Chapter 426
Chapter 424 [Extra] Li Qingxun (2)
...
In the Si Tian Jian.
Last night, an unusual celestial phenomenon caught the attention of the officials at the Si Tian Jian. They observed a phoenix soaring in the southern sky, surrounded by auspicious clouds, seemingly a sign of the emperor's star. Yet, this star alignment was indeed peculiar.
Historically, the emperor's star was almost always represented by the Azure Dragon soaring through the heavens, but last night, the night sky revealed a phoenix star. Even the seasoned officials of the Si Tian Jian found it hard to comprehend and had to seek the wisdom of the learned Zhang He'an.
Zhang He'an came from a long line of officials in the Si Tian Jian. He had mastered the art of divination from a young age but chose not to follow in his family's footsteps. Instead, he entered the civil service through the imperial examination and became a disciple of the venerable Prime Minister Li.
At a time when the court was in need of capable officials, Zhang He'an's political acumen shone brightly, and he was adept at maneuvering through the intricacies of power. The officials in the court were well aware that Zhang He'an was likely to be granted a noble title and a high position in the future.
Upon receiving the invitation from the Si Tian Jian, Zhang He'an made his way through the night to the observatory. He activated the star chart and adjusted the armillary sphere. After some calculations, he calmly declared, "The star chart is flawed; the calculations are erroneous. The south is the land of Yelang, and there is no phoenix star."
His conclusion left little room for doubt, and although the other officials had their reservations, they dared not contradict him.
The matter was hastily concluded.
Later that night, Zhang He'an left the Si Tian Jian under the moonlight, walking towards the southern direction of the palace of Qingguo. Suddenly, he saw a shooting star streak across the sky, crashing down and shattering tiles, igniting flames.
Zhang He'an ordered his guards to extinguish the fire.
From the smoldering wreckage, a small object, about the size of a palm, was retrieved, glimmering with a silvery sheen and bearing an odd shape. Zhang He'an examined this strange artifact, then looked up at the starry sky.
"How strange," he mused, a hint of interest breaking through his usually cold demeanor. He pocketed the peculiar silver sphere and turned to leave.
...
...
In the morning, Li Qingxun dragged her aching body out of the Qiu Liang Palace.
The winding palace paths made her head throb and her feet ache; every part of her felt sore. She longed for the convenience of the transport devices at the research institute, which made moving around so much easier.
As she passed a section of charred palace wall, she noticed several eunuchs busy clearing away the debris. Li Qingxun asked Yuan'er, "What happened to this wall?"
Yuan'er shook her head. "I don't know, Miss. There are often water leaks in the rear palace; perhaps it was accidentally burned. Princess, ahead is the Imperial Garden; we shouldn't get any closer."
Li Qingxun halted in her tracks.
In the warm spring of April, the Imperial Garden was a sight to behold, with a group of beautiful noblewomen wandering among the flowers.
Li Qingxun had good eyesight; relying on her hazy memories, she could barely recognize the figures in the garden by their attire. Among them were the Empress, the favored Consort Xie, the Seventh Princess Qionghua, and several noblewomen from the envoys of the Yue Kingdom.
Recently, the envoys from the Yue Kingdom had come to visit, aiming to promote peace between the two nations. The Emperor was hosting the envoys in the main court, while the Empress and Consort Xie were receiving the Yue noblewomen in the rear palace.
Typically, the reception of foreign noblewomen would only require the Empress's presence. However, since Consort Xie enjoyed the Emperor's favor and was on equal footing with the Empress, they ended up jointly hosting the Yue noblewomen.
In the Imperial Garden.
"The peonies of Qingguo bloom so beautifully; we in Yue have nothing as lovely," one of the Yue noblewomen praised.
The Empress beamed with pride, pointing to the peonies. "These were planted by Princess Qingling during her leisure time. I don't know why, but they bloom more beautifully than the others."
Consort Xie scoffed dismissively.
The Yue noblewomen continued to flatter, "Peonies are not easy to cultivate; they require careful tending to flourish. It seems the Seventh Princess must be a kind-hearted and meticulous girl."
The Seventh Princess, Li Qingling, stood beside the Empress, shyly lowering her head, her face flushed and more radiant than the peonies in the courtyard.
Seeing this, Consort Xie felt even more disdain.
As the group continued to admire the flowers, a eunuch's voice rang out from nearby, "Who goes there!"
The noblewomen turned to look.
By the edge of the garden's pond, a small girl in tattered clothes was crouched down, trying to fish something out of the water. Upon hearing the eunuch's shout, the girl trembled in fear.
Shaking uncontrollably, the girl stammered, "I... I just wanted to get the steamed bun... Please don’t hit me."
From a distance, the Empress recognized the frail girl as the Sixth Princess, Li Qingxun.
The Empress felt a surge of displeasure.
Today, while hosting the noblewomen from Yue, it was crucial to showcase the prosperity of Qingguo and the harmony of the rear palace. Yet, here was Li Qingxun, who could ruin everything. If the Yue people saw her, they would surely think the rear palace of Qingguo was in disarray, tarnishing the reputation of both the nation and the Empress.
The Empress signaled to the eunuchs to drag Li Qingxun away. As long as the people from Nanchu didn’t realize she was the Sixth Princess, it wouldn’t harm Qingguo’s reputation—
The eunuchs approached menacingly, and Li Qingxun immediately called out to Yuan'er. Yuan'er, a clever maid, had received Li Qingxun's warning early on and boldly knelt down, bowing her head. "Your Majesty, please forgive us! Consort, please forgive us! Sixth Princess, please forgive us! My lady was just too hungry and disturbed the noblewomen; she truly deserves to be punished!"
The Empress's expression turned icy.
Consort Xie, who loved to trip the Empress up, feigned surprise. "Oh dear, that little girl is actually the Sixth Princess? It’s been quite a while since I last saw her; she’s become as thin as a bone. Someone, bring the little Sixth over here."
An old matron beside Consort Xie understood the cue and hurried to help the fallen Li Qingxun to her feet, bringing her before the noblewomen.
Li Qingxun was clearly terrified, her pale face trembling like a leaf.
She looked like a child who had never seen the world, clutching a waterlogged steamed bun tightly in her hands, her eyes brimming with tears. "I’m sorry... Your Majesty, Qingxun just wanted to pick up the bun from the water; I was so hungry..."
She was alarmingly thin.
Her hands were little more than skin and bones, her arms bore numerous unhealed whip marks, and her face was dark and gaunt, making her appear quite ugly. She seemed terrified of having the bun taken from her, clutching it to her chest in fear.
The noblewomen from Yue exchanged glances of disbelief.
This scrawny little girl was a princess?
There were two princesses present—one, the Seventh Princess, adorned in gold and silver, looking like a flamboyant peony; the other, the Sixth Princess Li Qingxun, as thin as a skeleton, covered in wounds.
One compassionate noblewoman from Yue couldn’t help but exclaim, "How long has it been since she last ate? She won’t even let go of a waterlogged bun."
The Empress was practically seething with rage at Li Qingxun!
Of all times to appear, she had ruined the Empress's dignity as the matriarch of the harem!
Consort Xie, ever astute, seized the opportunity, feigning concern as she pulled Li Qingxun closer, asking curiously, "Oh dear, Sixth Princess, you have so many injuries. It seems you’ve been whipped. Which thoughtless servant would dare to strike a princess?"
Li Qingxun shrank back, stealing a glance at the flamboyant Seventh Princess Li Qingling.
Li Qingling, having been pampered since childhood, looked down on Li Qingxun and glared at her angrily. "What are you looking at? How dare you have thoughts about Master Zhang? You’re lucky I didn’t kill you!"
Li Qingxun trembled in fear, stammering, "I... I won’t dare again. Seventh Sister, please don’t hit me."
The noblewomen from Yue looked on with disdain.
This Seventh Princess, beautiful as a peony, was nothing but a bully who whipped her sister.
The Empress tugged at Li Qingling's sleeve with force. This ignorant girl had no sense of occasion.
Li Qingling, scolded by her mother, felt wronged and protested, "Mother, I am the legitimate princess, of noble status. She, Li Qingxun, is merely the daughter of a maid, born to be a servant."
The Empress's face turned as cold as frost.
Consort Xie, fanning herself with a smile, remarked, "Seventh Princess, you certainly have a grand sense of authority. You seem to have forgotten that our Emperor of Qingguo is also the son of a concubine."
Table of Contents
