Page 90
Xiao Jizi ran about ten steps before he saw Xiao Qing stumbling over, her hair disheveled and her clothes bearing signs of a fall, as if she had been running so hard that she had tripped herself.
Seeing Xiao Jizi, Xiao Qing rushed over to him as if he were a lifesaver, nearly tumbling to the ground: "Xiao Jizi, something, something terrible has happened!" Tears were still streaming down her face.
Xiao Jizi steadied her to prevent the fall and asked anxiously, "What happened? Where is the Young Master?"
"The Young Master, the Young Master," Xiao Qing began, burping from crying and gasping for breath, "The Young Master is in trouble, hic~"
By this point, Xiao Jizi was nearly out of his mind with worry. Seeing Xiao Qing continuously burping and unable to speak coherently, he slapped her back hard, finally getting her to suppress the hiccups.
After suppressing the hiccups, Xiao Qing said in a pitiful voice, "Beauty Li is in trouble, the Young Master is in trouble."
Xiao Jizi stamped his foot in agitation and grabbed her shoulders, demanding, "Make yourself clear, is it the Young Master who is in trouble, or is it Beauty Li? Who exactly is in trouble!"
At that moment, Xiao Qing was completely flustered and, wiping her tears haphazardly, said, "Beauty Li fell from the pavilion, and the Young Master was there too."
What a confusing way to explain, with Beauty Li having fallen from the pavilion and the Young Master present, how could one say the Young Master is in trouble?
Xiao Jizi took a deep breath and told himself not to panic, to first get the facts straight.
Looking at Xiao Qing earnestly, he asked calmly, "Xiao Qing, don’t panic.
Explain it to me one sentence at a time.
Tell me everything about how this all started, and make sure you don’t leave out any details. "
Seeing Xiao Jizi’s composed demeanor, Xiao Qing felt like she had found her backbone, and with her heart somewhat settled, she began to slowly recount, "I was walking with the Young Master in the Imperial Garden, and when we were about to reach Jinwu Garden, we ran into Consort Liu.
Later, the Young Master grew tired and wanted to return, and then. .."
Xiao Qing explained the entire sequence of events, and Xiao Jizi finally had a rough understanding of what happened, though there were still a few points that were unclear:
"You said that Consort Liu before leaving told you the weather was bad and to be careful?" This comment seemed so abrupt — could it be that Consort Liu was trying to warn the Young Master about something?
Xiao Qing nodded affirmatively and said, "Yes. Is there something wrong with that?" At the time, she had thought Consort Liu was being very kind.
Xiao Jizi shook his head: "Nothing’s wrong with that." It’s just that it seems off when considered in conjunction with the whole incident.
He continued to inquire, "The young eunuch from Driftfrost Hall kept blocking you, not letting you go over. By the time you got there, Beauty Li had already fallen down the steps. You didn’t see what happened in between?"
Xiao Qing nodded and felt like crying again, blaming herself for being useless, so easily stopped by someone and not witnessing anything, unable to help in any way.
Having heard this, Xiao Jizi began to speculate that from beginning to end, the incident was shrouded in suspicion. For now, he would not ponder why Consort Liu made that comment; however, that Beauty Li repeatedly sent for the Young Master was certainly abnormal.
He believed that the incident could be an attempt by Beauty Li to frame the Young Master. It was just that he didn’t understand why she herself ended up falling from the steps.
He couldn’t believe that the Young Master had pushed her. The Young Master was not that kind of person. She wouldn’t bother with others unless they offended her, and furthermore, even though the Young Master was quite straightforward, she was also perceptive and not so foolish.
Luckily, it wasn’t the Young Master who had fallen.
But now, with Beauty Li’s injuries still unknown and Xiao Qing having not witnessed what happened, and the Young Master herself not explaining the occurrence, the situation did not look good for the Young Master, especially with only Beauty Li’s servants present at the scene.
Seeing Xiao Jizi deep in thought and not speaking, Xiao Qing grew anxious again and tugged at his clothes, asking, "Xiao Jizi, what do we do?
That Nanny Sun and Dong Mei are insisting that the Young Master pushed Beauty Li.
The Young Master is still waiting. I am afraid.
.." She was afraid for the Young Master’s safety.
"What?" Xiao Jizi was taken aback. Why had Xiao Qing not mentioned this crucial point before?
This was not good. If that was the case, even if the Young Master had been innocent, she could still be in trouble, accused with no way to prove her innocence. This matter might not end well.
Xiao Jizi grew anxious and intended to run out of Canglan Court, but then he saw Xiao Qing still waiting for his guidance.
No, he must not panic, or else no one would be able to help the Young Master.
The Young Master had called Xiao Qing back to protect her, and since she hadn’t witnessed anything, returning would be of no help; besides, at this point, the Young Master was probably no longer there, likely having been taken away already.
Xiao Jizi steadied his emotions and forced a composed expression on his face, reassuring Xiao Qing with a few words, instructing her to guard Canglan Court well, to secure the gates, and to prevent anyone from framing them further, for that would be as fruitless as washing mud away in the Yellow River.
After calming Xiao Qing, Xiao Jizi hurried out of Canglan Court, thinking as he walked.
The Noble Consort controlled the affairs of the entire harem, and with such an incident, the Young Master would surely be taken to Huaqing Palace for interrogation, and Beauty Li’s servants would definitely accuse the Young Master of pushing Beauty Li.
The Young Master, isolated and without support, amidst overwhelming accusations, had no chance to defend himself, and the true facts of the matter may not concern the Noble Consort; as long as everyone accused the Young Master, that would be enough to convict him in the Consort’s eyes.
When the time came for the Young Master to be dealt with, who would care whether he was innocent?
At this thought, Xiao Jizi felt an urgent panic. The Noble Consort held the highest authority in the Harem, and now it seemed the only option was to find His Majesty and implore His Majesty to intervene.
Speed was crucial; he needed to reach His Majesty before the Young Master suffered any punishment, lest it be too late.
Xiao Jizi ran faster and faster, tripping over a branch and losing a shoe, he did not bother to pick it up, and without even dusting himself off, he scrambled to his feet and continued running.
He was unsure, for although His Majesty had shown some favoritism towards the Young Master before, he could not be certain about the current circumstances.
Ever since His Majesty had left that night, he had not visited Canglan Court again, and in the intervening time, only Steward Zhang had come to remove all of His Majesty’s belongings.
But initially, His Majesty had entrusted the Young Master to his care, saying that if anything happened to the Young Master, he would be the one to answer for it. So given the current situation, surely His Majesty wouldn’t ignore the Young Master, would he?
No matter what, he had to try; there might still be a way out if he tried, but without trying, there would just be a dead end.
He had come from Star Palace and had his own ways; reaching Star Palace would be much easier for him than for most, which gave him an advantage in finding His Majesty.
After getting the eunuch guarding the gate to let him through and nearing Star Palace, Xiao Jizi’s heart sank as if doused with ice-cold water when he saw the person on duty from a distance—it was Zhang Sancai, the one who saw him as a threat!
Even during his time in Star Palace, Zhang Sancai had always been antagonistic towards him, tripping him up overtly and covertly; in his private thoughts, Xiao Jizi surmised this was because Zhang Sancai feared he might surpass him.
How absurd! His godfather was Steward Zhang, and as long as Steward Zhang held his position, how could he ever surpass him? Such foolishness!
But now was not the time for these thoughts. Xiao Jizi steadied his heart, patted off the dirt on him, straightened his clothes, and headed briskly towards Zhang Sancai.
Inside Huaqing Palace.
The Noble Consort sat in her high seat, while Lian Hua, Nanny Sun from Driftfrost Hall, Dong Mei, and a Young Eunuch named Wu Shui kneeled below.
Listening to everyone’s testimony, the Noble Consort’s face was solemn as she spoke authoritatively, "Daying Lian, do you know your crime?"
Lian Hua’s lips were somewhat pale. She stood straight, her face bereft of emotion, as she replied, "I do not!" She would not confess to something she did not do, even if the whole world said otherwise.
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