Chapter 241: Who in the Imperial Harem Is Clean?

My heart is truly sad; the warmth in this palace is truly cutting.

Seeing Tangtang sad, my heart truly feels unpleasant.

To be honest, I really didn't like Li Ping'er before, but now it's not that unacceptable.

Wan Tang, you should be more sensible; stop just being sad. The Empress Dowager has already started sending people to investigate everything about you. You're a descendant of the Mo Family, so that's nothing. But if Xu Yanchuan were a descendant of the Mo Family, the problem would be much bigger.

Even if we return triumphant this time, with our identities exposed, it's still a dead end.

Wan Tang leans in Chu Yunzheng's arms, yet her heart feels especially weary.

Has the Empress Dowager started investigating again?

Is it because we toppled Xiao Mingshu that they keep harassing us?

I think we should take the chance to find someone to change our lineage, preferably silencing that old witch Empress Dowager.

Upstairs, what dream are you having? That's the Empress Dowager—an empress would risk her life to fight, let alone the Empress Dowager.

Even the Emperor fears her. After more than a decade of biding time, only now does he dare to contradict her. Do you think Wan Tang can be the Empress Dowager's opponent?

Whether she's an opponent or not, Wan Tang herself doesn't dare to judge.

But there is one thing Wan Tang knows clearly.

She has truly fought enough.

To obtain real stability, the best way is to clear the Mo Family's name.

The events of those years must have had reasons.

As for the Empress Dowager...

Wan Tang slowly closes her eyes, truly not wanting anyone around her to get into trouble.

If she could remain peaceful from now on, she would be willing to stay in this position and live a stable life.

The candles in Palace of Eternal Joy burn through the night without going out.

Chu Yunzheng pats Wan Tang's back gently, as if coaxing a child.

Seeing her still frowning, he gets up, brings the sleeping Minghui, and gently places him between them.

The little fellow unconsciously smacks his lips; at times like this, he always sleeps especially sweetly.

Chu Yunzheng, with his daughter between them, holds Wan Tang's hand: "Sleep."

He soon lets out a steady snore.

Minghui also sleeps sweetly.

The candlelight reflects this seemingly warm scene, yet Wan Tang keeps her eyes open, with no sleepiness.

She looks at the sleeping Emperor beside her, then at her daughter's tranquil sleeping face, and feels her chest tighten with panic.

The countless favors fought over by women in the Imperial harem now only make her feel suffocated.

If he were just an ordinary husband, and she an ordinary wife, keeping the child and living a simple life, how wonderful that would be.

A single tear silently slides down. Yet her gaze, after the tear, becomes cold and resolute.

This false warmth should come to an end.

The lanterns in Cining Palace light up one after another, casting a dim yellow glow inside the hall.

The Empress Dowager is helped to sit up by Rong Mama, her brows furrowed: "Who is making noise outside?"

Rong Mama, while draping an outer coat over her, replies: "It's that old scoundrel Li Defu, I don't know what madness he's caught, yet he dares to shout outside the palace."

"Didn't the Emperor send him to Jingxinyuan to await death?" the Empress Dowager says coldly, "and he still dares to come to my place and bounce around."

"Perhaps he's unwilling," Rong Mama whispers, "after serving the Emperor all these years, to end up like this…"

"Boom— out!" the Empress Dowager waved impatiently.

Rong Mama was about to step back when a young eunuch entered carrying a wooden box: "Empress Dowager, Li Defu has left, but he left this… and said, said…"

"What did he say?"

"He said… the world is as black as crows, no one is clean…"

"How dare you!" the Empress Dowager slammed the table, shaking the tea cups.

But when her gaze fell on the yellowed fragment of paper in the box, her complexion changed abruptly, and even her fingertips began to tremble.

She suddenly rose, snatched the paper and held it up to the candle flame.

The flame licked the page, instantly turning it to ash.

"What else did he say?" the Empress Dowager's voice trembled subtly.

Rong Mama shook her head: "The palace staff said he just muttered curses as he left."

"Investigate!" the Empress Dowager clenched her sleeve, "Immediately find out exactly what happened inside and outside the palace today!"

Wan Tang truly didn't miss the point; even though Li Defu is rotten, in the end he's still a father. In this world, indeed no father can tolerate his offspring getting into trouble.

Are you all stupid, didn't you hear Tangtang say? The more a person lacks something, the more they flaunt it.

Li Defu is a eunuch through and through; why do they, even unto death, take their precious ones away, if not to be reincarnated as someone who can continue the lineage?

For Li Defu, Li Ping'er is his root, his bloodline.

Think about it, across dynasties, which eunuch ever had descendants? Yet Li Defu does, how could he not cherish that?

Not to mention, after Li Ping'er bore the Imperial Heir and became an imperial noble consort, his sense of glory.

Wan Tang slept heavily; when she opened her eyes again, dawn was just breaking, the side beside her empty, and Chu Yunzheng had already gone to court.

Minghui slept soundly beside her, a sweet smile at his lips, dreaming who knows what.

She slipped out of her robes quietly, and pushed open the door.

The morning mist hadn't cleared, yet the palace staff had already begun bustling.

Wan Tang kept Li Ping'er in her thoughts, and headed straight to the side hall where she lived.

Xiao Luzi followed silently behind, his brows lowered and eyes compliant.

Before she even reached the door, she could hear faint, suppressed sobbing coming from inside the room.

Wan Tang's heart tightened. She gently pushed open the door, only to see Xiao Shunzi hastily kneeling to pay his respects.

The tear tracks on his face were still wet, and his voice trembled: "Master, why didn't you rest a while longer?"

"My heart was troubled, I couldn't sleep." Wan Tang helped him up, her gaze shifting toward the inner room. "How is Ping'er?"

"Yuan Bin's condition is stable. The imperial physician said that with proper care, there will be no major problem."

Xiao Shunzi replied in a low voice, the corner of his eye glancing toward Xiao Luzi, who stood with hands clasped at the door. He paused, then said, "Eunuch Xiao Luzi is loyal and diligent."

Wan Tang let out a derisive snort at this, her tone subtle: "Yes, toward the Emperor, he is naturally utterly loyal."

Xiao Shunzi's body stiffened, immediately grasping the deeper meaning of her words. He quickly added, "Now that Eunuch Xiao Luzi is serving by Master's side with such devotion, this servant can rest easy and recover from his injuries."

"Xiao Luzi is indeed capable," Wan Tang said, raising her voice slightly to ensure it could be heard outside the door. "He keeps Palace of Eternal Joy in perfect order, very efficient."

Xiao Luzi, standing outside the door, couldn't help the corners of his mouth lifting, and he straightened his back a little more.

On the bed, Li Ping'er slowly regained consciousness. Seeing Wan Tang and Xiao Shunzi, a faint, weak smile appeared on her pale face.

The three exchanged a smile. Morning light streamed in through the window lattice, and there was actually a touch of warmth, as if they had survived a calamity together.

As time passed, the war on the Northern Border grew intense. Chu Yunzheng had not set foot in the Imperial harem for half a month.

Xiao Shunzi's injuries gradually healed. Wan Tang was worried about Li Ping'er, so she sent him to serve by Yuan Bin's side.

She herself often brought Minghui over to chat and relieve the boredom.

That day, Ning Daying came again, as usual carrying a hint of awkwardness: "Elder Sister Virtuous Consort, my elder sister said she won't teach a useless waste, afraid of disgracing the sword technique. She told me to bring Minghui to practice swords."

Wan Tang looked at her daughter, who had just turned one year old, and smiled helplessly.

The little dumpling, however, waved her small hands excitedly, babbling and gesturing.

"Minghui, go with Auntie to find Hui Niangniang." Ning Daying stepped forward and picked up the child.

The little dumpling happily wrapped her arms around her neck, calling out in a milky voice: "Find Niangniang! Dance with swords!"

Then she turned her head and waved her little hand at Wan Tang: "Mama, goodbye!"

Ning Daying was startled by this. She hesitated and looked at Wan Tang: "Elder Sister Virtuous Consort, this form of address... it seems against the rules."

Wan Tang's gaze followed her daughter tenderly, and she said softly, "It's fine."

"She only calls me that in the courtyard. The Emperor has tacitly allowed it."

A flicker of complexity passed through Ning Daying's eyes. Finally, she smiled and said, "The Emperor treats you differently indeed."

With that, she carried the bouncing little dumpling and turned to leave.

Wan Tang watched Ning Daying's retreating back, her thoughts tangled.

Did it even matter whether it was proper or not?

Only the word "Mama" could let Wan Tang feel a trace of warmth in this cold Imperial Palace.

The deep autumn wind swept through the courtyard, and ginkgo leaves covered the ground like scattered gold.

Wan Tang was bending down to pick up a whole ginkgo leaf, its vivid yellow standing out strikingly in the desolation.

A pair of soft-soled embroidered shoes decorated with entwined lotus branches stopped before her eyes.

She slowly straightened up, meeting Su Guiren's eyes, which were no longer clear.

In just a few months, that once innocent and carefree face had become tainted with the calculations and hardships unique to the palace.

Those eyes, once like stars, were now clouded with too many murky things.

The softness on Wan Tang's face vanished instantly, replaced by her usual distance and coldness.

Su Guiren's dry voice broke the silence: "Tomorrow, my elder brother will return in triumph."

She deliberately stressed the words "return in triumph," lifting her chin slightly. "Does Virtuous Consort know that my brother has performed brilliant military exploits this time? He is a great meritorious official of the court."

A faint, barely perceptible curve appeared at the corner of Wan Tang's lips. Her tone was flat and unruffled: "Congratulations."

Enraged by this attitude, Su Guiren snorted coldly: "This concubine once thought that since you had a past with my brother, you would treat me somewhat differently."

"That you would be my support in the palace. Now I understand—this concubine is not worthy of being associated with Virtuous Consort."

Upon hearing this, Wan Tang only smiled faintly, gently rubbing the ginkgo leaf between her fingertips, without saying a word.

In that smile was pity, mockery, and even a hint of a cold, all-knowing detachment.

"Aiyo, what is Sister Su doing?"

"How dare you show such disrespect to Elder Sister Virtuous Consort." Liu Guiren swayed her hips as she approached, her tone ingratiating as she looked at Wan Tang, but she only received a lukewarm glance in return.

Su Guiren glanced sidelong at her. The timidity she had when first entering the palace was long gone from her eyes.

She retorted sharply: "How I speak is my own business."

"Still better than some people who rush to be someone's dog, only to be found not loyal enough."

Liu Guiren's face changed drastically. She shrieked, "Who are you calling a dog!"

"Whoever answers is the one." Su Guiren sneered. "Crawling and begging all day long, you should take a look at yourself and see if you're worthy!"

"You!" Liu Guiren trembled with rage. She rushed forward and grabbed Su Guiren's hair bun. "You're nothing but a frivolous thing relying on your brother!"

Su Guiren winced in pain but didn't back down, grabbing Liu Guiren's pearl hairpin: "Still better than some rootless duckweed!"

The two immediately tumbled into a scuffle. Hairpins fell, hair was disheveled—not a trace of imperial consort decorum remained.

Wan Tang frowned at this farce, at the ferocious faces before her.

She could no longer find any trace of that girl who once shyly offered Peach Blossom Brew and said, "My brother likes it."

"Enough!" she commanded in a deep voice.

Both women shuddered and instinctively let go.

"How dare you behave so outrageously in the Imperial Palace!" Wan Tang's gaze swept coldly over their disheveled appearances. "Both of you, get back to your own palaces and reflect on your actions!"

Without another look at the yellow leaves covering the ground, she turned and left.

The little leisure and pleasure she had felt moments ago had already been shattered by this farce.

The autumn night is cool and refreshing like water.

Wan Tang sat alone on the stone bench in the courtyard, watching the wet nurse carry the sleeping Minghui into the inner hall.

She gathered her thin sleeves together and looked up at the golden hue overhead.

The Yín xìng leaves glowed softly in the moonlight, and she suddenly felt herself back in the Cold Palace years.

At that time the palace walls were mottled, and the courtyard had only an old Huangjueshu.

Su Yanci always loved to climb over the wall on moonlit nights, sitting at the wall in a white robe, telling her amusing stories from beyond the palace.

Later he left, and that small courtyard became her warmest world.

Hui Guifei held Minghui while visiting, Xu Yanchuan practiced sword dancing under the tree, and Ning Daying bounded like a lively monkey among the vegetable plots…

Though modest and poor, her heart was warm.

Now she lives in brocade and jade food, yet feels a chill seeping even to her bones.

"Your Majesty." the young attendant hurried forward, holding the brocade robe, "The autumn dew is heavy; be careful of the chill."

He carefully draped the outer robe over her.

Wan Tang gave a faint smile, "It's hard for you to always be so meticulous."

A smile instantly blossomed on the young attendant's face, "It's what Nubi ought to do."

"Go check the small kitchen to see if the bird's nest stewed for Yuan Bin is ready," she instructed gently, "If it's ready, deliver it yourself."

"Yes, Nubi will go right away." the young attendant said happily as he stepped back.

The courtyard fell silent again.

Wan Tang watched his retreating back, sighing softly.

No matter how thorough, he could never be the Xiao Shunzi who would willingly walk through fire for her.

She sat alone beneath the sky of golden leaves, letting the cool moonlight soak through her clothes.

This moment of peace is, in fact, the most luxurious indulgence within the inner palace.

On a deep autumn night, moonlight poured like liquid mercury over the courtyard of Palace of Eternal Joy.

Wan Tang sat alone on the stone bench, gazing dreamily at the ground covered with Yín xìng leaves.

"Yín xìng falls in golden autumn, the moon fills the west tower—are the old friends well?"

A familiar voice came from the wall, carrying a hint of lazy smile.

Wan Tang suddenly looked up, her eyes blossoming with an incredulous delight.