Ah-Lin proved to be a superb cleaner as she single-handedly cleaned off all the bloodstains and disposed of all the bodies within a few hours. She had gotten some help from Xue who was free after killing everyone and even though she was quite afraid of him at first, she slowly warmed up to him after learning that Xue is her mistress's bodyguard. Anyone that is on her Mistress's side is a good person!
Imperial Consort Lan took out her tea leaves and brewed them in her teapot she received from her mother on her 9th birthday. After letting them sit for a bit, she poured herself a cup and enjoyed a cup of her favorite rose tea while awaiting the arrival of the Emperor.
After hearing so many screams, there will be people who will come and investigate and after seeing such a scene, they will inform the Emperor. In the end, she is still the Emperor's woman. Other than the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, who else can say anything to her?
As she expected, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager came in tow with a crowd of concubines. Even Imperial Consort Su came along.
Standing up, Imperial Consort Lan stepped forward and paid her respects.
"This Consort pays respect to Empress Dowager, the Emperor. It is so late at night already, this Consort wonders what does she owe the pleasure?" Imperial Consort Lan had a gentle smile on her face as if she was not affected by the glares of the other concubines.
"I came because I was merely curious." The Empress Dowager smiled as if she was watching a show. Being in the Imperial Harem for so long, what schemes had she not seen before? Seeing Imperial Consort Lan's calm face, the Empress Dowager knows that she has everything under her control. The Empress Dowager did not lie, she is really here to watch a show.
Imperial Consort Lan laughed as she thought to herself, the Empress Dowager must have been bored enough in her palace.
The Emperor, seeing that his mother had no more words for Imperial Consort Lan, then spoke.
"Imperial Consort Lan, I heard you killed off the servants in this palace."
"That is correct."
"Shredding so much blood in such a short time, Imperial Consort Lan does have quite a vicious heart." Imperial Consort Su commented offhandedly and the rest of the concubines chimed in agreement.
"This concubine also heard that there is a man in your palace. I wonder what is a man doing in your palace so late at night and even killed off so many of the servants. Is it to silence them?" Concubine Chu pointed her fingers accusingly at Imperial Consort Lan.
"Concubine Chu, how dare you point your fingers at Imperial Consort Lan? No matter what, she is still of a higher rank than you. Have you forgotten the rules?" Empress Dowager snapped sharply at the insolent woman who made a face as if someone had wronged her.
"But Empress Dowager, there is a man in her palace. Who knows if she has been committing adultery? Where would his Highness the Emperor place his dignity if that were the case?" Concubine Chu was unwilling to retract her words and glared at the Empress Dowager with an aggrieved expression.
"Imprudent! How dare you speak to me in this manner! Emperor, is this the way you govern your harem?" The Empress Dowager glared at her son whom she raised and pushed to the throne.
The Emperor flinched at his Imperial Mother's anger. He is also angry at the way Concubine Chu behaved and strode towards her before he kicked her. The strong kick landed on her right leg and everyone present heard a snapping sound before Concubine Chu fell onto the ground, wailing in pain.
Imperial Consort Lan frowned at the annoying crying sound coming from Concubine Chu and so she stepped forward. In her hand, she held two silver needles and she quickly and accurately stabbed them into Concubine Chu's knee. Those two needles blocked the blood flow and slowly but surely, numbed the intense pain that Concubine Chu was suffering from breaking her bone.
"Your Highness, please call for an Imperial Physician. This Consort only stopped the blood flow, numbing the pain. I cannot do anything about her broken leg," Imperial Consort Lan lowered her gaze to the ground as if she was ashamed that her capabilities were not enough to fully heal the broken bone.
The Emperor saw her eyelashes seemed to tremble as if she was about to cry at her incompetence and immediately went over to her side and put an arm around her shoulders as a form of comfort.
"There is no need to feel sorry. She should thank you instead," under the Emperor's glare, Concubine Chu gritted her teeth and in a very unwilling tone, thanked Imperial Consort Lan. She hated her till her teeth itch and now she has to thank her? When Imperial Consort Lan is the one who indirectly caused her injury? She hated that she cannot rip apart the woman standing before her, hated that her maternal family is not as noble as hers, hated that her status is lower than hers even when the Emperor obviously favors her more. Concubine Chu clenched her fists tightly as she laid on the ground, her legs numb from the needles. Concubine Chu tilted her head upwards to glare at the woman who she deems as her arch-enemy when she saw Imperial Consort Lan's eyes that were resting on her with a shrewd smile that only she can see from her pitiful position.
Rage boiled within her but with her leg broken and numb, there is nothing Concubine Chu can do other than gash her teeth together in anger and frustration while glaring at Imperial Consort Lan.
Seeing that everyone seemed to have forgotten the original agenda, Imperial Consort Su cough slightly and asked Imperial Consort Lan. "Sister, you still didn't provide us with an explanation for the killing of servants."
Imperial Consort Su's words pulled everyone back to the original point and the Emperor glanced at Imperial Consort Lan. He had heard from his eunuch about the bloodshed and wishes to hear her explanation. He knew that she would not do such a drastic thing without reason.
"Xue, drag that person out." Imperial Consort Lan solemnly said and everyone saw a shadow dart into the palace and reappeared with a maidservant in tow.
"The man whom Concubine Chu is so curious about is my personal bodyguard that was given to me by my Lord Father from a young age. The Emperor knows about him and allowed him to enter the palace to protect me. This was in the agreement between the Emperor and my Lord Father." The Emperor nodded, affirming her words. Although he had never met the person himself, he had heard of his capabilities from Lord Lan. He had once wanted to get that person to serve him but no matter what he did, how many traps or schemes he puts in place, that man refused to show up and submit. After spending so much effort with no reward, the Emperor gave up on that matter.
"This maidservant attempted to poison me by drugging my soup. After being found out, instead of begging for mercy, she said that nobody in my Cloud Palace is under my control and that they are all spies sent from other palaces. I ordered the guards to execute her but they did not listen which only proved her words to be true. She then said that she serves Concubine Chu and that she is acting on her true mistress's will. This pouch-" Imperial Consort Lan took out the pouch and handed it to the Emperor. "Is proof of that. Concubine Chu is known to favor such an exquisite fabric and the perfume that was used to scent this pouch is also hers. This Consort does not wish to blow this matter out of proportion based on one mere maidservant's words so I just cleaned my Cloud Palace."
The Emperor took the pouch from Imperial Consort Lan hands and examined the pouch. He is no idiot. There is no way a maidservant has enough money to get enough of high-quality fabric to make it into a pouch. Sniffing the pouch, he confirmed the perfume that he always smells on Concubine Chu.
"Wretch!" The Emperor threw the pouch at Concubine Chu's pale face.
She shook her head desperately. Crawling on her knees, she grabbed the hems of the Emperor's clothes and begged. "This Concubine is framed. Your Highness must not believe her lies! That pouch was lost and never found after a few weeks, that maidservant must have been lying!"
She had never thought that Imperial Consort Lan would learn about the matter nor did she expect that pouch to end up in that maid's hands. She must have stolen it when she was not looking.
"What Concubine Chu said is the truth. A few weeks ago this Consort went to visit Concubine Chu and she was looking for her beloved pouch which went missing. That maidservant must have stolen it. Your Highness is wise, please investigate." Imperial Consort Su went forward and tugged the Emperor's sleeves lightly with a determined look on her face.
"She recovered too quickly," Xue muttered behind Imperial Consort Lan.
"Of course she has to. Such a big show, she has to participate." Imperial Consort Lan quietly mouthed back.
"Should have killed her back then," Xue snorted in dissatisfaction.
"That wouldn't be entertaining at all," Imperial Consort Lan shook her head lightly. Xue clicked his tongue at that statement.
"Well then, let's ask the maidservant herself." The Empress Dowager gestured at the silent maidservant kneeling before them.
"Concubine Chu was the one who told this maidservant to poison Imperial Consort Lan. She wanted to eliminate Imperial Consort Lan and so she asked her maternal family to get her a rare poison from the north. Concubine Chu called this servant to her palace a few weeks ago and handed down the instructions that I was to find any opportunity to poison Imperial Consort Lan. Before she was promoted, this servant was going to sneak into her storage and put the poison on her tea leaves but stumbled upon Imperial Consort Rui. This servant does not dare to act when another Imperial Consort is present so this servant waited for another chance." The maidservant recited with a dull tone as if she has already given up on her life, making the audience believe her more readily.
Unknown to them, Imperial Consort Lan had fed her with a truth drug that will put a person unconscious and answer truthfully to whatever question posed to her. When Xue dragged the maidservant out to the entrance of the palace, she was shaken awake but because of the drug, she was put into a daze and could only kneel and not speak until someone asked her a question. This drug was developed by Imperial Consort Lan when she was younger and was curious about some of the herbs she found in her family's storage room and is only effective for 24 hours which is good enough for most situations.
If the physicians of the world knew that such a powerful truth drug can be developed by an innovative mixture of simple herbs, they would have been shocked.
"When the people in charge of human resources wanted to find people to serve the newly appointed Imperial Consort, this servant jumped at the chance. When this servant entered the palace, I found out that the entire palace was full of spies from other palaces and it was easier to act because we all have the same goal which is to kill the mistress of the Cloud Palace. Since she has gained the favor of the Emperor, she is asking to be killed. This was what Concubine Chu told this servant when she handed me the poison."
Technically, her words are not wrong. This is a survival of the fittest and whoever that has gotten the attention of the Emperor is a threat to the other women's survival in the Imperial Harem. You can scheme, you can kill, as long as you don't get caught. Like how the Empress, Imperial Consort Rui and how now Concubine Chu were caught.
Imperial Consort Lan waved her hand to shut the maidservant up. "That is good enough. After the poisoning of my soup, this Imperial Consort decided to clean my Cloud Palace. I have made sure that Xue did it quickly to not cause my neighbors problems but it seems like my efforts were futile." After hearing her words, the Emperor shot a glance at Imperial Consort Su.
He was taking care of Imperial Consort Su after she had fallen into the water and was feeding her some light dinner when one of her maids rushed in and claimed that Imperial Consort Lan had gone mad and was going about killing servants. The Emperor wanted to go to the Cloud Palace immediately and told Imperial Consort Su to rest.
"You are still pale and weak. If what this servant said is true then you should not come," the Emperor was worried that seeing such a gory scene will make her feel even sicker but she insisted that she wants to visit her sister as she is worried for her.
But after thinking again, how did the maidservant know that Imperial Consort Lan is killing servants in her Cloud Palace?
Imperial Consort Su lives quite far away from the Cloud Palace but the news came so quickly as if…
"As if she had someone spying on Xuan-er all this time…" The words rang in the Emperor's head but he did not say it out loud. These are just suspicions, he does not have evidence. It would be best if he cannot find anything against Imperial Consort Su.
Imperial Consort Lan saw the wheels turning in the Emperor's head and rolled her eyes internally. The Emperor is not stupid since he was able to climb his way up the throne. His Imperial mother is even more shrewd so there is nothing more she needs to say. Everything is as clear as day.
"Alright. Since it is like this, there is nothing wrong with killing them. I'm tired, let's return. I'll see you in a few days, Imperial Consort Lan." The Empress Dowager nodded at her and turned her attention to the Concubine Chu who was still on the floor.
"I trust that you will give Imperial Consort Lan the justice she rightfully deserves," the Emperor bowed towards his Imperial Mother.
"Son will not disappoint Imperial Mother," the Emperor replied seriously.
He then turned back to Imperial Consort Lan who had stepped out from his embrace with a determined look. He will protect her from now onwards. He knows how hard it is to survive in the Imperial Harem and one of his beloved women almost died. He was about to step forward and pull her back into his embrace when her sharp eyes stopped him.
Now that his Imperial Mother is no longer around, there is no need to act affectionate anymore. Imperial Consort Lan knows that the Empress Dowager does not like it when the Imperial Harem gets too noisy so she pretended that things are good with her son so that she doesn't come down on her case. Now that she is not around, there is no need to maintain that act. The Emperor pursed his lips in dissatisfaction at the obvious rejection in Imperial Consort Lan's eyes.
He knew that she was putting on an act but still, he enjoyed it while it lasted.
"Settle this or I personally will," Imperial Consort Lan leaned in and whispered to the Emperor who pursed his lips. She is the victim. If he needs the victim to settle her debts with her murderer, where should he put his pride as her husband?
His eyes averted and landed on the kneeling Concubine Chu. He knew that he has to set a harsh punishment to set an example for everyone here if not the bullying will not stop. That does not mean the Emperor has no faith that Imperial Consort Lan cannot avoid such a crisis but if he could ease her burdens a little, why not?
"Since Imperial Consort Lan has cleaned up her Palace, I shall do the same. Everyone is under house arrest and I shall personally investigate every one of you. If anything surfaces, you will be punished."
The women of the harem widened their eyes in shock. What does this mean? What kind of punishment is the Emperor going to lay down and what counts as a crime exactly? Their thoughts ran amok but they all had the same feeling, the winds are about the change in the Imperial Harem.
"Concubine Chu attempted to poison an Imperial Consort. She has no respect for superiority and has a vicious heart. She is to be executed by a thousand cuts, nine generations of her family to be executed."
This decree was too much for Concubine Chu who fainted on the spot. Imperial Consort Su widened her eyes at the severe punishment before she tried to plea for Concubine Chu.
"Your Highness, don't you think that punishment is too heavy for attempted poisoning?" Imperial Consort Su furrowed her brows at the Emperor's unusual stern face.
"She attempted to poison someone from the Imperial Family. A high ranking Imperial Consort is someone that is highly favored which means she is one of the people that will bear this Emperor a child. That adds to her crime of attempting to harm an Imperial heir." The Emperor explained to Imperial Consort Su slowly as he ticks off his fingers the crimes Concubine Chu has committed by attempting to poison Imperial Consort Lan.
"Not only that, you should think of a broader picture as well." The Emperor reminded Imperial Consort Su.
"A broader picture, your Highness?" Imperial Consort Su asked, confused.
"This isn't just trying to kill Imperial Consort Lan because she has gained favor. If Imperial Consort Lan died from this attempt, the next person that is likely to be promoted to an Imperial Consort will be Concubine Chu if I am to only judge based on her background. If Concubine Chu were to succeed in her scheme, her family position in the capital will rise as well. This is plotting the downfall of the Lan family," the Emperor scowled at the unconscious Concubine Chu.
"All of these crimes can amount to one big crime which is treason. Her punishment is befitting such a heavy crime, don't you agree, Xuan-er?" The Emperor turned to Imperial Consort Lan for a sign of approval of his actions.
Imperial Consort Lan shrugged her shoulders indifferently before she replied. "If your Highness is finished with your business here then this Consort shall excuse herself. It's late and I am tired," the Emperor stopped himself from pouting at her infamous indifferent attitude. How undignified it would be for his concubines to see such an unmanly side of him?
All the poor Emperor could do was nod his head and order the guards to execute his orders before dismissing all of the concubines. He then turned towards Imperial Consort Su and patted her shoulders tenderly.
"You have a poor constitution so you should take care of your body, go back to your palace and rest. I shall accompany Xuan-er tonight," the Emperor did not see the shocked expression on Imperial Consort Su's face as he rushed towards Imperial Consort Lan. Taking her arm gently, he guided her into the palace with a somewhat resolute expression on his face.
Since the Emperor is so insistent, Imperial Consort Lan shall give him face and did not say a word as she let herself be lead forward by the Emperor, leaving the rooted Imperial Consort Su standing alone in the entrance of the Cloud Palace.