HomeAfter I Bloom Hundred Flowers DieChapter 595: Dream Without Trace Incense

Chapter 595: Dream Without Trace Incense

When Noble Consort Rong’s lady-in-waiting was mentioned, everyone turned their gaze toward Noble Consort Rong. She showed an appropriate amount of surprise, then furrowed her brows in contemplation, maintaining a completely composed expression without any sign of panic.

“Amitabha,” Xujing closed his eyes and chanted once.

“Noble Consort, your palace’s lady-in-waiting!” Emperor Youning hadn’t expected that before the assassin could be found, Noble Consort Rong and Shen Xihe would become entangled in this matter. He knew his women well—from the moment he learned Noble Consort Rong had handed over the prayer affairs to Shen Xihe, Emperor Youning knew she was planning something.

He understood the struggles in the back palace clearly. Any place followed survival of the fittest. He had never expected his back palace to be completely peaceful, just as he didn’t hope for all court officials to be utterly loyal to him.

As long as it didn’t affect court matters, he never intervened. Moreover, after the Northwestern incident, Emperor Youning didn’t want the Crown Princess to control the back palace. However, he hadn’t expected Noble Consort Rong to use such scandalous means to dishonor Buddhist grounds.

Originally, due to the incense and assassin incidents, Xianguo Temple bore some responsibility for the oversight, and Xujing would naturally feel guilty. Now with this incident, it was instead Emperor Youning who felt unable to face Xujing—this had violated a major Buddhist taboo.

“Your Majesty, I don’t know how such a shameful incident could occur. The lady-in-waiting from my palace has never known any monk from Xianguo Temple. A secret meeting would be impossible,” Noble Consort Rong explained unhurriedly.

Her words were reasonable—they had only been at Xianguo Temple for one day. How could Noble Consort Rong’s palace maid have a scandalous meeting with an unfamiliar monk?

But if Noble Consort Rong wasn’t behind this, who would frame someone from her palace? Scrutinizing gazes couldn’t help but drift toward Shen Xihe.

“Crown Princess, you arranged the accommodations for the palace women. What do you say about this?” Emperor Youning asked with a stern face.

“Your Majesty, I did arrange the accommodations for the palace women. If I remember correctly, the ladies-in-waiting from each palace shared rooms. If the lady from Hanzhang Palace had been abducted, surely the ladies from other palaces sharing her room would have noticed. Perhaps we should summon them for questioning?” Shen Xihe maintained a calm expression.

Their reactions, observed by everyone present, revealed no clear indication of guilt, but they all understood this marked the beginning of a power struggle for control of the palace.

Whoever won or lost today would likely determine who held power in the palace. Most naturally hoped for Noble Consort Rong’s victory, as their people planted in the palace had already stabilized under her rule and understood the palace rules.

Who knew what the situation would be like if the Crown Princess took power? Moreover, they would inevitably have to curry favor with the Crown Princess anew.

“Go, summon the ladies-in-waiting who shared quarters with the Hanzhang Palace lady,” As this involved dishonoring Buddhist grounds, Emperor Youning had to resolve this matter in front of Xujing. After dispatching the eunuch to summon them, Emperor Youning questioned the two involved, “Do you two have anything to say?”

The tear-stained Hanzhang Palace lady-in-waiting said, “Your Majesty, this servant shared quarters with ladies from other palaces. We all retired together, yet somehow I awoke… awoke in the woodshed, where this shameless monk acted inappropriately toward me!”

The monk showed neither fear nor panic, though his face was ashen: “Your Majesty, this humble monk—” He paused and corrected himself, “This commoner was caught eating meat by a eunuch. The eunuch threatened that if I didn’t comply, he would surely report my transgression to the Abbot. My family is poor, and I have no other skills. If I left the temple, I would have nowhere to go. Thus, I had no choice but to submit to coercion. The eunuch brought someone to the woodshed. I didn’t want to force myself on any woman, but this lady suddenly threw herself at me. I refused several times, but she wouldn’t let go, and that’s how I committed this grave error!”

“You’re lying—” the Hanzhang Palace lady-in-waiting furiously rebuked.

The monk straightened his back and turned to meet her gaze: “Am I lying?”

His counter-question made the lady-in-waiting recall what had happened earlier. She suddenly choked up. The reactions of both the lady-in-waiting and the monk led many to form their conclusions.

At this point, the monk knelt before Xujing and kowtowed heavily: “Abbot, I have failed your generous treatment. I have shamed the Buddha and my master. I can only repay your great kindness in my next life as a beast of burden.”

The monk suddenly groaned and collapsed, clutching a dagger that he had plunged into his abdomen.

“Fazhao—” An elderly monk rushed out, embracing the suicidal monk with a grief-stricken face.

“Mas…ter…” Fazhao only managed a weak call before losing consciousness.

Xujing checked Fazhao’s pulse and confirmed he was dead, then began chanting sutras for the deceased.

This turn of events was unexpected—no one had anticipated the monk would commit suicide out of shame. Only then did Noble Consort Rong’s expression tighten slightly.

Things were beginning to slip from her control. Shen Xihe wasn’t so easy to deal with.

She wasn’t some impulsive young lady. When she entrusted the prayer affairs to Shen Xihe, she naturally understood that Shen Xihe would guess her intentions to cause trouble. She had deliberately set up a simple frame-up, going so far as to find a cat identical to Shen Xihe’s, making her maids impossible to guard against.

Shen Xihe typically liked to give others a taste of their own medicine. If she knew that her maid had been targeted, she would surely target Noble Consort Rong’s maid in return. Originally, she had planned to catch them in the act personally, but halfway there, she received news of His Majesty’s assassination attempt. How could she not rush back immediately?

“Your Majesty, the female officials in my palace were carefully selected by the Department of Internal Service. They would never commit such shameless acts. Please investigate thoroughly,” Noble Consort Rong approached His Majesty and performed a graceful bow.

“Your Majesty, regarding intimate matters between men and women, whether they were consensual can be determined by experienced female palace officials,” Consort Shu’s bright eyes swept between Noble Consort Rong and Shen Xihe. “Also, please have the Imperial Physician examine Elder Sister Noble Consort’s lady-in-waiting’s pulse. I’ve heard many impure substances can make people lose control.”

Consort Shu’s words seemed impartial but favored Noble Consort Rong, suggesting that Shen Xihe had drugged Noble Consort Rong’s lady-in-waiting. However, the animosity between Consort Shu and Shen Xihe was expected.

Previously, to prevent Consort Shu, who resembled a Tubo princess, from marrying into the Eastern Palace, Shen Xihe had left her stranded in the wilderness for a day and night, nearly costing her life.

Additionally, if Shen Xihe controlled the back palace, Consort Shu would have to survive under her rule.

“We shall follow Consort Shu’s suggestion,” Emperor Youning ordered.

Liu Sanzhi immediately arranged for experienced female officials to take the lady-in-waiting for examination. The lady-in-waiting was pale. Indeed, she showed no signs of struggle or injuries, but she had been drugged. However, having spent many years in the palace and rising to become Noble Consort Rong’s lady-in-waiting, she had seen countless schemes. Not all intimate encounters left traces on the body.

Shen Xihe hadn’t drugged her at all—she had merely burned some arousing incense in the woodshed.

This incense was called: Dream Without Trace.

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