"The Emperor sang and danced with a troupe of songstresses in the hall, drinking merrily until dawn and becoming heavily inebriated. At daybreak, nine songstresses departed covering their faces, their clothes disheveled."
Just how disheveled were their clothes? I hate the ancient writing style the most—just a few sparse brushstrokes, no idea how to flesh out the details. This fatuous tyrant, throwing orgies at such a young age... Zhang Yuanqing clicked his tongue as he read on.
"The Emperor boated across the lake with his concubines and entertainers. He ordered the songstresses to strip and perform, and commanded the palace maids to strip and serve tea and wine. Where the Emperor's whims led, he would seize the naked women to play with them. They returned at sunset, every palace maid aboard having been favored."
Every single one favored... Zhao Shun's kidneys sure were something; was he a Night Wanderer too? Zhang Yuanqing marveled as he turned the page:
"The Emperor intended to favor the Empress, but encountered Consort Rou on the way. Consort Rou said: 'Your Majesty attends to myriad affairs of state each day; do you still remember where the doors to Apricot Hall open?' The Emperor rebuffed her, and Consort Rou wept: 'Does Your Majesty recall that year under the drizzling rain among the apricot blossoms, when you said of all three thousand ladies in the harem, three thousand portions of love were gathered upon this concubine alone?'
"Ashamed, the Emperor took Consort Rou to see the Empress, wishing for all three to share a single grand bed. The Empress flew into a rage, denouncing his fatuous decadence. The Emperor cried aloud: 'Though you are the Mother of the Realm, your honor and disgrace rest with Us! How do you know We dare not depose you?'"
Now that was crossing the line—making the Empress share a bed with a concubine? How could a primary wife and a concubine be treated the same? Shouldn't ancients have had a strong sense of hierarchy regarding this? Zhang Yuanqing gained a whole new appreciation for Zhao Shun's absurdity.
"The Emperor strolled through the gardens to the West Garden. Suddenly hearing zither music, he followed the sound and found a woman playing a zither in a pavilion. He said: 'Her face is like peach and plum blossoms, graceful and alluring. For such a beauty to be neglected in the palace is a reckless waste of heaven's gifts—pitiful and lamentable.'
"The woman said: 'This concubine was a consort of the late Emperor. Ever since the late Emperor passed, I have resided in the West Garden, enduring a bleak existence as my youth withers.'
"The Emperor said: 'Flesh to enrapture the soul, bones worthy of pity; life's only fear is missing the moment at hand. With such a pair of sole-fish, death itself may be welcomed; better to be mandarin ducks than envy the immortals.'
"He embraced the woman and led her away. That night, he stayed in the West Garden."
He wouldn't even spare his own father's women... Zhang Yuanqing realized he had still underestimated Zhao Shun. On second thought, after an emperor died, the concubines in the palace seemed to have only a handful of options:
First, be buried alive with the dead emperor. Second, keep vigil at the mausoleum. Third, be forced into a nunnery. Fourth, be relegated to the cold palace. Fifth, catch the eye of the new monarch and be reabsorbed into his harem.
Zhang Yuanqing flipped rapidly through the pages. Ever since meeting his father's favored consort, Zhao Shun seemed to have unlocked a brand new world, lingering in the West Garden for two straight months.
To sum it up: all eleven Ladies, twenty Beauties, and thirty-six palace maids in the West Garden were thoroughly favored by him from top to bottom.
The late Emperor's favorite concubines became shaped to his liking, and the delicate, pretty maids who served them were molded into his shape as well.
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
The pages turned swiftly, the palace activity record growing thinner. Zhang Yuanqing read with increasing focus. Zhao Shun had been poisoned three days ago, but that did not mean the spy had made contact with him on that exact day.
If it was a slow-acting poison, it might have begun affecting this body days beforehand.
Therefore, any concubine Zhao Shun had interacted with over the past half month became a primary target of Zhang Yuanqing's investigation.
The spy's reason for poisoning the Emperor was straightforward. In the midst of war between two nations, the sudden demise of the Emperor would inevitably trigger political upheaval in the Southern Dynasty—especially since this dissolute monarch, for all his debauchery, had fathered no sons.
Once the Southern Dynasty descended into chaos over the imperial succession, the central court would very likely recall armies from the front line to contest the throne. In short, so long as the Southern Dynasty's currently stable government was thrown into turmoil, it would undoubtedly impact the military.
When that happened, the Northern Dynasty's southward campaign would achieve twice the result with half the effort.
Thus, the spy had either infiltrated the palace recently or sneaked in long ago, biding their time until the outbreak of war before approaching the Emperor.
His tireless reading from the beginning was not out of perverse amusement, but a desire to glean as much information as possible from the palace activity record regarding the concubines' numbers, personalities, styles, and family backgrounds.
Palace veterans like the Empress and Consort Rou were unlikely to be spies. The vetting system for palace maids differed vastly from that for imperial consorts.
To become an imperial consort, one's family line for eighteen generations had to be thoroughly investigated, whereas the vetting for palace maids was not nearly as rigorous.
Hence, the spy was most likely to enter the palace as a maid, then use beauty to seduce the Emperor and seize an opportunity to administer the poison. After all, Zhao Shun was an insatiable lecher; he wouldn't let young beauties pass, nor would he let older beauties go.
Unlike Zhang Yuanqing, who only liked older beauties.
Back to the matter at hand—so long as the spy possessed remarkable looks, they would have no trouble getting close to the Emperor.
Half an hour later, Zhang Yuanqing finally finished the palace activity record. He then had someone bring the harem roster. After examining the backgrounds of the concubines, he locked onto five targets.
Target One: Beauty Wan!
The activity record noted: The Emperor wandered the imperial gardens at night to admire the moon, when he suddenly heard a voice singing like an oriole from within the bushes. Parting the foliage, he saw a young maiden seated among the shrubs, her brows fresh as crescent moons, her hair sweeping like drifting clouds. She tilted her neck and sang softly, a breathtaking beauty. Thus, using the grass as bedding, her silk sash was loosened, and they joined in frantic passion. Drops of fallen red glowed vividly; upon returning to the hall, the bloodstains on the dragon robes were still damp. The following day, she was bestowed the title of Beauty Wan.
Zhang Yuanqing singled her out as a suspect because singing in the gardens in the middle of the night clearly indicated she knew of Zhao Shun's nocturnal roaming habits and had deliberately laid in wait to seduce him.
In ordinary times it might not matter, but seducing the Emperor at such a sensitive juncture made her highly suspicious.
Target Two: Beauty Chu.
The activity record noted: The Emperor went hunting at Three Gods Mountain accompanied by his concubines. As he galloped in the hunt, a hunter's daughter suddenly rode into view without holding the reins, spurring her horse like the wind. Greatly delighted, the Emperor ordered his attendants to seize her. Finding her to be a girl of about thirteen, he was overjoyed, conferring upon her the title of Beauty Chu and taking her into the harem.
Target Three: Consort De.
Consort De was actually a palace veteran. Her father had served as Minister of Revenue until the Emperor had his entire clan executed a few years ago. From then on, her temperament had shifted drastically, filled with brooding sorrow and resentment. Nevertheless, because of her peerless beauty, Zhao Shun still favored her from time to time.
Consort De had a clear motive to assassinate the Emperor—the slaughter of her entire family, after all.
Target Four: Lady Ya.
Lady Ya was a consort Zhao Shun had abducted during an imperial inspection tour. She was an older, beautiful woman who had originally been married. After she was forced to yield to Zhao Shun, her husband refused to accept it and submitted a petition written in blood to the prefect, accusing the Son of Heaven of abducting a common woman. He was sentenced to eighty strokes of the heavy cane and beaten to death.
Lady Ya likewise possessed a motive to become a spy and murder the Emperor. Taking a step back, what if that incident of abducting a common woman had been a scheme orchestrated by the Northern Dynasty all along?
Entering the palace as a captive would, to a certain degree, dispel the Southern Dynasty's suspicions and wariness. After all, the Emperor had stolen her; she hadn't entered on her own accord.
Target Five: Songstress Wang!
The suspicion toward Songstress Wang arose because Zhao Shun had spent time with her during the few days prior to his poisoning. Whether it was slow-acting poison or a potent venom, she remained a suspect.
"Twenty-four hours is a bit tight. Finding the spy entirely on my own is going to be tough." A thought occurred to Zhang Yuanqing. He had a palace maid summon the guards waiting outside the hall and asked in a low voice:
"A few days ago, We were poisoned by treacherous scoundrels. Has your Imperial City Bureau apprehended the culprit?"
The dungeon provided too little information and time was too scarce. Relying solely on himself was out of the question, but he could make use of the dungeon's NPCs.
The guard stammered, "Your Majesty, this matter is being handled by Commander Zheng and Attendant Li. This subordinate does not know."
Commander Zheng? Surnamed Zheng—a member of the maternal Zheng clan? Delighted, Zhang Yuanqing immediately ordered, "Summon him at once."
Though the Zheng family controlled the court and allowed corrupt officials to run rampant, they were maternal relatives after all, on the "same side" as Zhao Shun. They would never want Zhao Shun to die young.
Since Zhao Shun had no heirs, his death would mean the throne passing to collateral imperial clansmen, who certainly wouldn't favor the Zheng family.
Therefore, when it came to protecting Zhao Shun and rooting out the spy, they would spare no effort.
Before long, a young man with sword-like brows and starlike eyes, clad in armor, strode into the bedchamber, cupping his hands in a bow. "Zheng Longtu greets Your Majesty!"
Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Have you found the traitor who attempted Our life?"
Zheng Longtu shook his head. "Not yet."
Zhang Yuanqing erupted in fury, slamming the desk and barking, "Useless trash! What do We keep you around for? We might as well raise a herd of pigs! You have six shichen. If you fail to find the culprit by then, We shall have your head!"
Such rhetoric was thoroughly in character for Zhao Shun.
Zheng Longtu's expression shifted, and he hastily bowed his head. "Understood!"
Filled with urgent pressure, he exited the hall.
Sigh, the Emperor is useless, and his officials are useless too! Zhang Yuanqing suddenly felt a pang of hunger. He had a palace maid bring pastries, had her test them for poison first, and after confirming they were safe, hurriedly ate a few pieces before making his way to the imperial study.
The imperial desk was piled high with thick memorial scrolls. These memorials had already been filtered; they didn't require the Emperor's detailed perusal, only vermilion approval endorsements.
In the past, Zhao Shun had simply stamped approval on everything indiscriminately. Any memorial not requiring vermilion approval never even made it to this desk.
Flipping through the memorials, Zhang Yuanqing found that half impeached the Yang family, and the other half impeached Yang Ce.
Reading patiently for a moment, he gathered that Yang Ce was the General of Agile Cavalry, the commander-in-chief of the three armed forces resisting the Northern Dynasty's invasion, and the Empress's younger brother.
The Southern Dynasty's two major maternal clans, the Yang and Zheng families, were political rivals at each other's throats like fire and water.
And because the Empress had not borne any children, the Yang family was at a disadvantage, constantly suppressed by the long-established Zheng clan.
"This dungeon probably has two maps: the imperial capital and Linxia. I'm in the capital, while the boss is likely in Linxia. That fits his Puppeteer class. Yang Ce is very likely the boss..."
Zhang Yuanqing quickly made his deductions.
Fu Qingyang was an eighth-level Puppeteer; he couldn't possibly be relegated to some minor pawn. Only the commander-in-chief, Yang Ce, made sense. As supreme commander, defeat meant death—the difficulty level matched as well.
"Since it's Little Fu, none of your impeachments are going through..."
Sitting behind the imperial desk, Zhang Yuanqing took up a brush and wrote rejections across every single memorial of impeachment. Only then did he set down the brush in satisfaction and lead two guards out of the palace quarters.
Next came reviewing Zhao Shun's imperial harem with a critical eye.
Speaking of the harem, the first thing Zhao Shun had done after Empress Dowager Zheng died was expand it. Not only did he renovate and rebuild existing structures, but he also selected an elevated, open area east of the palace grounds, summoning craftsmen day in and day out to build new palaces.
He emptied out the state treasury and scraped the very marrow from the realm, running corvée labor for a full year before completing it.
Riding a deer carriage along the wide, bluestone-paved avenue, Zhang Yuanqing lifted the curtain to gaze outside. Multi-storied pavilions stood in layered harmony, painted rafters and upturned eaves faintly interlocking. Vermilion railings curved in glimpses, and embroidered drapes fluttered in view. The glow of pearls and jade caught the sunlight, rippling into five-colored radiance like an immortal realm.
"So extravagant even I want to assassinate Zhao Shun," Zhang Yuanqing muttered inwardly, dropping the curtain as he criticized his own character.
His first target for this trip was the hunter's daughter encountered during the hunt—for no other reason than that she was the closest.
After a quarter of an hour's ride, the deer carriage halted before a three-story pavilion. Upturned eaves swept skyward, golden tiles gleamed under the sun, and painted beams bore colorful murals.
The courtyard was lush with greenery, planted with exotic flora and rare herbs.
Zhang Yuanqing hopped down from the carriage. Flanked by guards, he strode proudly into the courtyard, only to see palace maids and eunuchs bustling back and forth between the main building and the kitchen, bearing sumptuous delicacies and empty plates.
Zhang Yuanqing stopped a palace maid and asked with a furrowed brow, "Is a banquet being held inside?"
The maid was taken aback, then answered, "Beauty Chu is dining."
"What?" Zhang Yuanqing blurted in surprise. He took another look at the stream of maids and eunuchs coming and going, then asked for confirmation, "You're saying Beauty Chu is having a meal?"
Was something wrong with the palace activity record, or was something wrong with his eyes?
Is Our Beauty Chu a Godzilla? How can her appetite be so absurd?
Zhang Yuanqing hesitated. He worried both that this "Godzilla" would demand bed service, and that once full and satisfied, she might swat this frail, helpless emperor to death with a single slap.
So he turned to the two guards: "Clear the way ahead!"
The two guards marched forward, parting the maids and eunuchs, and stepped across the threshold.
Zhang Yuanqing followed them into the main building. The interior was even more luxurious: pillars plated in gold, balustrades of green jade, beaded curtains, and embroidered screens. Rare incense burned throughout the building, with secluded chambers and deep rooms visible everywhere, nestled among exotic plants.
Passing through a winding corridor into the outer hall, he saw a girl of fourteen or fifteen standing by a table with a round, bulging little belly. In one hand was a roast chicken, and in the other a fistful of mutton, eating until grease glistened all over her mouth.
Though she possessed an enormous appetite, the girl was remarkably pretty.
One could question the fatuous tyrant's morals, but never his aesthetic taste... Zhang Yuanqing let out a sigh of relief and gave a loud cough.
"Your Majesty!"
The maids and eunuchs in the hall knelt one after another in greeting.
The young girl, cheeks bulging, looked over, sizing Zhang Yuanqing up with a sharp gaze.
Chapter 841