Chapter 218: Waves in the Abyss
The Heaven-ranked cell at the deepest part of the Ministry of Justice dungeon was covered in mold on its stone walls.
Xue Sui sat on a straw mat, lost in thought as she gazed at the winding water stains on the stone wall.
At the end of the corridor, the sound of chains clinked.
The rats in the corner scattered in fright at the sound of footsteps…
The cell door creaked open, and Li Huan stood at the boundary of light and shadow, clad in plain white mourning clothes. The night dew had not yet dried on his shoulders, yet the food box in his hand emitted wisps of steam.
“To remain so composed in such a predicament, this Prince truly underestimated you.”
Xue Sui looked up at him, remaining silent.
He strode in, his robe lifting, and the lantern held by the jailer cast a sinister shadow on his face.
“You may withdraw!”
The two jailers quickly retreated, their footsteps fading into the distance.
Only an oil lamp remained in the dungeon, casting a faint light in the damp air.
“You are quite patient,” Li Huan said, placing the food box down heavily. Its corner struck the uneven ground with a dull thud.
“Even now, are you not going to confess?”
“What does Your Highness wish to hear?” Xue Sui raised her eyes, her expression as calm as a deep, cold pool. “Shall I tell you why Lu Xi’s handkerchief was stained with snakeberry juice, or ask how Your Highness managed to slip that broken jade pendant into my coin purse, waiting to hear me cry injustice?”
“What a sharp tongue!”
Li Huan sneered and moved closer, his grip like iron pincers on her wrist, pressing her against the stone wall. The jailer’s lamp illuminated the bloodshot veins at the corner of his eyes.
“Being so stubborn, do you think the Crown Prince can save you?”
“Why would the Crown Prince save me?” Xue Sui retorted, her face unperturbed as he gripped her. “I am merely a consort of the Prince’s Mansion, and His Highness the Crown Prince is the Crown Prince of the nation.”
Li Huan squatted down, his hawk-like gaze locked onto her, as if he wanted to gouge a hole through her.
“This Prince has seen with his own eyes how the Crown Prince has repeatedly made exceptions for you, publicly defending you without regard for his dignity… even at Qing Hui Hall, he nearly resorted to violence to stop the Imperial Guards from apprehending you…”
Her wrist bone ached against the brick wall, and the scent of benzoin filled her nostrils. Without asking, she knew where Li Huan had come from, and what bone-chilling killing intent lay hidden beneath his deliberate relaxation…
Xue Sui suddenly laughed, her gaze sweeping over his tensed knuckles.
“This concubine and His Highness the Crown Prince are pure and innocent! His Highness has always been just and upright; he was merely speaking out of righteousness…”
“Pure and innocent?” Li Huan let out a cold laugh. “Why don’t you ask the Crown Prince if his eyes are so pure?”
“If one wishes to accuse, why worry about having a reason?”
After speaking, Xue Sui closed her eyes, appearing unwilling to engage further.
After a moment of stalemate, the food box made a soft sound, and Li Huan’s voice suddenly lowered considerably…
“Emerald shrimp dumplings, your elder sister specifically asked the kitchen to make them.”
He paused, then pushed the food box half an inch closer.
“She said you love shrimp, so they were specially simmered in chicken broth. Try them.”
The aroma of emerald shrimp dumplings mingled with the smell of mold, exploding in the air. Xue Sui lowered her gaze to the food box, then observed the pale weariness on Li Huan’s face. A shadow of gloom silently crept into her heart.
She could tell that Li Huan hated her.
Why the pretense?
“If Your Highness has something to say, why not say it directly?”
She extended her hand and slowly pushed the food box away by three inches. “Do you want me to confess, or do you want me to frame the Crown Prince?”
Li Huan’s gaze sharpened, his fingertip brushing her scattered hair. “Ping An, with your intelligence, you should know what this Prince wants.”
“Your Highness thinks too highly of me.” Xue Sui avoided his touch, her eyes narrowing slightly, and she sneered. “I am merely a chess piece, a piece for you and the Crown Prince to play with.”
“Do you think this Prince dares not kill you?” Li Huan suddenly became enraged, grabbing her by the nape of her neck and forcing her to look at him, bloodshot veins seeming to seep from his eyes.
“Remember! There are only people this Prince doesn’t want to kill, not people he cannot kill.”
“If Your Highness truly believed I was a Xizi spy, why wait until now?”
Li Huan’s body trembled as if a soft spot had been struck.
Xue Sui pressed her palm against the cold ground, her voice as light as flying catkins.
“Xue Liu’s life is not that valuable, not worth Your Highness going to such lengths to scheme. Your Highness’s meticulous planning to have me imprisoned, besides believing I am the murderer of Consort Xiao, is nothing more than an intention to use me to bring down the Crown Prince, isn’t it…”
“And if it is?” Li Huan pinched her chin, his thumb pressing heavily on the corner of her lips. “If he did not harbor improper thoughts towards you, how would he have fallen into this Prince’s trap?”
“Unfortunately, Your Highness’s schemes will ultimately lead to your defeat.” Xue Sui looked at him calmly, her eyelashes casting faint shadows in the lamplight. “The Crown Prince has no romantic feelings for me. Your Highness has been contending with the Crown Prince for so many years; you must know his character better than I. If he were capable of personal feelings, he would not be the Crown Prince.”
She spoke with great composure, and Li Huan stared at her, slowly pursing his lips.
“Then we shall wait and see…”
“Let’s see if Li Zhao jumps into this fire pit or not?”
Before he finished speaking, a commotion suddenly arose from the end of the corridor.
A jailer reported from afar, “Your Highness, the Third Miss Guo from the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion has come to visit Consort Xue.”
Li Huan frowned and turned, glancing at Xue Sui’s calm, unruffled face.
“Let her in.”
A moment later, Guo Yunrong, led by a young maid, hurried down the stone steps.
She seemed to be in a dungeon for the first time, looking around timidly, her hand holding the embroidery hoop trembling slightly…
After finally “escaping” to the front of the jailer and stepping into the cell, she suddenly saw Li Huan standing in the lamplight and let out a startled gasp.
“Your Highness, may you be well.”
Guo Yunrong curtsied, her face flushed red by the dungeon’s firelight.
“This subject did not know Your Highness would be here, and I have been disrespectful. I beg Your Highness to forgive my transgression…”
She was a young lady raised in the inner chambers, her greatest ordeal in life having been the humiliation by Lu Xi at her coming-of-age banquet. Li Huan, on the other hand, possessed an innate, imposing aura that commanded respect. A single glance from his condescending gaze made her knees weak, and she was at a loss.
Li Huan said calmly, “Third Miss Guo, why have you come here so late at night?”
Guo Yunrong glanced at Xue Sui in the corner and said softly, “The weather has turned cold again today. Mother said there might be a sudden rain tonight, so this subject has come to bring Consort Xue some clothes…”
Li Huan narrowed his eyes, examining the bundle in the maid’s hand, and suddenly raised an eyebrow. “Miss Guo is indeed virtuous. Even before entering the Eastern Palace, you are so benevolent and thoughtful.”
His words carried a hidden meaning, but unfortunately, Guo Yunrong did not fully understand.
A blush spread across her cheeks, and she lowered her head, revealing a section of her fair nape. She stammered,
“Your Highness is joking. This subject came on her own, and it has nothing to do with the Eastern Palace, nothing to do with the Eastern Palace…”
“Oh?” Li Huan’s gaze was sharp, but his tone was casual. “Why is Third Miss Guo so concerned about a criminal woman imprisoned in the dungeon?”
Guo Yunrong became anxious upon hearing this, her almond eyes widening.
“Consort Xue is a good person. She has taken care of this subject many times in the past. If she is in trouble, would I turn my back on her? Wouldn’t that make me ungrateful?”
“Third Miss Guo is loyal and righteous, with a Bodhisattva’s heart. The Crown Prince is fortunate.” Li Huan smiled meaningfully and pointed at the bundle.
The maid nervously shrunk her neck and handed it over.
Li Huan hooked the corner of the bundle with his fingertip and pulled hard.
The contents scattered out.
Several pieces of clothing with fine stitching, and several packets of snacks wrapped in oiled paper.
It was clear at a glance that these were the thoughts of a young girl.
Li Huan smiled faintly.
“Miss Guo’s intentions are indeed sincere, but alas, the dungeon is too damp and moldy. I fear she will not be able to enjoy them.”
Xue Sui watched him coldly, then suddenly lowered her head and coughed violently…
Guo Yunrong hurried forward to support her, the scent of scented powder from her sleeve mingling with the girl’s fragrance.
“Consort Xue, have you caught a chill? Why are you coughing?”
Xue Sui looked at the innocent and kind young girl, recalling her embarrassed appearance when she was tormented by Lu Xi at her coming-of-age banquet, and couldn’t help but smile faintly.
She held a grudge against Guo Yunrong’s elder brother, Guo Zhaohuai, for past humiliation, and had no good feelings towards the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion. However, she didn’t dislike this Third Miss Guo much…
At least, she had a kind heart.
“Third Miss Guo, please leave. Do not come again in the future.”
Guo Yunrong bit her lip and shook her head. “Consort Xue is kind-hearted and would never poison Imperial Consort. There must be a misunderstanding…”
She then cautiously glanced at Li Huan. “His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness Prince Duan are presiding over this case; they will surely clear your name…”
Xue Sui looked at the earnestness and worry in her eyes, and a faint ripple appeared in her own.
“The dungeon is cold and damp, Third Miss. This is not a place you should linger.”
Guo Yunrong had many more things to say, but seeing Li Huan standing there coldly, with rust and mold everywhere, she also felt a bit timid.
So she shoved the items into Xue Sui’s arms and squeezed her hand.
“I will visit you again another day. Please take care.”
Xue Sui nodded at her and watched her leave, gradually disappearing into the darkness.
–
Not long after Guo Yunrong left, Li Huan also departed with a flick of his sleeve.
The dungeon returned to its deathly silence. Xue Sui sniffed the musty, damp smell carried by the cold wind, pulled her prison clothes tighter, and began to examine the clothes Guo Yunrong had brought, one by one.
The lamplight was dim, and she felt her way around.
Until her fingertips brushed against a different piece of silk—
She turned her back, shielding herself from the jailer’s sight, and under the dim glow of the prison lamp, she read the characters on the moon-white silk.
“Ping An.”
Only two words.
The characters were imbued with power, bearing Li Zhao’s unique, vigorous brushstrokes.
She suddenly let out a soft laugh, her fingertip caressing the words “Ping An,” feeling her palm grow warm. The unease brought by the Love Silk Gu seemed to lessen by a third.
As long as the Love Silk Gu was present, Li Zhao would not stand by and watch her suffer. This was precisely the original intention behind planting the Love Silk Gu—to make Li Zhao rescue and protect her without hesitation.
But at this very moment, this had become the greatest risk in this game.
Because what Li Huan wanted was Li Zhao’s concern, his rash actions born of impulse.
Once Li Zhao rashly acted to save her, he would be doomed—
And she, with her hands stained with blood and schemes, besides avenging the humiliation of her childhood, was to place Li Zhao on the Golden Palace throne for the sake of the Old Mausoleum Swamp. Using the Li family’s hands, she would clear the names of the two hundred thousand souls of the Old Mausoleum Swamp…
This decade-long chess game would not be ruined at this final stage.
She had to find a way to stabilize Li Zhao!
–
At the third quarter of the Mao hour, a female official from the Palace Affairs Bureau entered Jiaofang Palace with the funeral arrangements.
“Your Ladyship, this is the detailed plan for the Imperial Consort’s funeral rites drafted by the Ministry of Culture. Please review it.”
Empress Xie rubbed her temples and opened the yellow silk booklet.
“The Imperial Consort’s coffin will be temporarily placed in Rui Jin Hall, and the mourning period will be observed according to the rites of a Vice Empress…”
The large characters struck her heart like a heavy hammer.
There was only one sovereign of the Central Palace in this world; where did the presumptuous “Vice Empress” come from?
This was clearly an absurd precedent set by the Emperor for his favored consort…
It was meant to trample on her dignity as the Empress and give Xiao Shi a grand funeral!
Empress Xie’s hand hovered in the air, hesitating to fall.
A gust of wind swept through the hall, making the beaded curtains rustle, adding an inexplicable sense of desolation.
“Your Ladyship, His Majesty has arrived at Jiaofang Palace…”
Before the eunuch’s voice had finished, Emperor Chong Zhao had already crossed the threshold.
He was not wearing his dragon robe today; his plain white casual clothes seemed to still carry the scent of paper money from Rui Jin Hall. In just one night, he appeared to have aged considerably.
The Empress quickly rose to pay her respects.
“This subject greets His Majesty…”
“Empress, you may dispense with the formalities.”
Emperor Chong Zhao glanced at the open booklet on the desk and paused for a moment, looking at Empress Xie’s pale face.
“Xiao Shi suffered such a misfortune and her soul is without a resting place. It is only natural for the Xiao family to seek posthumous honor.”
He finished speaking and looked steadily at Empress Xie.
“I intend to hold the funeral rites according to the protocol of a Vice Empress. Does the Empress have any objections?”
The funeral rites had already been decided, and only now was she, the Empress, being informed. Did her objections matter?
Empress Xie lowered her gaze. “It is all up to His Majesty’s decision.”
Emperor Chong Zhao nodded with satisfaction. “Issue an edict to all palaces: empresses and consorts, imperial princes and princesses shall observe mourning according to regulations. All female officials and wives of officials ranked fourth and above must enter the palace to pay respects…”
Empress Xie lowered her head. “Yes.”
Consort Xiao, in the end, had managed to outrank her in this manner—favored by all in life, and now to enjoy the honors of the Empress in death.
“Empress, I have wronged you.”
Emperor Chong Zhao suddenly spoke, his expression weary.
The death of Consort Xiao had brought him both grief and anger. The court was in turmoil because of this incident, and the Xiao family was exerting constant pressure. Even an Emperor had his own difficulties.
Granting Xiao Shi honor at this time was not only out of affection but also a matter of political balance.
He hoped his Empress would understand his predicament.
However, Empress Xie was like an emotionless wooden carving, offering no comfort, only acting according to the rules, not defying him, but also showing no warmth.
He sighed inwardly and was about to take his leave when another announcement was made.
“Your Majesty, Your Ladyship, His Highness Prince Duan requests an audience—”
Emperor Chong Zhao glanced at Empress Xie and signaled for him to enter.
“Your Son greets Imperial Father and Imperial Mother.” Li Huan bowed respectfully.
Emperor Chong Zhao waved his hand, signaling him to rise, and asked, “Your mother’s funeral rites have been decided by your Imperial Father and Imperial Mother, to be conducted with great ceremony as a Vice Empress, enjoying spring and autumn sacrifices in the Imperial Ancestral Temple…”
Li Huan kowtowed, his voice choked with gratitude. “Your Imperial Father and Imperial Mother’s grace is immense. My mother’s spirit in heaven will surely be comforted…”
Emperor Chong Zhao nodded thoughtfully, paused slightly, and then asked him sternly.
“Regarding the case at Qing Hui Hall, how do you and the Crown Prince intend to investigate?”
Li Huan frowned slightly, his face filled with sincerity. “Imperial Father, Your Son will meticulously investigate to the end, but His Highness the Crown Prince…”
He stopped speaking, as if struggling with internal conflict…
Empress Xie’s heart skipped a beat, a vague sense of unease settling in.
As expected, Emperor Chong Zhao urged him on, and he heard Li Huan say with a grave tone, “The Crown Prince has repeatedly obstructed and made things difficult for Your Son, which is actually due to his feelings for Consort Xue…”
Emperor Chong Zhao’s expression changed.
Empress Xie was also greatly shocked.
“No matter how imprudent the Crown Prince’s actions may be, he would not covet his elder brother’s wife and do such a foolish thing! Prince Duan, you must speak cautiously and not make wild speculations.”
“Your Son dares not speak recklessly.” Li Huan kowtowed. “This matter should be blamed on Ping Le’s inappropriate actions. After that accidental prank at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, the Crown Prince has shown Consort Xue much attention. Regarding the Qing Hui Hall case, Imperial Father and Imperial Mother have both witnessed it. The Crown Prince, in order to protect Consort Xue, disregarded His Majesty’s presence and interfered. If there are no private feelings, then there is certainly admiration…”
Emperor Chong Zhao and Empress Xie exchanged glances, each with their own thoughts.
Li Zhao’s recent behavior was indeed vastly different from his past.
Although there was no concrete evidence, it felt like a heavy blow to their hearts, making them unable to help but suspect.
Emperor Chong Zhao sighed.
“The Crown Prince is not young anymore. The Eastern Palace is empty of a consort, and it is inevitable that he might neglect matters of affection. If he were to marry soon, and someone were to advise him constantly, he would not be so easily swayed…”
These words were spoken very subtly and implicitly.
They maintained Prince Duan’s dignity while also pointing out the reason for the Crown Prince’s inappropriate behavior.
Empress Xie frowned slightly and remained silent.
Emperor Chong Zhao turned to her. “Empress, the Third Miss Guo you mentioned the other day… is she the daughter of the Duke of Zheng?”
Empress Xie bowed slightly. “Yes, the Third Miss of the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion is learned and virtuous, kind-hearted, and though from a noble family, she is not arrogant. She is a perfect match for the Crown Prince.”
Emperor Chong Zhao nodded. “If that is the case, immediately order the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to match their horoscopes and select an auspicious date for the marriage, so as to correct his intentions and prevent further trouble.”
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