Five Years To Ascend The Throne, Three Years Of Mock Simulations - Chapter 4

After the Ninth Princess’s poisoning case, although the murderer was dead, the people in every palace remained anxious for quite some time, afraid they might be dragged into some undeserved disaster.

However, as several days passed, the matter of “thoroughly investigating the inner palace” ultimately came to nothing because of an urgent report from the imperial court.

This summer was a disaster year. Yuanzhou in the south had suffered a summer drought, with not a single drop of rain falling for several months in a row. Most of the farmers’ rice crops had withered from the drought.

After passing through several hands, news of the disaster had only just reached the capital a few days ago, enraging the emperor. The court was also so busy they were running in circles. They probably had no attention left to spare for the matter of the Ninth Princess being harmed.

Everyone in the inner palace was clever, so of course they knew to take their cue from those above. Only a few days had passed before rumors from who knew where spread into Kunning Palace, saying that the Ninth Princess had ordered a palace maid beaten to death and was cruel by nature. Even His Majesty had grown tired of her, which was why he conveniently stopped investigating the case and had not set foot in Kunning Palace for many days.

When Du Ye repeated these words to the empress, Ming Tan was lounging to the side, bored out of her mind as she flipped through a copy of The Analects.

“Your Majesty, should this servant go discipline the servants?” Du Ye asked worriedly.

“Alas… even if we spend all that effort keeping our own palace under control, we cannot control the mouths of others spreading gossip.” The empress rubbed her brow and sighed. “Forget it. Let them say whatever they like.”

“Hmph. Father Emperor has been so busy recently that his feet barely touch the ground. Forget Kunning Palace, I’m afraid he hasn’t even stepped halfway into the inner palace.”

Ming Tan leaned sideways in her chair, flipping the book with loud rustling sounds, and commented lazily, “Wherever there are many women, they just love wagging their tongues.”

The empress glanced at her and could not hold back a pfft of laughter. “Where did you learn that? You sound like such an old soul.”

“Mother Empress is just too kind-hearted.” Ming Tan yawned, casually tossed The Analects aside, and said solemnly, “In my opinion, you should show the bearing of the mistress of the six palaces! Call those consorts before you one by one and give each of them a proper warning, so they won’t spend all day thinking of ways to stir up trouble and make Father Emperor and Mother Empress even more worried. Isn’t that right, Du Ye?”

Du Ye smiled and curtsied to Ming Tan. After hesitating for a moment, she said to the empress, “Your Majesty, this servant believes… Her Highness’s words are not without reason.”

But after pondering for a while, the empress still shook her head in the end.

“How could it be that simple? His Majesty has always been diligent in governance and has no fondness for beauty. Most of the consorts in the palace are old hands with seniority, each more arrogant than the last, each acting according to her own ways. How could they be the sort who would allow this palace to warn them as she pleases…” She sighed and waved her hand slightly, unwilling to discuss the matter further.

Hearing the empress say this, Ming Tan sat up in some surprise and began seriously recalling the few women in the palace.

Her father emperor was a workaholic through and through. His entire body and mind were devoted to the great affairs of the country, and he had not the slightest interest in romantic matters. Even Gu Ying, the crown princess he had personally asked to marry back then and the current empress now, could only maintain a relationship of mutual respect with him.

Aside from Gu Ying, the one with the highest rank in the palace was Noble Consort Wan. This noble lady was the daughter of Duke Cheng, a noble among nobles. Although her personality had always been quiet, gentle, and graceful, her family background was especially illustrious, even surpassing the empress’s.

Counting further down, there was Consort Yi, who came from a military family; Consort Wen, who was also an old attendant from the Eastern Palace; and—

Ming Tan had only just recalled this much when someone hurried in from outside the hall, perfectly interrupting her train of thought.

With a solemn expression, Jinkui knelt before the empress and reported in a low voice, “Your Majesty, Yaoxiang, the head palace maid of Consort Ning, requests an audience.”

Mm, Consort Ning?

Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives.

Ming Tan propped her cheek in one hand and raised her brows slightly.

This Consort Ning was one of the only three consorts currently in the inner palace, and also the most difficult noble lady to deal with in the entire palace.

Sure enough, even someone as gentle as the empress could not help frowning when she heard Consort Ning’s name. In a cool tone, she said, “Let her in.”

Jinkui accepted the order and left. Before long, she led a pretty palace maid with an arrogant expression into the hall.

When the latter saw the empress, she did not perform the grand kneeling salute. She merely gave a symbolic curtsy, then spoke in an extremely haughty manner. “Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress.”

At the sight, Ming Tan’s movement paused. She set down her book and narrowed her eyes slightly.

Beside her, Du Ye, also a palace maid, immediately furrowed her brows and stared coldly at the uninvited guest below the hall.

The empress was soft-hearted and had always treated others kindly. Although the other party had not performed the proper grand salute, she did not reprimand Yaoxiang for it. Instead, she asked calmly, “Your mistress sent you here. For what matter?”

But no one expected that, upon hearing this, Yaoxiang would deliberately widen her eyes in astonishment and ask back as if it were only natural, “Her Majesty the Empress actually does not know?”

Ming Tan’s gaze darkened slightly. Without making a sound, she stood.

The empress froze for a moment, then furrowed her brows, a trace of displeasure appearing on her face as well. “What should this palace know?”

Yaoxiang seemed completely unafraid of angering the empress. She still wore that cheeky smile as she said leisurely, “The last time His Majesty stayed at Chongle Palace, he personally promised that he would grant that glazed palace lantern from the Dragon Boat Festival banquet to my mistress.”

“…Palace lantern?”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.” Yaoxiang smiled faintly. Then her tone shifted, and she said arrogantly, “However, that palace lantern was bestowed upon Your Majesty the Empress at the banquet, so Consort Ning specially sent this servant here to request it. Please respectfully obey His Majesty’s decree and hand the palace lantern to this servant, so this servant may return to Chongle Palace and report back to my mistress.”

Her words were arrogant enough. Her tone and phrasing showed Consort Ning’s full reliance on favor to act proudly, and it could practically be called offending a superior from below.

Even the usually good-tempered empress’s face turned cold. Du Ye was so angry that she stepped forward and said furiously, “Who gave you the courage to be so disrespectful to Her Majesty the Empress?”

“Aiya! Sister, please forgive me. This servant would not dare offend Her Majesty the Empress!”

Yaoxiang lifted her chin and showed an exaggeratedly frightened expression, yet there was not a trace of panic in her eyes. Instead, they were full of mockery as she said coolly, “My mistress merely sent this servant to ask for a palace lantern, that is all. Besides, Kunning Palace has countless rare treasures. What has Her Majesty the Empress not seen before? Surely she would not cling to one small palace lantern, would she?”

After saying that, as if she still felt it was not enough, she continued meaningfully, “Moreover, this lantern was personally bestowed upon Consort Ning by His Majesty’s golden words. Could it be that Her Majesty the Empress… intends to disobey His Majesty’s verbal decree?”

Du Ye’s face went pale with anger. “You!”

This was a blatant threat.

In the inner palace, once anything involved the emperor, even a sesame seed would become a watermelon.

Although the empress was furious, she still maintained her reason. She waved for Du Ye to step back, while her mind rapidly weighed the truth of Yaoxiang’s words.

That palace lantern had indeed been awarded to her during the Dragon Boat Festival. But in the end, it was merely a delicately crafted little trinket. If His Majesty had not been careful and had forgotten that the item had already been given out, it would not be surprising.

Furthermore, Consort Ning’s son and daughter had recently done well. They had repeatedly earned the emperor’s praise in their studies. If she had taken this chance to ask the emperor for it, and he had happened to forget what happened at the Dragon Boat Festival banquet, it really was possible that he had gone along and granted the lantern to Consort Ning.

Thinking this, the empress felt that this matter was most likely true.

Yuanzhou was suffering a drought, and the officials at court had been arguing endlessly these past few days. His Majesty’s headaches were probably about to act up again…

Forget it. It was merely a palace lantern. If she had to give it, then she would give it. She would just suffer this small loss. Why add more worries for His Majesty over such a thing?

The empress sighed and raised her hand, just about to tell Du Ye to go to the private storehouse and fetch that glazed palace lantern when—

“Oh? Disobey Father Emperor’s verbal decree?”

A small figure slowly walked forward, her expression almost smiling yet not quite. She was still holding that copy of The Analects from earlier and was tapping it against the palm of her other hand now and then, looking at Yaoxiang as if watching a joke.

“This princess was unaware that a mere palace maid by a consort’s side was actually worthy of delivering my father emperor’s verbal decree.”

Although a verbal decree was not as formal as an imperial edict, the emperor was someone who kept to ritual and protocol very strictly. Therefore, even if it was only a verbal decree, it was always personally delivered by Sheng An, the head eunuch at his side.

As for palace maids serving beside consorts, they naturally had no qualifications to speak recklessly of His Majesty’s verbal decree.

Yaoxiang’s expression froze. Panic rose in her heart. She clearly had not expected Ming Tan to hit her vital point the moment she opened her mouth, and cold sweat instantly soaked through her inner garments.

However, she was still Consort Ning’s head palace maid, and she had followed her mistress in acting domineeringly in the palace for a long time. Almost immediately, she calmed herself and forced herself to speak steadily. “It is only one lantern. I fear His Majesty has simply been busy lately and did not think to send Chief Steward Sheng to deliver the message…”

“Since you also know that Father Emperor’s verbal decree should be conveyed by Eunuch Sheng, then why did you come to Kunning Palace under Consort Ning’s banner?”

Ming Tan curled her lips, but her smile did not reach her eyes. She said coldly, “The way this princess sees it, it must be that you, a servant girl, are outrageously bold—you actually dared falsely claim that Father Emperor gave an order and came here to cheat Her Majesty the Empress out of an imperial gift!” At this point, her tone suddenly sharpened. “Yaoxiang, what punishment do you deserve!”

Yaoxiang was startled by this sudden blame dropped onto her head. Her eyes widened, and she hurriedly defended herself. “N-no! This servant truly came to Kunning Palace to take the lantern on Consort Ning’s orders!”

“What a fine servant. You still dare quibble?” Ming Tan raised her head and called loudly, “Men, seize this lowly maid who dares deceive her masters for this princess!”

Two eunuchs immediately entered from outside the hall upon hearing the command. They looked at each other, then stepped forward in a few strides and pressed Yaoxiang down to her knees. They respectfully asked Ming Tan, “Does Your Highness have any further instructions?”

Ming Tan folded her arms and smiled lazily. “This Yaoxiang is greedy for wealth and dared borrow Consort Ning’s name to cheat someone out of an imperial gift. Such wicked conduct truly cannot be tolerated. Drag her out for this princess and give her fifty strokes of the rod first!”

Fifty strokes!

Yaoxiang sucked in a horrified breath. If those strokes landed on her body, even if she did not die, half her life would be gone!

She was so frightened that her legs trembled, but she still forced herself to hold on to that haughty air. As she struggled, she shouted, “Ninth Princess! My mistress truly received His Majesty’s verbal decree! What you are doing is great disrespect toward His Majesty!”

If she had not said that, it might have been one thing. But the moment she did, the young girl before her became three parts angrier.

“You certainly know how to pin crimes on people,” Ming Tan said with a cold smile, nodding. “Good! Since either way I’ll be offending Father Emperor, then I might as well deal with you first, and afterward I’ll personally go to Father Emperor to confess my crime!”

Her eyes were dark and deep. With a raised hand, she ordered icily, “Drag her out for this princess and beat her!”

Seeing that the other party had killing intent now, Yaoxiang finally felt a chill crawl up her spine. Kneeling on the floor, she trembled all over, and at last remembered this Ninth Princess’s recent reputation in the palace.

She had supposedly truly beaten a palace maid to death in the imperial garden…

The two eunuchs bowed and answered in the affirmative. Just as they were about to drag Yaoxiang outside, she finally came back to her senses and began crying out loudly as she struggled.

“Ninth Princess, spare my life! This servant knows her mistake! This servant must have misheard my mistress’s instructions and unintentionally offended you and Her Majesty the Empress—please show mercy, Your Highness. On Consort Ning’s behalf, spare this servant!”

The empress had been silently watching for a long while. Now, seeing Yaoxiang crying as if her heart and lungs were being torn apart, she could not help furrowing her brows. She looked at the daughter beside her, whose expression was still ice-cold, and lightly pressed her lips together.

Tan’er was fighting for a breath of dignity on behalf of her, the empress. How could Gu Ying herself not know that?

But Consort Ning was the only daughter the Minister of Revenue had spoiled since childhood. Now just as Yuanzhou was suffering a great drought, the emperor was waiting for the Ministry of Revenue to produce silver for disaster relief. At such a time, they absolutely could not offend Consort Ning or her father.

Besides, as a mother, the empress was also unwilling to let Ming Tan act so violently and recklessly…

“Tan’er,” she could not help reminding her, “fifty strokes of the rod can truly take someone’s life.”

“…”

Ming Tan turned and looked at the empress.

The pale-faced woman sat in the seat of honor, her features beautiful and dignified, her gaze filled with pure gentleness and love.

When their eyes met, Ming Tan froze slightly. Her fingers twisted together uncontrollably inside her sleeves.

In her previous life, her mother had died early, and her father was an alcoholic who beat and scolded her at every turn. Ming Tan had never experienced love from her parents.

All the more so this kind of gentle, tolerant gaze from a mother.

“…As a palace maid, she can even mishear her mistress’s instructions. It is clear how she must normally be lazy, slippery, and deceitful, bullying those below while deceiving those above.”

Ming Tan turned her head away and said blandly, “However, since she has the heart to repent, and Mother Empress is also willing to show mercy and pardon her, then give her twenty strokes of the rod instead. After that, escort her back to Chongle Palace and ask Consort Ning to discipline her herself.”

The eunuchs accepted the order and did not dare delay. In a few moves, they dragged Yaoxiang, who was still thrashing and crying, outside the hall.

Du Ye glanced at the princess, then hurried out to arrange the punishment of the servant girl. She was the head palace maid of Kunning Palace and had always been clever and efficient. Before long, she had people set up a long bench, press Yaoxiang down onto it, and raise the rods to strike hard against her waist.

“Ah—Ninth Princess, spare me! This servant knows her mistake! This servant will never dare again!”

For a while, Yaoxiang’s miserable screams and pleas for mercy, along with the sound of wooden rods striking flesh, echoed outside the hall, making the empress feel quite uncomfortable.

She lowered her eyes somewhat unbearably, sighed, and softly recited a few lines of Buddhist scripture.

When she raised her head again, she saw that Ming Tan had already asked Jinkui to drape an outer robe over her. She looked as if she was preparing to go out, which made Gu Ying pause in surprise.

“Tan’er,” the empress quickly called out, “where are you going?”

Ming Tan gathered her lapels together, turned back, and smiled slightly at her, saying calmly, “Naturally, to confess my crime to Father Emperor.”