Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Sudden Death

By the time everyone returned to the palace, it was already close to dusk. The culprit behind the attempt to harm the imperial heir hadn’t been found, and hardly anyone had the appetite for supper today.

Yun Si didn’t have the mood either. In her heart, she marked down another grievance against Rong Zhaoyi. If it hadn’t been for Rong Zhaoyi’s malicious intentions, trying to plant people in her palace, where would all this mess today have come from?

Moreover, there was no way Rong Zhaoyi had only just come up with such a scheme. Otherwise, how could someone have noticed and laid such a well-prepared trap, just waiting for her to fall into?

Qiu Yuan helped her remove the golden hairpin and said doubtfully,

“Does Mistress believe that the person who harmed Su Jieyu wasn’t Rong Zhaoyi?”

Today’s final investigation result did prove her innocence, but because of that, the suspicion on Rong Zhaoyi only grew heavier. No matter how one looked at it, Qiu Ning and Qiu Su were both Rong Zhaoyi’s people.
And besides, Qiu Ning had been murdered, among those in Changchun Palace, who would have had a better chance to kill than someone from Changchun Palace?

Whichever way one looked at it, Rong Zhaoyi had the greatest motive.

Who could guarantee that Qiu Ning had really been bought off?

Yun Si paused when asked. The reason she doubted Rong Zhaoyi’s guilt was because of that glance Lu Song had given her at the time.

Lu Song definitely knew something.

She didn’t know why, but although the Empress had barely said a few words today, Yun Si still felt her presence had been extremely aggressive. For all sorts of reasons, she couldn’t shake the feeling that today’s incident had something to do with Consort De.

But suspicion was only suspicion, she had no proof, so she wouldn’t speak recklessly.

Yun Si raised her hand to rub her brow. Her gaze lowered slightly as she said in a light tone,

“In the past, I only thought the harem was chaotic. Only after truly entering did I realize how shallow my view had been. How long has it even been since I received my title?”

Qiu Yuan was rarely left speechless. It was only the second day, and trouble had already come knocking.
Who knew how much more distress lay ahead?

Qiu Yuan only murmured softly, “If so much hadn’t happened today, His Majesty should’ve come to Panju Hall tonight.”

Yun Si met Qiu Yuan’s gaze through the bronze mirror. She raised her brows slightly and said unhurriedly, “So, what a clever move.”

One move, three birds with one stone: ruined her night of attending to the Emperor, harmed the imperial heir in Su Jieyu’s womb, and pinned the blame on Rong Zhaoyi, completely muddying the waters while hiding themselves in the shadows.

Qiu Yuan wanted to say something, but in the end, she swallowed her words.

She actually wanted to ask: if everything that happened today was done by Consort De, then what role did the Empress play?
Did she add fuel to the fire?

In the end, when the words reached her lips, Qiu Yuan only asked,

“Does Mistress think the truth of today’s matter can be found out?”

Yun Si actually really wanted to know the truth too, but she felt it was unlikely. After being busy all day, she was a little weary as she replied,

“That depends on how many days Qiu Su can stay alive in the Punishment Department.”

If she were the one behind it all, and she had already taken Qiu Ning’s life, then she certainly wouldn’t let Qiu Su live for long either.

Thinking of this, Yun Si lowered her eyes slightly, the fingers in her sleeve unconsciously tightening.

—-
In Kunning Palace, after the Empress returned, she went to check on the little princess. The little princess had been settled into a side hall; it was said she had woken briefly before dusk, cried and fussed upon seeing the unfamiliar surroundings, and only fell asleep again after taking medicine.

The ones caring for her were still the same old mamas. The Empress merely gently stroked the little princess’s face before withdrawing her hand and instructing,

“Take good care of her. If anything is needed, speak directly with Bai Zhi.”

The mamas immediately responded respectfully.

Back in the main hall, the Empress pressed her brow tiredly. Bai Zhi stepped in to take over, massaging her temples. With no one else around, Bai Zhi finally couldn’t hold back her complaints:

“This servant has never seen someone so stupid, as if afraid the Emperor might not distance himself from her.”

She was talking about Su Jieyu.

So intent on vying for favor, yet everything she did made one’s head ache. Was the Emperor someone she could question?

She had a miscarriage. If the Emperor felt compassion, then even without merit, she had suffered hardship. If he didn’t feel compassion, then it was her fault for not caring properly for the imperial heir. In such a situation, the only thing Su Jieyu should have done was beg the Emperor to uphold justice for her, not question whether he would favor the culprit.

Yet she blatantly laid her suspicion that the Emperor might be biased out in the open.

Had it not been for the many eyes watching at the time, Bai Zhi would’ve wanted to crack open her skull to see what on earth was inside!

Bai Zhi then recalled Bai Shao’s behavior and wrinkled her brow in disgust, so awful she didn’t even want to say a word.

The Empress paid no attention to her complaints. After taking a deep breath, the first thing she said was,

“Have the imperial physicians take good care of Su Jieyu.”

Bai Zhi was momentarily choked. She wanted to say, Su Jieyu is already so useless, why does Your Highness still care about her?

Seeing what she was thinking, the Empress said calmly,

“Was she born owing me something? Her body ruined, and she hasn’t even borne a royal heir. If she’s foolish, then that’s her own fault. But the fact that I used her is also undeniable.”

If it weren’t for her trust, Su Jieyu would never have recklessly drunk that so-called remedy in order to conceive this heir.

Su Jieyu didn’t know the truth, but Bai Zhi surely did, after drinking that so-called remedy, if this pregnancy couldn’t be sustained, it would almost completely destroy her chance of conceiving in the future.

Bai Zhi’s lips trembled. “But Your Highness has protected her, both openly and in secret, so many times. It’s not Your Highness who harmed her child.”

The Empress no longer responded to that topic.

It was true she hadn’t directly harmed the heir in Su Jieyu’s womb, but it was also true that she had pushed Su Jieyu forward, deliberately drawing misfortune to her.

No matter how Bai Zhi tried to whitewash her, she could never shamelessly convince herself she was innocent, as Bai Zhi seemed to hope.

Bai Zhi swallowed, and after a long while, lowered her head dispiritedly and said,

“This servant understands. This servant will take care of Qingyu Courtyard.”

She sniffed, then spoke about the situation earlier. “Your Highness, we didn’t find anything at all in Qingyu Courtyard today. Did we make a wasted effort again?”

The Empress, who had been keeping her eyes half-closed, now opened them. Her gaze was icy.

“Isn’t there still Qiu Su?”

Bai Zhi said, “She looks like she’s not afraid of death at all, will she be able to give up Consort De?”

Ordinary methods certainly wouldn’t get anything out of her.

The Empress tilted her head slightly upward. It seemed the metallic scent of blood from Qingyu Courtyard still lingered at the tip of her nose, or perhaps it wasn’t just from within Qingyu Courtyard. She closed her eyes again, expressionless, and said,

“No matter what methods you use, make her open her mouth and speak.”

—

While Panju Hall and Kunning Palace could still remain quiet, Changchun Palace was destined not to be peaceful today.

As soon as Rong Zhaoyi returned, she summoned all the palace maids inside her hall. The servants already knew what had happened today and were all kneeling together, a dense mass of heads. Yet within the hall, it was so silent one could hear a pin drop.

Rong Zhaoyi sat in her seat, expressionless, with a particularly oppressive air.

“This Palace really didn’t know, when did Changchun Palace become a wasp’s nest!”

She suddenly picked up a teacup and smashed it down, directly hitting the head of the kneeling palace maid. The maid’s scalp split open instantly, blood streaming down her cheek. Everyone was shocked, repeatedly kowtowing in terror:

“Your Ladyship, please quell your anger! Even if we had three lives, we wouldn’t dare betray you!”

The hall descended into chaos.

Rong Zhaoyi remained unmoved. She curled her lips in mockery. That day, she had arranged for Qiu Ning to go to the Central Province Hall, originally intending to plant a hidden hand, so it would be easier to deal with Yun Si in the future.

And the result?

That so-called hidden hand ended up bringing disaster upon her!

Just thinking of Qiu Ning made Rong Zhaoyi grind her teeth in hatred.
She had never treated Qiu Ning poorly!

What kind of great benefits had others given her to make this heartless and ungrateful creature betray her?!

Qiu Ning was dead now, cutting things off cleanly, but what she left behind was a mess. As long as the culprit who harmed Su Jieyu wasn’t found, Rong Zhaoyi wouldn’t be able to clear her name!

Rong Zhaoyi coldly looked at the servants kneeling all over the floor. She asked,

“When Qiu Ning died, not one of you noticed anything unusual?”

The palace maids stammered, unable to say a word for a long time.

When the news of Su Jieyu’s accident reached Changchun Palace, before Rong Zhaoyi left the palace, Qiu Ning had still been serving in the hall. Later, she had taken Tong Yun with her, leaving Qiu Ning behind to watch over the palace. And in just that short span of time, Qiu Ning had been strangled to death?

The most infuriating part was that no one in her palace noticed anything amiss!

Now Rong Zhaoyi suspected everyone she saw. Even if she hadn’t been in the palace, entering Changchun Palace to harm someone wasn’t an easy thing. On this point, Rong Zhaoyi’s thoughts were the same as everyone else’s, the person most likely to have killed Qiu Ning was someone from within Changchun Palace!

Tong Yun stepped forward and asked on behalf of Her Ladyship. “Today, none of you were on duty?”

Only two palace maids timidly crawled out, trembling and nearly crying.
“Your Ladyship, please see clearly, we would never dare to harm anyone! Today we stayed in the palace the whole time and never left.”

Tong Yun and Rong Zhaoyi whispered a few words to each other, picked and chose, and pointed out six palace maids. At a glance, everyone saw that these six maids were the ones who had accompanied Her Ladyship to Qingyu Courtyard today. At the time of Qiu Ning’s death, they were not in the palace, so naturally, they were no longer suspected of harming Qiu Ning.

The six palace maids visibly let out a breath of relief and wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads with their sleeves.

Rong Zhaoyi had a total of twelve palace maids serving her. The ones attending to the little princess were counted separately. But when Su Jieyu had her accident, the maid caring for the little princess had already left Changchun Palace early to go to Kunning Palace. Removing Tong Yun and the deceased Qiu Ning, for the moment, there were only four suspects left in the hall.

Realizing this, the remaining four palace maids were so frightened their bodies went limp. They exchanged glances, each filled with suspicion and a hint of resentment toward the others.

If someone hadn’t harmed Qiu Ning, how could they have suffered such an undeserved calamity?!

Rong Zhaoyi looked at them with a cold glint in her eyes.

“Since none of you are willing to speak and are so loyal to the master behind you, I am happy to help you fulfill your devotion. I won’t stop you from going on your way!”

“Guards! Send them all to the Punishment Department!”

The four were struck as if by lightning. The hall was filled with cries and pleas for mercy. The other six, afraid Her Ladyship would take her anger out on them, stepped forward to pin down the four, ready to drag them away. Just as they neared the door, in a moment of desperation, one suddenly cried out in panic,

“Your Ladyship! This servant remembers something!”

The dragging paused, and everyone’s eyes turned to her. The palace maid, trembling all over in fear, cried as she said, “This servant was on gate duty today. When Your Ladyship went to Qingyu Courtyard, Nanny Song returned once!”

Nanny Song — one of the wet nurses who cared for the little princess.

When the little princess was born, His Majesty personally arranged for six wet nurses for her. As the little princess grew, only two of the original wet nurses remained by her side. The rest had been replaced by other palace servants over time, and Nanny Song was one of those replacements.

As soon as the maid finished speaking, Rong Zhaoyi’s first reaction was disbelief.

Nanny Song had been chosen by His Majesty himself to care for the little princess, how could she possibly betray them?

But soon, Rong Zhaoyi recalled how the little princess’s illness had repeatedly flared up over the past two days, and also how the little princess had clearly shown resistance toward her. The princess was still young and forgetful, how could she hold a grudge for so long?

Could it be that someone was deliberately manipulating the little princess?

Only the little princess’s condition hadn’t improved, and that was the only reason such a thing could have happened today!

For a moment, even Rong Zhaoyi couldn’t be certain that Nanny Song hadn’t harbored ill intentions.

Rong Zhaoyi’s emotions shifted repeatedly, and the hall fell into a brief silence. Tong Yun said softly, “Your Ladyship, her words may not be true.”

Rong Zhaoyi retorted, “You don’t believe her?”

Tong Yun immediately fell silent.

She also felt it was a bit too coincidental, but Nanny Song had always cared for the little princess with utmost devotion, there hadn’t been the slightest sign of anything suspicious. At times, the little princess was even more attached to Nanny Song than to Her Ladyship.

Thinking of this, Tong Yun suddenly felt something was wrong.

Her Ladyship was different from ordinary concubines. When it came to caring for the little princess, she often did things herself rather than entrusting everything to the Nanny. And since she spent more time with the little princess, if Nanny Song were truly good, how could she have coaxed the little princess into being even closer to her than to Her Ladyship?

Once doubt arises, everything starts to feel off.

Tong Yun couldn’t come up with anything to defend Nanny Song. She turned to the palace maid and asked,

“Why didn’t you say this earlier?”

The palace maid wiped her tears and said with grievance, “Nanny Song said the little princess had left something in the hall, and she came back to retrieve it. Nanny Song had always taken care of the little princess, so I didn’t notice anything amiss. I was used to Nanny Song coming in and out of Changchun Palace, so I didn’t think anything of it at the time.”

If it had been an outsider entering the palace, she would’ve remembered for sure. But Nanny Song was different, she was someone from Changchun Palace. Her return to Changchun Palace would seem perfectly natural to the palace maids.

Rong Zhaoyi slowly clenched her handkerchief. She didn’t speak for a long time, and Tongyun quietly stayed beside her. In the hall, only the soft, suppressed breaths of the gathered palace staff could be heard.

After a long while, Rong Zhaoyi finally spoke,

“Take them back to their rooms. Without my command, they are not to take a single step outside.”

Rong Zhaoyi stood up and looked down at them from above.
“You had best pray that you are truly innocent. Otherwise, even if you escape today, you may not escape the next time!”

Upon hearing this, the palace maids knew that Her Ladyship would no longer send them to the Punishment Department. Their taut bodies finally relaxed, and they burst into tears, kowtowing to Her Ladyship.

“Thank you for Your Ladyship’s grace!”

Once the hall had completely quieted down, Rong Zhaoyi suddenly swept the objects off the table. With a dull clatter, they crashed heavily to the floor!

Tong Yin looked at Her Ladyship in terror.

Rong Zhaoyi suddenly turned to one direction, gritting her teeth in a low voice,

“Consort De! You’ve gone too far!”

Tong Yun was shocked. “Your Ladyship!”

She glanced around in fright and desperately tried to hold her back, whispering urgently,

“Your Ladyship, mind your words!”

Rong Zhaoyi curled her lips into a cold sneer.

“Mind my words?!”

“She’s practically riding on this palace’s head! How else am I supposed to mind my words?!”

Rong Zhaoyi shoved Tong Yun aside and said with a mocking laugh.

“Harming the imperial heir, framing this palace, aside from her, who else in the palace has such ability?”

The Empress?

The Empress certainly had the ability, but she had always been soft-hearted and never cared for the paltry favors of the imperial harem. She would never stoop to such schemes to frame her.

Even if she wanted to frame someone, it wouldn’t be her!

Rong Zhaoyi clenched her handkerchief tightly, the fury burning so hotly in her chest it felt like fire. She gritted out,

“Qiu Ning has been with this palace for seven years! She followed this palace since the time in the Prince’s residence. Besides Consort De, who else could have the means to bribe Qiu Ning?”

Or rather, from the very beginning, Qiu Ning had never been hers at all!

Tong Yun kept glancing around, terrified someone might overhear Her Ladyship’s words.
She begged, “Your Ladyship, please calm down! Don’t say any more!”

Calm down, calm down!
How was she supposed to calm down?!

Rong Zhaoyi. “Even the little princess has been taken away! And you’re telling this palace to calm down?! She clearly wants this palace dead! She wants to burn the bridge after crossing it! Kill to silence!”

As soon as she said that, Tong Yun was so frightened her whole body went limp. She clung to Her Ladyship’s legs, sobbing in terror.

“Your Ladyship! Please stop talking! This servant begs you! You mustn’t say such things!”

Tong Yun kept kowtowing, her forehead banging against the floor with loud thuds, finally snapping Rong Zhaoyi back to her senses. Rong Zhaoyi collapsed onto the soft couch, and two silent streams of tears rolled down her cheeks.

“It was my foolishness! I couldn’t even see through such a simple truth. All these years, I was so smug, thinking that as long as we kept to our own lanes, we wouldn’t cross each other.”

In reality, the other had always been quietly scheming.
Who knew since when she had already started plotting to take her life.

She choked back a sob, “How could I ever have tried to make peace with a tiger!”

Tong Yun kept shaking her head. Even if Her Ladyship regretted it now, it was useless. Back then, she had tried to persuade Her Ladyship, but unfortunately, Her Ladyship had been blinded by profit.

Rong Zhaoyi also knew some things couldn’t be said aloud. The hatred in her heart was extreme, and all she could do was bury her head in her arms and weep bitterly.

Tong Yun crawled forward, crying as she tried to comfort Her Ladyship. Neither of the mistress and servant inside the hall noticed that after their voices ceased, the shadows of the trees outside the lattice windows seemed to stir ever so slightly.

—

Kunning Palace.

The Empress stared blankly at the message that had been delivered to her. After a long while, she pulled her lips into a smile.

“So, back then, there was her too.”

Of course, at the time, she and Rong Zhaoyi had conceived around the same time. As the legitimate wife, even though Rong Zhaoyi was deeply favored, she had completely overshadowed her.

And that one had always been proud and arrogant.

She was also someone who harbored feelings for the Emperor.

Consort De feared she would give birth to a legitimate son, would Rong Zhaoyi not have feared the same?

She feared it too. She also hoped to give birth to a prince herself, so naturally, she wouldn’t have wanted to see the legitimate heir born.

These two conspiring together, it didn’t seem like such a hard thing to imagine.

The Empress sneered, the corners of her lips curling in mockery.

So much time had passed that she no longer even remembered what she had been thinking back then. Everyone in the palace could not tolerate others bearing heirs, how had she tolerated both Consort De and Rong Zhaoyi giving birth one after the other?

The past behaviors of Consort De and Rong Zhaoyi floated up in her mind one by one, the clues had long been there, plain to see.

It was just that all her attention had been focused on suspecting Consort De, causing her to overlook the possibility that Consort De might have had an accomplice.

Bai Zhi’s eyes turned red. “Your Highness, it’s all because of their wolfish ambition! So vicious—Heaven will make them pay, sooner or later!”

The retribution had already come!

They had conspired to harm Her Highness back then, and now it was nothing more than dogs biting each other!

The Empress suddenly coughed. Her choking coughs made her whole body tremble, the veins on the back of her hand bulging. Bai Zhi was startled and couldn’t help crying out,

“Your Highness!”

After a long while, the Empress’s coughing subsided. She waved her hand. “I’m fine.”

Bai Zhi looked at her with a face full of worry.

The Empress lowered her eyes. She stayed silent for a while, then asked, “What do you think of Yun Si?”

Bai Zhi was shocked. She stared blankly for a moment before hesitantly asking,

“Didn’t Your Highness say she’s hard to control?”

The Empress spoke lightly, “If she can’t be controlled, can’t she still be worked with?”

Bai Zhi, though usually fond of nitpicking, still had self-awareness.
She mumbled a reminder. “Your Highness also said that if you were her, you’d never work with anyone, why give up the advantage of being isolated and unencumbered?”

The Empress’s voice was soft and slow,

“Men die for profit. If cooperation isn’t possible, it’s only because the temptation isn’t strong enough.”

Bai Zhi suddenly fell silent.

Once Her Highness had made up her mind, it was never something Bai Zhi could change with just a few words.

She could only say, “There’s still Qiu Su in the Punishment Department.”

The mind of the Empress, long clouded with hatred, suddenly cleared a little.

“She doesn’t matter anymore.”

Bai Zhi didn’t understand.

“No matter how convincingly Qiu Su talks, she alone can’t bring down Consort De, who has the Eldest Prince under her skirts.”

What she wanted wasn’t for Consort De to be demoted, nor some meaningless house arrest or verbal punishment, what she wanted was for Consort De to pay for her child’s death with her own life!

After a long while, the Empress said softly,

“Let our people make a move.”

Bai Zhi was shocked. “But Your Ladyship—”

The Empress cut her off, “Sometimes, a death without testimony is more convincing than ironclad evidence.”

Bai Zhi didn’t quite understand, but she had always been obedient.

—

Yun Si didn’t know someone was discussing her. With nothing weighing on her heart, she felt light all over and slept soundly through the night. She only woke when Qiu Yuan called her.

She sleepily rubbed against the bedding, and when she glimpsed Qiu Yuan looking like she had something to say, she sat up, confused.

“What is it?”

Qiu Yuan was only thinking of what her mistress said yesterday, “Master, you’re truly prophetic. Word just came, last night, Qiu Su suddenly died in the Punishment Department.”

Yun Si looked surprised.

She had guessed that Qiu Su would die, but she hadn’t expected that she wouldn’t even survive a single night.

Yun Si was a little suspicious, acting too hastily makes it easier to leave traces. The person behind all this had always been methodical, so why the sudden rush this time?

Despite her doubts, Yun Si could only attribute it to the person behind the scenes not wanting any complications. She sat up and asked,

“What did Kunning Palace say?”

Qiu Yuan. “Her Highness was furious and has already ordered a strict investigation into everyone who entered and left the Punishment Department yesterday.”

Yun Si’s expression was calm. She glanced at the outfit Qiu Yuan had selected, yesterday, the palace had just lost a royal heir. The outfit was a palace robe of cloud-white mandarin duck-patterned brocade, in a subdued color, not too eye-catching, and not likely to provoke resentment on a day like this.

Kunning Palace had said nothing else. Today’s morning greeting would proceed as usual.

Yun Si had woken late today and didn’t have time for breakfast, but she thought of Tan Yuanchu and didn’t forget to ask,

“The Emperor had no reaction?”

Qiu Yuan shook her head. “This servant hasn’t heard anything.”

Yun Si didn’t know what to think. Yesterday’s incident with Su Jieyu had left some of the concubines still shaken today, not daring to ride in the ceremonial procession.

Yun Si paid them no mind and still rode the procession as usual. Upon arriving at Kunning Palace, she found that the processions of Consort De and Rong Zhaoyi had already stopped in front of the hall. As she stepped down from the procession, she said softly,

“Now this is rare.”

It was normal for Consort De to arrive early to pay respects, but this was the first time Rong Zhaoyi had come so early.

Many of the concubines looked listless today. Yun Si glanced around, feeling a bit puzzled. What did Su Jieyu’s miscarriage have to do with these people?

At some point, Qiu Baolin appeared behind her. As if sensing what she was thinking, she softly explained,

“Yesterday Your Ladyship mentioned that His Majesty was going to the summer palace to escape the heat. But now, with what happened to Su Jieyu, that plan will likely be delayed.”

Yun Si had no words for a moment, she had already forgotten about that matter.

When Yun Si entered the hall, she was a bit surprised. Though the hall was filled with people, it was unusually quiet. Consort De and Rong Zhaoyi sat facing each other without exchanging a word. Consort De remained as gentle as ever, while Rong Zhaoyi wore a cold expression and didn’t spare her a single glance. This caused the other concubines in the hall to fall silent as well.

Yun Si glanced at the two unexpectedly, somewhat curious, what exactly had happened last night?

Once the Empress appeared, no one paid any more attention to Consort De and Rong Zhaoyi. Because of everything that had happened yesterday, everyone assumed the summer retreat would at least be postponed. But the Empress still announced the list of those who would be going to the summer palace.

Yun Si couldn’t help but look up at the Empress. The Empress pressed at her brow and said,

“So many things have happened in the palace. His Majesty originally did not want to go to the summer palace to escape the heat, but it was this palace who advised him to go and relax.”

The summer retreat to the summer palace had been arranged long ago. It wasn’t just the inner palace; even the front court had spent considerable time on it. Infighting in the harem was one thing, but once it spilled into the front court, it became something else entirely.

The royal family’s reputation was of utmost importance. Even if it was only a façade of peace, they could not let outsiders see a joke made of them.

Yun Si’s name was on the list, but Su Jieyu’s was not.

Yun Si wasn’t surprised. If not for yesterday’s incident, Su Jieyu would surely have been on the list. But she had just miscarried and was now in the confinement period; naturally, she couldn’t endure such a strenuous journey.

The Empress looked somewhat tired, as if she hadn’t slept well all night. She didn’t mention Qiu Su’s matter at all and simply dismissed the gathering.

As they left Kunning Palace, Yun Si glanced at the time and suddenly said,

“We’re not going back to the palace. Let’s go to Yangxin Hall.”