Free Web NovelChapter 200: Chapter 200: First Entry into Anle Hall, A Guilty Conscience
"Where is Anle Hall?"
Prince Yong got up, brushing the dirt from his robes, his face full of joy.
"I’ll take you there now."
Ji Qingwu quickly said, "Your Highness, find a reliable little eunuch to take me. I have no desire to be anywhere near you."
The chest beneath Prince Yong’s magnificent sapphire-blue robes heaved rapidly. He breathed heavily through his nose, gritted his teeth, and nodded.
Led by a eunuch, Ji Qingwu arrived at the entrance of Anle Hall.
From the outside, the palace building looked no different from the others, its main gates shut tight.
The eunuch went forward and knocked on the door. After a long wait, an old woman in plain, gray clothes came out.
This eunuch was already familiar with her and quietly slipped her a bulging pouch of Silver Taels.
The old woman beamed and said, "Please tell the Prince not to worry. We servants will look after the Princess Consort. Ever since she arrived, we haven’t made her do any rough work. We’re taking good care of her."
The eunuch said, "Aunt Cao, the Prince has invited a medical woman who wishes to examine the Princess Consort."
The old woman, whose surname was Cao, saw Ji Qingwu behind the eunuch, and her inverted-triangle eyes narrowed.
"It’s not that this old servant won’t give the Prince face, but the Emperor himself ordered the Princess Consort confined here. No one is allowed to visit. I’m already risking my life by making things convenient for the Prince."
Granny Cao refused, saying, "If just anyone could enter Anle Hall, no one would follow the rules here anymore. That would make things very difficult for this old servant."
The eunuch pulled a large gold ingot from his robes. Granny Cao’s eyes lit up, and she immediately snatched it.
Only then did she relent. "Sir, she can only go in by herself, and she must be disguised as one of our workers."
And so, Ji Qingwu was finally able to enter, after changing into the same kind of drab, gray clothes.
It wasn’t until she passed through the hall doors that she understood what it meant to be in two different worlds.
Outside the doors was the dazzling opulence of the Imperial Palace. Inside was a place of incomparable misery and hardship.
The first thing she saw were young women washing clothes and doing chores. A single glance at their complexions revealed they were drained of vitality and blood. It was impossible to know how long they had endured this, but their bodies were already broken.
Behind them stood four or five old women acting as overseers. If anyone’s movements were slightly too slow, they would be loudly berated.
There were also newcomers who couldn’t handle the high-intensity labor, forced to scrub chamber pots while sobbing.
Ji Qingwu took a closer look and noticed that one of them was Princess Yong’s maid, Yin Xiang.
Her expression didn’t change as she asked, "Aunt Cao, does Princess Yong have to do this kind of work too?"
Granny Cao laughed scornfully. "The Princess Consort is certainly different from these servants who’ve made mistakes. She must be kept in comfort and style."
Anle Hall. It sounded like a pleasant name.
But everything done here was the opposite of peace and joy—nothing but endless work, day and night.
The Emperor had not ordered Prince Yong to depose his consort, so Tao Wanyin was still the Princess Consort. Yin Xiang, however, was a servant by birth and could not escape such punishment.
Granny Cao led her to a room. When she pushed the door open, Ji Qingwu’s eyes widened in surprise.
It was a large common room, with bedding and pillows for at least twenty people laid out. It was even worse than the servants’ quarters in the Ji Mansion.
The air in the room reeked of sour rot and mildew. Ji Qingwu glanced at the walls and saw gray mold stains in the corners.
Seeing Ji Qingwu cover her nose with her hand, Granny Cao eyed her fair, smooth skin.
She asked casually, as if making small talk, "You must be a young lady from a wealthy family, aren’t you? Why become a medical woman and do this kind of work, serving others?"
’Seeing her exceptional beauty, Granny Cao assumed she often worked in the palace. If I ever feel unwell in the future, I could ask for her help,’ she thought, and decided to try and befriend her.
She offered a piece of advice, "Young lady, you shouldn’t have agreed to see this fallen Princess Consort."
Ji Qingwu glanced at her. "Why do you say that, Aunt?"
Granny Cao said, "This old one has been in the palace for some years now. So what if the Prince still cares for her? Who was it that had the Princess Consort locked up in here?"
She cupped her coarse hands and continued, "She offended the Emperor. This Princess Yong has no future."
Ji Qingwu took out a handkerchief to cover her nose and mouth. "Aunt Cao, why is there such a strong, strange smell in this room?"
Granny Cao had grown so used to the smell that she no longer noticed it. Instead, she just found the question bothersome.
She urged, "Of course it can’t compare to the fragrant halls of the palace concubines. Young lady, hurry up and see the Princess Consort. Once you’re done, leave at once."
Ji Qingwu scanned the room but didn’t see Tao Wanyin. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
"Where is the Princess Consort?" she asked.
Granny Cao craned her neck to look, then pointed to the farthest corner of the common room.
She said with disgust, "Over there, the one leaning against the cabinet and staring into space. I have other things to oversee. Come out as soon as you’re done."
Only then did Ji Qingwu notice the woman in gray robes, huddled in front of a peeling pear-wood chest.
She quietly walked over to her.
Even though she was prepared, she was still struck by Tao Wanyin’s haggard appearance.
The eaves were high, and the light inside the room was dim and yellow. frёeωebɳovel.com
Her figure seemed exceptionally frail, as if she could be scattered by a gust of wind.
Her eyes were empty and unfocused. Even with Ji Qingwu standing right in front of her, it was as if she couldn’t see her at all.
"Princess Consort."
Hearing a woman’s voice, as gentle as a spring breeze.
Tao Wanyin raised her head with extreme slowness. Seeing it was Ji Qingwu, her face showed no reaction, as if she had lost the strength to form an expression.
Her chapped lips parted a few times. "There is no Princess Consort here."
Ji Qingwu stated her purpose directly. "Prince Yong asked me to come in and see if you are all right, Your Highness."
At the mention of Prince Yong, Tao Wanyin’s expression finally changed. A light appeared in her eyes, but it was one of resentment.
"Are you here to gloat?"
Ji Qingwu held her breath.
’Unbelievable. These people are on the verge of death, yet their heads are still full of nothing but romantic drama.’
From Princess Yong’s reaction, she could tell that Tao Wanyin wasn’t truly disheartened and apathetic about everything.
Because she still felt resentment toward her.
This proved one thing: Tao Wanyin still couldn’t let go of Prince Yong.
Tao Wanyin held her head high, the lines of her gaunt neck standing out sharply.
"What are you doing here? Did you come to gloat, to tell me that the Tao family is about to fall, and that I, the Princess Consort, will be deposed sooner or later? Did you come here specifically to lord it over me?"
Her voice was hoarse yet shrill. "And while you’re at it, to accuse me of breaking our pact and turning on you in front of the Empress Dowager!"
Ji Qingwu lowered her handkerchief and said slowly, "Princess Consort, there are some things I don’t even remember clearly anymore. The fact that you’re still dwelling on them... doesn’t that mean—"
Tao Wanyin’s thin, weak body trembled, her heart feeling as if it were being squeezed.
Ji Qingwu finished, "—that you feel guilty."
Ever since she was detained in Anle Hall, no one from the Tao family dared to visit her.
Only her maid, Yin Xiang, was with her, but she felt terribly guilty for dragging Yin Xiang down with her.
One day, from just inside the main gate, she heard Yin Xiang, who had somehow slipped outside, crying and begging someone.
Yin Xiang seemed to know that person quite well.
She was begging that person to rescue her as soon as possible.
