Counterattack of the Cannon Fodder Chambermaid

by Usui Takumii

not mine, Princess Capture Plan. Total: 177 chapters and 12 epilogue so 189 chapters .

17. 161 to 170

161

Too many things had happened and Xiao Hua only remembered the Jinyang madam once she had some free time.

Although Xiao Hua had threatened her that day using her current status and hadn't seen any movements since, Xiao Hua still felt it was better to tell the Jing Emperor about this.

This was something Xiao Hua had gotten accustomed to: not keeping anything from the Jing Emperor. Their current environment was overly complicated, and the slightest misunderstanding could result in a rift between them. It's fine if it happened once or twice, but if it happened too much it would harm their relationship. Therefore, Xiao Hua's way of dealing with it was not to hide anything and be completely open.

This day after dinner, Xiao Hua sent Ding Xiang and the rest out and told the Jing Emperor about her past.

She truly revealed everything, starting from her experience of being sold off as a child.

The only thing she changed was how she had ended up becoming one of Ruan Siyi's senior maids. She said it was because she happened to catch his eye, and could only go along with it.1

She truly had to go along with it. Who would have thought she would get another chance after dying?! Her attitude afterwards had truly been extremely unwilling.

Thus the Jing Emperor found out that there was once a man who had stray thoughts about his woman when she was still so young.

At that time, Xiao Hua wasn't even fourteen. Truly worse than a beast!

The Jing Emperor was a little angry. This was just an instinctive reaction, something all men would innately feel. Then he realized that he had also wanted Xiao Hua'er when she was very young.

At that time she was still very petite. She was a cute and dainty little lass.

The first time she had cried very tragically. At that time he had wondered why she was crying. Shouldn't your ancestors be rejoicing in their graves that this humble prince had graced you…..

Afterwards, he had gotten a little obsessed. Whenever he went to patrol his vassal state, her little teary-eyed appearance would always pop up in his mind….

"Were you in a lot of pain that first time?" The Jing Emperor pulled Xiao Hua into his arms and stroked her hair.

Xiao Hua froze. Wasn't she telling him about her past? How did the topic turn to her first time?

However—-

The distant memory still seemed fresh in her mind…..she truly had been in a lot of pain. At that time, he didn't know to be tender yet, and even had her bathe him afterwards. Then he wanted to go again in the bathhouse pool…..

Thinking of the experience, Xiao Hua's face turned red.

The Jing Emperor seemed to have remembered what had happened after as well, and kissed her forehead in an apologetic manner.

"At that time, We didn't understand."

Xiao Hua was extremely shy and couldn't help but rub her face against his chest.

The Jing Emperor revealed a smile. He felt his heart was very warm, as though it were about to melt. The two cuddled for a while before he opened his mouth and asked: "And then?"

And then? That's right, she hadn't finished telling him!

"Then this servant concubine was sold off. Because the other two had been intimate with the fourth young master, they weren't sold off to any bad places. Then, I somehow got sold to the prince's estate."

"En, We knew about this."

"Majesty knew?" Xiao Hua crawled out from his arms, not daring to believe it.

"Can't really be counted as knowing. This was something the subordinates were responsible for. Eunuch Fu always investigates anyone entering the estate. Back when you went to the western pavilion and were made a madam, Eunuch Fu needed to change your registry and mentioned a few things to me. It was too busy back then, and I also didn't mind it."

Xiao Hua stroked her face in embarrassment. She had thought her past was very mysterious, but they had already thoroughly investigated everything. She curled up in her original spot again and brought up what happened at the mid-Autumn banquet.

After listening, the Jing Emperor frowned.

"She used your past to threaten you?"

"She hinted at it, but it doesn't seem like she wants to make a fuss out of it. She probably just wants to get some benefits from this servant concubine."

The Jing Emperor didn't speak, and half knitted his brows.

"This servant concubine didn't bother with her. This servant concubine still knows not to compromise in this situation, otherwise things will be hard to deal with in the future. This servant concubine isn't afraid of being laughed at, but I'm just afraid people will insinuate that I was a bed maid and cause problems…."

Speaking up to here, Xiao Hua finally started feeling uneasy.

"Majesty, this servant concubine….."

The Jing Emperor patted her hand comfortingly, "Don't worry. A small marquis's madam. She wouldn't dare even if you ignored her."

"Sorry, this servant concubine has a lowly background…." As she spoke, Xiao Hua's eyes turned red.

How could she not care about it? She just intentionally ignored it. Back at the western pavilion it wasn't that noticeable, but after coming to the capital, everything was about background, household status and etiquette. The reason those officials made such a fuss a few days ago was, to put it plainly, because of her lowly status. She didn't have a formidable clan behind her, and only had the Jing Emperor. If it were the empress in her position instead, no one would have popped out.

But Xiao Hua also knew that her birth wasn't something she could change. She didn't feel ashamed of her birth, but merely felt that she was bringing a lot of trouble onto her man. Her son was also implicated by his mother's lowly status.

"Why cry? You are Our senior concubine. How can your status be lowly?!"

"That's not it. This servant concubine just feels I've brought a lot of trouble onto majesty. Zhuo'er and the children have also been implicated….."

Don't think she wasn't aware just how much pressure he had been under in court the last few days before finally managing to suppress things.

"We don't feel troubled. Zhuo'er also wouldn't."

"Majesty—"

Xiao Hua smiled through her tears and pounced into the Jing Emperor's arms.

Although she understood this already in her heart, she was still pretty moved when he said it. With just these few words, she was able to put aside her sense of inferiority. She could laugh coldly and disdain the slander of others.

The Jing Emperor wiped Xiao Hua's tears, "Don't overthink it. Since there hasn't been any movement, it means she's afraid. No need to mind her."

"En."

Because the Jing Emperor needed to get up for court every morning, Xiao Hua's daily routine had been adjusted to match his.

The two got up bright and early.

They first washed up and ate breakfast. After breakfast, the Jing emperor changed his clothes and went to court.

Looking at Xiao Hua who spiritedly helped him change, the Jing Prince's eyes flashed in a smile. He said nonchalantly: "Going to the Fengqi Palace later and act the ostentatious and domineering favored concubine?"

Xiao Hua paused and shot the Jing Emperor an angry glance, "Isn't it due to majesty spoiling me?"

The Jing Emperor stroked the hair by her temples, "It's Our fault for being muddleheaded and spoiling a demoness."

Xiao Hua was also aware of her demoness label. But by the time she found out about it, the Jing Emperor had already dealt with the situation. Xiao Hua was indescribably moved at that time. She gave it her all to reward the Jing Emperor that night. The next morning when they woke up, the Jing Emperor joked "We are very pleased with Our demoness concubine", giving Xiao Hua, who was on the bed unable to move a finger, quite a heavy blow.

But this was merely a little joke between the two of them. They had a mutual understanding.

After the Jing Emperor left, Xiao Hua grabbed the second prince and looked him over. She then went to the side hall to see Zhuo'er and Yi Yi, eating breakfast with the two little ones. Xiao Hua split her breakfast in two nowadays. She would eat a few bites with the Jing Emperor and then the rest with the two children. She could eat just about enough and be done.

Then she would help the children change into outdoor clothing and take them out for a stroll in the courtyard for some morning exercise.

Now that they had Whitey, a new type of exercise was added in the morning.

The little puppy was less than two months old, and would run around behind them with its chubby body. Sometimes it would chase Yi Yi, sometimes Yi Yi would chase it and they would play for a while. Then, Yi Yi went with the palace maids to get Whitey cleaned up, Zhuo'er went to the Hall of Celebrated Glory for his lessons and Xiao Hua went to the Fengqi Palace.

"Greetings to the empress."

After Xiao Hua saluted, she sat herself down in her usual spot.

The empress had gotten thinner compared to the past few days. Her makeup couldn't cover her dry skin and sallow face. Her wrinkles had also increased. She wasn't thirty yet but looked to be an old woman in her forties already.

In comparison, Xiao Hua who was sitting below had a glowing face, a rosy and fair complexion and looked so tender it made one resentful.

"Senior concubine….cough cough….is very free….these days?" The empress's eyes almost popped out from glaring. She really wanted this person before her to vanish and never appear in front of her again.

Xiao Hua glanced at the empress and leisurely fanned herself, "Not really, this servant concubine has quite a few things to do normally. When his majesty goes to court, I accompany the children for a bit and come pay respects to empress. After going back, I have to accompany his majesty for lunch and take a nap. Then it's time to coax the children. Compared to others I'm naturally leisurely, but compared to empress I'm outrageously busy."

"You—-" Before she could say anything, the empress started coughing. The palace maids hurriedly surrounded her with tea and water while helping her catch her breath.

Nana Zhao was both anxious and angry, and turned back to give Xiao Hua a look. She happened to meet Xiao Hua's smiling gaze, startling her into turning back immediately.

"Empress, you really can't go on like this. It's better to call an imperial physician over….oh, why are you even coughing up blood? It's not good to cough up blood. This seat remembers that there's a sort of illness that makes one cough blood, it's an extraordinary one….." Xiao Hua was speaking coolly when suddenly she withdrew the smile on her face and stood up rather hurriedly. Her gaze was bewildered and she covered her nose and mouth with her handkerchief.

"Concubine, what's wrong?" Ding Xiang asked.

Xiao Hua shook her head and said something, but no one could hear clearly due to the cloth over her mouth. However, she walked towards the exit rapidly without giving the empress a glance, seemingly in a panic as though being chased by a ghost. The people she brought along all left majestically as well. Half the hall suddenly became empty.

Only after stepping out did Xiao Hua stop and remove the handkerchief. She called loudly: "Hurry and call for imperial physicians. Call several of them over, tell them the empress's situation is bad."

Hearing this, the empress didn't even cough anymore and directly fainted.

The hall immediately grew chaotic. The palace maids anxiously and in panic carried the empress to the inner hall. The Virtuous, Serene and Tranquil Concubines slipped out of the hall.

Virtuous Concubine Qiao looked bewildered at that hall and then at the senior concubine. The Serene Concubine had recently teamed up with the senior concubine and they could be said to have some relationship. She asked: "Senior concubine, was what you just said true….or false?"

"Who knows? We have to wait for the imperial physicians to find out. This seat has seen this sort of illness outside the palace before, it's an extraordinary one." Xiao Hua knitted her brows and looked at the hall in disgust. "What a calamity! Virtuous Concubine Qiao, you keep an eye on things here, ok? This seat is going to change her clothes."

After speaking, Xiao Hua took her people and left.

The Serene Concubine gave Virtuous Concubine Qiao a glance and saluted, "Virtuous concubine, since the senior concubine ordered you to keep watch, then we'll have to trouble you. Us sisters won't bother you anymore."

After speaking, she pulled the Tranquil Concubine with her and left, leaving behind Virtuous Concubine Qiao who had an ugly expression on her face.

If you recall, when she reincarnated it was right after becoming his senior maid. In her previous life she had purposefully stood out to catch his eye.

162

The empress was ill with what was said to be corpse affliction.

Don't know what corpse affliction is? Heard of tuberculosis? It's precisely that contagious disease. It starts with a cough the leads to coughing up blood. Once blood is coughed up it's too late.

Tuberculosis was counted as an incurable disease in the Grand Xi. It can't be cured and one can only carefully recuperate. If the symptoms get slightly worse, it would result in death.

Many medical books annotate tuberculosis as "infection of the lungs, bugs that damages the lungs….the bugs cause lung disease.', 'The bugs can be killed, and although this kills the patient it prevents the virus from spreading'. The current medical understanding of tuberculosis was a lung bug. This sort of bug was very infectious, and there were many medical records where the patient infects their entire family, killing them all.

Therefore, normally when doctors diagnosed someone with this sort of illness, that person would be quarantined. Of course, this illness definitely wasn't as frightening as smallpox or leprosy. This was because it had a long incubation period, but it was still extremely infectious. After the infected person passed away, they couldn't be buried and could only be cremated.

After the imperial physicians diagnosed it as tuberculosis, they sealed the Fengqi Palace that same day.

This news was transmitted to the Jing Duke's Estate, where the people inside became dazed on the spot. There was no need to mention the empress's parents who had been elevated as the Chengen Count.

The Chengen Count's madam wanted to go see her daughter in the palace. The Chengen Count had been prepared to let her go, and had even got the carriage ready, but pulled her back in the end.

"What are you doing? I want to go see our daughter!" The Chengen Count's madam was emotional and waved off the Chengen Count's hand.

"Let's think this through carefully, don't be impulsive."

"Think what through. Our daughter is ill. As her mother, can't I even go check on her?"

"You can certainly go no problem. But afterwards, are you still able to come back? Don't you know this illness is contagious?! Don't tell me you want to get everyone involved?!"

The Chengen Count's madam gritted her teeth as she turned around and pounded at her husband, "As her father, you're still going to avoid our daughter? Don't forget where your Chengen Count's title came from! Without your daughter, you are nothing….it's all your Xiao clan's fault, this was all caused by them. They forced my daughter to marry the fifth prince. If she had married my nephew back then, my daughter's life wouldn't be so bitter….."

The Chengen Count wretchedly shielded himself, and waved her off with his hand after finally enduring enough.

"What do you mean by "your Xiao clan"? Aren't you the Xiao clan's daughter-in-law? Aren't your son and daughter surnamed Xiao? What's the use of bringing this up!?"

The Chengen Count's madam fell to the side and cried inconsolably.

"Oh, my poor daughter….my Qian Qian…."

"As her father, it's also hard to see our daughter like this. Stay calm first, I'll go ask the clan to see what we can do. Or I'll go ask an imperial physician to see how to avoid being quarantined after visiting. All this needs to be arranged. Also finding a highly skilled doctor for our daughter is necessary….."

"Sure, sure, sure. Then hurry and go." The Chengen Count's madam wiped her tears and said as though seizing onto a lifeline.

The Xiao clan reacted very quickly and found a rather skilled doctor the next day. They had the Chengen Count and his madam bring him into the palace.

Whether this was reasonable or not, it was due to the Chengen Count's madam crying a flood of tears and looking awful. When he received the report, the Jing Emperor permitted it right away.

The grand and majestic Fengqi Palace that represented the dignity of the mother figure under the heavens seemed a little bleak in the autumn winds of the ninth month. A pair of guards stood outside the doors which were sealed shut. It was as though it wasn't the empress living inside, but rather a prisoner.

But the Chengen Count's madam didn't dare have any complaints at this time since she understood the seriousness of tuberculosis. She merely held onto the last shred of hope that her daughter wasn't actually ill, and that the imperial physicians had made a mistake or someone had framed her.

A mistaken diagnosis wasn't likely. All the physicians in the imperial hospital were highly skilled. Perhaps one may have diagnosed wrongly but it was impossible for them all to have diagnosed wrongly. Over half the imperial physicians had come to examine the empress. They couldn't all be quack doctors.

The Chengen madam's only hope was that someone was purposefully framing her daughter. This was also why she played the fool and brought a doctor into the palace. The Xiao clan also had the same thoughts.

After entering the Fengqi Palace, they saw several palace maids outside the hall. These palace maids all looked dispirited as though mourning the death of their father. None of them had any energy. They all knew what the empress was sick with, and they also knew why the palace was sealed off. These days, people were crying every night. Even if the lives of palace maids weren't worth anything, everyone was afraid of death. But what could they do? If the empress had this illness, those serving by her side could only curse their misfortune.

Cai Lian greeted them with a stiff expression, "Greetings to the madam. The empress is in the bedchambers."

The Chengen madam nodded but didn't immediately follow Cai Lian over. She pulled out a thick cotton cloth and folded it into a triangle before tying it around her nose and mouth. That doctor did the same.

The palace maids' expressions were a little weird but no one said anything.

The Fengqi Palace was scarily silent. All the doors and window were shut within the hall. There were only two lamps burning, making one feel like night and day had reversed.

Looking at the person lying in bed, the Chengen madam couldn't maintain her calm expression. She cried and wanted to pounce over, but the doctor gave a shout and held her fast. She had to maintain a distance of three steps from the bed as she choked down her sobs and called out the empress's name.

There was no response.

Cai Lian's mouth twitched as she walked forward and lightly called a few times before supporting the empress up.

"Empress, the Chengen madam is here to see you."

The emperss's eyelids moved and she slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes showed pleasant surprise at first, but seeing her own mom's getup her glance became sort of mocking.

"What are you doing here?"

The Chengen madam didn't seem to have noticed her daughter's indifference and said while quietly sobbing, "Mom brought a doctor to examine you. People in the clan are saying someone is probably framing you, so it's better to use one of our own."

As she spoke, she indicated for the doctor to take her pulse. The empress waved his hand away.

"…..this seat doesn't need your concern. You guys have never cared about my wellbeing. What's the point of putting on this show of concern….cough cough…..cough…."

"Empress, the imperial physicians have said you shouldn't get emotional."

"So what if I'm emotional….it's too late, it's far too late….cough cough….go, I don't need you to visit me. You tossed me to the Jing Province and didn't check up on me for so long. What's the point of showing concern now?"

"Qian Qian…."

"Since you're frightened to this extent, why come? Hurry and go back, in case you get infected…."

Only now did the Chengen madam realize her daughter had such a large reaction. She reached with a trembling hand to pull the cloth over her face down, but then withdrew it again. She cried sorrowfully: "You mom isn't avoiding you, really not. When mom heard you were sick, I wanted to come see you right away but your dad wouldn't let me….tuberculosis is contagious, we've asked a lot of doctors….mom was also helpless. There are still so many people back home, we couldn't just…."

The empress's face had long since been covered in tears. She leaned crookedly against Cai Lian, her frail body making one's heart tremble. Only after taking off her royal robes could one tell her current physical condition. She was no longer the rather curvy Jing Consort, and was now all skin and bones.

"Just go, don't come again….I'm aware of my own health, dad doesn't need to trouble himself…."

"But—–"

"Cai Lian, this seat is tired. Send them out."

"Yes."

Cai Lian carefully helped the empress back under the blankets. She turned and made an inviting gesture towards the Chengen madam while quietly saying: "Madam, the empress can't afford to be stressed. Why don't you take your leave first?"

"Qian Qian, how about letting the doctor take a look? I beg you, my daughter…." The Chengen madam covered her face, barely able to speak through her sobs. A faint voice sounded from the bed. "You won't give up until he examines me?"

"Qian Qian—-"

"Fine, I'll let you see….cough cough…Cai Lian, have that doctor come over."

That doctor walked up and carefully took her pulse through a handkerchief. Immediately after, he turned and looked at the Chengen madam and let out a sigh.

The Chengen madam immediately lost herself in tears.

"Scram. Have them leave. Scram, all of you…."

The empress squeezed her pillow. Cai Lian hurriedly supported the Chengen madam who was weak all over from crying and led them outside.

The empress panted fiercely, her red eyes looking at the empty hall. After a long time, she fell back heavily on her bed.

As expected, it was still the same, was it not?

These days she had suffered repeated examinations by countless physicians. Every time they shook their heads and sighed, it would crush the vague hope that sprung up inside her each time.

Actually there had already been clues while she was in the Jing Prince Estate. At that time, if she coughed violently she would cough up strands of blood. Doctor Hu had told her before that she needed to remain calm and think less, focusing on recuperating. Otherwise, it could very possibly turn into tuberculosis.

But—–

How was she supposed to think less? How was it possible?

She couldn't do it. In such an environment, paired with such a husband, and with such an eyesore along with her few lowly brats, how was she supposed to think less?

It was finally over. Finally, she no longer had to think about anything…..

After all, she was about to die. Thinking anything was useless…..

As for the Xiao clan, they had never cared about her. They probably wouldn't feel anything once she's gone…..

Great, she finally didn't need to think anymore.

The news brought back by the Chengen madam made the whole Xiao clan go silent.

The Jing Duke's Estate was established due to military merit, though not by this current generation's Jing Duke. It was the first generation in the past. At the time, the ancestral Jing Duke had accompanied the imperial ancestor in conquering the land, allowing him to become the emperor. Those who helped were conferred noble titles based on their merit. The Xiao clan's first generation master had been conferred as the Jing Duke.

Surnamed nobility in the Grand Xi wasn't passed down continuously via succession. Instead, it was only valid for five generations. As of today, the current Jing Duke was the fourth.

In the past, the Xiao clan wouldn't have cared about this. They were the empress's clan and the crown prince's maternal family. They just needed to casually request some grace and they would be conferred permanent titles that could be passed down via succession. This wasn't far-fetched. If the crown prince had ascended the throne, this would have been a certainty. It was also what the Xiao clan had been working towards.

Unfortunately the crown prince had died and his heirs weren't chosen to be the successor. They could have had an empress dowager, but were screwed over by the previous emperor. Therefore, the current empress's position was not as unimportant to them as she herself had assumed.

How could it not be important? Well, what was important wasn't her person, but rather her position. The important thing was that the Xiao clan had an empress.

This was a sort of symbolism. It meant that the Xiao clan was still the empress's clan, and it meant that they had limitless potential.

If they no longer had an empress, would they still be the empress's clan? Would they still have limitless potential?

Perhaps it may not be clear right away, but after a number of years, the Jing Duke title would end after the fifth generation. They would gradually decline like those other merit-based titled households, sinking into the long river of history to be forgotten forever.

An empress who contracted such a foul illness. Even if she didn't die, she would be as good as dead.

Would the Xiao clan still have a future, and still have a path forward? This question needed proper consideration…..

Author's notes:

Did some research. There were many names for tuberculosis in ancient times. Only during the Ming and Qing dynasties was it referred to as tuberculosis.

Before, it was known as corpse affliction, bug affliction, spreading corpse, all sorts of messy names. Back then, it was explained as having bugs in the lungs, or even ghosts. Their imaginations were too vivid. But medical knowledge wasn't developed in ancient times, so this was also normal. It was just as well-known as smallpox and leprosy, but wasn't as contagious.

The part where they said the body needed to be cremated after death was made up by this author. But after some research, it seemed there was some evidence that it was still contagious after death? (Is it that amazing?) It's said that they had found tuberculosis in mummies before (heavens!)

Haha, therefore everyone shouldn't critique the question of cremation. The body must be burned, right? We can't have her body being buried between the Jing Emperor and Xiao Hua after their death, right?

This author's heart is easily swayed. Writing up to here makes the empress seem very pitiful. According to close friends, this softheartedness is an issue, and needs fixing.

163

3

At the same time, within the Chenxi Palace.

Xiao Hua finally revealed her first sincere smile since the eldest princess had fallen into the water. This sort of smile came from her innermost being, and seemed as though she had been relieved from a burden.

Don't call her malicious. Under such circumstances, those who struck first had the initiative. She couldn't just continue passively taking a beating.

"Concubine, did the empress really end up this way?"

Xiao Hua leaned on the couch and lazily grunted in affirmation.

"To think she got tuberculosis just from being frustrated and angered. This tuberculosis truly isn't simple!"

Xiao Hua couldn't help but laugh. She sat up and unhappily tapped her forehead, "Enough, it's not as mysterious as you're making it out to be."

"But, but…..Chun Cao feels it seems to be the case…."

Xiao Hua smiled and explained, "This seat has sent a letter to Doctor Hu asking about it. The empress already had the roots of the illness within her, but it hadn't developed into something as serious as tuberculosis yet. This was why I'd go stress her out during my free time."

"But wasn't it a little too effective?"

Ding Xiang smiled and pushed Chun Cao away, not letting her bother the concubine with her astonishment, "Alright, hurry up and get back to work. My ears are almost hurting from your fussing."

"This servant just feels it was too mysterious…."

Xiao Hua only smiled and didn't explain.

It definitely wasn't that simple. For it to work required tailoring her actions based on the person's personality and illness. The empress had always been someone whose emotions fluctuated wildly and overthought things. There had already been hints of it back in the Jing Province. Doctor Hu had warned her previously, but unfortunately she never listened to him.

After getting to the capital, the empress went through great joys then great sorrow. After repeated stimulation, she had long since been an arrow at the end of its flight. She still forced herself to display her dignity as the empress and still thought about so many things without properly adjusting her health. The final straw had broken the camel's back.

Actually Xiao Ha hadn't expected to see results so soon. She had been prepared for a war of attrition.

Suddenly the sound of the little puppy's barking rang out, following which Yi Yi ran over like a gust of wind.

"Mother concubine, mother concubine…."

"What is it, my eldest princess Yi Yi." Xiao Hua smiled as she caught her daughter who flew directly into her arms. She checked to see if her forehead was covered in sweat.

Seeing that there was sweat, she called Chun Cao to bring over a handkerchief and helped her wipe it off.

"Whitey is too bad. It bit my dress."1

Xiao Hua looked at Whitey who was by her daughter's feet. Whitey seemed to know that this was the biggest mistress, even bigger than the little mistress. The dog's mouth let out panting sounds as its tail wagged energetically. The dog seemed to have a fawning expression.

"Then how about mother concubine punishes Whitey by not giving it food tonight?"

Yi Yi thought about it and looked at the pitiful Whitey next to her feet. "Forget it, Whitey is still so young. It would starve if it missed a meal."

"Eldest princess, little dogs like to chew things because they need to grind their teeth."

"Really, Auntie Ding Xiang?"

Ding Xiang nodded, "We'll have the servants make some knotted cloth for it to chew on. Then it won't bite princess's dress anymore."

"Then let's go right away. Otherwise, stinky Whitey keeps biting my beautiful dress."

Although Eldest Princess Yi Yi wasn't that old, she still knew to show off her looks.

Xiao Hua nodded and Ding Xiang took Yi Yi out.

Before Ding Xiang was done with the knotted cloth, Eunuch Fu went over to them. He had probably heard about Whitey biting Yi Yi's dress.

"Fu Fu, why are you here?"

Eunuch Fu looked at the eldest princess who seemed to have recovered her liveliness from before. He smiled until his eyes became slits.

"This old servant brought some good things for eldest princess."

"What good things? Hurry and let Yi Yi see." Yi Yi was always extremely pleased with Fu Fu's gifts. Therefore, she was full of expectations.

Who knew that Eunuch Fu would take a plate from the low-ranked eunuch next to him? On the plate were a few pieces of pork bones.

"These are good things?" Yi Yi looked disbelieving.

Eunuch Fu smiled mysteriously. He picked up a bone from the plate and threw it in front of Whitey.

Although Whitey was still young, it was extremely vigilant. It first used its puppy eyes to give Eunuch Fu a glance, as though scrutinizing whether he was familiar. It then sniffed at the bone before running off. But this little dog seemed reluctant to leave the bone behind. Its little pink tongue licked its nose as it looked at the bone. It seemed like it really wanted to eat it, but didn't go over.

Eunuch Fu clicked his tongue and smiled: "This little thing has been raised pretty well. Who raised it?"

A low-ranked eunuch ran over and said with a bow: "Grandpa Fu, this little one is called Xiao Li Zi, and is responsible for taking care of Whitey."

"En. Not bad."

The low-ranked eunuch seemed to be overwhelmed by his favor. "Thank you Grandpa Fu for your praise. This little one will work even harder in the future."

On the other side, Yi Yi picked up the bone and put it next to Whitey's leg.

"Whitey, hurry and eat."

Whitey licked Yi Yi's fingers before picking the bone up with its mouth. It gave a couple of licks and seemed to feel it suited its tastes. It then held it down with its paws and started gnawing at it.

"Aiya, Fu Fu. It turns out Whitey really likes this."

Whitey seemed to have heard someone calling it, looking up and giving a bark before resuming gnawing with great gusto. The bone was extremely well chosen. It wasn't too big to prevent Whitey from picking it up, but not so small that it would be gone in a few bites. Instead, it lasted for a very long time.

Eunuch Fu handed the rest over to the low-ranked eunuch on the side and crouched next to Yi Yi. "All dogs like bones. It's good for grinding their teeth but you have to remember to switch it out. This old servant will have the imperial kitchen prepare some every day for princess."

Yi Yi smiled widely, her beautiful lips curling, "Fu Fu you're the best."

"As long as eldest princess is happy."

Old and young where both in extremely good moods and they watched Whitey gnawing on the bone for a long while.

Yi Yi made a big fuss out of nothing while talking childishly to Whitey. Eunuch Fu also laughed along, stunning the low-ranked eunuch who followed beside him.

The other eunuch remained calm in the face of weirdness, poking the first eunuch and saying quietly: "What are you astonished for? Our Grandpa Fu cherishes the eldest princess the most. He always comes to play with her whenever he's free."

The other eunuch hurriedly closed his mouth, and decided to properly consider his attitude when meeting this princess in the future.

The eunuch couldn't be blamed for his surprise. Within the palace, the eunuchs who could serve by his majesty's side were all extremely proud. Especially the general managing eunuchs. Let alone princesses, they may not even bother with princes, even if they were from favored concubines. After all, they were his majesty's servants, and would at most show some superficial emotion.

This is why the saying described servants as iron-forged while concubines were leaky. Concubines may fall out of favor one day, but as long as a servant stayed by his master's side, their status may be even higher than some of the masters.

To be able to make the head of these eunuchs accompany her in watching a dog was extremely significant.

As for what it signified, those who could remain by Eunuch Fu's side were all smart enough to figure it out.

Eunuch Fu played with Yi Yi for a long while before saying his goodbyes.

"Eldest princess, this old servant has to go work."

"Fu Fu, you're leaving?" Yi Yi looked reluctant, her little hand unwilling to let go of his robes.

Eunuch Fu almost gave in, "This old servant still has a lot to do, but will definitely come play with princess later."

Yi Yi nodded sensibly and let go. "Then Fu Fu must definitely remember to come."

"En, this old servant will definitely remember." Eunuch Fu said seriously.

Only after leaving the Chenxi Palace did Eunuch Fu straighten his waist.

Such a cute eldest princess, how could someone be so ruthless as to make a move on her? The princess was still young and didn't keep things in mind, but Eunuch Fu kept it well in his mind. The empress was no longer an issue, but there was still the royal concubine.

How should he properly entertain her without leaving behind evidence?

Eunuch Fu stroked his chin as he pondered.

Everyone in the capital was focused on the sick empress. Seeing the Xiao clan quieten down and no longer seek out doctors, everyone had some understanding in their hearts.

The next thing people watched for was when the emperor would strip her of her position.

The empress was not favored, and now contracted this foul ailment. Her position was going to be stripped for sure. If the empress's spot opened up, does that mean there would be an opportunity for someone else?

All the nobles and officials with daughters of suitable ages started stirring.

In this brief period of time, the capital started boiling over under the surface.

This was the empress's position. If a household could end up with an empress, they would certainly ascend to the heavens along with her. If that empress could give birth to a son, he would count as the son of the principal wife.

Although there was already a crown prince, didn't the previous emperor have a crown prince as well? What ended up happening?

The Jinyang Estate's rear doors had a gatekeeper. A simple and honest looking, swarthy middle-aged man stood there feeling ill-at-ease.

"Are you really that Grandma Wang's nephew?"

"That's right, ah truly am. Mah aunt had been sold off early, before ah was even born. The reason mah aunt was sold off was so mah dad could get married. Mah dad kept this in mind his entire life. Initially mah family still kept in contact with mah aunt, but they could never save up enough money to buy her freedom. Since there were many mouths to feed, this matter was delayed year after year. Now, after so many years mah family has finally saved up ten taels of silver, and ah'm here to buy mah aunt back. Mah dad said that ah must buy mah aunt back. This is something mah household never forgot about." 2

The continuous string of "ah"s was overwhelming the gatekeeper. He waved his hand impatiently, "Shush, shush, shush. Where did this country bumpkin come from? Why can't you speak properly?"

That middle-aged man looked aggrieved and muttered: "Ah am speaking properly with you."

That gatekeeper looked the fellow up and down, his face disbelieving, "She's an old woman with one foot in the grave. What are you buying her back for? Even using ten taels of silver to buy her."

Looking at the shoddy pieces of silver in the fellow's hands, the gatekeeper swallowed greedily. That was ten taels of silver. Even though they were a little shoddy looking, they were still silver in the end.

He glanced at the foolish looking yokel and snatched the bag of silver over, "You wait here. I'll call someone over."

"Ai, thanks a bunch little bro." This fellow didn't seem to notice the malicious intent in the gatekeeper's eyes and thanked him energetically.

The other gatekeeper followed and left as well, "Aren't you afraid of him making a fuss if you screw him over like this?"

"Pshh! If that country bumpkin tries to argue with this daddy, watch how I take care of him." The first gatekeeper spat and smirked. "I'll show him. If he makes a fuss, I'll say he used it to bribe me into helping him"

"You've really considered everything."

That gatekeeper glanced sideways at him and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, we're tight. You get a share as the witness. I'll split it with you later."

"Don't forget about it, ok? The witness gets half."

"Enough, enough. We'll talk about it later."

Translator's notes:

Minor hint to story's direction in author's notes.

Author's notes:

Hehe, take a guess as to who this "ah"ing fellow is…..

In case you were wondering, Chinese has a genderless pronoun for objects and animals. Since there hasn't been any indication whether Whitey is male or female, I'm forced to use "it".

The word he used for "I" is in northern dialect. Would have just translated it as "I" but there's a reference upcoming.

164

Before long, Grandma Wang was brought over.

Along the way, her face was still full of confusion. Since when did she have a nephew?

That simple-looking fellow charged over the moment he saw Grandma Wang. He grabbed her hands, "Old aunt! Ah've missed you to death."

"You are—–"

"It's Da Tian, aunt….."

This fellow loudly proclaimed their relationship while the two gatekeepers impatiently went around the corner to divide up the silver.

"You are Granny Wang right? Our mistress had me come take you out of here." The fellow quickly said in a quiet voice to Grandma Wang.

Grandma Wang was wise and experienced, and quickly caught on. She replied in an equally low voice: "Your mistress is?"

"She had me pass on a message: do you still remember the little Xiao Hua from back then?"

"It's her—–"

"Granny, we don't have time to say too much. Someone probably came to you a few days ago. My mistress is afraid that you might be in danger, and had me come take you away."

"Do you think I can leave in this situation?"

The two gatekeepers seemed to have trouble coming to an agreement and started arguing in the corner. It was possible to hear the commotion.

That fellow smiled brightly, "Since they are greedy, I'll just stuff them some more silver. It shouldn't be a problem. If it still doesn't work, I'll snatch you away."

Grandma Wang however had more thoughts about it. "Can you tell me what the danger is?"

That fellow glanced at the corner and quickly said: "It's hard to describe in a short amount of time. Basically Tian-Shi is trying to use some smoke and mirrors to blackmail my mistress. Because you were close with her, mistress is afraid you'd be implicated….."

At this moment, a voice suddenly rang out from inside.

"Where is Grandma Wang?"

"This—-someone came to find her. It's her nephew."

That voice sounded a little frustrated, "Then what are you guys doing here?"

"We—–"

The sound of footsteps rang out.

"I've fooled Tian-Shi by acting muddled in my old age. I'm in the small kitchen, people bringing firewood are able to meet with me."

That fellow froze, and then urged in a muffled voice: "…..old aunt, come home. Mah dad is still waiting for you."

"You're so impetuous, child. Wait for your old aunt to go and pack…."

"Grandma Wang, what are you packing for?" Manager Qian walked out, asking with narrowed eyes.

Grandma Wang opened her vacant old eyes wide and said beaming: "Packing my clothes. My eldest nephew is here to buy my freedom and take me back home."

"Who said you could be redeemed?"

"Manager, how can you say that? Ah've given ten taels of silver. How can you stop mah aunt from returning with me?"

"Who accepted your silver? I didn't see any of it!"

"That person accepted the silver. Handed it over just now, ten taels." That fellow pointed with his rough finger at the gatekeeper who snatched his silver.

That gatekeeper gave the fellow a glare, and awkwardly smiled at Manager Qian, "Manager, this was a little incentive he gave to see the person….."

That fellow immediately disagreed, yelling loudly: "Why do you city folk spout so much crap. Ah've said that ah've come to buy aunt's freedom. Since you've taken the money, doesn't that mean you've agreed?"

"You're the one spouting crap…."

"Enough, enough."

Manager Qian seized the silver from the gatekeeper and threw it to the fellow. "Alright, there's your silver back. Hurry and get lost. This Grandma Wang is not allowed to be redeemed."

"Based on what! Why won't you let mah aunt go? She's already so old, what's wrong with redeeming her freedom? There is no law stating that old grandmas can't be redeemed."

"Since she was sold to our Jinyang Estate, it's up to us to decide. If we don't agree, there's nothing you can do. Grandma Wang, hurry and go back to the small kitchen. Don't wander about."

"This, this….."

The fellow refused to let go of Grandma Wang's hand. "You promised back then to let mah family redeem her once we saved up ten taels of silver. How can you refuse us now?"

Manager Qian didn't know of any past agreements. She only knew that she had to carry out the instructions given to her by her superiors.

"Pshh. You also know that was back then. How many buns could you buy with silver back then? How many can you buy now? Let me tell you, it'll take twenty taels of silver to redeem this old grandma now!"

"Heh, you black-hearted bunch. Back when mah aunt was young she was worth only ten taels, but now the price increased to twenty after she's old? Are you still human?"

"This momma is precisely black-hearted. What are you going to do about it? Come redeem this old grandma after saving up twenty taels of silver!"

Even if you had twenty taels we still wouldn't hand her over! Of course, these words weren't spoken out loud by Manager Qian.

Grandma Wang's hand shook from anxiety as she stood on the side. Even after saying a bunch of niceties to Manager Qian, she still wouldn't let her go. The fellow was also anxious, his bowl sized fists clenched as he felt like beating people up. Grandma Wang held him back.

Grandma Wang wiped away her tears, "Da Tian, how about you go back first. Don't come for your old aunt anymore. Your aunt is already so old, and isn't worth it. Use the money to buy some good food for the family's children."

"Old aunt…."

"Go back and tell your dad this old aunt is doing very well here. They provide meals and have even made proper funeral arrangements….."

"Old aunt!"

"Hurry and go home. Don't get hung up on this old aunt. It's enough knowing you guys are doing well. We don't have any money or influence, and cannot offend the marquis's estate. Don't do anything foolish."

That fellow's face was sullen and he gave Manager Qian a harsh glare before stomping his foot and leaving.

"Ding Xiang—-"

Seeing Ding Xiang coming over from afar, Zhao Da walked up and grabbed her hand, finding a secluded place to talk.

"How did everything go?"

Zhao Da smiled bitterly and said: "I've done as concubine requested and personally went, but that side wasn't willing to release the person. I only managed to speak briefly with Granny Wang before someone hurried over and drove me away. It seems like someone in the estate has already given instructions not to release Granny Wang. Therefore, they won't let anyone redeem her." What a waste of his performance in acting the foolish bumpkin.

Seeing Zhao Da's worried appearance, Ding Xiang comforted: "It's fine, don't put it to heart. Concubine has already said that they will probably be on guard, and wouldn't let her go that easily."

Zhao Da nodded: "That Granny Wang is old, but she's still extremely sharp. She said she's fooled Tian-Shi by acting muddled. I think there shouldn't be any problems."

He described everything in detail so Ding Xiang could report back.

After Ding Xiang finished listening, she nodded, "Then I'll go back first. The concubine is waiting for the news."

She had just turned to leave when she was pulled into Zhao Da's arms.

"Why the hurry to leave? Let's talk a little more. Ding Xiang, I've missed you recently. Did you miss me?"

Ding Xiang turned red, and only spoke after resisting for a while, "I did."

"I've missed you so much." Sighing, Zhao Da pulled her in for a kiss but Ding Xiang hurriedly held him off.

"We're in the palace. Don't mess around."

"But I've really missed you too much. Just when can we get married? I've been waiting an eternity." Seeing that Ding Xiang didn't intend on letting him continue, Zhao Da released his grasp with a disappointed look.

Ding Xiang saw his pitiful appearance, and after glancing around she quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't be anxious, it should be very soon. Wait until this situation is done and I'll ask the concubine for her blessing."

"Really?" Zhao Da felt his cheek and asked with a foolish smile.

"Of course." Ding Xiang glared at his hopeless appearance, but still felt some sweetness in her heart.

"You know all my bros are always frequenting the brothels, and I'm the only one staying behind. I'm waiting for you. I'm truly missing you too much…." As he spoke, Zhao Da seemed a little aggrieved.

"You fool, don't say anymore. I understand." Ding Xiang blushed and stomped her feet, interrupting his words. She then said softly: "Don't worry, I'll ask for concubine's blessing soon."

"How soon is soon?"

Ding Xiang thought a little, "Probably after the New Year."

"Alright, but you have to remember your words. When the time comes, don't go telling me that the concubine needs you here and there." Zhao Da complained.

"I know. Then I'm leaving first. Can't stay out too long."

After speaking, Ding Xiang slipped away, leaving Zhao Da rubbing his cheek as he giggled foolishly at the thought of being married next year.

Ding Xiang was dazed the entire way back to the Chenxi Palace. She only snapped out of it after standing in front of Xiao Hua.

"Ding Xiang, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, concubine. I went to meet with Zhao Da just now…" Following which, she passed on Zhao Da's words in detail.

After listening, Xiao Hua furrowed her brows.

She had planned on cutting off any problems in advance, but it seems the situation wasn't going to be quite so simple. If Tian-Shi was truly afraid, she wouldn't be watching an old woman so tightly. Yet if she wasn't afraid, why were there no signs of movement?

She turned back and saw Ding Xiang standing with her head lowered. Xiao Hua's gaze fell on her snow-white earlobes which had a hint of red. She suddenly smiled, "Alright, I got it. Help me thank Vice-Commander Zhao."

Seeing the concubine's meaningful gaze, Ding Xiang was confused at first. When she followed her gaze and felt her ears, she remembered what Zhao Da just did and her face turned red.

"Concubine, this servant will take her leave first." After speaking, she covered her ear and hurriedly left with her head lowered.

After a while, Chun Cao came in.

"Concubine, have you noticed something?"

Chun Cao was seventeen now, and was a bright-eyed and good looking young lady. Having stayed by Xiao Hua's side for five years, she had become quite sharp and steady. However, her liveliness had never changed. Perhaps due to their special relationship, she dared to occasionally act coy with Xiao Hua. This often gave Xiao Hua the feeling she was like a younger sister.

Of course, Xiao Hua wasn't that much older herself, only nineteen. But Chun Cao had been twelve when they met, and Xiao Hua had watched her grow up. Therefore, her feelings for her were naturally different from others. Of course, she also felt close to Ding Xiang and Ding Lan, but it wasn't quite the same.

"Oh, you. Such a sense of curiosity."

"It's because this is big sis Ding Xiang we're talking about. Chun Cao wouldn't care so much if it were anyone else." Chun Cao wrinkled her nose cutely.

Xiao Hua knew about Ding Xiang and Zhao Da, including how they would occasionally meet up. But she only knew today that the two were already so intimate.

It seems that Ding Xiang's matter couldn't be delayed any longer. After all, she had been with her for many years, and Xiao Hua still remembered her own words back at the East Yuling alley. Ding Xiang wasn't young anymore.

Thinking of this, Xiao Hua instructed: "Go call Ding Xiang and Ding Lan over."

They soon arrived.

"The two of you have been with this seat for quite a few years now, more than four years…." Speaking to this point, the memories of their little interactions over the years flashed through Xiao Hua's mind, "This seat has never forgotten your loyalty. You aren't young anymore. Vice-Commander Zhao and Ding Xiang's relationship had almost formed back at the East Yuling alley, but was delayed a long time due to moving to the capital."

She let out a deep breath, and said with a smile: "Although this seat is reluctant to let you go, I won't selfishly hold you back your entire life. Ding Xiang, this seat has made arrangements regarding your matter. The marriage is set for next month. As for Ding Lan, let this seat know if you have a suitable partner in mind. Otherwise, this seat can also help you pick someone."

"Concubine….."

"Enough, enough. This is a good thing, you shouldn't cry." Xiao Hua wiped her own eyes with her handkerchief and then turned to Ding Lan: "What are your plans?"

"This servant doesn't want to get married for now, and will remain by concubine's side."

Xiao Hua muttered, "Tell me whenever you want to leave and marry. Women cannot delay in this matter. After all, marriage and giving birth is the orthodox path. Although you haven't reached the age of release yet, this seat can make the decision to set you free. Don't have any misgivings."

"That's not it. This servant understands concubine's kind intentions, but merely hasn't thought about it yet. Once this servant has some thoughts, I will honestly tell concubine about it." Ding Lan said.

"That's fine. Ding Xiang, congratulations. You have to live well once you're out."

Ding Xiang had long since started crying. "Concubine, this servant will definitely be well."

"If Vice-Commander Zhao bullies you, come to the palace and tell me. I will definitely mediate for you."

"Thank you concubine."

Xiao Hua's eyes were burning. Seeing Ding Xiang cry like this, she felt extremely reluctant in her heart.

"Enough, enough. Why are you crying? This is a good thing, a blessing. Everyone stop crying. Ding Xiang, you go tell Vice-Commander Zhao in case he starts saying secretly that this seat refuses to let you go."

Ding Xiang laughed through her sobs, both embarrassed and shy.

Zhao Da never expected that his marriage had already been arranged during this period of forbidden love. Of course, this was a topic for the future.

165

!

As the Jing Emperor expected, Tian-Shi had truly gotten scared.

The things that happened in the palace was known to everyone in the capital with some connections. Because the eldest princess had fallen into the water, so many people were beaten to death. The prime senior concubine had even showed up personally to supervise. Only now did Tian-Shi realize this prime senior concubine was no longer the maid she had sold off back then.

The moment she realized this, Tian-Shi was suddenly covered in cold sweat.

The events that happened next in court made Tian-Shi understand just how much the Jing Emperor favored that prime senior concubine. The majestic son of heaven went against convention for the sake of a woman and faced off against so many officials. In the end, he even managed to suppress them. Tian-Shi touched her own neck, and fell ill that night out of fear.

She imagined many things. She thought about how the prime senior concubine would punish her, or whether she would send someone to silence her….all this made her extremely terrified but she wasn't able to tell anyone about it.

It was her own foolish notion. She had temporarily been blinded by wealth and status, and had actually gone to probe out the majestic senior concubine. Wasn't this being tired of living? Luckily she had merely probed her that day, and didn't make her meaning clear. This gave her a trace of hope. She hoped that the senior concubine could be magnanimous and forget about her.

After being worried for several days, she saw that the senior concubine didn't make any moves and finally felt a little relieved.

Unfortunately, she forgot that things may proceed even without her intent.

The day of the mid-autumn festival, Tian-Shi was startled after running into Virtuous Concubine Qiao. But since the eldest princess fell into the water, she assumed the virtuous concubine was just headed over there and merely stopped to say a few polite words. Therefore, she didn't think too much about it.

Afterwards, the Chengyang Count's madam had frequently visited her. On the surface she came for idle chatter, but in reality she kept steering the conversation into asking whether Tian-Shi had some interactions with the senior concubine.

Only then did Tian-Shi realize that the virtuous concubine must have seen some clues that day. However, since she didn't hear the conversation, she had some doubts and sent her own mother over to investigate or try to form an alliance.

Tian-Shi was too familiar with the thoughts of a woman within a harem. They would appear respectful on the surface but wouldn't hesitate to cause problems for one another. They would seize any opportunity to pull each other down. But since she had put these dangerous thoughts out of her mind, she naturally wouldn't go with her schemes. She engaged in tai-chi, played dumb and managed to get by.

This day, Tian-Shi was called back home by her mother, the Yingguo Duke's madam.

Tian-Shi was born in the Yingguo Duke Estate's Tian clan. She was the principal wife's second daughter.

Once she got to the Rongchang1 Pavilion's main residence, Tian-Shi realized that apart from her mother, her oldest and second brother were there with their wives as well.

After Tian-Shi gave her greetings, she sat down next to her white-haired mother.

"Why is everyone gathered here? Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened." The Yingguo Duke's madam patted her daughter's hand. "There's just a major matter that needs to be discussed with everyone."

"Where's dad?" Since it was a major matter, how can the Yingguo Duke be absent?

The madam's expression sank. Tian-Shi's oldest brother Tian Zheng Yu's expression was also rather ugly.

"Don't bring up your father anymore. Even I'm embarrassed to talk about him. He's already so old, almost seventy, but is still working every day trying to have another son. There are so many sons in the family already and he still thinks it's not enough. He's pulling that group of little demonesses around every day trying to raise two more sons…."

Before she could finish speaking, a rather energetic voice sounded from the door.

"Who am I doing this for? Isn't this for the sake of the family? Do you think I want to do this?!"

Along with the voice, the Yingguo Duke walked in. He was in his sixties but had maintained his body quite well. He walked rather smoothly and didn't need any support. His voice was also full of energy.

His madam saw him come in and wiped away her tears angrily.

"Stop talking about it. You should be ashamed of yourself…It's all because of you not respecting seniority that our household is in such a mess. You don't differentiate between the children of the principal wife and the concubines, you mess around with the order of seniority. The lowly seeds of those hussies are even trampling around on my Yu'er's head."

"If you don't see eye to eye with them just sell them off. Are a few concubines worth you making such a fuss?"

"Can I sell them off? Dare I sell them off? They are the birth mothers of your precious sons. If I sold them off, wouldn't you swallow me whole?"

Speaking about this requires knowing about something that happened long ago.

The first generation Yingguo Duke had also received his title based on merits accumulated from founding the dynasty. The ancestral emperor had ascended the throne and conferred titles to his contributors so they could enjoy this great nation together. While this was supposed to be the case, it was merely some superficial words. The ancestral emperor decreed that the royal line would forever be passed down via his offspring, but those merit-based titles would only last for five generations. The generals back then could understand the reason for this discrimination. They would do the same in his position. After all, people were all selfish.

The ancestral emperor was a benevolent ruler. After ascending the throne, he wasn't like the emperor of the previous dynasty who burnt his bridges once they had served their purpose. Those merit-based officials all received some benefits in the end. Although it wasn't quite what was promised during the uprising where they were told they would "enjoy the great nation together", they still received a lot of wealth and glory.

The following generation was full of potential. Some used their father's glorious position to push their families to greater heights. They didn't dishonor their status, and instead expanded the branches and formed rather large clans. Some of them were mediocre, and could only maintain the status quo. Some just muddled along and became arrogant young masters who didn't worry about the future.

After a few generations, the ancestral emperor's foresight became clear. There were a few levels of nobility in the Grand Xi. Some titles where conferred only upon the individual. For example, once the Chengen Count died, his next generation wouldn't be nobility unless they found another way. Some titles lasted for three generations, some for five.

Titles like the Yingguo Duke's lasted five generations because they contributed a lot in the founding of the dynasty. As of today, the Yingguo Duke was the fourth generation. This meant that after this one passed away, there would be one final generation with the Yingguo Duke's title.

The Grand Xi had another system which screwed them over: the fact that sons succeeded their fathers. Unless the males in the next generation all died, they couldn't pass on their titles to their grandsons. This rule was set by the previous emperor. He probably calculated that those merit-based titles were reaching the end of their nobility with this generation, and wanted to avoid people from using loopholes to pass it on to the next generation instead, allowing them to have a few more decades.

The Yingguo Duke was already sixty-seven this year. He had fifteen sons, but had yet to nominate a successor to the Yingguo Duke's Estate. He was probably considering the matter of passing on his title. After all, his eldest son was already fifty. Compared to passing his title to a middle aged person, everyone knew that passing it on to a child would mean a longer term.

Many in the capital laughed secretly at the Yingguo Duke's immature schemes, but those uninvolved couldn't relate to how a large family felt when faced with imminent decline.

Therefore, although the Yingguo Duke's Estate looked glorious on the surface, it was a complete mess on the inside. There was no differentiation between the sons, and instead more emphasis was placed on the youngest one. The sons of concubines all knew that the future Yingguo Duke would definitely not be the eldest son, which is why none of them really respected the children of the principal wife. Especially those concubines who had the youngest sons. They seemed to all know they would be the future madam of the estate.

This often angered the current madam to tears, but she was helpless.

Tian-Shi also knew her family's situation, but what could she say about it? She was a daughter who was married off, and she could also understand her dad's intentions. After all, none of them wanted to see the family decline, leaving so many people without shelter.

The two elders bickered a little longer before each sitting angrily in their seats. This was what was meant by "old children".

"Enough. We didn't call little sister back today to listen to the two of you argue. Instead of using this stupid plan to postpone our sentence, we might as well put some effort in coming up with another plan."

The Yingguo Duke didn't like what he was hearing and said angrily while blowing his beard: "What do you mean by stupid plan? Are you saying this daddy is stupid? You aren't stupid, but I don't see you successfully establishing anything. Aren't you still hoping for this daddy here to support the entire family!?"

Tian Zheng Yu's expression immediately turned dark like the bottom of a pan.

Actually the Yingguo Duke's words weren't wrong. Their family still had a few talents in his father's generation. After his generation took over, and even including the most recent young generation, there wasn't a single person with promising prospects. They were all useless young masters.

Furthermore, to be conferred a merit-based title in the Grand Xi required military accomplishments. There hadn't been any wars in several decades, and none of their Tian clan's masters were capable of leading battles.

"Why are you criticizing our eldest child? Although he hasn't accomplished much, at least he's sensible. Those sons from your concubines only know to stir up trouble, what else are they good for? If they aren't beating people up outside, they're….."

"Enough, enough. Don't argue anymore. Since we're here to discuss serious matters, let's get to the point. I still have to go back later, stop wasting time."

The Yingguo Duke let out a hmph and closed his mouth. The madam wiped away her tears and also remained silent.

Tian Zheng Yu cleared his throat and said: "Everyone knows the Jing Duke clan's empress has contracted a foul disease. Since this is the case, she will definitely be stripped of her status…."

"Haha, to think that the old man from the Xiao clan would also have such a day. He fancied himself clever, but couldn't avoid the whims of fate…."

"Enough, dad. Stop interrupting. Let eldest brother finish."

Knowing his dad was a master who liked causing trouble, Tian Zheng Yu spoke as concisely as possible, "After the empress is removed, there will be a new empress conferred. My daughter Qi Yue is of a suitable age and is also the capital's number one beauty. Our clan's status isn't bad either…."

He didn't finish the rest of his words, but it was precisely this that let everyone's imaginations wander.

If the Yingguo Duke's clan could really obtain an empress, and become related to the royal family, there would be plenty of benefits. First of all, as the emperor's father-in-law, Tian Zheng Yu would be conferred a title. The Yingguo Duke's Estate may even be raised in status. Then, if the empress could give birth to a few sons, then they would obtain abundant wealth and status.

The Yingguo Duke looked cheerful. He slapped his leg and said: "If we manage to do this, that old man from the Xiao clan would be angered to death. This daddy has been angered by him for many decades…"

Everyone present felt like covering their faces. They truly couldn't deal with this old man. His thoughts leaped around too fast. While everyone else was still thinking whether this plan was feasible, he was already thinking how to anger his old opponent.

"Would this be possible?"

Tian-Shi had always been intelligent, and was a rather calculating person. Otherwise, her family wouldn't have called their married-off daughter back for the discussion this time. Of course, it was also because she was close with her maternal family. She was the only smart one out of all the other daughters. The rest were rather ordinary.

"What is difficult about this? That granddaughter of mine is exceptionally beautiful. So many influential families have come asking for her hand in marriage, but have all been rejected. We've always felt they were lacking just a bit, but now it seems fortune has descended upon us. Our Qi Yue is clearly empress material ever since she was born."

"Dad, stop blabbering."

"What blabbering? Look at how we've never found a suitable partner for Qi Yue. Now that the Xiao clan's empress contracted this illness, isn't she precisely making room for my granddaughter?"

How do you know she isn't making room for someone else? Tian-Shi cursed silently.

But thinking about it, her dad's words did make some sense. Her niece Qi Yue was truly outstanding, and was as beautiful as a fairy. She was talented in each of the four arts. None of the other girls in the capital could compare.

"Since even our family is having such thoughts, the others will naturally be thinking the same thing. Although our status is quite high, we don't have any capable people. How can we win against the others?"

Tian Zheng Yu frowned unhappily, "Little sister, your big brother called you here to provide suggestions, not to be a downer. How do we know without giving it a try? If we succeed, our family would make a comeback."

"Exactly, exactly." The Yingguo Duke agreed.

Tian-Shi also understood this. She looked at her parents whose hair had turned completely white. She looked at her eldest brother whose brows were wrinkled from frowning. She thought about the mess inside their household and their imminent decline. She let out a long breath, and started thinking of possible solutions.

Author's words:

I've read a few novels where nobility was only passed down for five generations. This author did some research but couldn't find anything concrete. The Ming Dynasty divided it into hereditary and non-hereditary. Non-hereditary only lasted for that one generation, whereas hereditary could be passed on but would be lowered in rank.

Since we're making them figureheads, we'll just do it this way.

Those worrying about taking care of Tian-Shi shouldn't be impatient. It's coming soon. Our little Jing is playing a huge game of chess.

Flourishing Honor

166

The yingguo Duke's family wasn't the only one who had such thoughts. There were many others. Similarly, the Jing Duke's Xiao clan also didn't fall behind.

However, the Jing Duke Estate was much more excessive. They called the Chengen Count and his madam over, and directly told them to have the empress convince his majesty to pick another daughter from the Xiao clan as the next empress.

The Chengen madam didn't say anything at the time, but the couple started arguing after going back. The Chengen madam harshly criticized the Xiao clan for not treating her daughter as a human being. She hadn't even died yet and there were people trying to replace her already.

The Chengen madam was after all a woman who married in, and although the Chengen Count now had his title, he was still part of the Xiao clan. Could he go against the main branch's decision? After all, they still needed to rely on the Xiao clan in the future if something truly happened to the empress.

However, the Jing Duke didn't concern himself with such trivial matters. The Chengen Count took several days before finally convincing his wife.

It was still the same Fengqi Palace and still the hall which was dark as night in the middle of the day.

The empress seemed to be just a slight bit more energetic. She had a palace maid support her into a seated position to meet with the Chengen madam.

Sometimes the empress was quite fed up with people like her mom who only knew how to cry. Back when she was married off to the fifth prince her mom had been like this, and now that she didn't have long to live, her mom was still the same way. But since her mom had raised her from birth, she also didn't know how to criticize her.

The Chengen madam cried for a long time before finally stammering what she had been assigned to do.

The empress was stupefied, her gaze deathly still.

After a long, long time, she finally let out a breath and said mockingly: "This seat hasn't died yet but the Xiao clan is already so impatient."

"Qian Qian…."

The empress wanted to curse, but shut her mouth after gasping for breath. After a while, she finally said: "This seat doesn't have enough face in front of his majesty to convince him. You guys should put these thoughts to rest."

"Qian Qian, your mom knows you're upset, but this is also for the good of the clan. Mom knows this is making things difficult for you, but our family still has to comply with the main branch…."

The empress laughed sorrowfully, "You guys overestimate this seat, this empress. Don't they know his majesty doesn't favor me? Don't you know?"

"Qian Qian, since you've been married to his majesty for over ten years, your words should still have some effect."

The empress suddenly shut her eyes, her expression suddenly changing. There was resentment, misery, and despair. After a long, long time, she finally said in a faint, bitter voice: "You guys are overthinking things. There's already someone in line for this seat's position."

"Who?"

"The prime senior concubine." The empress muttered these words soundlessly a few more times, before saying mockingly: "His majesty has waited a long time for me to vacate this position for his beloved woman. You guys shouldn't waste your time…."

….

It was that prime senior concubine again!

When the Chengen madam came out from the palace, the words she had exchanged with the empress spread rapidly throughout the capital. Many of the ambitious households thought the same thing.

Only now did these fervent people remember that their path to wealth and status had a stumbling block: the emperor's favored concubine, the prime senior concubine. After giving birth to three children, the crown prince was also her son. The Jing Emperor had challenged his officials in court for her sake. Prime! Senior! Concubine!

Something happened next that poured another bucketful of cold water onto their heads.

The Jing Emperor instructed the empress to hand over the phoenix seal symbolizing her status to the prime senior concubine, giving her temporary control over the six offices!

Just as everyone was becoming restless, the Jinyang madam sent a request to the palace for a meeting with the prime senior concubine.

Xiao Hua met her in the Chenxi Palace's main hall. She was also curious what Tian-Shi wanted to see her for.

After exchanging pleasantries, Tian-Shi made her speech.

The gist of it was that the empress was about to be stripped of her position, but the senior concubine's birth definitely wasn't sufficient for her to take the position. Rather than have a new, unrelated empress as her opponent, she might as well have someone on friendly terms with her. Tian-Shi then recommended her maternal family's niece. She said her niece Qi Yue was very amicable, gentle and magnanimous. She would definitely become good friends with the senior concubine. At that time, with the combined power of the empress and the senior concubine, the rear palace would be fully under their control.

Tian-Shi's words were very ambiguous, but Xiao Hua could understand her meaning.

Xiao Hua wondered where Tian-Shi got her thick skin from. Why was she so sure she needed to cooperate with the future empress to be able to live peacefully!? Couldn't she do so alone?

She was the Grand Xi's majestic senior concubine, who was only beneath a few people. After giving birth to three of his majesty's children, including the crown prince, did she really need to join forces with others?

Don't blame Xiao Hua for talking big. Someone had truly instilled her with such confidence.

Xiao Hua had revealed her feelings of inferiority to the Jing Emperor last time, and although he hadn't said anything at the time, he constantly instilled some confidence in her whenever he had free time.

For example: you're currently the senior concubine, which is an existence higher than a first-rank official. Your yearly salary is even higher than the prime minister's. The crown prince was raised by you, and he will be the next emperor in the future. At that point, you would be the empress dowager. The royal concubine had wanted that position for so long but was unsuccessful. You're able to obtain it so easily. We currently solely favor you, and there isn't anyone else. Just based on this, you're able to look down on everyone else….

As the Jing Emperor was speaking, his attitude was very serious and his expression solemn. Xiao Hua also listened very seriously, but her expression was a little twisted. The Jing Emperor using such a serious tone to talk her up gave Xiao Hua a sort of very weird feeling.

Although she felt weird about it, she understood his intentions. He was giving her confidence while also telling her what he would give her. He would give everything to her. She was certainly moved. Especially since the most powerful man was repeatedly telling her things like you're awesome, you're more awesome than anyone else. We and the children are sufficient for you not to fear anything.

Thus, Xiao Hua was hypnotized.

Therefore, she was very calm when facing Tian-Shi, and wasn't worried at all. This is why she was rather surprised at Tian-Shi's thoughts. How are you worthy to say such things to me?

Don't you know that if I wanted you dead, it would be as easy as stepping on an ant!?

As she thought this, Xiao Hua accidentally choked on her own spit. Tian-Shi mistook this as a sign that the prime senior concubine was afraid. She was afraid of her information, so she was showing weakness.

Tian-Shi gave a dignified smile and said: "Looks like senior concubine agrees?"

Chun Cao who was standing on the side wished she could drag this person out for a beating. How dare she threaten their concubine? She truly was asking for death.

Xiao Hua snapped out of it and said: "How are you worthy to say such things to this seat?"

Tian-Shi froze and blinked in disbelief, "Senior Concubine!"

Xiao Hua touched her ears, "This seat knows I'm the senior concubine. You don't have to remind this seat."

"Senior concubine…."

"Jinyang madam, our concubine has already said that she knows she's the senior concubine. Why are you still repeating yourself?" Chun Cao spoke with a straight face. Those who had stayed in the palace for a while weren't simple. She had naturally learned to use her connections to intimidate others.

Tian-Shi laughed awkwardly and half lowered her head, "This servant was merely rambling…."

"It's good that you know this. Our concubine has always been benevolent and magnanimous. She won't bicker with you about this."

Xiao Hua let out a soul-stirring smile, "Madam asked to meet with this seat just to say these things?"

"Concubine should understand this servant's meaning. This servant thinks that concubine will definitely make the right decision."

Xiao Hua suddenly laughed softly, "The right decision? This seat has already said it once: are you worthy to say such things?"

Tian-Shi looked wretched and said quietly: "Concubine, don't you forget the things in the past!"

"What things? This seat is finding madam's words harder and harder to understand." Xiao Hua smiled faintly and lifted her brows, "Madam's words were repeatedly insolent today. This seat won't make things difficult for you on account of the Jinyang Marquis's face. Why don't you go back?"

"Senior concubine…."

Chun Cao stepped up, "Jinyang madam. This way, please."

After Tian-Shi left, Xiao Hua's expression became grave as she remained in place.

That Tian-Shi wouldn't shoot blindly. Could it be that a lot of households are having thoughts on the empress's position due to her illness?

Furthermore, it seemed Tian-Shi had started making threats. This matter needed to be taken care of.

Xiao Hua truly wasn't good at dealing with such things. Especially since she wasn't clear about the court's authority.

Forget it, forget it. Since his majesty had said she didn't need to fear anyone or anything, she would listen to him. Might as well go find her man for support.

A rumor started spreading around the major households of the capital.

It was said that the prime senior concubine's birth was lowly, and that used to be a maid in one of the major households. Because she had climbed into the master's bed, she was sold out of the capital by the mistress of the estate. She somehow ended up in the Jing Prince Estate, and managed to ascend to the heavens in a single day after serving by the Jing Prince's side.

Her lowly birth wasn't the main point. Instead, it was the implication of illicit affairs. Although no one said it clearly, they all exchanged meaningful glances. Of course, no one dared to bring up the main point. They weren't afraid to discuss the senior concubine, but if they implicated the Jing Emperor it would become a major issue. Such things were better if implied.

Many people didn't believe it, but others said where there's smoke there's fire, and thus believed some of it.

A couple days later, the rumors had spread even further. Things boiled over the more it spread, and it seemed like it would spread until it reached the heavens.

The wise people in the capital finally realized that someone was going against that prime senior concubine. It wasn't clear how things were going to be resolved this time.

Last time things were resolved due to the Jing Emperor supporting her from behind, allowing the prime senior concubine to come out unscathed. The situation this time was one which any man would be unable to tolerate. Even if he did, there would be dissatisfaction in his heart. Regardless, the prime senior concubine's situation looked bleak.

What was weird was that the Jing Emperor in the palace didn't seem to have heard about the rumors. His revealed no clues on his face, and there were no rumors about the prime senior concubine falling out of favor.

The rumors spread further and further, but the person responsible felt less and less confident.

"Chengyang madam. Was this what the virtuous concubine meant by 'his majesty should react very quickly'?"

The Chengyang madam smiled faintly, her attitude relaxed. "Jinyang madam, don't be anxious. There will definitely be movements within the palace soon."

Tian-Shi however wasn't able to have such a relaxed attitude. Ever since the rumors started, she had been on edge. She grew more worried the more the rumors spread.

In comparison, the Chengyang madam was extremely steady, as though she wasn't one of the co-conspirators.

That day after Tian-Shi left the Chenxi Palace, her mind had been a mess. She had offended the prime senior concubine's dignity twice, and she didn't feel confident this time that she would let her off.

After returning to her estate, the Chengyang madam happened to come visit. Tian-Shi thought of the virtuous concubine, and thought of how she offended the prime senior concubine, and thus decided to form an alliance.

This way of thinking wasn't bad. Joining forces with the virtuous concubine to pull the prime senior concubine down and have her ascend instead. If Virtuous Concubine Qiao could truly become the empress, she could help Tian-Shi's niece become the new senior concubine. In any case, if Virtuous Concubine Qiao couldn't do it, she would help her daughter become the empress and the two would join forces in the palace.

Everything sounded great, but the way things developed made one apprehensive.

"Madam Ruan, don't worry too much. This was something my side started, what do you have to worry about?"

That was true.

Tian-Shi wasn't someone clueless. As part of their agreement, the Chengyang Count's Estate would be the one responsible for spreading the rumors while she remained uninvolved. If things worked out, everyone would be happy. If things didn't, she wouldn't be implicated.

Of course, the senior concubine would know that the rumors came from Tian-Shi. But at that time, she could just come up with an excuse. For example, she could say Virtuous Concubine Qiao had seen her talking to the senior concubine and got suspicious. She had been secretly forced by her and could only reveal the situation.

Tian-Shi couldn't avoid the prime senior concubine's resentment, but she had already offended her anyway. How much worse could it get? Of course, if things worked out she could solve a major issue and get some benefits out of it as well.

Thinking like this, Tian-Shi recovered her usual steady attitude.

"Madam is right. I was a little panicked."

The Chengyang madam revealed an understanding expression, "That's reasonable. After all, this isn't a minor event. But wealth and status always comes with risk. Once we succeed, our families will be prosperous for a century."

These words resonated with Tian-Shi. She idly chatted a little longer before saying her farewells.

"It's getting late, I should go back. I'll trouble madam to handle the rest."

"No trouble. This is what we agreed upon. Our family will naturally do things properly."

Tian-Shi nodded before finally stepping out of the jewelry store's private booth.

After stepping out, her personal maid was already waiting for her with an embroidered box in hand. Tian-Shi got on her carriage with the help of her maid.

After Tian-Shi left, the Chengyang madam revealed a fierce mocking smile.

"What wishful thinking. Wanting to get the benefits while remaining uninvolved."

A middle-aged, matron-like woman agreed, "That's right. This Tian-Shi's thinking is a little too wishful. How should we proceed, madam?"

"Find someone to pass the word to the Jing Duke's Estate. Then, we just have to sit back and watch the show. The news was spread from the Jinyang Marquis's Estate. The ones who fanned the flames would be the Jing Duke's Estate. It's got nothing to do with us."

"Madam is wise."

The Chengyang Count's madam revealed a meaningful smile, "It's not your madam's wisdom. It's the concubine's wisdom."

"The virtuous concubine is wise. She's definitely fit to be empress."

167

The rumors were updated once again.

Previously, these rumors had spread everywhere but since they were vague and ambiguous, not many people believed them. Now, the "major household" in the rumors had been revealed, inevitably making people believe it.

The major household in question was the Jinyang Marquis's Estate. The person who sold her off was the Jinyang madam Tian-Shi, and the ones who was sold off were the young Ruan Siyi's personal senior maids.

Ruan Siyi had neglected his wife and spoiled his mistresses back then. He would fraternize with several maids the entire day, and ended up causing his wife to attempt suicide out of humiliation. For the sake of placating the wife's anger, the Jinyang Madam had sold the few culprits out of the capital. The current prime senior concubine was one of them.

Everyone was in an uproar. Even that frivolous second son Ruan Siyi was once again in the limelight.

Many versions of "the senior concubine and the young master of the marquis's estate's story" started circulating. Even the commoners in the capital heard about it.

The prime senior concubine was an obstacle for many people, and they all secretly helped pass the word along. Everyone prepared to watch the show as they helped spread the rumors. They kept an eye on the palace for signs of movement while laughing at the Jinyang Estate for having gone insane for the sake of wealth and status.

No matter how this matter was resolved, no matter if the prime senior concubine fell, the Jinyang Estate was finished. The Jing Emperor would definitely not let them off.

Within the Jinyang Estate, the Jinyang Marquis was in the middle of raging.

Without his knowledge, his wife had caused such a major situation. It was no wonder the Jinyang Marquis was furious. He wasn't just angry, he wished to tear Tian-Shi to shreds at this moment.

"This marquis thought you were good, thought you were intelligent. Would an intelligent person do something so stupid?! Are you trying to get the whole estate to accompany you in death?"

"Lord marquis…."

The entire main pavilion was scarily quiet. The maids and matrons had all been sent out by the Jinyang Marquis.

Tian-Shi was on the floor, her dismal expression no longer containing her usual grace. There was a very large handprint on her pale face. That print was already turning purple, and clearly showed how forceful the marquis's blow was.

"Tell this marquis what you were thinking. Are you a pig? How could our estate get involved in such an affair? Others were busy playing dumb but you actually dared charge straight ahead."

"I didn't charge…" Tian-Shi finally started crying bitterly. It wasn't just the pain of her husband hitting her, but also because she wasn't able to suppress the terror in her heart. "It was the Chengyang Count's Estate and Virtuous Concubine Qiao. They tricked me….."

"They tricked you? If you didn't put yourself out there, would they have been able to trick you? No one in the palace is simple. Anyone with the slightest bit of intelligence would have stayed far away instead of rushing forward, but only you did the exact opposite."

"No, no…..it was for the sake of our family…."

The Jinyang Marquis sneered, "Why don't you just say it was for the sake of your maternal family…."

Ruan Siming and Ruan Siyi received the news and barged inside. Seeing the situation in the room, they were both shocked.

"Father—-"

Ruan Siyi ran over and helped Tian-Shi up. Tian-Shi fell into her son's arms and cried heavily.

"Dad, what matter can't be discussed properly? Why did you have to hit mom?!"

The Jinyang Marquis frowned, his eyes cold, "Why don't you first ask your mom what she did!?"

Ruan Siming had some idea already. Only Ruan Siyi who was fooling around in the rear court all the time wasn't aware of what was going on.

Tian-Shi cried inconsolably and wasn't able to speak. The Jinyang Marquis could only explain the situation.

After listening, Ruan Siyi was directly stunned. He asked in a panic: "What should we do now?"

"What should we do? We're done! We're completely finished!" The Jinyang Marquis sat paralyzed in his chair, his face ashen. "Even if an immortal came, he wouldn't be able to save us!"

"Lord marquis, madam, this is bad…."

Ruan Siyi who was both panicked and anxious vented his anger, "What are you yelling for? What's bad? Where's your etiquette?"

The person who ran over was completely out of breath. Only after panting for a while did he finish his words, "A large group of soldiers and officers have come to the estate. We're completely surrounded!"

The Jing Emperor had truly made a move, but it exceeded everyone's expectations.

Everyone from the Jinyang Marquis's estate was detained by the judicial department. They were accused of slandering a major first rank senior concubine conferred by the court.

Apart from being astonished, there were people who secretly prepared to submit memorandums the next day. After all, it was just a rumor. Before the truth of the matter was investigated, it wasn't enough to suppress a marquis's estate.

Of course, the Jing Emperor could make this decision by himself, but this was the attitude of an incapable ruler. If he got the reputation of being incapable right after ascending, there would definitely be people stirring things up in the future. Don't forget, there were quite a few people eyeing things in the dark, wanting to take advantage of the commotion to cause trouble.

Unexpectedly, the Jing Emperor released an imperial edict in court the next day. He ordered the Ministry of Justice, the Judicial Department and the Capital's Investigation Bureau to jointly investigate this matter and clear the senior concubine's name.

These actions caused an uproar amongst the officials and nobility. If the three major departments were jointly investigating, they would definitely get to the bottom of things.

Things like rumors were impossible to clear up. Trying to do so usually only made matters worse. Normally people chose to ignore them until they went away, or they would release other rumors to cover it up. Very few would choose to use such a fierce method and stir things up even more.

No one expected the Jing Emperor to make such a decision. Could he have truly been enraged? Or was he completely certain the accusations were false?

At this time, everyone became mute. Several people became restless.

The Chengyang Count's Estate and Virtuous Concubine Qiao were also caught off guard. They had thought the senior concubine would not be able to get out of this situation unscathed while the Jing Emperor would have to suffer this grievance silently. Even if he was angered, he would temporarily not deal with anyone in case it gave more credence to the rumors. He would only deal with things after the fact, and by then the prime senior concubine would already be finished. To preserve his dignity, he also wouldn't do things too obviously, and merely come up with an excuse to deal with the Jinyang Estate.

Of course, a mere marquis's estate wouldn't have been able to cause such a stir. This would lead them to conclude that the Jing Duke's Estate was also responsible for causing mischief. In the end, it would have nothing to do with their Chengyang Estate.

But now that the Jinyang Estate's people were already in custody, would Tian-Shi keep silent to protect those who betrayed her? Even a fool would know that wasn't possible. Furthermore, with the three departments collaborating, Tian-Shi wouldn't be able to hide it if she tried.

The Jinyang Estate's people were jointly guarded by the three departments. No one was allowed to visit them, and it wasn't possible to make any moves in the dark. They could only watch as the hearing set for three days later approached.

On this day, the senior concubine invited Virtuous Concubine Qiao to the Chenxi Palace for a conversation.

Xiao Hua didn't say much, and merely chatted idly with her while smiling brightly. It seemed as if the chaos outside had nothing to do with her.

In comparison, Virtuous Concubine Qiao seemed to be a little restless, her smile also a little forced.

"Little sis virtuous concubine, have you been sleeping well? You have bags under your eyes. Us women cannot be compared to men, especially if you're older. Not sleeping well for a day would age you a few years. We're not young after all." Xiao Hua felt her own tender face and lowered her eyes, lamenting how quickly beauty fades.

"Concubine is still young, and naturally doesn't have this problem."

"That's true." Xiao Hua's eyes rippled and she shot Virtuous Concubine Qiao a glance. "But the same can't be said for little sis virtuous concubine. After all, at your age, it's still important to pay attention to this."

"Thank you for concubine's consideration." Virtuous Concubine Qiao had been a little absent-minded the entire time, and didn't seem to realize Xiao Hua was mocking her. "This servant concubine has some things to take care of in the palace, and can't accompany senior concubine any longer. This servant concubine will take her leave first."

Seeing her leave in a panic, Xiao Hua curled her lips and said: "Ding Xiang, how many more sleepless nights do you think this virtuous concubine will have?"

Ding Xiang smiled and said: "At least two more, until the hearing three days later. It's also possible that there will be more sleepless nights after that. It's her fault for not knowing her place."

"That's true. Who would have expected that she was the one fanning the flames in the dark? However, she's also a smart one and understands how to use people's weaknesses. Luckily our majesty does things differently from other people. This has astonished quite a lot of people."

Ding Xiang nodded, but her gaze suddenly turned gloomy, "But it still affected concubine's pure reputation."

"Enough, what pure reputation?" Xiao Hua waved her hand carelessly. "This thing needed to be taken care of sooner or later. Might as well get it done with while getting rid of some people. Furthermore….."

Xiao Hua didn't finish her sentence. After a while, she suddenly said: "You're about to be married off. Don't show your face in public in the coming days. This seat will have Chun Cao deal with things."

Ding Xiang wasn't quite at ease, "Can Chun Cao handle it? This servant is afraid she might get stage fright."

"Don't underestimate that lass…."

The day of the joint hearing finally arrived.

Within the judicial hall, the judicial department's supreme justice, the ministry of justice's prime minister and capital investigation bureau's left imperial censor were seated bright and early. The Jing Emperor's general manager Eunuch Fu's group was there as well.

The main judge was the supreme justice who sat in the central position. The prime minister and the left censor sat to either side of him. Eunuch Fu sat below them.

This sort of hearing was extremely complicated, and required people to be brought up one by one for questioning. There was an official registrar and several people in charge of keeping a record of the proceedings.

Due to the Jing Emperor's move this time, the entire Jinyang Estate had long since been scared silly. There was no need to mention Tian-Shi herself.

She was the first person to be called forward, and she explained everything in detail without hiding anything. This include how she recognized the prime senior concubine initially and how after her investigation her little thoughts had stirred, been put to rest and then stirred once again. She also revealed the Chengyang Count madam's scheme and how she herself was tricked.

After listening, the three officials pretty much understood what was going in.

To put it plainly, this woman had thought she had some blackmail that could be used to her benefit. She didn't expect that prime senior concubine to be so fierce and ignore her. This coincided with the empress becoming ill and about to lose her status. With many major characters exchanging blows in the dark, this silly person ended up being used.

Since the Chengyang Count's Estate was mentioned, their people were also brought forward for questioning. Because the Jing Emperor had decreed for all estates to comply and that nothing was off the table, the Chengyang Estate's people were quickly placed under watch, and no one was permitted to come and go. Then, the Chengyang Count's madam was brought forward.

She seemed to have made preparations in advance, and although her face was pale she didn't seem panicked. She quickly confessed.

However, based on her description, she was extremely close with Tian-Shi. She noticed that Tian-Shi looked worried one day, and found out about this matter after asking a couple of times. Since she was also familiar with the Jing Duke Estate's second madam, she accidentally let it slip during their idle conversations. Once it spread, she knew she had messed up but was also helpless to stop it, and could only suffer many sleepless nights.

The Chengyang madam cried while criticizing herself for her slip of the tongue, saying how she failed to keep the secret and implicated her entire estate. She begged the officials to see clearly that she didn't have any ill intentions, and merely suffered from being too gossipy which was common to all women. She said if there needed to be punishment, they should only punish her and not her family since they weren't aware of anything.

According to her, everything was blamed on her nature as a woman, accidentally letting out a secret. The three officials clearly knew what had happened. This matter probably implicated one of the other concubines in the palace. But since there was one more person involved who hadn't been questioned yet, they could only have the Chengyang madam be taken away and send someone over to the Jing Duke's Estate.

In half a day, two estates were sealed off, though it was really just sending someone to watch the doors without letting anyone in or out. But this sort of situation was rarely seen, especially since even the Jing Duke's estate was implicated. Those who were concerned about this matter pulled their ears and scratched their cheeks restlessly. Many people from the various estates were crowded outside the justice hall waiting for news.

Author's notes:

Finished this chapter at 3 am. Took a glance at the comment section, but didn't have the energy to respond.

Saw some readers asking why the virtuous concubine thought she could become the empress, and whether something was wrong with her brain.

Virtuous Concubine Qiao had never said she wanted to become the empress. It was all the subordinates saying some flattering words. Perhaps the Chengyang Count's madam had this thought, but she herself wasn't so foolish as to say something so far outside her capabilities.

To put it plainly, Virtuous Concubine Qiao was just sick of Xiao Hua and wanted to screw her over. Since a cannon fodder delivered herself to the door, she felt that stirring things up wouldn't implicate her and ended up doing something malicious. A woman who had been neglected for several years would give anything a shot. This could easily be understood (if this author was in her shoes, I'd do the same thing). Her working together with Tian-Shi wasn't for the sake of the empress's position, but rather just to screw people over.

Tian-Shi (offended Xiao Hua, was frightened, and tried to put up a fight, getting rid of an obstacle as well as the anxiety in her heart) - Virtuous Concubine Qiao + Chengyang Madam (purely trying to make a mess and screw people over, though doesn't include the madam having her own thoughts and wanting her daughter to become the empress. But if the virtuous concubine was able to come up with such a scheme, she probably wouldn't overestimate herself so much) - Xiao clan (completely after the empress's position, feeling like Xiao Hua was a stumbling block and wanting to pull her down).

Of course, there were many random people who wanted to fish in troubled waters.

This event is about to be wrapped up. Not dragging it on, merely needs to take care of more than just Tian-Shi and Virtuous Concubine Qiao. Probably another one and a half chapters.

This author's going to bed.

168

Within the Jing Duke's Estate.

The Jing Duke sat in the main hall, his expression gloomy. Around him sat several important people of the Xiao clan's main branch.

"What should we do? Lady Hui is so timid, she'll definitely let something slip." The Xiao clan's second lord sat to the side, his expression also not looking too well. "This Chengyang Count's madam is truly too useless. How did she end up confessing so quickly? Furthermore, it was clearly elder brother's wife who was discussing this with her. Lady Hui was just sitting on the side. How did she end up becoming the co-conspirator?"

Hearing this, the eldest lord of the Xiao clan knit his brows, "So what you're saying is, your sister-in-law should have been the one taken away?"

"Big bro, your little brother didn't mean that. My sister-in-law is exceptionally intelligent and responsible. She has managed the household for many years. She has also been part of the discussions on strategy these past couple of days. Lady Hui knows nothing except that our family had collaborated with the Chengyang madam. If she truly ends up confessing, wouldn't it harm our family?"

The eldest lord also knew the second lord was speaking the truth, and his expression turned even darker.

"It seems that this Chengyang Count's household isn't simple. That madam definitely didn't implicate carelessly. She did it on purpose." The Jing Duke suddenly spoke.

"On purpose?"

The Jing Duke nodded bitterly, "She figured that we would do our best to avoid responsibility and shift the blame, and knew that the second lord's wife is a weak link. Therefore, she purposefully implicated her, catching us off guard and making it easier for her to escape blame."

The two lords of the Xiao clan both had gloomy expressions. The Xiao clan's eldest madam sobbed on the side, "How did we forget to tell younger sister-in-law about this. Things truly happened too suddenly…."

"What kind of cowardly woman did you marry? She's had more failures than accomplishments, and only knows to cry. Your sister-in-law has bitterly instructed her for so many years, but still ended up being useless." The Xiao clan's eldest lord vented his anger.

The second lord glared wide-eyed and roared at his brother: "Let me tell you, say what you have to say, just don't bring my wife into it. What's wrong with my wife? Aren't all women timid? Is it wrong to be an honest person? Why don't you blame your own wife? What did she pull my wife along for? Lady Hui never liked to go outside…."

"Enough! What are you arguing about!? If you have time to argue, why don't you think of how to get through this situation?"

The fourth lord who had remained silent until now suddenly spoke. "Father, your son feels this situation isn't that simple. That Jing Emperor suddenly made such a big move, and it definitely isn't just showing the senior concubine favor. Your son feels like he's set something up and is just waiting for us to fall in."

The fourth lord was always the wise character within the Jing Duke's Estate. Therefore, everyone took his words seriously.

The Jing Duke's expression sank, "You're saying this is all the Jing Emperor's setup? Including the prime senior concubine's situation?"

The fourth lord muttered for a few minutes before shaking his head, "Doesn't seem like it. That situation should be real. We ourselves investigated it. The Jinyang Estate truly sold off a batch of people at that time. It's just—-"

"Just what? Can you not leave things unsaid?" The second lord was impatient and couldn't help but push.

"The Jinyang madam's reaction doesn't seem to be fake, and the Yingguo Duke's situation is much more serious so it's natural for them to have thoughts. The Chengyang Count's situation should also be real. The prime senior concubine is solely favored, so it's natural for Virtuous Concubine Qiao to try and pull her down. The only abnormal part is—–"

"The only abnormal part is his majesty." The Jing Duke finished his thought. He had also thought the same thing.

The fourth lord nodded, "Right. The only abnormal part is his majesty. His own woman was blackmailed but he showed no reaction, as though he didn't care about it."

"Could it be the prime senior concubine didn't tell him about it?" The eldest madam interrupted.

She was a woman, and thus understood a woman's thoughts very well. They would be keen to bury their dark pasts and wouldn't tell their man about it. No man would be able to tolerate such things, especially one who was the monarch.

"That wouldn't quite make sense. Sister-in-law, what would you do in such a situation?"

What would she do? She would use her influence to crush those presumptuous people.

"Definitely either sweep things clean or raise an objection. But that prime senior concubine didn't do anything."

The eldest madam revealed some doubt, "Well, she doesn't have a maternal family, and had only been conferred her status recently. How could she go against a marquis's madam outside the palace…." As she spoke to this point, even she felt something wasn't right.

"Her status is something sought after by countless people. Any random household with more influence than the Jinyang Estate would be sufficient to deal with them. But she never made a move, and never even invited anyone into the palace."

"What fourth brother means is that the prime senior concubine and his majesty came up with a scheme together?"

The fourth lord nodded.

"None of those households were acting, they truly had their own schemes. The only issue is the prime senior concubine who acted as if nothing happened and the Jing Emperor who didn't bother with this situation despite things developing to such an extent." He fell into his chair and continued speaking: "Once the rumors became wild, his majesty grew enraged and ordered the three departments to hold a joint hearing. Those on trial were none other…than those who "started the rumors"…." As he spoke to this point, he revealed a bitter smile.

No one had forced them to do so. They were the ones who rushed ahead for their own selfish desires. Perhaps this had all been included in his majesty's calculations. Including the fact that the Jinyang Estate would honestly confess, and that the Chengyang Estate, in order to preserve themselves, would implicate the second lord's wife instead of the oldest madam who was much more intelligent.

The few men present pretty much understood the situation. Only the eldest madam still had some doubts, "But doesn't that senior concubine care about others ruining her pure reputation?"

Pure reputation? What was the use of that? First of all, men never cared about such trivial matters when doing great things. Secondly, since the Jing Emperor set up such a scheme, he definitely had a way to clear his own favored concubine's name.

The Jing Duke said bitterly: "Then what's his goal?"

There was no need to clarify who he was asking about.

The fourth lord sighed and said: "If this investigation continues, our family will be revealed as the ones causing mischief. The Jing Duke's Estate will lose a lot of face, though it isn't quite sufficient to strip our noble status. His goal is probably eldest brother's command of the capital guard office…."

The capital guard office was responsible for keeping the peace and safety of the capital and its surroundings. The commander was the highest station. If the Jing Emperor managed to gain control of this position, it meant that he would control two-thirds of the capital's military power.

The eldest lord showed a panicked expression. The Jing Duke collapsed into his chair with a crash, his face ashen.

The hall was scarily silent.

Although the Jing Duke's Estate had a lot of influence, the eldest lord's command over the capital guard was the most important piece of their power. If this was stripped away, it wouldn't just be breaking off an arm, it would also affect all their other affairs and many of their plans that were already in motion.

Thinking of the entire string of events, the Jing Duke felt as if he had fallen into an icy pit, and felt chilled to his core.

The Jing Emperor—-

This person always exceeded expectations. He seemed silent on the surface, but was actually like a poisonous snake hidden in ambush. He was able to unexpectedly bite and leave behind a grievous wound that you couldn't even complain about.

When the Xiao clan's second madam came to the judicial hall, she was already crying heavily and unable to form any words.

Seeing this, and seeing the late hour, the three officials gave Eunuch Fu a glance.

Eunuch Fu was also quite considerate. He stood and said: "The three superiors have been busy the entire day, and it's already quite late. How about we resume tomorrow?"

"That works too. Then we'll trouble Eunuch Fu to inform his majesty."

"No trouble at all. It's the three superiors who have worked hard." Eunuch Fu cupped his hands. "It seems this second madam is an important witness, so I'll trouble the three superiors to have someone guard her strictly."

"That's for sure."

Eunuch Fu seemed a little uneasy, and after thinking for a bit he said with a troubled expression: "I won't keep things from the three superiors. With his majesty's decree, we naturally have to do our best in this case to clear the senior concubine's name. How about this one brings along two low-ranked eunuchs and have them remain with the second madam in the judicial department?"

"This—-" The supreme justice revealed a troubled expression.

Eunuch Fu smiled understandingly and said: "Of course, we won't make things too difficult. After all, we have to compromise. How about the two eunuchs remain on guard outside with everyone else. Count it as a favor to this one, and let them keep an eye on things."

Hearing Eunuch Fu put it this way, the supreme justice immediately showed a warmer expression.

"That's fine."

"Then we'll have to trouble superior." Eunuch Fu turned and instructed the eunuchs by his side: "The two of you stay with the Xiao clan's second madam. After she enters her personal room, you guys stay on guard outside. Don't let anyone exchange words with her."

"Yes."

After Eunuch Fu left, the supreme justice showed a hint of a smile. The other two remained silent.

"This official still has work to do, and will take his leave first."

The next day, the hearing continued.

The second madam was timid to begin with, and after being confined for a night, she honestly confessed the next day. As expected, the Xiao clan's eldest madam was implicated. With the second madam's confession, the eldest madam had no choice but to confess as well.

She seemed to have come prepared, and plead guilty to her own actions. However, her final conclusion was that although she had sent people to spread rumors, they couldn't be seen as slandering the senior concubine.

"This madam admits to doing some unpleasant things out of selfishness. However, spreading rumors is different from slander. May the superiors please see things clearly."

Everyone present understood the eldest madam's meaning. Spreading rumors was just passing on the message. Slander was maliciously harming someone. These received different levels of punishment. The former could be punished lightly or harshly, but not with death. The latter undoubtedly deserved the death sentence.

For the sake of preserving her own life, this eldest madam was fighting to the bitter end with the prime senior concubine?

The three superiors seated up high had ugly expressions.

The three of them had privately discussed this matter before. Due to the rumors, his majesty had lost face and thus ordered them to investigate. But the method and extent of the investigation was left up to them to figure out. The Jing Emperor didn't specify.

According to their thoughts, they could stop after reaching this point.

The Jing Duke Estate undoubtedly wanted to use a scapegoat, and this eldest madam was the best choice. By playing the "women weren't sensible" card, they hoped to wrap things up. His majesty and the senior concubine would both regain their dignity and this matter would leave behind no scars.

But the eldest madam's words now not only put her at odds with the senior concubine, but also put the three of them over the fire.

If they went along with her words, they would have to investigate the root cause to see if the rumors were really "slander". To put it plainly, they would have to investigate whether the senior concubine truly was the way she was described in the rumors.

But this matter involved the senior concubine's private affairs, and was taboo. Intelligent people wouldn't get involved in such matters. His majesty would be unhappy no matter how it was handled. Otherwise, the three of them wouldn't have such ugly expressions.

When immortals fought, mortals suffered calamity. Although they weren't quite mortals, being pulled into the mix was still quite depressing.

"Eunuch Fu, this situation—-" The supreme justice said with a troubled expression.

Eunuch Fu chuckled a couple of times, and gave the eldest madam an indescribably dark look.

He truly didn't believe this move was something this woman came up with. What an excellent move. It gave her a life preserving talisman while also allowing her to bite back without repercussion.

If they continued to investigate, his majesty might lose face and the senior concubine would be finished. If they didn't investigate, the three departments' joint hearing would become a joke, a sham that his majesty put together. The rumors would be all but confirmed and the senior concubine would lose her pure reputation.

Were these people just so confident in themselves?

"This one will send someone to report to his majesty. If the three superiors could please wait." Eunuch Fu spoke quietly to a low-ranked eunuch on the side, who quickly left.

In the hall, the Xiao clan's eldest madam revealed a cold smile.

Eunuch Fu turned his head and happened to catch her doing so.

He let out an inaudible hmph, and then said with a smile: "Since we don't know how long this will take, how about the three superiors grant the madam a seat? She is a court conferred noble after all."

The supreme justice slightly froze, and then had a subordinate provide a chair for the Xiao clan's eldest madam.

The madam sat down aloofly and slightly nodded towards Eunuch Fu. She seemed to be polite, but her brows contained a barely concealed arrogance.

This was because Eunuch Fu's attitude gave her a good indication.

This was a choice—-

The Jing Emperor had to choose between his own face and his senior concubine.

169

The judicial hall was unusually silent.

Because there hadn't been many opportunities to rest these past two days, some low-ranked officials served tea to the people seated.

Around the time to brew two pots of tea later, the eunuch sent to the palace returned. With him was someone who appeared to be a palace maid.

He whispered a few words to Eunuch Fu, whose brows knitted and relaxed repeatedly. This made the Xiao clan's eldest madam nervous from watching.

After he was done speaking, that eunuch retreated to the side.

The supreme justice asked: "Eunuch Fu, so—-"

Eunuch Fu stood up and cupped his hands at the three seated superiors before saying with an awkward expression: "Heh Heh, this one has misunderstood his majesty's intentions. His majesty said that since we're here to clear the senior concubine's name, things should be thoroughly investigated."

After speaking, he glanced at the eldest madam and happened to see her astonished expression. He smiled brightly and spoke once again to those in the main seats: "This is the senior concubine's personal palace maid. Since it isn't convenient for the concubine to appear, she had this palace maid come in her stead. The senior concubine has told her everything that happened back then, so she can confirm or object to things as necessary."

The supreme justice clasped his hands and bowed, saying: "The senior concubine is wise."

Seeing his majesty's attitude and the senior concubine's actions, he already felt relieved. The other two superiors also exchanged looks of understanding.

In comparison, the Xiao clan's eldest madam revealed the first hint of restlessness since entering the hall.

Eunuch Fu smiled evilly at the eldest madam, "Since this is the case, the eldest madam should take her leave."

The supreme justice nodded his head in agreement and had his subordinate invite her out. Under Eunuch Fu's suggestion, he had someone bring in a screen to conceal that palace maid.

Next, the hearing continued. The one brought forward was the source of this mess: Tian-Shi.

Tian-Shi had already been confined for several days in the judicial hall, though it was merely a normal room and not a prison cell. She didn't know what had happened outside, and being called forward by herself once again, she naturally felt some pressure. When she appeared, she clearly looked more haggard than she did the day before.

The supreme justice began his routine questioning, and Tian-Shi repeated what she had said before. A scribe on the side was quickly recording down her words. These notes would be kept for his majesty to reference in the future.

When the supreme justice questioned a little deeper with an awkward expression, Tian-Shi found it hard to keep her calm. Her pale face showed a trace of panic.

Although she quickly suppressed this emotion, she wasn't aware that the three seated above had clearly seen it.

The three people immediately felt at ease. This was the first time they completely relaxed.

Tian-Shi was naturally not a fool. She clearly understood the point of the questioning. To put it plainly, she was extremely clear whether the senior concubine had done anything immoral back then. She was also extremely clear what the rumors had turned into outside.

Plausible sounding rumors only worked as long as they sounded plausible enough to obscure the facts. If no one investigated, then they were as good as confirmed. But if one were to investigate, they wouldn't stand up to scrutiny.

Due to her chaotic state of mind, Tian-Shi chose to explain things in a way that was extremely beneficial to herself. She said that the matter had been handled by her subordinates at the time, and she had merely listened to the report after. Although she gave the orders, she wasn't quite clear on the details.

These words were said after some consideration. After all, five years was quite a long time. The subordinates from back then had come and gone and had pretty much been switched out. She purposefully said that the person responsible had been someone called Matron Qu. Matron Qu was her personal aide, and would naturally know what to say at this point.

The supreme justice nodded and had someone bring Matron Qu over.

Matron Qu was brought forward.

She wasn't treated as well as Tian-Shi, and had been confined together with the other subordinates. However, since she had been Tian-Shi's trusted aide for several decades, she still had quite a good understanding of things. She was naturally on the same wavelength as Tian-Shi. These days she had solely focused on finding the old and young maids involved back then and getting their stories straight.

What story? Naturally the fact that all three maids who were sold off back then had done immoral things.

There weren't many left who had been involved back then. The only ones were Matron Rong and Xiu E. A few others knew about the situation, but hadn't been present at the time and only heard rumors.

After coming forward, she first glanced at Tian-Shi, and seeing her expression she knew what she should do.

As expected, Matron Qu stubbornly insisted that all three maids back then had crawled into the fourth young master's bed. According to the estate's rules, they should have been beaten to death. The madam had been generous and kind-hearted, and merely sold them out of the capital.

Seeing Matron Qu act as she had expected, Tian-Shi immediately let out a breath. She covered her face with her sleeves and acted aggrieved as she started crying.

Matron Qu didn't let down her role as personal aide, and played along as she also started crying. She said it was lucky that the madam was generous back then, otherwise if those people had been beaten to death there wouldn't be the senior concubine today. She also denounced the senior concubine for forgetting favors and turning on her benefactors the moment she rose up in status.

The hall was filled with the sounds of their crying. The three superiors even felt the urge to cover their faces. Eunuch Fu's face was filled with disdain and mockery.

At this time, a person walked out from behind the screen. Her expression was angry and extremely disdainful.

This was Xiao Hua's personal palace maid Chun Cao.

Chun Cao first saluted the people in the hall, and then angrily rebuked Tian-Shi for lying and Matron Qu for slander. She then said sternly: "This madam and matron, you should properly reconsider. Did things truly happened as you described?"

Tian-Shi had seen Chun Cao before and knew she was the senior concubine's palace maid.

She didn't expect the senior concubine to have sent a palace maid to the hearing, and felt angry, panicked, and sullen, but also a trace of satisfaction. Looks like the senior concubine was finally anxious. But there was no use in being anxious. The three superiors were watching, and even the senior concubine couldn't threaten her. If she had listened to her recommendations early on, this wouldn't have happened!

"Of course this madam is sure she's telling the truth!"

Matron Qu agreed on the side, "This palace maid, even if you are the trusted aide of the senior concubine, you can't threaten us in front of the court. Everything we said was the truth. The madam spared the senior concubine's life back then, who would have thought she would be so ungrateful…."

Eunuch Fu cleared his throat and spoke, "The three superiors, don't you feel this old grandma is purposefully obscuring the facts? We're asking about the concubine's matters, which has nothing to do with anyone sparing anyone, or anyone biting the hand that fed them."

The three superiors nodded. They actually felt these two were too laughable. Especially that old grandma in servant attire, who merely agreed with everything Tian-Shi said and also accused the senior concubine of being ungrateful. Without considering whether her actions truly counted as ungrateful, the three were quite clear about the actions of these two.

They were clearly trying to obscure the facts, suppress the senior concubine with their words while putting on a performance for others. They fell just shy of saying that if anything happened this time, it was the senior concubine purposefully retaliating against them.

Although these noble women didn't have enough understanding of the overall picture, they were still rather shrewd. Their words were filled with traps, and they were sometimes harder to deal with than men.

"This Grandma Qu, don't mention irrelevant things anymore. Otherwise this official will have you leave."

Matron Qu's unreasonableness was really just an act. The moment Eunuch Fu opened his mouth, she started shaking all over. Now that the supreme justice had spoken as well, she hurriedly lay prone on the floor and didn't make another sound.

Chun Cao snorted coldly and said disdainfully: "Who is the ungrateful one here? The concubine chose to ignore your initial attempts at blackmail, and gave you chance after chance. This is you asking for death, don't blame others!"

After speaking, Chun Cao reported a few names, and said these were all people who knew concubine from before. The superiors could call them in for questioning one by one.

The supreme justice perused the Jinyang Estate's name list and ordered for those people still present to be brought in.

Those that came were all young and old maids. This included Matron Rong who had her eyes lowered as well as Xiu E, who was no longer dressed as a maid.

These people all had ordinary expressions. Those who weren't present at the scene back then merely offered up some hearsay, whereas Matron Rong and Xiu E naturally said what they had agreed upon.

At this time, the testimonies were not beneficial to the prime senior concubine. The three superiors knit their brows.

Chun Cao had been silent the entire time. Just as Tian-Shi relaxed, she gave another person's name, making Tian-Shi no longer able to keep her calm.

Matron Qu cried out in her heart. That Granny Wang hadn't been confined with her, and was confined elsewhere this entire time.

At this time, they could only hope that Granny Wang would give the same response she had given to their subordinates, and say she couldn't remember anything due to her age. But for some reason, Tian-Shi felt an irrepressible terror rising in her heart, as though something bad was about to happen.

"Superiors, this person was very close with the concubine back then. According to the concubine, when she was promoted back then, many people shunned her, and only this old granny treated her well. Back then, when the concubine was about to be sold off, this old granny had visited her in the middle of the night. Not only did she help her get some information about being sold off, she even gave concubine a few dozen taels of silver and some pastries, giving her some measure of safety."

The supreme justice nodded and ordered for Grandma Wang to be brought forward.

Soon, the doddering old Grandma Wang was brought up.

Chun Cao stepped behind the screen once again to recuse herself.

"This old granny. Do you remember a little lass called Xiao Hua five years ago?"

Grandma Wang looked blankly at the few officials and said after some thought: "This old grandma has some recollection."

Tian-Shi shrieked on the side, "Grandma Wang, you better think carefully before you speak."

Grandma Wang was frightened by Tian-Shi's shriek, and fell shivering to her knees with a thud.

"Tian-Shi, please watch your words. Otherwise, this official will have you taken out." After the supreme justice finished speaking, he looked at Grandma Wang, "This granny, don't be frightened. With us officials here, as long as you speak the truth, no one will dare make things difficult for you."

Grandma Wang gave Tian-Shi a look with some lingering fear and stammered: "Is superior telling the truth?"

"Naturally."

Grandma Wang nodded, and put on a reminiscing expression before slowly speaking.

After listening to her words, the truth of the matter was revealed.

From what the aged Grandma Wang said, that lass called Xiao Hua was very honest and low-key. Because she had gotten into a high position at a young age, many people shunned her. The few senior maids also used her as a common maid. But she did her work without being overbearing or servile, and never provoked anyone. She also never tried to get close to the master.

Tian-Shi had been helpless back then regarding the fourth young master's feelings towards his wife, and was about to let her son choose a chambermaid. The senior maids started fighting amongst themselves like cocks in the ring. The lass called Xiao Hua was helpless, and could only play dumb and hide in the small kitchen all day. Things got out of hand and Qiao-Shi tried to hang herself. To placate her anger, Tian-Shi sold everyone off, including the innocent lass Xiao Hua who was implicated.

After saying what she had to say, Grandma Wang blinked her turbid eyes and asked blankly, "Superior, why are you asking about Xiao Hua? Do you know where she is? When she was sold off back then, this old granny even went to see her, and secretly gave her some food and coins….a servant who gets sold off lives a hard life, who knows how she's doing now….."

Saying this, Grandma Wang pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her tears.

The supreme justice looked embarrassed. He wasn't going to tell Grandma Wang that this little lass she was talking about isn't having a hard life at all. Instead, she had fallen into wealth, and was now the lofty senior concubine.

He pounded his gavel and had someone lead Grandma Wang outside.

Tian-Shi was currently limp on the floor. Matron Qu was the same way.

170

The slander case against the senior concubine had finally been wrapped up. Although the details were not announced to the public, the Jing Emperor's string of edicts that followed made the situation clear.

Out of the three estates which were involved, the Jinyang Estate was declared the originator. For slandering the senior concubine and infringing upon the dignity of the royal family, the Jinyang madam was ordered to commit suicide and the Jinyang Marquis was stripped of his noble title. The servants who committed egregious perjury were beheaded, and those who were accessories to the crime were sent to the border as slave labor. The Chengyang madam was guilty of spreading rumors and sentenced to writing a hundred copies of scripture. Due to her mother's mistakes, the virtuous concubine was also implicated for failing to keep her in check. She was stripped of her virtuous concubine title and demoted to common concubine. The Xiao clan's eldest madam was guilty of immoral conduct and offending her superiors. She should have been ordered to commit suicide, but avoided it due to her husband's contributions to the nation. Instead, the clan was punished for her conduct. They were stripped of all official positions and confined in their estate to ponder over their mistakes.

Thus, everything was wrapped up.

Of course, some curious people tried asking those in the know about it, but they were all tight-lipped. Even the punished estates showed no objections at the Jing Emperor's edicts.

At this point, everyone understood that the prime senior concubine had truly been slandered!

There were still a few who wanted to take the opportunity to speak up, but were rebuked by the three joint departments.

This case had been handled by the three of them in what they felt was a fair manner. They naturally couldn't tolerate any doubt. If they allowed it to continue, schemers would take the opportunity to make a fuss, accusing the three of them of protecting the senior concubine out of fear of the emperor.

Of course, the details of the hearing were spread afterwards, and many people found out about the process. This included how Tian-Shi clung on to her claims to the bitter end, but was refuted by an old servant within her estate. Even the Xiao clan's eldest madam had ended up being overturned, and made a big fuss in court after the case was over.

Serves them right! No wonder the Jinyang Estate was punished so heavily, and the Xiao clan's eldest madam ended up losing her husband's official position. Turns out it was their own doing! Those who knew the situation all come to this conclusion.

But of course, this was all beside the point.

…..

Within the Chenxi Palace.

Chun Cao was recounting to Xiao Hua, Ding Lan and Ding Xiang how she rebuked the Jinyang Madam for her shamelessness and falsehood in court.

"…..concubine, you have no idea how ugly Tian-Shi's expression was when she saw Granny Wang. It was like her dad had passed away….that Granny Wang's final few words not only dazed the justices, it almost made this servant burst out laughing. Luckily this servant was behind the screen, so no one saw me smothering my laughter…."

Ding Xiang said with a smile: "Enough, enough. You've been saying the same things for so many days. Our concubine is getting tired of it even if you aren't."

Chun Cao blinked her eyes and looked a little aggrieved, "Concubine, are you getting tired of it?"

Xiao Hua laughed in spite of herself, "I'm not, I'm not. Alright, go see if the second prince is awake. If he is, have the wet nurse bring him over."

After Chun Cao left, the three in the room looked at each other and laughed.

Ding Lan said: "This Chun Cao is getting more and more fussy. Didn't realize back then that she had a "mother-in-law's mouth".

Ding Lan's expression was extremely wacky, making Xiao Hua laugh once again. She cleared her throat, "Careful not to let Chun Cao hear you or she'll harp at you every day."

Ding Xiang laughed a couple times and said: "This servant had been worried she would get stage fright. Luckily this lass is pretty good, and was able to handle the situation. Right, concubine, what should we do about Granny Wang?"

Xiao Hua muttered, "It's not possible to bring her into the palace for now. Let's arrange a residence for her first. Tell her it's not easy for this seat to leave the palace, but I'll find a chance to go see her. Have her take care of herself properly. She should think of it as me taking care of her retirement. Have Zhao Da take care of this, keep it a little low-key."

"Yes."

The Jinyang Estate was currently a toppled tree, where the monkeys had all scattered. The lord marquis had his title stripped, and could no longer remain in the estate. They had to choose another place to live.

After arranging a perfunctory funeral for Tian-Shi, the Yuan family started relocating.

Their new residence was naturally not as big as the marquis's estate, and many of their previous servants needed to be sold off or dismissed.

At this time, Grandma Wang's nephew Da Tian reappeared, and took her away without spending a single tael of silver.

Ruan Siyi and his brother both knew that their situation had been messed up by Grandma Wang this sly old fox. The thought of venting their anger and having her beaten to death crossed their minds countless of times. However, they were helpless since Grandma Wang was currently being treated better than they were. Before leaving, Eunuch Fu had said that since this old woman had spoken the truth, her masters wouldn't let her off after going back.

Allowing this to happen would result in bad karma, so he had sent two eunuchs to wait with Grandma Wang for her relative to bring her back home. He also said that whoever tried to retaliate against her would be challenging himself, as well as the senior concubine.

Afterwards, they returned to the Jinyang Estate.

The Jinyang marquis put her in her own pavilion, and sent people over with good food and drink. By the time Da Tian arrived, he sent them off as though shooing away a demon. Most people would be devastated and terrified if their husband's family met calamity. However, the fourth young madam Qiao-Shi's reaction wasn't the same.

When she heard Tian-Shi had been ordered to commit suicide and the lord marquis was stripped of his title, she had burst out laughing on the spot in the Jinxiu Pavilion. She had laughed until she was bent over, and cursed several times that it served them right. Only when her personal maids stopped her did she close her mouth.

Qiao-Shi wiped the tears from her eyes and said mockingly: "To think the Ruan family would also have such a day. Looks like you'll be treating me like your ancestor in the future."

This was truly fortunes rising and falling. Looks like it was her turn to be blessed!

The Jing Emperor seemed to be extremely happy today.

He pulled Xiao Hua along for several rounds in bed before stopping.

Xiao Hua was so tired she couldn't even lift a finger, but the Jing Emperor didn't seem tired at all. He was still extremely spirited.

As though remembering something, he spoke, "It's said that the Jing Duke's face turned green. Eunuch Fu said the royal concubine smashed an entire tea set."

Was this laughing at others' misfortune? Was it?

Fine, this was truly laughing at others' misfortune. Ever since ruthlessly screwing the Jing Duke's Estate over, the Jing Emperor learned the meaning of schadenfreude. Although he didn't understand what it meant in his heart, he still expressed it in his attitude. Others might not be able to tell, but Xiao Hua who shared his bed naturally understood extremely well.

As the favored concubine, she naturally had to laugh along with him at their misfortune. This wasn't being malicious. This was a sort of shared privilege.

"Serves them right!" Xiao Hua agreed.

Because of this event, Xiao Hua now had a better understanding of the court's affairs. She naturally understood the Jing Emperor's goal this time. Her man wanted control of the capital's militia, so she naturally cooperated.

Of course, Xiao Hua was also extremely astonished and impressed with the Jing Emperor.

She had always known this man was intelligent. Unintelligent people wouldn't be able to reach this step. But this event made her realize just how smart he was, and how supernaturally wise. It was supposed to be an extremely thorny and headache inducing problem, but he beat them at their own game and arranged this outcome.

Xiao Hua even had the illusion that everything had gone according to his plan from the moment Tian-Shi jumped out. But Xiao Hua knew that this wasn't the case. The Jing Emperor only started moving from the moment she first mentioned the Jinyang Estate's matter.

Such precision, hitting the target in one shot. Especially in understanding people's nature, in which he was so accurate that it made one speechless. It was as though they were all puppets following his designs, finally falling into the pit.

After the fact, people would only think they had sought their own downfall, and wouldn't suspect him at all.

"Majesty, how did you grow this royal brain of yours? Why are you so smart?!" Every time she thought of this, Xiao Hua would lament over it.

At the same time, the Jing Emperor would look embarrassed and not know how to respond.

"We also don't know." After thinking seriously for a few minutes, the Jing Emperor could only respond this way.

This answer was what Xiao Hua expected, because he would say the same thing every time. Comparing oneself to others only leads to anger.

Luckily this person was her man, and not her enemy. Luckily she was the person who shared his bed, and he wouldn't use his wits against her. Otherwise, she wouldn't even know how she died.

"But you were dragged into it." Every time the Jing Emperor got to this topic, he would say the same thing.

In contrast of Xiao Hua's feeling of sharing the privilege, the Jing Emperor more or less had some heavy feelings. Although he had discussed this with Xiao Hua beforehand and obtained her approval, the Jing Emperor still felt guilty while implementing his plan.

He had been successful, and it was a complete success. But she had also been gossiped about, and this made the Jing Emperor involuntarily furrow his brows. His happy mood suddenly vanished and he became sullen.

Thus it was Xiao Hua's turn to come out and comfort him. This situation had happened several times, and Xiao Hua was naturally a veteran.

"Sir Jing, I don't mind at all. You have to realize that this would have happened sooner or later. It's my fault for having such a past. Things worked out and we took care of everything in one go. Furthermore everything has been cleared, and no one will ever bring it up in the future. It saved us a lot of effort."

"Could have dealt with it secretly."

Xiao Hua understood the Jing Emperor's meaning.

"But this servant concubine wouldn't be able to get over it in her heart. No matter how we put it, Tian-Shi had spared my life back then. I wouldn't go as far as to say she deserved my gratitude, but I also couldn't just repay her with vengeance. I gave her a chance and the freedom of choice. She was the one who chose her own path."

This sort of thinking would seem like complete nonsense to many people. However, in Xiao Hua's mind, whether one called her soft-hearted or indecisive, she still remembered Tian-Shi's mercy back when she had thought herself dead for sure.

Perhaps the reason Tian-Shi had been merciful was because she had her own considerations. But Xiao Hua still remembered that her happiness and fortune today was all due to her mercy. Otherwise, how could she have such a good man, such a good life, and three such cute children?

After reincarnating, Xiao Hua always felt that destiny was preordained. Normally, if she wasn't forced, she would always allow for some leeway. After all, she wasn't just by herself anymore. She had him, her children, and her happiness. Just treat it as giving herself some good karma.

The Jing Emperor stroked her hair and kissed her forehead tenderly, "My Xiao Hua'er is a kind one."

Xiao Hua laughed and rubbed her own nose, "Sir Jing is too good at giving compliments. I'm not that kind, just looking for peace of mind."

Peace of mind…..

How many people in this world could understand this?

Tian-Shi didn't understand that Xiao Hua had let her off over and over, and had even left her a path to survival in the end. Unfortunately she hadn't understood this reasoning. People like them only thought in terms of retaliation, and would never give up after seizing an opportunity. They didn't understand the saying: Forgive when possible!

The two of them lay about a little longer before calling the palace maids to prepare a bath.

After bathing, they lay down for bed. The Jing Prince suddenly spoke: "We cannot strip the empress of her position for now. Give me a little more time."

Xiao Hua let out an "en" and rubbed her face against his chest before falling heavily asleep.

The Jing Emperor planted a kiss on her forehead, and fell asleep as well.

Author's notes:

I kept Qiao-Shi in mind this whole time. Hehe, gave her an opportunity to turn her fortune around.

Saw some readers get caught up in Xiao Hua's lowly birth. Actually low and high birth wasn't a requirement within the royal family. There are several cases in history where the royal concubine, senior concubine or favored concubine was of lowly birth. Only the subordinate households care about birth. They didn't care about the "people, but more about what value they could bring. It's still that old saying: The emperor decides whether one is low or high born. If the emperor declares you are high born, who would dare say otherwise?

This rumor wasn't about whether the senior concubine was low born or not, but rather whether she had any illicit affairs, slandering her pure reputation. These people wanted the Jing Emperor to fall out with the senior concubine over the rumors, or become estranged. They knew that men wouldn't be able to endure such things. Even if the Jing Emperor knew the truth, with the extent of the rumors they felt he would be forced to punish the senior concubine to maintain his dignity.

The Jing Emperor's actions ruined their carefully laid plans. Rumors were based on falsehoods and relied on keeping things vague. Most people faced with this situation will try to bury it, make a fuss, or be helpless and make things worse. Then the rumors would become fact. Unfortunately, the Jing Emperor is different from others. He chose to be upright and frank, exposing everything about the situation. There wasn't anything that couldn't be said to others. There was no need to be afraid if one's conduct is just.