Chapter 11: Bamboo in the Western Garden (V)

“Empress Chenghui once resided in the Western Garden. His Majesty dislikes this place, so it has been neglected for a long time. Apart from a few palace maids responsible for cleaning, no one usually comes here,” Ye Tingyan replied slowly. “Over time, the Western Garden became a place for secret rendezvous among palace maids. Both Lu Heng and Lady Zhang served in the palace, and during their idle days, they also met secretly here.”

Empress Chenghui was Song Lan’s mother. After ascending the throne, Song Lan bestowed excellent posthumous titles on both his birth mother and the former empress, with the former empress being honored more prominently. This move earned praise from the civil officials in court.

When Song Lan first ascended the throne, unfamiliar with imperial affairs, he entrusted some matters to Luo Wei for handling. In truth, over the years, she had dealt with state affairs more than harem matters.

However, Luo Wei handled affairs methodically, and her trusted palace attendants and female officials were diligent. Such clandestine meetings, common throughout history, were often overlooked by those who stumbled upon them.

Ye Tingyan continued: “On the day of the incident, Lu Heng and Lady Zhang met secretly in the Western Garden. They had a major argument for some reason, and Lady Zhang said something that enraged Lu Heng. In a fit of anger, he drew his sword and injured her, then dumped her body into the well.”

Luo Wei stared intently at him and asked: “Enraged to the point of drawing his sword and injuring someone? What words could make Lu Fengying, the experienced leader of the Golden Sky Guard, so furious?”

A hint of mockery appeared on Ye Tingyan’s face, but it quickly vanished before Luo Wei could scrutinize it carefully. “It’s probably because Lady Zhang fell in love with someone else, humiliating Lu Heng, or Lu Heng fell in love with another, eager to back out—this tangled web of love and affection is inscrutable to outsiders, yet it can give life and take it away.”

Luo Wei paused for a moment before speaking: “Can such murderous intent arise solely from love?”

Ye Tingyan enunciated each word: “When a beloved possession is snatched away, when a loved one breaks old vows, how can one not be hurt, hate, rage, or act recklessly?”

His voice today grew increasingly deeper, different from usual. Luo Wei, who had been gazing intently at the falling flowers opposite, upon hearing this, looked over as if startled by something astonishing.

Ye Tingyan noticed her gaze. Unable to avoid it in time, he returned her stare.

After staring for a while, his eyes grew sore, inevitably misting over.

Luo Wei watched him silently for a long time before averting her gaze and chuckling softly.

Ye Tingyan asked: “Why does Your Majesty look at me like this?”

Luo Wei shifted her gaze, focusing on the newly fallen flowers on her sleeve, and softly replied: “Sometimes your voice sounds very much like my late acquaintance.”

Ye Tingyan said: “Isn’t... I also Your Majesty’s old acquaintance?”

Luo Wei nonchalantly said: “Yes.”

An abrupt silence fell between the two. Ye Tingyan patiently knelt, waiting for Luo Wei to speak again.

But Luo Wei seemed to forget his presence, remaining silent for a long time.

Liu Xi tiptoed for a glance and whispered to Yanluo beside him: “Why aren’t Her Majesty and Lord Ye speaking? Is the questioning over, or...?”

Yanluo replied: “Her Majesty hasn’t risen yet, so how can it be considered over? Please wait a little longer, Lord Liu.”

Liu Xi repeatedly said: “Dare not, dare not, it’s all part of our duty.”

Sure enough, as soon as Yanluo finished speaking, Ye Tingyan said something that caused the absent-minded Empress to slightly change her expression and turn her head back.

“What did you say—”

Ye Tingyan lowered his eyelids, exhaled deeply, slightly furrowed his brows, and carefully repeated what he had just said.

“I said that these matters of love are merely conjectures by me and His Majesty, and His Majesty instructed me to convey this to Your Majesty. Before Lu Heng confessed, his tongue was cut off by the Zhuque Office, leaving him unable to speak. Why did Your Majesty immediately believe such clumsy words?”

A breeze blew, swaying the flower shadows in the garden, creating a chaotic mess on the ground.

Luo Wei asked: “What do you mean by this, Lord Ye?”

Ye Tingyan responded humbly yet firmly: “I have a question; please enlighten me, Your Majesty.”

“Speak.”

“On that day, while heading to Dianhong Terrace, I inadvertently collided with Your Majesty’s phoenix carriage. I knelt by the roadside to apologize. After the phoenix carriage departed, I was apprehensive and sought colleagues to accompany me, so I turned back. Subsequently—”

He paused here and looked up.

That day, under the bright spring sunlight, a cloud passed over the sun, allowing him to raise his head. At that time, looking up, he saw a clear blue sky and white clouds. Now, looking up, following the inverted lintel, he saw the vividly painted beams and the darkness at the tip of the main beam.

There were a few white birds depicted there, seemingly wanting to fly from this black dome to the sky.

“I saw an attendant from Your Majesty’s palace—the one standing over there—hurrying towards the Western Garden. Not long after, I was injured. When Young Master Pei arrived, he encountered the palace maid running frantically from the Western Garden.”

Luo Wei glanced in Yanluo’s direction following his gaze. Unsure of her intentions, Yanluo worriedly pursed her lips.

“Subsequently, when I took over the case and was drafting the verdict, I suddenly had an interesting thought.”

“This case shifted onto Lu Heng entirely due to the jade ring picked up by Young Master Pei and the Western Garden maid seeing the open gate where the body was dumped—Lu Heng dared to commit this act, confident that only the Golden Sky Guard held the keys to the Western Garden, a place rarely visited. After several years, the corpse would decompose to bones, leaving no trace. But apart from himself, who else could have opened the door to invite someone in?”

“Moreover, a ring is a private item. Five days after the crime, Lu Heng must have noticed its loss and searched for it. If the ring was lying around where Young Master Pei could easily pick it up, why couldn’t he find it himself?”

After speaking, Ye Tingyan still used that gentle and soothing voice to ask: “Can Your Majesty enlighten me?”

“Lord Ye means that on that day, it was I who sent someone to open the Western Garden gate, discard the ring, and under the guise of inviting your colleague, intentionally made the palace maid stumble upon the scene, causing a commotion?” Luo Wei’s expression remained unchanged, even lazily clapping her hands. “Brilliant, truly brilliant. Lord Ye’s discourse surpasses even the seasoned clerks of the Ministry of Justice. If I weren’t involved myself, I’d almost request His Majesty to transfer you to the Ministry of Justice as a secretary.”

“When meeting initially, Your Majesty probed extensively, pushing the court discussions along, risking your reputation to hand the case over to me.” Ye Tingyan seemed not to hear the latter part of her statement, continuing along her line of thought. “Afterward, you risked a rendezvous, hinting for me to ‘smoothly’ solve the case—Your Majesty’s intricate scheming effortlessly removed adversaries without a trace, truly admirable. But may I ask, didn’t you know Lu Heng for a long time? What grudge did you hold against him?”

Luo Wei coldly asked: “Do you know the gravity of falsely accusing the Empress?”

Ye Tingyan insincerely replied: “My sins are mountainous.”

His voice was soft and slow, narrating smoothly. Listening to it, Luo Wei felt a fine tremor creep up her spine.

Her heart pounded like a drum—not just from surprise and fear, but also from an indescribable feeling.

Gazing at his calm yet subtly sharp face, she was inexplicably moved by that emotion, suddenly laughing softly.

She laughed louder and louder. To others, it might seem the Empress heard something incredibly joyful. But Ye Tingyan saw an unfamiliar, subtle madness he had never seen on this once intimate person.

Luo Wei asked in a whisper: “Lord Ye spoke in such detail, but—do you have evidence?”

Ye Tingyan softly replied: “Nowadays, isn’t the palace maid who ran from the Western Garden already serving in Your Majesty’s palace? The one who saw it that day... only I did. Your Majesty is the most meticulous person. How could you leave traces for me if you wanted to erase them?”

Thus, Luo Wei clapped and laughed loudly: “Then I spoke wrongly earlier. Lord Ye shouldn’t go to the Ministry of Justice; you should perform storytelling in the marketplace. And since you’ve spoken so much, I have a question for you, Lord Ye.”

Before Ye Tingyan could speak, Luo Wei quickly said: “On the day of the Dianhong Grand Assembly, you ‘inadvertently’ encountered my phoenix carriage, right? I remember you said you were unfamiliar with the road—how did you know the palace maid went towards the Western Garden? And where did you discover the abandoned pavilion Gaoyang Terrace? Lord Ye is so familiar with the roads of the imperial city; have you really shown no interest in Bianjing all these years?”

Hearing this, the smile on Ye Tingyan’s lips stiffened slightly.

Luo Wei continued: “A secret is called a secret because even if it spreads, there’s the confidence to deny it outright. I have that confidence; do you, Lord Ye?”

The two exchanged glances and suddenly burst into laughter.

Ye Tingyan bowed down and exclaimed: “Thank you, Your Majesty, for enlightening me.”

Luo Wei waved for him to rise: “I’ve asked all I needed to. Lord Ye handled the Lu Heng case beautifully, both internally and externally. However, autumn is far away. Although His Majesty’s mind is at ease, with Lu Fengying still alive, I always feel unjust for Lady Zhang.”

“Please rest assured, Your Majesty. After autumn, there will be many executions. The Zhuque Office certainly won’t want to join the Ministry of Justice’s spectacle. Additionally, I request permission—Lady Zhang was Your Majesty’s old attendant. How should her body be handled?”

“I’ll arrange for a proper burial, return her to her family, reward her family, and arrange prayers for her. Lord Ye is thoughtful.”

“I deeply thank Your Majesty on behalf of Lady Zhang.”

Luo Wei nodded slightly in satisfaction: “With this, there are no loose ends. I won’t detain you further, Lord Ye. How’s your injury? Leave the palace early.”

Ye Tingyan rose and saluted. He had knelt for too long and was unsteady, steadying himself against the corridor pillar. As he turned to leave, Luo Wei suddenly said behind him: “By the way, Lord Ye, do you know where the name Gaoyang Terrace comes from?”

The crepe myrtle by the roadside hadn’t bloomed. Someone had planted a few wilted leafy spurge plants on the ground. Commonly found on forested slopes, they now appeared less lush when pampered in the garden.

Ye Tingyan looked at them and stopped walking.

Liu Xi and Yanluo walked over from afar. Before they arrived, Ye Tingyan softly answered: “It’s from Song Yu’s ‘Gaotang Fu’—on the southern slope of Wushan, blocked by high hills, morning clouds and evening rain[1].”

Luo Wei said: “The last time I ascended the terrace was in my youth. Last Qingming, when His Majesty went to the outskirts for the sacrifice, I was unwell and couldn’t accompany him. I looked at the jin flowers below the high terrace—they live and die within a day, how pitiful.”

Ye Tingyan turned back and said: “Your Majesty, please take care of yourself and don’t dwell on sorrow.”