The main hall of Chaoyang Palace was ablaze with countless candles, illuminating the room as if it were daytime.
Xiao Jingheng sat upright on the dragon throne, one hand flipping through official documents, while the other held a pen, leaving red marks on the pages.
He appeared greatly exhausted, his figure not as upright as before.
Song Zhao approached gracefully, placing the evening meal and a bouquet of flowers aside, and bowed to Xiao Jingheng, saying,
"I greet Your Majesty. May you be blessed and in good health."
"Rise," Xiao Jingheng's voice was slightly hoarse. After Song Zhao stood up, he paused his writing and looked at her, raising an eyebrow,
"Why have you come at this hour?"
Song Zhao replied, "I know Your Majesty is in a melancholic mood, and I understand that there is little I can do to alleviate your emotions. I thought of preparing a meal to accompany you and be by your side, hoping it would bring you some peace."
"You are thoughtful, Zhao'er."
Xiao Jingheng glanced at the food box on the side table, but his attention was drawn to the vibrant bouquet of curled peony lilies next to it.
Unlike the usual pale and delicate appearance, these peony lilies were fiery red, with their petals curled in an eye-catching manner.
"Are these curled peony lilies?"
"Yes," Song Zhao nodded, then bowed even deeper, "I took the liberty of bringing such colorful flowers to Chaoyang Palace during the mourning period of the Little Prince. I beg Your Majesty's pardon."
After the recent loss of the Little Prince, everyone in the palace was cautious. Even the palace maids refrained from wearing flowers, let alone displaying bright colors in front of Xiao Jingheng.
Though Song Zhao's action seemed reckless, Xiao Jingheng did not blame her.
"It is not easy to cultivate curled peony lilies in the capital city's environment. Even the Bureau of Flowers and Birds has never grown them. Your effort to bring these flowers is evident. Besides, the fragrance of these lilies is soothing and calming. By bringing them to me now, you wish to help me find peace and have a good night's sleep. You also want to bring some brightness to my mood. With such intentions, how can I blame you?"
Song Zhao lowered her gaze, her face blushing. She said, "It's just a small gesture. If it can bring a little joy to Your Majesty, then the flowers will have fulfilled their purpose."
Xiao Jingheng stood up and walked to her side, taking her hand. He spoke gently,
"With so many recent events in the palace, everyone tells me to mourn, but only you truly bring me solace."
As he spoke, he led Song Zhao to the side table, picked up the curled peony lilies, and gently sniffed them. Then he lowered his gaze and nodded,
"The fragrance of flowers. And of people, too."
"If Your Majesty likes them, I shall have fresh ones brought to you every day."
"I naturally appreciate your kind intentions."
From that day forward, as expected, Xiao Jingheng allowed Song Zhao to stay in Chaoyang Palace.
After they shared the evening meal, Song Zhao advised Xiao Jingheng to rest early, to replenish his energy, and to prioritize his well-being.
Xiao Jingheng followed her advice.
He was weary, and that night, they did not engage in any intimate activities. He fell asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow.
Meanwhile, Song Zhao lay on her side, facing away from him.
Bathed in the faint moonlight, she stared unwaveringly at the bouquet of curled peony lilies, now resting on a warm seat on a small table.
In the following days, Chang Le Palace would send fresh Curled Peony Lilies to Chaoyang Palace every day, to be placed in Xiao Jingheng's inner chamber.
However, the discarded flowers were never disposed of in a timely manner.
Xiao Fuzi would secretly bring those lilies back to Chang Le Palace. First, she would fumigate the petals with incense, and then soak them in clear water.
On the first day, everything seemed normal.
But on the second day, the lily petals soaked in water gradually faded from orange-red to a pale yellow.
Xiao Fuzi was taken aback and hurriedly carried the basin of water to Song Zhao's inner chamber to report the matter.
"Your Majesty, there is indeed a reaction!"
At that moment, Song Zhao was sitting alone on a warm seat, playing chess to pass the time.
Upon hearing Xiao Fuzi's words, she instinctively raised her eyebrows and glanced at the floating petals in the wooden basin.
After seeing those faded petals, Song Zhao tightened her grip on a white chess piece held between her fingertips, and her expression noticeably darkened.
"As expected..."
Xiao Fuzi said, "On that day, Tong Chang added Huaqing Powder to the fragrance paste he gave to the concubines. Huaqing Powder evaporates very slowly, with a faint and hard-to-detect scent that lingers on the skin for a long time. If the scent of Huaqing Powder and the fragrance of Yuelin coincide on the lily petals, they will fade when soaked in water.
In the entire palace, only His Majesty uses Yuelin Fragrance. And the Curled Peony Lilies have been placed on His Majesty's warm seat in the inner chamber for the past two days. Consort Hui has only sat on the warm seat in the inner chamber, and for quite some time, which is why the scent of Huaqing Powder on her body has also contaminated the lily petals..."
Xiao Fuzi's analysis was already very thorough.
These faded lily petals were clearly telling everyone that Consort Hui could freely enter and stay in Xiao Jingheng's inner chamber.
Yun Shan was also shocked. "But for the past two days, His Majesty has been with Noble Consort Chen and hasn't flipped any other cards. The consorts only meet His Majesty in the main hall. Moreover, Consort Hui is not a favored consort, so how can she freely enter His Majesty's inner chamber?"
After a moment, Song Zhao let out a cold laugh and said calmly,
"The consorts all know how to place their spies and pawns near those they fear. Do you think His Majesty is unaware of this? It's just that His Majesty's methods of placing his own pawns are far more sophisticated than those women in the harem."
Yun Shan was shocked beyond words, almost speechless.
"Your Majesty suspects that Consort Hui has been secretly monitoring the affairs of the harem on behalf of His Majesty?"
In fact, Song Zhao had harbored this suspicion long ago.
It's just that this time, Consort Hui "unintentionally" mentioned the witchcraft she had been practicing as usual, which completely confirmed Song Zhao's suspicions and was the first time she had revealed her true intentions.
That seemingly innocent remark was just too coincidental. Without Consort Hui's words, Xiao Jingheng wouldn't have been able to obtain fifty thousand troops from Mongolia so smoothly.
Coupled with many instances of internal strife among the women in the harem, which were not meant to be known by Xiao Jingheng, he always managed to find out quickly.
And then there was the last time, the blatantly unreasonable explanation Xiao Jingheng gave for the bruises on Consort Hui's neck...
All these various aspects were enough for Song Zhao to connect all the pieces together and direct the blame towards Consort Hui.
You see, many times when the imperial concubines spoke ill of others in secret, they didn't avoid Consort Hui, thinking of her as a naive child who only knew about indulgence and food.
And before that, Xiao Jingheng agreed to let Consort Hui move in and live with the pregnant Song Zhao.
Unless something unexpected happened, it was also Xiao Jingheng's way of testing Song Zhao...
At this moment, Yun Shan also thought about the time when he used to live with Consort Hui, causing him to gasp in shock.
"Fortunately, when Consort Hui lived with us in the past, the Empress had already started to be cautious of her. Otherwise, if we spoke privately without being cautious, she might have reported it to the Emperor and caused trouble for the Empress... It was a close call!"
Song Zhao had already witnessed Xiao Jingheng's sensitivity and suspicions multiple times.
She thought she had become accustomed to whatever actions Xiao Jingheng might take, but after learning the truth about this matter, she was still shocked for quite some time.
Once she regained her composure, Song Zhao quickly regained her usual demeanor and coldly smiled, saying:
"It's good that we know about this matter. If she does things for the Emperor, he will surely trust her more. We can also make use of her, after all, she is just a chess piece. If the Emperor can use her, so can I."
As she spoke, Song Zhao lightly placed the white chess piece she had been holding between her fingertips onto the chessboard.
With one move, the black pieces on the chessboard that had been evenly matched with the white piece were immediately trapped in a deadlock, unable to ascend any further.
"For example, use her... to bring down the Empress!"
[Regarding Consort Hui, I won't go over it again. From the beginning to now, there have been numerous clues and hints. The most recent event was the incident where Empress Dowager Mei Yuan almost fell, and although the Noble Consort said not to inform Xiao Jingheng, he already knew beforehand.]
[There are many similar incidents, but the threads are too intricate and numerous along the way. Even a cute little follower who has been following along should be able to perceive them upon reflection, so I won't point them out. Also, you might raise questions about how she could be so scheming at the age of ten when she entered the palace. Don't worry, her story will unfold later, and there will be revelations and explanations.]
[In addition, enjoy traditional arts. Have a happy Monday.]
