Chapter Thirteen

  Xiao Yue would never forget the sight of Fu Jin's hairpin swiftly slashing through the throats of the two eunuchs, their fresh blood still suspended in mid-air as Fu Jin's hand had already dropped down, the scorching sun and her icy gaze seemed to have come from hell.

  She trembled as she took out a handkerchief to wipe the hairpin clean for Fugui, watching as Fugui's indifferent hairpin was put back into her bun. The butterfly on the golden inlaid pearl hairpin seemed to have come alive after being stained with fresh blood, and she didn't even have the courage to take another look.

  The osmanthus trees in the courtyard were lush and green, Wu Fu Jin and San Fu Jin sat in the courtyard chatting, Song Shi and Yan Gu Niang attended to them on the side, the teapot on the red mud stove under the corridor was emitting a burst of hot air, Xiao Rong scolded Ya Tou to hurry up and serve tea.

  Xiao Yue finally felt her heart returning to its normal place.

  The lady smiled slightly, elegantly and calmly greeted the third and fifth ladies, entered the house to change her clothes, the gold-inlaid pearl butterfly hairpin was still on her head. The lady seemed to be unaware of it, she didn't dare to linger for a moment, quietly entered the house and burned that blood-stained handkerchief. There seemed to be a special smell in the air, she had a moment of distraction. Xiaorong came in from outside, smiling and said: "What are you doing?"

  Xiao Yue was startled and saw that Pa Zi had also been burned clean: "Nothing, how did you get in?"

  "The mistress wants me to come in and take a look at you. She said you were out in the sun just now, and told you to rest inside the house, no need to go out."

  The mistress didn't say much, but she was indeed kind and considerate to them. Xiaoyue let out a soft sigh: "That's right, I'll take a nap, and you help me save some lunch for when I wake up."

  The person who will kill the fish will kill and clean it, put a ceramic basin on the stove, and boil soup to drink.

  San Fu Jin smiled and said: "We are also happy ourselves."

  The woman's beauty was unlike anyone else's, enchanting and captivating. The afternoon sun cast dappled shadows on the ground, and she seemed to embody a languid atmosphere, as if nothing had happened earlier.

  Quan Pei's long hair, like scattered silk threads, spread out on the ironwood couch, her body covered with a thin ice-blue brocade quilt. She leaned against the couch, reading a book, while a young maid gently fanned her with a fan. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration. Xiao Yue stood beside her, wanting to speak but hesitating, until Quan Pei put down her book and she quickly presented a bowl of clear tea.

  A faint, delicate clinking sound came from between the tea lid and the teacup. The slender white fingers paired with the Qinghua porcelain tea set seemed to have an inexplicable elegance and composure. Half a beat later, Quan Pei finally spoke up: "Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine."

  Wei Wei nodded slightly: "I've never said much to you, just quietly wait for news."

  The empress seemed to be casually talking about some trivial matters, and Xiaoyue inexplicably calmed down: "I understand."

  It is better to be still than to move at this moment.

  In the cool and quiet palace, behind the pale pink gauze curtain, someone asked: "What's going on?"

  The eunuch outside said in a low voice: "Two eunuchs who went out on an errand were killed with a sharp weapon."

  Behind the curtain, someone seemed to have exclaimed: "Who in the harem has such skills?"

  The eunuch hesitated, choosing silence, and only after a while did he hear the voice from behind the curtain say: "Keep a close eye on the people in the harem, and if there's anything unusual, come and report. The situation in the Imperial Garden also needs to be carefully investigated."

  "I understand now."

  De Fei glanced at Quan Pei with a slanted gaze: "Are you really sincere in your request?"

  "You choose one that you like."

  De Fei smiled lightly: "Alright, you've begged to this extent, wait until the selection of imperial concubines and I'll choose one for you, then I'll mention it to the Emperor."

  The eunuchs came in from outside: "Concubine Taifei Usu lost her footing and fell into the water yesterday, and was only found by people today. The two eunuchs who followed her also went with Concubine Taifei."

  The imperial concubine Wu Su, having no sons or daughters, who else would she provoke?

  "Who found it?"

  "As for Huisi Furen, she floated up to the surface of the water and many people saw her."

  De Fei bowed her head and thought for a moment, roughly thinking that such a person would be born or die and could involve what? She only instructed Quan Pei: "After all, it's a Taifei, go back and tell your courtyard to put away the bright things, until the opening of the soul, you must follow the front to worship."

  Rong Yu responded with a "yes". She returned to the courtyard, changed into comfortable clothes and sat on the couch. Xiao Yue busied herself kneeling beside her, gently massaging her legs and feet, lowering her head and speaking softly: "The deceased imperial concubine, although childless, seemed to have helped the empress dowager several times during the previous emperor's reign, and was deeply favored by her. Her days were spent in relative comfort, often accompanying the empress dowager to alleviate boredom. It's just that Rong Fei's firstborn son didn't turn out well, and this imperial concubine got entangled in it... I haven't heard of her having any grudges with anyone."

  She thought for a moment and added: "After the death of Taifei, everyone was discussing it, I didn't need to ask specifically, just by listening I could know these things."

  Quan Pei's expression finally showed a hint of contemplation, and after a brief moment, she asked: "Isn't there someone checking the Imperial Flower Garden...?"

  "I knew that the Empress was fishing by the lake that day, and several eunuchs and palace maids came to ask me if I had seen anything. I replied that I had vaguely heard some sounds, but at the time you were tired from fishing and were about to reel in your line, so I didn't pay much attention."

  Xiao Yue was petite and elegant, with an ordinary appearance that was easy to forget at first glance. However, she was also steady, capable, intelligent, and had a clear mind. Quan Pei rarely praised her, saying: "You're still reliable when it comes to handling things."

  It's better to have heard and seen than not to have heard and thus avoid suspicion.

  Xiao Yue was somewhat surprised and delighted: "It's all what the slaves should do!" After a pause, she said to those eunuchs and palace maids who had asked her questions at that time: "One is a small eunuch from the Imperial Pharmacy, and one is a small palace maid from the Laundry Institute." Even if they wanted to investigate, they probably wouldn't use people on their surface, but these scattered things might have already revealed something.

  Quan Ai suddenly became careless again: "Ask Xiao Rong, did you finally make the Gui Fei Hong I wanted?"

  The food that the mistress wanted to eat was always unheard of. Xiaorong held a crystal plate with a dish of red dot-shaped pastries in the shape of peony flowers, and nervously presented it in front of Quanpei: "Mistress, try some."

  The eunuchs in the imperial kitchen did not quite agree at first, but later they also heard that Xiaorong was doing a good job and had the idea of stealing learning, so they agreed to let Xiaorong make some pastries in the kitchen.

  "Ah Heng, try the Guifei Hong I made, it's still hot!" The young face was filled with warm smiles and anticipation. Suddenly, a loud noise came from outside, the brutal Left and Right Guards rushed in, and at the age of five, Quan Pei was taken into the palace as the daughter of a guilty minister, she cried out watching her brother being taken away, Guifei Hong spilled all over the ground...

  Ruan Yu pinched a piece and took a bite, the taste was familiar yet strange, memories of her childhood in the palace flooded her mind, she waved her hand: "Don't make it again from now on."

  Xiao Rong didn't know whether she had done well or poorly, but she didn't dare ask and simply responded with a "yes".

  The sky gradually darkened, and the sunset dyed half of the sky with a brilliant red color like blood. On the day of the coup, Grandmother, Mother, Aunt, and Cousin all hanged themselves. The beautiful women of the Nan Gong family in Chang'an were gone, leaving only their legendary beauty behind. Quan Pei woke up from her dream, and the lanterns in the sheep's horn temple emitted a dim yellow light. Xiao Yue was sitting on a chair doing needlework, and when she saw Quan Pei wake up, she hurriedly ordered: "Bring the Tang Luo embroidered ball here."

  The child in Quan Pei's belly moved, and Quan Pei's eyes gradually cleared up. She slowly touched her belly: "Nothing seems to be moving?"

  Xiao Yue said: "Nothing has been heard for the time being."

  Yan'er poured a bowl of clear water for Quan Pei to rinse her face and hands. After drinking a bowl of soup with embroidered balls, Quan Pei felt less chilly. She leaned against the bed for half a moment before speaking: "Are there any brothers or sisters in your family?"

  "I also have a younger brother who works as a errand boy in the Nala government office. My mother died early, and my father remarried, but he passed away two years ago. Now there's only my younger brother left at home, and I'm worried about him."

  "Wait until I move out of the palace and build my own estate, I'll have your younger brother come over too. Follow me to practice some martial arts, I'm afraid there will be more things to do in the future."

  Xiao Yue understood, from this moment on she truly became Fu Jin's confidante, no one in the maid's quarters was above her. She knelt down and kowtowed: "Your servant will definitely be loyal to Fu Jin, if there is any disloyalty, heaven will strike with lightning!"

  Another good night's sleep, and early in the morning, Guan'er changed into a pair of soft shoes. In the courtyard, she was supported by the maids as she walked around. Song Shi and Yan Gu Niang were both attending to her side. The small eunuch led in the imperial physician who had been summoned for Ping'an's pulse diagnosis. Xiaoyue saw him and smiled, asking: "Why isn't it Zhang Taishi this time?"

  The little eunuch said: "Zhang Taichang has sprained his foot and is on sick leave at home. This is Li Yuanzheng, the head of the Imperial Hospital, who has been in the hospital for some years."

  The maid brought over a chair for Quan Pei to sit down, while another maid hurriedly poured water for Quan Pei to wash his hands. A cushion was placed beside the chair. Li Yuanzheng knelt down and didn't appear short at all. His robust build made him not look like a weak scholar.

  Li Yuanzheng carefully felt the pulse, and finally said: "The pulse is strong, the young master in Madame's belly is very good." A man approaching forty, when speaking, he had a few points of elegant magnetism, inexplicably having a few points of charm. Li Yuanzheng slowly stood up, at the same height as Quan Pei, and smiled softly: "By the lake, good skills." This man's eyes were more captivating than those of a woman, his pale and firm cheeks had no beard, and he didn't look like he was nearly forty at all.

  Li Yuanzheng saw a flash of coldness in the eyes of the woman in front of him, who was as beautiful as a peony. The corners of his mouth curled up even more: "I'll come again another day to take Madam Fu's pulse."

  Others didn't notice anything unusual, but felt that the atmosphere was slightly different from just now.

  The man walked out of the yard, and a bloodthirsty glint flashed in Quan Pei's eyes. Did he want to coerce her into doing something? But people who had done such things before ultimately died at her hands.

  After lunch, Quan Pei took a short nap, got up and walked around for a while, read a book, and then seemed to remember something and said to Xiao Yue: "Ask about this Li Yizheng."

  The night was shrouded in a soft, gentle haze. The man and woman were entwined on the couch, their bodies locked in a fierce embrace, yet there was an unspoken discord between them. The man's eyes gleamed with excitement, as if at this moment he was the most powerful person in the world...