After Becoming a Concubine, I Took Down the Princess - Chapter 44

Liang Xiao bent down and picked up the letter.

Since her mother, the Consort’s, passing, she had barely touched the furnishings in this room.

This stack of books had been placed here for a long time, and she hadn’t expected a letter to be hidden underneath.

The surface of the envelope was already stained and yellowed, and the letter paper was somewhat fragile; with a slight tug, a tear appeared in the opening.

There were no words on the envelope, and Liang Xiao didn’t know who it was written to.

She used a handkerchief to brush away the dust from the envelope’s surface, then tucked it into her sleeve.

She tidied up the mess in the room and then went to look around the other side chambers.

Although she was still young when her mother passed away, that affection was something she couldn’t let go of.

The palace seemed to have memories of her and her mother everywhere, yet her mother’s presence was nowhere to be seen.

She let out a long sigh and left.

Liang Xiao took the letter back to the Princess’s Residence and immediately went to find Yan Heng.

The person was lying on the couch, wholeheartedly engaged in embroidery.

Upon seeing Liang Xiao, she didn’t put down the embroidery hoop in her hand; she merely raised her head and smiled, saying, “I was just thinking of Your Highness; I didn’t expect you to return so soon.”

It was only dusk, and the light in the room was still bright, illuminating them both and leaving a vague outline around them.

Liang Xiao looked at the object in her hand: “What are you working on?”

Yan Heng held up the embroidery hoop: “Staying in the palace, I have nothing much to do, so I thought I might embroider a handkerchief for Your Highness.”

Liang Xiao smiled: “Then, thank you, A-Heng.”

As she spoke, she took the letter out from her sleeve.

“What is this?” Yan Heng put down the embroidery hoop and took the letter Liang Xiao handed over.

“I found this in my mother’s palace,” Liang Xiao pointed to the yellowed object, “It’s been there for a long time.”

“Should I open it?” Yan Heng held the envelope, afraid of damaging it.

Liang Xiao hesitated for a moment: “Although it’s an object left by my mother, I shouldn’t pry, but I am somewhat curious.”

Then, she tilted her chin: “Open it and take a look.”

Yan Heng carefully opened the seal of the envelope and gently took out the letter paper inside.

She first handed the letter paper to Liang Xiao and sat by the side to wait.

Liang Xiao took it and her eyes widened at the first line.

“My daughter Xiao’er, I don’t know when you will discover this letter, but I assume your mother has already passed away.”

This letter was actually left to her by her deceased mother.

Liang Xiao continued to read.

“This letter is to inform you of the truth regarding your mother’s death. I hope you do not resent your Father Emperor…”

It was only when the candlelight was lit that Liang Xiao slowly put down what was in her hand.

Her eyes were red, and with a gentle blink of her eyelashes, tears slid down.

Yan Heng took out her own handkerchief from her embrace and handed it to her.

She stood up, walked to Liang Xiao’s side, and put an arm around her shoulder: “What did the Consort say in the letter?”

Liang Xiao used the handkerchief to wipe away the tears she had just shed and said in a low voice: “Mother wrote about the events of that year in the letter.”

“When the State Preceptor first accused Mother of being a demon, Father Emperor didn’t believe it. However, rumors spread throughout the palace and the common folk, so Mother eventually volunteered to let Yuande confirm whether she was a demon.”

Yan Heng was bewildered: “But the Consort is inherently a half-demon. Wouldn’t that mean she would be discovered?”

Liang Xiao gave a bitter smile: “So, the night before, Mother… surgically removed her demon core.”

Yan Heng was shocked: “Surgically removing a demon core? For a demon, this severely shortens one’s lifespan!”

Liang Xiao scoffed: “Without the demon core, the State Preceptor couldn’t accuse Mother of being a demon. So, that group of people devised the ‘Thousand Poisons Box’ method, forcing Mother to use demon magic to protect me.”

It wasn’t surprising that a demon could still use some magic without their demon core.

Yan Heng listened with a heavy heart, unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes.

Liang Xiao placed the letter back on the table: “Mother was willing to die. She loved Father Emperor too much and was willing to pave the way for his imperial rule and the peace of the inner palace.”

She paused, then continued: “She knew that all of this was the scheme of Noble Consort Yu; her maid had unintentionally overheard Noble Consort Yu’s conversation with Jixing. But Mother also knew that Noble Consort Yu’s father held significant weight in the former court.”

The implication was that if she directly accused Noble Consort Yu, the matter would eventually be suppressed and dropped.

And she would still be sent to the underworld by Father Emperor through various means.

Yan Heng was so furious she wanted to leap up and curse, but Liang Xiao held her down: “Father Emperor has been visiting the inner palace more often recently, the show should begin soon.”

As night fell, a strong wind rose.

Noble Consort Yu tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

Her insomnia was getting worse, and for no other reason than that the moment she closed her eyes, she would be tormented by nightmares all night.

She couldn’t find the root cause and could only take those tiresome tranquilizer medicines daily.

Her eyelids were getting heavier, but she still struggled to keep her eyes open, staring blankly at the wooden bed beam.

The sound of the door squeaking open sent a shiver through Noble Consort Yu, and most of her drowsiness vanished.

“Jixing? Jixing?” She sat up, her hair disheveled, and shouted loudly.

However, there was no reply from outside the door.

She angrily threw off the blanket and got out of bed: “You dead girl, sleeping so soundly while on watch.”

Noble Consort Yu walked to the door, but the large door burst open with a loud clatter, blown open by the wind.

She was instantly startled. Just as she was gathering her courage to go out and look for Jixing, a white shadow suddenly dropped down in front of her.

It looked like a vengeful ghost hanging from the beam, now swaying in the breeze at the doorway.

Her throat tightened, and a gasp escaped her lips. However, apart from the sound she made, the vast palace seemed to hold no one else.

Her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the floor.

The white shadow continued to sway at the doorway, and a long, drawn-out female voice sounded in her ears.

“Noble Consort, it’s been a long time…”

“Who are you!” She sat on the floor, frantically looking around, but there was only the flickering candlelight, and nothing more.

A sigh suddenly rang out in her ear again: “Noble Consort, our entire family is waiting for you in the Underworld…”

“You, you are Cui Xing!” she shouted loudly, “It was a great help to you that this Consort sent your whole family to reunite!”

Her voice trembled, revealing her extreme terror at the moment.

Suddenly, a gust of demonic wind rose behind her, extinguishing all the candles in the room.

She screamed again, and the white shadow at the door dropped down and slowly moved towards her: “You went to great lengths to harm me, Noble Consort, are you living well now?”

Noble Consort Yu frantically waved her hands in the air: “You, you are Consort Lian… Don’t come closer! Don’t come closer!”

The white shadow got closer and stopped in front of her: “You should confess exactly how many people you’ve harmed, so when you descend to the Underworld, the King of Hell might be lenient with your punishment.”

She tried to offer a pale defense: “I, this Consort has never harmed anyone! Jixing! Jixing!”

“You all deserved it!”

She said fiercely: “A-Lin, Cui Xing, Consort Shu, and you, this demon, you all deserved to die!”

The white shadow spoke slowly: “I didn’t realize you were also involved with Consort Shu.”

Noble Consort Yu let out a chilling laugh: “A-Lin killed her, but yes, it was this Consort’s idea. A woman who had been in the Cold Palace for many years already wanted to die; I merely gave her a helping hand.”

“And Cui Xing, she willingly wanted to work for this Consort, so how could I bear to see her separated from her family in life and death?”

“And you, you demon, you are a disaster for the country and its people; killing you was simply ridding the populace of a menace!”

These acts, one after another, were all Noble Consort Yu’s evil deeds.

And the source of all this was merely that she was demoted to Consort Xu because she had offended Consort Lian.

As for the so-called “offense,” it was a trivial matter to begin with.

That year, Consort Lian entered the palace and instantly stole her favor. She spoke a few bad words in the palace, which were unfortunately overheard by Liang Shu, who had come to see her.

Simply because Consort Lian was highly favored throughout the six palaces at the time, she was demoted to Consort Xu for this incident.

These details were clearly written in Consort Lian’s letter.

Liang Xiao took a deep breath and slowly said to Noble Consort Yu: “Today, I will take you with me to the Underworld to pay for their lives!”

She reached out and choked Noble Consort Yu’s neck, pretending to kill her. The person’s eyes widened in terror, and she tried to scream but couldn’t make a sound.

Liang Xiao didn’t dare use too much force. Only when Noble Consort Yu was barely breathing did she slowly let go.

She didn’t want her hands to be stained with the foul blood of such a person.

She clapped her hands, shook off the unconscious Noble Consort Yu in disgust, and then gracefully left.

Everything that happened tonight was a plan concocted by Liang Xiao and Yan Heng.

The extinguished candles and Cui Xing’s voice were all Yan Heng’s illusions. Coupled with Liang Xiao, who resembled Consort Lian, they put on a performance for Noble Consort Yu tonight.

Everyone in Noble Consort Yu’s palace had been drugged with a sleeping incense by Yue Ying tonight, giving them ample time.

They had obtained the satisfactory answer they sought.

The next day, the news that Noble Consort Yu had gone mad spread throughout the inner palace.

She cried all day in the palace, sometimes delusional, sometimes lucid, shouting and screaming things like “they deserved it,” which made everyone around her shudder.

No one knew why Noble Consort Yu had changed overnight. They only assumed she was possessed and even invited several Imperial Physicians, none of whom could diagnose the problem.

Liang Shu came to visit her once. Unexpectedly, the woman grabbed his sleeve and confessed all the wicked things she had done over the years.

Consequently, she was locked up in the Cold Palace and, it was said, soon after bashed her head against a pillar and died.

**

Liang Xiao stood before Liang Shu’s desk, her hands folded in her sleeves.

Her voice was cold: “This letter was found on my mother’s desk in her bedroom. I ask Father Emperor to take a look.”

Liang Shu cautiously opened the envelope and remained silent for a long time after reading it.

“It is I who have wronged your mother, the Consort.”

A pale and powerless apology.

Liang Xiao picked up the letter paper: “Mother’s palace is still the same as it was. If Father Emperor misses her, you can go and see it yourself.”

Liang Shu slowly nodded and then continued: “I plan to posthumously confer your mother the title of Imperial Noble Consort Jiayi and move her to the Imperial Mausoleum according to the rites.”

Liang Xiao gave a slight laugh: “Is Father Emperor afraid of having a reputation for being heartless and ungrateful, or do you genuinely feel remorse toward Mother?”

Liang Shu paused slightly, then let out a long sigh: “You resent your Father Emperor, and your Father Emperor knows it.”

Liang Xiao bowed: “Your humble daughter dares not resent Father Emperor; I only feel that Mother’s sacrifice was undeserving.”

Liang Shu shook his head: “So be it. This matter is my fault. You may… go back first.”

“Yes, your humble daughter takes her leave.”

Support After Becoming a Concubine, I Took Down the Princess