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Chapter 66
Wang Dequan didn't speak, but Xiao Xuanzi couldn't remain silent.
However, as a servant of Hexi Palace, his words would undoubtedly favor his mistress. Wang Dequan didn't mind doing him a favor, possibly earning some goodwill for the future.
He chose his moment skillfully. Just as the Xuanwu Emperor had stepped out of Hexi Palace's gates, Xiao Xuanzi spoke up: "Your Majesty, it seems Ye Baolin was poisoned last night. Consort Liang said she was in a terrible state, insisting that you visit her. But Your Majesty, the Consort had been drinking and was surely fast asleep. Not daring to disturb your rest, I waited until now to report. I humbly await your punishment."
To punish the head eunuch of Consort Zhen for the sake of Ye Baolin? Wouldn't that be a slap in the face to Consort Zhen?
The Xuanwu Emperor waved his hand dismissively. "If she was poisoned, why not call for the imperial physician? What use would I be?"
Yesterday, because of that Ye Baolin whose face he couldn't even remember, Consort Zhen had already been driven to jealousy and heartache. He couldn't bear to hurt her feelings again over this woman.
He continued towards his imperial palanquin, showing no concern for Ye Baolin's poisoning.
Jiang Xinyue opened her eyes, all traces of drowsiness gone, alert enough to take down a tiger: "Ye Baolin was poisoned?"
Xi Que helped her get up and prepare for the day: "Making poor Xiao Guizi run all the way here in the middle of the night, who knows what she's thinking? Yesterday she already caused trouble for Concubine Li, and now she's trying to provoke us at night. Does she really think she's the most favored in the harem?"
When it came to imperial favor, Xi Que believed that Concubine Li couldn't compare to her mistress anymore.
If it weren't for her prominent family background, and the Emperor's inability to offend Concubine Li's maternal grandfather's Pei family, her paternal grandfather's Song family, and her father the Prime Minister, she might not even have the superficial favor she currently enjoyed.
Elder Pei held the position of Minister of the Privy Council, the head of all civil officials. Minister Pei was Concubine Li's maternal grandfather, while the Song family patriarch was the Chief Grand Councilor, commanding all six ministries of the imperial court.
The son of Prime Minister Song, Concubine Li's father, was the current Prime Minister. It could be said that all the civil officials at court were their people.
In the past, when the Emperor favored Concubine Li, who could say whether it was out of genuine affection or political necessity?
But no matter how glorious her past, yesterday's events were enough to shift the winds of the palace.
Jiang Xinyue sat in her sedan chair, supporting her forehead with one hand, lost in thought.
Something wasn't right...
The Empress was a woman who planned ten steps ahead. She had managed to poison Jiang Xinyue before her rise to power and frame Jiang Yuan for it, leaving no evidence behind. A person with such deep, unfathomable thoughts couldn't possibly choose someone like Ye Baolin: who was spoiled by favor and lacked any wit: to vie for the Emperor's attention and bear his child.
What else did she have planned?
"Ah—"
A scream erupted from Changxin Palace. Jiang Xinyue opened her eyes to see the Empress hurriedly approaching with a large group of people.
Xi Que helped Jiang Xinyue down from her sedan chair. Seeing the string of concubines following the Empress into Changxin Palace, she followed suit.
"Whack! Whack! Whack!"
The sharp sound of lashes accompanied by screams filled the air. When Jiang Xinyue entered, Concubine Li's chambers were already in chaos.
Jiang Xinyue stared in shock at Ye Baolin and Concubine Li rolling on the ground, with eunuchs and palace maids trying to separate them.
"What... what happened?"
Consort Liang, barely containing her glee, explained: "It's all because Ye Baolin is stubborn. She believes Concubine Li poisoned her. Last night, the imperial physician made her vomit, putting her through great suffering. The Emperor didn't visit her, so early this morning she went mad and burst into Changxin Palace, saying she wanted to kill Concubine Li!"
Jiang Xinyue's eyes lit up, flashing with understanding. A memory from her time in Chuxiu Palace suddenly came to mind, and she nodded knowingly: "No wonder Ye Baolin has such a temper. After all, she's the legitimate daughter of the Zheng Xi General. Like father, like daughter!"
The legitimate daughter of the Zheng Xi General had entered the palace, yet her status was only that of a lowly concubine, promoted to Baolin only after gaining favor.
It was because the General didn't want his daughter to enter the palace, so he had been hindering his own daughter's "prospects." But Ye Baolin herself was infatuated with the Emperor and insisted on catching his eye.
Previously in Chuxiu Palace, the palace maids who bullied Ye Baolin were acting on the Zheng Xi General's orders, hoping to make Ye Baolin give up and return home to marry the talented young man her family had chosen for her.
Unexpectedly, she was saved by Jiang Xinyue, who happened to share her quarters, and by a twist of fate, Ye Baolin stayed.
During their time in Chuxiu Palace before gaining favor, the two of them often learned palace etiquette together as roommates.
Since Jiang Xinyue gained favor, she seemed to have forgotten about her good friend from Chuxiu Palace. So Ye Baolin took the initiative to approach the Empress, offering to cooperate by imitating everything about Jiang Xinyue to catch the Emperor's attention.
The results proved she was quite successful.
However, Jiang Xinyue knew nothing of the deal between Ye Baolin and Empress Zhu. Before today, she had even forgotten Ye Baolin existed.
"Quickly separate Ye Baolin and Concubine Li! This is outrageous!"
Outrageous or not, everyone had already witnessed the spectacle. Concubine Li had finally escaped Ye Baolin's grasp, her hair and clothes in complete disarray.
Ye Baolin, pinned to the ground, had a whip mark across her face, swollen and purple, with beads of blood seeping through.
After the commotion, the Emperor was finally alerted. The Song family and the Ye family: one the head of civil officials, the other a perpetually victorious military general: siding with either would cause discontent in the court.
So, the Xuanwu Emperor took the most brutal approach: helping neither side.
Concubine Li was suspected of poisoning Ye Baolin, so he ordered the Investigative Bureau to investigate. Ye Baolin, for assaulting a superior and offending a concubine, was confined to her quarters and ordered to copy the palace rules.
Though the plot had developed differently from Jiang Xinyue's case, it ended with the same punishment of copying palace rules. This Ye Baolin had truly taken the imitation of Jiang Xinyue to the extreme.
As she was being escorted away by palace servants, Ye Baolin passed by Jiang Xinyue and shot her a fierce glare.
Jiang Xinyue felt little about it. Ye Baolin was deeply in love with the Emperor, so no matter how close their relationship had been before, they could never be good sisters now.
There was only one Emperor, and all women in the harem were rivals.
Whether they loved him or not, it was a fight to the death.
But Ye Baolin probably felt betrayed by her good sister, who had stolen the man she loved.
Empress Zhu came early in the morning to mediate, and no longer had the mood to let the concubines pay their respects. After the emperor returned to his study, he told the concubines to disperse.
Consort Liang and Consort De made plans to visit the princes' quarters together. Jiang Xinyue had something on her mind, so she sent her sedan chair back to Hexi Palace first, while she took Xi Que and Shuang Jiang for an aimless stroll.
"Ouch!"
Shuang Jiang suddenly drew in a sharp breath and crouched down, clutching her ankle. "Your Highness, this servant... this servant has twisted her foot." They had reached the edge of the misty artificial lake, where the pebble path was uneven. Shuang Jiang had slipped and injured her foot on the stones.