"Jingren Palace?"
The next morning, Nan Shiying received an imperial decree. The Empress Dowager of Jingren Palace requested her presence at the palace for a meeting.
Lü Wan's brows were tightly furrowed, feeling as if the imperial decree in her hand was burning hot. This was not an imperial decree, but an invitation to a banquet of treachery!
"Your Highness, why not feign illness and avoid it!" Lü Wan wished she could throw the imperial decree to the ground and stomp on it a few times. Mantuo, propped up on the table, slightly raised her eyes to look at the worried Lü Wan, then turned her head to glance at her mistress.
Her mistress remained as composed as if Mount Tai were about to collapse before her.
Her mistress had changed!
Mantuo had been by Nan Shiying's side for these few days and discovered that besides her face, there was almost no similarity between her current mistress and the former one.
How strange!
Mantuo's little head couldn't analyze much. The thought flashed and disappeared. She only heard her mistress suddenly speak, "Not going? Won't that be less fun?"
Not only was she not worried at all, but she seemed somewhat interested.
"Your Highness!"
Lü Wan was practically tearing her hair out.
"Get dressed!"
...
In Jingren Palace, the Empress Dowager rose to greet Nan Shiying warmly upon her arrival.
"Princess Consort, you are finally here. You have made this humble one wait!" She took Nan Shiying's hand and pulled her to the table. In the center of the couch was a low table made of pear wood, laden with pastries and candied fruits.
"Greetings to the Empress Dowager, may she be blessed with peace and prosperity!"
Nan Shiying bowed to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager, saying, "Princess Consort, no need for such formalities," stood to receive Nan Shiying's bow before slowly taking her seat.
Nan Shiying glanced at the teacup before her, cupping her hands around it to warm her slightly chilled hands. Her slightly upturned eyes swept past the palace maids attending her. She didn't see the former嬷嬷 (momo) or palace maid. Earlier, she had seen the old eunuch who was puffed up with arrogance outside.
"May I ask why the Empress Dowager summoned this humble concubine?" Nan Shiying, too lazy to play word games with the Empress Dowager, inquired with a hint of lazy disdain.
"It is merely because I am old and bored!" The Empress Dowager sighed, a hint of the melancholy of 'time's ruthlessness' appearing on her face.
Nan Shiying felt a surge of nausea. She didn't even bother to look at her properly. She picked up the teacup, lifted the lid, and the Empress Dowager's eyelids twitched slightly. With a half-hearted glance, she quickly returned to normal. Nan Shiying's hand paused for a moment, then she dropped the teacup lid.
The teacup lid scraped against the rim of the teacup, emitting a crisp sound. The palace maids attending them shivered. They had never seen anyone dare to be so presumptuous in front of the Empress Dowager!
Of course, compared to her previous defiance, merely dropping the teacup lid was already quite polite!
"My hand slipped!"
Nan Shiying frowned slightly with feigned annoyance. The Empress Dowager smiled without speaking. Nan Shiying continued, "I don't have a taste for this. Do you have Taiping Hou Kui?"
A sharp glint flashed in the Empress Dowager's eyes, so cold and piercing it was like a sharp sword. Nan Shiying, however, leaned back nonchalantly, lowered her eyes slightly, her long lashes casting shadows on her lower eyelids.
"Are you all deaf? Didn't you hear the Princess Consort's request? Hurry and change it!"
The voice, laced with anger, echoed through the hall. The palace maids hurried forward, took the teacup from Nan Shiying, and rushed to change the tea.
The Empress Dowager smiled at Nan Shiying, "These good-for-nothings, they have no eye for what's proper. They still can't make a good impression even in my Jingren Palace. Princess Consort, please don't take offense!"
She was implying others while criticizing them, speaking with veiled sarcasm.
Nan Shiying disliked petty arguments; they were so small-minded!
The aloof Empress Dowager was merely the flower in the imperial harem whose roots drew the most nourishment from the soil. Though she had weathered the years and her bloom grew ever more vibrant, she was, after all, just a flower.
"It's fine!"
Nan Shiying lifted her eyelids and glanced at the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager felt Nan Shiying's gaze was more like looking at an annoying child in a relative's family. It wasn't contempt, but rather a complete disregard, as if she wasn't being seen at all.
She clenched her fists, the prayer beads on her wrist creaking. Yet, she had to maintain a gentle expression. Despite her efforts to control it, a vengeful look flashed across her face, and though fleeting, it was perfectly caught by Nan Shiying's eyes.
The palace maids changed the tea and placed the Taiping Hou Kui before Nan Shiying.
Nan Shiying picked up the teacup and took a sip. The Empress Dowager pushed the pastries towards her, "I heard the Princess Consort loves sweets. These are new pastries from the Imperial Kitchen. Try them?"
Nan Shiying glanced at the Empress Dowager, chose a pastry that looked more appealing, brought it to her lips, and took a bite. Noticing a shadow slowly approaching from the corner of her eye, she set the pastry aside, stood up abruptly, and said, "Empress Dowager, this humble concubine suddenly remembers there are matters at the manor. I shall take my leave!"
Before the Empress Dowager could reply, she turned and left. As she brushed past the person who had entered, she walked out without looking back.
...
"Crash~"
The sound of porcelain shattering on the floor suddenly rang out. The Empress Dowager swept all the dishes from the table onto the ground. Fragments flew, pastries scattered across the floor, and tea pooled, wetting the ground. The unbrewed tea leaves lay curled in the puddles. The entire Jingren Palace was so quiet that a needle drop could be heard. Facing the furious Empress Dowager, everyone cowered in the corners, afraid to make a sound.
Qin Momo walked to the Empress Dowager's side, waved her hand, and dismissed all the palace servants.
...
It wasn't until she left Jingren Palace that Nan Shiying spat out the pastry from her mouth. She took out a small porcelain bottle that Du Lao had given her before she left. Du Lao's words echoed in her ears: "Take this. If there are people from Miao Jiang in Jingren Palace, the蛊 (gu) will warn you!"
The moment that Momo walked in, the蛊 in her embrace began to tremble frantically.
Did the Empress Dowager know that person was a remnant of Miao Jiang?
Nan Shiying felt a prickling sensation on her back for the first time, as if if she had been a moment later, she would never have been able to leave!
It wasn't until she was in the carriage that Nan Shiying's taut nerves finally relaxed.
She closed her eyes, replaying the scene of brushing past that Momo in her mind. Her perspective suddenly soared, and from a third-person view, she watched that Momo.
She wasn't sure if the person was wearing a human skin mask, but as they brushed past, she caught a pleasant yet very unfamiliar scent.
However, one thing she was certain of was that the Momo was definitely not the蛊师 (gu master) from the Lan family.
"Whoa~"
The coachman pulled the reins, and the horse neighed. The carriage slowly stopped.
"Your Highness, we have arrived!"
Nan Shiying opened her eyes. The moment her hand touched the carriage curtain, a sharp, chilling light flashed in her eyes. The next instant, a silver needle shot out, piercing through the curtain and into the unsuspecting coachman's body.
With a thud, a heavy object hitting the ground was heard from outside the carriage!