Reincarnated as A Concubine

Chapter 4: Deduction

Are you sure about this, your ladyship? It's still quite a long way from *Kūnnínggōng.' Xiaotao said.

'Should I call a palanquin, your ladyship?' Xiaoli followed, her sparrow-like eyes looking worriedly at her mistress.

'It's quite alright, you two.' Moyan replied, taking in a deep breath of the cool morning air. Despite having woken up before dawn, she felt surprisingly awake. After an hours' worth tidying up (with a much-needed cup of tea), she set off on the journey to Kūnnínggōng for the obligatory morning meet.

Or, as Moyan told herself, the first battlefield.

'But I do not understand, your ladyship.' Xiaoli frowned. 'Why would you choose to walk instead of taking the palanquin? Despite what others say, you are still a 3rd rank guìpín and the mother of two imperial heirs.'

 Pausing for a moment, Moyan turned towards Xiaoli with a twinkle in her eyes. 'I am still accused of harming an imperial child, am I not? So, what better act of penance could there be for the cold-hearted bitch to walk till her feet bleed on the road to the Empress's palace in a pilgrimage for forgiveness?' She swooned in mock distress, looking back at them with batting eyelashes.

At the sight of the dumbstruck expressions on her maid's faces, she couldn't help but chortle in mirth.

Nothing like caffeine and dark humour to lighten up the mornings.

'Come now, both of you. Just think of it as a relaxing jog in the backyard.' She finally chuckled. 'You know, it's nice to slow down once in a while and take in the little things that you've been rushing by all day. We've got plenty of time anyway.'

'Look!' Moyan exclaimed softly, pointing towards a nearby flowerbed. 'The gardenias are in bloom.'

The creamy white blossoms bore a stark contrast in the quiet darkness of the imperial garden. A cooling breeze brushed past the girls' cheeks with the faintest blush of its' sweet floral perfume.

Truth be told, this morning 'jog' was mainly out of curiosity. Despite the many gongdou dramas she had seen, a part of Moyan still itched to find out what the real thing looked like. It was only now that she realized it was rather bad planning on her part. Besides the occasional chirping cricket and the quiet burbling water, the imperial garden was almost pitch black in the early morning darkness, illuminated only by a few stray candle-lit lanterns.

But there was still something she wanted to do. A part of her wanted to visit the crime scene.

The place she lost her consort rank.

'Xiaoli, can you show me where it happened?'

It was a large, ornamental lake located a little way off a path shaded by hulking trees. Two bridges arched gracefully across the water, leading towards a gazebo in the very middle. In the dim candlelight, Moyan thought the small structure looked like an oversized toad squatting on top of the rippling waters, it's tented roof casting crooked shadows across the bridge.

According to Xiaoli, the incident happened here three days ago at a tea party organized by the Empress. For some unknown reason, the First Princess slipped and fell from the gazebo into the lake. Being the closest to the princess, Tanxiang had leapt into the water to save the girl... only to realize that the lake was much too deep and that she had no idea how to swim.

While both were saved by eunuchs, the First Princess passed out into a coma from fright. Then just as the Empress ordered an investigation, a palace maid stepped forth to present an eyewitness account.

Consort Ning was the one who pushed the First Princess.

Within seconds, the rest of the attendants and maids near the lake all echoed the same sentiment. Consort Ning had pushed the First Princess into the water.

Over time, like a pot of rancid fermented fish, the rumours soured and wafted across the entire imperial city, shrouding the glimmering palaces in its' putrid stench. 

The maids and eunuchs whispered to each other in hushed tones. Some said the Consort Ning had grown jealous of the First Princess' favour with the emperor. Others said she had intended to kill the poor child and place the blame on the Empress. Soon enough, it became the focus of great debate in the imperial court.

So, to silence the officials and appease the fury of the Grand Empress Dowager, Tanxiang was demoted from a Standard 3rd rank fēi to a Secondary 3rd rank guì pín. Her right as caretaker of the Second and Fourth Princes were revoked, and she was placed under house arrest in her residence Wàngxīgé for a month.

Unable to take the news like the delicate little 12 year-old flower she was, Tanxiang fell into a shock-induced coma for 3 weeks... only to wake up as Song Moyan.

'Your ladyship, are you alright?' Xiaoli asked, snapping Moyan out of her thoughts.

'I'm fine.' She said, fixing her gaze on the gazebo. Even from this distance she could make out the elaborate railings running around the building. If her assumptions were correct, they should be around the height of her waist.

The back palace is the place where the harem resides, specifically women.

Potentially child-bearing women. 

Moyan snorted.

Pray tell, how is it that a 3-year-old child manages to climb up the railing seats in one fell swoop without anyone stopping her? Where were her maids? Where were the eunuchs? And most importantly, in a gazebo that small, wouldn't the princess's mother have been able to stop her before she went for a dive?

Two possible options. Either the fact that she was distracted by someone, or someone had been smart enough to lure the princess towards a blind spot before committing the deed.

But in the end. There is no proof. Merely speculation. She sighed.

'Let's go. We mustn't be late. How do I look?'

'You look beautiful, your ladyship. Still, isn't this color a little too... bland?' said Xiaoli whilst Moyan bent over the bridge to catch a glimpse of herself in the lake.

'No. This is perfect for today.' Moyan affirmed, angling her face so that it caught what little firelight the nearby lanterns gave off.

She had chosen a plain **ruqun embroidered with willow patterns and a pale blue ***daxiushan. Her hair was tied into a tight bun and held together by a single wooden hairpin alongside a few small white ronghua.

Altogether with her short stature, the ensemble gave one the impression of a heavily sick beauty who would collapse the moment one touched her. What's more, her puffy and teary red eyes (courtesy of two onions she rubbed into her eyes the night before) made the effect even more pronounced.

In the harem, a fallen concubine's greatest weapon was her weakness.

'Come.' Moyan smiled, holding out a willowy arm with the grace of a swaying lake frond. 'Let's start the show, shall we?'

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*坤宁宫 Kūnnínggōng, translated as 'the Palace of Earthly Tranquility'.  

**襦裙 rúqún is a garment that consists of  two paired parts, a short jacket worn over a long skirt. 

***大袖衫 dàxiùshān is a kind of outer vest with really long and wide sleeves that covered the entire figure worn over the ruqun. It is mainly worn by females of good financial and social standing for obvious reasons.