Chapter 699: Bone Powder
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
With Zhao Xuanjing backing her up, Xie Qiao did not hold back when she ordered others around.
The other gardeners heaved a sigh of relief and quickly retreated.
The two gardeners who had ghouls on their bodies lowered their heads.
“Kill them! Kill them! Grind their bones into powder! Tear them into pieces!” The ghoul bared her teeth and hovered around the gardener.
Xie Qiao glanced at the ghoul indifferently, then said to the gardener, “Why are you using human bone powder to fertilize the flowers?”
As soon as she said that, Zhao Xuanjing’s gaze turned sharp, and the two gardeners trembled.
The floating ghoul rushed to Xie Qiao as if it had found its savior. “They agreed to send us out of the palace after we died, but they seized our bodies! They even burned and ground them into ashes in the side palace!”
Xie Qiao heard these words, but she could not respond directly.
If the palace maids and eunuchs died, they would be brought out of the palace and buried, and they would inform their families.
Using human bones as fertilizer was something that the previous dynasty’s ruler had done.
That was why Zhao Xuanjing looked so angry.
“Young Lady, you are wise! We didn’t do it!” The two people immediately knelt down and cried.
Xie Qiao had dealt with too many ghouls. Since she was young, she had dug up countless bones of the wandering ghouls. She had seen them all, whether they were broken or intact.
She was born with an amazing intuition toward the place where the bones were buried.
That was why when she touched the soil just now, she felt fl.u.s.tered and uncomfortable all over. That was why she wanted to see the gardener.
“They’re at fault! They’re responsible for watering and fertilizing the peonies here. The Empress Dowager likes this flower, and so does the old hag in the side palace. That’s why they used bone powder to water it, so that the flowers will bloom better!” The ghoul could not help but mutter in front of Xie Qiao.
“Who is the old hag?” Xie Qiao thought for a moment and asked.
Her voice was very soft. Even the gardener did not hear it clearly, but the ghoul did.
She looked at her in shock, her expression was like seeing hope in despair. “Yes, the great consort! Great Consort Mei, she’s an evil person. She’s very old and especially likes to torture young palace maids. When I was alive, I was in her palace. She usually wouldn’t torture people to death, but I was unlucky. I was sick at that time and my body was weak, so I couldn’t escape… I thought that after I died, I could return home, but I didn’t expect that they would take my bones! The old great consort knew that! She especially likes peonies. All the peonies in her courtyard are fertilized with bone powder!
“Also, the old great consort also raised a dog! The dog’s daily food is mixed with bone powder! The old great consort herself would o-occasionally eat pastries with bone powder…”
What the ghoul said scared Xie Qiao out of her wits.
As far as she knew, flowers like peonies and begonias would grow better if they were fertilized with animal bone powder. In addition, the animal bones could indeed be used as fodder…
However, they were to be used sparingly.
Especially in this era, the most important thing was to be buried safely. Very few people would choose to be cremated, not to mention… planting the bone powder into flowers or letting the animals eat it…
This matter came from the palace, so it was inappropriae for an outsider like her to interfere.
Zhao Xuanjing lowered his head and she explained the situation in detail into his ear.
After Zhao Xuanjing heard it, he was disgusted.
Great Consort Mei?
The relations.h.i.+p between the imperial grandfather and the empress dowager was great, but he was the Emperor after all. When he was alive, he also had some concubines, so there was no such thing as being buried together with the Emperor. Therefore, after the late Emperor pa.s.sed away, some of the concubines were sent to the temple for cultivation, and some were sent back home.
There were not many great consorts left in the palace.