Harem Daily Life

Chapter 850: Still a bit more merciful

"My Lady, something happened at Liufang Pavilion!"

Tao Yanyan was still washing up when Chang Tai ran in panicked: "Your Majesty, a murder has occurred in Liufang Pavilion. Concubine Shu was strangled to death by her maid Xiaoxin. Xiaoxin committed suicide out of fear of punishment by hanging herself."

As Chang Tai spoke, he took out a suicide note left by Xiao Xin and handed it to the queen.

Tao Yanyan was originally a little sleepy, but now he was no longer sleepy at all and was extremely awake.

She opened the suicide note and took a look. Xiaoxin had written down all the evil deeds that Shu Cairen had done in the past few times.

As Tao Yanyan suspected, the Third Princess's new clothes were sprinkled with itching powder, Concubine Zhou sprained her ankle in the Plum Garden, and Concubine Xu suffered a stomach upset—all due to Shu Cairen's orders to her maids, Xiao Tang, Xiao Xin, and Xiao Lan. The frogs in Changle Palace were caught by Shu Cairen's orders, with the intention of frightening the Empress and causing her trouble. When the plot failed, fearing she would inform on Xiao Tang, Shu Cairen poisoned her.

It was even written in the suicide note that Shu Cairen deliberately approached Princess Ding and wanted her to come forward to fight for the management rights of the imperial property for her.

After reading the suicide note, Tao Yanyan sighed: "Those who do too much evil will eventually perish. She deserves what she has today. It's all her own fault."

At this time, Li Zongguan from the Imperial Household Department also hurried in and waited outside. Tao Yanyan put away the suicide note, simply combed her hair into a bun, and went to the front hall.

"Your Majesty, you should have read the suicide note of the maidservant in Liufang Pavilion, right? I have examined it and found that Concubine Shu was strangled to death. Even the imperial physician was unable to save her. Now that we know that Concubine Shu is guilty, how should her funeral be conducted? Please advise, Your Majesty."

Steward Li was at a loss as such an incident had suddenly occurred in the palace early in the morning. The deceased was the empress dowager's niece and the emperor's cousin. She had murdered the empress and concubines and had a low rank. It was really difficult to decide how to deal with her.

Tao Yanyan thought for a moment and said, "There's both witnesses and physical evidence. Shu Cairen's guilt cannot be erased. However, death is like the extinguishing of a candle. We can't impose these punishments on her after her death. How about this? You go to Consort Xian, Consort Zhou, and Consort Xu Zhaoyi and tell them about the persecution they suffered at the hands of Shu Cairen. Then, say that she's dead, and let them let go of their hatred and forget it. Everyone in Liufang Pavilion will be strictly interrogated. Those found guilty will be dealt with according to palace rules, and those who are innocent will be relocated. As for Shu Cairen's funeral... she will be buried according to her rank, and there will be no mourning hall."

Steward Li looked at Empress Tao and said, "Well, what about the Empress Dowager...if she thinks this funeral ceremony is too simple..."

Tao Yanyan waved her hand: "Do as I say, the Queen Mother won't blame you." The Queen Mother had already treated this niece as if she didn't exist, so how could she care about her affairs after her death?

After receiving the Queen's order, Manager Li respectfully went down to do the work.

In Changchun Palace, Eunuch Qin hurried over. Seeing the expressionless face of the Empress Dowager, he said, "Empress Dowager, I've been to see her. She was strangled to death. The maidservant was absolutely ruthless. I've also sent word to the Shu family, saying that the Empress Dowager is heartbroken and hasn't been able to see them lately. I ask them to accept her loss."

The Queen Mother sneered, "You raised a daughter like this, yet you have no face to cry in front of me. Have you found the poison?"

Eunuch Qin took out a small medicine bottle from his bosom and said, "I found it. There are also some letters between Concubine Shu and the Shu family. I have also collected them."

The Queen Mother gently stroked her sleeves and said, "Burn all the medicine and letters. From now on, I will be the only one with the surname Shu left in this palace."

Eunuch Qin nodded: "Yes."

The Queen Mother stood up, walked to the orchid pot, picked up a handkerchief and wiped the leaves.

"I still remember that when Shu Cairen was young, she was determined to enter the palace as a concubine. At that time, she was so high-spirited and arrogant. She personally begged me, saying that she wanted to accompany her cousin, the emperor, for the rest of her life. I didn't expect that she would die like that before her life was half over."

Eunuch Qin consoled her, "The Queen Mother dotes on Concubine Shu, and that's obvious to all the harem. It's a pity that Concubine Shu herself is not up to the task and is always stirring up trouble. Over time, this has chilled the Queen Mother's heart."

"She is still too spoiled and doesn't know her own worth. Especially after Queen Tao came, she has become more and more eccentric." The Queen Mother put down her handkerchief and returned to her seat.

"She has no kindness towards her servants; no friendliness towards her concubines; no respect towards me; and jealousy towards the queen. I originally thought that once she had a child, she would be able to focus on living a good life, but I didn't expect that the child... would not be blessed after all." The queen mother said with some sadness.

"After all, it's all a thing of the past. Your Majesty, please don't be too sad." Eunuch Qin didn't know how to persuade her, so he could only say this.

"At first, I really liked the Third Prince, but unfortunately, he was too frail to handle such a heavy responsibility. Old Qin, the path I paved for the Shu family ultimately didn't lead to a smooth road. In the end, it was Empress Tao who won everything."

Eunuch Qin smiled and said, "Although Empress Tao's surname isn't Shu, I feel she's quite close to the Empress Dowager. I still remember when she was a new favorite, she was willing to accompany the Empress Dowager to the temporary palace, staying there for over six months. That time, she accompanied you shopping, and anyone who didn't know her would have thought you two were real mother and daughter."

The Queen Mother sighed, "So you see, who is lovable and who is not, let alone the Emperor, I can tell at a glance. This Queen Tao deserves to be favored, to overcome all obstacles and make it to the end. It's just..."

The Queen Mother combed the feathers of the dozing parrot before saying, "It's just that the Queen is still a bit merciful. This time, the Queen clearly had the poison I gave her, and no one could find out where it was, yet she was so soft-hearted that she didn't take direct action against Concubine Shu. Tell me, what was she thinking? Why couldn't she bring herself to do it?"

Eunuch Qin laughed and said, "Kindness is not necessarily a bad thing. I have noticed that Empress Tao is quite kind."

The Queen Mother glanced at him and said, "I am a bit stricter than she is. You are afraid of me, aren't you?"

Eunuch Qin's mouth twitched, and he hurriedly said, "The Queen Mother should have the aura of a Queen Mother. The methods of ruling her subordinates are not something that everyone can learn. In the eyes of this servant, the Queen Mother's majesty cannot be violated!"

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "You, you say one thing to one person and another to another. You are a slippery loach."

Eunuch Qin just smiled and didn't say anything.

"Never mind. I ruled the late emperor's harem with high pressure, but even then, there were those disgusting people like Concubine Li. Empress Tao ruled Zhang'er's harem with kindness, but no one stood out. So let her be. This harem is hers now, and I will not interfere in it from now on."

"Mind your own business, mind your own business. I'm just trying to take a break from my busy life." The little parrot shook its head, apparently waking up, and started talking non-stop again.

The Queen Mother smiled and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you and take a break from my busy life."