After Becoming a Concubine, I Took Down the Princess - Chapter 16

The roads below the cliff were complicated and difficult to walk on due to the uneven rocks. The two helped each other along for a while. The sun gradually became blocked by the towering cliffs, and the sky began to darken.

The wound on Liang Xiao’s arm was quite deep, but fortunately, the assassins had not poisoned the blade. Aside from some blood loss, she was still able to remain clear-headed.

They walked and rested intermittently. The light at the bottom of the mountain was extremely dim. Yan Heng estimated it had just reached the Shen Shi (3 PM to 5 PM), but the surroundings were already as black as night, and a chill spread around, making people shiver.

They sat huddled together against a rock. Yan Heng pulled out a tinder stick from her small pouch, gathered some dry wood, and started a fire.

After a moment of silence, Liang Xiao slowly asked, “Do you have anything else useful in that small pouch?”

Yan Heng held the pouch opening wide, examined it in the firelight, and rummaged through it again. Just as she was about to shake her head, her movement suddenly froze.

Liang Xiao looked at her with suspicion.

A moment later, Yan Heng pulled out a small, black, unremarkable stone.

She had only been focused on moving forward and had completely forgotten that the key to the Demon Market was inside this small pouch!

The two looked at the small stone in Yan Heng’s palm, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

“Although entering the Demon Market means we’ll return to the same spot we entered from, at least we can find a clinic to treat the wound,” Yan Heng said, pointing to Liang Xiao’s arm.

Liang Xiao silently agreed, clasped Yan Heng’s hand, and the two closed and opened their eyes, finding themselves already in the middle of a bustling market.

Yan Heng dragged Liang Xiao straight to the clinic. Fortunately, they hadn’t delayed too long, and the wound was quickly taken care of. The physician was a small sparrow, chirping endless instructions and prescribing several packets of medicine for Liang Xiao.

Yan Heng paid with one hand and took the medicine with the other, exuding the air of a wealthy person.

Liang Xiao said, “Put this medicine in your small pouch first. When we return to the palace, I’ll have Yue Zhou fetch it from you.”

The two sat in the small noodle shop from last time, currently eating happily.

Yan Heng nodded, naturally understanding. If she returned with medicinal herbs in her hand, it would be impossible to explain, after all, where would a neatly wrapped packet of medicine come from in the deep mountains and old forests?

Yan Heng asked, “The Demon Market has an inn. Should we spend the night here?”

Liang Xiao shook her head, “We’ll return to the woods. They should be able to find us by tonight at the latest.”

“Then how should I explain? Being tricked into the woods by villains? Will the Emperor believe it?” Yan Heng was skeptical.

Liang Xiao pondered for a moment, “Say there are rare medicinal herbs in the woods, and you wanted to pick some to present to the Emperor and Empress for nourishment. When the time comes, I will ask my mother (the Empress) to speak a few good words for you. You won’t be punished too heavily.”

“I’ll still be punished?” Yan Heng’s fox-like eyes widened, full of disbelief.

“Of course you will be punished. You went to the hunting grounds without permission and without reporting it. Not getting the board [corporal punishment] is already light,” Liang Xiao glanced at her sideways.

Yan Heng looked as if she was about to burst into tears, and even the noodles in her hand lost their flavor.

“However, I do have an idea,” Liang Xiao took a sip of tea. “As a concubine, your identity is quite inconvenient. Why don’t…”

“I understand what Your Highness means. You want me to stop being a concubine?” Yan Heng blinked, looking at her.

“Precisely, but this matter requires careful consideration for the long term. Once I come up with a way, I will take you out of the palace and have you live in my Princess’s Residence,” Liang Xiao said thoughtfully.

When the two returned from the Demon Market, it was already past You Shi (5 PM to 7 PM). They replaced the gauze on Liang Xiao’s wound with a clean piece of clothing hem and smeared some dirt on their faces so as not to arouse suspicion.

The two wandered in the woods for about half an hour. Just as Liang Xiao expected, the imperial guards and forbidden army quickly found them.

Yan Heng meekly admitted her mistake, but Liang Xiao made a bigger scene, crying loudly in the arms of Emperor Liang Shu, claiming that evil people had lured her. Her weeping was heartfelt and her tears flowed freely, completely devoid of a princess’s composure.

The Consort Yu next to them was filled with disdain. Yan Heng dared to lift her eyes and glance around at the people. Everyone’s expressions varied, but most were mocking Liang Xiao for her foolishness, making it impossible to tell who had harbored ill intentions and attacked her.

Liang Xiao then sobbed and spoke a few good words for Yan Heng. As a result, Yan Heng was only punished with house arrest. The earlier threat of corporal punishment by Liang Xiao had worried her for nothing.

Liang Shu felt sorry for his beloved daughter and did not stay at the temporary palace any longer. They set off back to the main palace the next day, afraid that Liang Xiao might encounter any further mishap.

“I’m so bored—” Yan Heng plucked a leaf from a potted plant and listlessly tore it into tiny pieces.

Liang Shu had punished her with house arrest for a month, and now only ten days remained.

This punishment had its pros and cons. The good thing was that her name tag had been removed by the Bureau of Imperial Attendants, and she hadn’t served the Emperor for a month. The bad thing was that it was too stifling; she couldn’t go anywhere.

Before, she could chat with Consort Chen and the others, but they wouldn’t dare visit the Yan Heng who was under house arrest, even if they were given ten times the courage.

Seeing that the potted plant was about to be stripped bare, Hua Zi quickly stopped her mistress and replaced it with a new potted plant with very small leaves. Who knew that Yan Heng wouldn’t pluck the leaves but started tearing off the branches instead?

Yan Heng’s house arrest meant that the palace maids and eunuchs in her residence couldn’t go out either. The Internal Affairs Bureau saw that she had lost favor and started withholding various monthly supplies, which infuriated the fox.

It was now late summer, and the weather was gradually cooling. Even the serving maids in her palace were not working diligently, and the tea served was only lukewarm.

When Liang Xiao entered, she saw a scene of decay in the courtyard. She had badgered the Empress for quite some time to get permission to visit Yan Heng today.

Who knew that there was no one working in the entire courtyard? The tea poured was also cold. In a fit of anger, she replaced all the staff in Yan Heng’s palace, keeping only Hua Zi, Hua Zheng, and the loyal Eunuch Qian.

Those snobbish palace maids and eunuchs were all sent to do dirty and strenuous chores.

Yan Heng looked at the empty courtyard and sighed, “Your Highness has sent the people away. When will the new ones be sent in?”

Liang Xiao casually poured the cold tea onto the ground, “I’ll ask the Internal Affairs Bureau for new staff after I return.”

Yan Heng waved her hand, telling Hua Zi to go brew new tea. Currently, only Yue Hua was by their side.

Yan Heng pointed to Liang Xiao’s arm, “How is Your Highness’s wound healing?”

“It’s almost completely healed,” Liang Xiao glanced at the “bare stick” potted plant next to Yan Heng, and asked helplessly, “Are you this bored?”

Yan Heng said, “I’m bored to death. I’ve finished all the storybooks, and the potted plants have no leaves left.”

She slumped over the table dispiritedly, motionless.

Liang Xiao tapped the table, “Do you know how to play string figures [cat’s cradle]? I can keep you company.”

Yan Heng lifted her head, “I know a bit. I’ll ask Hua Zi to get the string.”

She then unceremoniously shouted for Hua Zi, who brought over a red string about two and a half feet long.

Liang Xiao tied a knot at the ends of the rope, “My mother consort loved to play this with me when I was little and taught me many string figures—”

Yan Heng had been listening for a while without hearing the rest, and she looked up at Liang Xiao in confusion, “What is it, Your Highness?”

Yue Hua also leaned in, looking at her with concern.

Liang Xiao’s tone was unexpectedly a little flustered: “I can’t recall the patterns my mother consort taught me.”

Yan Heng: “Perhaps it’s been too long, and Your Highness has forgotten?”

Liang Xiao frowned and shook her head, “No, I can clearly remember my mother consort putting the string on my hands, but how she manipulated it, and what the resulting figures looked like, I can’t remember any of it.”

Yan Heng and Yue Hua were startled. Yue Hua stepped forward and said, “Is Your Highness too tired lately?”

Liang Xiao still shook her head, “No… This feeling is like someone intentionally erased that memory.”

Yan Heng sat up straight: “When Your Highness recalled time spent with the Consort Mother before, did this situation ever happen?”

A rare look of bewilderment and helplessness appeared in Liang Xiao’s eyes: “It never happened in previous recollections… It was only when I thought of playing string figures today that I suddenly realized…”

“The Consort Mother was a half-demon, but you never saw her use any spells, and you didn’t even know she was a half-demon. So, could it be…” Yan Heng trailed off.

Could it be that Consort Lian deliberately erased Liang Xiao’s memories related to her being a demon in order to protect her daughter?

Liang Xiao’s hand trembled, and she grabbed Yan Heng’s wrist: “Is there any demon magic that can erase a person’s memory?”

Yan Heng nodded: “I don’t yet know what kind of demon the Consort Mother was, but I do know that such a spell exists, and plant-type demons are particularly adept at it.”

If she could recall more scenes of her mother consort as a demon, would she find more clues?

Liang Xiao continued to ask, “Then, can you restore it?”

Yan Heng slowly shook her head, then added, “Although I can’t, I can learn.”

“How to learn?” Liang Xiao’s previously dimmed eyes now lit up again.

“There are many books on spells in the Demon Market. We can buy some. They must have records of it.”

“Let’s go now.” With that, Liang Xiao pulled Yan Heng up, gesturing for her to take out the key.

Yue Hua said, “Your Highness and the Mistress can go without worry. This servant will keep watch.”

It didn’t take long for the two to return from the Demon Market with a stack of books.

Yan Heng breathlessly dropped the stack of books, which was half her height, onto the floor and took a big gulp of the fresh tea Hua Zi had brewed.

“Your Highness—”

“What is it?”

“Since I’m learning this spell for you, you essentially owe me another favor.” Yan Heng blinked.

Liang Xiao gently flicked her sleeve: “When the ‘Love-Knot’ is removed and you are free to go, you will be rewarded handsomely.”

So Yan Heng happily went off to study.

Hua Zi found her mistress to be acting a little strange lately.

The mistress, who usually only loved to read storybooks non-stop, now had a thick stack of ancient texts by her side. Sometimes she would hide in her room to read and wouldn’t let anyone in.

Hua Zi and Hua Zheng stood in the corner of the courtyard, whispering: “The Mistress stays cooped up in the room reading every day. Have you seen what kind of books they are?”

Hua Zheng shook her head: “Every time I go in, the Mistress quickly hides the books, so I can’t see the content.”

“If you ask me—” Eunuch Qian popped up from nowhere, startling the two girls.

“You scared the life out of us! You walk without a sound!” Hua Zi slapped him on the arm.

Hua Zheng asked curiously, “What kind of books do you think the Mistress is reading?”

Eunuch Qian acted mysterious: “Think about it. The Mistress has been put under house arrest and lost favor. She must be feeling frustrated. So, what kind of books would she read to regain the Emperor’s favor?”

The two girls exchanged a look, and their faces immediately flushed.

Hua Zi cautiously suggested, “Could they be some secret bedroom techniques?”

Eunuch Qian gave a look that said, “It’s best understood without words,” and said, “The Mistress is putting so much effort into this. We must help her make up for it. Haven’t you noticed how worn out she looks from studying!”

Hua Zheng and Hua Zi nodded vigorously: “To help the Consort Mother regain favor, we are willing to do anything!”

Yan Heng, who was learning “secret bedroom techniques” in the house, was completely unaware of how she was being perceived by the unreliable palace maids and eunuchs.

The spell to restore memory was too difficult to learn. She had been secluded for a long time and had only mastered a tiny bit. Moreover, the study had left her looking worn and haggard, which even startled Liang Xiao.

“I’m not in a hurry. You… don’t overwork yourself.”

Yan Heng waved her hand, “This spell is simply not suited for us fox demons to learn.”

Liang Xiao was confused: “Why is that?”

Yan Heng: “Plants can easily influence a person’s mind, so it’s easier for flower and tree demons to learn these spells related to the human psyche. For fox demons like us, we are more skilled in illusion and charm magic.”

Liang Xiao: “Then why don’t you find a flower demon or something to learn from?”

“Since I promised Your Highness, I will certainly help you to the end.”

Liang Xiao met Yan Heng’s determined gaze and was momentarily stunned. In that brief instant, she seemed to understand what it meant to be captivated at first sight.

Support After Becoming a Concubine, I Took Down the Princess