Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace - Chapter 197: A Lot of Things Happening

A lot of incidents happened in the penitentiary, and after that day, Chen would periodically visit Xu.

Moreover, there was also an ‘Emperor’s Decree’ regarding Xu.]

Xu was the emperor’s favored lute player, so he apparently declared that ‘they must do all they can so that he can hear the sound of her lute once again’, apparently.

‘Oh well, he really liked her as a musician so much that he even disguised himself to scout her personally.’

‘Is Xu really such a great person!?’

Yui Mei heard about that information, so she thought the emperor’s reaction was understandable. However, the people of the penitentiary were shocked and everyone was in a fluster.

As for the decree, the circumstances behind Xu might have also played a part, but Yui Mei thought he said that because he simply wanted to listen to Xu’s lute again, and that’s his true intention.

In order to expedite her recovery, Yui Mei accompanied Chen to be her adviser and she could see the improvement in Xu’s complexion.

It was partly thanks to her stomach getting better after being weakened because of the dishes in the banquets, but mostly it was because of Chen’s treatment breaking through that her anxiety lessened.

For now, her goal was to be able to play for her beloved’s funeral rites.

The fire of determination to achieve that goal burned in Xu’s eyes.

The thought of ‘this must be the musician that charmed the His Majesty the Emperor.”

With the permission from the Ministry of Justice, Xu’s favorite lute was brought into the penitentiary and placed inside Xu’s room, and one could hear the melodious sound of lute from her room. It had become a popular secret interest among the officials.

It was only natural given that the officials have very few opportunities to listen to a palace courtesan play.

However, Chen strictly imposed a  limit on how long she could play, and warned her to diligently stick to it. Her hands were getting better and the inflammation subsided, so he wouldn’t allow her to lose all that progress if her hands were to deterioriate because of practice.

Moderation was still important.

Time passed in that fashion, and the time when the winter cold was the harshest finally came.

Yui Mei received a letter from Libin that Jiang’s sentence was finally decided on, and she was transferred outside the capital, and that they had caught the criminal who gave the pepper powder to Jiang.

News of these two incidents flew within the Hundred Blossom Palace, and had been the source of uproar among the court ladies, and was also a hot topic in the dining hall.

Of course, the poppy juice incident was kept under wraps and the punishment for the two people were done under the vague reason of ‘causing disturbance in the Imperial Palace’.

Still, rumors that the incidents had something to do with the large-scale personnel reshuffling among the palace staff were also rampant.

Indeed, poppy juice had been discovered in the residences of some of the concubines.

Yui Mei learned from the gossiping court ladies that there were concubines who were secretly sent to the nunnery in the middle of the night.

She couldn’t determine whether they were mere hearsays or possibly the truth, but if it was discovered in the residence, then the mistress of that residence would also be affected.

‘Given the circumstances, it’s going to be hard to prove that they didn’t have anything to do with this.’

Yui Mei contemplated as she ate her ramen.

They didn’t have any way to “scientifically evaluate” the evidence here unlike in her previous world, so they only had the testimonies of the witnesses and the person involved themselves to work with.

Moreover, the surroundings of the bigwigs such as the empress dowager, empress and four imperial consorts remained quiet, so the lower-ranking concubines must’ve been the ones targeted to take the hit.

Yang must’ve been very busy because of the incidents, and Yui Mei  sympathized with her situation.

The shortage in manpower caused by the influenza epidemic previous winter hadn’t been fully addressed yet, and now the palace was once again caught in an incident that would reduce the little staff remaining.

“Ah, wait, maybe this is the chance to reduce the number of concubines?’

No matter how low-ranking the concubine was, their residence would still require more people, and there would be more places that one couldn’t keep an eye on.

There was no guarantee that a palace embroiled in scandal wouldn’t be caught again in the future, so perhaps the Imperial Palace was planning to wipe out such places that could possibly harbour danger.

Yui Mei’s Chinese drama otaku side worked like this, and the days passed.

Finally, the criminal involved in the incident’s punishment had been carried out, and it was deemed that it would be safe for Xu to go out, and the day of her deceased lover’s funeral arrived.

Chapter 202 End of the Performance

Zhu had whispered so quietly, so his voice was almost drowned in the sea of clapping people. However, Xu still heard him, unexpectedly.

“… That voice just now…”

Xu abruptly raised her head and looked all round her in a fluster, before finally spotting Zhu’s figure in the midst of the crowd.

“…! No way…”

Her eyes widened in shock. She tried to stand up, but she staggered to her feet, probably because she had given all her energy to perform with great gusto. Still, she didn’t let that deter her, and she made her way step by step towards Zhu while clutching her lute.

“You seemed to have aged and gaunt, but… Is it really you?”

Xu slowly approached Zhu until she finally reached him. She then kneeled so that they would be on the same eye level, before peering closely at his face.

“Are you Master Zhu Ren?  It’s only him — that person is the only one with tastes whimsical enough to call me a fairy!  」

Xu cried out, beads of tears streaking down her face.

Her manner of speaking had reverted back to its polite way from how she spoke in the past.

「What are you saying, Xu Zi, Ah Zi, you are truly beautiful from back then and even now!  」

Zhu was about to circle his arms around her, when he noticed the white chrysanthemums in his hand.

「The sound of your lute brought me back. Indeed, I can attest that you are truly my beloved fairy of music!  」

Zhu reached out and offered the white chrysanthemum, which Xu then grasped along with his hands.

「I’ve been, I’ve been waiting for your return all this time. Welcome home, Lord Ren!  」

Xu and Zhu choked with tears, unable to utter any more words after they confirmed each other’s identity. Ten years had already passed, but they finally fulfilled the promise of meeting each other once again.

The people around them who witnessed the scene were baffled initially, but they grasped the situation soon after. Cheers of “good for you guys”, “what a relief”  and applause rang in the air, probably because they’re also caught up in the mood, and felt sympathetic to the two lovers.

Yui Mei was also one of those who applauded.

‘I’m not really sure, but doesn’t white chrysanthemum mean ‘Truth’ in flower language?’

It was a meaning given to the flower in her previous world; she hadn’t heard any mention about the language of flowers in this world. Nevertheless, even though it was unknown who chose this particular flower, Yui Mei thought it was perfectly fitting for the situation.

“Thank goodness, what a relief for you guys…!”

Yui Mei’s tears of joy welled up as she emotionally clapped her hands, when somebody handed a handkerchief in front of her.

「I know you’re so touched so the tears are understandable, but do something about that snot, it’s really unsightly.  」

Li Yong, who left Zhu from who knows when, stood beside Yui Mei and offered his handkerchief.

「Can’t be helped, you know tears and snot go out as a set!  」

Yui Mei retorted with a pout, but she gratefully accepted the handkerchief and blew her nose on it.

She would just wash it before returning it to him.

Du, who had been watching Li Yong and Yui Mei’s exchange, snorted, making Li Yong jump out of his skin.

‘You don’t have to scare him like that.’

Yui Mei glared at Du, who snickered in reply.

While this was going on, the crown prince approached Xu and Zhu, and the applause stopped the moment he stopped and raised his hand in front of them.

“Xu Zi, it’s been an extremely beautiful rendition of the lute. It would have surely reached the souls of the soldiers who traveled to the Realm of the Dead.”

The crown prince declared with a loud voice, and Xu and Zhu righted their postures to face him properly. They were about to say something, but the crown prince continued speaking.

「Xu Zi, amnesty has been granted by His Majesty the Emperor. Xu Zi will be released from her identity as the palace courtesan from this moment henceforth.  」

Cheers erupted once again after the crown prince’s declaration.

It’s not everyday people get to be there for an occasion such as the emperor’s amnesty being given, so it’s not surprising that people were all hyped up.

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T/N: Finally!! The star-crossed lovers aren’t star-crossed anymore hehe.. Hello guys! Super sorry for the lack of releases, been caught up and bogged down with a lot of work plus holiday rush! Struggling to get everything settled for this final quarter of 2022, but things are easing up. Will post more as soon as I can. Much love <3