Proud Feather

Chapter 155 The Long Night
Zheng Qiu looked behind him, and a eunuch came out holding a handkerchief, which he let the incense masters present smell. Everyone frowned as soon as they smelled it.

The smell of the talisman paper was too strong, and it was inevitable that artisans like them, who needed a keen sense of smell, would find it irritating.

“It smells like paper ash, just like in the bowl,” said one of the female craftsmen who remained in the main hall.

The other incense craftsmen nodded in agreement.

At this point, there's no doubt left.

Pang Yu's face turned deathly pale. He opened his mouth and said, "Is there some mistake? Is this handkerchief really for Bao Qin? Could it be that someone is slandering her?"

Sun Shouquan was respectful, but his words left no room for argument: "Princess Xin, from the moment the palace servants left the main hall, I had them watched over the entire time, and no one had a chance to do anything."

He had already neglected his duties after the incident of Consort Shu bleeding, so how could he not be attentive now? Baoqin was the personal maid of Princess Xin, and she was serving in the main hall when the incident occurred. At that time, the princess had not yet found the ashes, so she couldn't have been framed, could she?

Seeing that Pang Yu was speechless, and with the emperor's face darkening, Chu He had no choice but to speak up: "Father, this matter needs to be investigated thoroughly! A-Yu has always gotten along well with Mother Consort, there's no reason for her to do such a thing, don't you agree?"

Pang Yu nodded repeatedly, pleading, "Father! If my sister-in-law has no reason to harm my mother, then what reason do I have? My mother has always treated me very well. If the little prince is born, he will be a great help to my husband in the future. As for why Baoqin has that handkerchief, I don't know either. It's all a mess right now, and I really can't explain it."

As she said this, she reached out and hugged her stomach.

Chu He exclaimed, "Ayu, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Pang Yu wanted to agree, but seeing that the emperor's expression had not improved, he dared not be presumptuous and swallowed his words: "No, it's just that my mother is in trouble, and I'm afraid."

Chu He then turned back: "Father, Ayu is pregnant, I'm afraid..."

The emperor finally spoke: "Your mother is still between life and death, don't you miss her?" From beginning to end, he was only defending Pang Yu.

The meaning of this statement is...

Chu He's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately knelt down, adopting the most earnest attitude: "Your subject naturally misses Mother Consort and wishes he could find the person who harmed her and kill them as soon as possible. But Ayu was personally chosen by Mother Consort, and she has always been very happy with our harmonious marriage. Now that things are not yet clear, if I were to shout for violence, I would not only hurt Ayu's feelings, but Mother Consort would also blame me when she wakes up. Father Emperor, Mother Consort will surely be blessed by heaven. Why don't we wait until she wakes up before we talk about it?"

The emperor was just saying that. Chu He was, after all, his only remaining adult prince. Although he was disappointed that Chu He wasn't as good as his elder brother, he still loved him dearly. Since Chu He had found a good reason to put it nicely, the emperor—

“Father,” Chu Ling suddenly spoke up, “Second Brother’s words make a lot of sense. Second Sister-in-law really has no reason to harm Consort Shu. Perhaps this maid was bribed by someone. Now that Consort Shu is unconscious, who knows if she was harmed by this talisman? I’m afraid there’s some hidden meaning in this talisman. If we don’t break it in time, what if…”

Her reminder caused the Emperor's heart to sink. The palace was a place that placed great importance on feng shui and destiny, and therefore could not tolerate witchcraft. If this talisman was truly a deadly concoction, then Consort Shu might not wake up. Besides, what if the talisman was not truly meant to harm Consort Shu?
The emperor immediately changed his mind and looked at Sun Shouquan: "Do you know where the abbot of Lingxu Temple is?"

Sun Shouquan replied, "Your Majesty, today is New Year's Eve, and the abbot of Lingxu Temple should be praying for blessings within the temple."

"Go and summon them immediately!"

"Yes." Chu Ling secretly breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at Chu He's expression, and curled the corners of her lips. She originally thought that Pang Yu had no reason to harm Consort Shu, but now she had a guess, and it was up to Qing Cha to find evidence.

However, the Sanqing Temple is located outside the capital, and the journey there and back takes too long. By the time Master Lingxu arrives, it might be late at night. A long night is unpredictable, and it's not good to place her hopes on others; she needs to prepare herself first.

So Chu Ling continued, “Father, there are many suspicious points in this matter, like a tangled mess. Let’s sort them out slowly. For example, if my eldest sister-in-law is innocent, why would the eunuch say he saw her and her own maid in the side hall? If my second sister-in-law is innocent, who bribed her maid? I don’t know who did it, but someone is definitely stirring up trouble!”

The emperor slowly nodded. Judging solely from this matter, it was clearly impossible that both his eldest and second daughters-in-law had "evidence" of wrongdoing. He had always prided himself on the peace and tranquility of his harem and could not tolerate such wicked people in the palace, which reminded him of the bloodshed of the reigns of Emperor Xuanzong and Emperor Xiaozong.

"Summon Xue Wang to see me!"

Finally, the Imperial City Guard was summoned. Everyone in the hall trembled, a sense of fear rising within them. Pang Yu bit her lip, gently rubbing her stomach.
-
The capital was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and the sound of firecrackers could be heard from time to time. The air was filled with the aroma of meat and wine, as well as the smell of gunpowder.

"Come, come, young master, try my cooking, the northern specialty, roasted mutton!" Wu Zhiyong brought over a large plate of mutton with a smile. The aroma was irresistible. He didn't know how it tasted, but it certainly looked and smelled delicious.

The servant Yanshan, carrying a large wine jar, forcefully broke the mud seal: "Young master, this is a treasure dug out of the wine cellar. The manager said it has been buried for more than ten years. Today, for the New Year, we must drink something good."

Wu Zhiyong nodded repeatedly: "This is the first time you haven't spent the New Year in the North. You must be missing home. Eating some local delicacies and drinking a pot of good wine will surely ease your homesickness."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a scroll of books hit him on the head. Gongsun Hong said, "Fool! You mean yourself? Young Master isn't homesick; he's clearly missing someone else he can't see."

"Huh?" Wu Zhiyong was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Sir, you mean the princess!"

"I didn't say anything," Gongsun Hong said slyly. "Young Master might also be thinking about the Dowager Consort!"

"..."

Xiao Yu sighed: "Alright, you two are arguing even over a New Year's Eve dinner. Sit down, everyone. It's only a rare holiday, let me have some peace and quiet!"

The group chuckled awkwardly and found seats to sit down.

Gongsun Hong thought to himself, "Why didn't he spend the New Year in the garden on the outskirts of the capital? Why did he have to come to the Xiaoqiao Tavern? It would be strange if the young master wasn't thinking about the princess!"
Of course, to avoid angering the young master, he refrained from saying those words.

Xiao Yu fumbled for his wine glass and raised it: "I won't say much else. Over the past six months, you've all worked hard accompanying me on my travels. This glass is a toast to you all."

Despite their joking around, the three were so grateful to their master that they dared not be negligent in the slightest and all stood up to express their thanks.

After the drink was finished, the atmosphere relaxed, and Gongsun Hong was about to make a few jokes when a voice came from outside. Then someone lifted the curtain and asked, "Is Young Master Xiao here?"

　I slept until noon, and the alarm clock didn't even wake me up. I'm amazed at myself.

　　(End of this chapter)