Your Majesty is Poisonous – Chapter 149
by Little PandaFinal Chapter (Part 1)
Wan Bi sat on the small couch in the warm pavilion, a Go board set before her, playing both sides—white stones in her left hand, black in her right. She had skipped her morning meal and her stomach ached with hunger, and after Yao Xi’s exertions last night, there was a faint soreness between her legs. Yet all this bodily discomfort was nothing compared to the hollowness in her heart.
It was always like this. When Yao Xi was with her, her heart felt full. The moment Yao Xi was gone, it emptied instantly.
All these years, the only person she was willing to open her heart to was Yao Xi. The only person before whom she would lower every guard and let herself be wholly known was Yao Xi. But Yao Xi was different. Yao Xi once had friends, and now had family again—had her own amusements, her own circle. Wan Bi was willing to be around others for Yao Xi’s sake, but everyone was afraid of her. Her presence only made things awkward for everyone.
A wave of bitterness rose in Wan Bi’s chest. She picked up the black stone on the board, surrounded on all sides by white, and fell into deep thought.
“What’s Your Highness so busy with?” Yao Xi came bouncing in from beyond the folding screen, plopped herself down beside the Empress Dowager, and looped an arm affectionately around her waist. “Playing Go? Shall I keep Your Highness company?”
Clack—startled by Yao Xi, Wan Bi’s grip loosened and the black stone slipped from her fingers onto the board, scattering the cluster of white stones.
“Aren’t you out there keeping your jiejie company? What are you doing running in here?” Wan Bi reached up and ruffled the loose hair at Yao Xi’s forehead, and her hollow heart filled to the brim again in an instant.
Yao Xi scooted around to sit facing the Empress Dowager and began gathering the stones back into their bowls. “Jiejie didn’t sleep well last night, so I persuaded her to go back and rest. There’s no rush with the embroidery pattern tracing, anyway. Oh—what flowers and colors does Your Highness like?”
“What’s this? You want to embroider something for this bereaved one?” Wan Bi’s face was full of smiles as she helped Yao Xi collect the stones.
Yao Xi narrowed her eyes with a grin and nodded at the Empress Dowager. “But my needlework can’t compare with the folks at the Bureau of Needlework. Your Highness mustn’t look down on it!” As she spoke, she set a black stone down in the exact center of the board.
“This bereaved one had no idea you could play Go,” said Wan Bi, somewhat surprised.
Yao Xi gave a sheepish smile and said with practiced pragmatism, “I’m not very good. I can only keep Your Highness from being bored. Winning isn’t something I’d dare hope for.”
Wan Bi assumed Yao Xi was being modest. Her girl had grown up in the Sun household with no tutor from childhood, yet she could not only read many characters but do mental arithmetic without an abacus. How could that be stupidity? It was sheer natural brilliance!
But as the game went on and Wan Bi watched Yao Xi’s black stones dwindle on the board, she couldn’t help but marvel inwardly: her silly girl really was an honest child—when she said she wasn’t good, she truly wasn’t good.
Wan Bi, fearing Yao Xi would feel down losing too quickly, deliberately yielded several moves. Who could have known that while Yao Xi’s Go skills were poor, her nerve was anything but—she kept charging boldly into every tiger’s den on the board. Yao Xi’s play was truly, staggeringly terrible, with no discernible strategy at all. Wan Bi found it exhausting to lose on purpose. She had never played such a tiring game in her entire life—she couldn’t win, and she couldn’t lose.
“Xi girl, come walk in the garden with this bereaved one!” Wan Bi feigned a difficult victory and decided she absolutely did not want a second game.
Yao Xi sprang up cheerfully. “All right! I was just wanting to check on that boy Li’an in the duty room, see if he’s doing any better.”
Hearing how affectionately Yao Xi called that eunuch, Wan Bi’s expression involuntarily darkened, and some memories she would rather forget surfaced in her mind. “If this bereaved one remembers correctly, that little eunuch is the one who watched you relieve yourself back at Ning’an Palace, isn’t he? Did he—” The thought of the stupid things she had once done made Wan Bi want to slap herself across the face twice.
Yao Xi laughed and explained, “Don’t worry, Your Highness, I’m clever! I bluffed my way through that day at Ning’an Palace, and even when I shared a room with him later, I never gave myself away. The boy only found out last night that I’m a woman. He was so shocked he didn’t dare look at me, hahahaha!”
“Shared a room?” Wan Bi did not find this amusing in the slightest.
“That’s right! Your Highness personally decreed that I should stay in the side room!” Yao Xi knew the Empress Dowager was jealous again, so she deliberately threw the words back at her. Those first few days after she entered Ning’an Palace had been far from pleasant. Of course she didn’t blame the Empress Dowager—but if Her Highness was going to get jealous and upset over things from back then, that was a bit unreasonable.
Wan Bi was struck speechless. She pulled Yao Xi’s small shoulders into a remorseful embrace and said, “It was all this bereaved one’s fault. Thank goodness nothing happened.” Otherwise she might have gouged out Meng Li’an’s eyes.
They stepped out the hall doors. Yao Xi was supporting the Empress Dowager down the stone steps when she spotted Eunuch Tang from Qianqing Palace approaching with a group of eunuchs in tow.
“This slave greets Her Highness the Empress Dowager.” Tang Huaili led the eunuchs in kneeling and performing the proper courtesy.
“Rise!” Wan Bi’s attitude toward Tang Huaili had warmed considerably, and not only because of Yuanqian. She was grateful that Tang Huaili had dragged his ailing body all the way back to Qianqing Palace yesterday to tell her to hurry to Feng Zhen’s palace to save Yao Xi. “Does His Majesty have business with this bereaved one?”
Tang Huaili bowed with lowered head and said, “His Majesty has sent this slave to request a person from Your Highness—a eunuch named Meng Li’an.” Before coming here, he had first gone to Ning’an Palace. The Empress Dowager had not brought many attendants when she moved to this residence; most of the eunuchs had stayed behind at Ning’an Palace. Of course, he was also feeling much better and wanted to let Yuanqian know he was safe while he was at it.
“Did His Majesty say why?” Wan Bi actually already had her suspicions. The Eastern Depot agents who abducted Yao Xi could not have been wearing official uniforms, so how could that young eunuch surnamed Meng have been so certain Yao Xi had been taken by the Eastern Depot? The young eunuch was in all likelihood a plant from the Eastern Depot embedded in Ning’an Palace. Otherwise, how could the Emperor have dispatched Tang Huaili to make the arrest the moment Meng Delai fell from power?
Tang Huaili hesitated, words on the tip of his tongue.
Wan Bi drew Yao Xi back into the main hall, waited until Tang Huaili had followed them inside, and then said, “There’s no one else here now. Speak freely.”
Tang Huaili inclined his body and said, “To answer Your Highness: the Centurion Qi who abducted Yao Xi has testified that Meng Li’an is in fact Meng Delai’s most trusted and intimate godson, planted at Your Highness’s side with a particular purpose in mind.” He had heard that the Third Princess had been coerced by Meng Delai into framing Yao Xi. The Emperor had already arrested Meng Delai along with many of his confidants, and under interrogation, a number of old cases had come to light.
The Eastern Depot was inevitably going to be purged from top to bottom.
Seeing that the Empress Dowager seemed to have reservations, Tang Huaili added, “His Majesty sent men overnight to interrogate Meng Delai at his private residence. Meng Delai stubbornly refused to admit it, even asking whether every person in the world surnamed Meng was his son. It was only after they questioned the servants in his household that the truth came out.”
Yao Xi was so alarmed she gripped the Empress Dowager’s arm tightly. Meng Li’an was from the Eastern Depot? And Meng Delai’s godson? Then why had he saved her?
Wan Bi glanced at Yao Xi, thought for a moment, and said to Tang Huaili, “Go back and tell His Majesty that the young eunuch died of his severe wounds last night.”
“Your Highness…” Tang Huaili was clearly in a difficult position. But he did not dare contradict the Empress Dowager. He would simply relay her words truthfully to the Emperor—if His Majesty pursued the matter, the Empress Dowager would bear the responsibility. “This slave takes his leave.”
“What does Your Highness plan to do with him?” Yao Xi’s feelings were complicated. Had Meng Li’an’s helplessness, warmth, and seeming kindness all been an act?
But after a moment’s thought, she let it go. Hadn’t she deceived Meng Li’an too? Everyone had things they kept hidden. But her concern for Meng Li’an had been genuine, and surely his desperate return to the palace to report and try to save her had been genuine as well.
Wan Bi linked arms with Yao Xi and walked toward the duty room. “He had the heart to save you, and this bereaved one has spared his life. You two owe each other nothing now.”
Meng Li’an was half-reclined on the bed, with Ping’er sitting in a chair beside him, feeding him breakfast.
“I wouldn’t dare trouble Ping’er-jiejie. Let me do it myself.” Meng Li’an reached out to take the bowl from Ping’er’s hands.
Ping’er frowned. “If you really want to spare me the trouble, then hurry up and get well.” Caring for Meng Li’an was something she could have delegated to junior palace maids and little eunuchs—after all, she was a first-class palace maid serving at the Empress Dowager’s side. But Meng Li’an was badly hurt; the little eunuchs were too careless, and the junior maids were afraid of blood. Since the Empress Dowager hadn’t given any particular orders lately, Ping’er had taken the task upon herself.
Meng Li’an’s face turned faintly red, and he obediently opened his mouth. His gaze happened to catch Ping’er’s wrist, where a jade bracelet sat—and his face grew even redder. The jade was unmistakably fine white jade, yet on Ping’er’s wrist it looked almost dull and greyish.
Ping’er heard the door open, turned, and saw the Empress Dowager and Miss Yao arrive. She quickly rose from the chair, set down the bowl, and curtsied. “Your Highness.” She had already heard from other maids that Yao Xi was a woman, but the thought of the noises the Empress Dowager and “Eunuch Yao” used to make in the palanquin made Ping’er so embarrassed she dared not raise her head.
“Step outside,” Wan Bi said to Ping’er.
After Ping’er left, Yao Xi dragged the chair far away from the bedside, helped the Empress Dowager sit down, and then closed the door to the duty room. Her hand went to the hand gun she always carried at her waist.
Afraid the Empress Dowager might get hurt, she had no choice but to stay on guard against Meng Li’an. It made her heart ache to think that just yesterday, when they had gone out of the palace, they had still been like close brothers.
Seeing Yao Xi’s guarded posture, Meng Li’an understood everything. He said with resignation, “Her Highness found out?” Days ago, the moment he resolved to protect Yao Xi, he had expected this day would come. Either he would be branded a traitor by Eunuch Meng, or the Empress Dowager would discover his identity. Either way, the latter outcome was clearly better. He knew in his heart that with Yao Xi’s nature, she would never leave him to die.
“Mm. What did Meng Delai send you to do?” Wan Bi was curious about this.
“To wait for the right moment to steal Your Highness’s King of Hell’s ledger.” Meng Li’an answered frankly. He had lost whatever ambition he once had to climb higher. Eunuch Tang and Eunuch Meng had both risen to the very top of the eunuch hierarchy—and look where it had gotten them. Eunuch Tang had nearly been poisoned to death by the Eastern Depot, and Eunuch Meng was looking at either prison or execution.
Wan Bi covered her mouth and laughed softly. “This bereaved one thought it must be some earth-shattering matter!” That ledger was simply an account book. Even if someone whose secrets she held stole it, it would be useless to them—did she really need evidence to destroy someone? But if someone wanted to use it against another target, then her King of Hell’s ledger was indeed worth stealing. She laughed for a while, then asked, “Since you are Meng Delai’s godson, why did you save Yao Xi?”
Yao Xi looked at Meng Li’an with sorrow.
Meng Li’an looked at the Yao Xi before him, at once familiar and unfamiliar, and said, “Acknowledging Meng Delai as my godfather was forced by circumstance. The moment he got into trouble, he rushed to drag me down with him—where was any father-son affection in that? I saved Yao Xi because she was genuinely good to me. I’m the sort who holds grudges and remembers kindnesses alike. A grudge must be avenged, and a kindness must be repaid!”
Wan Bi nodded, then said, “The one who dragged you into this was a Centurion surnamed Qi. Word has it that even under torture, Meng Delai refused to acknowledge you.”
Meng Li’an went blank.
“His Majesty ordered your arrest, but this bereaved one, mindful of the bond between you and Yao Xi, has told His Majesty you died of your wounds last night.” Wan Bi stood, brushed out the folds of her skirt, and said, “Gather your things. This bereaved one will have someone take you out of the palace immediately.”
“Right now? He’s hurt so badly…” Yao Xi worried the journey would be too rough for Meng Li’an.
“Silly girl, you underestimate your little brother here.” Wan Bi pulled the hairpin from her hair and hurled it at Meng Li’an like a throwing dart.
Meng Li’an raised one hand and caught the hairpin cleanly between his fingertips.
“Consider it a reward.” Wan Bi pulled the dumbfounded Yao Xi out of the duty room. Yao Xi kept looking back, wanting to go and say goodbye to Meng Li’an, but Wan Bi gripped her hand and said, “What’s there to say? It will only add to the sadness.” If Yao Xi was upset over Meng Li’an, Wan Bi would only be more upset. She couldn’t bear to let Yao Xi be sad—even if Yao Xi had to be sad, it should only be over her.
“Then let me quickly pack some things for him to take on the road?”
“This bereaved one will reward him with some silver. Whatever he lacks, he can buy once he’s out of the palace.”
Meng Li’an had little luggage to pack. His quarters at Ning’an Palace held nothing but odds and ends—it was Yao Xi who had secretly brought him quite a few things.
Ping’er prepared the horse carriage and helped Meng Li’an load his bundle onto it.
“Ping’er-jiejie must be getting close to the age when you can leave the palace, right?” Meng Li’an settled into the carriage, pressing a hand to his wounds as he asked Ping’er.
Ping’er didn’t know why the Empress Dowager was suddenly sending Meng Li’an out of the palace—she figured it must be a reward for saving Yao Xi, granting him his freedom. She smiled. “I really am. Time goes so fast. When I first entered the palace, I was even a bit younger than you are now.”
“Jiejie, do you have somewhere to go after you leave the palace?” On Meng Li’an’s worldly, somber face, there appeared, rare as could be, the bashful shyness of a young man experiencing his first stirrings of love.
“My family is all gone—what would I go out there for? This life, I just want to serve in Her Highness’s palace.” Ping’er unhooked the water flask from her waist and handed it to Meng Li’an, cautioning him, “Take care on the road. The medicine in this flask was brewed according to the Imperial Physician’s prescription. Since you’re leaving suddenly, it may not have simmered long enough.”
“Thank you, Ping’er-jiejie.” Meng Li’an leaned out of the carriage and waved farewell to Ping’er. He saw Yao Xi standing at the entrance of the main hall, watching him, so he smiled and waved at her too.
“Your Highness, haven’t we committed the crime of deceiving the sovereign?” Yao Xi asked the Empress Dowager belatedly, after closing the hall doors once Meng Li’an had disappeared from view.
“We have.” Wan Bi sat behind the desk in the main hall. Before her sat a large iron-clad chest. She took out a key, unlocked the chest, and drew from it an unremarkable booklet. She asked Yao Xi, “Xi girl. Do you want to know why Meng Delai schemed so obsessively to get his hands on this ledger?”
Yao Xi leaned over the desk, took the ledger the Empress Dowager handed her, and flipped through it casually. “Does this have Eunuch Meng’s vulnerabilities recorded in it?”
“More than that.” Wan Bi drew Yao Xi into her arms and turned the pages of the ledger herself, explaining, “This records the vulnerabilities of every civil and military official in the entire court. When you have time, memorize every single transaction in here. If something happens to this bereaved one in the future, these things could save your life at a crucial moment. This is the key to the ledger chest. Keep it safe.”
“Why say such inauspicious things all of a sudden? Nothing will happen to Your Highness.” Yao Xi didn’t take the key. The Empress Dowager’s words sounded for all the world like she was setting up a flag1. Yao Xi didn’t dare take it. In every TV drama she’d ever watched, the moment you accepted, something was bound to happen.
Wan Bi laughed and pinched Yao Xi’s cheek, pressing the key into her hand. “What’s inauspicious about that? This bereaved one will only have peace of mind once she’s prepared you. As if whether anything happens depends on whether the words are lucky or not. Also—this bereaved one intends to appoint you First Rank Palace Female Official, to hold the Imperial Harem Phoenix Seal on this bereaved one’s behalf.”
The Phoenix Seal had formerly been with Empress Zhu. Wan Bi had always found harem matters troublesome and hadn’t bothered with them, but with all the chaos that had erupted in the inner palace and Empress Zhu’s change of temperament—now never stepping out of her doors—Wan Bi had no choice but to take over managing things on the Emperor’s behalf.
“Hold the Phoenix Seal?” Yao Xi hurriedly declined. “No, no, no. Your Highness knows better than anyone how capable I am. How could I hold the Phoenix Seal?”
Wan Bi smiled. “Look how frightened you are. Don’t worry—it’s just a title. You won’t have to do anything. With this title, your rank will be equal to Longyi’s. No one in the palace will dare get on top of you anymore.”
Yao Xi buried her face in the Empress Dowager’s chest, shy and teasing. “Your Highness is lying. You get on top of me!”
Wan Bi said with mock seriousness, “Setting the distant past aside. When has this bereaved one been on top of you lately?” She had less and less temper in front of Yao Xi. If Yao Xi was sick, hurting, or unhappy, Wan Bi wanted nothing more than to worship the girl like an ancestor.
“Let me count!” Yao Xi began counting on her fingers. “The woodware shop on the street, once. The main hall floor, once. The warm pavilion couch, once…”
Only then did Wan Bi grasp what Yao Xi meant by “on top of.” She poked Yao Xi’s little head with a laugh. “Dead girl, you’ve really gone bad. What about when you’ve been on top of this bereaved one?”
Yao Xi, now straddling the Empress Dowager’s lap, smiled and began counting on her fingers again. “Oh, right. I have been on top of Your Highness. The bedchamber bed, once. The edge of the Lanye Pool, once. The main hall floor, once.”
“Nonsense. When was it ever on the main hall floor?” Wan Bi suspected her memory was failing her.
Yao Xi grinned wickedly and untied the Empress Dowager’s belt. “Don’t be impatient, Your Highness. It’s about to happen.”
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