Chapter 770: The Truth

Once An Shutong had calmed down, Princess Consort Zhuang had Yingxue bring her some water to wash her face and hands. Only then did she slowly recount what had happened after An Shutong fell unconscious.

She explained that An Shutong shouldn’t think the Imperial Concubine was ignoring her; it was the Empress Dowager who had refused to let her get involved.

‘That was a misunderstanding that couldn’t be allowed to stand.’

An Shutong’s expression shifted, finally settling into a deathly pallor.

Seeing her expression, Princess Consort Zhuang knew she must be distraught. But An Shutong and the Empress Dowager were aunt and niece by blood; as an outsider, there was little she could say.

“So, that’s the situation. The Imperial Consort originally intended to investigate your attack personally, but since the Empress Dowager forbade it, she couldn’t insist. For now, I’m in charge of this matter. Tell me exactly what happened.” Princess Consort Zhuang called Rouge over, instructing her to write down An Pin’s words.

Princess Consort Zhuang observed An Pin. Though her complexion was ghastly, she seemed relatively calm, almost as if she wasn’t surprised by this news.

‘It makes sense,’ she mused. ‘Over the past six months, the Empress Dowager has probably been closer to Lady Zhao than to her own niece, An Shutong.’

‘When An Pin first entered the palace, she had ambition in her eyes too. She hid it well, but how could those of us who have been fighting in this palace for years fail to see it?’

‘But what was my own attitude back then?’ Princess Consort Zhuang wondered.

‘I think I was actually pleased. The more fighting spirit An Shutong had, the fiercer her struggle with the Imperial Concubine would be, and I could just swoop in and reap the rewards.’

‘But who would have known?’

Princess Consort Zhuang had never once seen the Imperial Concubine make a move against An Shutong. His Majesty never gave anyone the chance, so there was no need for the Imperial Concubine to act at all.

An Shutong nearly drowned, yet His Majesty didn’t even come to see her. If the Imperial Concubine had been here, His Majesty would have rushed over.

‘The Empress Dowager…’ Princess Consort Zhuang sneered inwardly. ‘She only gets away with it because she’s His Majesty’s birth mother.’

After a long silence, An Shutong began to recount the attack.

“I was cooling myself in the shade of a flower wall. After lying there for a good while, I started to feel stiff, so I wanted to take a walk and stretch. Before that, I saw a Palace Attendant who serves Lady Zhao come back with some flowers she had picked…”

An Shutong carefully recalled the afternoon’s events. The memory was still fresh in her mind, and she recounted it in a steady voice.

“The flowers were a mix of colors, their fragrances all jumbled together. I asked about it, and the little palace maid said that Suhua, one of Lady Zhao’s attendants, had told her to pick them that way. I figured it must be Lady Zhao’s preference, so I didn’t press the matter.”

An Shutong spoke in a monotone, as if recounting a perfectly ordinary event. Princess Consort Zhuang listened, nodding slightly. It was true that people had their own tastes; this was nothing significant.

“The sunlight in the flower-shaded grove made me drowsy. In a haze, I heard someone else enter and the faint sound of voices. Half-asleep, I heard Lady Zhao’s displeased tone. Apparently, she wanted some pastries, but the kitchen was too short-staffed to make them for her. So, she sent Suhua to ask if the kitchen could spare her a stove. I remember thinking it was amusing at the time. ‘Is Lady Zhao planning to make them herself?’ I wondered…”

An Shutong’s tone was nonchalant, as if she were merely recounting something she had happened to overhear.

Princess Consort Zhuang’s expression, however, turned grave. With a palace banquet approaching, Lady Zhao was asking the kitchen for a stove. She couldn’t help but feel there was more to it.

“I was lying behind the flower wall at the time. It would have been awkward to reveal myself, like I’d been eavesdropping, so I stayed put and only left after Lady Zhao and her maid were gone. After a while, I felt stiff from lying down for so long, so I took Mu Qing out for a walk to stretch our legs…”

“The moon was dim that night. Walking along the palace path, the breeze from the lake felt pleasant, but the darkness was unnerving. I had walked a short distance and was about to turn back when I felt a shadow lunge at me. Something scratched the back of my hand. I was so startled that I lost my footing and fell into the water. I’m not a strong swimmer. As I struggled in the water, I felt Mu Qing fall in as well. I tried to see if she was all right, but she was completely still in the water…”

Princess Consort Zhuang already knew the rest. An Pin had screamed for help and was rescued by patrolling Palace Attendants. Tragically, she had tried to save Mu Qing but, exhausted, had nearly drowned herself.

“When I saw Mu Qing motionless in the water, I knew it was bad. But she had been with me for so many years… even if there was only a sliver of hope, I couldn’t abandon her. But… she’s gone.”

Tears streamed down An Shutong’s face again. She looked up at Princess Consort Zhuang. “Your Highness, perhaps my being scratched could be dismissed as an accident with a wild cat, but Mu Qing’s attack was no accident. I beg you, Your Highness, find the truth. I must have vengeance for Mu Qing.”

“You didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary at the time?” Princess Consort Zhuang asked, looking at An Shutong.

An Shutong shook her head. “I truly didn’t notice anyone following me, and I never imagined someone would be so audacious as to commit murder. Since entering the palace, I’ve done my best to follow the rules and have never made enemies with anyone. I honestly don’t know who I could have offended so grievously that they would want to kill me.”

Princess Consort Zhuang frowned. “Think carefully. Is there truly no one in this palace who resents you? Or perhaps you made an enemy without even knowing it?”

An Shutong stared at the bed canopy, thinking for a long moment before shaking her head. “I was ill for nearly six months. I hardly ever left the gates of Huayang Palace. How could I have made enemies?”

As she said this, she paused. An Shutong’s expression slowly began to change.

“Have you remembered something?” Princess Consort Zhuang asked.

“I’ve remembered something,” she said, “but I wouldn’t consider it making an enemy.”

Choosing her words carefully, An Shutong recounted her history with Zhao Ling’e. She held nothing back, describing Zhao Ling’e’s animosity and flaunting, as well as her own petty retaliations after Zhao Ling’e was demoted.

Princess Consort Zhuang had known some of this already, but she was surprised by how forthcoming An Shutong was.

Neither Lady Zhao’s provocative displays nor An Shutong’s retaliation counted as a major affair in the palace.

Certainly not enough to lead to murder.

However, since there seemed to be no one else with a grudge against An Shutong, Princess Consort Zhuang said, “I will question Lady Zhao after daybreak. I will also submit a report of everything you’ve told me today for His Majesty’s review.”

An Shutong struggled to sit up and bow her thanks, but Princess Consort Zhuang gently pushed her back down. “Those who survive a great disaster are destined for good fortune. You must focus on your recovery.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Princess Consort Zhuang departed with her attendants. An Shutong leaned back against the soft pillows, her eyes fixed blankly on the canopy above.

The canopy was adorned with a pattern of lush, beautiful, flowering branches. She remembered Mu Qing telling her, “My lady, look! This floral pattern is a new design. I was quick enough to snatch it from the sewing workshop. Suhua, Lady Zhao’s maid, couldn’t grab it before I did. She wasn’t fast enough!”

The memory of Mu Qing’s joyful, triumphant eyes flashed before her. And in the blink of an eye, she was gone.