Chapter 29 - A Sorry Figure

Yunlan committed suicide?

Rong Xi sucked in a deep breath, her eyes widening.

She had a difficult time believing this. Suppressing the sharp pain and grief in her heart, she asked Dan Xiang again, “Are you positive it’s Physician Ye? The person I want to find is named Ye Yunlan.”

Rong Xi’s voice was as soft as ever, though this question was asked in a panicked manner, aggressive even.

Dan Xiang nodded her head and replied, “…It’s indeed Ye Yunlan, Physician Ye. Miss, please restrain your grief, don’t be overly sad.”

Rong Xi’s heartbeat suddenly quickened. Forcing back her tears, she questioned Dan Xiang if she had found out if anything had happened before Ye Yunlan committed suicide.

Dan Xiang was a quick-witted and intelligent person. After going to the Pharmacy Bureau, and knowing that she was about to bring Rong Xi news of her friend’s death, she naturally investigated some more. Bribing a female physician, she found out some things.

She recounted everything she had heard to Rong Xi.

Apparently a few days ago, also the day Rong Xi was expelled from the palace, the Empress brought the eldest daughter of the Di clan, Di Shiyin, to the Department of Service. The department’s office clerk stopped the errands they were doing to accompany them.

The Empress seemed to have concocted a well-thought plan, believing that Di Shiyin would definitely become Mu Huai’s Crown Princess Consort. She had begun to give out pointers already, wanting Di Shiyin to learn how to manage the six ministries1 She brought Di Shiyin to meet the Department of Service’s head attendant, and in passing by, checked the account books from the office clerk.

The account book on top was the Pharmacy Bureau’s. That Di Shiyin was considered a clever one. After looking through the account books, she immediately discovered that there were a few expensive and rare herbs that were missing from the Pharmacy Bureau.

And the missing herbs happened to be ones that helped pregnant women stabilize the fetus.

Further investigation naturally led them to Ye Yunlan. In Yongxi Palace, there were always female officials that would secretly pocket things from the imperial family and secretly sell them outside. It wasn’t a big deal, really.

The Empress, taking into account Ye Yunlan’s outstanding medical skills and the fact that it was her first offense, wanted to conduct things according to the inner palace’s regulations. After punishing Ye Yunlan with twenty planks, she would strip her of her official rank, making her a normal female physician[/efn_note]Her original rank is siyi 司医 which means more like a head physician or physician-minister, whereas her new rank (after being dmeoted) is yinv 医女, which literally means female physician. I usually just referred to her as Physician Ye for ease of translation’s sake[/efn_note], and a half-year’s worth of salary would be penalized as well.

But Di Shiyin thought there was something wrong.

Speaking ’til here, Dan Xiang whispered to Rong Xi, “This slave heard that Young Miss Di asked Physician Ye her relationship with Rong gugu that served His Highness, saying that she knew Rong gugu and Physician Ye had an extremely good relationship. Afterwards, Young Miss Di whispered something to the Empress, and the Empress immediately ordered for people to take Physician Ye away from the Pharmacy Bureau. The night Physician Ye returned to the Pharmacy Bureau…was the night she also committed suicide.”

When she saw Rong Xi’s pretty face become pale, Dan Xiang continued on in a low voice, “…This slave…this slave only found out this much.”

After hearing Dan Xiang’s words, Rong Xi felt as if all of her energy had been sucked out. Hatred slowly welled up in her heart.

It’s not as if she had never suspected whether Di Shiyin wanted to kill her. In the past, she felt that she was overthinking things because she knew that Di Shiyin looked down on her. She had hidden her appearance and had a low identity, she was not worthy to be this noble miss’s opponent.

Only today did she confirm who the mastermind behind all this was.

Rong Xi clenched her fists. Her tears had already flowed out from her eyes, as they became more and more turbulent.

Mu Huai was most likely going to marry Di Shiyin as his Crown Princess Consort soon, and when that time comes, she would be his wife. If Rong Xi told Mu Huai about this matter, she was not confident that Mu Huai would take her [Rong Xi’s] side.

Rong Xi forcibly calmed herself down.

She made a gamble. With the child in her stomach, Mu Huai would definitely give her a position. At the very least, she would be the lowest-ranked fengyi. Last night, she was still thinking that as a concubine, she was pregnant before Di Shiyin was, so she [Di Shiyin] would definitely treat her as a thorn in her eye.

She didn’t harbor hopes to obtain Mu Huai’s love. As long as Di Shiyin didn’t harm her child, didn’t provoke her, she would definitely obediently stay in her lane and not do anything like fighting for favor.

But now, not only did Di Shiyin want to kill her, she even took away the lives of her family and friends.

Yunlan was the same as her, both cherished their own lives. She would never choose to commit suicide.

Rong Xi didn’t know how much suffering Ye Yunlan went through, but she could guess that she probably leaked her pregnancy. Di Shiyin must’ve used something to threaten her, blackmailing Ye Yunlan into telling the truth, then killed her.

Thinking of this, Rong Xi’s pretty eyes slowly turned red. But the beauty’s tears were pleasing to the eye, even the red-rimmed eyes carried a sense of beauty.

Dan Xiang felt that Rong Xi was very pitiful, and scared that she would cry herself sick, she hurriedly persuaded, “Miss…Miss, don’t cry, be careful of your body…”

Rong Xi’s voice was as sweet and sticky as ever, though it had clearly turned colder as she told Dan Xiang, “You all go and retreat. I want to be alone.”

******

After morning court ended, Mu Huai went to Ganyuan Hall to discuss matters with Zhuang Emperor.

Having a second chance at life, his feelings toward his father were a little complicated.

Everyone said that Zhuang Emperor extremely loved his mother, Consort Xian. However, Mu Huai felt that although Zhuang Emperor loved his mother, it was a shallow love. He had shown his favor to his other concubines many times as well.

He always felt that if he were to fall in love with a woman, then he would only favor her.

But since he had a second chance to live and Zhuang Emperor was still alive, then he needed to think of a way to search for famed physicians in the central plains to see if Zhuang Emperor’s illness could be cured. He wanted to have his father live for a few more years.

The smoke from the furnace filled Ganyuan Hall. After Zhuang Emperor returned from court, his face looked even more ashen, looking very haggard.

He looked at Mu Huai, asking, “I heard you brought back a commoner woman?”

Mu Huai nodded towards Zhuang Emperor.

Zhuang Emperor hummed in response. He understood his son the best. He knew that since Mu Huai had brought the woman back to the palace, then he must have that woman in his heart. He asked, “Since she’s a commoner woman, you should give her a position.”

Mu Huai was very tall as he stood straight in the hall. He cupped his hands together and respectfully replied, “Replying to Father-Emperor, although she was not born with a noble identity, she has a gentle personality…she is also pregnant with subject-son’s child, and this subject-son wants to make her a liangdi.

When the Zhuang Emperor heard the word ‘pregnant’, his hazy old eyes suddenly lit up.

After Mu Huai had been made into a titled prince, he often went outside the palace to conduct business. It was not hard to believe he he had met a beauty amongst the common folk.

He had four sons in total, and his eldest son had already passed away. Mu Huai was the youngest, but was also the first with his own child.

Zhuang Emperor had a smile on his face as he told Mu Huai, “Couldn’t tell that zhen‘s Man Ya now has his own child. However, giving the rank of liangdi to a common woman is still a little too high.”

Mu Huai didn’t hesitate as he firmly replied, “This subject-son has finally met one that he likes after much difficulty, naturally has to give her the best.”

Of course, he wanted to immediately make Rong Xi his Crown Princess Consort, letting her openly become his legal wife.

But he had just been made into the Crown prince, and there were many forces in court that he had yet to begin to clean up. If he were to ask for the position of Crown Princess Consort right now, based on how much Zhuang Emperor favored him, he would acquiese.

However, Rong Xi would then be criticized by those old geezers in court. In the event that someone with loose lips broke the news to her, and she overthought things, it would harm the child in her stomach.

Zhuang Emperor saw how resolute Mu Huai was, “Since you like her, then I will grant her the position of liangdi. After the Ministry of Rites has chosen an auspicious day for your Crown Prince ceremony, I will allow her to attend.”

When Mu Huai heard this, his normally cold and fierce eyes somewhat sparkled.

After thanking Zhuang Emperor, Zhuang Emperor suddenly recalled something, “The Huangmen Deputy Minister you chose is very talented.”

The Huangmen Deputy Minister that Zhuang Emperor mentioned was the newly crowned zhuangyuan, Yan Juxu.

Speaking of him, Mu Huai’s face imperceptibly changed, but told Zhuang Emperor, “As long as Father-Emperor is satisifed.”

The Huangmen Deputy Minister was a position meant to serve the monarch. However, those with discerning eyes all knew that Yan Juxu was actually a close subject of the Eastern Palace.

After Mu Huai finished discussed government matters with Zhuang Emperor, he left Ganyuan Palace. He recalled the muddle-headed things he did when he was the emperor in his past life. Being overly paranoid and forcing Yan Juxu to commit suicide was one. Relentlessly pursuing war, causing Yin Cheng’s untimely death was the second.

Conquering the central plains required a great deal of manpower. If Yan Juxu was not able at governing the country’s internal affairs, where did Mu Huai get the grains to give to the military to fight? He was too possessive of the authority he held, and he never let go. Many things, he would want to have full control of.

The current him might not delegate things either. But in hindsight, Yan Juxu’s full potential was not unleashed when he, this monarch, allowed his suspicions to run rampant, wasting such a good and able official.

The air outside the hall was fresh and chilly. Mu Huai felt a rare sense of relaxation. In the decade or so he was emperor, he had never had a good night’s sleep. But now, he could hold that petite woman every day, and he would have a good sleep every night.

Mu Huai was in a good mood as he prepared to return tot he Eastern Palace to accompany that woman for lunch.

No matter how much that lazy woman wanted to sleep in, she should be awake by now.

He strode back to the Eastern Palace, and when he entered the hall, the scene in front of him pricked his eyes.

The woman’s delicate body was sprawled against the small wooden desk. Her back was moving up down due to her weeping.

Her cries were not piercing to the ear, soft and low, causing pity to well up in others’ hearts.

He had happily returned to the Eastern Palace, but the woman bearing his child was currently crying in sorow.

Mu Huai’s gaze grew heavy as his handsome face filled with anger. After shaking his sleeves, he walked towards Rong Xi. He wanted to ask exactly who wronged his woman.