Green Mountain

The Commandery Commander of the Divine Chief Eunuch's face changed, then turned even more somber: "Do you think Meng Ji can come at your beck and call? He's in Kaifeng Prefecture and cannot come to the Imperial Capital."

Bai Li parted the crowd with her hand and walked up to the Commandery Commander: "Have you considered that if witchcraft arises within the palace, the Empress will inquire, and so will His Majesty? You need to force me to confess to save your life. If you don't, it will be you who dies. Can you guarantee you can force me to confess before the Empress comes to rescue me?"

Bai Li calmly said, " "

The Commandery Commander of the Divine Chief Eunuch's pupils contracted slightly, his body slightly trembled: "You, a mere nun, dare speak such insolence? You..."

Xuan Zhen said softly from the side, "Lord Admiral, don't fall for her bluster."

The Commandery Commander of the Divine Chief Eunuch shouted sternly: "Someone, seize Zhu Baili, take her to the Ancient Mirror Hall for interrogation, keep going until she confesses. No one is to leave Jingyang Palace until the interrogation is complete."

Several little eunuchs surrounded Bai Li, one reaching to grab her arm, but Bai Li unexpectedly spun around and slapped him hard across the face. The slap was so fierce it sent the little eunuch stumbling back.

The other little eunuchs saw this and immediately advanced, but within a few moments, all the little eunuchs were knocked to the ground by Bai Li.

Xuan Zhen scowled: "When did you become an Executive Officer? Do you think becoming one makes you omnipotent?"

As the words fell, her horsetail whisk swept lightly, flinging Bai Li across the room, slamming her into the wall, then falling onto the floor.

Bai Li's hair was disheveled, and she braced against the wall, coughing up blood. Yet she just wiped her mouth and said fearlessly, "This has no basis or evidence, even if it reaches the Imperial Court, it just means everyone will die together."

Xuan Zhen cradled the horsetail whisk in her arms, speaking leisurely, "Who says there's no basis or evidence? That thing is hidden in the rear hall, someone must have seen it, right Xuan Yun?"

All the nuns in Jingyang Palace instinctively looked toward Zhu Lingyun, then at Bai Li, their eyes darting back and forth between the two.

Xuan Zhen continued, "Xuan Yun, you are Zhu Baili's sister and sleep beside her. If you also say you haven't seen it, then Lord Admiral would have to thoroughly search this rear hall to find new evidence. Whoever is found with something suspicious on them will be the owner of the witchcraft paraphernalia."

Zhu Lingyun suddenly clenched her sleeve.

The witchcraft paraphernalia was in her sleeve, something she couldn't bear to stuff under Bai Li's pillow earlier.

Xuan Zhen prompted, "Xuan Yun, why aren't you speaking?"

Zhu Lingyun's eyelids trembled, and she whispered, "The witchcraft paraphernalia belongs to Bai Li."

Bai Li suddenly looked at Zhu Lingyun's profile; sensing the gaze, Zhu Lingyun dared not meet it, guiltily turning her head aside.

Jingyang Palace felt like an abyss; once entered, all those summers of heat and shared snow vanished.

Nearby, Xuan Su, with her one blind and one intact eye, stared at Zhu Lingyun: "Have you thought carefully? If you give this testimony, your sister will die here today."

Xuan Zhen whipped her face with the horsetail whisk, sending her sprawling on the ground: "Is it your place to speak here?"

Bai Li gazed at Zhu Lingyun in a daze: "Lingyun, say it again."

Zhu Lingyun bowed her head: "The witchcraft paraphernalia is Bai Li's."

Xuan Zhen laughed heartily: "Good, good, good, as her blood sister, you certainly wouldn't lie!"

The Commandery Commander of the Divine Chief Eunuch proclaimed loudly: "Bai Li has committed chaos in the harem with witchcraft, and again today used witchcraft at the Ancestor Silkworm Altar to deceive heaven! Someone, drag Bai Li out, beat her to death with a staff!"

But at this moment, everyone heard someone among the nuns say softly, "Wait a moment."

The nuns turned to see, it was Princess Yongchun, cowering in the corner, speaking.

Xuan Zhen was taken aback, uncertain.

Princess Yongchun slowly stepped out of the crowd, moving to Bai Li's side, and raised her hand to tidy Bai Li's disordered hair. Bai Li's wooden hairpin had fallen somewhere, so she took her own hairpin and gently inserted it into Bai Li's bun.

Bai Li looked up in disbelief, her gaze penetrating the other's messy hair to see the gentleness in the eyes.

Princess Yongchun said softly, "Don't let your hair get messy, or they'll think we've given up."

Bai Li was stunned.

Princess Yongchun lowered her head and spoke warmly: "Every time I see you, it's like seeing the past me. They imprisoned me here, wanting the Immortal to teach me to be utterly forgetful, at the cost of completely letting go of Zhou Zhuoyuan. But he's the one in my dreams, how could I let go?"

Bai Li murmured, "You're not crazy."

Princess Yongchun turned to look at Xuan Zhen: "Those witchcraft paraphernalia are..."

"No!" Bai Li grabbed Princess Yongchun's hands, tears streaming down her face.

But Princess Yongchun gently wiped her tears and whispered, "Foolish child, I should have died decades ago; they trapped me here alive, refusing to give me poison... but how could that be poison? That is clearly my antidote. Let me take your place; there is no one in my dreams anymore, but there is in yours."

She looked at Xuan Zhen again: "Those witchcraft paraphernalia are mine."

Saying that, Princess Yongchun left Bai Li, straightening her hunched back, walking towards the hall's exit: "Come on, don't you love killing people? Kill me, then."

Princess Yongchun stepped into the courtyard, looking up at the bright moon, laughing wildly: "Father, I and Zhou Zhuoyuan are soulmates by mutual consent, what wrong is there? What wrong is there!"

She knelt on the ground: "Today, Yongchun returns her life to the Zhu family."

Xuan Zhen and the Commandery Commander of the Divine Chief Eunuch exchanged a look.

The Commandery Commander hesitated: "What should we do?"

Xuan Zhen whispered urgently: "She cannot die; if she's killed, it will solidify that she hid the witchcraft paraphernalia, which is not the result the Imperial Concubine wants!"

While they conversed, Xuan Su quietly said to the nuns: "Do you want that demon Xuan Zhen to keep managing things? If she's allowed to continue, our whole lives can be seen at a glance. If Princess Bai Li becomes the new steward, there's hope for us; the Princess cannot have anything happen to her. If the Princess doesn't die today, Xuan Zhen will be the one to perish!"

Just as Xuan Zhen intended to grab Princess Yongchun, she saw the nuns blocking the door, obstructing the path.

Xuan Zhen shouted angrily: "Get out of the way!"

The nuns were silent.

In the courtyard, Princess Yongchun bowed her head heavily, knocking it on the blue bricks, blood streaming from the repeated bows. With each knock, she recited:

"Red horses are driven at the Confucius Temple, while the bones in the chastity archway are yet to cool.

When the pages of sage books turn, etiquette crawls from between the characters, sneaking maidens among the lines!

It would be better to chop the scriptures for firewood, forge nine pounds of iron, and make three arrows!

One to pierce the glazed tiles of Jinluan Palace,

To let light into the cold kiln's broken bowl!

One to nail the chastity plaque at the door,

To let the wronged soul out of the ancestral hall's threshold!

The last one dipped in blood, inserted in the city gate as a warning,

Awaiting the wildfire to ignite!"

With nine sentences and nine kowtows, Princess Yongchun lay on the blue bricks, silent forevermore.