Xie Yun's words fell into Xie Jing's ears, but he didn't stop at all, leaving the room directly.
Xie Yun clasped Bai Qianluo's hand, holding it very tightly.
…
After the dream was shattered, the Empress naturally recovered visibly, and her spirit was even better than before, as if certain past events had been sorted out, and her eyes were much clearer.
However, to uncover the truth, Qin Jiujiu decided to remain by the Fifth Prince's side as his personal palace maid. Her intuition told her that the Fifth Prince was definitely connected to Xie Jing in some way.
Yet, the Fifth Prince was a true idle prince, almost never in his palace. Qin Jiujiu, as his personal palace maid, was rarely taken along.
One day, Qin Jiujiu went to the imperial kitchen to collect food as usual, when she unexpectedly encountered a strange young eunuch.
She had only been in the palace for a little over half a month, so she wasn't entirely familiar with all the eunuchs in the imperial kitchen, and thus Qin Jiujiu paid no mind.
"Little Dezi, take this bowl of medicine to the Empress's palace. They've been urging for it several times. Hurry up and deliver it, lest you get scolded!" It was a steward嬷嬷 from the imperial kitchen, with a loud voice. Just as Qin Jiujiu turned to leave with the food for the Fifth Prince's palace, she heard the loud voice.
As soon as she exited the imperial kitchen, she was gently bumped into.
Fortunately, the force of the bump was not strong, so she only staggered slightly to the side before regaining her balance.
She steadied herself and was about to speak to the clumsy figure when she heard that person whisper, "Someone has a letter for you."
Then, a letter appeared in her hand.
Qin Jiujiu recognized the handwriting instantly as Liu Jin's.
The strange young eunuch walked away quickly. Qin Jiujiu looked around, confirmed no one was watching, then put the letter away and hurried back to her own palace.
In this imperial palace, with the methods used by Su Ming, talismans and the like were useless. This method was the only way to convey messages.
Qin Jiujiu returned to her room before daring to take out the letter.
In fact, it was nothing major, but she had been a bit too dramatic for a moment.
Qin Jiujiu opened the letter. It was indeed from Liu Jin. After they parted ways at Zhongnan Temple that day, Liu Jin had first returned to Xiliu City with the Taoist priest.
The heads of the Liu family were still hanging at the city gates. She wanted to steal them, at least to give her father and brother a proper burial.
Since this part was in the original text and went smoothly, Qin Jiujiu did not interfere or offer to help. This letter she received was Liu Jin reporting her safety.
The letter stated that her mission was very successful and she would be returning to the imperial city soon.
Qin Jiujiu felt much more at ease. Some plot points that were deeply ingrained in her memory refused to disappear, while others, she felt as if she had never experienced them at all, completely forgotten.
*
Another half month passed, and there were still sporadic disappearances of young palace maids in the palace. This matter had attracted the Emperor's attention. It was heard that the Emperor had ordered the Empress to investigate this matter thoroughly, but in the past half month, there had been no clues.
Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo were also investigating this matter. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
The last time the Empress was trapped in a dream was the work of a fox spirit.
And this fox spirit was no ordinary one. Only a nine-tailed fox possessed such abilities, able to use a person's emotions and desires to weave such illusions, trap them within, and then absorb all their essence.
Speaking of nine-tailed foxes, Qin Jiujiu couldn't help but recall the nine-tailed fox she encountered at the Qin family in Shangyang Town.
Ever since that nine-tailed fox was killed, another nine-tailed fox had been haunting her…
"Jiujiu, the new favorite consort in the palace is giving out rewards now. We all get a share. Let's go!"
Outside the house, it was Lin Shuxue's voice.
She was the gossipmonger of the palace. Having only been in the palace for a month, she had already figured out the dynamics of the court.
Qin Jiujiu responded, "I'm coming right away!"
Then, after tidying herself up slightly, she went out.
The rewards were naturally to be collected from the favorite consort's palace.
The newly favored consort, it was said, was originally just a lowly palace maid. But one night, she happened to catch the Emperor's eye. After a night of intimacy, she was miraculously enfeoffed as a Beauty. Later, it was heard that this Beauty was exceptionally beautiful and deeply favored by the Emperor, and she was then promoted to Consort.
"Jiujiu, you have no idea how legendary this Consort's life is…"
While Qin Jiujiu was in a daze, they had already arrived at the entrance of the favored consort's palace.
"Yun Yao Pavilion." Qin Jiujiu looked at the large plaque in front of the palace gate, its three gilded characters causing her heart to sink suddenly.
Yun Yaoyao?
The name inexplicably appeared in her mind.
Perhaps she was overthinking it.
Beside her, Lin Shuxue was still chattering on about the Consort's legendary story.
"I heard she was originally a lowly palace maid with an ugly appearance, but for some reason, she suddenly became as beautiful as a flower, as if her face had been replaced…"
"Her face, it's said, looks remarkably like that princess from the previous dynasty…"
Qin Jiujiu's pupils constricted, and she suddenly turned her head to look at Lin Shuxue.
Lin Shuxue's words stopped abruptly, and she quickly lowered her head.
"Greetings, Consort!"
Along with the others who had come to collect rewards, they stood inside the main hall. The hall, which had been noisy, quickly fell silent. It turned out that someone had appeared from behind the screen.
Nudged by Lin Shuxue beside her, Xiang Wei finally reacted. Forgetting her shock at the words she had just heard, she quickly knelt down.
She distinctly felt a gaze falling upon her.
Intense…
"Rise…"
A light sentence, yet it drew her into deeper curiosity.
The person's tone was also remarkably similar to Yun Yaoyao's.
She felt the intense gaze on her disappear, and only then did she stand up, her eyes stealthily glancing at the person on the upper seat.
She saw a face of unparalleled beauty.
This face perfectly matched the face in her dream.
However, the eyes were not quite the same.
A person's appearance could be identical, but a pair of eyes could be entirely different.
For example, these eyes, though deliberately appearing frivolous, allowed Xiang Wei to see desire within them, a longing for power. These eyes were extremely ill-suited to this face.
It seemed they were never meant to be on this face.
Yun Yaoyao was a born enchantress.
She seemed devoid of desire, yet effortlessly manipulated everything to her will.
This was her innate nature, something others could never learn.
Qin Jiujiu was startled by the thought that arose from her glance. Quickly, she lowered her head.
"Distribute the rewards…"
Upon receiving the Consort's order, the palace maid standing beside her stepped forward.
She distributed the rewards one by one.
It was said that this Consort's action was a show of power to the palace maids who had previously looked down on her. Originally a lowly, ugly, and bullied maid, she had a miraculous turnaround overnight and naturally wished to retaliate against those who had bullied her…