As usual when hearing her words, Zhao Hua felt there was an opportunity.
She picked up her silk handkerchief and clutched it tightly in her hand, just about to continue pleading,
But this time, Zhao Hua walked away decisively without looking back as she entered the main hall.
When Zhao Hua entered, she saw Princess Dowager Jinggui sitting in a yellow boxwood chair under the lattice window.
Her right elbow leaned against the table, palms propping up her forehead. Her eyes still seemed to hold a faint red glow.
Princess Dowager Jinggui was naturally aloof, seldom interacting with other imperial concubines.
Each day she just stayed in her own courtyard, leisurely spending her days.
But ever since Jinghe came to her palace, everything had changed.
Zhao Hua had grown tired of just hearing about it.
Everyone in the palace said Princess Dowager Jinggui treated Jinghe extremely well, doting on her like a granddaughter.
Ruohua had even privately told Zhao Hua before that when she went to visit Jinghe at Shoukang Palace when no one else was around, Jinghe would affectionately call Princess Dowager Jinggui "Imperial Grandmother."
It showed the deep bond between the two as grandmother and granddaughter.
Now something like this had suddenly happened. Without much thought, one could tell Princess Dowager Jinggui must not be feeling well.
At this moment, Princess Dowager Jinggui was immersed in grief and anxiety, completely unaware that Zhao Hua was already standing before her.
"Greetings to Imperial Concubine."
Hearing the movement, Princess Dowager Jinggui suddenly raised her head.
When her gaze met Zhao Hua's for a moment, it seemed to lack some of the disgust and astonishment from their first meeting.
She just quietly looked at Zhao Hua for a few moments, then nodded lightly and said:
"The Empress has arrived. The Emperor is inside accompanying Jinghe."
Zhao Hua bowed her head in acknowledgment, then softly asked:
"How is the Imperial Princess?"
Princess Dowager Jinggui seemed unwilling to face this question.
She just mutely shook her head as tears fell.
Zhao Hua understood at this time Princess Dowager Jinggui did not wish to be disturbed by anyone,
so she bowed to Princess Dowager Jinggui and slowly walked towards the inner chamber.
As soon as she lifted the curtain separating the inner chamber, a rich, bitter medicinal smell suddenly rushed into Zhao Hua’s nostrils.
She saw the simmering medicine pot by Jinghe's bedside bubbling away.
The medicine inside was nearly boiled dry, yet none of the imperial physicians surrounding Jinghe's bed noticed.
They had undressed Jinghe, vigorously massaging her chest and abdomen.
But Jinghe seemed to show no reaction at all.
Zhao Hua silently prayed as a mother, hoping the child would be safe and sound.
Xiao Jingheng as the father paced back and forth not far away, his face full of worry.
Zhao Hua stepped forward to greet and bow to him, but before she could kneel down, he helped her up.
His palms were very cold,
extremely frightened and losing warmth.
"Jingheng, Jinghe she..."
"Jinghe is Our imperial princess, she is Our daughter! She will definitely be fine!"
Zhao Hua held his hand in return, gently consoling:
"Don't worry, Jinghe has the imperial favor's protection, she certainly won't..."
—"The Imperial Princess!"
Zhao Hua's auspicious words had just been spoken halfway when they were suddenly interrupted by the imperial physician's sudden mournful cry.
She looked in panic towards the direction of the voice. She only saw the imperial physicians kneeling on the ground before Jinghe's bed.
Their faces were grief-stricken, weeping and wailing.
Seeing this, Xiao Jingheng was even more stunned in place, with an expression of disbelief.
Until,
Imperial Academy Chancellor Guo staggered over and knelt before him, choking back sobs as he said word for word:
"Your Majesty! The Imperial Princess, she...passed away!"
"Impossible! Jinghe is Our daughter! She can't die!"
Xiao Jingheng circumvented him and stumbled step by step to Jinghe’s bedside.
He saw Jinghe lying on the bed, serene and peaceful. Aside from the dampness in her hair that had not yet dried,
looking at her this way, she seemed to just be sleeping as usual.
For a moment he lost control and suddenly grabbed Jinghe's arm, vigorously shaking her:
"Jinghe! Wake up! Your Father Emperor has come to see you!"
However, no matter how much Xiao Jingheng was unwilling to believe it,
this matter could not be reversed.
Jinghe had died, sudden and without warning,
just like a tender peony or lotus hastily falling in a season before it could fully bloom.
The ninth year of the Qiyuan Era, fourth month, thirteenth day. Imperial Princess Xiao Jinghe passed away in Shoukang Palace, at the age of five.
Three days later was Jinghe's funeral procession.
The entire palace was in grief, the princes were frightened and terrified,
and during this time, Chenghuan cried the most bitterly.
Jinghe and him were born on the same day, though she was a bit earlier. So he had always respected and treated her as his elder sister.
The child originally had eczema, not to mention his eyes becoming red and swollen from crying for so long, the places on his cheeks where his tears had flowed would also crack and split even more severely.
Seeing him this way, Zhao Hua felt heartache but also quietly reminded Ning Wanshuang:
"Sister Ning, why not bring Chenghuan back first? With summer approaching, that is when his illness will flare up again. Crying like this will only damage his face, how can that be good?"
"How could I not know that?" Ning Wanshuang helplessly sighed, "Not only today, ever since knowing Jinghe had died, this child's tears have not ceased.
Sometimes he suddenly wakes up sobbing in the night. Seeing him like this, I also don't feel well. Today is sending off the Imperial Princess, so I won't persuade him. Let this child properly send off his elder sister."
Hearing this, Zhao Hua deeply looked at Chenghuan once, also feeling moved by how well Ning Wanshuang had raised this child.
Until...
That night, servant Fuzi brought the testimonies of the wet nurses who served the princes on that day for Zhao Hua.
From these testimonies she sensed something amiss.
"Look at what they said. They all said the Imperial Princess first picked a green phoenix costume, while Cheng Yu picked a red lion costume. But why...when the Imperial Princess was found drowned in the Imperial Lake, she was wearing the red lion costume?"
The more Zhao Hua thought about it, the more she felt everything about this matter revealed an indescribable strangeness.
"I've seen that costume. It pulls over the head with eye holes dug out to see the path. Judging only by appearance, it is impossible to see who is wearing the costume... Go ask Cheng Yu why he later switched costumes with the Imperial Princess."
Hearing the order, Yun Shan took the chance while bringing cow's milk to Cheng Yu to casually ask him.
Cheng Yu said: "Elder sister said she liked the lion and thought it looked majestic, and wanted to switch with me. I am a man, of course I would concede to a girl, so I switched with her."
Yun Shan also asked: "Did anyone see you switching costumes?"
Cheng Yu shook his head: "No, we secretly switched behind the artificial mountain."
After hearing this, Yun Shan soothed Cheng Yu to sleep before hurrying to inform Zhao Hua.
Zhao Hua's slender brows furrowed tightly as the ominous feeling lingering in her heart grew stronger:
"No one knew Cheng Yu and Jinghe switched costumes...Yun Shan, what if this wasn't an accident, but someone deliberately tried to harm the child?"
She raised her brow, looking at Yun Shan with a heavy gaze,
"If this is really the case, then who do you think that person wanted to harm - Jinghe, or Cheng Yu who switched costumes with Jinghe?"
[Busy with live testing stuff today, so just two updates for now. Hopefully no issues tomorrow so I can update more. Please understand, love you all, take care~]
