Story of Yanxi Palace - An English Narrative

Episode 2.3

Meanwhile in the servant quarters, Aunt Fang beckoned two maids into the dormitory where the newly inducted embroidery girls lived.

"Check their belongings throughly." She ordered.

The girls nodded, and proceeded down the line of bedding, checking each and every back carefully. Palace maids were not allowed to bring anything outside into the Forbidden City, and most seemed to have obeyed the rules. The check was going smoothly, with no punishments needed to be handed out- all the girls' belongings were issue free. That was, until they reached the bed at the very end.

The maid searching the belongings of the maid residing on the end bed held up a smooth porcelain jar. It was small-ish and unremarkable, but a strange thing to bring into the palace.

"What's this?"

Just then, Wei Yingluo staggered in, massaging her neck. She saw the jar in the hands of the maid and shouted, "What are you doing?!"

Aunt Fang, seeing her suspicious reaction, immediately snatched the jar. She unscrewed it and peered at the white ashy-grey powder inside, "Maids are not permitted to bring anything into the Forbidden City. Tell me, what is this thing?"

Yingluo swallowed, and stared steadily into Aunt Fang's eyes.

"I feared I would miss my hometown, so I took a handful of dirt and put it into this jar." She frowned and added innocently, yet somehow forcefully, "I don't think this breaks the rules."

Her gaze was too steady and her demeanour moments before was too sketchy. Aunt Fang  scoffed, "Judging from how nervous you are, I will personally see wether or not this really is dirt."

With that, she tipped the contents of the jar into her palm.

Yingluo's heart slammed against her ribs. Panicked, she grabbed her wrist, her grip tight as a vice, "Aunt Fang."

----

Back in Yonghe Palace, Noble Lady Yu writhed under the restraint of the maids. Their pointy thorn-like fingers pinched her face as the physician tried to the force the contents of what they told her was 'medicine' into her mouth. She bucked and strained away from the spoon, crying,

"Noble Consort! Noble Consort!"

"Stop what you're doing." Came a voice.

Immediately the maids loosened their grip. Gabbing her chance, Noble Lady Yu shoved the bowl of medicine away, spilling half it's contents into the carpet of her main hall.

The tapestry lifted and in stepped Empress Fuca, followed by Concubine Yi and their handmaidens. The maids finally backed off, and Fang Cao rushed to her mistress.

Noble Consort Gao rose from her seat, a faint expression of surprise on her face. However she wasn't alarmed, there was nothing that had been done that could bring her to any trouble. After all she was merely 'looking out for Noble Lady Yu' and offering her medicine for her own good. 

"Your majesty." 

The Empress ran her gaze over the dishevelled and exhausted Noble Lady Yu and turned to the Noble Consort. 

"Noble Consort Gao. What are you doing?"

Though her expression hardly changed, her eyes had completely shed their usual sparkle of good humour and her mouth tugged downwards at the corners. It wasn't difficult to tell the Empress was very very angry.

"Noble Lady Yu's body is plagued with illness, chenqie invited a physician to treat her." She replied steadily. 

"Dr Liu," asked the Empress, "What are you giving Noble Lady Yu to drink?"