed to the floor, her sobs fading to a resentful murmur. “None.”

“Then I must trouble Consort Xian to take special care.”

“Of course. I will instruct her well—rest assured, Madam,” Consort Xian replied, bowing, her beautiful face now tinged with a cold, sinister light.

When the concubines schemed against each other, Lady Fengxian merely watched for amusement, so long as matters didn’t spill beyond the palace. She knew Consort Xian would make things difficult for Concubine Li, but encouraged it. All she truly cared about was keeping an eye on the emperor.

Seeing the culprit punished, the emperor laughed heartily. “Nanny is truly just and fair. But since there is punishment, there must also be reward. Just now, this young lady saved Xue Qing.” He pointed at Han Shuwei, standing with her head bowed behind Consort Xian.

Liu Chuyan looked up in surprise; Han Shuwei was stunned.

The emperor hesitated, pressing his forehead as if pondering an appropriate reward, then suddenly slapped his own brow. “Why not grant this Miss Han the title of Talented Lady?”

“Talented Lady?” Everyone present was struck dumb. The emperor, who never favored women of the harem, now wished to grant Han Shuwei a title?

Han Shuwei nearly collapsed from shock. Was she to enter the palace? Had she misheard? She turned to look at Liu Chuyan, who was equally astonished.

Lady Fengxian, however, smiled. “The harem is indeed lacking. Since Your Majesty is so considerate, and though it is our first meeting, I find Miss Han both beautiful and virtuous. She deserves the title of Talented Lady. I will see that everything is properly arranged.”

Seeing Lady Fengxian smile like a peony, the emperor laughed as well and glanced at Liu Chuyan beside Han Shuwei. “And this young lady…”

Liu Chuyan was seized by terror, her eyes wide with fear. Xue Tan’s fists clenched in alarm. In the next instant, Liu Chuyan stumbled deliberately, falling beside Xue Tan’s wheelchair.

“Miss Liu?” Xue Tan instinctively grasped her fingertips. “Are you alright?” Suddenly realizing his overfamiliarity, he tried to let go.

But Liu Chuyan, having fallen on purpose, refused to release him and held on. “Thank you, Lord Xinguo.” Then, turning her back to the others, she silently mouthed, “Save Shuwei.”