Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 547 Dream 1 (The Deposed Empress)

Seven or eight days passed, and the emperor still did not set foot in the inner palace.

Even when Meng Shu sent Green Willow to deliver soup to Funing Palace, only a junior eunuch greeted her, and she didn't even get to see Jingming.

This silence did not last long, as turmoil soon broke out in the previous dynasty.

The Emperor issued several secret edicts in succession, ordering Wei Ying, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, and the Commander of the Infantry Division to each lead two imperial guard units to leave the capital overnight, their whereabouts unknown.

The news reached the inner palace, mingling with the somber atmosphere of the court, creating an atmosphere of panic and uncertainty.

Within the inner palace, the clues regarding Consort Yang have yet to be uncovered, but Lady Yun has already received a secret letter from the Marquis of Lin'an.

When the secret letter containing only a few words was handed to Meng Shu, even she, who was usually calm, couldn't help but be shocked: "The Marquis of Zhenbei stationed troops in Shuzhou, but the plot failed."

These ten short words carry immense weight.

"It really is in Shu Prefecture."

Meng Shu tightened her grip and pressed the letter onto the table.

Seeing her solemn expression, Consort Chun quickly asked, "Has Shu'er already guessed it?"

Meng Shu tossed the secret letter into the charcoal brazier, and the flickering flames instantly engulfed the thin piece of paper. "I've only vaguely figured out the key to this matter these past few days. Consort Yang acted rather strangely some time ago, and if I'm not mistaken, her father should also be involved."

"Consort Yang? Her father is just an insignificant military officer in Shu Prefecture. How could he be related to Marquis Zhenbei?"

Seeing the confusion on Consort Chun's face, Meng Shu pondered for a moment and slowly explained, "Wan'er, do you still remember that during the selection of candidates, Consort Yang's family background was the lowest among the candidates? She had neither a prominent background nor outstanding talent or beauty, so why was she able to stand out and be selected for the harem?"

Consort Chun quickly understood, "You mean, this is part of the Emperor's plan for Shu Prefecture, intended to use Military Advisor Yang to spy on things in Shu Prefecture?"

Meng Shu nodded: "The late emperor had few children. When the emperor ascended the throne, Prince Yu and Prince Heng were executed for treason. Only the second prince, who was least favored by the emperor, was sent to Shu Prefecture to take up his fief. I heard that since he contracted a leg ailment, this Prince of Shu has been drinking all day long and neglecting his duties. He did not even come to the capital when the late emperor passed away."

"The lady once mentioned that the Prince of Shu is indeed a despicable person. But no matter how despicable he is, he is still a vassal king. The emperor is bound to monitor the Shu region. To do this, it would be most appropriate to use a local official like Consort Yang's father, who has lived in Shu for generations. His official rank is not high, and he acts in a low-key manner, so he is less likely to attract attention."

Consort Chun pondered for a while, "If we follow this line of reasoning, since Marquis Zhenbei has stationed his troops in Shuzhou, Military Advisor Yang should have sided with Marquis Zhenbei and become a pawn in the rebellion against the Emperor. This matter is also closely related to the Prince of Shu."

The last bit of ash from the charcoal brazier swirled and rose, and Meng Shu's voice grew even calmer: "As for the reason why Marquis Zhenbei stationed his troops here, there are only three reasons: he trained his troops here for three years, which made it convenient to hide his private army. He had a 'useless' like the Prince of Shu as cover. More likely, he didn't kidnap the Prince of Shu at all, but had already reached some kind of tacit understanding with this prince."

Consort Chun gasped, "If that's really the case... this game is far too big."

Marquis Zhenbei's troops stationed outside the palace were plotting a rebellion, while the Empress was making two preparations in the inner palace. On the one hand, she used Consort Mu and others to carry out a plan to have a child through surrogacy, and on the other hand, she used witchcraft to eliminate the potential threat to the imperial heir.

If we think about it more deeply, who can guarantee that the Empress and the Marquis of Zhenbei's ultimate goal... wasn't to murder the Emperor?

A sudden gust of cold wind rose outside the hall, swirling the remaining snow and slapping against the windowpanes, as if echoing this chilling conjecture.

If the Emperor heard Meng Shu's meticulous analysis, would he feel gratified by her keenness or wary of her insight?

After all, those who can see through the game are often the ones we need to be wary of—Meng Shu's deduction is very close to the truth that has been hidden layer by layer.

The truth was further fueled by the machinations of Tang Xian, the Marquis of Lin'an.

Without his and Madam Yun's behind-the-scenes planning, how could the officials of the Dali Temple have so quickly uncovered the flow of embezzled funds in Yuzhou? Tang Xian's hidden agents and the messages they relayed, like ghosts lurking in the night, guided the investigation, including the memorial from Shuzhou on the Emperor's desk...

Of course, if the "Soul Gu" didn't require hundreds of infants as a catalyst, Marquis Jiang Wei of Zhenbei wouldn't have needed to send his private troops deep into the mountains of Yuzhou to abduct children. If this action hadn't aroused public anger and left traces, his disguise as a "bandit" wouldn't have been so quickly exposed, nor would it have prompted the emperor to order a thorough investigation, ultimately leading to this heinous case.

......

Around the twelfth lunar month, heavy snow fell in the capital, and the atmosphere of the approaching New Year grew stronger. Time flew by, and the New Year was just around the corner.

At this very moment, Physician He personally examined Consort Mu's pulse and confirmed that she was indeed nearly two months pregnant.

The news spread throughout the palace, and the emperor, who had not smiled for a long time, showed a rare hint of joy. Empress Dowager Jiang also distributed generous rewards from Cining Palace.

The 20th day of the 12th month of the third year of the Zhenghe era.

A messenger arrived at the palace with an urgent report: the King of Shu had hanged himself in his residence.

With the death of this vassal king, the case of the Marquis of Zhenbei was finally settled.

After a joint trial by the three judicial authorities, his crimes were publicly announced: He amassed troops and plotted rebellion, privately stockpiling 8,000 armored soldiers in Shu Prefecture, colluding with a vassal king with the intention of rebellion. He embezzled disaster relief funds, intercepting 240,000 taels of silver intended for disaster relief in Yu Prefecture, leading to widespread famine. He illegally intercepted tribute goods for personal enrichment. He practiced witchcraft, colluding with barbarian sorcerers to concoct evil curses using infants, causing chaos within the palace.

According to the "Criminal Code of the Great Zhou Dynasty," the four crimes should be punished concurrently, and the Emperor decreed:

All male members of the Jiang family, regardless of age, were escorted to the execution ground and publicly executed. The women were all confiscated and sent to slave labor camps, to be slaves for life. On the day the house was ransacked, Madam Jiang (the second wife of the Marquis of Zhenbei) committed suicide by burning charcoal in her room.

Besides the main case of the Marquis of Zhenbei, two other branches concerning the harem were also settled.

Firstly, He Yizheng resigned from his post to take responsibility.

Since ancient times, medicine and witchcraft have shared a common origin. Gu poison often uses pharmacology as a pretext, and its methods are unpredictable and difficult to discern. The Emperor narrowly escaped death, and Physician He admitted that his skills were insufficient and his examination inadequate, bearing an undeniable responsibility. However, the Emperor also knew that the case was mysterious and beyond the reach of ordinary medical expertise. Considering Physician He's years of diligent service, the Emperor did not severely punish him, but still granted him a "honorable retirement," rewarded him with gold and silver, and allowed him to return to his hometown to live out his remaining years in peace.

Secondly, because of her father's crime of colluding with the enemy, Consort Yang was demoted to a commoner and imprisoned in the inner palace.

When Jingming arrived at Dieqiong Pavilion to deliver the imperial decree, Consort Yang knelt to receive it. Her face was completely drained of color, and her eyes were as empty as dry wells. She seemed to have lost her soul, leaving only a walking corpse.

She stared blankly at the gray sky outside the palace, her thoughts drifting back to that spring day in Shu Prefecture.

But there's no going back.

......

The following day, a heavy snowfall blanketed the entire capital, turning the vermilion walls and golden tiles into a pristine white.

A vibrant splash of red streaked across the pristine white sky as Meng Shu, clad in a crimson cloak, emerged from the Lingcui Palace, treading through the snow.

As she walked to the front of Huining Palace, she happened to see Consort Chun wearing a jade-colored feather cloak and about to go out.

The two met in front of the palace gate, and Consort Chun couldn't help but smile: "I was just about to look for you, but you've come first."

Meng Shu raised her hand to brush away the falling snow and smiled sweetly: "The snow scenery is so beautiful that I thought I would come and enjoy it with Wan'er."

Dressed in red and white, they complemented each other beautifully, and smiled at each other.

Inside the Taiji Hall, the emperor issued an edict to depose the empress from his throne.

The imperial edict reads: "Empress Jiang, born into a military family, has undeservedly held the position of Empress. However, she has indulged the evil of her relatives, causing chaos in the court. She harbors a wicked heart and practices witchcraft in the inner palace. Her virtue is unworthy of her position, and her evil deeds are blatant. Therefore, she is hereby deposed and reduced to a commoner, and imprisoned in the temporary palace forever. This is hereby decreed."

The chief eunuch confiscated the imperial seal in court, and the Imperial Household Department destroyed the golden books and treasures.

The tumultuous events that lasted for months ultimately ended with the downfall of the entire Chiang family and the Chiang Kai-shek throne being left vacant.

The snow fell silently, burying all sins and punishments, power and intrigue, beneath this vast expanse.

The imperial edict was sent to the Changchun Garden Palace.

Ciyin Hall.

Jiang Jie knelt on the cold floor tiles, her long hair disheveled, her once adorned hair now hanging down like withered grass.

She was still wearing her old empress's everyday clothes, embroidered with phoenixes and peonies in gold thread. The wide sleeves of the robe drooped to the ground, making her figure appear even thinner and more frail.

No palace servants came forward to help; only the wind blowing through the hall carried snowflakes across the empty beams and pillars.

When the words "Eternal Imprisonment Palace" pierced her ears like ice picks, her shoulders trembled violently, and her knuckles, gripping the hem of her dress, turned white inch by inch, almost digging into her palms. A sob, half-crying and half-laughing, escaped her throat, swirled in the empty palace, and then fell heavily to the ground.

After more than a decade of striving and working hard, it all turned out to be nothing but a pipe dream.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

(The author has just returned to his rented apartment in Beijing after a difficult vacation. Double update tomorrow.)