The Job Of An Imperial Concubine

53

TJOAIC 53 – WHO’S THE VICTOR? (谁是赢家?)

There were many imperial concubines who miscarried in the palace: the empress, Zhaorong Xu, Shurong Ye, and some lower-ranked imperial concubines. Chongyi Zhao wasn’t the first, and would not be the last.

The empress never cared when the imperial concubines miscarried. However, this time, Chongyi Zhao’s miscarriage was not an accident. And she would not treat it as lightly as those of Zhaorong Xu and Shurong Ye.

　　

As the empress pondered, the emperor swept the teacup on the small side table to the ground. Expression dark, he said, “How could she just miscarry out of nowhere? Empress, you’ve been in charge of the state banquet since the very beginning. Did you really not notice anyone scheming? Were you looking forward to Chongyi Zhao losing her child?!”　　

“Your Majesty, this concubine is innocent.” Now that the empress realized that she had been implicated, she quickly rose to her feet to kneel before the emperor. “This concubine did not notice that anyone was scheming against Chongyi Zhao. It’s this concubine’s fault. This concubine dares not shirk the responsibility. However, why would this concubine wish for Chongyi Zhao’s miscarriage? After all, once the child is born, it would also call this concubine Imperial Mother. It would also be this concubine’s child.”　　

“Then speak, why did Chongyi Zhao miscarry?” Feng Jin did not allow her to stand, letting the other imperial concubines in the room witness the empress kneeling.　　

“Reporting to Your Majesty, this concubine already had people investigate the food and the eating utensils of Chongyi Zhao. The food she had eaten tested normal. However, the bowls and plates she used had been tainted with medicinal juices made with boiledAngelicae Sinensis Radix¹,peach kernel², Siberian elm bark³, rice paper plant⁴, root bark of peony trees⁵, and monkshood⁶. Someone had also wiped this medicinal juice on the chair and table she sat on. This concubine has already seized the servants who set up the chairs and tables in the banquet, the servants who cooked the dishes, and the servants who brought the food out. Would Your Majesty send people to interrogate them?” The empress sneered inwardly. She wasn’t the one who acted, but there were many people who could have. This time, it was uncertain who had done this, and they had actually used this state banquet as an opportunity.　　　　

“What a good scheme. Our imperial harem truly is peaceful!” Feng Jin eyed the other imperial concubines present with indifference, scaring them witless. Out of reflex, they all lowered their heads, not daring to look at him.　　

“Enough. Rise, Empress.” The emperor averted his gaze. Snorted coldly. “We will leave the investigation to you. Hopefully, you can give me an explanation. It’s because you, the empress, is incompetent that the imperial harem is this disorderly. If you’re unable to find the culprit, I will let someone else manage the harem.” Then Feng Jin threw his sleeve and entered his inner chamber.　　

The empress blanched. What kind of empress was an empress that didn’t have true authority? Even though this was the case, the empress forced herself to not tremble. She followed him into the inner chamber. 　　

The remaining imperial concubines shared a look. No one dared to show an indulging of schadenfreude. 　　

Gao Dezhong looked at the back figure of the empress with sympathy. The emperor could no longer tolerate the Zhao family. At present, he found an excuse to embarrass the empress. One would fear that her days in the harem wouldn’t be as grand as in the past.　　　　

After he had entered the inner chamber, Feng Jin stopped in his tracks due to the soft and restrained sobs inside. And he approached the bed. The girl who had been bright, beautiful, and lively in the past was now pale. The pillowcase under her face was thoroughly soaked with tears. Seeing such a sight, he fell into a daze. He recalled that Chongyi Zhao never seemed to cry before. Each time he saw her, she would have on a happy and bashful smile, making him feel comfortable with just a glance. Now, Chongyi Zhao was not smiling. Was without energy. It inspired a lot of pity from him.