Ex-Girlfriend – Chapter 31.1

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WARNING: MTL

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Ruling over the Court Arc

Abandoned Empress 06

The voice seemed to possess a soothing power, as Ah Rou’s breathless gasps quieted. With a gentle tug on the sleeve of the person behind her, she pointed ahead.

The person appeared familiar with this place and led her further, weaving through arches and corridors, venturing into another realm.

In the darkness, Ah Rou couldn’t see the person’s face or discern the path they were taking, only aware that she had shaken off those who followed her.

As they continued their journey, the person eventually came to a halt.

Ah Rou watched as she pushed open the lacquered doors, guiding her inside and closing them behind.

It seemed to signify safety, and Ah Rou let out a sigh of relief. But as she looked at the face of the person who had been leading her all along, illuminated by the light within the room, her breath caught once more.

It was none other than the deposed empress!

In that moment, her heart became a tangled mess, and Ah Rou struggled to find the right words or course of action.

However, the thought of her mistress, now lifeless within the palace, fueled Ah Rou’s determination.

Xin Lan sat down on the chair and brushed off the dust from her clothes.

Initially, she could only observe the situation until Zero Nine informed her that one of Lady Liu’s personal maidservants was fleeing, being chased by someone. If she was being pursued, it meant she knew something. Zero Nine had relayed a conversation between her and another person, so this maid must know the truth. Immediately, Xin Lan rushed out to save her.

“Mistress, isn’t she from Lady Liu’s side?”

Chun Yue, who resided in the outer chambers, woke up due to the commotion. Without saying a word, the mistress left the house. Chun Yue didn’t ask any questions, waiting for her return. Little did she expect that the last time the mistress returned with an unknown man, and now she brought back Lady Liu’s maid.

Ah Rou nodded, attempting to speak, but only emitted a wheezing sound. She pointed to her own throat and gestured to Xin Lan.

“Unable to speak?”

Ah Rou nodded.

Xin Lan looked at the bruises on her neck, her eyebrows barely visible as they furrowed.

Perhaps when they had choked her, she had wanted to scream, resulting in damage to her vocal cords, rendering her temporarily voiceless.

It was fine to have her hide here. Xin Lan thought she might need to acquire some medicine tomorrow, but now, the herbal shops outside were probably already closed.

“Then you rest for now. Perhaps there are spare quilts in the storage room, or you can share with Chun Yue for the time being.”

Xin Lan spoke these words but noticed Ah Rou hastily grabbing her arm.

“Do you have something to tell me?”

Ah Rou nodded vigorously. If she didn’t speak, she felt unsettled in her heart.

“Can you write?”

Ah Rou shook her head. She didn’t know how to read or write.

“Then we’ll wait until your voice recovers,” Xin Lan replied.

Zero Nine: Host, I scanned the condition of her damaged throat and her self-healing ability without medication. It may take more than four days for her to be able to speak again.

Upon hearing this, Xin Lan furrowed her brow once again. Delaying for four days shouldn’t be a significant issue.

However, Ah Rou shook her head once more. She was in a state of panic. Even if she knew she could leave this place tomorrow and go to the Taihe Hall to inform the emperor about everything, she couldn’t speak at the moment. She didn’t know if she would be able to speak tomorrow or what would become of her.

The reason for the empress’s downfall was because her child was lost, and if the deposed empress learns the truth, she will undoubtedly reveal it. The more people who know that person’s secret, even if she dies, someone else will be able to speak for her.

Ah Rou felt that if the person dared to kill her mistress like this, even if she sought the emperor’s help, she would likely end up dead too.

If this matter is not made known tonight, she finds it difficult to calm her restless heart.

She pointed to Chun Yue, then to Xin Lan, and then to herself. Finally, she pointed to the empty air beside her.

“Me, mistress, you, what?”

Chun Yue was somewhat puzzled.

But Xin Lan, who knew the background story, understood what Ah Rou wanted to say.

“You want to talk about your mistress?”

Ah Rou nodded desperately, then used her hand to trace across her own neck.

“Dead?”

Once again, Ah Rou nodded, her eyes filled with a sorrowful expression.

“Lady Liu is dead?”

Xin Lan feigned a look of astonishment, while Chun Yue beside her was genuinely shocked.

“How did she die?”

Ah Rou grabbed her own chest, then suddenly collapsed to the ground, only to quickly rise up again.

Xin Lan understood that Ah Rou was reenacting the scene, but the cause of death wasn’t the most important thing at the moment. She asked out of routine, as there must be a perpetrator involved.

“Do you know who did it?”

Ah Rou nodded, swaying and assuming a dancing posture, her eyes locked onto Xin Lan.

“Concubine Man?”

Ah Rou froze in her movements. She was already anxious to speak despite her inability, but fortunately, the deposed empress understood her intentions.

“So, it was her.”

Xin Lan murmured, not surprised by the revelation.

She had been suspecting either Empress Xi or Concubine Man, with Concubine Man being the less likely candidate. The Empress Consort seemed too arrogant to have the audacity for such actions.

Xin Lan thought Ah Rou had finished speaking, but she didn’t expect Ah Rou to continue gesturing in place.

Ah Rou lightly caressed her stomach, indicating something to Xin Lan.

“The child?”

“No?”

“The rooftop?”

As Xin Lan guessed the last option, Ah Rou shook her head and walked outside, pointing at the sky.

“The sky?”

Ah Rou nodded and repeated the three gestures.

“The child, no, the sky… The child isn’t the emperor’s?”

Xin Lan connected the dots, her eyes widening slightly.

This… This green?¹

Chun Yue covered her mouth in shock. This is just too…

Upon seeing Xin Lan’s understanding, Ah Rou nodded with joy. However, realizing that they seemed to have misunderstood something again, she quickly waved her hands, her face turning red from the urgency, and tears on the verge of spilling.

“Take your time, don’t rush.”

Xin Lan’s thoughts were racing. She speculated that Concubine Liu had engaged in an exciting affair with a wild man, resulting in her pregnancy. She likely wanted to get rid of the child but was discovered by Concubine Man. As a result, Concubine Man used this information to blackmail Concubine Liu, threatening to expose her pregnancy and frame the original owner of the body.

However, if that were the case, Concubine Man wouldn’t have had a reason to kill Concubine Liu.

Therefore, there must be hidden motives behind this incident. Only if Concubine Liu posed a threat to Concubine Man’s position would she resort to such extreme measures. It was impossible for Concubine Liu to threaten Concubine Man’s status, so it could only mean that Concubine Liu knew something she shouldn’t have.

Ah Rou took a deep breath. Since she couldn’t communicate in sign language, she had to rely on her own understanding to explain, word by word.

“Concubine Man… captured your mistress?”

From Ah Rou’s gestures, Xin Lan grasped the sequence of events.

Concubine Man had captured Concubine Liu and subjected her to such treatment that resulted in her pregnancy. Then, they planned to use the child in Concubine Liu’s womb to deal with the original owner.

It was a chain of interconnected schemes, not particularly clever in terms of methods, but rather astonishing due to its unexpected nature. After all, this was the emperor’s harem, and forcing an Imperial Consort to engage in relations with someone else, and then using the presence of an illegitimate child to eliminate rivals—it was beyond imagination. If it weren’t for Ah Rou’s appearance, Xin Lan wouldn’t have thought of it that way.

After all, according to everyone’s conventional thinking, the motives are usually attributed to jealousy or other psychological factors. No one had ever questioned whether the child truly carried royal blood.

Ah Rou gestured again twice, then reluctantly dropped her hand.

She held her head, looking utterly bewildered.

Xin Lan approached and gently patted her shoulder, urging her to relax.

“Is there more to say?”

Ah Rou lifted her head, tears streaming down her face as she nodded.

“But you couldn’t gesture it out?”

Ah Rou nodded, clutching onto Xin Lan’s sleeve, feeling utterly helpless.

“It’s okay, don’t worry. I’ve already gathered some information. Rest well for now, stay hidden with me. We’ll see how your throat is tomorrow.”

Ah Rou could only nod in response.

“Chun Yue, let her sleep with you tonight.”

Chun Yue nodded, suddenly being confronted with such a significant piece of news left her feeling dizzy and unable to regain her composure.

Xin Lan lay down on the bed, but sleep eluded her.

Concubine Man, Liu Min, and the secret that Ah Rou knew but couldn’t articulate at the moment.

It must be a tremendous and intriguing secret that compelled Concubine Man to be cautious.

Xin Lan felt that she had already figured out the general idea of the secret, giving her a sense of certainty.

However, after daybreak, news of Liu Min’s incident would likely spread, and she didn’t care about the methods Concubine Man would employ to deal with Xin Lan. What she cared about was how Ah Rou would go about spreading the truth.

Before Ah Rou appeared, Concubine Man must be frantically searching for her to silence her.

But this was the palace, not the emperor himself, and there was no legitimate reason to discreetly locate and eliminate someone without raising any alarms. It wouldn’t be such an easy task.

However, Xin Lan believed that Concubine Man must have someone by the emperor’s side.

If Ah Rou, who currently can only communicate through gestures, were to be brought before the emperor, he would definitely keep her by his side. However, the safety of Ah Rou would not be guaranteed.

If Concubine Man knew that Ah Rou was with the emperor, having a target would make it much easier for her to take action.

Xin Lan wasn’t sure if she was overestimating Concubine Man, but she knew that it was better to err on the side of caution. One must not underestimate the danger.

However, if they could keep Ah Rou hidden for another four or five days, the situation would change.

Timing was crucial, and it would be best if Ah Rou could start speaking as early as tomorrow.

This matter can be discussed, but Ah Rou must distance herself completely. Otherwise, if any association with the Xin family is discovered, the credibility of Ah Rou’s words in the emperor’s mind will be compromised, and it won’t be favorable.

Human suspicion can be strange at times, as true things can be perceived as false, and fabrications can be accepted as truth.

They must find a way to treat Ah Rou’s throat with medicine, but where can they obtain such medicine?

Zero Nine: Does the host plan to eliminate Concubine Man? I thought you would keep her until the end.

Concubine Man is a princess from another country, and her status is quite delicate. It may work during times of political goodwill, but once the relationship sours, it becomes exceptionally awkward.

The emperor is preoccupied with internal troubles and won’t actively seek external troubles, but that doesn’t mean external troubles won’t come to him.

From Xin Lan’s perspective, for now, Concubine Man may be working towards the same goal as her, but Concubine Man’s actions have a broader impact, something Xin Lan absolutely doesn’t want to see.

Concubine Man is a difficult chess piece to handle. Abandoning her would be a waste, but using her might result in the blade cutting oneself.

After careful consideration, Xin Lan decides to disrupt the balance within the palace and, using the emperor’s hand, eliminate one problem first.

After all, in a certain sense, Concubine Man is also one of the people responsible for harming the original owner. Although losing in the palace struggle means losing, it doesn’t mean Xin Lan cannot fight back.

The emperor would never tolerate what Concubine Man has done if he were to find out.

Right now, he’s balancing power and slowly eradicating the influence of the Xin family, which is already quite exhausting.

However, this move could set off a chain reaction, and Xin Lan doesn’t know if the emperor will seize the opportunity to shift blame and divert attention.

Xin Lan presses her temple, firming her resolve.

No detail should be overlooked, and the root and essence of the matter must be thoroughly investigated. She needs to take matters into her own hands.

She flipped out of the window and, employing her lightness skill, quietly disappeared into the vast darkness, leaving the palace behind.

Meanwhile, upon hearing the report from her servant, Concubine Man clenched the teacup tightly, causing cracks to appear on its surface. It shattered on the table, spilling the tea and leaving a mess in its wake.

“That girl has no sense of timing at all, and neither do you! Useless! Can’t even catch up to a maid. She must know about her mistress’ secrets. We must find her,” Concubine Man said, her beautiful face displaying a hint of ferocity. Despite the rage in her heart, her voice remained soft and gentle.

She had no idea that their private conversation had been inadvertently witnessed by Liu Pin, who happened to be resting near the artificial mountain. Concubine Man initially intended to take action, but then she came up with a better plan.

For so many years, the harem had not produced a single child, and she could take some credit for it. Continuing her actions would inevitably raise the Emperor’s suspicions. Instead, she decided to have a lower-ranking concubine give birth to a child who wasn’t of royal blood. This way, someone would be visibly pregnant, allowing the Emperor to breathe a sigh of relief and shift his attention elsewhere.

Everything was progressing as she had planned, but she never expected that despicable woman to secretly attempt to terminate the pregnancy. This was unacceptable.

However, the bowl of medicine had already been consumed, and there was no way to salvage the situation. So she took the opportunity to bribe someone, who would then claim that the Empress was responsible. Seizing the opportunity, she provided the Emperor with a reason to depose the Empress.

Although the Xin family was unlikely to join forces with her, she decided to weaken them first. But to her surprise, the Xin family had a trick up their sleeve.

This time, apart from driving Xin Lan away, she had gained nothing.

Her plans had been disrupted, and she was displeased with Liu Pin. To her surprise, Liu Pin had grown bold and now wanted to turn the tables and threaten her instead.

Concubine Man forced herself to calm down and sent a few people to continue searching. In case the truth was exposed, she had her own ways to handle it. However, it meant she would have to remain inactive for many days.

She was filled with worry, and Ah Rou, the person she had in mind, was equally restless.

Ah Rou lay in bed, eyes wide open, devoid of any sleepiness.

Her body felt stiff, despite the sweltering summer, and she couldn’t shake off the sensation of chilling cold running through her.

Chun Yue lay beside her, also devoid of any sleepiness.

The mistress had changed a lot, and Chun Yue, who had served her closely for four years, couldn’t fathom how she had become so different.

She had become more formidable, more enigmatic, and Chun Yue couldn’t help but feel a sense of unfamiliarity and fear.

The changes began when they moved to the Cold Palace. Chun Yue speculated that perhaps the mistress had experienced some sort of shock, which explained her increasingly peculiar behavior.

Whether it was her awareness of Hua Hua secretly conspiring against the mistress, or the sudden disappearance from the room only to reappear with a man, or even today, when she unexpectedly went out and returned with a maid from Liu Pin’s side.

Chun Yue, who had been accompanying the mistress all along, suddenly realized that she had unknowingly become ignorant about many things.

But what she did understand was that the mistress had become even more formidable than before, regardless of the perspective.

Chun Yue closed her eyes, deciding not to dwell on it. It was futile to think too much. She would just follow the mistress’s instructions.

Following the route provided by Zero Nine, Xin Lan set off towards her destination.

Shang An drifted in and out of sleep, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching him.

He opened his eyes and met a pair of pitch-black eyes, causing him to jolt awake in fear.

Before him stood a person wearing a mask, most likely a woman judging by her figure.

Although he had not yet married, having a masked woman barge into his room in the middle of the night was quite peculiar. Nonetheless, his heart couldn’t help but beat faster.

“I wonder what brings you to my room at such a late hour, young lady?”

“What medicine should one use for a sore throat? Do you happen to know?”

Xin Lan not only wore a mask but also deliberately changed her voice when she asked the question.

Her voice, originally gentle with a hint of sharpness, now transformed into a distinct mature and authoritative tone.

“I know. I am a doctor. Are you here to buy medicine?”

It seemed quite peculiar for someone to come and buy medicine in the middle of the night while wearing a mask, but as long as they weren’t stealing or robbing, Shang An chose to intentionally overlook it.

“Yes, could you please prepare it for me? The payment will not be lacking in silver coins.”

“What caused the injury?”

“I was grabbed by the throat and couldn’t shout, so now I can’t produce any sound.”

As Xin Lan spoke, Shang An felt a slight chill run down his spine.

Just as he had started to feel a bit intimidated, the girl’s cold gaze startled him.

“I will go and fetch the medicinal ingredients for brewing the medicine. If the injury isn’t too severe, taking the medicine should lead to recovery within a day or two.”

Xin Lan nodded. She had originally intended to find someone at the Imperial Medical Bureau, but Concubine Xi was there with her entourage, so she decided against it.

Shang An trembled as he carefully gathered and brewed the medicine, feeling the presence of those eyes constantly lingering behind him.

The scalding hot medicinal concoction couldn’t be conveniently taken away in a bowl, so Shang An found a wine flask and poured the medicine into it.

“Thank you.”

Xin Lan left some silver coins as she prepared to depart.

Shang An held the money that was much more than the cost of the medicine, looking at the closed door and feeling puzzled in his heart.

However, he was never one to dwell on things, so he quickly discarded his outer robe, collapsed onto the bed, and resumed sleeping.

Xin Lan swiftly returned to the palace with the wine flask in hand. She softly called out to Ah Rou and noticed that Ah Rou quickly got up, appearing as if she hadn’t been asleep at all.

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1. In Chinese culture, “wearing a green hat” is associated with infidelity or a man whose wife is unfaithful. The origin of this belief can be traced back to a Chinese idiom that refers to a man’s wife having an affair. According to the idiom, when a man’s wife is unfaithful, he is said to be “wearing a green hat.” This association has become a symbol of being cuckolded or deceived.