The Free Consort of the Rear Palace: The Virtuous Consort Who Died from Overwork Solves Mysteries - The Lazy Consort Howls from Rock Bottom

Three days since the poison was administered. The afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating Shu Rei's face as she lay upon the bed in the Shuka En. Her complexion was as pale as wax, and only the black hair spread across her pillow seemed unnervingly vivid. (My body... won't move.) She tried to lift her hand. Her fingertips trembled faintly, then immediately went limp. It fell onto the futon with a dry, soft thud. Her mind was strangely clear, yet her body refused to obey. It felt as though she were sinking into heavy mud. Toumei entered the room quietly, carrying a tray. Upon it sat a steaming bowl of rice porridge and a small dish of pickles. "[gentle] Lady Virtuous Consort, how are you feeling? I asked the kitchen to prepare something easy to digest." Toumei's voice was as gentle as ever. But there was a heaviness to it. Faint dark circles hung beneath her eyes. She had barely slept these past three days. Shu Rei looked at the bowl of porridge. White steam rose from it. The scent of chicken broth. She reached out her hand. She tried to lift the chopsticks—and her fingers stopped. (Is this... really safe to eat?) Her chest tightened painfully. Who made this? Where was it brought from? How could she be absolutely certain that the hands that prepared it were trustworthy? She knew. Toumei would never betray her. But the kitchen staff—there were people there. People loyal to the Empress. Her hand trembled. "...Ah." She dropped the chopsticks. A sharp clatter echoed through the quiet room. "[sad] Lady Virtuous Consort...?" Toumei's eyes wavered with worry. Shu Rei stared at her own hand, her head bowed. "[whispers] ...I'm sorry, Toumei. I don't think I have an appetite." Her own voice sounded so terribly weak. It was pathetic. Without a word, Toumei gently returned the porridge to the tray. She understood. She knew exactly what was happening in this rear palace. That was when it happened. From outside the room came the faint rustle of silk robes. "[formal] Lady Virtuous Consort of the Shuka En. I am a messenger from the Noble Consort." Toumei, her expression tense, opened the door. A young court lady stood there. Her posture was perfect, her face as expressionless as a Noh mask. "[cold] We have heard that you are unwell. I have been entrusted with a message from the Noble Consort. After discussion among the consorts of the rear palace, it has been decided that, for the time being, we shall keep our distance from anyone who brings such a disquieting atmosphere." Her tone was excessively polite. "[cold] Please take care of yourself. Farewell." The court lady bowed once and left without waiting for a response. A heavy silence descended upon the room. Shu Rei stared at the ceiling. (Keep their distance.) In other words, they had abandoned her. Because being near her was dangerous. Because they didn't want to associate with a troublesome person marked by the Empress. They had all discussed it and decided to cut her loose. Her lips twisted into a strained grimace. (Well, of course. It's a rational decision.) The rear palace was that kind of place. Things like camaraderie or friendship, such lukewarm concepts, didn't exist here. There was only power, self-preservation, and one's own life. Shu Rei looked outside the window. She caught a glimpse of the outer corridor. The eunuch, Zhao An, who was usually stationed there, was nowhere to be seen. (So he's started keeping his distance too.) Contact from the Suiran Fu had also ceased completely. Isolation. Total, complete isolation. The entire rear palace was quietly retreating from Shu Rei, the hazardous element. The poison hadn't just ravaged her body. Her entire world was crumbling audibly around her. --- Evening. As the sky began to dye itself crimson, Rasetsu arrived at the Shuka En. With his usual light footsteps. Wearing his usual sly, suspicious grin. However, the moment he entered the room and saw Shu Rei's face, that grin vanished for an instant. "[casual] ...Whoa there, you look absolutely terrible. It's a wonder you're still alive." "[weak] Shut up. Is that what you say to a sick person?" Shu Rei retorted, propping herself up halfway. Just that much left her breathless. Rasetsu sat down on a nearby chair and crossed his long legs. "[serious] So? You called me, so you must want something." "[serious] The copy of the ledger?" "A few more days. The head of the Tenrin Trading Company is still wary, so I can't get close." "...A few days." Hearing that, Shu Rei steeled her resolve. "[serious] Rasetsu. I've been thinking. I'm going to sneak into the Suiran Fu's records room. There has to be evidence somewhere that Ka Rin bought that poison. I've realized over these three days: that woman isn't the type to leave everything entirely to the Yajou Group. She definitely keeps something in her own hands." Rasetsu's eyes narrowed sharply. "[cold] Don't be stupid. The records room is under Shen Fang's jurisdiction. That head court lady is a thoroughbred Ka Rin loyalist. If you make a move in your current state, you'll just get a second assassination attempt. And this time, they'll definitely come to kill you." "But—" "[cold] There's no way you can win by challenging the Empress head-on." Rasetsu's voice turned sharp. "[cold] Listen, and listen well. Your survival is what's more important for my business. I can't lend money to a dead person. If you're going to take any more pointless risks, I'm pulling out." Calculation. A pure, cold profit-and-loss assessment, devoid of any warmth. Something deep in Shu Rei's chest flared hot. Anger. Her body wouldn't move, yet this emotion alone burned with stark clarity. "[angry] ...That's all you ever talk about." "[cold] I'm a merchant." Rasetsu stood up. "[cold] Anyway, don't move. I'll figure something out with the ledger copy. Until then, stay put and rest." With just those words, he left the room. His footsteps faded into the distance. --- The sound of the door closing. Silence. Shu Rei was alone. "[whispers] ...Toumei." "Yes." "[whispers] Could you leave me for a bit? I want to be alone." Toumei hesitated for a moment, then nodded and left the room. It grew quiet. No sound of insects, no whisper of wind. Only the sound of her own breathing felt unnaturally loud. Shu Rei stared at the ceiling. (All alone.) A burning heat rose behind her eyes. (In the end, there's no one.) Tears spilled over. Once they started, they wouldn't stop. She didn't want to cry. Crying wouldn't change anything. She knew that. She knew it, and yet—the tears kept coming. She was frustrated. She was scared. Her chest felt like it would burst with rage. She clenched the futon. Her fingers turned white. Tears stained the sheets. (Why... to this extent?) Why did I have to go through this? I just wanted to be free. That was all. I didn't want to work. In my second life, at least, I wanted to live as I pleased. And yet—. That was when it happened. A scene suddenly surfaced in her mind. A middle school classroom. Herself, sitting at the very back seat by the window, eating lunch alone. Laughter echoing around her. Conversations that sounded so fun. But around her own desk, there was only an empty void. (I was ignored.) There was no real reason. Some small trigger made someone start ignoring her, and it spread through the entire class. "[whispers] ...Let me in." She murmured the words without voicing them. She had wanted to be included. She had wanted friends. But she couldn't say it. She was scared. Of being rejected. So she ran away. She went on to university, got a job, and before she knew it, she was working until the last train every day, constantly gauging everyone else's moods—and then she died from overwork. (I ran away back then.) Shu Rei's tears stopped. (I'm the same now.) She looked at her trembling hands. Poisoned, abandoned by everyone in the rear palace. And now, I'm—trying to run away again. (Isn't this exactly the same as my previous life?) The girl who couldn't raise her voice that day. The girl who ran away that day. The girl who kept running until the very end and died without grasping anything. That's who I am right now. "[angry] No..." Her voice trembled. "[angry] This time, it's different." Shu Rei grabbed the edge of the bed. Her hands were shaking. She had no strength. Even so, she gritted her teeth and pushed her upper body up. Her vision swayed violently. She was out of breath. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Even so. She sat up. (If I run, it's over.) It was the same as her previous life. What lay at the end of running, and running, and running away, was nothing but a gray, empty death. Shu Rei wiped her tears. Her sleeve was soaking wet. On the desk beside her lay a brush and paper. She reached out. She took the brush. Her trembling fingertips danced faintly over the paper. (It's not about what I write. The act of writing is what matters.) Anything would do. A plan, curses, even just scribbles. I have to move. This time for sure. --- Outside the room, Rasetsu had stopped halfway down the corridor. "...Tch." He clicked his tongue. As a merchant, he should have made the optimal choice. Take no risks, just pass along information, and leave the rest to the other party. If he could collect a profit that way, that was fine. And yet. His feet wouldn't move. The scene from dawn three days ago surfaced in his mind. The daybreak when he had made the suffering Shu Rei drink the antidote. Paying thirty taels of silver without hesitation. (Why did I do something like that?) He didn't understand it himself. It wasn't rational. Not at all. Rasetsu clenched his fist. --- And then. He turned on his heel. --- The door of the Shuka En opened quietly. "...Hey." Shu Rei was sitting on the edge of the bed. Her back looked impossibly small. A brush was in her hand. The lines scrawled across the paper looked less like characters and more like the scribbles of someone who had just finished crying. Traces of tears remained clearly on her cheeks. Shu Rei didn't turn around. "[whispers] ...Please don't look." Her voice was hoarse. "[whispers] I'm a mess." Rasetsu said nothing. He just. He just walked over—and plopped down on the floor next to Shu Rei. The distance between them was close. Close enough that if he reached out his arm, he could touch her. Rasetsu hugged his knees and stared absently out the window. Shu Rei, her face still set with resolve, clutched the brush. Silence. But it was different from the lonely silence of just moments before. Someone was beside her. Why did just that simple fact make her feel this way? A fierce warmth filled her chest. --- How much time had passed? By the time the sky had completely turned to indigo. Rasetsu spoke up quietly. "[serious] ...There's something I haven't told you." Shu Rei didn't look up. "[serious] It's not just the Tenrin Trading Company's secret ledger. I've got something much more dangerous." Shu Rei's hand stopped. "[serious] The Empress's family home—the Tao family. Every year, they falsify the ledgers for the silk and foodstuffs they deliver to the imperial court, pocketing a massive difference. It's evidence that they're siphoning money from the national treasury and illegally amassing wealth behind the scenes." Shu Rei slowly raised her head. Her eyes, red from crying, fixed on Rasetsu. "[surprised] ...What did you say?" Her voice trembled. This time, it wasn't the tremor of despair. "[serious] I have a copy that cross-references the official ledgers with the actual delivery records. It's stored in the Tenrin Trading Company's archive, and I'm the only one who knows its location. I never told anyone until now. Because I was using the Tao family's influence for my business." Rasetsu rested his arms on his knees and conti

日本語

What is Novelia? →

Episode 5

Name: The Free Consort of the Rear Palace: The Virtuous Consort Who Died from Overwork Solves Mysteries
Author: Novelia

What is Novelia?

Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.

Learn more about Novelia →New sign-ups get 5,000pt