The Beloved Concubine of the Eastern Palace (book 2)

Chapter 203 - Lying Low

The scandal erupted quickly and ended just as fast.

With the Crown Princess personally overseeing the punishment and Pei Yao issuing orders, the matter was handled according to palace rules.

The punishment for conspiring to harm a royal offspring and insubordination was death.

So that very afternoon, Yunrou, identified as the main culprit, was sentenced to be beaten to death.

Song Qiuhe, considered an accomplice, received a slightly more lenient punishment after Fang Yun spoke to her briefly and pleaded for mercy. She was given a cup of poison, ending her life swiftly and with minimal suffering.

Before her death, Song Qiuhe requested to see Fang Yun one last time, but Fang Yun, her heart hardened, refused and sent Qingrong instead.

Upon returning, Qingrong reported that Song Qiuhe had expressed remorse and asked Fang Yun to save her only surviving son.

"I told her not to worry," Qingrong said softly.

Fang Yun lowered her gaze, said nothing, and dismissed Qingrong with a wave.

Qingrong, understanding Fang Yun's need for solitude, quietly left the room.

She knew this ordeal had deeply hurt Fang Yun, who needed time alone to process everything.

Meanwhile, in Weiyang Pavilion, Yang Cefei was even more distressed.

After hearing the news of Yunrou's death, she silently wept, clutching the bed sheets tightly.

Growing up together and now taking the blame for her, how could she not be heartbroken?

"Cefei, please don't be too sad. This was an unfortunate event. Yunrou won't blame you," Yun Qian gently consoled.

Yang Cefei wiped her tears. "I wronged her."

"We underestimated Fang Yun's cunning," Yun Qian sighed, handing her a handkerchief. "She's truly ruthless and suspicious, even of her own aunt, whom she seemed close to initially."

Wiping her face, Yang Cefei's expression darkened. "If she wasn't ruthless, she wouldn't have severed ties with her family, and His Highness wouldn't favor her. I underestimated her, and Song Qiuhe's stupidity made it easy for Fang Yun to see through our plot."

"What should we do now?" Yun Qian asked cautiously, knowing her situation depended on Yang Cefei's.

Collecting her thoughts, Yang Cefei rubbed her temples. "His Highness sees through me but says nothing, out of respect for my family's contributions. Our relationship has strained."

"The physician said you suffered significant harm during childbirth and should have rested for two months. You only rested for one. Why not use this time to recover fully, both to heal and to avoid attention?" Yun Qian suggested softly.

Yang Cefei, agreeing, nodded.

Feigning illness provided a perfect excuse to retreat from view, show weakness, and avoid scrutiny—a suitable strategy for her current situation.

Conveniently, she had pretended to faint during the confrontation earlier.

The next day, Weiyang Pavilion announced Yang Cefei's illness.

The Crown Princess, with apparent relief, stated that Yang Cefei needn't attend daily greetings until she recovered.

Fang Yun suspected the Crown Princess also wanted to avoid seeing Yang Cefei.

For the next few months, Yang Cefei was unlikely to cause trouble.

Jinxiu Pavilion

He Liangdi lounged with a fan, enjoying iced grapes.

"I knew the Third Young Master was a sickly child, blaming others for his woes with talk of curses. It's laughable. Now both mother and son are down, like mother, like child."

Recalling her punishment for disparaging the Third Young Master, He Liangdi felt dissatisfied.

Hearing of Yang Cefei's illness brought her a sense of satisfaction.

Ying Xia, massaging her legs, cautioned softly, "Liangdi, knowing these things is one thing, but don't speak of them outside, especially near His Highness. This matter is more complicated than just adding croton seeds to the eldest young master's pastries and framing Fang Liangdi with a curse."

"Are you suggesting there are other oddities involved?" He Liangdi sat up, her face puzzled.

This time, Pan Chun spoke first. "Liangdi, do you remember when the Second Young Lady was ill? If the Third Young Master's illness isn't due to a curse but still won't heal, then maybe it's their own doing. It would be shameful to admit it, so Yunrou deserved to die not only for the apparent reasons but also for targeting the premature, frail Third Young Master."

Hearing this explanation, He Liangdi recalled her own experiences and discomfort visibly.

After a moment, she scoffed. "Yang Cefei is ruthless. The Third Young Master is her own son."

Compared to her, He Liangdi only wanted custody of the Second Young Lady. She didn't feel guilty because the child wasn't hers.

"Regardless, don't mention this anymore. Don't give His Highness any reason to be displeased," Pan Chun added.

He Liangdi nodded, understanding. She had considered badmouthing Yang Cefei to Pei Yao, but now thought better of it, given her own history.

Pan Chun, seeing He Liangdi understood, then offered some advice to help her compete for favor.

After leaving the room, Ying Xia patted Pan Chun's shoulder with a smile. "You're getting cleverer. You'll be scolded less now."

"Thanks to your teaching. I'm finally catching on," Pan Chun replied with a smile before excusing herself to attend to other matters.

The affair had concluded.

For the next seven or eight days, Pei Yao didn't visit the rear court, leaving people unsure if it was due to state affairs or other reasons.

Regardless, as the victim of the recent incident, Fang Yun wasn't worried about Pei Yao being displeased with her.

Even if he was, she knew waiting wouldn't solve anything. It had to be addressed sooner rather than later.

So, at the beginning of July, when the lotus flowers in the Eastern Palace pond were in full bloom, Fang Yun painted a scene of fish playing among the lotus leaves and sent it to the front courtyard.

The pretense was that she wanted Pei Yao to inscribe a poem on the painting.

When Pei Yao returned from court and saw the painting in his study, he smiled.

He knew Fang Yun was seeking his favor.

He hadn't visited the rear court lately due to state affairs and his anger over Weiyang Pavilion's issues, not wanting to see the concubines.

But he couldn't avoid the rear court forever. Since Fang Yun had given him this opportunity, he decided to go.

After all, Fang Yun rarely caused him any trouble.

So he changed his clothes and headed to Biluo Pavilion.

Upon entering the courtyard, he heard the laughter of women inside.

"Slowly, come over here to get the rattle!"

"Young Lady, come to me. I have a cloth rabbit!"

Listening for a moment, Pei Yao signaled Yuan He not to announce his arrival and walked in.

"What's so amusing? I could hear your laughter from the door," he said.