Chapter 73: A Single Strike Pierces the Gilded Veil

Since Xia Jiujang intended to ruin Xia Yue’er at the empress dowager’s palace banquet today, her plan was to have Xia Yue’er wear a problematic dress. As it happened, Princess Anya orchestrated the incident at the pond, soaking Xia Yue’er’s clothes and saving Xia Jiujang the trouble of intervening herself. Afterward, when Xia Yue’er went to He Yi Palace to change, it was time for Prince Jin to make his move.

When Xia Jiujang devised her plan, she had mentioned in Tianxiang Pavilion that for her scheme to succeed in one decisive blow, Prince Jin’s assistance would be indispensable. The harem was crowded with tangled factions, not a place where Xia Jiujang or Jiang Beiying could wield much influence, nor could they easily bribe their way through; only Prince Jin could act with subtlety, leaving no trace.

The Bureau of Palace Attendants did indeed send an outfit to He Yi Palace today, but on its way from the bureau, Prince Jin’s people swapped the clothes, replacing them with the problematic pale yellow gown Xia Yue’er now wore.

Yet, as Xia Yue’er lowered her eyes to inspect the dress, it appeared perfectly ordinary—no stains, no damage. She could not understand why the empress dowager was so furious.

With Palace Attendant Xue’s accusation and the evidence she produced from the Bureau, the empress dowager’s rage erupted. “Yi Concubine, how dare you try to shift the blame onto the Bureau of Palace Attendants! Do you think you can manipulate everything to suit yourself?”

Yi Concubine trembled in fright. “Your Majesty, I dare not. Every word I spoke is true, but I cannot comprehend why the clothes sent from the bureau do not match, nor why this dress displeases Your Majesty.”

On Emperor Zongkang’s command, the guards immediately went to search He Yi Palace. Everyone in Jade Lotus Hall was bewildered, but none dared speak, for the mood of the empress dowager and the emperor was visibly foul.

Yi Concubine’s heart beat wildly; she was anxious, unable to fathom what was wrong with Xia Yue’er’s dress, nor why the emperor had ordered a search of He Yi Palace in his wrath. The rapid sequence of events left Yi Concubine and the Xia family utterly unprepared, their minds blank.

A suffocating tension filled Jade Lotus Hall. Yi Concubine and the Xia family knelt on the floor, enduring the passage of time, each minute feeling torturous.

Soon, the guards returned from He Yi Palace, presenting a brocade handkerchief to Emperor Zongkang. “Your Majesty, this was found beneath Yi Concubine’s pillow.”

The handkerchief’s fabric was identical to the pale yellow material of Xia Yue’er’s dress, as if made from leftovers after tailoring the gown. It was embroidered with lotus flowers, common in He Yi Palace, as if declaring the handkerchief belonged to Yi Concubine.

Emperor Zongkang, upon seeing the handkerchief, threw it to the ground in fury. “I never imagined that Jin Mantang, responsible for the gilded cloth for Li Kingdom’s sacrificial ceremony, would send it not to the palace, but first to He Yi Palace for Yi Concubine’s dress and handkerchief. Well done, indeed.”

The empress dowager was equally incensed. Gilded cloth was a matter of grave importance, reserved for sacred rituals; yet it had been turned into a dress and a handkerchief, one worn by Xia Yue’er, the other placed under Yi Concubine’s pillow.

Was this not an affront to the emperor, a desecration of Li Kingdom’s peace and prosperity—a grave crime?

Only at this moment did those present realize the source of the empress dowager and emperor’s rage: the fabric of Xia Yue’er’s dress and the handkerchief was the gilded cloth Jin Mantang had prepared for the nation’s rituals.

Gilded cloth? Yi Concubine had never seen it herself, as it was reserved for Li Kingdom’s ceremonies. Everyone knew Jin Mantang was commissioned to produce it, but they only knew its name, not its actual appearance—save for the empress dowager and emperor.

How could Yi Concubine have known that Xia Yue’er’s dress was made of gilded cloth? Had she known, she would never have allowed Xia Yue’er to wear it, even if given a hundred chances.

Yi Concubine cried out in shock, “Gilded cloth? I have never heard of such fabric! The dress Xia Yue’er wears was sent by the Bureau of Palace Attendants, and I simply had her change into it. I have never seen that handkerchief, nor do I know how it came to be under my pillow. This must be slander—a plot against me! I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!”

Emperor Zongkang drew a deep breath. “Indeed, investigate thoroughly? Then I shall do so. Prince Jin, immediately dispatch the Imperial Guards to search Jin Mantang. If the matter of these garments is not resolved tonight... then tonight’s palace banquet shall not conclude.”

Hearing this, Xia Jiujang’s lips curled with satisfaction. Her aim had been achieved; from the start, her plan was to strike Jin Mantang in one blow, to have its house raided.

Now that Xia Jiujang had set events in motion, Jiang Beiying need only cooperate with the Wang family, and Jin Mantang would go up in flames.

Sweat broke out on Xia Wentao’s brow, his heart hollow and anxious. “Your Majesty must be mistaken. How could the dress and handkerchief in Yi Concubine’s palace be made of Jin Mantang’s gilded cloth? Perhaps the fabrics merely resemble each other… a simple mistake.”

Xia Wentao was naturally nervous; the empress dowager’s fury at Xia Yue’er’s dress had led to a search of He Yi Palace, which turned up gilded cloth and prompted a raid on Jin Mantang—this was clearly an attack aimed straight at Jin Mantang.

Xia Wentao’s anxiety now became fear. If Jin Mantang were searched, would their past deeds be uncovered? If the connection between Jin Mantang and the Prime Minister’s residence were exposed… Xia Wentao’s career would be finished.

The empress dowager raged, “Prime Minister, are you suggesting that I and the emperor are so feeble-eyed as to mistake the fabric of Second Miss Xia’s dress and your handkerchief?”

Jun Qianye watched as the empress dowager and emperor pressed their attack, feeling his own anxiety deepen.

He was close to the Xia Prime Minister; if the prime minister fell, his own standing with Emperor Zongkang would suffer. Moreover, if Jin Mantang were implicated, it would be like clipping Jun Qianye’s wings—without financial support, his affairs would not proceed smoothly.

At the banquet, Xia Yue’er’s dress was exposed, and both Yi Concubine and Palace Attendant Xue had their reasons, but Jun Qianye did not believe Yi Concubine would risk using gilded cloth—such folly would be suicidal.

Yi Concubine and Xia Yue’er were not so foolish, nor would the Prime Minister’s residence wish to lose Jin Mantang, their vital ally. So who had used Xia Yue’er, targeted Yi Concubine, and dragged Jin Mantang into the fray?

Jun Qianye’s gaze involuntarily shifted to Xia Jiujang. Jin Mantang’s predecessor had been Jiang Mantang, whose daughter Jiang Ruan was of the Jiang family, now destroyed. With Jin Mantang under investigation, Jun Qianye could not believe Xia Jiujang was innocent.

Especially as he caught the sly, calculating smile flickering in Xia Jiujang’s eyes—like a young deer but with a cunning gleam—Jun Qianye clenched his fists. This was all Xia Jiujang’s doing!

Noticing Jun Qianye’s scrutiny, Xia Jiujang met his gaze and smiled sweetly, her mocking expression seeming to say, “So what if I orchestrated everything? What can Jun Qianye do about it?”