In the Forbidden City, many preferred to be sent to the grave rather than to The Office of Careful Punishment. If you came back at all, you didn't come back whole. His Majesty liked to pretend that the guards and momos in the Office of Careful Punishment were upstanding people, only striving for truth but everyone knew that a few pieces of silver or a promotion for a close relative could have a witness turned into a corpse. The guards that stole her away from Molan were none too gentle as they pulled her down the winding streets. The frozen fear wrapped around her body transformed into an inferno as the gates of The Office of Careful Punishment came into view.
Jiayi wondered if she would ever see the sun again as she was pulled deeper into the bowels of the building until they came upon the jail cells. The smell of piss and blood churned her stomach. Jiayi glimpsed the sight of a limp hand for only a moment before she snapped her eyes shut. She couldn't dampen the sounds of the screams and grunts of pain but she could close her eyes to the gruesome truth. The guards pushed her to the ground of the cell and slammed the door behind her. The cell was completely bare save for a moldy hay-filled bed and a commode. If Jiayi stretched herself out flat, she would be able to touch both walls. The guards tugged at the lock of the cell before striding away. Jiayi snatched her hand off the floor as a mouse scurried by and into the hall. She couldn't smother her gasp at the sight of a crew of eunuchs towing away a body covered in a bloodied sheet. Walking leisurely behind them were a pair of momos. The taller of the two was wiping her wet hands with a rag while the other glanced into Jiayi's cell.
"Yo! Yi momo, isn't that one of the girls we whipped some time ago?"
Yi momo, peered between the bars of Jiayi's cell before smiling, showing off her missing teeth.
"It looks like you're right, Qi momo. Some of these girls never learn," she said with a shake of her head.
With a sigh, Qi momo crossed her arms, "I hope she didn't piss off His Majesty too much. We worked all morning on that one," she said, nodding her head to the hallway where the body was carried out.
"Let's have lunch before they come find us," said Yi momo.
The pair left, leaving Jiayi alone again, with only the sounds of the other poor souls in the jail to keep her company. The metallic tang of blood overwhelmed her at last. She crawled over to the commode and wretched before pushing the bucket away. Curling up on the pile of hay masquerading as a bed, Jiayi tucked her face into her knees. Her journey to the Forbidden City so many years ago started very like this. Dragged away and put behind a cage, only this time Jiayi wasn't sure if she was going to come back out.
Had Fung gonggong given her up? Did they already know she was guilty? Would they execute her? Jiayi's crime wasn't so grave. She had been a good maid to Xiang gui ren all this time and hadn't caused trouble. Being beaten to death was terrifying but it was a far better outcome than being sent back to Su gonggong. Thinking of the man again, Jiayi was surprised to feel a hot rush of anger slice through her body. The sheer force of it brought tears to her eyes.
Why couldn't he just leave her alone? Was she the only woman in the Forbidden City he could torment? This was the closest she had ever been to happiness and that disgusting man was doing his best to snatch it away from her.
"Jiayi," a slimy whisper called.
Fighting the urge to scream, Jiayi picked up her head and looked at Su gonggong. The man was pressing his gaunt, gray face between the bars, gnarled hands gripping the metal tight.
"You're in a bad way, aren't you, my dear," he cooed, "I have a few connections here, if you promise to be a good girl I can–"
Sick of hearing the shit that Su gonggong was spewing, Jiayi picked up the commode bucket and lashed the contents into his face. The man retched and sputtered, wiping the acrid liquid from his eyes.
"You stupid bitch! I should slit your fucking throat! And they'll let me when they're done with you!"
"Shut up back there!"
A scowling guard stopped in front of Jiayi's cell. He covered his nose at the sight of Su gonggong.
"Daren," Su gonggong said, bowing low, "It's really nothing,"
"You fucking stink. Get out of here," the guard snapped.
"But daren, you promised me a bit more time, didn't you?"
The guard kicked Su gonggong to the ground, "I don't make deals with dogs. If you stay here any longer I'll throw you back in here,"
"Of course, daren, of course," Su gonggong replied before he crawled away.
The guard glared down at the ground where Su gonggong used to be and then at Jiayi.
"Disgusting," he muttered as he returned to his post.
Jiayi sank to the floor and curled herself up again. It was like her head was stuffed with cotton. She couldn't even try to think straight. First, she was afraid, then angry, and now? Jiayi was exhausted.
She didn't realize that the woes of the day had dragged her down to sleep until the sounds of someone calling her name jostled her awake.
"Jiayi!"
She opened her eyes and saw a man with a sword. A guard? Jiayi rubbed her eyes clear and felt awash with relief when she realized who it was. It was Chang daren!
Hauling up her sleep-heavy body, Jiayi faced the bars, deliriously happy to see this familiar face.
"Chang daren," she said, "What are you doing here?"
"Molan told me," he replied. Chang daren looked over his shoulder, "I can only stay for a moment. For your sake, I hope this is all a misunderstanding,"
Jiayi tightened her hands around the prison bars and shook her head, "If you let me explain–"
"What were you thinking?! The Empress Dowager doesn't take that sort of thing lightly!"
"The Empress Dowager?" Said Jiayi, her confusion mounting, "Why would Her Highness care?"
Chang daren curled his lip in disgust, "You sent her granddaughter's pornography! Why wouldn't she care?"
✺
Her royal daughter-in-law would not look into her eyes.
Good.
It had been two days since Xiang gui ren's vulgar crime was revealed and His Majesty finally stopped dragging his feet on the interrogation. It was infuriating! Her precious granddaughters came so close to seeing such repulsive things but because that Xiang gui ren was in the thick of it, he found other things more important. The Empress Dowager was glad Shen huang gui fei was available to urge him. De gui fei didn't dare bother His Majesty, despite the chastity of her only daughter being on the line.
Pathetic.
Yet she still had the nerve to sit in Yangxindian alongside The Empress as if she was wronged.
The Empress Dowager glared at her son, "The moment that woman set foot in the Forbidden City, a gust of wind doused every candle on my altar. I knew how much you wanted this woman here so I never mentioned this bad omen but look now! Look at what she and her filthy maid had the chance to do! Your Majesty, you must not let her get away with this crime,"
Shen huang gui fei, sat at her side, rose to pat The Empress Dowager's back, "Your Highness, please calm down,"
It was like everything she said went in The Emperor's ear and out the other. The Emperor didn't bother to reply, choosing to sip leisurely on his tea, a petulant set to his brow.
"Royal mother, we don't know yet if Xiang gui ren had anything to do with this. It could just be the wicked trick of a lowly slave," said The Empress.
"Yes," said The Emperor, "I won't stand to hear Xiang gui ren's name slandered over assumptions,"
The Empress Dowager waved Shen huang gui fei away and tried to hide her anger behind her handkerchief as she dabbed her forehead . Assumptions are what got her into this mess.
The day that her son was granted the title of crown prince was both the happiest and most terrifying day of her life. She had just been imperial concubine then, favored for many years but still not good enough to promote. The decree made her sacrifices worth it but, she knew that having a crown prince son was only the beginning. Having a crown prince son meant that suddenly her three daughters were more of a boon than ever. Marriage to them meant close connections to the crown prince and close connections to her Borjigit clan, which had been failing to do so the last few years.
As a daughter of the Borjigit, The Empress Dowager decided that her son's reign would be the era of Mongols. It was more than amusing to rub that little fact in the former Empress' face as stuck up as she was. The Empress Dowager was glad once more the woman died before she could see what the back palace had become.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
So of course Zhengshi's primary wife had to be a Mongolian gêgê. The moment she put the word out that the crown prince was looking for a di fujin, her palace was never empty. Jerjer's hand ached from all of the portraits of potential matches she had to unroll. It all seemed fruitless until she came across one girl.
Altanchimeg, a distant cousin of hers.
The name sent shivers down her spine.
Golden Ornament.
Yes, Altanchimeg was to be the crown jewel of her reign as The Empress Dowager.
Looking back, The Empress Dowager couldn't believe what a fool she had been. Altanchimeg was no more than a thorn in her side. The girl was docile but only to her son. She refused to do her rights as a daughter-in-law and bent to The Emperor's every whim saying some nonsense that Zhengshi was her first master.
As if The Empress Dowager wasn't the master of him!
She was completely useless and couldn't even keep Zhengshi's first son alive. She was boring, unappetizing, and hard-headed. The only reason The Emperor still favored her was because she never said no.
At the very least, Shen huang gui fei had been useful to her these recent days.
"Jiejie has to be right," said Shen huang gui fei, "I couldn't imagine having such a woman around my daughter day in and day out. So it must be the maid, it must!"
The Emperor turned to De gui fei, "What do you think?"
She raised her head and declared, "I don't believe she did this,"
The Empress Dowager was prepared for a lot of things to come out of the noble consort's mouth, but that was not one of them. A glance at Shen huang gui fei showed that she was just as surprised.
"I don't believe Xiang gui ren would compel Jiayi to do this and don't believe Jiayi would ever do something like this,"
"De meimei," said Shen huang gui fei, "You've only known Xiang gui ren and her household for maybe two months. How could you know what sort of face she's hiding?"
The Empress Dowager didn't miss the frosty stare De gui fei aimed at Shen huang gui fei.
"Your Majesty, Your Highnesses," said a junior eunuch, as he entered the room "The maid has arrived,"
✺
"Your slave Wei Jiayi greets Your Majesty the Emperor and Your Highnesses,"
Jiayi went to her knees and pressed her forehead to the ground.
The air inside the room felt heavy. Jiayi had been inside these rooms many times with her mistress. His Majesty aside, the twinkling gold fabrics and rich wood were a perfect accompaniment to Xiang gui ren's brilliant laughter and cheerful voice.
Now?
The edges in the room were sharper, the wood black as night. The paintings of fierce animals threatened to jump from the wall and tear her to pieces. She didn't know why Xiang gui ren wasn't there. She hated that Xiang gui ren wasn't here. There was no one here to defend Jiayi but herself.
She was all that she had.
The walk from The Office of Careful Punishment had been long and silent. All Jiayi had to ground her were her thoughts and the pain in her arms. There was no point in doing anything but defend herself. If there wasn't a chance that she could save herself, she would already be dead, wouldn't she?
Jiayi was determined to try.
"You know why you're here then?" The Emperor asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Jiayi replied, "I do know. But didn't do anything of the sort. I would not dare,"
Jiayi tried to raise her voice, to speak with determination but it felt like someone was pulling a rope tighter and tighter around her neck. She could only whisper.
"You've never seen these before?"
Jiayi raised her head as Zhang Wei loomed over her with a small stack of papers held out in front of him. With shaking fingers, she took them. The first thing she noticed was how smooth and fair the paper was. Jiayi had never felt paper that fine, not even in De gui fei's palace. The second thing she noticed was how depraved the drawings were. It made her face burn red just glancing at them.
The first parchment had a group of men, nude, bodies writhing together in decadent ecstasy. The next had a woman subjugating herself behind a completely naked man. The last parchment was the worst. A man using a woman's bare feet* to rub his member up against. It slipped from her hands in shock.
"Your Majesty," she said, finding her voice, "I've never seen anything like this before,"
The Emperor stared down at her, "I've never seen those before either. No one in the Pavilion of Beguiling Sights would dare create these. I've heard talk that you're very talented with a brush and something like this would come naturally to you,"
"I would not dare!"
"You wouldn't dare? Yet somehow these disgusting things were delivered directly from Xianfugong," The Emperor replied.
"Jiayi," said Shen huang gui said with a warm smile, "The only way forward is, to tell the truth now. You must be honest if someone instructed you to do this. His Majesty will investigate thoroughly and treat you accordingly,"
"Your Highness, no one instructed me," Jiayi paused to take a deep breath, "I couldn't have drawn in the first place. I've never held such fine paper in my life,"
She held the paper back out, "Such good parchment is commonplace to you, Your Majesty but I've never come across it,"
Shiyi took the paper from Jiayi and gave it to The Empress who ran a gentle hand across it.
"Your Majesty, isn't this the bamboo paper from the Northern Tribute?" She asked, "Didn't you only grant this to royal mother and the master in Dafuge?"
The Empress Dowager's mouth popped open for a moment, before she gathered herself, "Xiang gui ren and her maid spent plenty of time there, didn't they, De gui fei?"
De gui fei could only nod.
"Who's to say she didn't steal it?" Said The Empress Dowager.
The Emperor let out a breath and began massaging his temple. Wang gugu then came to The Emperor's side, "Prince Han is here,"
Prince Han walked inside and came to a stop next to Jiayi and greeted His Majesty. Jiayi knew that Wang gugu said that Prince Han had arrived and the person next to her looked just like him, but Jiayi could barely recognize the man beside her.
The wide mouth and erupted in laughter with ease were gone. The eyes that curved with each smile were gone. The body that lounged on beds and tickled the First Princess was gone. Next to her was a man who had seen things she couldn't imagine.
This was the famous Prince Han of the Third Rank.
"What brings you here?" Asked The Empress.
"The servants are saying that Your Highness and Your Majesty are investigating a matter of injury to First and Second Princess. Your Highness would not dare let something like that happen to her children so I came here to learn the truth at once," replied Prince Han.
"Prince Han, jiejie, of course, loves First Princess and Second Princess like her own daughters" said Shen huang gui fei, "But she can't help it if someone took advantage of her grace. We all make mistakes,"
Prince Han tossed his flinty eyes to her, "And what mistake was made?"
Shen huang gui fei ducked her head, "I don't dare say it,"
Jingse raised her chin, "Xiang gui ren's maid, drew this disgusting work and delivered it to De gui fei, First Princess and Second Princess. The evidence is right there,"
Jiayi flinched when Prince Han's open hand dropped in front of her face. It took her a moment to realize he was asking for the paintings.
Prince Han looked at the drawings for a moment before carelessly tossing them to the ground.
"This maid did nothing of the sort,"
"You're so sure?" Asked The Empress Dowager.
"Of course. Wei Jiayi is an ignorant servant from a small family that served a small clan. How would she know what anything during that Tang Dynasty looked like?"
The Emperor took the drawing from The Empress' hands and held it close to his face. Jiayi felt her stomach flutter as his shoulders lowered in relief.
"Prince Han is very diligent. The hair and decor, they're all Tang. Even I couldn't recognize it at first,"
Shen huang gui fei bowed her head, "But Your Majesty, even if this maid didn't draw these, how in the world did they end up being delivered straight from Xianfugong? I won't be able to rest if we don't get to the bottom of this,"
What little hope Jiayi had of getting out of this alive was dashed against the rocks.
Another of The Emperor's eunuchs came into the room and announced that Fan da ying had arrived as well.
"Tell her to come back another time," said The Emperor.
The eunuch paused before saying, "Fan da ying says she has information about the lewd drawings,"
"Let her in,"
Fan da ying's slight figure kneeled next to Jiayi and greeted the room.
"Rise," said The Empress, "Fan da ying, who informed you about what was happening here today?"
"Your Highness wouldn't know because no servants would dare spoil your ears with gossip, but this is all over the palace. First Princess' nursemaid stirred up such a fuss that even I heard about it at Jingrengong,"
"Loose-mouthed layabouts," said The Empress Dowager, "Jerjer, spread my decree. The matter today regards the chastity of the royal heirs of the Imperial Family. Anyone speaking of it will be put to death,"
Jerjer nodded and left to do as told.
"Fan meimei, you've only just become His Majesty's woman yourself. What do you know about what's happening today?" Asked Shen huang gui fei.
"Your Highness, I can vouch that those drawings never came from Xianfugong at all. That day, I asked Xiang jiejie to play her guzheng for me and looked at the drawings that were laid out. None of them had anything like that in them. Xiang jiejie bothered with me for hours, even having dinner with me. Her servants didn't have a moment to step inside to do something nefarious," said Fan da ying.
"You don't think a servant could have added these things during the trip over to the A Ge Suo?" Shen huang gui fei asked.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness The Empress, this is where I confess my crimes. I was curious about the A Ge Suo so I followed Xiang jiejie's servants there to see if I could go inside and see the children and perhaps be blessed by their energy. But the momo wouldn't let me or the servants take more than a half step in. I watched the servants hand the momo those trays with nothing dirty inside. It could've only been added in the A Ge Suo itself,"
"Fan da ying, to steal into the A Ge Suo without permission is a heavy crime," said The Empress, her voice grave but soft.
"I know my wrongs," said Fan da ying.
"However, seeing that you've cleared Xiang gui ren from being associated with an even heavier crime, I can only punish you lightly. Return to Jingrengong and reflect on your actions," She turned to The Emperor, "Is a week long enough for Fan da ying to reflect?"
The Emperor nodded, "Yes, I believe Fan chang zai will have reflected well in that time,"
The newly titled first-class attendant gasped, a bright smile on her face, "Thank you for your grace Your Majesty, thank you for your grace, Your Highness!"
"Jiayi," said The Empress.
Jiayi turned back to The Empress, "Your servant is here," she replied.
"Go back to Xiang gui ren and tell her all is well,"
Jiayi couldn't stop the few tears that rolled down her face, "Thank you, Your Highness. I'll take my leave now,"
She scrambled to her feet, desperate to be at the end of this oppressive journey only to forget that kneeling rigidly for so long left your legs numb and clumsy. Her knees gave way and she stumbled into Prince Han's side. Jiayi steadied herself immediately, refusing Sang'er's helping hand.
She just wanted to go home.
–––––––––
*Even though the Manchurian Qing dynasty didn't believe in foot binding, they still carried the idea that a woman's feet were her most private place, even more private than her vagina or breasts. You'll find that when erotic works from ancient and feudal China have completely nude women, the feet are always covered