novelcrest Chapter 148 A Crippled Scam
Chapter 148 A Crippled Scam
"Do you still remember those two lines of poetry?" Shen Shixi asked, "Flowers wither and fall, filling the sky; their beauty fades and their fragrance dies, who will mourn them?"
Consort Xue's eyes widened.
"I once knew a girl named Lin Daiyu. Her mother died early, and her father was an imperial censor who was very busy with official duties. He felt sorry for her because she was so young and had no one to raise her, so he sent her to her maternal grandfather's house. There were many brothers and sisters there, and they studied and learned to write together."
They lived in a place called Grand View Garden, and when they had free time, they would form a poetry club. Like you, she also liked burying flowers. She felt that those flowers, drifting on the water, would end up in some filthy corner, so she would put them in a cloth bag and bury them underground. She was an extremely intelligent and insightful girl.
"And then?" Consort Xue asked, feeling as if she had met a kindred spirit in an instant.
"These two lines of poetry were written by her. There's a long one after that. I'll write it down and give it to you when I have some free time," Shen Shixi said. "My favorite two lines of poetry are, 'With whom can I hide my solitary pride and disdain for the world? Why do these flowers bloom so late?' It's from a poem called 'Asking the Chrysanthemum.'"
"With whom shall I hide my solitary pride, defying the world? Why do these flowers bloom so late, just like me? Solitary pride, defying the world..."
Seeing Xue Fei muttering to herself, lost in thought and seemingly in a daze, Shen Shixi stopped paying attention.
"Chao En, take men and escort Consort Xue back. Please have the imperial physician examine Consort Xue."
"yes!"
Consort Xue was escorted away, but Lin Guiyou and Consort Qiong remained uneasy.
"Shi Xi, are you scared?" Lin Guiyou asked.
"What are you afraid of?"
Are you afraid of what she says?
Shen Shixi understood that she was asking if she was afraid of losing favor. "No, if you are favored, you live the life of being favored; if you are out of favor, you live the life of being out of favor. Look at the sun, it rises and sets every day. It doesn't stop rising just because someone is afraid of the light or the brightness, nor does it stop setting just because someone is afraid of the darkness or the cold."
The Empress Dowager's palace was bustling with activity. Many noblewomen from both inside and outside the palace came. There were so many officials in the capital, but not everyone was qualified to enter the palace; only those who were allowed to come could.
Then Old Madam Shen and Madam Shen arrived.
As soon as Shen Shixi entered Cining Palace, everyone looked at her. Her beauty was stunning, like a crabapple tree in full bloom in February, bright and dazzling.
"Your Majesty, I wish you a Happy New Year! May you be blessed with good health and happiness, and may the new year bring you all the best!"
"Alright, alright! Get up!"
The Empress was unable to rise today, and there was no intention to invite anyone to stay for a meal during the morning court session. After everyone had paid their respects and exchanged New Year's greetings, they all left the palace when it was almost time.
Those who were concubines in the palace would naturally stay to chat.
Shen Shixi then brought her grandmother and mother to Zhaoyang Palace. Upon entering the palace gate, the old lady Shen took Shen Shixi's hand and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that you were poisoned in the palace. I was really worried, but I dared not enter the palace rashly."
Are you afraid of arousing the royal suspicion? What, are you here to criticize me for not taking good care of your aunt?
Shen Shixi said, "I was poisoned. Those two from the Song family smeared poison on the persimmons. I didn't know that, so I picked them and ate them, and that's how I got poisoned."
"Oh dear, how are you feeling? Have you recovered yet?" Madam Shen wiped away her tears. "You child, you dare to eat anything you pick from the street. The family was so worried. I even asked your father to ask the Emperor, but he didn't dare."
Shen Shixi said, "What's there to ask? If anything were to happen to me, the palace would notify you. Is everything alright at home?"
"Okay, everything is fine. We were just worried about you! We were relieved to see you were doing well yesterday," said Madam Shen.
Madam Shen hesitated, so Shen Shixi said, "Mother, just say what you have to say. Who knows when we'll meet again?"
Madam Shen then asked, "Do you remember your cousin Hanyun from your aunt's family?"
Shen Shixi nodded, thinking to herself, "I'm not stupid, how could I not remember? We grew up playing together."
"The matchmaker your father arranged for you, the poor scholar who passed the imperial examination, said that his elder brother died last winter, leaving behind an orphan and a widow. Now that they have come to live with him, this widow has become involved with your brother-in-law and is pregnant."
Shen Shixi was so enraged by this that she cried out, "Mother, just tell me!"
Madam Shen wiped away her tears and left. Then Old Madam Shen said, "At the end of the year, your cousin found your mother and said she wanted to go to the palace to see you. She probably wanted to ask you for advice."
"That old hag in your brother-in-law's family is a scoundrel. She actually went to your aunt's house to do such immoral things, saying that your cousin can't have children and that your brother-in-law's brother has no heir, so she wants your brother-in-law to take on the responsibility of supporting both families."
"Does that mean he was a man for both that widowed sister-in-law and my cousin?"
"That's not what I meant! If anyone's to blame, it's your cousin. She's been married for two or three years, and she miscarried her first pregnancy. She hasn't been able to get pregnant since."
"How can you blame my cousin?" Shen Shixi was speechless. "Mother, please don't think like that. With that impoverished family, they treat my cousin like a beast of burden. Let alone miscarrying one pregnancy, she would have miscarried even if she were pregnant with two. I really don't know what my father saw in He Wensi back then? Isn't this just setting people up?"
Neither the mother-in-law nor the daughter-in-law was easy to talk to.
"He's been promoted now," Madam Shen said, her voice lacking conviction.
From the lower seventh rank to the upper seventh rank.
From registrar of the Imperial Academy to clerk of the Secretariat.
Shen Shixi smiled and said, "Have my cousin hand in the name tag tomorrow afternoon!"
Before her grandmother and mother left, Shen Shixi made them take a lot of things with them. The two refused, but she insisted on giving them to them. They had no choice but to take them with them.
Last time, she bought a lot of jewelry from Wanbaoge, and it came in handy. The pieces she didn't like, she gave to her family members.
Afterwards, Shen Shixi went to Yongyan Palace. Lin Guiyou was standing on the steps of the back gate, looking at the palace from across a courtyard wall, and said to Yunluo, "Tell me, in just over half a year, it feels like I've lived in this palace for almost a lifetime?"
Yunluo was puzzled. "Your Highness, it's only been a little over half a year."
"But look, Wangxian Palace has become like this. I remember how much I admired Song Shi when I first entered the palace. I thought she was polite, well-mannered, and quite learned. Back then, when Shen Shixi clashed with her, I looked down on her so much. I thought Shen Shixi was simply a shrew."
Yunluo was terrified. "Your Highness, you can't say that! Consort Chen... she's the one who's in a higher position."
A messenger came from outside the palace to report, "Your Majesty, Consort Chen has arrived!"
Lin Guiyou went out to greet him, "What a rare guest! You actually came to my palace. Let me go to your palace instead. Your palace is so much nicer. My palace is freezing cold."
Shen Shixi ignored her question and asked directly, "Today on the long street, Consort Xue tried to stab you with a gold hairpin. What were you thinking?"
Lin Guiyou was heartbroken. "Shi Xi, for Xue Fei, someone who also wants you dead, you're going to speak up for her and not help me?"
Shen Shixi said, "I understand the principle of eliminating the root of the problem, but to be honest, as a woman myself, I really can't bring myself to do anything to her; and you should also understand that neither of us was injured, so the Emperor will not execute her because of this."
She didn't care whether Xue Shi lived or died, since she would die sooner or later anyway, but she couldn't let her die now.
"She wants you dead too. The Emperor dotes on you so much; if you just ask, do you think he'll let her go?"
"Lin Guiyou, ask yourself honestly, if we really killed her, would you dare to think of her for the rest of your life? Would you feel guilty?"
If you don't know how, just pretend I didn't say anything!