168 True Identity

"Little Xiao, might I have a word with you in private?" Meng Pingjun meant to step outside the Hall of Lingbo to talk.
"If Her Ladyship has anything to say, please say it right here. This servant has many duties to attend to."
"Little Xiao, you are exceedingly bold, daring to defy Her Ladyship's command," Ru'er reprimanded me once more.
"Ru'er, you have spoken far too much today. Go tidy up this place. I have some words for Little Xiao."
"Your Ladyship—"
"Are you going to defy my command?"
"This maid wouldn't dare."
Seeing Meng Pingjun scold Ru'er, I then said, "Very well, this servant shall speak with Your Ladyship outside the palace."
I, too, was eager to find out what Meng Pingjun wanted to say to me.
With Ru'er left behind clearing away things reluctantly, Meng Pingjun and I stepped outside the palace.
Pausing for a moment, Meng Pingjun said, "Little Xiao, I have always believed you to be a person who values affection and loyalty."
"Your Ladyship flatters this servant."
"When you repeatedly stepped in front of Sister Tong to shield her from trouble, I knew at once that you are a deeply loyal servant. Just like now, when Sister Tong has been reduced to the Hall of Lingbo, most of the servants in the Palace of Cuiwei have chosen new masters, yet you alone remain by Sister Tong's side. It is truly admirable."
Maintaining my composure, I replied, "Your Ladyship exaggerates terribly. Apart from this servant, there is also Aunt Yunqing here in the Hall of Lingbo. Besides, serving one's master is merely the fundamental duty of us servants; it is not nearly as noble as Your Ladyship claims."
Meng Pingjun nodded slightly and said, "Actually, I came here today with a purpose. Little Xiao, you are very clever and loyal, and I truly cannot bear to see you suffer here. You must know that Sister Tan will not let this rest; a situation like today's will happen again and again. Little Xiao, have you never considered what you should do?"
I more or less understood what Meng Pingjun was driving at, but until it was confirmed from her own lips, I could not be certain whether my guess was right or wrong. Therefore, I smoothly inquired, "This servant is dull-witted and unaware of what high wisdom Your Ladyship might have to guide this servant."
"At a time like this, when disaster strikes, everyone flies in their separate directions. Even if you, Little Xiao, were to commit some act of betrayal toward your master, it would merely be for the sake of looking out for yourself, and not necessarily harming your own mistress. Furthermore, if you seek another master and live a better life in the future, you might even be able to lend some support to your former mistress. Wouldn't you say so? Do not misunderstand my intentions; I merely find you truly pitiful, and it is a terrible waste for you to remain here in the Hall of Lingbo."
Meng Pingjun's intentions matched my expectations; she had indeed come here to lobby me into recognizing her as my new mistress.
It was a pity she had misjudged me. While I did harbor aspirations to climb higher, this was certainly not how I would choose a master.
Feigning a look of apprehension, I said, "Does Your Ladyship mean that this servant should abandon my current mistress and take up duties at the Palace of Nanxun?"
Meng Pingjun nodded. "You are a clever person, catching on at the mere hint. But should you be unwilling, I will never force you."
Since she had intentionally dropped hints for me, I saw no harm in doing the same for her. "If Your Ladyship can praise this servant as clever, this servant is truly terrified. To my mind, Your Ladyship is the truly clever one here. If that were not the case, how could Maiden Ru'er have appeared at the Palace of Cuiwei at precisely the right moment, and coincidentally overheard things she should not have?"
Puzzled, Meng Pingjun asked, "Little Xiao, what do you mean by this? Are you suggesting that I deliberately sent Ru'er to the Palace of Cuiwei, and that I instructed Ru'er to frame Sister Tong along with the others?"
I replied, "As I said, this servant is merely a lowly bondsman, unable and unfit to meddle in the struggles between mistresses. However, it would be best if we servants did not become the sacrificial lambs in the struggles of our superiors. No matter how daring Maiden Ru'er may be, she would never dare to defy her own mistress. Otherwise, would Maiden Ru'er not either be far from Your Ladyship's side or suffering punishment by now?"
Meng Pingjun opened her mouth slightly, still maintaining an expression of absolute innocence.
"Your Ladyship, in truth, there is no need for Your Ladyship to conceal anything before this servant. My words carry no weight, and I am truly of no use to Your Ladyship. Since the conversation has reached this point, does Your Ladyship still wish for this servant to take up duties at the Palace of Nanxun?"
Meng Pingjun finally dropped her previous demeanor and laughed, clapping her hands. "I truly did not misjudge you; you do indeed possess a measure of cleverness. Your guess was correct—Ru'er was indeed sent by me on purpose. Since Sister Tong is so foolish, it was only a matter of time before she met this end; I merely gave the wave a little push."
I said, "Hearing Your Ladyship speak to this servant in such a tone, I find it much more natural and relaxing. Over these past days, having to keep silent while Your Ladyship's limelight was continuously overshadowed by Consort Tan, Your Ladyship cannot have felt very comfortable either, can you?"
"Consort Tan? I have never even deigned to look at her. When she eliminated Consort Tong this time, she thought herself terribly clever, but in truth, I had seen through it all along and deliberately refrained from exposing her. After all, getting rid of Consort Tong also worked to my advantage. To this day, she still believes that Ru'er overheard those words by accident. What a foolish woman she is."
"This servant offers my sincere congratulations to Your Ladyship; Your Ladyship will surely rise smoothly in the world henceforth."
Meng Pingjun let out a cold snort. "Rise smoothly? The one who ought to have ascended to the position of Consort was originally myself. It was all because that Third Class Attendant Mei actually stole my thunder."
I frowned slightly. Third Class Attendant Mei had been dead for some time now; how could she still be accused of stealing Meng Pingjun's thunder?
I asked, "How could Third Class Attendant Mei possibly contend with Your Ladyship for favor?"
"When the several of us entered the palace together back then, I had long anticipated that His Majesty favored plum blossoms and possessed a deep interest in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Therefore, I deliberately went to play the zither in the plum blossom garden to attract His Majesty over. Who could have expected that Attendant Mei would appear ahead of me and instantly captivate His Majesty at first sight? Everything I had painstakingly plotted merely served to dress another as a bride, leaving His Majesty completely oblivious to my existence. How utterly hateful!"
"So you were the one who killed Attendant Mei?" This was the most logical deduction.
Meng Pingjun looked at me and said, "It seems you care deeply about this Attendant Mei. Now that she is dead, what does it matter who killed her? Besides, do you take me for such a fool as to confess to such a deed?"
Even though she had not confessed, she was currently the only person with a strong motive to have murdered Attendant Mei. To think I had previously suspected Lin Tanwei; it seemed I had wronged her.
"Little Xiao, I appreciate your talents. You ought to seek out a promising master; that is the correct path to take. Following Consort Tong in this Cold Palace as you do now, what future prospects do you have? You will merely end up being casually bullied and humiliated by eunuchs and maids no better than yourself. Do you truly wish to continue like this?"
I bowed slightly to Meng Pingjun and said, "This servant is untalented, yet appreciated by Your Ladyship—it is truly the fortune of three lifetimes. However, this servant is stubbornly loyal; while my former mistress still lives, I simply cannot seek a new master. I am afraid I must disappoint Your Ladyship's appreciation. This servant must return to tend to my mistress; if I am late, I fear Your Ladyship might grow suspicious and worry that this servant truly harbors a divided heart."
"Little Xiao, you dare to refuse such a favor?" Meng Pingjun snarled harshly.
I replied, "Your Ladyship, it is merely this servant's foolishness; I am truly unable to render Your Ladyship any assistance. Besides, with Your Ladyship's natural brilliance and mastery of strategy, you have no need for this servant whatsoever. This servant takes my leave!"
"Little Xiao, since you are so unappreciative of favors, do not blame me for being discourteous to you!"
With a calm smile at the corner of my lips, I said, "Your Ladyship has already laid out this servant's wretched plight clearly enough. I imagine things cannot get any worse than this. Here in the Hall of Lingbo, surely no one is going to scheme to cause a miscarriage anymore?"
With that, I walked straight into the Hall of Lingbo.
As soon as Ru'er and Meng Pingjun left, a chill crept into my heart, and my legs nearly buckled beneath me.
Leaning against a pillar, I could not help recalling Third Class Attendant Mei, who had suffered an unjust death back then. After so much time had passed, the truth of the matter had unexpectedly surfaced. No matter how hard I tried, I never would have imagined it was that quiet, gentle woman who only knew how to play the zither.
Indeed, appearances can be deceptive; how many truly good people were left within these palace walls?
When Meng Pingjun had not yet gained favor back then, who could have suspected her? And as for the woman who died an unjust death in her stead, her lonely phantom soul drifted somewhere unknown now. Yet on Meng Pingjun's face, not a trace of remorse could be seen.
Human hearts were truly sinister, capable of such extreme malice.
"Little Xiao, get in here this instant!" Inside the hall, Zhang碧彤 (Zhang Bitong) called out to me with irritation.
"This servant is coming!" I stepped inside and stood bowed before Zhang Bitong.
"I ask you, what did that Meng Pingjun say to you just now? The two of you talked outside for so long—what was it about?"
"It was nothing more than Noble Lady Jun expressing her concern for Your Ladyship by inquiring after Your Ladyship's condition!"
"You lie!" Zhang Bitong stood up, glaring angrily at me. "Do not think I don't know—you want to go over to her side, don't you? Just like Lanyan, seeing that I have fallen from grace, you want to abandon me, don't you? Let me tell you, even without the two of you to serve me, one day I will walk out of the Hall of Lingbo and return to the Palace of Cuiwei with my head held high. When that time comes, I will make you pay dearly!"
Having no heart to listen to Zhang Bitong's tirade, I said, "Your Ladyship is overthinking; this servant has never harbored thoughts of going to Noble Lady Jun. Your Ladyship must be hungry; this servant will go prepare your midday meal."
With that, I left the main hall and headed toward the kitchen.
Just then, Yunqing happened to be returning.
I paused to look.
"Yunqing, how did it go? What did the Empress Dowager say?" Seeing Yunqing return, Zhang Bitong immediately hurried out to meet her with overflowing anticipation, asking anxiously.
"Your Ladyship, Her Holiness the Empress Dowager..."
"How is she? Did you tell the Empress Dowager the whole story from beginning to end? Did you tell her that I was wronged, that I was framed by others?"
With a melancholy expression, Yunqing said, "Your Ladyship, this maid didn't even manage to see the Empress Dowager's face. Aunt Muyan said that Her Holiness is feeling unwell and is seeing no one. This maid did her utmost to ask Aunt Muyan to pass on the message, but the Empress Dowager still refused to see me. I also recounted the entire affair to Aunt Muyan; after she consulted the Empress Dowager, her reply was that matters of the inner palace are to be decided by the Empress, and she will not participate."
Zhang Bitong retreated a step in disappointment, then let out a derisive laugh. "Not participate—what a fine 'not participate.' She is clearly angry with me for not helping Han Feiyue. Empress Dowager, are you angry with me, is that it?"
"Your Ladyship, I beg you to guard your words and actions!" Yunqing reminded her.
"What more is there to guard? I have already fallen to this state; what else is there to guard against? Ah, could I possibly fare any worse than this? Get out, all of you, get out! I don't want you here watching me make a fool of myself, get out!"
Helpless, Yunqing cast a glance at me before the two of us headed together to the small kitchen.
Compared to Yunqing's claim of having gone to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, I was more inclined to believe that Yunqing might not even have set foot past the outer gates of that palace. For one thing, she had long been unwilling to set foot in the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility again. For another, Yunqing knew full well that the result would be the exact same whether she went or not. It was merely a gesture to appease Zhang Bitong and force her to give up all hope.