Kayla returned to her room and began nullifying talismans again, hoping to increase her self-defense stats for Plan B. She was suddenly interrupted by Wenyuan doing the equivalent of throwing himself at a door while screaming loudly inside her head.
Kayla! Kayla, stop nullifying talismans!!! Kayla dropped the talisman in shock, frowning slightly.
Dude, I’m listening, calm down! What the hell’s wrong with you?
Did Xianchun bed his father’s concubine?! It seemed that Wenyuan was sifting through the novel’s details again in Kayla’s memories, which she was more or less pretty appreciative of.
What? Oh yeah, Consort Liang, she wasn’t all that important in the plot. It was a novel set in Ancient China, after all, so of course the main character had a harem. Xianchun had snagged himself quite a few of the capital’s most notable beauties, including his right-hand woman Yu Bianfu, the slender and lovely Lady Shunan of the Ye household, the virtuous and beautiful daughter of Minister Jun, among many other young women who were described as being good looking in one way or another. One of the fan favorites, however, had been the twisted romance between Xianchun and his father’s youngest concubine, the 23-year-old Consort Liang. He had carried on an affair with her that wasn’t all that historically unusual, and the novel had him take the young woman as a member of his own Imperial Harem after ascending to the throne.
Unusually for this genre of novels, Xianchun had been a bisexual icon who also had a good number of good-looking men that he romanced, including his left-hand man Liu Boyue, among several other characters who were to appear during his fight for the throne. It had been fun to read about Xianchun developing his romantic relationships along with his career, but now Kayla couldn’t care less about who Xianchun slept with as long as he didn’t murder her.
What do you mean she’s not important?! She’s married to the Emperor!
I mean, good for her. Wu Zetian had an affair with Emperor Gaozong while still in his father’s harem, and she later became the Emperor. It's not really all that unusual, is it?
You’re going to let Uncle get cuckolded?! Wenyuan sounded rather outraged.
I see your point, but also how many concubines does he have? He doesn’t need that many.
But Xianchun could get in a lot of trouble if you reveal it, couldn’t he?
He doesn’t start sleeping with her until long after he killed us, it can’t benefit us now.
She also wasn’t sure about getting Consort Liang executed for adultery. After all, it wasn’t the young woman’s fault that her husband’s son was both hotter and closer to her age, and she had Kayla’s full sympathy. But she could see the benefits in making use of this information. Kayla scratched her head quizzically, something suddenly occurring to her.
Wait, Wenyuan, do you know if Consort Liang is related to Lord Liang? After all, the surname wasn’t too uncommon, it wouldn’t be strange if it were just a coincidence.
She’s his niece, why?
Kayla ran through the current situation in her mind again, before finally coming to a decision.
We need to be more assertive in front of Uncle, and we need to do something about Xianchun. There’s not much we can do about most of the death flags, Xianchun was mostly angry about the Grand Duke’s behavior rather than Wenyuan’s actions, so we need to create more distance between us and the Grand Duke in his eyes.
That sounds reasonable. But how? We can’t just go against him empty-handed.
Kayla let out a sigh. I…kind of have a plan.
//////////////
Xianchun sat across from Bianfu, gently patting her on the arm.
“I’m sorry, Bianfu. All of this was my fault,” he said morosely. Bianfu shook her head. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked worse for wear. After receiving the Dowager’s decree last night, she must not have gotten any sleep at all.
“Don’t be, my prince. None of us could’ve even thought of this,” Bianfu replied, her voice hoarse and tired. “More so than the Dowager’s punishment, I was shocked at being trapped like that by someone I’d thought so little of.”
She gave a bitter chuckle. “Who would have thought that he had the balls to do that?”
Xianchun sighed, lowering his gaze to avoid looking at the expression on Bianfu’s face. Wenyuan had carried out a plan that seemed to come straight from the history books, so outlandish and unthinkable that he couldn’t tell if the man was stupid or brave. Who even did that in real life? Excluding, of course, the historical figures whose emotions and actions always seemed so much larger than life. After all that, Xianchun was far angrier at his own failure at assessing Wenyuan than the other man for his actions.
“I’ll do whatever I can to lift the suspension,” Xianchun promised. Bianfu quickly grabbed his hand, shaking her head vehemently.
“No, my prince, you can’t! Right now, the Dowager’s furious, once she calms down she’ll probably soften her stance, but if you interfere right now, you’ll get hurt in the crossfire,” Bianfu urgently advised him. “You should focus on the court right now, I’ll be back at your side in due time.”
Xianchun nodded slowly. “I know you’re right, but I feel burdened by guilt. How can I just leave you to suffer even though it was my responsibility? If I had known Wenyuan would react so strongly, I never would’ve taunted him with this matter,” Xianchun lamented.
“I was the one who chose to withhold the information to give you an advantage over Zhao Wenyuan,” Bianfu replied. “I valued short-term benefits over long-term gain, why should you take responsibility?”
She patted his hand gently, wrapping her strong fingers around his own. “I will also take this chance to work harder on my military strategy and martial arts. Normally I’m too busy to do that, might as well take the chance, right?”
Xianchun laughed softly. “I came to comfort you, not the other way around,” he said affectionately. The two looked up as Boyue deftly flipped over the wall, landing with a soft thump.
“My prince, Bianfu,” he greeted them. Xianchun nodded at him, smiling as Boyue approached.
“Boyue! Did you come to comfort my poor, wounded soul?” Bianfu asked teasingly.
“Fortunately, no. I came to report on the investigation,” Boyue said lightly. His tone shifted into a serious one as he turned towards Xianchun. “My prince, most of the leads that Lady Yue told us about are gone, only a few of the more local cases remain. We won’t be able to take on the Grand Duke with this.”
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
Xianchun’s temper flared. “Goddamnit! That sly old fox, just how quickly did he cover his tracks?!”
“Isn’t there anything useful then?” Bianfu asked with dismay. Boyue sighed defeatedly.
“There’s a good number of documents to comb through, but we’re working on it,” Boyue promised. “Another thing, my prince. I heard that the Emperor planned to meet Zhao Wenyuan later today.”
Xianchun’s emotions flitted between disappointment and concern. Wenyuan always met with the Emperor and Empress Dowager with regularity, but Xianchun couldn’t help feeling suspicious after the incident yesterday. Just what was Wenyuan going for now?
“If that’s the case, I’ll head over as well,” Xianchun decided. “I need to make sure he doesn’t drop a rock into the well on Bianfu’s case.”
///////////////////
Kayla’s carriage ground to a halt outside the Imperial Palace, and she made her way into the Inner Palace where she was due to meet the Emperor. She had purposefully arrived well before the meeting time so she could visit Wenyuan’s aunt.
Consort Zhao greeted Kayla happily, evidently having no small amount of affection for her nephew. She was as beautiful as Wenyuan remembered, and Kayla was shocked at the bombshell figure the older woman sported.
I never thought I’d see a figure like this in Ancient China, Kayla thought with surprise. In period dramas she'd seen before, imperial concubines tended to have slim figures with few curves to speak of, compared to Consort Zhao's Hollywood hourglass figure.
“Aunt, you’re as beautiful as ever!” Kayla said with absolute sincerity. “It’s like you’re getting more beautiful every time I see you.” It was technically Kayla’s first time seeing her, so it wasn’t a lie. Consort Zhao preened a little, looking very pleased with the compliment. When the woman wasn’t starting shit with her love rivals, she was actually rather easy to get along with.
“Our Wenyuan has such a sweet tongue,” Consort Zhao said happily. “Come and sit next to me!”
“I’m afraid I can’t stay too long, I have to meet the Emperor in a bit,” Kayla said apologetically. “But I wanted to chat with you while I had the chance.”
“Of course, I’m so happy to see you! You’ve grown into such a fine young man, too bad you don’t come see me enough,” Consort Zhao lamented. “How is Uncle?”
“Grandfather’s doing well, he also sends you his regards,” Kayla replied. She glanced around the room casually, a twinge of uncertainty at the sight of the multiple serving girls and eunuchs present. Would it be too suspicious if she asked to speak in private? An idea occurred to her.
“Aunt, since I’ve had the chance to speak with you, there was something I was hoping to ask,” Kayla said, looking at Consort Zhao with earnest eyes.
“Ask away, I’ll happily answer anything for our Wenyuan,” Consort Zhao replied. “What do you want to ask?”
“Well, that is,” Kayla looked away shyly. “Aunt, I’ve heard you’re the most experienced member of our family in terms of love.” Consort Zhao practically lit up at that, leaning forward so quickly she nearly knocked over the teacups.
“What? Could it be that Wenyuan has someone in his heart?” She asked gleefully. Kayla pretended to be embarrassed at that.
“Aunt! Don’t speak so loudly, I-” Kayla glanced furtively around the room, the serving girls and eunuchs looking down with knowing smirks. “I don’t even like her that much!” The servants giggled softly, visibly biting their cheeks to hold in their amusement.
Consort Zhao was almost rubbing her hands together in glee. “Oh my, Wenyuan’s so shy! Don’t worry, Aunt will take care of allllll of your worries,” she drawled. She waved away the servants until they were alone in the room. “So, tell your Aunt, who is the lucky girl?”
Kayla leaned in closer, any trace of her act fading away. “Aunt, we don’t have much time. I came here to warn you,” she said softly in an urgent tone. Consort Zhao’s eyes widened as her glee melted away to a serious expression.
“Speak plainly, nephew. What’s the matter?”
“Aunt, I need you to trust me. I know you respect and trust grandfather, but you need to believe me on this,” Kayla said. Consort Zhao looked confused but nodded in response.
“When you entered the palace, the Emperor was still focusing all his attention on Consort Chen. It wasn’t until her death that you caught his attention, am I right?” Kayla asked. Consort Zhao’s face hardened, but she nodded again. “What about it?” she asked.
“Grandfather murdered Consort Chen.”
Consort Zhao looked more uncomfortable than shocked, leaning away from Kayla. Kayla hurriedly grabbed the woman’s hand.
“So you know,” Kayla let out a short huff of breath. “Just as well. Please answer me honestly, Aunt. Your life depends on it. Were you involved?”
“No!” Consort Zhao hissed, glaring at Kayla angrily. “Of course not! I was confident I could win over that plain woman!”
“Good. I really hope, for your sake, that what you said is the truth,” Kayla said seriously. “Because there’s evidence.”
Consort Zhao paled at that. “What? What do you mean? Uncle’s never that careless!”
“Why are you so scared? Didn’t you say you weren’t involved?” Kayla demanded. “Aunt, tell me the truth or I can’t help you!”
“It’s the truth! But-but I did benefit from it, who would believe I wasn’t involved?” Consort Zhao asked despairingly. “Even the Emperor wouldn’t believe it!”
Kayla let out a sigh. Wenyuan, can you tell if she’s lying?
She’s probably telling the truth. Aunt has a bad personality, but she only does petty things, she could never pull off murdering someone.
“I’ll believe you, Aunt. But the two of us need to work together,” Kayla said. “Because once the evidence is revealed, both of us will be under intense scrutiny.”
Consort Zhao nodded fearfully, looking to be on the verge of tears. “What do we do if the Dowager finds out? She’d kill me without a second thought!”
“Aunt, you need to keep your ears open. If you sense any change in the mood of the palace, tell me immediately. Also, you should befriend Consort Liang. Help her out, and keep helping her out. That’s the way you can survive this, Aunt. Do you believe me?” Kayla urged her.
Consort Zhao gripped Kayla’s hands tightly. “I do, nephew. I’ll listen to you, but what about Uncle?”
“Grandfather’s a loyal vassal of three courts, I doubt he would be punished to the full extent. On the other hand, we are easy to crush, and grandfather hasn’t prepared to protect us properly either. We can only protect ourselves. Aunt, if he could kill Consort Chen for your benefit, he could silence you for his own benefit!” Kayla said. Consort Zhao nodded, and Kayla didn’t doubt that Wenyuan’s aunt also understood the Grand Duke’s nature.
“I’ll do as you say then, nephew. But why rely on Consort Liang?” Consort Zhao asked.
“Trust me, Aunt. If she needs help, provide it. If she needs a hand, stretch one out. If she wants to reveal evidence that would hurt the Zhao clan, tell her you’ll withhold mercy for your kin in favor of the greater good,” Kayla said seriously. “That woman can save you from both the Emperor and the Seventh Prince.”
“What about you, nephew?” Consort Zhao asked.
Kayla sighed. “I’ll rely on the Emperor and Empress Dowager. Even if they’re angry at grandfather, they can’t turn their backs on my late mother.”
“Alright then,” Consort Zhao said, a resigned expression on her face.
“Be careful, Aunt,” Kayla warned her.
“Of course, you should also take care,” Consort Zhao replied. “And you should pretend to be embarrassed as you leave.”
“Understood,” Kayla said. “I’ll be off then.”
She left the room with an embarrassed expression, flushing as she met the amused gaze of a serving girl and hurriedly left the building, the sound of soft giggles behind her.
Wenyuan had so many connections to the Imperial Palace, it was a waste not to make use of them. Especially since Consort Zhao’s life also hinged on this, and Kayla also stood to benefit if Consort Liang was indebted to Wenyuan’s aunt. The youngest concubine was isolated in the palace, being viewed with jealousy and hatred as yet another competitor, the women’s resentment towards their husband being redirected to his newest favorite. Given how kind and virtuous Consort Liang was, except for in regards to the sanctity of her marriage, Kayla didn’t doubt that the young woman would plead for Consort Zhao’s life if the two were to become friends, and with her current status in the Emperor’s heart, it would probably work as well.
Kayla pensively made her way towards the building where she had her meeting with the Emperor. There was still a little time left, so she purposefully slowed down her pace, taking the chance to clear her mind. Had that plan even worked? Or would Consort Zhao capitulate and send word to the Grand Duke? What did Kayla do then?
A voice cut into her thoughts sharply. “Zhao Wenyuan.”
Kayla glanced up, surprised to see the familiar figure of Xianchun. She blinked in confusion before bowing slightly.
“Greetings, my prince,” she said politely.
Just why the hell is he here?!