Chapter 2 — Palace of the Moonlit Tower

The white moonlight of Emperor Nghiem had once possessed a childhood sweetheart, a companion bound to her by memories of green plums and bamboo horses. Loving whoever she loved, the Emperor even extended his grace to this rival in romance after the man became the final dying wish of his departed love. He summoned the childhood sweetheart all the way to the capital, bestowing upon him a lavish mansion and mountains of gold and silver. Eunuch Cao could no longer maintain the composed demeanor he had worn in their past life, repeatedly lifting his sleeve to wipe away the cold sweat pouring down his brow. The Noble Consort, too, was momentarily thrown into disarray.

This concubine merely wished to act as a matchmaker for the two of you, yet you, Bai Zhi, are entirely devoid of tact! Refusing to acknowledge your wrongdoing is equivalent to creating chaos within the inner palace!

What a crushing accusation to hurl down upon someone. Fortunately, I still possessed a final card to play. With a resolute gaze, I slowly stood to my feet.

Today, this humble maid shall hurl herself against this pillar, using death itself to prove my absolute innocence.

Naturally, I had no true intention of seeking death. What the Emperor cherished above all else were pure, untainted maidens who knew how to guard their chastity. In our previous life, upon catching sight of my face, His Majesty had been deeply moved, which was precisely why he summoned me to serve directly before the imperial presence. Yet, after the Noble Consort orchestrated her scheme to frame me, the Emperor was led to believe I shared an illicit affair with Eunuch Cao, instantly stripping me of his favor. He loved his white moonlight with such piercing devotion that he could never tolerate a woman bearing her visage to be soiled by the sordid dust of the mortal world. I could still vividly recall the expression the Emperor had cast upon me during the imperial banquet in that past life. It was a look of loathing, scorn, disdain, and burning wrath. At this very moment, adopting the proud and righteous posture of one willing to die for honor, I charged straight toward the wooden pillar. And at that exact fraction of a second, the urgent voice of the Emperor rang out.

Shadow Guard, stop her!

Just as my forehead was mere inches from the hard wood, a powerful grip seized my shoulder, jerking me backward with staggering force. My legs tangled beneath me, sending me tumbling heavily to the floor. Yet, deep within my chest, a triumphant smile bloomed. My gamble had paid off. My pathetic little life was temporarily secured. But mere survival was still far from enough. Struggling back to my feet, I once again flung myself directly toward the pillar without a single moment of hesitation. It was as though I would refuse to draw breath if I could not prove my unsullied purity. The shadow guard clamped a heavy hand onto my shoulder, rendering me completely immobile. Tears welled up in my eyes as I raised my tear-drenched gaze toward the Emperor.

Your Majesty, this maid has never committed such a deed, and I will never admit to a crime I did not do. If today this matter is not granted a fair and thorough explanation, then even if I somehow survive, such vile fabrications will only continue to plague me in the days to come.

Today it is Eunuch Cao, and tomorrow it will be Eunuch Zhang, or perhaps Eunuch Wang...

The sovereign's sword-like brows furrowed slightly. That was the unmistakable prelude to his towering wrath. The Emperor was a monarch who had clawed his way out of the frigid depths of the Palace of Solitude; he was by no means an ordinary man. His methods were ruthlessly cruel, and he could cast aside affection in the blink of an eye. If one wished to catch his eye, one had to possess traits far beyond the mundane. Aside from sharing the face of his white moonlight, one's temperament had to align with his capricious desires. Since the Noble Consort was so terrified of being replaced by another, I would turn that very nightmare into living reality!

Your Majesty, though my birth is humble, I cannot allow others to casually slosh filthy water over my reputation!

A flicker of genuine admiration danced within the Emperor's eyes. True to form, he favored women with a resilient, proud backbone. In the very next breath, the Emperor cast a glance at Eunuch Cao as though looking upon a dead man.

You repeatedly claim that you and Bai Zhi share an illicit romance; aside from that personal token, do you possess any other evidence?

Cold sweat streamed down Eunuch Cao’s face like pouring rain. Under the crushing might of imperial authority, he could not help casting a desperate, pleading look toward the Noble Consort. I offered a chilling internal smile. Calculating the timeline, I had only been transferred to serve before the imperial presence the day before yesterday, and the Noble Consort had only laid eyes on my face yesterday. She had been far too impatient, utterly convinced that this scheme would completely obliterate me, leaving her no time to fabricate further corroborating plots. Dropping to my knees, I pressed my case.

This maid implores Your Majesty to summon the maidservants of the Imperial Kitchen as well as the direct overseer in charge of my daily duties. Every single one of them can bear witness that Eunuch Cao and I are entirely unacquainted.

My voice rang out clear and resonant, brimming with unyielding spirit. I even dared to meet the Emperor’s gaze head-on. I needed him to permanently etch these autumn-water eyes of mine into his memory! The Emperor flicked his sleeve, gesturing for his attendants to summon the witnesses. Eunuch Cao had already begun to tremble violently. The Noble Consort clutched her silk handkerchief so tightly her knuckles turned white, going so far as to issue a silent, threatening glare at the doomed eunuch.

What should be spoken and what must remain buried, you know well within your heart. You are not a solitary person in this world. The crime of deceiving the sovereign and committing treason is one that brings the execution of all nine familial generations!

Eunuch Cao lifted his head, his eyes brimming with absolute despair. He burned with fury yet dared not utter a single word of defiance. It appeared the Noble Consort had already seized control of his family as leverage. Within a remarkably short time, the supervisor of the Imperial Kitchen and my direct manager arrived at the scene. Both of them offered the exact same testimony without hesitation.

Your Majesty, while residing within the palace, Bai Zhi has always kept to her duties and behaved with utmost propriety, never engaging in clandestine affairs with anyone.

Furthermore, Bai Zhi has rarely ever interacted with the palace eunuchs in the past.

The suffocating pressure radiating from the Emperor made it difficult to draw a proper breath. Extending a finger directly toward Eunuch Cao, he bellowed in a thunderous tone.

Do you still have anything to say in your defense?

Eunuch Cao closed his eyes tightly, and with a sudden, violent motion, he bit down upon his tongue, ending his own life. The face of the Noble Consort instantly turned deathly pale. Having no intention of letting the matter rest there, I seized the golden opportunity to pour even more oil onto the blazing fire.

Your Majesty, this maid believes that Eunuch Cao did not commit suicide out of fear of punishment; rather, it appears far more likely that he was silenced and driven to his end by someone else. Why on earth would he suddenly concoct such a malicious plot to frame me for no reason at all?

When one thinks carefully on it, there must be someone hiding in the shadows who wished to use Eunuch Cao’s hands to drag me down into the mud! Yet this maid has never engaged in petty rivalries with anyone, and truly cannot fathom who could possibly be so intolerant of my existence.

Among all those gathered here, anyone who was not blind could instantly discern the hidden truth simply by looking upon my face. Moreover, it was the Noble Consort herself who had aggressively instigated this entire charade. Even in the absence of absolute physical evidence or airtight witnesses, the stark reality of the situation was already laid bare before everyone’s eyes. Yet I knew better than to push for the Noble Consort's immediate downfall today. For the simple reason that she was already carrying a child. In our previous life, the Noble Consort had patiently waited until her pregnancy reached the full safety of three months before finally making the news known to the world.