Chapter Ninety-Two: Noble Consort Shu

In recent days, rumors had once again spread through Northern Huai, all because of the rites for the Ghost Festival.

On that day, common folk across the realm celebrated as usual, but the imperial palace knew no peace.

The Empress Dowager, still ill, again declined to attend the sacrificial rites and was absent from the ceremony, inviting widespread reproach.

At the grand observance, it was said that a wandering spirit had appeared and terrified the crowd, and hundreds could bear witness to it.

Not only did gossip surge through the palace, but even in the broader world it drew in those who had merely watched the spectacle. Though the matter had been investigated for days and the unrest calmed, no result had been found. The emperor refused to reach any hasty conclusion, while the Empress Dowager insisted that it was the vengeful ghost of Azure Bird Lake, and for that reason she even had a court historian killed.

That historian had been honest and stubborn, faithfully recording what had occurred during the rites, and had also added a few lines about the rumors of the day: on the day of sacrifice, the queen of the State of Dai, of the Xue clan, had not attended; thus the spirit of the former emperor could not rest in peace and had come forth to cause trouble. In the streets and markets, people whispered of it all, and this led to inquiries into the former emperor’s death. With countless testimonies, several voices staunchly argued that the former emperor had not died a natural death. At a time when the state was unsettled and the people uneasy, the emperor was conducting a thorough investigation...

In her fury, the Empress Dowager killed the historian, temporarily silencing the palace rumors, but it only drew more attention to the affair.

Liu Li lamented this deeply, buried the historian with full honors, and issued a special law: historians must not be killed.

As a result, the relationship between the Empress Dowager and Liu Li deteriorated day by day.

Proud and haughty by nature, the Empress Dowager did not kill historians alone; she also had many gifted men put to death, and they were all supporters of Liu Li. Thus more and more people turned their attention to the matter, and Liu Li and the noble consort Shu even more so.

On the twentieth day of the seventh month, in weather that was mildly warm, Liu Li encountered the noble consort Shu, who was admiring the flowers in the Imperial Garden.

She was alone in the floral pavilion, quietly taking in the scenery. Liu Li had intended not to disturb her, but she called out to him.

“Your Majesty, where are you going?”

Liu Li bowed to the noble consort Shu and replied, “The weather is fine, so I came out to enjoy the view. Have I disturbed your own viewing of the scenery, noble consort Shu?”

“Not at all. Beautiful as this scenery is, there is no pleasure in admiring it alone. Why not speak with His Majesty for a while?”

“If you find it dull to be alone, why did you not bring a few attendants, or perhaps do you miss my second brother?” Liu Li understood that the noble consort Shu would not appear here without reason; after all, she had long remained shut away from the world and seen no one.

The noble consort Shu smiled. “Your Majesty, do not say such things. I merely wished to talk with you. To be candid, I have been waiting here for you.”

“Father always said he liked your frankness and generosity. So many years have passed, and you have not changed. If Father were aware from beyond the grave, he would surely be moved, and greatly consoled.”

The noble consort Shu gave a cool smile. “In this harem, who can still be as open as I am? And who can be as alone as I am? Your father died young. At the time he was only in his twenties. Did you truly believe he died of some grave illness?”

Liu Li’s heart turned to ice. He had heard such words a thousand times lately.

“Noble consort Shu, what do you mean?”

“I have always been lonely and bored, as you know. There is no one by my side, and no pleasant diversion to occupy me. So I have long enjoyed studying old matters. Recently, there have been some rumors in the palace, and after reviewing the records again, I uncovered many interesting things.”

Liu Li glanced around and asked with alarm, “What exactly is it?”

The noble consort Shu laughed a few times, her eyes and brows full of sorrow and resentment. Her hand was powerful; with nowhere to vent her fury, she casually plucked a flower.

“Your Majesty truly does care about this matter. Yet I wonder what you will do when you learn the truth.”

Liu Li froze. “The truth? You know the truth?”

“Ha.” The noble consort Shu let out a cold laugh and, while tearing off the petals, said, “Do you know why I ended up in such a state? I had to let the Empress Dowager wield power while I had no standing at all, and could not even see my own son. There is no one to blame for this but your father’s early death!”

Liu Li was shocked, staring blankly as the noble consort Shu savagely ripped at the flower in her hand, staining her palm with crimson. That vivid red seized the eye; the juice dripped onto her hand, yet seemed to seep straight into his heart.

“Do you think I was willing to accept it? Something so suspicious happened back then, of course I had to investigate. Do you know what I found? Your father, my husband, truly did not die a natural death!”

Liu Li’s eyes widened. He stepped forward and fixed his gaze on the noble consort Shu. “You—what did you say?”

“You do not believe me? I have investigated for twenty years. If you had not recently dared to quarrel with the Empress Dowager, if you had not dared to reopen the old case, I would never have told you. But you do seem to have a little bit of an emperor’s bearing, so...”

“So you were waiting here on purpose?”

“Yes! I was waiting for you to pass by. I wanted to tell you the truth.” The noble consort Shu’s expression grew ever sharper, every word seeming to leap from the abyss. “If I had been there that year, perhaps I would not have let that vile woman succeed!”

“That vile woman? Who?”

The noble consort Shu looked at Liu Li with a strange mixture of pity and sorrow. “You... you should be the one to call her that! In all the world, only you have the right to hate her, because she did not scheme against the former emperor alone!”

Liu Li listened in confusion, yet he also knew that what the noble consort Shu was saying was no trifle, nor was it groundless.

“Then you...”

“For so many years, I have endured humiliation and borne my burden, waiting for the Empress Dowager to keep her promise, send me out of the palace, and let me live properly with my son in his fief. But I have waited more than ten years and still not seen that day. She cannot see her son; her son is disobedient; so she will not let me see mine. On what grounds?”

“Calm yourself. What exactly are you trying to say?”

The noble consort Shu threw down the flower and seized Liu Li’s hand. Begging him, she said, “I beg you, I beg you to let me leave the palace and see my son! I swear I will not conspire with him in rebellion, absolutely not. The Empress Dowager’s fears are needless. Someone like me, how could I be suited to such things? I only want to live peacefully!”

Liu Li frowned and asked in confusion, “You want me to let you leave the palace? Why insist on speaking of this only now?”

“Because you used to have no power and no resolve. You listened to the Empress Dowager in everything, and she would never have agreed. Besides, if one wishes to ask a favor, one must have leverage. I have always known that. For so many years, I have been adding leverage to my hand every day, and now I have finally reached this moment!”

“You knew I intended to investigate the old case, so you wanted to—”

The noble consort Shu’s eyes widened as she said joyfully, “Yes! I want to make a trade with you! I will tell you how the former emperor died, and you let me leave the palace to see my son. Will you?”

Liu Li was slightly stunned. His thoughts swirled as he looked at the noble consort Shu in puzzlement. “There truly was something strange about my father’s death? How did you learn of it?”

“That is none of your concern. You need only say yes or no!”

Liu Li did his best to steady himself and looked at the noble consort Shu. “I understand that you miss my second brother, but you cannot make light of Father. I can help you leave the palace, but...”

“You need only agree. Say no more. I will go back and write a letter. Once I have seen my son, I will tell you everything I know. This matter must be arranged in secret, and quickly. I have lived every day on the edge of a blade. I cannot wait any longer!”

Liu Li sighed, intending to ask more, but the noble consort Shu had already run off without once looking back.

Watching the woman’s retreating figure, and hearing again in his mind her trembling voice and sorrowful expression, Liu Li could not help but soften, and yet he could not shake the chill in his heart.

Though the case had only just begun to open, though everything remained unknown, Liu Li already felt the force of truth bearing down like an approaching storm, filled with darkness, desolation, horror, and dread.

The former emperor’s bizarre death had to be investigated; no one could afford to mind private feelings.

“Can I truly trust her?”

Hearing Liu Li’s murmur, Gao Hai came over.

“Your Majesty, I think you can help the noble consort Shu.”

“Why?”

“Because she must certainly hold something we want. A person who has remained silent for twenty years suddenly speaks to you of a bargain; of course she possesses something extremely important. Right now, everyone is curious about the former emperor’s death, and many are making jokes of it. Better that we obtain the evidence early and restore the truth to the world.”

“But I... after all, he was my father, and the Empress Dowager has been pressing me harder and harder lately. How am I to choose?”

“I know Your Majesty worries about the Empress Dowager, and also about the safety of those gifted men. I have already had Feng Xing begin the work, so that those people either vanish from sight or keep themselves restrained and cautious. You need not worry excessively about this matter.”

“Then you mean... you also believe the former emperor’s death was suspicious? Is a single disturbance at a sacrificial rite enough to draw such a conclusion? Then I would have no solid grounds to persuade the Empress Dowager either!”

“Not just that. Every stir in the wind and every movement in the grass has its reason. I also believe the former emperor would not have died young without cause. Moreover, the people who once attended to his daily life have also revealed the truth: the former emperor did indeed die strangely, and there was no reason even the snow lotus from Heaven Mountain should not have been able to save him!”

“Then investigate it properly.” Liu Li sighed, abandoning the last shred of resistance. “Also, keep a close watch on the noble consort Shu. If necessary, protect her. I hope today’s matter will not be known by others. I also hope the noble consort Shu can have her wish fulfilled and see my second brother!”

“Yes! Your Majesty is kind and benevolent. I believe the noble consort Shu will be deeply grateful. For so many years, she has been confined to the harem, never even invited to court banquets. Today’s meeting must have been carefully planned, so surely she is also well prepared!”

Liu Li nodded and slowly walked toward the garden’s exit. The scenery there seemed somehow changed, though he knew it shifted a little every day.

“This year will be one of tempests and storms, I think.”

Gao Hai opened his mouth as if to speak, then remained silent and followed behind Liu Li. In his heart he thought: Northern Huai has suffered one upheaval after another, leaving the emperor weighed down with sorrow. What can I do to ease his heart?