Yue'er (3)

This was not the peaceful life she wanted, but was this still the man she knew?

Why?

Why did he look at her so emotionlessly?

And that declaration...

"What do you mean, 'tell the truth'?" she asked.

Her mouth was dry, and it took a lot to scrape the question out of her throat like rough sand.

His eyes, once the oasis in the desert, were now as distant as a mirage. His reply held no salvation; only disillusionment:

"Did you instruct Yue'er to harm Concubine Lin's baby?"

"No!" she shot to her feet in disbelief, stool clattering to the ground. "Why would I do something like this? How could you think I would do this?!"

"Pull yourself together, Noble Beauty Yang!" Empress Zhao reprimanded. "This is a private investigation—not your trial. If you do not cooperate, His Majesty and I will rely on other means.

"Now, answer the question: Are you, or are you not involved in Concubine Lin's accident?"

It felt like a trial.

And Zi Hua pled innocence. "No. I only heard about it when Head Eunuch Ming brought me over. And personally, there's nothing worth harming Concubine Lin over, especially if it's just a verbal disagreement and misunderstanding His Majesty verified in person."

She tossed the flaming baton back to the man who had caused this scenario, with a little more edge than respect: "Don't you remember the meeting at the imperial garden last month, Your Majesty?"

He nodded. "I do. This partially absolves your intention."

'Partially?'

Zi Hua nearly protested aloud, but someone else beat her to it—for a different reason.

"Your Majesty!" Concubine Lin screeched. "She's lying! She has never once shown me an once of amicability—only ever faking it when you arrived! Please reconsider!"

Her previous stomachache seemed to have been replaced by unwillingness and anger. The emperor and imperial physicians started advising her to calm down, but their voices floated in and out of Empress Zhao's ears.

She studied Noble Beauty Yang and Concubine Lin slowly, her mind spinning.

She was at crossroads.

Neither of them could coexist after this incident, regardless of the result. The question was: Who should she help?

On one hand, the emperor secretly favoured Noble Beauty Yang more than Concubine Lin; on the other hand, the latter was one of her faction's pillars and halfway through her pregnancy. And if she gave birth to a prince...

The newcomer with unknown potential, or the loyal follower with a bright future?

'Truly a dilemma of the ages...'

Thankfully Empress Zhao was accustomed to appeasing both sides.

"Your Majesty," she called.

Everyone instinctively fell silent and listened.

"What is it, empress?" Li Zhen Tian asked.

"Since Noble Beauty Yang claims to be innocent and Concubine Lin is sure the accident was intentional, then there is another possibility," she paused, pointing at the kneeling servant. "Noble Beauty Yang is an unwitting victim of her lady-in-waiting's personal scheme."

Gasps broke out—Zi Hua and Yue'er's.

"That's impossible!" Zi Hua exclaimed. "It was just an accident!"

Empress Zhao sighed internally. Noble Beauty Yang was the easiest read—her unease, her steadfast hope, and the spirit of justice burning within. Let today be a lesson for her.

"In the imperial palace, there are no accidents," she said.

'Only "accidents".'

Words failed Zi Hua before the brutal truth.

Empress Zhao took the emperor's silence as acquiescence, continuing after sending Concubine Lin a reassuring glance.

"Yue'er, the damage you caused Concubine Lin was serious and could have resulted in the death of an imperial child. However..." Facts turned into a subtle offer, a chance for the guillotine to fall somewhere else. "If you admit your crime, your mistress won't be affected because you acted alone. If you don't... Either way, an example must be set to ensure the safety of the rear palace and imperial heirs. Think wisely."

Few servants would kill for their masters; even fewer would give up their lives for them.

Empress Zhao patiently awaited her answer, but to Zi Hua, the wait was a century long.

And then, for the first time since coming here, she saw Yue'er stop trembling.

Yue'er suddenly raised her head in determination. She didn't cry, didn't waver. Her mouth parted.

And then Zi Hua knew—

She knew that this silly girl would lie.

Even if it got her killed.

'No...Yue'er, don't do this.'

Her lips moved.

'Please...'

"Your Highness..."

"YUE'ER, DON'T YOU D—"

"It was all this servant's mistake, so please don't punish my mistress."

She chose the guillotine in Zi Hua's place.

And with it, the verdict fell—not from the empress, but from the emperor, who spoke before she could.

"Guards, take Yue'er outside. For pushing Concubine Lin, she shall be punished with fifty lashes and demoted to the Laundry Bureau, effective immediately," Li Zhen Tian announced.

Instantly, Yue'er's bravado crumpled like her frame.

Fifty lashes...

It wasn't a death sentence, but was as good as one. Even if she was lucky enough to survive what most didn't, the Laundry Bureau would finish her off.

Servants often gossiped among themselves, and the Laundry Bureau was a place they all feared being sent to, second only to the Cold Palace. Day in, day out, endlessly washing garments from spring to winter until their fingers froze and fell off, and youthful joints wept like elderly ones... Except they never had the chance to age into elderly joints because the owners would be dead by then.

It was hell.

It was all because of one mistake.

It was...

She looked to Zi Hua. She was crying, soundlessly reaching out to her but restrained by the empress's servants. Still, she didn't stop trying to get closer to her, as if this parting would be their last.

...It was worth it.

She could never repay the miss's lifesaving debt—the only thing she could do was stop dragging her down.

Thus, when the guards hauled her to her sentence, she didn't struggle.

When they tied her to a board and the whip hissed through the air, she didn't flinch.

And when the whip landed, tearing open cloth and skin and flesh, she didn't beg.

One.

She muffled a scream.

Two.

Three.

Four...

She screamed.

She screamed until the cries around her were a blur, until only the count remained.

"Nineteen!"

She screamed until her voice died, until all of her feelings died.

"Twenty!"

It was painful. So, so, so painful.

"Twenty one!"

Please... Please... end...

"Twenty two!"

PLEASE...!

***

The screams from outside were akin to bothersome yet harmless buzzing to Empress Zhao.

After the emperor left, so did the tension in her body. But she didn't relax her posture—she wasn't alone yet.

"Drop the act, Concubine Lin. Why did you do it?"

In front of her, Concubine Lin slowly wiped away her tears, gracefully sitting at her lower left. "I thought only results mattered to Your Highness?"

Empress Zhao frowned. "I never ordered you to touch Noble Beauty Yang."

Concubine Lin pouted. "It benefits all of us. You've seen how His Majesty treats her. She's got him wrapped around her finger. Whatever underhanded method that bitch used..." she whispered hatefully.

The irrational jealousy that she failed to hide was reflected in the empress's observation. For a split second, she doubted her choice.

Would Concubine Lin, the "safe" option, prevail?

Almost as quickly as the doubt arose, Empress Zhao brushed it away. Whether Concubine Lin could prevail or not didn't matter—she would make her prevail.

As long as she was obedient.

"Act out again and I won't clean up your mess," she warned, standing up. "Some of the new consorts have reached out to me already."

So you are not irreplaceable.

"Duly noted," Concubine Lin said, escorting her out. "See you in a few days, Your Highness. I'll be... recuperating."

Empress Zhao left without acknowledging her. The smile on Concubine Lin's face soon morphed into a sneer.

After she gave birth, she would become irreplaceable. By then, everybody would have to take her feelings and opinions into consideration. Empress Zhao, Virtuous Consort Liu, Noble Concubine Gong... Once she had a child of her own, no longer would she be their underling, nor would she be an unworthy opponent.

Especially Noble Concubine Gong...

For all the close, sisterly addresses, to think she nearly ruined everything before the emperor today. All because, what? A princess was sick?

Concubine Lin scoffed.

It was only a pity this elementary scheme couldn't take down Noble Beauty Yang. Although, the sound of her weeping while her stupid servant was beaten to an inch of her life was quite pleasant to the ears. That girl called Yue'er deserved it—"clumsy" people who couldn't control their temper had no one else to blame.

A sadistic smirl curled on Concubine Lin's lips.

'It wasn't entirely fruitless.'

Her hands moved to caress her round stomach, a habit she had developed these past few months.

"Be a boy, alright?" she murmured, eyes dark with calculation despite the sincere prayer. "Everything is depending on you, baby..."