A great crowd of palace maids and eunuchs suddenly arrived outside the quiet Peony Pavilion. Their imposing procession alarmed the entire Palace of Eternal Joy, and their torches lit the courtyard as brightly as day.
Consort Chun arrived in the middle of the night wearing heavy makeup, dressed in splendid brocade woven with gold and crowned with a kingfisher-feather and jade headdress. Her entire ensemble was elegant and lavish, accentuating her delicate, seductive beauty.
As she entered, guards and eunuchs surrounded the Peony Pavilion, their torches illuminating her striking face.
Hearing the commotion, Yun Yang and Yun Fei hurried outside in alarm and found themselves facing this imposing crowd. They hastily dropped to their knees. "Greetings, Your Highness Consort Chun. May Your Highness enjoy every blessing and good health!"
At the sight of their innocent expressions, a trace of a cold sneer crept into Consort Chun's lifted brows and eyes. "I just received a report that Noble Lady Yun has behaved indecently and carried on an illicit affair with a guard. Both of them are inside this Peony Pavilion right now!"
Yun Yang raised her head in shock. "Your Highness, this is a false accusation! Our mistress felt unwell earlier and has already retired. How could she be having an affair with a guard? That is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of her family!"
Haitang, who was supporting Consort Chun, immediately snapped, "If your mistress is innocent, then let Her Highness search this residence from top to bottom. If there truly is no one here, your mistress's innocence will naturally be established!"
"You cannot. Your Highness Consort Chun, if you search our mistress's bedchamber tonight, the whole palace will be buzzing with rumors tomorrow. Even if she is proven innocent, people will still point accusing fingers behind her back. How could our mistress hold her head up then?"
Smack! Consort Chun raised her hand and slapped Yun Yang across the face.
The blow sent Yun Yang sprawling, her hair coming loose. Yun Fei hurriedly caught her, tears filling her eyes. "Yun Yang, are you all right?"
Yun Yang struggled back onto her knees. "Please, Your Highness, believe our mistress!"
"Enough nonsense." Consort Chun's gaze was icy as she stared at the tightly closed door, a sinister smile curling her lips.
The Noble Consort could not tolerate any flower in this palace that was about to bloom. Anyone seeking to compete for favor had to be eliminated, one by one. Today, Consort Chun would rid Her Highness of this wretch.
"Guards, break down that door!"
The torches crackled in the courtyard. A guard strode forward and raised his foot to kick the door, but Yun Yang threw herself in front of it. "Your Highness Consort Chun, you truly cannot go inside!"
Haitang barked, "Drag her away."
Several people seized Yun Yang and hauled her aside. Yun Fei was about to rise to stop them when a sharp announcement suddenly interrupted her. "Her Highness Consort Rong has arrived!"
Consort Rong?
Yun Yang and Yun Fei supported each other. They had been in the palace for several days but had yet to meet the consort who presided over their palace. They did not know whether she had come to help their mistress or harm her.
A frail woman approached from a distance, her face cool and composed. Her eyes seemed capable of seeing through everything, though weariness and tranquility lay buried deep within them. She walked up to Consort Chun. "What brings you to the Palace of Eternal Joy so late at night, Consort Chun?"
At the sight of Consort Rong, Consort Chun dipped into a shallow curtsey. She did not take this sickly woman seriously at all and spoke with cold disdain. "I have never known Your Highness Consort Rong to venture out and meddle in other people's affairs. Since you have made such an unprecedented appearance tonight, have you come to watch the spectacle?"
Consort Rong began to cough. Her cool face looked as though it were veiled in a thin layer of ash, its pallor betraying her illness. Her delicate dark brows knitted more tightly as her coughing worsened. Only after a long while did she straighten and cast a faint glance at Yun Yang and Yun Fei, whose hair was disheveled.
"I have always kept to my chambers and have no wish to meddle. However, Noble Lady Yun, whom His Majesty recently selected as a consort, resides in my palace. Since you have arrived with such a large procession tonight, I must naturally come out and ask why."
Consort Rong had never fought or competed for anything in the palace, but she happened to be Chancellor Su's daughter. The emperor held the chancellor in great esteem. Even the Noble Consort, a legitimate daughter of the Duke of State Protection's Residence, could not rival Consort Rong in that regard. Had the emperor not genuinely cherished the Noble Consort, the sole position of Noble Consort would likely have belonged to Consort Rong by now.
Consort Chun dared not be too disrespectful toward her, so she had Haitang explain the circumstances.
After hearing the explanation, Consort Rong gave a faint, weary smile instead. "You have followed the Noble Consort for many years, Consort Chun. Watching her govern the inner palace, you too have learned to act with the swiftness of thunder and wind. Still, this concerns a consort's innocence and reputation. It would hardly be appropriate to have guards openly storm inside and seize her. Moreover, the Marquis's Residence has rendered meritorious service to the throne. If you wish to search her residence, you must have sufficient grounds."
Consort Chun snorted coldly. "I came to conduct this search on the Noble Consort's orders, and I have already sent someone to inform His Majesty. He should arrive shortly. Before he does, it is only right that I drag that wretch out."
Holding her handkerchief, Consort Rong struggled to draw a breath. "His Majesty is busy attending to affairs of state and has never concerned himself with matters of the inner palace. Why did you disregard protocol and seek the Noble Consort's instructions instead of consulting Her Majesty the Empress?"
"The Noble Consort exercises authority over the six palaces on the Empress's behalf. Even if I did not consult the Empress, that hardly amounts to usurping her duties."
Consort Chun signaled with a glance, and Haitang immediately led the others forward to force open the door.
Bang! The door slammed into the wall behind it, stirring up a cloud of dust. The carved wooden door swayed precariously.
Consort Rong regarded Consort Chun calmly. "If Noble Lady Yun truly has behaved improperly, so be it. But if she is innocent, what will you do, Consort Chun?"
Consort Chun paid no heed to those words. She raised her brows disdainfully. "Naturally, I will ask His Majesty to punish me!"
Consort Rong smiled without further comment, then said, "Good."
"Mmm... no."
The sultry voice broke the stillness of the night, and everyone preparing to search the residence stopped in their tracks.
Consort Chun immediately smiled. Excellent. Who would have thought Wen Leyan would actually prove useful? She really pulled it off.
She cast a provocative glance at Consort Rong. "Your Highness Consort Rong, it seems your carefully laid calculations have gone awry, and you have chosen the wrong person to help. If you have nothing else to do here, you should return to your own chambers and stay there."
Consort Rong silently retreated half a step and watched Consort Chun stride into the Peony Pavilion with her head held high.
Her maid looked at her anxiously. "Your Highness, since there is nothing more to do here, why don't we return? This Noble Lady Yun truly was not worth troubling yourself to come out. Now that Consort Chun has caught her carrying on an affair with a guard, she will surely be executed soon. There is no need for us to wade into these muddy waters."
Consort Rong's chest rose and fell slightly. Once Consort Chun had left, not a trace of illness remained in her. As she turned to walk back, a chill entered her lowered eyes. "Then let us return to our palace and wait for the show."
Inside the bedchamber, the soft, alluring voice was still pleading timidly. "No more. Please spare me."
Consort Chun's eyes brightened. Although everyone in the room had discreetly lowered their heads, she was delighted, for that voice belonged to Wen Yunmian.
She hurried inside with her palace maids. Seeing the movement behind the bed curtains, Consort Chun snapped, "How dare you, Noble Lady Yun! You actually dared to conduct an affair with a lover! Guards, drag her out!"
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