The Empress Dowager looked closely at the report The Office of Careful Punishment's report.
"Prisoner Mo Qiao beat Su Enlai to death before the interrogation could finish. Before his death, Su Enlai refused to confess to his crimes under harsh interrogation,"
Sighing, she handed the report to Jerjer, "Would you consider that justice?" She asked.
"Your Highness, that eunuch died a miserable death. The guards said that what was left didn't even look human. His Majesty said that what was left would be cut to pieces and fed to wild dogs. If it's not justice, then it's at least karma," said Jerjer.
Were the calamities in the back palace The Empress Dowager's karma?
"The master from Tanzhe temple will be coming here to bless the palace soon?" Asked The Empress Dowager.
"Yes, he'll be here to bless you and Cininggong personally tomorrow. Then he'll lead a prayer at Dafuge for your prosperity, peace, and blessings," said Jejer.
"Perhaps, a priest isn't all we need," said The Empress Dowager, "His Majesty should send for a shaman,"
Jerjer paused, "You think this is the work of witchery?"
"That woman," hissed The Empress Dowager, "Dragged a curse in here with her. How else could you explain these events happening one right after the other?"
A darkness crept into the Forbidden City the moment The Emperor announced Xiang gui ren's arrival. The twilight years of peace and power that The Empress Dowager was promised were dashed to pieces. Had there been a few scuffles here and there since His Majesty's crowning? Of course! But nothing so unsightly. The Empress Dowager turned her nose at the plate of fresh cantaloupe Jerjer presented to her.
"Get rid of it. I'm so full of anger it'll turn to ash in my stomach,"
"Even so, this cantaloupe would have an honorable end," replied Jerjer.
"His Majesty is here, Your Highness," a eunuch announced.
"Come to bring me more bad news?" The Empress Dowager asked after he sat down.
"On the contrary," said The Emperor, "The Empress told me that Fan gui ren is pregnant,"
"You call that good? Your Majesty, it's been two years since the last Imperial Heir was born. There are so many fresh young flowers in your garden. Why must you stay on the same old path?"
The Emperor bowed his head, "The path is familiar, and if I walk long enough, it bears fruit,"
"When was the last time one of your familiars bore fruit?" Asked The Empress Dowager.
She shook her head before The Emperor could answer, "Forget it. You're The Emperor. Don't bother listening to this old hag,"
"Royal mother's counsel is more precious than gold. Your son will always listen,"
The Empress Dowager fiddled with her nail guards, "You look at ease today. Xiang gui ren is fine then?"
She didn't care, but it felt polite to ask.
"Recovering," replied The Emperor with a curled fist, "De gui fei is watching over her in Chengqiangong,"
"You've made up your mind on what to do with Jiang pin, then?" She asked, "Certainly not a demotion so soon. Small-minded people will call you unfilial,"
"I know. She'll be on house arrest until after the new year, and then I plan to demote her to a commoner,"
The Emperor's declaration startled The Empress Dowager, "You don't think that's too harsh?" She asked, "Xiang gui ren is only a commoner herself!"
"If it weren't for Xiang gui ren, I would've delivered her a silk rope on New Year's night," he snapped, "Wang Rong is more beast than woman,"
If The Emperor was referring to Jiang pin by her maiden name, he had already made up his mind.
"That's how you feel even after she's birthed your auspicious child?"
The Emperor scoffed, "You mean ominous. I spoke to the Royal Astrologer Jiang pin will ruin Huaguang if they stay together any longer. Their birth pillars clash*. They're nothing but bad luck,"
"You want to send Huaguang away?"
"Yes. It would be best if she could get away from the bustle of The Forbidden City. I was thinking Grand Princess Huian could raise in Mongolia,"
"Well–"
"Your Majesty," a eunuch whispered, "Shen huang gui fei will be arriving soon,"
The Emperor grimaced and stood, "I'll take my leave now," he said.
"Ridiculous," muttered The Empress Dowager, "Now Shen huang gui fei is quarreling with His Majesty. Do you really think there isn't a curse?"
✺
"Let me out! Let me out!"
Jiang pin barely felt the sting in her palms as she beat the doors. She was innocent! She was framed! Jiang pin slid to the floor, shutting her swollen eyes tight. She had no tears left to cry. Why couldn't anyone see through that whore's act? One moment, Jiang pin was touching Xiang gui ren's face and the next–the bitch had sliced her own face open using Jiang pin's nail guards. Jiang pin could still see the bloodied smile Xiang gui ren flashed before she started screaming like a madwoman.
"Let me out..." she whispered.
And now...now Jiang pin was trapped. Could she even still call herself an Imperial Concubine? Wang gugu came bright early the next morning to confiscate her chaofu and take away her servants with the exception of Susu. At first, Jiang pin tried to bribe the guards with silver, jewels, even Susu at one point, but nothing could turn their heads. They wouldn't open the doors or send out a message. Jiang pin settled for trying to beat the door down.
"Your Highness," Susu said, cradling Jiang pin's pummeled hands, "Please stop this. You must think of your health. His Majesty will figure out you're innocent. You must wait,"
Jiang pin snatched her hands away, "I'm going to be trapped here forever all because of that bitch!" she hissed.
She crawled to her feet and tossed her dinner table aside, sending the gruel and mush the Imperial Kitchen called food, to the floor.
"Your Highness! Please stop! They won't bring any more food for the day!" Said Susu.
"What does it matter? I lost! I'll be stuck in here until the day I die!"
No, that wasn't true. Jiang pin knew that The Emperor wouldn't let her languish in the luxury of Xianfugong for that long. If Xiang gui ren recovered, Jiang pin would carted off to some hut in the outer palace and left to die. If Xiang gui ren didn't...it would be better for Jiang pin to find a well and drown herself in it. A rage like no other festered inside Jiang pin. She was so close! So close! All her work was for nothing!
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
One by one, Jiang pin demolished the decor and gifts she that decorated her rooms. She destroyed every statue, vase, wall hanging, plate–all of it. Breaths heaving, Jiang pin stood in the aftermath and looked down at her throbbing hands. They were bleeding.
Susu scrambled to staunch the wounds with a cloth.
"Get away from me!" Jiang pin screamed, knocking her away, "Just go! Like the rest of them!"
"I'll never leave you, Your Highness," said Susu, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Idiot.
Susu was named perfectly.†
Jiang pin walked through the debris and slumped onto a clear spot on the floor. She curled herself into a ball. She needed to think things through. She still had Shen huang gui fei didn't she? And An pin? They would speak on her behalf. She would only have to spend a few months like this and then His Majesty would release her. Huaguang still needed a mother didn't she?
Yes, it wasn't all bad.
Her head snapped up at the sound of the locks on her door being undone. Jiang pin smiled. She knew His Majesty wouldn't forget her, all he needed to do was gather his thoughts. The Emperor had come for her!
"The Empress Dowager arrives," A guard announced.
Disappointment pulsed through Jiang pin's veins as Jerjer gugu led The Empress Dowager to the seats at the front of the room.
"This concubine wishes The Empress Dowager peace," greeted Jiang pin.
The Empress Dowager sighed, looking around the room, "You didn't waste any time, did you, Wang Rong?"
It had been so long since Jiang pin had been addressed by her maiden name that she almost glanced at the door to see if someone else was coming. Wang Rong? Why was The Empress Dowager addressing her like this?
"Oh," The Empress Dowager said with a smile, "You didn't hear? Usually, this sort of news travels fast, doesn't it Jerjer?"
Jerjer gugu nodded, "Fifth Princess is already packed. All The Empress has to do is choose the servants that will travel along,"
"Is...is His Majesty taking Huaguang along for the Mulan Autumn hunt? If so, isn't it a bit early to pack?" asked Jiang pin.
"Let me explain to you, my lady–," said Jerjer gugu.
"Your Highness!" snapped Jiang pin, "The Empress Dowager promoted me personally, and you will address me as such!"
"And what a waste of time that was!" Said The Empress Dowager, "You will be recorded as the woman with the shortest tenure as an Imperial Concubine in the history of the Great Qing,"
Jiang pin crumpled to the ground again, the air sucked from her lungs, "I'm a Noble Lady again?"
"You would be so lucky," said The Empress Dowager, "After the new year, there will be no Jiang pin, only Wang Rong,"
Jiang pin's stomach lurched. His Majesty was going to demote her to a commoner over a cheap whore. Susu caught her as she listed to the side.
"Your Highness, won't people talk if His Majesty demotes the mother of his most auspicious child to a commoner?" Asked Susu.
Jerjer gugu smiled, "Of course not. Grand Princess Huian will have the honor of raising Fifth Princess and Fifth Princess will have the honor of being raised in the motherland of the Great Qing. It couldn't be more perfect,"
"No," Jiang pin said, "They can't take Huaguang from me. They can't take her!"
It's falling apart.
Everything's falling apart.
Jerjer gugu sighed, "The Royal Astrologer is adamant that keeping Fifth Princess in the palace will bring about bad luck,"
Frantic, Jiang pin pressed her head to The Empress Dowager's feet, "Your Highness, you have to let me beg for Huaguang. Please, take me out of here so I can get her back!"
Jiang pin wasn't sure where these tears came from, but she couldn't stop once she started. Her breath came out in harsh, punched gasps, spit, and snot running down her face. Huaguang was her only chance to redeem herself. Without that child, there was nothing, nothing, she could do.
Jerjer gugu frowned at her, firmly pushing her head away and wiping the damp spots on the hem of The Empress Dowager's skirts.
"Xiang gui ren is still bedbound," said The Empress Dowager, "If I let you out, you wouldn't get one step into the courtyard, much less see him in person,"
"What about Shen huang gui fei," gasped out Jiang pin, "Can she speak to His Majesty on my behalf? Can she?"
Jiang pin's head was pounding and the floor was starting sway under her.
"My lady, Shen huang gui fei and His Majesty are at odds at the moment. Even if there were on good terms, Shen huang gui fei is too busy with First Princess to spare time for you," said Jerjer gugu.
"There's nothing I can do?" Asked Jiang pin.
"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, Your Highness, but what if you took in Fifth Princess? No ominous events could take place with your blessing and protection," said Jerjer gugu.
Jiang pin grabbed onto the lifeline that Jejer gugu tossed out.
"Empress Dowager, please, please, take Huaguang in,"
"What good will that do? That girl has already been tainted badly. How could I raise her?" Asked The Empress Dowager.
"The Empress Dowager could turn water into wine," said Jiang pin, "There's nothing that you can't do. You can't let His Majesty send my daughter away,"
"As mother who's children married far away, I do ache for you, Wang Rong. But how can I risk my bond with His Majesty for you?" Said The Empress Dowager, "What can you do to make this worthwhile?"
Jiang pin paused. The Empress Dowager had unimaginable power and wealth. At this point, Jiang pin was a disgraced soon-to-be commoner with a deviant for a daughter.
"My life," Jiang pin said at last, "I'll give you my life. My breath, my blood, my children–they'll be yours!"
"I already have Shen haung gui fei for that," said The Empress Dowager.
"I can be better than her," said Jiang pin, "I can, I know I can. If you help me this one time, Your Highness, I'll repay with my life,"
The Empress Dowager smiled.
"You swear?"
✺
Through the heavy haze of a medicinal sleep, Xiang gui ren opened awoke. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn't just the pain medication. Things were different. The silk sheets that covered her body were different. The curtains that enclosed her bed were different. This bed...where was she? Had she made a mistake? Did her trick not work?
"Jiayi?"
The curtains around her bed parted, and instead of Jiayi's warm face, it was De gui fei's.
Xiang gui ren opened her mouth to speak again, but hot pain lanced through her face. All she could do was groan. De gui fei shook her head and helped Xiang gui ren sit up before pressing a warm bowl of medicine into her hands.
"You didn't have to press so hard," said De gui fei.
Xiang gui ren froze. De gui fei couldn't mean?
She did her best to make her patchwork of a face resemble something of a smile, "What do you mean, Your Highness?"
De gui fei wiped a dribble of soup off Xiang gui ren's chin, "A small scratch would've sent His Majesty into a rage. You didn't have to be so rough with yourself. What if it leaves a scar?"
Xiang gui ren closed her good eye, "Was I so obvious? Does everyone know? Is that why His Majesty moved me to a different room?"
"Drink your soup," ordered De gui fei, "Nobody suspects anything. I know that Jiang pin is about as strong as a light breeze. She wouldn't be able to do that to you. And His Majesty moved you to Chengqiangong's east wing because I asked him to,"
Xiang gui ren let De gui fei take away the empty bowl. All this time, she thought she had De gui fei figured out. That De gui fei was a simple woman with simple joys who assumed that everyone was as straightforward as she was.
"You didn't tell His Majesty?" Asked Xiang gui ren.
"No,"
"If you knew I did this to myself, why did you ask that I be moved here? Why would you want to share your palace with such a devious woman?" asked Xiang gui ren.
"Your hair is a mess," said De gui fei, "I'll comb it,"
Xiang gui ren watched De gui fei put set a bowl of fragrant oil and a jade comb on the bedside table.
"Turn," said De gui fei.
Xiang gui ren's new roommate started to undo the tangled braid that hung down her back.
"Do you know why I live alone?" De gui fei asked.
Xiang gui ren didn't know what to do with that question. Should she fawn and simper? Should she joke and laugh? In the end, she shook her head.
"It's because no one can stand me. Many other women have lived here over the years, and they asked to live somewhere else the first chance they got. I'm mean. I'm rigid. I'm more stone than woman. No one can stand me,"
"But The Empress,–"
"The Empress is my master, not my friend," said De gui fei, "Not even His Majesty likes me. I'm a Noble Consort, and he loves my daughter, so why should I complain?"
De gui fei parted Xiang gui ren's hair, threw some of it over her shoulder, and began attacking what was left.
"Everyone here is good at pretending. They pretend to be friends, they pretend to be grateful, they pretend to be sad, happy, it's all just pretend. But not one single person could pretend to want me," said De gui fei, "My parents are long gone, and my family stopped speaking to me when it became clear that I wouldn't beg for promotions and favors on their behalf,"
Gentle fingers picked apart Xiang gui ren's sweat-tangled hair and ran a comb from scalp to tip. Section by section, her hair once again became smooth and fragrant.
"But so far, you are the best actress. You put up with me and laugh with me and treat me like a friend, even after all this time," De gui fei laughed, "Sometimes I feel like you really like me,"
Xiang gui ren swallowed back her tears.
"I can be good to you, too, don't worry. I'll ask His Majesty for favors on your behalf, and if you have a son, I'll make sure he's raised here with us until he's three or four. If you have a daughter, she can always stay. She'll never live in the A Ge Sou,"
"All I ask," said De gui fei as she finished the fresh plait, "Is that you keep pretending. Could you...would you mind?"
By this point, Xiang gui ren couldn't contain her tears, and the bandage covering her face was growing damp.
"Of course, jiejie,"
––––––––––
*4 Pillars of Destiny: The Four Pillars of Destiny, as known as "Ba-Zi", which means "eight characters" or "eight words" in Chinese, is a Chinese astrological concept that a person's destiny or fate can be divined by the two sexagenary cycle characters assigned to their birth year, month, day, and hour
†Gender neutral name that means simple