Concubine Xiao fiddled around with it in her hands for a bit, then pulling that jade bead off the hairpin. Some blue liquid flowed out of the tiny hole on the bead as she pressed it in her hands.
Sang Lan was curious, “Your Ladyship, do these things really work?”
Concubine Xiao replied, “This clover-infused liquid, although weak, when worn constantly on one’s head for a few days could break apart even the purest of bodies.” In essence, it could result in a broken hymen!
That same palace maid knelt down once more, pulling up Ji Muqing’s sleeve for Concubine Xiao to inspect. Sure enough, there was no red mole to be seen anywhere on her fair arm, not even a single spot! In other words, smelling the scent of clover in close proximity could make that mole disappear from one’s body.
Concubine Xiao was very pleased and ordered for the hairpin to be placed back into Ji Muqing’s hair, then gestured towards the three eunuchs waiting behind her, “Bring her over, then.”
“This servant understands!” The three eunuchs stepped forward and hoisted Ji Muqing in the direction of Han Academy…
Concubine Xiao wiped her hands; since everything was finished, all she had to do was wait for her plan to unfold the next day and she returned to Zhangzhi Hall with peace of mind.
That night, what began as a drizzle developed into a thunderstorm; raindrops battering the red brick and green tiles of the palace unforgivingly.
The next morning.
A door within the inner yard of Han Academy was kicked wide open. Several eunuchs rushed into the room, surrounding the red bed with some muslin drapes.
Ji Muqing was awoken by the sudden commotion; she opened her eyes groggily and sat up in bed, cracking her sore neck, only then noticing the eunuchs by the bedside through the muslin drapes. “What are you…”
She had the shock of her life as she looked down! Ji Muqing was wearing only a red binder across her chest. She immediately pulled the sheets to cover herself, but she unveiled another surprise in store. There was a man lying beside her!
“Ah-” She let out a shrill scream!
Gao Bingze was startled awake by her scream. As he opened his eyes and finally registered the scene unfolding before him, he too, was frightened. He floundered as he sat up trying to get off the bed as quickly as he could, eventually falling straight to the ground and into the waiting hands of a eunuch outside.
“What is this? How did this happen? Why…” Gao Bingze was driving himself mad. As the Vice-director of Han Academy, he was well aware of who the lady sitting on the bed was.
The eunuch who caught him replied, “Vice-director Gao, Concubine Xiao wishes to see you.”
“No, I don’t know how it turned out like this, I was framed.”
“Whether you were framed or not is up to Her Ladyship to determine. Take him away.” The eunuchs who caught Gao Bingze were quick to act, dragging him away at the head eunuch’s orders. The head eunuch then directed his attention to Ji Muqing, sitting blankly on the bed, “Miss Ji, please get dressed quickly and follow this servant.” Ji Muqing had no idea how long she had sat for, until she was dragged in a daze to Zhangzhi Hall.
Inside the hall.
Both Ji Muqing and Gao Bingze were kneeling on the ground. Concubine Xiao was furious. She glared at Gao Bingze, “This Ladyship finally understands why you had removed Miss Ji’s name from the list earlier; the two of you already had feelings for each other, and now even dare to commit such shameless acts within palace grounds.”