The Beloved Imperial Consort Chapter 11

As the first round of selection approached, Zong Zheng Lin’s inner turmoil only grew, as if an urgent matter was right before his eyes, demanding a solution.

He had no clue how to handle the situation with that woman. All he knew was her surname was Mu, and she currently resided at her maternal grandparent’s house in the capital. The secret guards didn’t have her portrait, and there were two Miss Mus living together in the same courtyard, making it impossible to determine which one their Master was looking for.

Was the dignified Sixth Highness supposed to describe the woman’s graceful and slender figure to outsiders and have them carefully identify her?? Wasn’t this depriving people of any options? Or perhaps he could personally break into her private chamber at night, but wouldn’t that be too disgraceful?

Zong Zheng Lin’s face turned increasingly grim, and his icy demeanor became even more apparent in the past few days.

After having amused himself at Zong Zheng Lin’s expense for nearly half a month, Di Wu Yi Zhao finally remembered to call quits and feigned ignorance as he asked, “Your Highness, is there something bothering you?”

Zong Zheng Lin remained silent for a moment before speaking, “Mister, there’s a matter Bendian¹ cannot figure out. Could you help clarify it?”

“Your Highness, please speak.” Di Wu Yi Zhao, who did not conduct himself with maturity, was ecstatic.

“If there’s a woman, whom Bendian has never met before, but she disturbs Bendian’s mind greatly, and her presence lingers in Bendian’s thoughts, what could be the reason behind it?”

“Could it be that this woman possesses qualities that Your Highness finds unlikeable, even to the point of strong aversion?” A certain advisor started talking nonsense.

Zong Zheng Lin furrowed his brows and replied, “Not at all.”

“In that case, is this woman related to the grand scheme and is of great importance to Your Highness?” The certain advisor continued without shame.

Zong Zheng Lin shook his head, “It’s entirely unrelated.”

You’re mistaken, the assistance this woman provides you is quite substantial.

“Then, what does Your Highness think of that woman?” At long last, he assumed a serious demeanor and began performing his duties as an advisor.

This time, Zong Zheng Lin didn’t respond immediately. He seemed uncomfortable and even displayed a hint of embarrassment when he replied, “Bendian… have her image in my mind, and even sees her in dreams, unable to suppress desires. Bendian tried to call for other women, but it’s only her…”

Di Wu Yi Zhao didn’t expect Zong Zheng Lin to be love-struck. His expression turned serious.

The Sixth Highness had never paid attention to fairer sex, and he exercised strict self-discipline. If it was merely a desire for intimacy and affection towards women, it wouldn’t be a concern for a prince. After all, every emperor had their favored concubine. But this was clearly……..

“Does Your Highness already feel possessive toward that maiden, unable to tolerate others looking at her,” Di Wu Yi Zhao’s expression became unprecedentedly solemn.

Zong Zheng Lin also had a vague feeling that having such thoughts was highly inappropriate, but he couldn’t deny the truth, “Yes!”

“Could Your Highness disclose the identity of this young lady?”

“The miss from Mu House in Qingzhou prefect’s residence. But which lady it is, Bendian hasn’t found out.”

Di Wu Yi Zhao was taken aback. Qingzhou, Mu House? This truly seemed like fate.

It was not a simple twist of fate. Otherwise, Mu Xi Yao wouldn’t have to exert so much effort to shove you into the Sixth Prince’s residence, would she?

The miss from Mu House, Di Wu Yi Zhao already had a guess in his heart. If she was the one, then it wouldn’t be a bad thing that Zong Zheng Lin’s feelings for her went beyond ordinary affection.

After all, that lady had a noble character, and a beautiful appearance, and has been praised multiple times by his wife and daughter upon mention. When Yu Ying learned that she came to Shengjing, she couldn’t wait and hurried to see her. But he wondered how His Highness could develop feelings for her without even meeting her. It was indeed strange. This content belongs to thehlifestyle.com, if you see this translation elsewhere, it’s been stolen!

“Your Highness, does that young lady love reading?” Among the two unmarried ladies in Mu House, only the di daughter, Mu Xi Yao, was quite fond of reading. Yu Ying admired her greatly for this, often praising Mu Xi Yao for her extensive knowledge and her skill in composing beautiful poems and eloquent writings.

“Yes.”

“That’s her then. This maiden is the Qingzhou prefect Mu Jin Zhen’s second di daughter, Mu Xi Yao. She is the daughter of Yi Zhao’s old friend.” Di Wu Yi Zhao slowly recounted to Zong Zheng Lin how his wife and daughter had received Mu Xi Yao’s help.

Zong Zheng Lin didn’t expect such a coincidence, that he had sought advice from the right person. He also marveled that the incident with the startled horse was her second act of righteousness. Does this woman have no fear?

“Now, can Mister tell Bendian, why Bendian has such an unusual reaction to this woman? And what actions should be taken?” Even now, Zong Zheng Lin maintained a business-like demeanor, as if discussing state affairs, believing that a well-rounded strategy was necessary.

Finally, Di Wu Yi Zhao couldn’t help but sigh. “Your Highness, this is a sign of falling in love.”

Zong Zheng Lin had initially thought that soon he could completely solve the issue that had been troubling him for a long time but was surprised by the response he received.

“Falling in love?” Zong Zheng Lin was shocked, freezing on the spot.

“Yes. You think of her, wish to get close to her, and cannot bear others looking at her. Clearly, you have developed romantic feelings for her.”

Zong Zheng Lin straightened his back, sitting upright on the head seat, not speaking for a long while. Then suddenly, he broke into hearty laughter. All the frustrations he had been feeling recently dissipated with that laugh.

Since he had unknowingly fallen in love, he needn’t ponder any further. If he, Zong Zheng Lin, wanted something, he would get it. A woman was no exception!

——

Zhanghe’s eleventh year of Yuancheng Emperor, on the twenty-third day of the sixth month, the grand selection of xiunu officially began.

Mu Xi Yao and the party had already made all the necessary arrangements. They bid farewell to everyone outside the residence and then entered the sedan chair, heading towards the imperial city. From this point on, many things were about to change.

—–

The Palace of Wanxiu.

After the supervising momos² finished giving their instructions, they started to assign each xiunu their courtyards based on the order of their name syllables. The first round of selection was scheduled for the next day, and all the xiunus who passed would stay here for a month and be taught palace rules and etiquette by senior members of the palace. The Mu sisters and two Jinzhou xiunus were assigned to the Hall of Xihe. Meanwhile, Mu Xi Yao’s elder cousin, together with three xiunus from Shengjing, were placed in the distant the Hall of Jingfu. This was consistent with Mu Xi Yao’s memory. That meant the one living next door in the Hall of Yongfang was Pin Ting of Jiang clan.

The next day, the Mu sisters and the elder cousin all successfully passed the first round. Afterward, a series of complicated palace rules and etiquette followed. Mu Xi Yao didn’t know how the other xiunus were coping, but she herself handled it with ease and received much praise. After all those years of experience in the palace in her previous life, if she couldn’t even handle palace rules and etiquette, how could she compete with others?

In the palace, Mu Xi Yao was like a fish in the water, passing each day leisurely. At the same time, Zong Zheng Lin was not idle either.

Every day, there were people reporting Mu Xi Yao’s situation in the palace. She seemed to be causing a stir wherever she went. In just a little over ten days, even Consort Shu had heard a bit about her. The other xiunus were putting all their efforts into studying, and when they returned to their quarters, they engaged in both open and secret rivalries with each other. Mu Xi Yao, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. During the day, she studied diligently, but once she returned to her quarters, she would simply lie down and sleep.

The rest of xiunus naturally disliked Mu Xi Yao, so they ostracised her and both openly and secretly mocked her. However, Mu Xi Yao pretended not to notice. After all, she effortlessly grasped the palace conducts that others were still struggling to learn. Anyone would be uncomfortable with this comparison.

Besides, Mu Xi Yao worried that she did not stand out enough. Considering her family background, if she were meek and obedient, she would only end up with a concubine position. Of course, she had to have outstanding qualities to have a chance to compete, right?

On this day, Mu Xi Yao returned to her sleeping quarters. As she approached the bed, she noticed the jade pendant, which had been quiet for a long time, was now emitting a faint warmth. Could this be… a warning?

Mu Xi Yao cautiously moved closer and detected something fishing under the soft pillow. There was only her inside the room. She immediately had an idea. She moved the soft pillow into her jade pendant first and observed seven or eight black dots crawling underneath. She quickly collected them all into the pendant and then took out the soft pillow to restore everything to its original state.

She swiftly completed the whole set of actions in the blink of an eye, clean and efficient. After feeling the jade pendant returned to its original state, she circled the chamber to ensure it was safe and without danger. Only then did she relax and examine the black dots inside the pendant. How wonderful, these were very malicious things.

The dormant spider, a mutated species resembling a normal spider, was native to Yuzhou and extremely rare. This insect’s venom was not lethal, but it had its peculiar characteristics.

When bitten by this insect, one must use mugwort to wipe the affected area. If the spider venom was not treated within two quarters of an hour, after two days, the whole body will emit a foul odor. The strange and repulsive smell couldn’t be alleviated by medicine. In the following month, the foul odor will dissipate on its own, posing no threat to life, but it was extremely nauseating. Due to the small size of the insect and its bite resembling that of a mosquito, it was not easily detected, and the numbness and itchiness came later. Therefore, by the time most people noticed it, it was already too late for the antidote.

Mu Xi Yao chuckled. If she wasn’t familiar with the habits of this dormant spider, even though she had the jade pendant and was immune to spider venom, it would be nearly impossible to identify the mastermind behind it. What a pity she happened to know. Although the dormant spider was a mutated spider, it was a herbivorous insect and fed only on wuxu flowers!

Wuxu flowers had a fragrance similar to cloves, making them difficult to distinguish. However, the scent of Wuxu flowers lingered for a long time, lasting for three to five days. When a white handkerchief stained with extract of medick flower came into contact with the fragrance of wuxu flowers, the white handkerchief immediately turned into a beautiful light purple color.

The person who devised this malicious scheme was quite cunning. In two days, the Great Wei’s traditional festival of Xizhao would take place. This was a grand celebration to commemorate the great poet Meng Xi Zhao, whose literary talent was unparalleled and who dominated an era in the history of Great Wei.

On the Xizhao Festival, which fell at the beginning of the seventh lunar month each year, various academies across the country held poetry competitions. Inside the palace, a poetry banquet was hosted in the Imperial Garden, accompanied by lantern riddles for entertainment. At that time, not only the Empress Dowager and the Yuancheng Emperor but also all the major court officials and the ladies of the imperial harem would be present. For the xiunus, it was a rare and precious opportunity to showcase their literary talent, a chance not to be missed.

The poetry banquet had always been highly esteemed by the literati scholars, especially in the culturally rich Great Wei. The excellent poems and intriguing anecdotes presented during the banquet would undoubtedly be widely spread and eagerly discussed by the people. If anyone embarrassed themselves at the banquet, it would be extremely shameful, and even their family would be disgraced.

Mu Xi Yao was particularly resentful about this.

Yuzhou…..if her memory served her well, this year there were thirteen xiunus from Yuzhou who passed the first round of selection. Eight of them were in the West Palace, so it was impossible for them to come over. Education in the East and West Palaces was kept separate.

Out of the remaining ones in the East Palace just like Mu Xi Yao, there were five of them. She had to investigate them thoroughly. They were complete strangers, yet they resorted to such ruthless tactics; it was evident that they were wicked at their core. Mu Xi Yao has never been one to show mercy when encountering such malicious acts.

—–

On Zong Zheng Lin’s side, the secret guard also brought news that he saw two xiunus sneak into Mu sisters’ private quarters and leave shortly afterward. It was confirmed that these two came from Yuzhou, but upon investigating their chambers, nothing unusual was found. The secret guard was unsure whether he should proceed to search Mu Xi Yao’s chamber, so he came to seek instructions.

Zong Zheng Lin’s face darkened. Allowing a man to enter Mu Xi Yao’s chamber? If he accidentally sees something…he promptly ordered Wei Zhen to mobilize a female guard from Yue Lai Pavilion, who specialized in intelligence gathering, to thoroughly investigate the matter.

Yue Lai Pavillion ran various businesses, including brothels, restaurants, and armed escorts, and served as a crucial source of intelligence for Zong Zheng Lin. The only people aware of its existence besides Zong Zheng Lin were Wei Zhen and Di Wu Yi Zhao; even Consort Shu remained oblivious. This was the first time a female guard was mobilized from Yue Lai Pavilion to enter the Inner Palace for an operation. It was enough to show Zong Zheng Lin’s caution.

Strangely, after that, Mu Xi Yao and the other parties were all safe and sound. The female guard found no clues surrounding this case. Zong Zheng Lin had dispatched people to keep an eye on those two women, but since they showed no unusual behavior, this matter could only be temporarily put aside.

It was only natural that Zong Zheng Lin didn’t find anything. Without crucial clues, the secret guards had nowhere to investigate.

Mu Xi Yao’s progress, on the other hand, was smooth. Using an excuse, she took Mu Xi Ting to visit various places and soon discovered a chamber with the scent of wu xu flower. The only issue was that there were two xiunus from Yuzhou living there. It remained unknown whether it was one of them acting alone or if they were colluding together.

However, Mu Xi Yao couldn’t be bothered to waste her energy on this problem. In her eyes, both of them came from Yuzhou, and they must be familiar with the scent of the wu xu flower. If they knew about the wu xu flower, they would surely associate it with the dormant spiders. If someone were to claim that there was nothing suspicious about this, Mu Xi Yao wouldn’t believe it. Even if that one person was not the culprit, she must be the accomplice. Mu Xi Yao wouldn’t mind dealing with both of them together.

Translation notes: 

[1] Bendian refers the first-person pronoun employed by princes when speaking to a person or an audience of lower rank or status.

[2] Momo refers to an old maidservant.

List of TBIC Character

Relationship Diagram  (by Sith Kazar)