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“Died of illness,” I said, pondering, and adding to what I had heard before, “Some say that Yan Wenying poisoned him.”

Mr. Zhang shook his head and said, "She was buried alive."

This was probably the most shocking thing I'd heard in days. I was completely speechless for a moment, just staring blankly at Mr. Zhang, completely lacking in manners.

"The Emperor's decision to depose the Empress was initially driven by a momentary anger, and he later regretted it," Mr. Zhang told me. "Once, while strolling in the inner garden, he saw the palanquin that Empress Guo had used. Overwhelmed with nostalgia, he composed a poem and sent a eunuch to Empress Guo's residence, Yaohua Palace, to present it to her. Empress Guo responded with a poem in the same rhyme scheme, her words filled with sorrow. The Emperor was deeply saddened by this and sent someone to promise her that he would recall her to the palace. Lü Yijian and Yan Wenying were terrified upon hearing this, fearing Empress Guo's future retaliation. At this time, Empress Guo caught a cold, and Yan Wenying led the imperial physicians to examine her. For some reason, the illness worsened with treatment. A few days later, Yan Wenying declared that all medicine was ineffective, and the Imperial Concubine Guo died."

I had heard these things before, so I asked Mr. Zhang, "Didn't the people in the palace say that Yan Wenying poisoned the medicine and killed him?"

Mr. Zhang said, "The poison was administered, but it was a slow-acting poison that only worsened Empress Guo's condition without causing immediate death. Perhaps he felt that if he administered a strong poison, the symptoms would be too obvious. At that time, the current emperor was observing a fast in the southern suburbs and was about to return. Yan Wenying was afraid that he would visit Empress Guo after his return, so he forcibly carried her into the coffin and placed her in a coffin before she had died."

I imagined how Empress Guo must have felt at that time, and a chill ran down my spine. I then asked him, "How did you know about this, sir?"

Mr. Zhang replied, “At that time, I was working at the Imperial Pharmacy. One day, I was ordered to deliver medicine to Empress Guo. When I arrived at her residence, I found a coffin already set up in the courtyard, and a group of eunuchs and palace maids were weeping before the coffin. Yan Wenying came over to me, wiping away his tears, and said that Empress Guo had passed away the previous night. Seeing my hesitation, he ordered someone to open the coffin for me to examine. Of course, Empress Guo had already been properly dressed and seemed to be sleeping peacefully in a normal posture, but she still had a furrowed brow and a frown, as if she was in great pain. My gaze inadvertently swept over the coffin lid that they had lifted and I saw several scratch marks on it... I was immediately suspicious, so I made an excuse that since the valuable medicine had already been delivered, it was inconvenient to return it, so it would be better to put it in the coffin for burial. So, while placing the medicine, I slightly lifted Empress Guo's sleeve and found that her fingers were bruised and purplish, and her skin and nails were broken. It seemed that she had scratched herself while struggling desperately in the coffin…”

"Alright, stop talking." Unable to bear the sight of the tragedy, I couldn't help but interrupt Mr. Zhang's narration.

Mr. Zhang remained silent. After a while, I asked again, "Since you saw Guo Hou's face and fingers after her death, were you not later framed by Yan Wenying?"

“I suspect he did have that intention. However, he soon found himself in dire straits and had no time to deal with me,” Mr. Zhang said. “Although he said Empress Guo died of illness, everyone in the palace and the court suspected him, and rumors spread that he had poisoned her. Some officials asked the current emperor to examine Empress Guo’s daily life and investigate the matter in detail, but although the current emperor was saddened, he did not grant the officials’ request and only ordered that Empress Guo be buried with the rites due to an empress. Yan Wenying had loudly rebuked the physicians when the current emperor was fasting at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Seeing that the current emperor did not want to investigate the cause of Empress Guo’s death, the officials used this incident as another pretext to impeach him. As a result, the current emperor sent Yan Wenying out of the capital. Not long after, Yan Wenying died in Lingnan.”

"Have you told the Emperor about this?" I asked him.

“No. Since he doesn’t want to pursue the matter, why should I interfere? He has his reasons, and we don’t need to speculate on his intentions.” Mr. Zhang replied, then turned to look in the direction of the Empress’s palace, his eyes solemn. “But ever since then, every time I touch upon that decree to depose the Empress, I remind myself that I must never let this happen to the current Empress.”

“So,” he looked at me again and said calmly, “it’s nothing to suffer some cold looks. As long as I’m still in this palace and have a breath left, I will do what I should do.”

I really wanted to ask him if he would be expelled from the palace if he angered the Emperor. But in the end, I didn't ask. Then I thought about it again. Over the years, although the Emperor didn't like him, he had tolerated him. There must be some kind of tacit understanding between them.

(to be continued)

The Lonely City Closes (A Princess Who Fell in Love with a Eunuch) The waters of the Canglang River Wash My Tassels 26. Choices and Rejections

Chapter word count: 3216 Update time: 08-09-13 15:38

26. Choices and Trade-offs

The current emperor did not depose the empress entirely because of the advice of Chen Zhizhong, He Tan, and Liang Shi; this is the version of events that has been passed down since then.

It is said that on that night, the emperor and his ministers discussed the affairs of the Empress's chambers. He Tan advised, "The Empress is benevolent and wise, and respected both internally and externally. The so-called palace turmoil originated from the Empress's chambers. It is necessary to establish a prison to investigate and punish such people. This is the scheme of treacherous individuals who intend to harm the Empress and covet undue advantages. Your Majesty must be vigilant."

The Emperor again asked Chen Zhizhong for his opinion, and Chen also stated that it was inappropriate to order a trial and interrogate the Empress, and he held a firm stance on the matter. The Emperor repeatedly asked, and Liang Shi, who was standing nearby, became impatient and said bluntly, "Your Majesty has deposed the Empress once, that's enough. How can you do it a second time?"

His tone was sharp, and his voice resounded throughout Erying Pavilion, causing all who heard it to change color.

The Emperor remained silent and dropped the matter of establishing a prison. Seeing that he had heeded the advice, the others took their leave. The Emperor kept Liang Shi behind and made a special promise to him, saying, "I only wish to treat Consort Zhang with the respect due to a concubine; I have no other intentions. You can rest assured."

That evening, the three went to the Hanlin Academy and met Zhang Fangping, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy. They recounted the matter and mentioned the Emperor's statement about "granting Zhang the slightest honors as a concubine." Zhang Fangping immediately objected, strongly urging Chen Zhizhong, "In the Han Dynasty, Consort Feng was treated like a fierce beast, yet Emperor Yuan showed her no special respect. Moreover, it is illogical for an Empress to be honored as a concubine despite her merits. If you, sir, agree to move Consort Zhang to the rank of concubine, the people of the world will surely place all the blame on you when they discuss this matter."

Chen Zhizhong wholeheartedly agreed. Afterwards, when the current emperor brought up the matter of honoring Consort Zhang again, he simply remained silent.

Therefore, during this month, no news of Consort Zhang's promotion was heard in the palace. However, an imperial decree was finally issued regarding Mr. Zhang: Zhang Maoze, the Inner West Head Attendant and Director of the Inner East Gate, was transferred to lead the Imperial Pharmacy.

For a eunuch, leading the Imperial Pharmacy was a very important and prestigious position.

The Imperial Pharmacy, or Imperial Pharmacy within the palace, was the most important inner court agency, responsible for verifying medical prescriptions, preparing medicines, and managing the delivery of drugs to the emperor. The emperor's medicines were made by the Imperial Pharmacy before being presented to him, making it a weighty responsibility. Therefore, the eunuchs appointed to lead the Imperial Pharmacy were no ordinary individuals. Court regulations stipulated that only eunuchs who had served for over thirty years, had not been promoted for ten years, and had repeatedly distinguished themselves in service were eligible for selection.

The officials in charge of the Imperial Pharmacy were not only responsible for medicine, but also served as attendants to the emperor during his visits, enforced rituals, conducted imperial examinations for candidates, conveyed imperial edicts, and supervised imperial missions. In addition, they would stand to the left or right or at the corner of the palace when the emperor held court, ready to be summoned at any time.

The eunuchs who held this position were regarded as close confidants of the emperor, and this job also provided them with ample opportunities for promotion. Many officials, including the chief eunuch, the chief administrator, and even the chief administrators of two provinces, had held this position.

Therefore, I was quite surprised by Mr. Zhang's promotion, even though he met the three requirements for being selected as an official in the Imperial Pharmacy. I privately speculate that perhaps this wasn't the Emperor's original intention, but rather a decision made by Chen Zhizhong or Liang Shi, among others. However, this is merely speculation.

However, the most unexpected news about the promotion came from Qiu He. After discussing with the Empress, the Emperor ordered Gu Cai'er, the Director of the Imperial Styling Department, to take over the work of the ailing Chu Shangfu. Qiu He was promoted to Director of the Imperial Styling Department and became the new Lady of the Imperial Styling Department after Gu Cai'er.

"Was this matter arranged between you and the Emperor that day?" I asked Qiuhe.

She knew exactly which day "that day" was, and nodded sadly.

This made her departure from the palace even more distant. I sighed inwardly, truly feeling sorry for her and Cui Bai's situation. "Are you willing?"

She looked up at me, her eyes empty. "I can't explain it either... That day, I begged him to let the Empress stay by his side, and his final words were a kind of agreement... Then, he smiled helplessly and sighed, saying, 'How come even you are running around for her? I'm already surrounded by her people.' I lowered my head, not daring to answer. He continued, 'Before, every time I went out, Yang Jingzong was on my left, Deng Baoji on my right, and after a few steps, I would run into Zhang Maoze... She knows everything I do, big and small... I'm trapped here by her.'"

Am I trapped here by her? I widened my eyes slightly—this sounded so familiar.

"'Are you one of hers too?' the official asked me," Qiuhe continued. "He spoke to me so kindly, his voice as gentle as the April breeze, yet for some reason, it made me very sad... When I didn't answer, he said again, 'Can you come to my side? So I won't be too lonely.'"

"What?" I asked, frowning. "He said he's lonely?"

“If I heard correctly, that’s what he said.” Qiuhe seemed a little confused, but her tone was certain. “At the time, I also thought I had misheard. I looked up at him and saw him staring out the window, but his eyes were empty, as if he couldn’t see anything, and there was even a hint of sadness between his brows… I couldn’t understand, so I blurted out, ‘Lonely? Really? With so many wives around you, how could Your Majesty be lonely?’”

If it were me, I would have asked the same question. I didn't hide my curiosity: "What did he answer?"

"He seemed to snap out of his daze, smiled at me, and whispered, 'It's fake.' I lowered my head again, speechless. But then he leaned closer and whispered in my ear..." Qiu He's face flushed crimson, her voice growing even lower, "He said, 'That was just an excuse I came up with with great difficulty, to stop you from applying those cosmetics to your skin.'"

I suddenly recalled his attentive attention to Qiu He when we first met at Yifeng Pavilion, and I could vaguely understand Qiu He's confusion. Even if she didn't like this kind of man, such thoughtfulness and care were something that no woman in the world could resist. It must have been very difficult for her to refuse him at this time.

"I wanted to refuse, but..." Qiu hesitated, finding it difficult to accurately describe her feelings at the time.

“I understand, no need to say more.” I asked Yan again, “Then, does the Empress know of your decision?”

Qiuhe nodded: "The Emperor brought up my past with her. She then asked me privately if I was willing to go, saying that if I was not willing, she would release me from the palace as promised on the Qian Yuan Festival. But how could that be? If so, the Emperor would definitely ask for the reason... I was afraid that he and the ministers would find out that, in addition to Shuangyu, there were other palace maids in the Empress's Pavilion who had been in contact with outsiders."

That's something we should take into account. If they knew about this, things would get even worse.

I can guess her answer to the Queen: "Did you tell the Queen that you changed your mind?"

“Yes,” Qiu He smiled sadly, “I told her that I wanted to be a hairdresser myself and didn’t want to leave the palace to live a hard life.”