Chapter 15: Terror in the Serpent House (Part II)

At that moment, dusk had deepened and lanterns were just being lit. When the Lady of Grace and the Noble Consort each hurried out from the Hare Court and the Cat Court upon hearing the commotion, they saw the maids and eunuchs they had brought with them scattering through the various courtyards like headless flies. Some, heedless of rank or decorum, were desperately running for their lives out of the Hall of Rare Creatures.

“What a disgrace!” Even the Lady of Grace, known for her gentle temperament, could not help but lose her composure at the chaotic scene.

The Cat Court was adjacent to the Hare Court, and the Noble Consort strode out as well, raising her voice to echo the Lady of Grace’s rebuke, “Indeed—what a disgrace this is!”

“My lady, run!” a maid shrieked.

The two consorts looked up just in time to see the maid’s face, swollen and bruised, before she collapsed heavily to the ground about ten paces from them. At once, a green snake burst from the girl’s back, flicking its crimson tongue, its supple body slithering toward them with a chilling rustle.

The Lady of Grace had a genuine terror of snakes, and her legs gave way at once.

The Noble Consort fared better, though her complexion paled. Even in this moment of crisis, she did not forget the Lady of Grace; she grabbed her arm, pulled her to stand close to the wall, and barked coldly, “Protect the consorts!”

By now, the maids and eunuchs belonging to both women had become hopelessly mixed together—there was no telling who belonged to which court. Even so, among the servants, there were loyal, courageous, and calculating ones who quickly gathered around the two consorts, forming a protective circle.

Feeling somewhat steadied, the Noble Consort glanced at the terrified Lady of Grace and said, “Do not be afraid, sister. Snakes do not see well—their strength lies in their tongues. These creatures rarely attack unprovoked; as long as we do not wave our arms and frighten them, they will not attack us without cause.”

She had barely finished speaking when a tide of snakes surged forward. Reflected in the lantern light, their scales shimmered with every color imaginable—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Common wisdom had it: the more vivid the color, the deadlier the venom.

Faced with such a horde—tongues flicking, heads raised, some thick, some thin, all gleaming with poisonous hues—even the Noble Consort, who had once handled snakes to please Ji Ye, went pale.

“Protect the consorts! Protect the consorts!” The eunuchs from the Serpent Court, who had rushed out to catch the snakes, were ashen-faced, their duck-like voices hoarse with panic.

Yet these eunuchs were skilled indeed. With iron rings of various sizes in hand, they would grab a snake by the tail, snap a ring around its neck just behind the head, and immobilize it at once. Any snake thus caught would lie motionless, waiting to be retrieved.

“Don’t run! Stop! Stand close to the wall!” The shouted command came from an inner attendant of the Serpent Court—someone familiar with the nature of snakes.

But in such chaos, who would listen to reason, especially when the corridor was strewn with the bodies of their dead companions? Only a fool would stand still now.

Indeed, even those who understood snakes and tried to heed the order were bitten by one or two snakes, startled into aggression by the screams and frantic motion.

“Heavens above!” cried a eunuch, his face the color of ashes as he watched another fall.

“Death is our due! Death is our due!” wept a eunuch, gathering snakes into a cage. Whether he mourned his own kind or railed against the culprits who had caused this disaster was unclear.

“Enough! Quiet! Move quickly, protect the consorts!” The inner attendant swiftly cleared a path and hurried toward the Lady of Grace and the Noble Consort, bowing deeply. “Your Highnesses, forgive our failure. Please, follow me.”

“You are all most reckless…” the Noble Consort began, ready to unleash her anger.

The Lady of Grace, lips trembling, gripped the Noble Consort’s hand and interrupted, “Let us wait to punish them. For now, we must contain the situation—we cannot let these venomous creatures escape the Hall of Rare Creatures.”

“As you say, sister.”

The inner attendant managed a bitter smile. “I fear it may already be too late. We are guilty beyond doubt; we can only hope Your Highnesses remain unharmed.”

With these skilled snake-handlers at their side, the group retreated for the moment to the Cat Court. There, the Lady of Grace, her terror somewhat abated, urged, “You need not mind us—go quickly and handle the aftermath. Let none of these creatures escape and cause panic in the palace.”

“Yes, my lady!”

Now was not the time for confession or apology. The attendant turned and hurried out, deftly catching two snakes slithering over the threshold before shutting the gate tightly.

With the Cat Court relatively secure, the courtyards closer to the Serpent Court bore the brunt of misfortune. Fierce birds, natural enemies of snakes, kept the reptiles at bay, but the maids and eunuchs sheltering in these courtyards were pale with fear. Fortunately, the situation was gradually brought under control.

What most troubled the inner attendant, however, were the snakes that had managed to escape the Hall of Rare Creatures. The harmless ones were of little concern; it was the venomous fugitives that filled him with dread. He could do no more than send two of his best men to scour the palace for escaped snakes and leave the rest to fate.

This incident soon reached Ji Ye. At that moment, he was dining with two ministers in the Xuan Zheng Hall, planning to spend the evening discussing state affairs.

“Your Majesty, how do you wish to handle this matter?” Ji Ye’s expression did not change; only his pupils darkened slightly as he replied, “Seal the palace gates connecting the Hall of Rare Creatures to the other palaces. Once the Serpent Court has tallied the missing snakes, send men to search every corner. All of those little monsters must be caught and returned.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Li Fuquan replied, nodding briskly.

“Furthermore, go in person to investigate, ascertain the cause and sequence of events, and have all those responsible detained. I will deal with them myself.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Also, Your Majesty, the Lady of Grace seems to have suffered quite a fright.”

“I am aware.” After Li Fuquan had left, Yu Junshi, Minister of Revenue, who was seated opposite Ji Ye, knelt and spoke with righteous indignation. “Your Majesty—”

“Rise, my good minister. I know what you’re going to say—it’s always the same old admonitions. If you are not tired of repeating them, I am certainly tired of hearing them.”

“Your Majesty, I…”

“Come now, Chancellor Yu, do get up. His Majesty is only human. All men have their little hobbies. Take me, for instance—I am obsessed with painting. And you? I hear you are quite devoted to fine wine.”

“Chancellor Liu, what nonsense! I only drink modestly—how could that be ‘devotion’? Unlike you, Chancellor Liu—your obsession with painting is well-known. Where the master has a passion, the followers are sure to outdo him. Your own retainers must bring you countless ‘paintings’—are you not openly accepting bribes, Chancellor Liu?”

Yu Junshi flung off Liu Chengyan’s hand in distaste.

Ji Ye dabbed his mouth with a napkin and said lightly, “You two may argue as you please. I am going to see about this matter. In one hour, I expect to hear both of your opinions on the new law.”

By then, the sky was fully dark, and the Hall of Rare Creatures was ablaze with light. The Lady of Grace and the Noble Consort had been escorted back to their chambers. All visible and catchable snakes were now caged, but when the Serpent Court’s steward anxiously took inventory, he discovered that one was missing: the most venomous of all, the Imperial Flat-necked Serpent King. This snake, a tribute from the governor of Huguang the previous year, was entirely golden, fiercely aggressive, possessed the most potent venom, and was said to have an uncanny intelligence. Its very name bespoke its cherished status in the emperor’s eyes.

Of all things, nothing else was lost but this one.

When Li Fuquan arrived, he was greeted by the sight of five corpses lined up in the corridor—two maids, three eunuchs.

“Grand Steward, please—you must save me!” The chief attendant of the Hall of Rare Creatures approached him, his tone pitiful.

“Enough talk. Come with me to the Serpent Court. We will get to the bottom of this first.”

The Serpent Court’s layout differed from the other courtyards. Upon entering, snake cages hung on either side, with only a three-person-wide stone path down the center for passage. Inside each cage, the snakes were restless, tongues flickering, eyes fixed hungrily on the newcomers.

“Brazenhead, explain to me what happened here.” Li Fuquan made no attempt at subtlety. Spotting the head eunuch, who was tallying numbers with a ledger, he addressed him directly.

“You must have come to assign blame, Grand Steward,” Brazenhead—the Serpent Court’s inner attendant—replied bitterly.

“You are surely at fault, but the emperor has always relied on you. If you give a clear account, I’ll put in a word for you when the time comes.”

“Thank you.”

“But I swear I am truly wronged!”

“Enough. Walk and talk. His Majesty is waiting.”

It turned out that the disaster had been triggered by a brawl between two eunuchs from the Lady of Grace’s and Noble Consort’s palaces. Somehow, they had come to blows.

There were over a dozen visitors in the Serpent Court at the time—mostly eunuchs, few maids. With so many people and no superiors present, their courage swelled; they gathered in small groups, chattering idly. Servants had little leisure, so when favored with rare free time, they indulged themselves. In their revelry, two eunuchs exchanged words, tempers flared, and a fight broke out.

In a brawl, reason is quickly lost. They grabbed whatever came to hand and hurled it at each other, including, unfortunately, several snake cages. These cages, mostly made of bamboo and wicker, shattered at the slightest blow. It was mating season, and the snakes were already irritable—once freed from their cages, unrestrained, they bit whoever was closest and slithered away, just as a drunkard in spring, intoxicated by the scent, would go in search of pleasure.

The first to be bitten was terribly unlucky—a venomous snake struck, and his collapse terrified the rest, especially the more timid maids, who screamed and rushed for the exits.

The corridor leading out of the Serpent Court was narrow; in the crush, many cages hanging from hooks were knocked to the floor and trampled, alarming even more snakes.

On the covered walkway to the Qianyuan Hall, Brazenhead wiped his face, his lips pressed tight, his expression grave. “Grand Steward, I do not mind dying for my mistake, but it is a shame about those rare breeds trampled in the chaos—they were truly precious.”

“At a time like this, you are still thinking about those beasts! Truly, you live up to your name—Brazenhead. You’ve taken a snake’s name and all but become one of them.”

“In truth, Grand Steward, those creatures may be venomous, but at least they are better than some humans,” Brazenhead said with bitter irony.

“Watch your tongue,” Li Fuquan warned, patting him on the shoulder. “I understand. This matter is not entirely your fault. As the saying goes, the dog’s master must answer for the dog’s crimes. His Majesty alone will decide.”

“It wasn’t just two eunuchs—it was two factions. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so many snakes released,” Brazenhead said coldly.

Li Fuquan fell silent. The two men exchanged a long look, each understanding the other without a word.