So many things had happened today—she would have to report to her mother-in-w tomorrow, no matter what.

  Truthfully, Empress Dowager Fu was regarded as a good mother-in-w. She didn’t cling to power or interfere excessively; unless Wumian made a serious mistake, she rarely got involved. In the past, when she treated Wumian poorly, it was because Wumian genuinely hadn’t fulfilled her duties as Empress and had been quite exasperating.

  Now that the Emperor had officially reinstated Wumian’s authority over the inner pace, the Empress Dowager had little left to say about it.

  At most, she’d offer a few sharp remarks. Ordinary mothers-in-w from respectable families lectured their daughters-in-w, too—and those daughters-in-w still had to greet them with proper etiquette morning and night. As the Empress Dowager, giving the Empress a mild scolding was practically benevolent.

  That night, the Emperor didn’t enter the harem.

  It was understandable. If he had gone to the harem after everything that happened, how cold-hearted would that be?

  The next morning, Wumian went to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager. On the way, she muttered to Linshui, “What luck I have. His Majesty finally gave us three days off from court affairs, and not even one of them do I get to sleep in. Every single day—something’s come up.”

  “It’s all Li Zhaoyi’s fault,” Linshui whispered.

  “Who knows? We’ll have more chaos to deal with soon. Lu Zhong should’ve taken care of the situation outside by now, right?”

  Linshui replied, “I heard General Wu, the personal guard at His Majesty’s side, was tasked with the matter. I imagine the results came back st night.” No matter what, a miscarriage caused by medication from a public pharmacy—someone had to be held accountable.

  Even if the pharmacy didn’t know who had purchased it, even that was no excuse.

  Before long, the gates of Yining Pace came into view. Wumian prepared to step down from her sedan chair.

  The weather today was pleasant—no wind, and not too cold.

  Upon entering Yining Pace, she headed straight for the main hall.

  After exchanging a few pleasantries with the Empress Dowager and enduring a round of standard admonishments, the two hadn’t spoken much when a pace servant arrived with a report.

  “Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, Your Majesty the Empress,” said Zhang Baifu, the middle-ranking attendant of Yining Pace, “His Majesty has issued an order. Hu Cairen has been found guilty of attempting to harm the imperial heir and is to be stripped of her title and demoted to commoner status. Her father and elder brother, having failed in raising her properly, are to be dismissed from their posts and exiled. Her close-serving maids and personal attendants are to be executed, while the rest are to be expelled from the pace. Eleven people in Hanliang Pace have been punished—four of them executed.”

  The Empress Dowager’s brows furrowed deeply. “All this killing over Li Fei? He’s going to open the sughterhouse for her?”

  She still hadn’t gotten used to calling her Li Zhaoyi.

  “The Emperor is being foolish. Punishing people is easy, but making such a bloody dispy—what will people say when they hear of it?” the Empress Dowager said coldly.

  Wumian stood up. “If Hu Cairen truly conspired to harm an imperial heir, then punishment is justified. Harming an imperial child is a grave offense, especially when there was collusion from inside and outside the pace. Those pills wouldn’t have been brought in easily. His Majesty’s fury is understandable. Please don’t be angry, Mother.”

  “Fine. I simply won’t concern myself with it,” the Empress Dowager said, frowning. “But what’s with this Hu Cairen? Why would she go and harm someone for no reason?”

  “Your Majesty, the issue has just arisen. As for the deeper details, this servant will investigate further and report back ter,” said Zhang Baifu.

  “Ah, Wumian, you may go too. You’re in charge of the pace now—handle the aftermath as you see fit,” the Empress Dowager said with a wave of her hand.

  Wumian responded with a bow and withdrew from Yining Pace.

  As soon as she exited, she instructed, “Linshui, go check on Hu Cairen’s situation. Make sure those below don’t stir up any unnecessary trouble. Whether she’s demoted to a commoner and sent out of the pace, or kept inside, keep an eye on it. She’s been stripped of rank, yes—but she once served the Son of Heaven. I don’t want anyone ying a hand on her recklessly.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll go at once.”

  “So in the end, this fell on the Hu woman,” Feixu whispered.

  “If His Majesty personally gave the order, then she can’t be innocent,” Wumian said coolly. “Still, with that head of hers, it’s hard to say whose scheme she got caught in. Hanliang Pace has more holes than a sieve at this point.”

  “True,” Feixu nodded. “Li Zhaoyi has always been terrible at managing her people. No matter what she was pnning, if word of it leaked to Hu Cairen, then someone in her camp betrayed her.”

  Wumian shook her head and stepped into her sedan.

  Hu Cairen herself was insignificant—a shallow, foolish woman. She had already been demoted once, and now she’d been reduced to a mere commoner.

  Some specuted she acted out of resentment after being demoted, seeking revenge on Li Zhaoyi.

  Whatever the motive, now that His Majesty had made his ruling, the matter was closed.

  The most unfortunate party was the pharmacy. Their entire household was thrown into prison, and the shop was confiscated.

  Many lives would be lost.

  Linshui returned by mid-morning, her face pale. “Your Majesty, I arrived a step too te. Li Zhaoyi had someone force Hu Cairen to drink mute medicine. She won’t be able to speak again.”

  Wumian raised a brow.

  Mute medicine—just as the name implies—was used to silence a person forever.

  But how could such a thing truly exist? To rob someone of speech, you first had to destroy the vocal cords and throat.

  And how was that done? By boiling certain herbs into a scalding-hot medicinal broth, then using a long-spouted teapot to force it down the throat, deep into the gullet while holding the mouth open wide.

  Some survived, left hoarse and voiceless forever.

  Most didn’t.

  The boiling concoction would burn the throat and esophagus, but not kill instantly. The body would linger. A person can survive days without food, and infection from burns also takes time.

  Eventually, with a ruined esophagus and blistered throat, they could no longer eat or drink. They’d suffer unbearable pain in silence—unable to cry out—until they died of starvation.

  “Impressive,” Wumian said with a cold ugh. “Did the imperial physicians go?”

  “They did. They shook their heads and left. Injuries like that can’t be treated—it’s up to Hu Cairen’s own body now. If she survives, she’ll be a mute. If not—well, that’s that.”

  “One life for another. Seems fair.” Wumian was unbothered. “It’s a cruel method, yes, but after suffering a miscarriage and overwhelming grief, Li Zhaoyi stepped a little out of line. So what?”

  “She’s ruthless,” Linshui said in a low voice. “Aren’t you worried His Majesty will be displeased? She’s already been demoted once.”

  “Exactly—she’s already been demoted. And now she shes out at a commoner with a guilty verdict on her name. What’s the big deal? His Majesty won’t punish her again for this. I should show some leniency too, out of consideration for her loss. It’s actually the perfect opportunity—a show of strength to keep the rest of the harem in line. No one will dare trample over her again. Li Zhaoyi, oh Li Zhaoyi… now that your child is gone, your wits have finally returned,” Wumian said with a chuckle.

  “So we won’t intervene?”

  “Didn’t His Majesty say I didn’t need to? Then I won’t. Li Zhaoyi’s trying to mend the fence after the sheep are lost—but even so, the sheep are lost. Even if she somehow regains His Majesty’s favor in the future, the fact remains: she can’t bear another child. That’s her greatest weakness now.”

  “Your Majesty thinks ahead.”

  “Let them cause a ruckus. As long as every action can be justified, I won’t interfere. Hu Cairen was foolish, impulsive, and ungrateful—someone like her was never going to live long in the harem. It’s normal that she was used. Such a convenient pawn—she probably still doesn’t know whose trap she fell into.”