After the Crown Prince finished speaking, Zhao Huaiyu responded with a smile, "Using lotus leaves as wine cups in summer is both elegant and adds a hint of lotus fragrance to the wine. Dongpo Jushi once wrote a poem praising this: 'Green tubes sometimes curve like elephant trunks, white wine faintly carries the bitterness of lotus hearts.' When I read this line back then, I yearned to experience it, but never had the chance to emulate it. Today, seeing Your Highness choose green tube cups at the celebration banquet, I seem to sense the fresh fragrance of lotus, fulfilling a long-held wish."
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "This wish is not difficult to fulfill." He then instructed Qin Sishan to have the Palace Food Attendants prepare several more green tube cups filled with wine to serve to the ministers in the pavilion.
Upon receiving the order, Zhenzhen retreated to the kitchen and led several palace attendants to pick lotus leaves and make green tube cups. Shortly after, the wine cups were ready. Li Dianshan designated several palace attendants and ordered them to carry the green tube cups into the Jingyi Pavilion. This was a great honor, and those named all accepted the task gladly. Only one newly recruited palace attendant named Yun Yinge appeared uneasy. Though she nodded in acknowledgment, her brows were slightly furrowed, showing clear concern.
Fengxian, who usually worked in the same group as her, noticed this and asked if she had any difficulties. Yun Yinge hesitated and said, "I... have never seen so many distinguished guests before. Now I feel my hands and feet trembling, worried that I might make a mistake while serving the wine cups in the pavilion."
Fengxian then said, "Shall I serve the green tube cups in the pavilion on your behalf?"
Yun Yinge was overjoyed and thanked her before requesting a replacement from Li Dianshan. Although Li Dianshan was not entirely pleased, the tasks at hand were numerous, and she had no time to argue, so she nodded in agreement.
The palace attendants carried the green tube cups into the Jingyi Pavilion in order. Fengxian had long memorized the seating arrangement in the pavilion. Calculating the sequence, she exchanged her position with the relevant palace attendant to ensure she would serve the wine cup to Zhao Huaiyu. When she approached Zhao Huaiyu, she lowered her head and presented the green tube cup to his table with both hands. At that moment, she heard Zhao Huaiyu’s barely concealed exclamation of surprise: "Ling..."
She slowly raised her head, exchanged a faint smile with him, then bowed in greeting before calmly picking up the wine jug to pour wine for him.
Zhao Huaiyu said nothing more, silently observing her every move. As she was about to withdraw, he bowed to her in thanks. The two shared a tacit understanding without exchanging a single word.
Afterward, the topic in the pavilion turned to how fragrant and refreshing the green tube wine was and how ingeniously crafted the wine cups were. The ministers took turns expressing their gratitude and praise to the Crown Prince, completely unaware of the turbulent undercurrents hidden beneath the decision to change the wine cups.
Fengxian retreated to the kitchen, sensing an unusual atmosphere along the way. There were many more Imperial Guards from the Imperial City Department in the courtyard, all looking grave. Their leader, Yin Ti, was patrolling around the kitchen with a tall, imposing dog. The warm, fragrant breeze suddenly carried a hint of solemnity and tension.
The remaining four rounds of wine were accompanied by exquisite delicacies made from premium ingredients and prepared through complex processes, such as Five-Treasure Sliced Meat, Half Lamb, Goose Gizzard and Web Soup with Pickles, and Seven-Treasure Head Soup. These were interspersed with various snacks and fruits to encourage drinking. Fengxian and the other palace attendants shuttled back and forth, working tirelessly. Only after the dishes for the final round of wine were prepared did Fengxian have a brief moment to catch her breath and head to the eastern restroom to freshen up.Upon arriving at the Eastern Lavatory, Fengxian saw Hao Jinyan, the female historian who usually instructed her, already inside. That day, the female officials all wore headgear like men, dressed in narrow-sleeved round-collared robes, with red leather belts tied at the waist and cloud-patterned shoes on their feet. Historian Hao had removed her cloud-patterned shoes and was rubbing her ankle with a pained expression. Seeing Fengxian enter, she smiled apologetically and said, "I washed these shoes earlier and stored them in a cabinet after drying. I haven’t worn them for a long time, and they’ve become stiff. After wearing them for most of the day, they feel much tighter and are rubbing my feet raw."
As her superior, Fengxian had always treated her with respect. Seeing this, she stepped forward to massage her feet, but Hao Jinyan quickly withdrew her foot, repeatedly saying, "No need," and stuffed her foot back into the shoe. She tried to stand up but winced and cried out "Ouch" after taking just one step, seemingly in great pain.
Fengxian hurriedly helped her sit down and removed her shoes and socks to examine her feet. Sure enough, the back of her heel was rubbed red. Hao Jinyan glanced at Fengxian’s shoes and whispered to her, "Later, I still need to deliver millet to the Jingyi Pavilion. But with my feet rubbed raw like this, every step feels like walking on knives. So... I have an unreasonable request... Today, all our shoes are of the same style, and yours look about the same size as mine. Could we temporarily swap shoes? Once the task is done, we can switch back."
Fengxian agreed, "As long as you don’t mind, you can use my shoes. We’ll switch back after returning to the palace."
The two then exchanged their cloud-patterned shoes. The shoes were indeed the same size, and Fengxian didn’t feel uncomfortable wearing them. Hao Jinyan stood up, took a few steps, and beamed with delight, "Much better indeed."
Fengxian didn’t think much of this matter. After changing clothes, she and Hao Jinyan returned to the kitchen one after the other.
After the Banquet of Joyful News concluded, the Crown Prince, along with the ministers and presented scholars, gradually departed. Once the last attendee had left the examination hall, Yin Ti ordered all the courtyard gates closed. Qin Sishan gathered the Palace Food Attendants in the courtyard and, without further ado, poured a small amount of wine from the Crown Prince’s wine vessel, handing it to Yin Ti.
Yin Ti took the wine cup and held it under the nose of the black dog he was leading, allowing it to sniff. After smelling it, the black dog swiftly dashed toward the attendants, moving among them to inspect and identify scents. Suddenly, it leaped forward and knocked one attendant to the ground. The attendant screamed, and as she fell, her headgear came off, revealing a lotus jade cup hidden inside, now exposed for all to see.
The black dog continued its search and found another attendant with a lotus jade cup hidden in her headgear.
Zhenzhen observed this and, after a moment of thought, understood the reasoning behind it: The lotus jade cup was a wine vessel commonly used by the Crown Prince. Jade-carved wine vessels inevitably had tiny stone patterns, and the Crown Prince, being frail, drank wine specially prepared by Qin Sishan, which was unique. Over time, the wine had soaked into the cup, leaving a lingering scent that even repeated washing couldn’t completely remove. Thus, the black dog could identify the lotus jade cups by the scent of the wine.
Qin Sishan sneered and ordered the Imperial City Department to escort the two attendants back to the palace for interrogation by the palace supervisor. She then asked Yin Ti to lead the black dog to the spot where the Crown Prince’s fruit offerings had been trampled to sniff the scent. After that, she instructed all the female officials and attendants to sit down, extend their feet, and turn their shoe soles outward, allowing the black dog to identify scents.
Two attendants’ faces instantly paled, and they shrank their feet, unwilling to reveal their soles. However, even so, the black dog detected them, rushing toward them and barking furiously. Qin Sishan signaled Yin Ti to take them away. Before she finished speaking, the black dog suddenly turned and dashed toward Fengxian.The black dog sniffed twice at Fengxian's feet and barked loudly, indicating that she was also the one who had trampled the Crown Prince's wang fruit. Without waiting for Qin Sishan's instruction, two Imperial Guards rushed to her side, seized her arms from both sides, and were about to drag her away when Fengxian coldly shouted, "Wait!"
Under Qin Sishan's sharp gaze, Fengxian, pale-faced, struggled to suppress her fear, unease, and anger as she revealed the truth: "The shoes I am wearing now are not my own..." She also understood the real reason why Hao Jinyan had wanted to exchange shoes with her. Turning her head coldly toward Hao Jinyan, she said, "They belong to Palace Attendant Hao."
Hao Jinyan immediately raised her voice in denial: "Nonsense! Everyone in the Bureau of Palace Provisions knows I am meticulous about cleanliness. How could I possibly exchange shoes with someone else? Clearly, you trampled the Crown Prince's wang fruit, and now that your crime is exposed, you are trying to frame me!"
Fengxian calmly recounted the incident in the privy, including every detail, their conversation, and the facts, all without error. After hearing this, Qin Sishan made no comment but asked Fengxian, "Is there any witness?"
Fengxian was momentarily speechless. At the time, only the two of them had been in the privy, with no other witnesses. In the end, she could only shake her head.
Qin Sishan ordered both Fengxian and Hao Jinyan to remove their shoes and had the black dog sniff them again. The conclusion remained the same: the shoes Fengxian had taken off were the ones that had trampled the wang fruit.
Both pairs of shoes were the standard cloud-toe shoes worn by Palace Food Attendants, identical in appearance, color, and even size. Qin Sishan showed them to several Assistant Directors and Deputy Directors of Palace Catering, but none could tell which pair belonged to whom.
At this moment, Zhenzhen suddenly stepped forward, bowed to Qin Sishan, and requested, "Director, may I examine these two pairs of shoes?"
Qin Sishan granted permission, and Zhenzhen took the two pairs of shoes for a closer look. After a moment, she picked up the pair Fengxian had removed and said, "These shoes do not belong to Sister Fengxian. They appear more like the ones Palace Attendant Hao wears daily."
Hao Jinyan angrily retorted, "You and Ling Fengxian are both from Pujiang, originally sisters, so you have come together to slander me. Not a single word you say is credible!"
"I speak not of personal ties, only of reason," Zhenzhen replied, shifting her gaze from Hao Jinyan to Qin Sishan. "On the pair that trampled the wang fruit, the outer heels of both shoes show wear. This usually happens because the wearer has a habit of walking with their toes turned inward, causing the outer part of the heel to bear the brunt of the force, leading to wear over time. Sister Fengxian walks with a normal gait. If you check all her shoes after returning to the palace, you will not find such wear. When I first entered the palace, I was criticized by the Director for my unrefined gait, so I made a point of observing the walking postures of the female officials in the palace. I noticed that Palace Attendant Hao has a habit of walking with her toes turned inward. Therefore, if we must choose the owner of these shoes between Fengxian and Palace Attendant Hao, I believe it should be Palace Attendant Hao."
Qin Sishan examined the soles of the two pairs of shoes more carefully and, after a moment of thought, said, "That makes sense. However, Palace Attendant Hao may not be the only one in the Bureau of Palace Provisions who walks with her toes turned inward. Based solely on Ling Fengxian's account, it is not appropriate to conclude that Palace Attendant Hao intended to exchange shoes with Ling Fengxian."
"There is another way to identify my shoes," Fengxian suddenly interjected. "After receiving these cloud-toe shoes, I followed my own preference by removing the insoles, sprinkling sandalwood powder into the soles, and sewing them back up so the shoes would carry a fragrance. So, please check the shoes Palace Attendant Hao removed. If you open the insoles and find sandalwood powder inside, they must be mine."Hao Jinyan recalled that when she exchanged shoes with Fengxian, she had indeed caught a faint whiff of sandalwood incense. Seeing Qin Sishan hand the shoes over to the Imperial Guards, who were about to take them apart, she anxiously cried out, "This method was taught to Ling Fengxian by me, so she knows I sprinkled sandalwood powder in the shoes."
Fengxian turned toward Hao Jinyan and calmly asked, "What? Did you also sew incense powder into your shoes, Lady Hao?"
Hao Jinyan replied, "Since I taught you this method, naturally I used it myself."
Fengxian pressed further, "Are you certain the powder in these shoes was placed there by your own hand?"
"Of course," said Hao Jinyan. "I personally selected the sandalwood, placed it in the soles, and sewed them shut myself."
"Is that so..." Fengxian smiled at her and said slowly, "My apologies, I must have misremembered. Back then, I only perfumed my shoes with incense and never placed any powder in the soles. So, if the Imperial Guards find powder when they take the shoes apart, those shoes must be yours. If not... tell me, whose shoes should they be?"
(To be continued)
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