A'jiao returned to the Jade Hall to find Chen Xuan still kneeling at the foot of the stairs. Perhaps because he had never knelt for so long in his life, his posture had collapsed; he was now sprawled flat against the ground. As A'jiao stepped down from the carriage, she walked over to his side.
Chen Xuan hurriedly looked up, his eyes shining as if he had finally spotted a savior.
A'jiao shook her head and sighed. "The Emperor isn't coming back tonight," she said. "You’ll be kneeling here until tomorrow morning."
Despair washed over Chen Xuan’s face. He wailed, "Mother was just here. She said she was going to plead with His Majesty... Mother said she’d be back in a moment."
A'jiao frowned, then offered a word of comfort. "Regardless of whether your mother can successfully intercede, you must remain kneeling here properly. You need to ensure the Emperor sees you when he returns tomorrow, do you understand?" She took the opportunity to let Chen Xuan suffer a bit of punishment, hoping he would learn that he couldn't simply turn the world upside down at his whim.
"Furthermore, you must change your ways from now on. You cannot continue acting without a single thought in your head. Do you understand?"
"But..." Chen Xuan still looked indignant.
A'jiao crouched down and gently patted his back, sighing. "Do you know of Xiucheng Zizhong?" Seeing Chen Xuan’s blank expression, she continued, "The current Emperor’s birth mother had a daughter named Jin Su before she entered the palace. Later, after His Majesty ascended the throne, he sought out this elder sister who had been lost among the common folk to show his filial piety. He enfeoffed her as the Lady of Xiucheng, with honors equal to those of a Grand Princess."
Chen Xuan nodded repeatedly. "I remember that now."
"Xiucheng Zizhong was Jin Su’s son. Relying on the Empress Dowager’s favor and partiality, he acted with utter lawlessness in the capital." A'jiao paused. "Do you remember what happened to him in the end?"
Chen Xuan thought hard but truly couldn't recall. His voice trembled. "Wh—what happened?"
A'jiao smiled. "He was arrested and interrogated by Yi Zong, the Governor of Chang'an, for rebellious conduct. He died shortly thereafter. As for Yi Zong, because of his integrity and his refusal to back down before the powerful, he was promoted to the position of Commandant of Henai."
Chen Xuan’s body began to shake. He covered his mouth and wept for a moment, yet he still managed to say, "But... but my mother is the late Emperor’s Grand Princess. It’s not the same as the Lady of Xiucheng. They might have been able to kill Zizhong, but they might not necessarily..."
"Then do you know of Zhi Du?"
Chen Xuan looked up blankly once more.
"Zhi Du... on the grounds that the Prince of Linjiang had encroached upon the ancestral temple, summoned him to the Middle Commandant’s office for questioning. After the Prince of Linjiang submitted a letter to the Emperor, he committed suicide in prison." A'jiao felt her own voice take on the chill of the night air. "At that time, Empress Xiaowen wished to execute Zhi Du, yet Emperor Xiaojing instead appointed him as the Grand Administrator of Yanmen." A'jiao patted Chen Xuan’s head. "Does the Lord of Zhaoping believe his status is more noble than that of the Prince of Linjiang? Or do you believe the bond between uncle and nephew shared by you and His Majesty is more sincere and profound than the bond of father and son between the Prince of Linjiang and Emperor Xiaojing?"
Chen Xuan collapsed onto the ground, lacking even the strength to cry. A'jiao stood up and said, "Now that you understand, continue kneeling and wait for His Majesty."
With that, she led her attendants back to the bath-chamber. Huang Yu mentioned he would go prepare the side hall for her; A'jiao gave her consent and let him go.
Autumn had arrived, and the nights were becoming quite chilly. A'jiao bundled the quilt from her couch into a ball and handed it to Nan Ke, instructing, "Take this out and give it to the Lord of Zhaoping to place under his knees." He had to kneel all night, but if he knelt on the stone slabs like that until morning, he would likely be a cripple for the rest of his life.
After she finished washing up, Huang Yu returned to report that the side hall was ready. A'jiao wrapped herself in a blanket as her attendants brought twelve sets of new clothes before her. Moving to the side hall, she dismissed all the servants, claiming she was ready for sleep.
Once the lights outside had gradually dimmed, A'jiao rose, stuffed her pillow under the covers, and cast an Instant Travel Charm to enter the Emperor’s bedchamber.
The Emperor was not there, yet incense still burned within the room.
A'jiao looked around but didn't sense anything amiss. Could it be that Liu Che truly felt her current status made her unworthy of entering his bedchamber? That didn't seem right.
Only a single young eunuch stood guard outside. A'jiao didn't dare light a lamp, so she could only rely on the faint moonlight to see in the darkness.
The desk, the bookshelves, the dressing table, the wardrobe, the bath-chamber within the suite... A'jiao checked them one by one, finding nothing unusual. She sat dejectedly on the footstool, unable to figure it out.
Suddenly, voices drifted in from outside. A'jiao hurried toward the exit, only to realize it was just the night patrol.
She returned to the center of the bedchamber. Thinking she might just be overthinking things, she hesitated for a moment before summoning her Official Tablet.
Under the glow of the tablet, A'jiao quickly discovered that the Emperor’s imperial bed was emitting an extremely faint light.
She stepped forward, grabbed the embroidered silk bed curtains, and turned them over repeatedly in her hands. Finally, she found the discrepancy.
Though the curtains looked thin and light, they felt substantial to the touch. For this type of fabric, they shouldn't have been so thick. A'jiao examined the embroidery closely and realized the patterns on the front and back did not match.
A'jiao walked to the side facing the wall, picked up the portion of the curtain trailing on the floor, and used a hairpin to pick it open.
As expected, two layers had been sewn together to appear as one, and the embroidery on each layer was different. The visible outer layer featured vermilion paired birds, floral patterns, and peacock lozenge motifs. The inner layer... was covered in incantations.
A'jiao thought to herself: *Has Liu Che been plotted against again?*
Upon closer inspection, she realized something was wrong. The inner layer was embroidered with Ghost-Slaying Charms, Grievance-Resolving Charms, Underworld Evil-Breaking Charms, and various other techniques for warding off evil and dispelling nightmares.
...Was Liu Che really this afraid of death?
A'jiao laughed wildly in her mind. But a moment later, a sense of unease set in. If this was the case, why wouldn't he let her inside?
Was everyone forbidden from entering, or was it only her? A'jiao suddenly felt anxious. If everyone was barred, it was one thing; but if she was the only one excluded, did that mean Liu Che knew she wasn't human?
Looking at the gap she had picked open, A'jiao was suddenly annoyed at herself for forgetting to bring a needle and thread. Moreover, she had no idea where such things were kept in this room.
A'jiao simply teleported back to the side hall. After a frantic search, she found a sewing kit in a low cabinet and returned to the Emperor’s bedchamber with the entire box.
Fortunately, during her years in the Underworld, she had diligently learned needlework from her grandmother. Otherwise, she would have had to risk exposing her identity by waking Mian Fu.
After mending the curtain and checking that nothing looked amiss, she returned to the side hall and lay down on the bed.
"Miss?" A figure appeared behind the screen.
"Hmm?" A'jiao responded, pretending she had just woken up.
Nan Ke walked in holding a candle. She pulled back the bed curtains for A'jiao and asked softly, "Why is Miss awake?"
A'jiao leaned against the headboard and smiled. "I just suddenly felt wide awake. Come sit for a while. Is it cold outside?" Of Chen Wan’s two maids, Mian Fu was usually more talkative and steady; she was the one who handled most tasks. Nan Ke was much more silent. To this day, A'jiao couldn't quite pin down her personality, only remembering that Nan Ke had apparently been rescued from a human trafficker by Chen Wan years ago.
Nan Ke sat on the footstool, simply watching A'jiao. A'jiao smiled. "What time is it?"
"It is the fourth watch."
"The fourth watch..." A'jiao sighed softly.
"Miss... are you missing His Majesty?" Nan Ke asked in a low voice.
"What nonsense are you talking about, little girl?" A'jiao laughed, covering her face.
A hint of a smile touched Nan Ke’s eyes, the candlelight dancing within them. "Miss has changed lately. You’ve become like a different person."
A'jiao’s heart skipped a beat. She forced a smile. "How have I changed? It’s all out of necessity, that’s all."
"Is Miss angry with me for secretly telling the Second Young Mistress of the main branch about Miss going to the Marquis of Changping’s estate?" Nan Ke asked.
A'jiao was stunned. So it was Nan Ke who had told Wei Yuan. She tucked away her smile and asked, "Then tell me, why did you go and tell my second sister-in-law? If you have a reason, I won't be angry with you."
Nan Ke lowered her head. "Miss clearly hid under the covers and cried the day before. In your heart, you were unwilling. But the Grand Princess said that only if Miss gained the Emperor’s favor could you help the Chen family... only then did Miss agree..."
Tears fell pitter-patter onto the footstool. Nan Ke reached out to wipe them away.
A'jiao felt a pang of sadness in her own heart. She stroked Nan Ke’s head. "You meant well. But I am angry with you..."
Nan Ke looked up in surprise. A'jiao smiled. "I’m angry that you didn't tell Second Sister-in-law sooner. If you had, perhaps I wouldn't have had to go to the Marquis’s estate at all."
Nan Ke grabbed A'jiao’s hand and began to sob. "Miss, you must... seek revenge for her."
It felt as if her heart stopped for a split second. A'jiao pulled her hand back and laughed awkwardly. "You silly girl, what revenge? Who is there to have a grudge against?"
Nan Ke looked up. "Seek revenge for *our* Miss. I do not know what kind of immortal you are, but I saw you..." She gestured to the way A'jiao had suddenly vanished from the room. "I beg of you!" She knelt on the floor and kowtowed three times with loud thuds.
She had originally only thought that her mistress’s personality had changed drastically after being poisoned. Mian Fu had said it was the result of the poison combined with the distress of being unable to enter the palace.
However, while this "Miss's" daily behavior bore some resemblance to the past, there were many differences in the fine details. She hadn't dared to voice her suspicions until she heard a sound in the room just now, only to discover that the "Miss" before her had suddenly vanished while holding a box of needles.
A'jiao felt she had received far too many shocks in a single day. She looked at Nan Ke, who was still kneeling, and asked, "Besides you, who else knows?"
"Only me. Mian Fu has her suspicions... but she once had a brother whose personality changed completely due to an incident. Since the physician mentioned such a possibility, Mian Fu didn't suspect too much. No one else knows. The wet nurse and the elder maids haven't said anything because they are at the manor; they likely don't suspect anything."
A'jiao: "..." *Likely?* That wasn't a very reassuring word.
"Get up. Revenge... naturally, it must be taken. But the incident happened at the Marquis of Changping’s estate, and it’s not convenient for me to go and ask questions recklessly right now. Do not be anxious. As for the others..."
"I will certainly keep the secret," Nan Ke kowtowed three more times. A'jiao helped her up and saw that a large bruise had already formed on her forehead.
"Fine. Rest assured, since I am Chen Wan now, I will take care of this grievance. Go and apply a compress to your forehead so people don't get suspicious."
"I understand." With tears in her eyes, Nan Ke stared blankly at the person before her—someone so familiar, yet so strange.
"Also, find a way to sound out the wet nurse and the elder maids to see if they have any suspicions." A'jiao lay back down and added this final instruction before closing her eyes.
***
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The Han Dynasty Empress is a Ghost | Chapter 87 | Growing Suspicions | Novela.app | Novela.app
