Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 187 Life

Upon hearing the tragic news, Xue Sui and Wen Jia rushed back to the Western Hill Palace in the rain.

Pushing open the door to the bedchamber, one sees shattered white porcelain scattered all over the floor, and Consort Wan lying limply in a pool of blood. Black blood spilling from the corner of her lips stains her plain white robes red, mingling with the leftover tea, meandering across the blue brick floor...

"Auntie..."

Wen Jia's legs buckled, and she fell to her knees, bending down to embrace Consort Wan Zhao's body, letting out a heart-wrenching cry.

"You promised to watch Niu Niu grow up, you promised to take us back to Xizi to see the jujube blossoms..."

The torrential rain pounded against the glazed tiles, making them clang loudly.

Wen Jia was overcome with grief, and the sobs that escaped her throat felt like steel knives scraping through her flesh and blood.

"Mother, wake up! Open your eyes and look at your daughter..."

Xue Sui rushed forward and helped her up.

His fingertips touched the black blood on Consort Wan's body, and his expression changed slightly.

This poison... could it be Siz's arsenic?

Today, in the bamboo forest behind Puji Temple, Xue Sui met Gu Jie.

At that time, Gu Jie handed her the poison Ping Le had given him and relayed Ping Le's original words.

"This substance is lethal upon contact with blood; if dissolved in tea, a single sip can be fatal."

Xue Sui assured him that she would not cause him any trouble regarding Fu Qingsong's matter, and only then did Gu Jie leave with peace of mind...

She deliberately left the packet of poison in the storeroom of the meditation room at Puji Temple, so that Li Huan would "accidentally" find it. He originally intended to use someone else to kill her, but how did it end up killing Consort Wan?
Did Ping Le instigate others to sneak into the Xishan Palace and commit evil deeds?
Was it truly the heartless King Ashina of Xiz who sent Xiz assassins to extend their blood-stained hands to his half-sister?
Xue Sui draped a blue satin cloak over Wen Jia's shoulders, gently squeezed her arm, offered a few words of comfort, and then slowly walked out.

She is gone. Several palace maids who served Consort Wan waited in the outer hall, heads tucked in and hands hanging down, like a flock of frightened birds, filled with anxiety.

Xue Sui walked by quietly, his gaze sweeping over the group of obedient palace servants.

"Who can tell me what happened before the Empress passed away?"

The air is stagnant.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

The agarwood burning on the bronze beast-shaped incense burner emitted a desolate and mournful aura...

Xue Sui stopped in front of Cui Lu, Consort Wan's personal maid. "You tell me."

Cuilu was clearly frightened; her face was ashen, and her eyes were swollen from crying.

"Around dawn, Her Majesty said she wanted to go to the back garden to enjoy the rain. I tried to dissuade her, but Her Majesty said..." Her words suddenly choked, as if she were crying, "that this might be the last time she enjoys the rain in the palace, and that she might never have such leisure again..."

Consort Wan's condition improved, but it wasn't appropriate for her to stay in the imperial palace indefinitely.

Was she afraid that Emperor Chongzhao would summon her back again?
Xue Sui composed himself and continued, "And then?"

Cuilu lowered her head, "But when Her Highness went to the corridor and saw that the rain was heavy, she turned back and told me to brew tea, saying that sitting by the window and enjoying the rain was the same thing..."

Xue Sui then asked, "At that time, how many people were serving you?"

Cuilu said, "Only this servant and Caiping."

Xue Sui glanced at another maid and asked, "Who brewed the tea?"

Caiping curtsied, her face streaked with tears, her voice trembling, "The tea was brewed by this servant, using Biluochun tea bestowed by His Majesty, and the cups were carefully wiped clean. Your Highness had only drunk half a cup when she cried out in unbearable abdominal pain..."

"The maids panicked and rushed to fetch Physician Zhou. When Physician Zhou arrived, the Empress was already unconscious..."

In order to quell the turmoil and appease Wen Jia, Emperor Chongzhao specially sent Zhou Zhong from the Imperial Hospital to the temporary palace to help Consort Wan recover her health. Little did he expect that he would become the one to see her to her death...

A trace of sorrow flashed in Xue Sui's eyes.

"How long did it take for Physician Zhou to arrive?"

Cuilu lowered her head, "It's only been the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. We've tried acupuncture and medicine, but... but ultimately... it's too late..." Xue Sui's gaze swept over everyone, "Where is your young master? And when was it discovered that he was missing?"

Cuilu glanced at Niu Niu's wet nurse and clenched her fists tightly.

"The wet nurse said that the young lady was sleeping peacefully in the warm pavilion after noon, so she stayed by her side on a low stool in the outer room, doing some needlework... Usually, the young lady would sleep for a full hour before getting up... Therefore, when she heard that the lady had an accident, she was so frightened that she ran to Lanxin Palace... When she went back to check on the young lady, there was only a crooked tiger-head pillow left on the bed, and there was no sign of the young lady anywhere..."

Xue Sui's heart sank.

She inquired in detail about the tea-brewing process, the imperial physician's diagnosis, and questioned the guards and servants in the palace, sorting out the whole story before going to Niu Niu's room...

Under the carved bed, two small shoes lay askew; the boxwood box on the table was overturned on the floor, the gilded box that should have contained jewelry was empty…

Only a longevity lock lay quietly in the corner, gleaming with a cold light.

She remained silent for a moment, then lifted the curtain and came out. She saw Princess Wenjia standing alone under the eaves, the rain weaving a curtain of water around her, her slender figure like a blue iris bent by a downpour.

"Ping An, look at this."

Wen Jia held a sandalwood box containing two broken jade pendants.

"This was placed by my mother's pillow. It was originally a whole piece, but I don't know when it broke in two..."

Xue Sui took it and examined it carefully by candlelight.

The jade pendant was very similar to the one she had seen at Puji Temple, but the inside was engraved with more intricate patterns, and upon closer inspection, it even had Xizi script on it.

Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"Has the princess thought of something?"

As soon as Wenjia opened her mouth, tears welled up in her eyes.

“My mother told me about the origin of this jade pendant. At that time, the Great Liang and Xizi had not yet fallen out, Ashina had not yet ascended the throne, and my maternal grandfather was still alive... That year, Ashina was sent as an envoy to the Great Liang and went to the palace to pay homage to the emperor. He specially gave my mother a jade pendant…”

She paused, her hoarse voice becoming even hoarser.

“Mother cherished Chishui City and the bond between siblings, and always treasured the jade pendant. Now that the jade pendant is broken, Mother can never return to the hometown she has longed for her whole life…”

Her cries were heart-wrenching.

"My mother said the sunset in Xiz was magnificent, the camel bells were crisp, the sand sea was boundless, and the wolf bone flute played a melodious tune... How she longed to see it one more time..."

As she spoke, she suddenly grabbed Xue Sui's wrist and sobbed softly.

"Ping An, do you think Ping Le did it? It's one thing for her to come at me, but why would she do such a thing to my mother... and even my child?"

Xue Sui helped her up and said softly, "Princess, please rest assured. We will definitely find Niu Niu and avenge Her Majesty."

Wen Jia trembled as her fingertips traced the edge of the jade pendant.

“My mother died under mysterious circumstances. As her daughter, I don’t even know who the murderer is. I couldn’t even protect my own flesh and blood. I’m truly useless…”

Xue Sui's mind flashed with Gu Jie's image as he considered whether he had overlooked any crucial clues.

"Wenjia, give me some time."

"Peace." Wenjia gazed at her, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls. "My mother has left me. If Niuniu can't be found either, what hope do I have left to live..."

Xue Sui gently patted her back, suddenly recalling Consort Wan's gentle and serene smile, feeling a mix of sorrow and mixed emotions, yet unsure how to comfort her.

Layers of lead-gray clouds piled up, and torrential rain poured down.

The green hills grieve together, and the clear waters are filled with sorrow.

The copper bells on the eaves rang again, as if the camel bells of Siz had traveled through thousands of miles of yellow sand, but they could no longer call back the woman who was gazing at her homeland.

She was originally a princess, beautiful and delicate, who came to the capital from the distant land of Xiz for a political marriage. She was not favored by the emperor, persecuted by a treacherous concubine, and imprisoned in the cold palace for over ten years. Plagued by illness, she never uttered a sound of her suffering, always appearing gentle to others. Just when she thought her ordeal was finally over, tragedy struck, and she perished...

This is the life story of a woman sent to a foreign land for political reasons.