Chapter 595: Dreamless Trace Incense
All eyes turned toward Noble Consort Rong at the mention of her Female Historian. The consort appropriately showed a hint of surprise before furrowing her brows in contemplation, her expression remaining composed and utterly devoid of panic.
"Amitabha." Xu Qing closed his eyes and chanted the Buddha's name.
"Consort! The Female Historian from your palace!"The Youning Emperor had not expected the assassin investigation to implicate both Noble Consort Rong and Shen Xihe before any progress had been made." He knew his women well - ever since learning that Noble Consort Rong had delegated the prayer arrangements to Shen Xihe, he had anticipated she would scheme something.
The Emperor understood Imperial Harem conflicts clearly. Survival of the fittest prevailed everywhere, and he never expected complete harmony in his harem, just as he didn't expect all court officials to align with him.
As long as court affairs remained unaffected, he never interfered. Moreover, after the Northwestern incident, the Emperor had no intention of letting the Crown Princess wield Palace authority. But he never imagined Noble Consort Rong would resort to such lewd methods to defile this sacred Buddhist ground.
Originally, due to the incense and assassin incidents, Xiangguo Temple bore some responsibility for security lapses, and Xu Qing must have been burdened with self-blame. Now, with this scandal occurring, the Emperor found himself embarrassed facing Xu Qing instead - this violated fundamental Buddhist principles.
"Your Majesty, this concubine knows not how such shameful matters could occur," Noble Consort Rong explained calmly. "The Female Historian from my palace has never been acquainted with any monk from Xiangguo Temple. An illicit rendezvous would be absolutely impossible."
Her explanation sounded perfectly reasonable - they had only been at Xiangguo Temple for one day. How could a palace maid from Noble Consort Rong's establishment possibly engage in an affair with an unfamiliar monk?
If Noble Consort Rong wasn't behind this, then who would frame someone from her palace? Suspicious glances inevitably drifted toward Shen Xihe.
"Crown Princess, you were responsible for arranging accommodations for the palace women. What have you to say about this?" The Youning Emperor asked with a darkened expression.
"Your Majesty, I did indeed arrange quarters for the palace women. If I recall correctly, all Female Historians from various palaces share rooms. If the Female Historian from Hanzhang Hall was abducted, the other Female Historians sharing her room would certainly have noticed something. Should we summon them for questioning?" Shen Xihe maintained her composure.
Their respective reactions left observers unable to discern any clear patterns, though everyone understood this marked the beginning of the struggle for Palace authority.
Today's outcome would likely determine who ultimately controlled the harem's power. Most naturally hoped Noble Consort Rong would prevail, as their agents within the palace had already established themselves under her rule and understood the existing protocols.
Who knew what changes might occur if the Crown Princess took over? Moreover, they would inevitably have to curry favor with the Crown Princess all over again.
"Go, summon the Female Historians who shared quarters with the one from Hanzhang Hall," the Emperor ordered. Since this involved defiling Buddhist grounds, he needed to resolve the matter before Xu Qing. After dispatching a Eunuch to summon them, the Emperor questioned the two individuals involved: "Do either of you have anything to say?"
The tear-streaked Female Historian from Hanzhang Hall pleaded: "Your Majesty, this servant retired with the other Female Historians from various palaces. I don't know why, but when I awoke... I found myself in the firewood room, where this lecherous monk assaulted me!"
The monk appeared neither frightened nor panicked, though his complexion had turned ashen: "Your Majesty, this humble monk..."After a pause, the monk changed his tune: "This humble commoner was caught by a eunuch while secretly eating meat. The eunuch threatened that if I didn't comply, he would surely report my actions to the abbot. My family is impoverished, and I possess no skills. If expelled from the temple, I would have nowhere to go. Thus, I had no choice but to yield to coercion. The eunuch brought the woman to the firewood room. I had no intention of forcing myself upon an innocent lady, but for some reason, she threw herself at me. I tried to push her away several times, yet she clung to me relentlessly. That is how I committed this grave mistake!"
"You're lying—" the Female Historian from Hanzhang Palace refuted in shame and anger.
The monk straightened his back and turned to meet the Female Historian's gaze: "Am I truly lying?"
His retort made the Female Historian recall what had just transpired, and she immediately choked on her words. The reactions of both the Female Historian and the monk led many present to form their own judgments.
At that moment, the monk knelt and crawled toward Xu Qing, kowtowing heavily: "Abbot, I have failed your generous treatment. I am ashamed before the Buddha and my master. I can only repay your great kindness in the next life as an ox or horse."
The monk suddenly let out a muffled groan, curled up, and collapsed. It was then seen that he held a dagger plunged into his own abdomen.
"Fazhao—" an elderly monk rushed out, embracing the suicide-attempting monk, his face filled with grief.
"Mas...ter..." Fazhao weakly called out before losing consciousness.
Xu Qing checked Fazhao's pulse and confirmed he had died, then bowed his head and began chanting scriptures for the dead.
This sudden turn of events was entirely unexpected. No one had imagined the monk would take his own life out of shame and indignation. It was only then that Noble Consort Rong's expression tightened slightly.
Things were beginning to slip from her control. Since when was Shen Xihe so easy to deal with?
She was no impulsive young lady. When she entrusted the prayer arrangements to Shen Xihe, she naturally understood that Shen Xihe would anticipate her move. She had deliberately crafted this seemingly straightforward frame-up, even going through the trouble of finding a Civet cat identical to Shen Xihe's to catch her maid off guard.
Shen Xihe had always believed in repaying others in their own coin. If she knew her maid had been targeted, she would inevitably strike back at Noble Consort Rong's maid. The original plan was to personally catch her red-handed, but unfortunately, halfway there, she received news of His Majesty's assassination attempt. How could she not immediately turn back?
"Your Majesty, the female officials in my palace have all been meticulously trained by the Palace Service Department. They would never commit such shameless acts. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly." Noble Consort Rong stepped before the Emperor and made a graceful bow.
"Your Majesty, regarding matters between men and women, whether it was consensual can be determined by summoning experienced female officials from the palace," Shu Fei said, her bright eyes shifting between Noble Consort Rong and Shen Xihe. "Let the imperial physicians also examine the Female Historian from Elder Sister Noble Consort's palace. I've heard there are many corrupt substances that can cause people to lose control."
Though Shu Fei's words appeared impartial, they practically openly sided with Noble Consort Rong, suspecting that Shen Xihe had drugged the Female Historian from Noble Consort Rong's palace. However, Shu Fei's opposition to Shen Xihe was expected.
Back then, to prevent Shu Fei, who resembled the Tubo princess, from marrying into the Eastern Palace, Shen Xihe had left her hanging in the wilderness for a day and a night, nearly costing Shu Fei her life.
Moreover, if Shen Xihe were to take charge of the Imperial Harem, Shu Fei would have to live under her authority.
"Proceed as Shu Fei suggests," commanded the Youning Emperor.Liu Sanzhi immediately arranged for experienced female officials to take the Female Historian away for examination. The Female Historian's face was deathly pale; she hadn't resisted at all, and no wounds were visible on her body. Though she had indeed been drugged, having served in the palace for many years and risen to become Noble Consort Rong's Female Historian, she had witnessed countless methods—not all aphrodisiacs left traces in the body.
Shen Xihe hadn't given her any aphrodisiac at all; she had merely lit some arousal-enhancing incense in the woodshed.
This incense was called: Dream Without Trace.
(End of Chapter)
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