In the Western Warm Pavilion of the East Courtyard of Cawei Palace lived Wei Qing'er, while the Eastern Warm Pavilion was the place they were tasked with tidying up today.
The door was slightly ajar.
Xiang Lin led the way, pushing the door open. Su Mi and Xiang Luo followed behind, but as they entered and took in the sight inside, they couldn't help but blush with embarrassment.
The once neatly arranged red bedding, unused and kept in perfect order, now lay scattered across the bed. A small patch of blood was visible on the crimson fabric, standing out starkly against the bed's luxurious layers of red satin and purple brocade.
The charcoal stove in the room was warm, and Wei'er's smooth, satin-like legs extended out from beneath the covers, revealing her delicate skin. It was clear she was completely naked.
She was sound asleep, nestled in the silken sheets, lost in a dream of opulence and grandeur.
Xiang Lin sneered. Without waiting for anyone's command, she rushed over, grabbed Wei'er's exposed arm, and yanked her out of bed, digging her fingers into her flesh.
Wei'er was immediately jolted awake by the pain. Before she could fully comprehend what was happening, Xiang Lin was already berating her loudly.
"You shameless slut! What kind of rule is this? How dare you sleep in your master's bed! Don't you know your place? Who are you to sleep in such luxury?"
As she scolded, Xiang Lin continued to drag Wei'er, as though the bed had been tainted by her presence.
"I'm the one who serves His Majesty. I'm his woman now! Why can't I sleep here?" Wei'er finally reacted, struggling fiercely to free herself.
"Pah! You? You think you deserve to lie in this bed? Don't make me laugh!" Xiang Lin's voice grew sharper as she continued to pull and tear at Wei'er. "Take a good look at yourself—just a common whore..."
Seeing the scene escalate, Xiang Luo quickly stepped forward to intervene. "Enough, enough. Wei'er didn't do this on purpose," she said, pushing Xiang Lin away and helping the fallen Wei'er back to her feet.
Wei'er's naked body was covered in bruises and dirty marks.
Xiang Luo's face flushed in embarrassment, and she quickly averted her gaze, her tone softening as she spoke, "What's done is done. Let's just get you cleaned up. Prepare some hot water, and take a bath first."
"What do you mean, 'it's done'?" Wei'er's eyes widened in terror. The sharp words of Xiang Lin had already given her a bad feeling, but hearing this only worsened it.
"It's… it's just…" Xiang Luo hesitated, unsure how to explain.
Before she could finish, Xiang Lin chimed in from behind.
"What she means is, His Majesty has already given orders—there's no need to record this." Xiang Lin said, her voice dripping with smug satisfaction.
No need to record this?
No need to record this?
No need to record this?
Wei'er felt the world spin around her.
This couldn't be true!
How could it be? Just moments ago, the Emperor had been so gentle and passionate with her. He had praised her skin, saying it was more beautiful than that of any of his other concubines. He'd said her voice was as clear and lovely as a yellow oriole's song, and that…
Wei'er stood frozen, as if struck dumb. No matter how Xiang Lin continued to taunt her, or how Xiang Luo tried to comfort her, she didn't respond at all.
Su Mi quietly observed the scene, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Xiang Luo, seeing that after all her efforts, Wei'er was still lost in a daze, began to grow impatient. She pushed Wei'er roughly. "Stop staring off into space."
Before she could finish her sentence, Wei'er suddenly seemed to snap back to reality. With a desperate cry, she dashed toward the door, screaming, "I want to see the Emperor! I want to see the Emperor! He wouldn't do this to me. He'll make me his consort, I'm sure of it!" Her voice was shrill, and her actions were frantic, like a madwoman. Both Xiang Luo and Xiang Lin froze, startled by her sudden outburst.
It was Su Mi who reacted first. She quickly grabbed Wei'er, shouting at the two bewildered maids, "Get her under control!"
Only then did they snap back to their senses. If Wei'er managed to make a scene and spread this outside, they would all be in serious trouble.
But Wei'er, fueled by some unknown strength, resisted fiercely. Even with all three of them pulling, they couldn't hold her back.
Xiang Luo quickly called for a few younger maids standing outside to come in, and together, they managed to force Wei'er back onto the bed.
"Where do you think you're going?" Xiang Lin sneered, wiping her cheek with a handkerchief. "You want to see the Emperor? Let me be clear with you—His Majesty has already left. Where exactly do you think you're going to find him?"
Hearing this, Wei'er struggled even harder. Her mouth was covered by a towel, but she still emitted muffled, desperate cries.
"Enough, Xiang Lin, stop it!" Xiang Luo exclaimed, her patience wearing thin as she looked at Wei'er, still thrashing on the bed. "What are we going to do now?"
"What else can we do? Let's lock her in the firewood room for now. When she learns to behave, we'll let her out," Xiang Lin said nonchalantly. "A little maid thinking she can climb to the top—humph!"
If Su Mi hadn't overheard Xiao Luzi's conversation that day, she might have been impressed by her boldness.
"Still, this is the master's room, and leaving it like this is against the rules," Su Mi said. "Keeping her restrained like this isn't a solution either. I think it'd be better to take her to her own room, let her calm down, and then deal with it."
"I suppose that's the only way," Xiang Luo agreed, unable to come up with a better idea.
A few maids obeyed the instructions and helped Wei'er up. Seeing that Wei'er was still naked, Su Mi quickly grabbed a bed sheet and wrapped it around her.
"Such a kind sister," Xiang Lin commented coldly.
"Su Mi is thinking of the dignity of our Cawei Palace. If Wei'er is seen like this, how will she face others? Even our master's reputation will be tarnished," Xiang Luo added, unable to hide her irritation.
"She's already humiliated herself enough. Does she even have a future?" Xiang Lin sneered. Her bitterness toward Wei'er stemmed from the belief that if the Emperor had favored her instead, things would have turned out differently. She couldn't stand that someone she considered beneath her had taken the opportunity that should have been hers.
"Does she have a future?" The words struck a chord with Su Mi. She glanced at Xiang Lin to ensure this was just her angry, careless remark.
Xiang Luo, feeling reprimanded, shot a look at Xiang Lin but didn't say anything further. Instead, she continued directing the maids to carry Wei'er out of the room.
Wei'er no longer had the strength to resist. She weakly struggled, her eyes casting one last longing glance at the bed, now stained with that small, glaring bloodstain among the glimmering red silk and brocade. This was the place where her brief dream had been fulfilled—and shattered.
Even Su Mi, who believed herself to be indifferent, couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion as she watched that look in Wei'er's eyes.
Maybe it was because Su Mi understood more than anyone else in the room that this was likely the last time she would ever see that girl's vibrant gaze.
She closed her eyes. Su Mi, Su Mi... how many more eyes filled with pain, sorrow, and hopelessness have you seen? Why are you still feeling pity now?
Don't you understand yet?
Look at this clearly. You can't fail. You can't end up like her. Never. You have things to do, things that must be done. You can't fail.
When she opened her eyes again, they were as calm as the breeze—neither happy nor troubled.
"Xiang Lin, are you going to help clean up, or will you go back to serve Lady Zheng?" Su Mi asked with a smile.
"Ah, the Lady told me to go over later to hang the clothes. I completely forgot, so I'll leave the rest to you, Sister," Xiang Lin said, but for some reason, Su Mi's gaze made her feel unnervingly unsettled. She quickly found an excuse to leave.
Su Mi's gaze followed the corridor, watching Wei'er's corner room. Indeed, it was likely that Wei'er would have no future. Su Mi had no way to save her, nor did she need to. Wei'er had chosen this path herself, and she had to understand the consequences of failure. Su Mi's only concern now was to make sure she didn't end up like her.
The next day, news spread through the palace that Wei'er had been found drowned in the Weiyang Pool.
No one bothered to investigate how she had managed to unlock the heavy copper lock from the outside and walk barefoot through the snow to the distant pool, wearing nothing but a wet sheet.
After all, Wei Qing'er had been ill, and Su Mi had slept deeply that night.
The last thing Su Mi saw was the palace servants carrying Wei'er's body wrapped in straw mats to the East Courtyard gate. According to palace custom, when a palace servant died, they were to be buried in their own clothes, or their spirit would be subject to torment in the afterlife.
Wei'er, however, only had a damp bedsheet wrapped around her body.
The servants carrying the body grumbled as they stomped their feet in the cold, complaining about the troublesome palace maid who even in death wouldn't allow them a break and made them run another errand. But when they saw what Su Mi was holding, their complaints immediately ceased.
Su Mi carefully gathered Wei'er's clothes, folding them neatly with no trace of disorder, before cradling them in her arms.
She gently draped Wei'er's favorite water-green palace gown over her now-purple corpse, then placed the bundle of clothes and jewelry box beside her head. This was all she could do for her. Though she knew full well that these items would not accompany Wei'er for long.
A few young eunuchs were eyeing the bundle and the box, their gaze fixed with greedy intent. What they thought was a dull and thankless task had suddenly become a potential windfall. It was unfortunate, though, that the exquisite gown had been used to cover a corpse, rendering it untouchable.
The eunuchs glanced at Su Mi and, rubbing their hands nervously, chuckled. "Sister, you're not bothered by this? The maids we passed earlier were so scared they wouldn't even look up, but you aren't afraid?"
Su Mi smiled faintly, not replying. Just as she was about to instruct the eunuchs to take the body away, she saw a figure rushing toward her from a distance.
As the person got closer, Su Mi recognized him as the sharp-chinned young eunuch who had asked her questions yesterday, the one serving Lord Gao Shengnuo.
He held two pieces of cloth in his hands and approached Su Mi, casting a disdainful glance at the other eunuchs. He moved slightly away from the grass mat, distancing himself from the corpse, and then asked, "You're from this courtyard, aren't you?"
Su Mi nodded and then asked, "What is this...?" She wondered if this was the reward from yesterday.
"Consider it a gift," he replied. "Lord Gao sent me with it." He shoved the silks into Su Mi's arms. "Didn't you have a sick master here yesterday? These red satin pieces are meant to dispel bad luck. We wouldn't want to taint a noble person's presence, would we?" He glanced around quickly, his voice dropping, "This is an important task, so don't let anything slip up. Otherwise, you'll be the one who suffers."
Without waiting for a response, he quickly turned and walked away, as though staying even a moment longer might bring him misfortune.
Su Mi stared at the fabric in her hands. The deep red hue almost seemed to bleed from the satin, its color so vivid that it almost looked as though it would drip. Not far away, Wei'er's lifeless body, bruised and cold, almost appeared to be brought to life by the bright, garish red glow.
Su Mi couldn't help but chuckle softly, a quiet, almost bitter laugh…
What joy is there in life? What sorrow in death? Here, in this palace, what difference is there between her and me? Things of the same nature are drawn together, so why fear anything?