Your Majesty is Poisonous – Chapter 99

The Empress Dowager Refuses

Yao Shuanglan had been driven to her wit’s end; only then did she make the trip to Longyi Palace under the cover of night.

Even with the Empress Dowager personally issuing an imperial decree, there was still no trace of her didi¹‘s whereabouts, and Longyi had yet to send anyone to deliver word to Qianqing Palace. She feared her didi had not been sent out of the palace at all, but had instead been abducted by the Yao family’s enemies. If she had not had the sense to voluntarily seek refuge in the Cold Palace back then, she probably would not have survived to this day. Those people had framed her father for murder for wealth, plotted against her, and even caused her didi to be sent into the palace to become a eunuch.

            

What she feared most was that those people would act before her didi could safely escape the palace.

Now that the Yao family’s case was finally showing some progress, as long as her didi slipped out of the palace to lay low for a while, their family’s enemies would not be able to harm him. Furthermore, the crime of defying an edict and fleeing punishment could not be pinned on his head. Once the case was overturned, everything would be easily resolved. She had always wanted to send her didi out of the palace as quickly as possible, but unfortunately, opportunities were hard to come by. Perhaps Longyi had found one? Before confirming with Longyi that her didi was safe and sound, there was no way she could fall asleep.

Once night fell and the lights in the Emperor’s bedchamber went out, Yao Shuanglan instructed the servants attending her to go to sleep. She waited for a very long time before slipping out of Qianqing Palace under the cover of darkness. The people around her had either been assigned by the Emperor or by the Empress Dowager; she had no true confidants at all, so she had to do everything herself. In particular, Ying’er and Fu’er, whom the Empress Dowager had assigned to her, performed their duties efficiently and cleanly, but they constantly stole sideways glances at her for no reason. It was clear they were monitoring her every move on behalf of the Empress Dowager.

            

Yunxiang was quite loyal to her, but since the girl had only recently been transferred over from Lady Lin’s quarters, Yao Shuanglan did not dare trust her with anything of great importance.

Yao Shuanglan left Qianqing Palace during the fourth watch², a time when even the night watchmen were dazed with sleep. She changed into dark clothing and successfully avoided the night patrol, but she failed to calculate one single thing.

Ying’er and Fu’er were the Empress Dowager’s personal people; when it came to carrying out their duties, they did so with absolute, life-risking devotion.

            

During the fourth watch, when everyone else was fast asleep, Fu’er remained wide awake.

She and Ying’er had agreed to split the night, each sleeping half a shift, determined to follow the Empress Dowager’s orders to watch Lan Jieyu every single moment. She followed Lan Jieyu from a distance all the way to Princess Longyi’s palace. When Lan Jieyu turned right toward Princess Longyi’s quarters, Fu’er hurriedly veered left, crossing the stream to make for the Empress Dowager’s quarters, which were still brightly lit.

The palace maid on duty outside Longyi Palace suddenly saw a dark figure walking toward her and was so startled she nearly cried out. Yao Shuanglan stepped forward, swiftly clapping a hand over the maid’s mouth, and whispered, “It is I.”

            

“Noble Lady Lan?” The maid was still unaware of Yao Shuanglan’s promotion to Jieyu. She also lowered her voice. “What brings you here at…” Why on earth would Noble Lady Lan come looking for Her Highness in the dead of night?

“I could not sleep, so I came to find Her Highness to admire the moon and share some wine. Has Princess Longyi already retired for the night?” Yao Shuanglan glanced at the tightly shut palace doors.

The maid looked up at the pitch-black sky, completely devoid of any moonlight… Admire the moon and drink wine???

            

Still, she knew Noble Lady Lan and Her Highness were old friends, so she confidently pushed open the doors. “Please wait here, Noble Lady. This slave-girl will go report to the Princess at once.” After a short while, the maid emerged. “The Princess invites you inside to speak, Noble Lady. Shall this slave-girl instruct the kitchen to prepare some side dishes?”

“No need.” Yao Shuanglan stepped into the hall.

Longyi was sitting on the bed, lazily rubbing her eyes. As Yao Shuanglan approached her in her half-asleep state, she began to wonder if she was dreaming again. What did the maid just say when she came in? Something about Noble Lady Lan looking for her?

            

Before Longyi could fully wake up, Yao Shuanglan sat down by the edge of the couch, her expression filled with anxiety as she asked, “Longyi, was it you who smuggled A Xian out of the palace?” If not, then her didi might truly be in grave danger, in which case she would have to beg the Emperor and the Empress Dowager to save him immediately. This was why she could not wait until tomorrow to ask Longyi—when it came to saving a life, every second counted!

“Mmh, yes. I sent someone to deliver word to you at Qianqing Palace, but they said you had accompanied Imperial Brother to the Empress’s quarters. Seeing how late it was, I figured I would just tell you tomorrow.” Longyi took Yao Shuanglan’s hand, yawning as she spoke.

Yao Shuanglan finally breathed a sigh of relief. “That is good.” Once he was out of the palace, the messy, chaotic affairs of the court would have nothing to do with her didi. However, she had another worry. “The Empress Dowager seems to care deeply about A Xian’s disappearance…”

            

When Wan Bi heard from Fu’er that Lan Jieyu had slipped away to Longyi Palace in the dead of night, her heart filled with a touch of joy.

She desperately hoped nothing bad had happened to Yao Xi. If Yao Xi had indeed been smuggled out of the palace through a collaboration between her jiejie, Lan Jieyu, and either Longyi or Tang Huaili, that would actually be the best possible outcome. As long as Yao Xi was safe, nothing else mattered. She wouldn’t blame Lan Jieyu or Longyi for it either. If she hadn’t been protecting Yao Xi, the child would have been killed in this palace sooner or later anyway.

The eunuch named Liufu from last time was the perfect example!

            

If she herself lacked the confidence to protect Yao Xi, she might have made the exact same choice as Lan Jieyu—to send the child out of the palace, far away from all the court’s right and wrong.

Wan Bi did not bring any attendants with her, making her way to Longyi Palace completely alone.

When she arrived, the palace maid on duty was startled yet again upon seeing the Empress Dowager. Tonight was truly lively at the Princess’s quarters; distinguished guests kept arriving one after another.

            

Just as the maid was about to kneel and pay her respects, Wan Bi gestured for her to be quiet with a cold look. No matter how loyal the maid was, she wasn’t foolish enough to offend the notoriously merciless Empress Dowager. Besides, the Princess was merely sharing some wine and chatting with Noble Lady Lan; there was nothing scandalous about it. With that thought, the maid quietly knelt and withdrew to the side.

“If you dare make a sound, this bereaved one³ will execute your nine generations⁴!” Wan Bi hissed, looking down imperiously at the maid. Then, with grand momentum, she slipped off her shoes, tossed them gently aside, and carefully pushed open the palace doors to walk inside barefoot. The lights were lit in the inner chambers. Wan Bi crossed the Main Hall and came to a halt outside the bedchamber doors, straining her ears to catch the conversation inside.

She had come alone in the middle of the night for the sole purpose of eavesdropping.

            

If she wanted to hear the truth from Longyi and Lan Jieyu, eavesdropping was the only way; she could not use force. One was her own daughter, and the other was Yao Xi’s jiejie. She could not employ the ruthless methods she used on others. If she had arrived too late and heard nothing, she would just have to think of another way.

The moment Wan Bi stood outside the bedchamber, she clearly heard Lan Jieyu’s voice drift out: “The Empress Dowager seems to care deeply about A Xian’s disappearance. I worry that if Her Majesty continues to investigate, she will implicate you.”

Right after her didi vanished, the Empress Dowager had immediately issued a decree to search the entire palace inside out. Lan Jieyu had clearly underestimated how much weight her didi held in the Empress Dowager’s heart.

            

Longyi also let out a helpless sigh. “Speaking of which, Yao Xi was absolutely refusing to leave the Empress Dowager. If I hadn’t had him bound and stuffed into a palanquin, he would never have been sent out. That child is truly senseless. Not only did he ignore his own life, but he didn’t even care about his family’s safety—he insisted on staying to serve by the Empress Dowager’s side.”

Standing behind the partition doors of Longyi’s bedchamber, Wan Bi felt her eyes—which had been crying for half the night—fill with tears once more. She was happy to know Yao Xi was safe and sound, but she was even happier to learn that Yao Xi would rather risk remaining in the palace than leave her side! Once Yao Xi returned to the palace, she would have to treat the girl even better. She must not let down the child’s absolute devotion.

“You do not need to worry about me. Even if the Empress Dowager suspects I was the one who sent him away, she has no proof. As long as I do not admit to it, she cannot subject me to torture to force a confession, right?” Longyi smiled, gently patting Yao Shuanglan’s hand.

            

Feeling a sudden surge of playfulness, Wan Bi wanted to burst in and give them both a fright, then proudly command Longyi to bring Yao Xi back to her first thing tomorrow morning. However, she still had happy tears wet on her face and did not want them to see. So, she hid in the shadows, pulling out a silk handkerchief to wipe away her tears, intending to compose herself before barging in.

“Thank you.” Yao Shuanglan thanked Longyi gratefully, then stood up. “Should I head back now?”

“You rarely come over, why not sit for a bit longer?” Longyi hugged Yao Shuanglan, acting spoiled. “Ever since the Empress Dowager sent you those two palace maids, you hardly ever visit me.”

            

Still wiping her tears, Wan Bi froze mid-motion upon hearing Longyi’s words.

“I miss you.” Longyi stood up, pulling Yao Shuanglan tightly into her arms, and kissed her.

Wan Bi heard some rather suggestive sounds. Even someone like her, who had weathered great storms and witnessed countless things in the palace, was so shocked she did not know what to do… In disbelief, she stepped closer to the doorway and peered cautiously inside. The scene and the sounds matched perfectly.

            

Heavens! What on earth had her poor Qian’er done wrong?

At this moment, a complex mixture of emotions welled up in Wan Bi’s heart.

Unable to face the scene before her, she could only quietly slip out of the Main Hall. The palace maid on duty at the entrance immediately handed the Empress Dowager her shoes. Wan Bi picked up her shoes, looking somewhat dazed, and said to the maid, “If you dare tell Longyi that this bereaved one was here, this bereaved one will execute your nine generations!”

            

The maid nodded pitifully and shrank back to the side.

On her walk back barefoot, the image of Longyi and Lan Jieyu embracing and kissing refused to leave Wan Bi’s mind…

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When they set out again at daybreak, Yao Xi saw the gentle and kind maid jiejie walking toward her with a bright smile, holding a rope. Terrified, Yao Xi begged piteously, “Jiejie, I promise I won’t run away. My hands and feet were nearly ruined from being bound for half the day yesterday. Can we please not bind them today? Look, if I had wanted to run, I would have slipped away when I went to the latrine last night, right?” If she had even a few taels of silver on her, she would already be waiting at the palace gates for the people from the Bureau of Imperial Gardens.

            

After speaking, Yao Xi rolled up her sleeves, hoping to elicit sympathy by showing off arms covered in bruises. However, upon seeing that her arms were fair, smooth, and completely devoid of any marks, she awkwardly pulled her sleeves back down. It had clearly felt painful when she was tied up; how was there not a single mark?

“We are almost there. Please bear with it for a little longer, Eunuch,” the maid said, wanting to avoid any unnecessary complications. She callously pushed Yao Xi into the carriage and bound her up.

Still refusing to give up, Yao Xi made one final struggle. “Then at least don’t stuff a cloth in my mouth, alright?” she said piteously. “With my mouth gagged, not only do I drool the whole way, but my throat gets so dry and itchy, and I can’t even cough to clear it.”

            

Hearing Yao Xi’s words made the maid’s own throat feel a bit itchy, so she put the cloth away. “Then you must behave yourself, Eunuch. If you don’t listen and start screaming, don’t blame us for not showing any consideration for past relations.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Yao Xi agreed in a rush. Her desire to escape had not been extinguished in the slightest; even if she could not break free, making a scene would still be good. She had to do her best to leave clues for the Empress Dowager who was searching for her!

But what if the Empress Dowager was not actually looking for her, and had no intention of doing so?

            

Yao Xi fell back into a slump. She regretted not being better to Her Majesty when she was by her side. If she had served Her Majesty more attentively, and put more effort into serving her in bed, Her Majesty would at least remember her fondly.

Bound and lying in the carriage, having barely slept the night before, she actually drifted off to sleep without realizing it, her escape plans completely forgotten. When she woke up again, she saw the two maid jiejies standing beside the carriage, smiling as brightly as flowers. “Eunuch. We have arrived at Her Highness the Princess’s Mansion.”

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