Rebirth of the Phoenix Princess novel Chapter 96

"The Madam Director to the Shangxiang Bureau will be familiar with all kinds of incenses. Your Majesty could ask her advice." When Lady Jin heard Yun Shang's explanation, a worried look appeared on her face. She hurriedly suggested calling for the Madam Director to help identify the scent.

Lady Ming snorted. "Again? The banquet accident was also caused by an odd smell. Bring the Shangxiang Director here. I'd like to know what's wrong with this quilt."

The Emperor nodded at Lady Ming before calling Lord Zheng forward. He then ordered Lord Zheng to send for the Shangxiang Director. As they spoke, the maids and eunuchs serving in Changchun Palace gathered outside the hall. They prostrated in the snow, waiting for Lady Ming's punishment.

Lady Ming snorted, "So you are the ones on duty tonight? Well, tell me then, what strange things have you noticed? Have you heard any noises?"

The maids and eunuchs shuddered and kowtowed repeatedly. After a long time, a eunuch spoke. His teeth chattered with terror, "I heard a cat mewling, Your Highness. But the sound came from far away. All Her Highnesses in the Palace tend to pet cats, so I didn't take it as odd. Apart from that, I heard nothing else."

"We've heard nothing either, Your Highness." Hearing him speak, the other maids and eunuchs echoed.

Lady Ming sneered, "So, none of you has seen or heard anything before the accident? Is the culprit a ghost? Come, take these unfaithful slaves away, and flog each of them twenty times on their back."

Lady Ming's order was carried out immediately. All the servants cried for mercy when being dragged away. The sound of the crack of whip against flesh filled the yard, along with pain-filled moaning and wailing. Yun Shang's eyes turned dark at the scene. This was a standard Li Clan behavior. They always took out their anger on their servants, whose lives, in their eyes, were worthless.

As the punishment carried on, Lord Zheng led the Madam Director of the Shangxiang Bureau in. The Shangxiang Director was a woman in her thirties. She curtsied to the Royals present in a hurry, "Your Majesty, Your Highnesses."

Distracted and anxious, Lady Ming was in no mood for decencies. She waved the Director forward, saying, "Princess Yun Shang said that quilt was tainted by an odd smell. Go and sniff, and tell me if that is true."

The Shangxiang Director hurriedly curtsied to her. She stepped forward, took the quilt in both hands, and sniffed thoroughly. Suddenly, her face became serious, as if she had found something but was uncertain. She pondered for a while and sniffed again. Then she knelt down, and reported, "Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, the quilt is truly tainted with a pernicious incense. It will have to be incinerated."

"Pernicious?" Emperor Ning's eyes narrowed. He asked, "What harm will it do?"

The Shangxiang Director kowtowed as she explained, "If I didn't get it wrong, the quilt is tainted with a kind of incense named Insects Awaken, which has a very distinctive smell and attracts a variety of living creatures, for example, ants, snakes, centipedes, or other wild insects. Luckily, it is winter now, and most of the creatures are hibernating, few of whom have been attracted by the scent. If it were summer, the consequences would have been disastrous."

All the faces in the hall turned pale at her words. Lady Ming clenched the yellow sandalwood armrest in anger, her teeth gritted when she asked, "Madam Yu, who changed my bedding?"

Madam Yu hurriedly answered, "It was me, but I didn't know a thing about the incense. Yesterday, Yuan Bao jumped onto Your Highness's bed, and the quilt was smudged. When I was changing Your Highness's bedding, it occurred to me that Lady Fu had embroidered a quilt for Your Highness. So I removed the smudged quilt and placed the one made by Lady Fu."

"Lady Fu?" Lady Ming turned to Li Fuyi, and asked suspiciously, "Lady Fu, was the quilt made by you?"

Li Fuyi hurriedly knelt. She bit her lower lip while explaining, "I did embroider the quilt, and I did gift it to you. Apart from that, I didn't do a thing to it. Aunt, this is beginning to look more and more like a deliberately schemed plot. Someone must be setting me up. First the cat, and now the quilt..."

Biting her lower lip, Yun Shang glanced at the cat, then the quilt, before asking, "Madam, if the tainted quilt was placed inside a chamber, could the scent be smelt from outside?" She pointed to the dead cat on the ground and frowned. "The cat died in Her Highness's Palace for no reason, and no one spotted anything happening to her. I am wondering if perhaps the cat smelt the scent and wanted to approach the quilt. But the closed window blocked her way. In order to pass through, she dashed against the window repeatedly, and finally died from the incessant bonking."

Hearing her words, Madam Yu stuttered, "Your Highness must be joking. How can the scent be smelt from so far away? Besides, if a cat had knocked at the window repeatedly, the noise wouldn't be ignored." Yun Shang nodded, "You're right, Madam. My guess is not perfect. But I was thinking of the incense, and the fact that no one had heard a thing in the palace. I'm just trying to combine both together."

Before she could say more, a voice came from behind, "I think the Princess is right." It was Lady Lan...

Yun Shang sneered. It seemed that Lady Lan always spoke without thinking. She wanted to continue, but a eunuch entered and reported, "Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, an old maid would like to confess."

Lady Ming was a little surprised, but she quickly said, "Bring her forward."

Two eunuchs dragged in a figure soaked in blood. It was an old maid. She fell on her kneels, crawled forward and cried, "I will speak up! I will speak up! Please forgive me!"

Lady Ming scoffed, "I know you. You are Madam Cui, and you're in charge of the cleaning the courtyard."

The old maid trembled and kowtowed, "I am, Your Highness."

"Speak then. What happened?" Lady Ming picked up her tea cup. She was outraged, but she had concealed her feelings well, and appeared calm and composed.

Madam Cui hurriedly answered, "It's all my fault. Someone paid me to put the dead cat in the palace, and the incense on the quilt, for she wanted to frame Lady Fu."

"She?" Lady Ming frowned at her words. She sneered, "Who is she?"

Madam Cui kowtowed again, and answered with terror, "I can't say her name, Your Highness, not until I am forgiven. I was merely bewitched. Please don't kill me... Lady Ming snorted, "Then you shouldn't have committed the crime. Fine, I will spare you. Now that His Majesty and his ladies are witnesses, I won't break my promise."

Madam Cui hurriedly kowtowed in gratitude. "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."

She turned round, glanced around the room, and pointed. "The culprit is Lady Lan."

Everyone was shocked by her indictment, especially Lady Lan, who widened her eyes, and was at a loss for words. Lady Ming's eyebrows furrowed. She flashed a grim grin, saying, "How dare you frame Lady Lan? It seems that you will only tell the truth after several more floggings. Drag her off, and beat her until she reveals the truth."

Madam Cui hurriedly kowtowed to Lady Ming, "Every word I said is true, Your Highness! And Your Highness promised to spare my life! How can you break your promise?"

"Fine. You just said that Lady Lan hired you to do these things. Do you have any proof?" Lady Ming shot a sharp gaze at Madam Cui. As they spoke, Yun Shang bowed her head and contemplated.

Of course Lady Ming didn't believe the culprit was Lady Lan, for the Lady was an ally of the Empress. Yun Shang had investigated Lady Lan before. She was a concubine who had moved upward fast, although she had started as a mere court maid. And her father was an official of lower rank, who wasn't able to help his daughter. It was obvious that the Empress had done a lot for Lady Lan who eventually, became the Empress's confidant. And in return, Lady Lan must've helped the Empress with her many schemes.