tallest building

Chapter 300: A Matter of Contemplation
The group helped Consort Hui back to her residence and carefully checked her over. Only after confirming that she was not injured did the eldest princess and the others feel relieved.

"It's good that you're alright. It's almost noon, Mother, you should rest too." The Princess said, then couldn't help but yawn. "I ate a little too much just now, and I'm feeling sleepy."

“Being able to eat and sleep well is a blessing! I say the most important thing for you to do here on the mountain is to take care of your health.” Consort Hui smiled and looked at her daughter. “You’ve always been a picky eater, so why don’t we have our cook learn these things from Zhang Ma?”

"My mother and I are on the same page. Even if we can't learn it perfectly, seven or eight parts similar will be enough," the eldest princess said. "Besides, our cooks aren't stupid, so why shouldn't they be able to learn it?"

The eldest princess went back to her room to rest, and the maid helped Consort Hui take off her outer clothes and removed the hairpins and ornaments from her hair.

The houses in Guan are all high-ceilinged and have long eaves, so the light inside is always a bit dim.

But Consort Hui and the others didn't find it difficult to get used to living there, because that's how it is in the palace.

She lay down, and the maid lowered the bed curtains.

Consort Hui's face was turned inward, her eyes were closed, but she was not sleepy.

She was still thinking about Zhang Ma.

Could such a bizarre thing really happen in the world?
Am I overthinking things?
But the food couldn't be wrong, and so could the child's appearance...

Frosty Creek...

When the name of the place flashed through Consort Hui's mind, she sat up abruptly.

"What's wrong, Your Highness?" Granny Xia rushed forward.

She thought Consort Hui had just fallen asleep when she was startled awake.

"Granny Xia," Consort Hui knew that only the two of them were in the room, "do you still remember Wei Fu?"

"Who?" Granny Xia frowned upon hearing this. She pondered the name carefully; it was familiar yet unfamiliar, as if it hadn't been mentioned for many years.

Consort Hui didn't offer any advice, letting her figure it out herself.

at last……

"Is Your Highness referring to Wei Fu, the head eunuch of Consort Shen's palace?"

"It's him!" Consort Hui's voice was faint. "Do you think he might still be alive?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Xia was startled and said, "What makes you say that, Your Highness? Hasn't Wei Fu been dead for almost ten years?"

This is common knowledge.

Back then, Consort Shen Fu eloped out of the palace with Bu Yuegui, the leader of the Imperial Guards, while the emperor was hunting.

They ran for over a thousand miles before being caught up by the Imperial Guards on the northwestern border, where both men died in the chaos of battle.

Their followers also perished. It is said that Wei Fu jumped off the cliff and was smashed to pieces, with no chance of survival.

“I mean, what if… what if he’s not dead?” Consort Hui’s eyes suddenly brightened.

“If he’s not dead, of course he has to be hidden,” said Granny Xia. “They committed a heinous crime, and their entire families have been executed!”

Seeing that Consort Hui remained silent, Granny Xia asked again, "Your Highness, why are you saying such things all of a sudden? You've really frightened this old servant to death."

For a fleeting moment, she even wondered if Consort Hui was possessed by an evil spirit.

“Yunfang, perhaps you think my idea is absurd, but once this thought takes hold, I can’t suppress it no matter what.” Consort Hui called out Xia Mama’s name, “But I can’t be sure either.”

“What has Your Highness thought of? Why don’t you tell this old servant?” Granny Xia knew Consort Hui well; she wasn’t the type to make unfounded accusations. “My suspicions arose from the dishes Zhang Ma made,” Consort Hui said. “The steamed egg with wolfberry sprouts and the water shield soup tasted exactly the same as what I had in Shenfu Palace years ago. I can’t be mistaken.”

Shen Fu and Consort Hui had a relatively harmonious relationship at the time, since they were both generally kind-hearted, at least in the eyes of outsiders.

One year, around February or March, Consort Hui came to Shenfu Palace for a chat, and it was almost lunchtime.

Shen Fu then naturally invited her to dine with them.

These two dishes were among the dishes on the table at the time, and the person who cooked them was none other than the chief eunuch of Shenfu Palace.

When Consort Hui found out, she was quite surprised. She hadn't expected Wei Fu to have such good skills and praised him for being a hidden talent.

Later, Shen Fu became increasingly favored by the emperor, who often stayed overnight in her palace. Sometimes, even when staying in the palaces of other concubines, he would come to Shen Fu's palace for meals.

Consort Hui never ate anything made by Wei Fu again.

“Then Zhang Ma… she couldn’t possibly be Wei Fu, could she?” Granny Xia tried to overlap the two people’s appearances again and again, but she couldn’t get them to match.

“It doesn’t seem so, but can’t nearly ten years really change a person’s appearance drastically?” Consort Hui said. “If a person who was originally very thin becomes extremely fat, their appearance will inevitably change drastically. Just like an extremely fat person who becomes so thin that they are emaciated, it would be difficult for people to recognize them.”

"Then...then why did he go back to the capital?" Granny Xia still couldn't understand. "Wouldn't that be very risky?"

“It’s very risky. If she really is Wei Fu, she should hide her identity and stay far away,” Consort Hui said, but then her tone changed, “But what if he has a reason to come back?”

"What reason?" Granny Xia's eyes widened; she was truly terrified by Consort Hui's speculation.

"You've heard, she's Gong Chang'an's wet nurse. Don't you think the Gong family's children look a lot like Shen Fu?" Consort Hui suddenly grabbed Xia Mama's sleeve. "Think about it carefully... doesn't she look like her?"

"This..." Granny Xia blinked repeatedly, unable to speak.

“I know you must think this is utterly absurd, but think about it again. The child that Gong Chang’an and Shen Fu had is about the same age.” Consort Hui swallowed hard and said, “Didn’t Wen Mingqian give birth to that child on the way back to Shuangxi? Her escape route and Shen Fu’s route could have overlapped!”

"This...is this even possible?" Granny Xia was truly terrified.

“I’m not sure…” Consort Hui lowered her head. “I have no evidence, only… a feeling…”

Yes, she only had a feeling, which cannot be used as evidence.

But she was afraid...

There was a long silence...

The light inside the room suddenly dimmed; it was cloudy outside.

The sky darkened rapidly; in no time, the entire room was so dark that a lamp was needed to see anything.

“Your Majesty, if you are really worried, we might as well investigate secretly.” Xia Mama’s words rang out with the sound of thunder.

The entire building shook.

Immediately afterwards, a torrential downpour began, the sound dense, like galloping horses, like the sound of drums.

"Quickly, someone light the lamps!" Granny Xia shouted loudly to the outer room, knowing that Consort Hui was afraid of the dark.

Sure enough, a short while later, the person outside brought in the lamp and placed it on the table.

The candlelight flickered for a while before settling down, casting a dim, yellowish glow in the room.

"Your Highness, let them make you a cup of tea to calm your nerves," said Granny Xia. "The rain is so heavy, it shouldn't be long before it clears up."