Chapter 14
Li Wenjian walked out of Fangchun Garden and met the hurried Fei Yu head-on.
Fei Yu rubbed his head and tentatively asked, "Your Highness, did you make a mistake? I searched for a long time, but her title deed certificate wasn't on the desk."
Li Wenjian remained poker-faced and casually said, "Oh, it must have been placed elsewhere."
Pausing for a moment, he then ordered, "Summon Mu Gui to see me."
Fei Yu asked him, "Should we continue looking for the deed certificate?"
Li Wenjian strode forward and replied, "No need."
Back in his study, Li Wenjian continued to browse through the books on the desk. After flipping a few pages, he heard footsteps approaching rapidly outside the corridor, it was Mu Gui.
"Your Highness," he called through the door.
Li Wenjian spoke, "Come in."
Mu Gui entered and asked, "Your Highness, did you summon me?"
Li Wenjian turned a page, raising his eyelids slightly, "Those who collude with the enemy need not remain in the Eastern Palace."
Having served by Li Wenjian's side for so many years, Mu Gui was naturally a clever person, and with a little thought, he figured out who Li Wenjian was referring to. "Yes, I'll take care of it right away," he said.
Li Wenjian squinted against the light and said, "Silence her."
---
Back in her room, Zhao Heng washed her face with water and suddenly felt unusually relieved, as if she hadn't been affected by Fu Ling's hurtful words. In the past, hearing such words would have left her wounded for a long time. But not today, those grievances, embarrassments, and sorrows seemed to have washed away along with her tears.
She disliked crying because it was the most useless thing in the world.
Crying couldn't bring back the dead, nor could it solve dilemma, it only exposed one's weakness.
Zhao Heng was never a weak woman.
She slowly closed her eyes, feeling heavy in her head and a bit blurred in consciousness.
The wrist that Li Wenjian had held earlier seemed to be slightly warm, she used her other hand to cool it down, but that warmth seemed to emanate from deep within her bones, and couldn't be dispelled.
By the time Zhao Heng woke up, it was already the next morning.
It was not early, and Lian Zhou's group had already gone to work, leaving the house quiet. On the table, there was a bowl of porridge and some steamed buns, which Lian Zhou had brought her for breakfast.
She was extremely hungry, so after washing up, she took a few bites haphazardly. Then she heard a commotion outside, curious, she walked to the window and looked out. Fu Ling was running and crying, with several unfamiliar palace maids chasing after her.
Because they were far away, Zhao Heng couldn't hear clearly what Fu Ling was saying, she only heard her hoarsely shouting "Aunt, Aunt" or something along those lines.
She thought Fu Ling was causing trouble with Aunt Chen again, about to close the window, but she saw the maids dragging Fu Ling to the lake. One of them twisted her hand, while another repeatedly pressed her head into the water.
These maids had come to take Fu Ling away, but they didn't expect such rudeness from the palace maids in the Eastern Palace, who were openly clamoring without any decorum.
They were determined to torture her, to make her remember and understand the rules.
So, they cruelly pressed her head into the water, allowing her to struggle and gasp for air.
Fu Ling hadn't eaten anything that morning, had been beaten, and now faced a massive change, she had no strength left.
After struggling a few times, she could no longer move.
She weakly begged for mercy.
Only then did the maids lift her up and take her away.
Zhao Heng watched this scene unfold in surprise, walking to the door, she saw the maids tying Fu Ling's hands behind her back, shoving her towards the direction of the palace bureau.
Zhao Heng, full of doubt, saw Lian Zhou and Bing Tao returning from work from a distance. The two of them were talking with their heads bowed, unable to hide their smiles.
Lian Zhou turned her head, looked towards Zhao Heng in front of her, her eyes lit up, and she ran towards her, excitedly saying, "Sister Aheng, have you heard? Aunt Chen is finished."
"Finished?" Zhao Heng suppressed her surprise and looked at Lian Zhou in confusion.
"Today, the palace bureau suddenly sent people and took Aunt Chen away," Lian Zhou said, relieved that Aunt Chen was finally dealt with, couldn't help but cheer, "They listed more than a dozen charges against her."
After a while, Zhao Heng slowly sat down with the support of the chairback, her fingers tightly gripping the wooden armrest, not saying a word. Why was Aunt Chen suddenly arrested at this critical moment?
She was worried that among Aunt Chen's list of crimes was her involvement in offering tribute to Jiang Jin.
If this matter came to light, Zhao Heng didn't know how to deal with it.
"Sister, what's wrong?" Lian Zhou noticed her bad complexion and apparent worry, asking with concern.
Zhao Heng shook her head, trying to discern from Lian Zhou and Bing Tao's expressions that they seemed to be unaware of what happened, and the matter hadn't been revealed yet.
Bing Tao gloated, "Did you see how powerful the people from the palace bureau were? They had evidence of her crimes and were ready to take Aunt Chen away, but she cried injustice, so they cut off her tongue."
Listening to Bing Tao's words, Zhao Heng's expression changed drastically as she looked at the swaying tree shadows in the courtyard. "Cut off her tongue."
"Sister has been under Aunt Chen's care since she entered the palace..." Lian Zhou was worried that Zhao Heng would be upset, so she gently shook Bing Tao's sleeve, signaling her to stop.
Zhao Heng sat in the shade of the trees, lowered her head, and sat in a daze for a long time.
She had no sympathy for Aunt Chen, if she didn't want to survive and leave the palace alive, if not for her grandmother, back then she would have wanted to skin her alive.
Aunt Chen's misfortune was the outcome she had hoped for.
Having her tongue cut off before death meant she could no longer speak.
"It's okay," Zhao Heng calmly reassured Lianzhou, feeling a mixture of satisfaction and confusion in her heart.
Yesterday, Fu Ling had made a scene in Fangchun Garden, and today Aunt Chen met her end. It easily resolved the years of torment and pent-up hatred that had been troubling her.
Was it a coincidence?
Aunt Chen was executed the same night she was taken away, causing a huge commotion, almost everyone in the Eastern Palace knew about it.
Having worked in the laundry for many years, Aunt Chen was strict and harsh, flattering to her superiors and abusive to her subordinates, which had long provoked discontent among the people. Since Fu Ling entered the palace, she had allowed her to wreak havoc in the laundry department.
The palace bureau investigated deeply, even uncovering the two death records that Aunt Chen held over others.
Therefore, with her death, almost everyone in the laundry department applauded.
The new headmaid arrived the next day, a very amiable person who was said to have previously worked in the Empress' palace. Upon her arrival, she immediately abolished the old rules and established new ones, winning the favor of the people.
Even the usually complaining Bing Tao had nothing but praise for her.
In the palace, the process of convicting someone was very complex, especially for capital offenses. It involved numerous meticulous steps from the palace bureau to the inner court.
But from conviction to execution, it only took one day for Aunt Chen. She was silenced before her death, and everything belonging to her was incinerated, including Fu Ling, who was also expelled from the palace.
The swiftness of it all left people speechless.
With Aunt Chen's death and Fu Ling's departure, the past events at Jiangjin Mansion were buried for good.
Zhao Heng wasn't one to be sentimental, but the thought of it made her heart race.
"Sister Aheng." Lianzhou entered the room, smiling and mentioning that Bai Yu had arrived.
The mention of his name momentarily stunned Zhao Heng. It felt like a distant memory come to life.
She had been looking forward to meeting him, but now that he was actually here, she felt a sudden sense of nervousness.
After this meeting, they might never see each other again.
"Sister?" Lian Zhou's voice brought her back to reality.
Gathering her thoughts, she forced a smile and said, "I know, I'll go see him right away."
Lian Zhou smiled, "Hurry, it seems like he's been waiting for a while."
Zhao Heng nodded, and Lian Zhou left, closing the door behind her.
Zhao Heng sat in the room for a while before gathering her courage and stepping outside. Meeting Bai Yu required a lot of courage.
Bai Yu stood under the osmanthus tree. The spring breeze rustled the green leaves, casting a golden light over him, surrounded by an unknown floral fragrance.
Zhao Heng stood on the steps, mesmerized by his figure, then took a deep breath and walked towards him.
An Xuzhi noticed the way the spring breeze lifted her skirt, even in plain attire, she was captivating.
Zhao Heng was a treasure hidden in the East Palace, a treasure only he knew about.
Thinking of this, a smile tugged at An Xuzhi's lips.
"Bai Yu." Zhaoxing forced a smile, approaching him with a gentle tone, "Sorry for keeping you waiting."
An Xuzhi's eyes lingered on her face. "You didn't keep me waiting long. I've come several times before, but they said you were not here."
Zhao Heng casually replied, "I went to the Duke of Anguo's mansion to attend to the old master."
An Xuzhi paused.
Not wanting to delve into details of that time, Zhao Heng changed the topic, "When are you setting off? Are you leaving soon?"
An Xuzhi's lips drooped slightly. He looked forward to this southern expedition, but there was a hint of uneasiness.
That uneasiness seemed to come out of nowhere, clouding his mind.
"I'll be leaving the day after tomorrow," An Xuzhi said.
Zhao Heng lowered her eyelids, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart, she handed him the parcel.
Suppressing the urge to cry, she smiled and said, "I made you a pair of shoes."
An Xuzhi's eyes lit up as they fell on the package she handed him.
"Did you make these yourself?" He smiled.
Zhao Heng blinked and nodded, "I was afraid I wouldn't make it in time for your departure, so I stayed up for two nights to finish them."
He looked down at the hole burned into the back of his old shoe, revealing loosely sewn cotton thread. It was rather embarrassing.
His size was similar to Bai Yu's, able to wear his clothes, but the shoe size didn't fit. His feet were large, and it was hard to find matching shoes among the palace attendants. This pair he wore was found with great difficulty the year he first met her.
He had been wearing them for many years, and later Bai Yu had custom-made a pair of palace shoes for him. However, he was used to this pair and found the new shoes stiff and uncomfortable, so he never bothered to change.
Zhao Heng had once suggested making him a new pair of shoes, but he knew she was busy with laundry affairs and didn't want to burden her with additional work, so he politely declined.
The young man was overjoyed.
"I will keep it with me, cherish it, and take good care of it," An Xuzhi blurted out, looking into Zhao Heng's eyes with warmth.
Zhao Heng pursed her lips and gently teased, "Silly, shoes are meant to be worn."
An Xuzhi struggled to contain the smile on his lips. This was the first pair of shoes Zhao Heng had made for him, and he couldn't bear to walk on them, letting them be tainted with even a speck of dirt.