Chapter 27: In the Event of Trouble

However, the Hall of Benevolence was not occupied by the Empress Dowager alone; Lady Jin was also present, seemingly awaiting her arrival.

Lady Jin wore a long dress adorned with tiny floral patterns, her face veiled in a layer of purple gauze. With her eyes lowered demurely, she appeared far more docile than usual. Yet, there was still a glint of calculation in the way she covertly glanced at Xuexue.

Sensing Lady Jin’s gaze, Xuexue paid it no mind and stepped lightly into the grand hall.

Her gown of deep sapphire blue was splendid yet understated. It exuded a profound calm and tranquility that seemed to quiet the heart. What mattered was not the attire itself but the bearing of the woman who wore it.

“The Queen is here. Grant her a seat,” the Empress Dowager announced. Observing Xuexue’s composed restraint and then looking to Lady Jin, the contrast made Lady Jin seem all the more restless.

“Thank you, Mother,” Xuexue replied with a slight curtsy, taking her seat with the help of Taoxin.

“I hear His Majesty has taken you out for some fresh air these past days. That is quite rare—he’s never brought a consort out of the palace before,” the Empress Dowager remarked, her fondness for Xuexue’s dignified demeanor growing ever deeper.

“His Majesty is always busy with affairs of state; it does him good to relax as well,” Xuexue responded with a nod.

She was curious about the relationship between Ji Wuqing and the Empress Dowager, as well as the identity of that woman outside the palace, but she knew such matters were anything but simple, entangled in palace secrets. Intrigue was at its thickest within the palace walls, and sometimes ignorance was safest.

“That child... there’s little I can do for him; he must bear everything himself,” the Empress Dowager sighed. “So, I must at least concern myself with matters of the inner court, lest he be troubled by such things.”

At last, the conversation had circled to the real reason for this meeting.

“If I have erred in any way, I shall heed Mother’s guidance,” Xuexue replied smoothly, her tone neither warm nor cold, leaving no room for reproach.

“Why speak so, Queen? I have no intention of blaming you. Yet, there have been discordant voices in the harem, and I cannot ignore them. I wish to hear your view on the matter,” the Empress Dowager said, her countenance as gentle as ever.

“Is Mother referring to Lady Jin’s affair?” Xuexue inquired. “I have heard a little, but I do not know the details.” What a trifling matter to have been made into such a scandal.

“It was Princess Jixi who started it. Now Lady Jin’s beauty is ruined, and no one knows who tampered with her ointment in secret,” the Empress Dowager said. She did not sound accusatory, but there was an undercurrent of anger in her voice.

Though Wuqing had never been close to the harem, things had always been peaceful—until now.

This was a perfect excuse.

“And what does Lady Jin have to say?” Xuexue inclined her head, waiting for Lady Jin, who had remained silent, to answer.

“My face is already destroyed. I only hope Your Majesty will see justice done for me,” Lady Jin said, her head bowed, certain in her heart that Xuexue was responsible.

She was sure this was Xuexue’s revenge for her previous schemes, that Xuexue had tampered with the ointment she used on her face, ruining her looks. Her beauty had meant everything, and now that it was gone, she had nothing left to lose.

She no longer needed to fear the King’s favor for this blind Queen, nor did she hesitate to become her open enemy. Besides, her father held significant sway in court, while this blind Queen, for all her noble title, was nothing but a lowborn woman in fine raiment.

“Then let me ask you, why did your face suddenly become this way? What did the imperial physician say?”

“Your Majesty, after my face was stung by hornets, I have been applying ointment ever since. The wounds were severe to begin with, and someone must have added something else to the ointment in secret, leaving scars on my face,” she said mournfully, her words clearly intended to implicate Xuexue.

“Other than the ointment prescribed by the imperial physician, did Lady Jin use anything else?” Surely, she would not ruin her own face just to frame someone else.

At Xuexue’s question, Lady Jin’s expression shifted beneath her veil.

Why had she always suspected the blind Queen and never that wretched Lady Yan? If not for Lady Yan’s rotten schemes, she would never have been demoted from consort to concubine.

Furthermore, Lady Yan had indeed given her ointment, which she had used several times without suspicion.

“I remember now—Lady Yan did give me some ointment, and I have been using it,” she said suddenly, raising her head. “Your Majesty, please have the imperial physician examine it to see if there is anything amiss.”

It must be that wretched woman! Lady Jin was certain her face had been ruined by Lady Yan. Though Lady Yan always appeared innocent and naïve, Lady Jin knew that few in the deep palace were truly good.

After all, had not her own maid turned against her not long ago, leading to her demotion?

“So now this matter involves Lady Yan as well?” The Empress Dowager’s expression shifted subtly, glancing at Xuexue, surprised that Xuexue so deftly distanced herself from the affair.

Previously, Lady Jin had subtly hinted to her that Xuexue was involved, but with just a few words, Xuexue had dispelled all suspicion. Was it mere coincidence, or...?

Soon, the imperial physician discovered something unusual in the small green porcelain bottle. Frowning deeply, his face changed.

“Reporting to Your Majesties, there is indeed a serious problem with this ointment,” he said. “It is, in fact, an excellent salve for wounds, but someone has added a mild-scented herb, which, when combined with the original ingredients, becomes a toxin that corrodes the skin and hinders healing.”

“What did you say?” Lady Jin grew agitated at his words. Her face had truly been ruined by that wretched woman!

“Concubine, this ointment is the very cause of your scarring,” the physician confirmed.

Xuexue was somewhat surprised by this result. She had not thought Lady Yan so foolish as to tamper with the salve she gave Lady Jin. Yet the physician’s conclusion was clear; surely Lady Jin would not have harmed herself.

“Your Majesties, you have heard the evidence. Please grant me justice,” Lady Jin appealed, her heart burning with hatred for Lady Yan, though the proof now left Lady Yan little room for denial.

“This matter is best left for the Queen to handle. I trust she will be fair,” the Empress Dowager said, excusing herself from the affair with a single sentence.

“Yes,” Xuexue replied with a nod.

“Your Majesty, I have never wronged Lady Yan in any way, yet she has done this to me in secret. Does she not know how precious a woman’s beauty is? How could she be so vicious…” Lady Jin immediately wept before Xuexue, as if seeking her support.

“Enough. Summon Lady Yan before making any judgments,” Xuexue responded, treating Lady Jin’s overtures with the same measured indifference.

She instructed Lady Jin’s maid to help her up, then waited for Lady Yan to be brought in for questioning.

“Your Majesty, it’s obvious that Lady Yan did this—what more is there to discuss?” Lady Jin protested, unwilling to let that sanctimonious woman go unpunished.

She longed to tear her face apart.

Before long, Lady Yan arrived gracefully. She was dressed in a simple white gown, ethereal and otherworldly, her exquisite beauty reminiscent of a celestial maiden descended to earth.

Her hair was carefully styled, adorned with a white jade hairpin and a peach blossom ornament, exuding a fresh elegance that drew all eyes.

“Greetings, Your Majesty,” she spoke, her voice as melodious as a mountain stream.

Yet, unlike the joyful babble of a brook, her tone was cool and detached.

Seeing her flawless face, Lady Jin’s expression twisted with hatred beneath her veil. “Lu Xiyan, why did you plot against me and ruin my face?”

“Whatever do you mean, Lady Jin?” Lady Yan replied with genuine bewilderment, though a trace of panic and confusion flickered in her eyes as she met Lady Jin’s accusing glare.

“Lady Yan, Lady Jin says you once gave her ointment for her face. Is this true?” Xuexue’s tone remained calm, sensing the tension between the two women.

Though this was a quarrel between them, she could not avoid passing judgment.

“It is true, Your Majesty. I gave her the ointment with the best intentions. It was a fine healing salve—I have used it myself,” Lady Yan replied, neither hurried nor flustered, her innocence apparent.

“Very well, Lu Xiyan, you admit it. The physician has found that it was your ointment that ruined my face. What have you to say for yourself now?” Lady Jin snapped, furious that her enemy still dared to argue.

“How could that be? If I gave you the ointment, why would I sabotage it myself? Would I be so foolish as to court disaster? Even if I am not the cleverest, I am not so witless,” Lady Yan replied, her lovely features tinged with indignation.

Even in anger, her beauty was dazzling.

The sight of her pure, unblemished face only deepened Lady Jin’s hatred.

Xuexue listened to Lady Yan’s defense, her mind turning. As Lady Yan said, she was not a foolish woman; if she intended harm, she would have left no evidence behind.

She would never have endangered herself so recklessly.

“Lu Xiyan, the facts are before us—do you still deny it? The scars on my face are proof of your malice. I trusted you, only to be betrayed!” Lady Jin cried, tears flowing as she knelt at Xuexue’s feet, all her thoughts focused on seeing Lady Yan punished, heedless of the Queen’s status or her own contempt for her.