Story of Yanxi Palace

Chapter 48.2: Explanation

The Empress nudged Wei Yingluo's forehead and said: “Prince Yi of First Rank's false accusation of you was a slap in the face of the Changchun Palace, this Palace Mistress was not happy, she wanted to teach him a lesson but he is after all the Emperor's own cousin, this Palace Mistress can't even blame him unless the Emperor said so, how dare you go after someone with the Iron-Cap Prince rank?”

   Wei Yingluo touched the spot on his forehead where he had been nudged and asked tentatively: “Niangniang, you blame this lowly servant, is that what this is about?”

   The Empress said with a suspicious look on her face: “Did you make another mistake? Finish it in one breath, before this Palace Mistress is frightened again.”

   Fuheng's face lingered in front of him, Wei Yingluo kept wondering why he hadn't been caught. Wei Yingluo shook his head and asked: “How did Niangniang know that I had done this?”

   The Empress looked at Wei Yingluo suspiciously for a moment, before saying: “Fuheng sent me a letter earlier, saying that you were bold and that this Palace Mistress should take care of you and don't blame you, he's afraid you'll get into trouble again.”

   Wei Yingluo's face was white! He knew, he knew everything, he knew everything when he gave him the salts! Wei Yingluo's nails pinched into her palm and asked: “Did Guard Fucha say nothing else?”

   The Empress said with hatred: “No, luckily Fuheng found out, anyone else would have complained to the Emperor but it would have been useless, the evidence would have been disposed of.”

   Wei Yingluo calmed down, nodded and said: “Yes, please don't worry, there will be no loose ends.”

   “This Palace Mistress is not worried about that...” The Empress frowned and after a pause, added: “Forget it, Yingluo, you are a person of character. Yingluo, in this world, being calculating, will never make you happy, on the contrary, step back, the sky will open up, you have Fuheng to thank for this, here, you send him the ginseng soup for this Palace Mistress, make sure you thank him.”

   Thank you? The packet of pepper salts was sent, he told the Empress Niangniang about it, even though he and his Fucha Fuheng had torn each other up. Wei Yingluo was curious, what would Fuheng's attitude be now that he saw her and she said softly to the Empress: “Yes.”

   After the distribution of the meat on the great day of sacrifice, the guards who were not on duty went back to the guards' quarters to rest.

   Fuheng was sitting on a bamboo chair reading a book, Hailancha came up behind him and took a look, “Pfft” he said with a laugh: “I say you are getting better and better, how can you read a book upside down?”

   Fuheng looked back, seeing that the book was indeed upside down and threw it down on the table in annoyance.

   Hailancha patted him on the shoulder and asked: “In a bad mood? Then I have good news for you and a pretty court lady has come to bring you soup, alas, I have no one to love...”

   Fuheng was stunned, he looked back, Wei Yingluo was standing at the door with a food box.

   Hailancha smiled and exits, as he closed the door he said: “You have a nice chat.”

   Wei Yingluo went to the table, brought a steaming bowl of ginseng soup to the table, smiled sweetly and said: “Young Master, Niangniang ordered me to bring you the soup.”

   Fuheng did not say a word, his face was calm with insight.

   Drops of water fell from the eaves, the two people stood facing each other, silent. Wei Yingluo's expression changed from naivety to indifference: “Don't worry, the Empress Niangniang asked me to bring the soup, I wouldn't have poisoned it.”

   Fuheng looked at the white porcelain bowl of soup and asked: “Did you set up Prince Yi of First Rank.”

   Wei Yingluo replied carelessly: “Didn't you tell Niangniang about me?”

   Fuheng's heart stung, he barely managed to keep his composure and asked: “How did you do that? There was nothing on the dagger or the cotton paper.”

   Yingluo smiled and with her hands spread out she replied: “It was very simple, I soaked the cotton paper in salt water, dried it out and crystallised the surface, then took it and used it to wipe the knife, as the meat was chopped into pieces, the salt crystals on the blade seeped into the meat, so it was easy to check the knife and find nothing but the cotton paper was easy to find, so I took advantage of the lack of attention and replaced the clean cotton paper with another one, naturally they couldn't find it.”

   Fuheng rose sharply, looked Wei Yingluo dead in the eye and opened his mouth: “You...”

   Wei Yingluo looked him in the eye without dodging and said with uncompromising vigour: “What about me? You're accusing me, you shouldn't have defended Prince Yi of First Rank! Because he's the Great Qing Dynasty Iron-Cap Prince, the son of a royal family, the grandson of a royal family, so he tells me to kneel when he wants me to, calls me a bitch and I have to take it all, don't I! Ha, what I, Wei Yingluo want to do, whoever I want to harm, no one will escape!”

   Fuheng said patiently: “Yingluo, he is the Prince after all!”

   Wei Yingluo laughed coldly and said: “The sea has changed, the world has changed, the mountains have risen in the past, on the future they will be flat, there is no such thing as a constant and forever! You see, yesterday he was on high, today he is on his knees like a dog, begging for mercy! Ha ha ha ha, what a laugh.”

   Fuheng closed his eyes and slowly opened them again, asking, almost self mutilatingly: “What about me? You set me up again and again, because of Amma, didn't you?”

   Wei Yingluo looked at him coldly and said: “Yes but you have escaped, on the face of it, the Young Master is a gentleman but there is no such thing as a gentleman who destroys one's innocence!”

   Fuheng could no longer stand it, he suddenly grabbed Wei Yingluo's wrist and asked urgently: “If I told you, I didn't do it, would you believe me?”

   Wei Yingluo snorted: “Do you think I would believe it?”

   Fuheng let go of Wei Yingluo's hand and took a step back, he suddenly drew the dagger from his waist and put it into Wei Yingluo's hand. Wei Yingluo has a murder weapon shoved into her hand and frowned: “What are you doing?”

   Fuheng looked her in the eyes, the darkness of his eyes was a hot lava, he took her hand and gripped the handle of the knife, he put the blade to his chest and said: “I have nothing to do with this, if you don't believe me, you can kill me here!”

   Wei Yingluo gripped the dagger, smiled mockingly and said: “If I were to kill you here, I can't escape either, I don't want to die with you.”

   Fuheng said irritably: “I'd rather killed by you than be hated by you.”

   Wei Yingluo looked slightly stunned, she looked slightly uncomfortable.

   Fuheng sighed, threw the knife on the table and said softly: “I'm sorry, I didn't think it through, if I were to die and not at the guards, it would have got you off the hook but Yingluo, no means no! I didn't hurt your sister, I didn't hurt Amma! If I tell a lie, I will be killed by a thousand cuts, pulled by five horses and die with a bad name and be reviled by all!”

   The oath was too poisonous and cruel, Wei Yingluo was shaken, Fuheng looked at her and said in all seriousness and honesty: “Wei Yingluo, I repeat, I… Fucha Fuheng has never done a single thing to harm Amma, never! I have never hurt your sister and I don't want to... hurt you.”

   Wei Yingluo finally spoke up and asked: “The first time, I asked you, if you knew Amman, why did you pretend not to?”

   Fuheng's eyes lit up and he replied: “The matter of Amma was a matter of great controversy, even after she left the palace and the rumours did not cease for a long time. I have heard of it but I have never seen Amma, so I cannot say I know her.”

   Wei Yingluo pursed her lips, took out a jade pendant and showed it to Fuheng and asked distrustfully: “Your jade pendant, why was it in her hand?”

   Fuheng also looked puzzled and said: “It is true that I left this jade pendant behind but why Amma kept it with her, I don't know.”

   Wei Yingluo looked at him steadily and said: “Did you mean everything you said, not a word of it?”

   Fuheng shook his head, smiling bitterly: “I don't have to lie to you, if I were the murderer, I could have told the Empress, would you still have a chance to seek revenge on me?”

   There are still doubts but it does make sense.

   Wei Yingluo hesitated, nodded lightly and said: “Fine, I'll believe you for now but if I ever find out you've lied, even if I turn into an evil spirit, I'll find you and make you pay for it!” With these words, she gave Fuheng a vicious glare and turned to leave.

   Fuheng was enraged by the glare, he grabbed Wei Yingluo's wrist again and said angrily: “Once you wanted to avenge me, you used to smile at me in a false manner, now you find me useless and you abandon me as if I were nothing! Wei Yingluo, can you change your face?”

   The hand around the wrist was like an iron grip, with a palpitating heat. Wei Yingluo stands still, her head hangs silent.

   Fuheng was filled with bitterness, he said feebly: “In fact, from the first time you struck, I suspected you but when I saw how gentle you were with Snowball, I deceived myself once again. Wei Yingluo, it was never you who lied to me, it was me who lied to myself! Every word you said to me, every smile you showed me, I kept going back to it in my mind, even when I knew you were lying to me, I didn't want to believe it.”

   Wei Yingluo looked at his hand for half a moment and suddenly lifted her face and said with a bright smile: “Young Master, you are not behaving, like this, in a proper manner? There is a saying that men and women who are not related to each other, you...”

   Fuheng was stunned and looked at his own hand and found himself holding Wei Yingluo's wrist and wanted to let go immediately but seeing that it was as white as snow, he was a little reluctant to let go.

   A strange laugh came from outside the door, Hailancha jumped in from the door, exclaiming: “Well done, you're in love, you're in love, I've caught you!” Fuheng immediately let go, Yingluo also stood up quickly and hurried out the door saying: “The Changchun Palace has a lot to do, goodbye.” And with that he walked away with his food box.

   Hailancha, seeing that he had spoiled his brother's fun, said: “Hey! I was just kidding, Yingluo girl, don't go!”

   Wei Yingluo had already disappeared, Hailancha looked apologetically at Fuheng and said with a smile: “Hey, sorry, I didn't expect your little girl to be so shy, she's gone and there's still a brother, come, I'll feed you soup! Ah, open your mouth!”

   Fuheng kicked Hailancha in disgust, Hailancha cried out.