Chapter 119: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" (Are You the One)

 FlamingoBees 

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 

 Chapter 119: 

 

Cui Xingzhou understood what Mian Tang meant. Yesterday, Consort Yun's outing clearly violated the usual protocols for palace concubines leaving the palace, as if she had deliberately received news of Mian Tang's departure and made a point of leaving the palace to cause trouble.

Perhaps fearing repercussions and the resentment of Prince Huaiyang's household, one or two of the noble families who had accompanied Consort Yun yesterday had sent people to inquire about Cui Fu's health. They also subtly explained that they had been invited to the palace to watch a play with Consort Yun and had been caught up in her impromptu outing.

Mian Tang raised her eyebrows upon hearing this and asked Cui Xingzhou, "Can a palace concubine just summon the wives of officials whenever she pleases?"

Cui Xingzhou loosened the gold crown on his head and said calmly, "Of course not. However, recently, Empress Shi’s health has been declining, and palace affairs have been entrusted to Consort Yun for management..."

Mian Tang found this rather interesting. Empress Shi must be quite trusting to hand over such power to someone like Sun Yunniang.

Now, with Consort Yun wielding power inside the palace, it wouldn’t be surprising if she had also extended her influence beyond the palace walls. Sun Yunniang had likely planted spies in their own household.

Without rooting out these hidden informants, Mian Tang felt she wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly.

Cui Xingzhou looked at her and said casually, "It’s not just in our household; every residence in the capital has eyes from the palace. During the reign of the late emperor, there was the Imperial Surveillance Office, which had spies planted in every corner of the capital to keep the late emperor informed and secure his power. Although several emperors have come and gone, the Imperial Surveillance Office still exists. Our household's daily comings and goings are reported to the palace. Consort Yun’s father is currently in charge of the Imperial Surveillance Office, so if she wanted to find out about your departure from the residence, it would be quite easy for her."

Mian Tang took a deep breath. If these spies were indeed placed by the Imperial Surveillance Office, knowing about them wouldn’t help; she couldn’t simply remove them without appearing suspicious and plotting something nefarious.

"…This ridiculous place in the capital…" Unable to hold back, Mian Tang muttered under her breath.

Cui Xingzhou chuckled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Do you think we were so leisurely when we were in Zhenzhou? Both local and central officials have their own difficulties. Now that we are here, we might as well make the best of it. The Imperial Surveillance Office is used by the emperor to monitor the faults of the officials, yet it has been turned against two pregnant women by those with ulterior motives. It would be a shame not to take this rare opportunity to clear out the household. At the very least, those spies can only observe from the outer courtyard."

Not to mention, Prince Huaiyang certainly wouldn’t want their intimate conversations to reach Liu Yu's ears through the spies of the Imperial Surveillance Office. If Cui Xingzhou guessed correctly, Liu Yu was probably inquiring about Mian Tang's daily life constantly.

It was unclear what Liu Yu was thinking. If he was truly reluctant, why had he let Mian Tang leave the mountain in the first place? Unfortunately, once a chance was missed, it was lost forever. Even if he now held the highest position in the realm, there were certain people he would never be able to have.

The incident involving Consort Yun's clash with the commoners had stirred up quite a storm. Eventually, some straightforward censors could no longer hold back and wrote a memorial to present to the emperor.

Liu Yu, who was already aware of Mian Tang's troubles at the foot of Wangfeng Temple, sought out Consort Yun to inquire about the matter.

Due to Liu Yu's dissatisfied tone, Consort Yun shed tears of grievance and said, “If Your Majesty believes it is my fault, I will accept it. However, there were many ladies present at the time. You could ask them whether it was I who made things difficult for Princess Consort Huaiyang or whether it was the lady of the Duke's residence who made things difficult for her daughter-in-law. I tried my best to mediate, but the Duchess and her daughter-in-law had deep-seated grievances and would not listen to reason. Must I be blamed because you think so poorly of me? Does it mean that the daughter-in-law of the Duke's residence losing her baby is also my fault?”

At this point, with tears welling in her eyes, Consort Yun continued, “Since I entered the palace, I have spent almost every day in solitude, never daring to disturb Your Majesty even a little. I only hope to have my own child one day, as a source of comfort while in the palace. That day, hearing from other ladies about the efficacy of the Bodhisattva at Wangfeng Temple, I decided on a whim to pay my respects. I hoped to make a vow and see it come true soon… but I never expected such a mishap to occur…”

Liu Yu took a deep breath. Since Consort Yun had entered the palace, he had indeed been rather neglectful towards her. At the core of his feelings was the belief that Mian Tang's departure was due to a misunderstanding involving Consort Yun, which left him with lingering resentment.

Now, seeing Consort Yun crying so pitifully, he felt that he had been too harsh towards a frail woman. Moreover, it was indeed as she said; at that time, it was the lady of the Duke's residence who had been reprimanding Cui Fu.

The order to confront the common people had not been issued by Consort Yun. However, although her intentions were innocent, the repercussions were significant and ultimately tarnished the royal reputation.

Therefore, Liu Yu wore a stern expression as he contemplated the situation. He turned to Empress Shi, who was seated beside him, and asked, "This is a matter for the inner palace; how do you think it should be handled?"

Empress Shi furrowed her brows, finding herself in a difficult position. "Consort Yun has indeed been caught in the crossfire. Both the emperor and I understand your goodwill. However, with the continual petitions from the court, His Majesty is also in a tough spot. If we don't impose some form of punishment, it would be hard to quell the dissatisfaction. After all, she went out of the palace without following the proper procedures and offended the common people, which is truly wrong. As punishment, she should kneel in the ancestral hall for three days. The palace maids and eunuchs accompanying her must also be punished by receiving strokes, handled by the Supervisory Office."

Consort Yun suddenly lifted her head, astonished, and stared at Empress Shi. She had thought the empress would be lenient after her initial comments, but now the punishment was much harsher than expected!

Yet, she couldn't plead for mercy; that would be seen as lacking decorum and unwilling to share the burden of the pressure from the court officials on His Majesty.

Consort Yun clenched her fists in frustration but, when she raised her head again, her face was full of submission. She bowed gratefully to the empress and prepared to go to the ancestral hall to kneel and accept her punishment.

After Liu Yu left, Mama Shen, who was beside Empress Shi, whispered, “If the Empress punishes her so harshly, how can Consort Yun find peace in her heart?”

Empress Shi’s round, plump face was no longer cheerful; instead, she furrowed her brows coldly and replied, “Do you think that if I don’t punish her, she will appreciate my kindness? At one time, she was so close to me that she called me sister, and I truly believed she was well-intentioned. It was only later that I realized how deep her schemes ran. She set traps for me time and again, does she really think I was oblivious? When I was giving birth to my first son, if it hadn’t been for your vigilance, I would have fallen into her tricks. That’s why I let her have her way for a while, allowing her to feel proud. But when a person gets too proud, they tend to lose their composure. Just look at her—she’s flaunted her cleverness and now has made a mistake. These days, I’m about to give birth, and I can’t be sure that she won’t try something. With her father now in charge of the Imperial Surveillance Office, I can protect myself from obvious attacks, but hidden threats are harder to defend against. By punishing her severely and punishing her confidants as well, I can guard against any collusion between them, preventing any underhanded schemes. As for the Imperial Inspection Office…”

Mama Shen leaned in and quietly added, “I have already informed the head eunuch close to His Majesty that the Imperial Inspection Office has taken notes of the travels of Prince Huaiyang's carriages and passed them to Consort Yun.”

Empress Shi smiled and said, “In matters of the harem, I am in charge. As for matters outside the palace, that is naturally the Emperor's domain. I’m just afraid that this time Consort Yun has stirred the Emperor's heart, and it might bring trouble to her father.”

Mama Shen smiled slightly and replied, “That would be best; the Empress can focus on her delivery without worrying about the Sun family plotting against her again…”

Empress Shi sighed softly, “The palace is so vast, and people’s hearts are like monsters lurking in a dark abyss. I feel as if I’m constantly standing on the edge of a deep pit, never daring to let my guard down…”

Mama Shen understood Empress Shi’s meaning. She had watched her young lady transition from being a concubine born child of the Shi family to becoming the Empress of the nation. Her mistress had a hard path to walk; she not only had to be wary of the Sun family but also of the Empress Dowager’s faction. Thus, she had to feign ignorance and treat the new concubines and maids sent in by the Empress Dowager with kindness.

During the time that Empress Shi had delegated power, Consort Yun had dealt with several concubines and gained many allies. Now that Consort Yun had been punished, it was certain that the internal strife in the palace would become even more intense.

“Your Majesty, you are wise and perceptive. Otherwise, why would the Emperor hold you in such high regard? You and the Emperor will surely get through this difficult time and turn misfortune into fortune,” Mama Shen said, looking at the fatigue that showed on Empress Shi’s face, feeling a pang of sympathy as she offered comfort.

Empress Shi shook her head and sighed, “Those who are truly clever would never marry into this deep palace surrounded by high walls. That Princess Consort Huaiyang is the real wise and insightful woman.”

Mama Shen agreed, whispering, “The fact that the Imperial Surveillance Office passed on information to Consort Yun was clearly discovered by Prince Huaiyang’s subordinates. I’ve heard that they interrogated several people in his residence overnight. Why did they have to use your hands, Your Majesty, to send a message to the Emperor?”

Empress Shi smiled faintly, “Prince Huaiyang was invited by the Emperor to help balance the power of the palace. But now that there’s been a disturbance in the inner court that caused his sister to have a miscarriage, it’s clearly the dirty work of the Imperial Surveillance Office colluding with Consort Yun. Given Prince Huaiyang’s temperament, he could hardly tolerate this. By going through me, he’s signaling that this is a warning: neither the harem nor the Emperor should think of placing spies in his residence again. The Emperor must also take action against the Sun family to give him an explanation. This method of shaking the mountain to scare the tiger is indeed effective; Liu Mian Tang hasn’t married the wrong man.”

She had initially fallen in love at first sight with Prince Ziyu, willingly marrying him, not realizing that one mistake would lead to another. Her husband harbored feelings for someone else, leaving no room for a second person in his heart.

Thus, she had to settle for less, not seeking harmony in music but ensuring mutual respect. So, she offered her counsel to the Emperor, easing his burdens and becoming a wise and virtuous support for him.

Unlike Consort Yun, Empress Shi did not harbor hatred for Liu Mian Tang.

That girl was exceptionally intelligent; her resolute departure from Yangshan indicated that she was someone capable of making sacrifices. Moreover, seeing the affection that Prince Huaiyang had for her, it was clear that there was no place for a third person in their relationship.

Even if the Emperor had feelings for Liu Mian Tang, they were destined to be apart in this life.

Thinking of this, Empress Shi suddenly felt a pang of melancholy. She simply wanted to lie down and rest for a moment. Closing her eyes, she lazily instructed, “The ancestral hall is a sacred place; be careful of smoke and fire. There’s no need to add more charcoal basins at night, and watch out for candles…”

The nights had been chilly lately, especially in the royal ancestral hall, which was particularly eerie. It seemed likely that after being punished with kneeling, Consort Yun would fall seriously ill in the coming days…

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