After Becoming a Concubine, I Took Down the Princess - Chapter 19

The little eunuch shook his head with a sigh, “It is crucial for us servants in the palace to follow the right master, otherwise, who knows when we might…”

The booklet recorded the names of all the attendants who were executed on the day Consort Lian died. Yuehua even saw the name “Changhua” on it.

A bitter smile came to her heart. It must have been the spirit of the consort protecting her from heaven that allowed her to save her life.

The little eunuch did not notice Yuehua’s expression and continued on his own, “Aunt Changzhi was really wronged. She served Consort Lian wholeheartedly, but never expected such an end.”

Except for the page with Changzhi’s name, the little eunuch placed the rest by his hand. He was still rambling about something, and Yuehua started to think about those pages.

The two were standing between two bookshelves. Yuehua looked at the neatly stacked books on the shelves and came up with a plan.

She stepped on the hem of her skirt, pretending to want to get closer to the little eunuch, and then, tripping over her skirt, she accidentally knocked over a thick book.

To facilitate searching and retrieval, some books were not bound. Yuehua targeted one of them. With her fall, the pages immediately scattered everywhere, and the little eunuch’s face turned pale with fright.

“Oh no, Miss Huazi, you’ve caused a lot of trouble!” The little eunuch looked at the scattered pages on the ground and stamped his feet in frustration.

“I’m so sorry, Eunuch, I tripped over my skirt. I’ll help you clean up.” Yuehua quickly knelt down. Taking advantage of the little eunuch’s moment of distress, she hid the directory recording the names of those executed due to Consort Lian’s death in her hand.

She and the little eunuch knelt on the ground. The book was extremely thick, documenting the changes in the attendants of various palaces after the selection of showgirls in a certain year. It was extremely difficult to tidy up.

The little eunuch grumbled bitterly, “If I had known you’d cause such a mess, I shouldn’t have let you in.”

Feeling guilty, Yuehua pretended to tidy up while looking through the directory in her hand.

Although the eunuch said many people were executed that day, there were only about twenty, so it was relatively easy to find.

She quickly found the “Eunuch Lin” from the princess’s memory.

“Eunuch Lin” was originally named Alin. The record listed his birth and death years, as well as the cause of death.

Yuehua’s heart trembled when she saw the cause of death.

“Poisoning.”

It was not “strangulation” or “granted death” like the others, but “poisoning.”

Attached below was the coroner’s identification: “Red, ulcerated spots appeared all over the body, some as small as copper coins, others as large as a round plate, and both eyes were wide open, a terrifying sight.”

Alin indeed died that day. The archives could not be fabricated, so how was Alin poisoned to death? Was he also killed by the mastermind using the Thousand Poisons Box?

Having obtained what she wanted, Yuehua quickly helped the little eunuch organize the pages. After two quarters of an hour, they finally cleaned up the mess on the floor.

Yuehua took a plain hairpin from her hair and slipped it into the little eunuch’s hand: “I’m truly sorry for today, Eunuch. I’ll definitely present a generous gift another day.”

The little eunuch’s expression softened slightly: “Miss Huazi, let me kindly remind you, if you are this clumsy in the nobles’ palaces, you must be very careful.”

Yuehua nodded repeatedly: “Don’t worry, Eunuch, I will never be so careless again.”

The two had been gone for a long time. Yan Heng even rested her head and slept for a while.

When they came out, Yan Heng was already awake. The little eunuch’s expression was still a bit sour, but he managed to force a smile: “Young master, walk slowly.”

Yan Heng led Yuehua back to Liang Xiao’s Liuyang Palace. Liang Xiao had been waiting impatiently and was pacing anxiously in the courtyard. The surrounding palace servants were even breathing cautiously.

As soon as Liang Xiao saw the two of them, she anxiously stepped forward: “You’re finally back.”

Yuehua first went inside to remove her disguise. Now, only Yan Heng and Liang Xiao were left staring at each other.

Yan Heng rubbed her head: “Aunt Yuehua went in to investigate. I waited outside.”

Liang Xiao nodded slightly, without speaking.

“Your Highness, Young Master.” Yuehua stood aside, waiting for Liang Xiao to dismiss the other palace servants before slowly speaking.

“Eunuch Lin has been found.”

Liang Xiao frowned: “How is it? Was he executed or not?”

Yuehua shook her head: “That Eunuch Lin was poisoned to death.”

“Poisoned to death?” Both of them were startled upon hearing this.

Yan Heng mused: “Was he poisoned by the mastermind?”

Liang Xiao made no comment: “A eunuch like him would certainly not dare to act. He was probably used as a pawn by someone else.”

“Then was he also killed by the Thousand Poisons Box?” Yan Heng asked.

“No, your servant saw the coroner’s writing on the roster from eleven years ago. If he was killed by a poison needle, the coroner should have written about needle-sized wounds on his body. However, it was not like that.”

She then recounted everything she had seen to the two of them.

Yan Heng rested her head on the table and said with a troubled face, “Then could it be that he had already taken the poison before he delivered the painting? Perhaps the killer promised him something tempting, and he was willing to die for the killer.”

“Plausible,” Liang Xiao pondered for a moment: “Does the directory have Eunuch Lin’s family background? Go to his home and investigate if there were any changes eleven years ago.”

Yuehua nodded: “Your servant has noted it down. His family is from Yancheng, Jingzhou.”

Yan Heng was surprised to hear this: “Yancheng?”

Liang Xiao turned to look at her: “What about it?”

Yan Heng: “I lived in Yancheng for a period before I came to Yandu. I am quite familiar with the place.”

“But neither you nor I can openly leave Yandu,” Liang Xiao said worriedly.

Yan Heng immediately wilted: “I forgot about my status. It’s better to leave the palace sooner.”

Liang Xiao took a sip of tea: “Yuehua, send Yueying and Yueheng.”

Yan Heng was quite curious: “They are all of the ‘Yue’ generation. Are they the princess’s close associates?”

Liang Xiao: “Naturally. They are people I trust.”

Yuehua bowed: “Your Highness, rest assured, your servant will make sure the matter is handled properly.”

Seeing Yan Heng’s dispirited look, Liang Xiao offered comfort: “Serve the Emperor more often these days. Then I will find a trustworthy imperial physician to check your pulse and stage a drama of false pregnancy and difficult labor.”

Yan Heng rested her head and nodded, lost in thought.

Liang Xiao knew she was unhappy staying in the palace. How could a fox who had been wild since childhood be willing to be confined in the deep palace? Thinking of this, Liang Xiao sighed imperceptibly. Seeing Yan Heng’s look, she got up and summoned Yuezhou, asking her to bring a plate of pastries from the small kitchen.

“Every time you come to my palace, you always finish this chestnut shortbread,” she personally took the plate and placed it on the table.

Yan Heng’s eyes lit up instantly: “Your Highness is so thoughtful.” Saying this, she reached out to grab a pastry, but Liang Xiao slapped her hand away.

Yan Heng looked at her innocently: “Aren’t I allowed to eat, Your Highness?”

Liang Xiao said lightly: “Wash your hands.”

Yancheng is located in the Central Plains area. It is currently the eighth month, and the weather is gradually turning cooler.

This small city is not prosperous. Yan Heng settled here simply because she ran out of money.

In the early morning, guests from out of town, riding horses, stopped in front of an inn.

“Excuse me, two premium rooms,” Yueheng said to the waiter.

Yueying stood beside him and whispered, “Premium rooms? What if Her Highness finds out?”

Yueheng glanced at him sideways: “What are you afraid of? We have money.”

The waiter took the money and, smiling, led them upstairs: “Please come this way, sirs.”

After a full day of riding, they finally arrived here from Yandu.

They dared not delay the task ordered by the princess, so the two rested briefly in the room for an hour before immediately rushing to investigate Alin.

“Could we ask about a person?” Yueheng tapped the table lightly.

The waiter was a warm person: “Please tell me, sir. I’ve lived in Yancheng for at least fifteen years and know many people.”

“In our Yancheng, is there a family who sent their son into the palace as a servant more than ten years ago?” Yueying asked.

The waiter stroked his chin and thought: “There are several families. Could you be more specific, sirs?”

“The person’s name has the character ‘Lin’,” Yueheng added.

“Ah, now I know! Is it the Jiang family in the South City? They sent their youngest son to the palace to become a eunuch sixteen years ago. His name was Jiang Lin,” the waiter said, with a look of regret on his face.

“If the Jiang family hadn’t been dirt poor, why would they have sent their son to be castrated?”

Then he seemed to remember something else: “This Jiang Lin hasn’t returned for many years. Do you sirs know if he’s still alive?”

Yueying: “He has passed away. The two of us have come here this time to inform his family.”

“Oh, what a tragedy,” the waiter sighed and shook his head.

Yueheng: “Are his family still living in the South City area now?”

“Yes, they are. That area is full of poor people and vagrants. If you two sirs are going there, you must be careful.”

Poor people? If Alin worked for someone else, even at the cost of his life, the mastermind should have sent money as compensation. Why were they still called “poor people”?

The two exchanged glances, suppressing the doubt in their hearts.

Yueheng cupped his hand toward the waiter: “Thank you.”

Then Yueying gave him a pouch of small silver pieces: “Please do not mention today’s matter to anyone.”

Having worked for most of his life, the waiter had never seen so much money at once. He was so excited that he stumbled over his words: “Rest assured, sirs! I, I will certainly keep my mouth shut!”

Yueying patted Yueheng’s shoulder reassuringly, and the two turned to head for the South City.

“Madam, is the Jiang family nearby?” The town was quite small. The two walked for about fifteen minutes and arrived near the “South City” the waiter mentioned.

The area was not much different from the waiter’s description. The ground was covered in filth, and the houses were low and dilapidated. Beggars, wrapped in tattered clothes, leaned against the wall, shivering occasionally.

“The Jiang family? Which Jiang family?” The old woman looked at them suspiciously.

“The Jiang family whose son went to the palace,” Yueheng replied.

“Ah, Alin’s family! Look, keep going straight down the road ahead. It’s the first house at the alley entrance,” the old woman pointed with her hand.

The two followed the direction and soon arrived at the door.

This household looked like they cared about cleanliness. The ground in front of their door was spotless, and the door and courtyard wall were not dirty, but this still couldn’t hide the decay inside.

Yueheng raised his hand and knocked on the door: “Is anyone home?”

After a long while, a movement was vaguely heard from inside, and slow footsteps approached the door.

“Creak—” The old door was slowly opened a crack, making a slightly harsh sound.

Half a face was revealed behind the door, covered in wrinkles. The person looked very old.

“Can I help you two gentlemen?”

Support After Becoming a Concubine, I Took Down the Princess