chapter 30

“I don’t know why Her Majesty chose you. A low-rank embroiderer actually received instant success, walking through the main door of Changchun Palace!” said Mingyu, sizing up Wei Yingluo. From her gaze it was evident she didn’t like her.

Changchun Palace had actually sent this person to escort her…

Mingyu sat on a chair. By her hand was a plate of light refreshments. Glutinous rice balls¹, mung bean cake², rose flower pastry³, sesame candy⁴. Four different types of desserts assembled together. Just from the color, it was already a feast for the eyes.

Focused, Mingyu sampled the light refreshments. It didn’t seem like she was here to fulfill the tasks of the empress. On the contrary, it seemed she was borrowing this opportunity to sneak a break.

For as long as she sat, Wei Yingluo stood. She recalled General Manager Wu’s warning from prior. And she couldn’t help but sigh in her heart. “The King of Hell is easy to pass, but his little ghosts are troublesome.”

One would fear that Changchun Palace’s steps weren’t easy to climb.

“Enough. I’ve already said what I had to say to you.” Mingyu finally grew tired of messing with her. She placed the last piece of light refreshments into her mouth, clapped her hands of crumbs. “Hurry to complete all your tasks in the embroidery workshop. You’ll be transferring to Changchun Palace at the end of the month.”

“Yes. I will send you off, Big Sis Mingyu. Wei Yingluo escorted Mingyu all the way to the gates of Changchun Palace. It took her an hour to return. It’s just that as Wei Yingluo walked Mingyu back, they would chat, and the words they had spoken then made her more tired than if she had worked ten to twelve hours at the embroidery workshop.

The most full of hardship and exhausting job in the world was serving others.

Dragging her exhausted body to the palace maid dormitory, Wei Yingluo frowned.

Something was fishy…

Before she had entered the room, it was still noisy inside. But once she had stepped through the door, it grew quiet in a flash.

The palace maids that lived together all stood. Either far away or close, they all looked at Wei Yingluo with a strange expression. Their gazes caused her much unease, seeming to mock her yet also pity her.

Why did they look at her with such a gaze?

Full of doubt, Wei Yingluo went to the side of her own bed. Two blankets sat side by side, and two pillows were flush together.

“Where’s Jixiang?” asked Wei Yingluo. “She hasn’t returned yet?”

It shouldn’t take that long to eat a bowl of noodles. If Wei Yingluo calculated the time, she should have long since finished the bowl and returned.

A palace maid that had a pretty good relationship with Jixiang answered in a soft voice, “She was arrested.”

Wei Yinguo was caught off guard. “What did you say?”

“She was arrested.” The little palace maid could only repeat her words. After a moment of hesitation, she added, “Those things were hidden on her body…”

“What things?” From her heart sprung a vague premonition.

“…A sachet.” The little palace maid sighed. “And inside was the peacock feather thread that had been lost in the past…”

“Impossible!” Wei Yingluo reached the little palace maid in a few steps, gaze burning as she stared at her. “You’re lying!”

“I’m not lying! General Manager Wu personally found it on her body!” said the little palace maid. Wei Yingluo’s gaze was truly too terrifying. The little palace maid lost her head from fear, eyes darting left and right. All of a sudden, it landed on someone. She pointed a finger at her and cried out, “Linglong was the one who reported her!”

Slowly, Wei Yingluo turned to her. “Linglong!”

Linglong lay face down on her bed. Half of her pillow was soaked in tears. She raised her head to look at Wei Yingluo, her eyes red. As if she were trying to explain to Wei Yingluo, and also as if she were trying to explain to everyone else. “I grew up with Jixiang. Her family was poor. She never had a full three meals. That’s why, it’s possible she has a tendency to steal. I never thought that after entering the palace, with food to eat and clothes to wear, she would still have that bad habit—”

Before she could even finish speaking, a hand clutched at her collar, yanking her up from the bed.

“You’re speaking nonsense!” Wei Yingluo’s furious face drew close to Linglong.

“I’m not talking nonsense! I’m also unwilling to believe she’s this type of person… I just, just mentioned this to General Manager Wu.” Lingling sniffed. Feeling wronged, she said, “Afterward, I learned that Her Majesty the empress only gave General Manager Wu two days to find the thief. I’m afraid he was impatient to find them, so he selected Jixiang for a body search. Who would have known he would actually find the peacock feather thread on her…”

“Ha!” Wei Yingluo sneered. “You thought I would believe you?”

Linglong stared at her in shock.

“The peacock feather thread disappeared a long time ago. But now, after General Manager Wu came and did a search, he would find it?” Wei Yingluo pulled Linglong even closer to her. Face to face. As if two swords were pressing against one another in a cross, sparks flying from either the other party dying or oneself dying. “Linglong, did you actually think I would believe that? Did you think General Manager Wu would believe that? General Manager Wu… He’s merely doing this in order to wrap up the case quickly.”

She shoved Linglong to the ground. Then Wei Yingluo rushed out of the palace maid dormitory without glancing back.

As she ran forward it were as if the trees ran in the opposite direction. And as if the road did.

At that moment, someone dashed out, obstructing her path, obstructing her feet that were in a mad rush.

“…Granny” Wei Yingluo recognized the person, and gasped for air as she said, “I need to find General Manager Wu. If I don’t hurry, it will be too late.”

Any more later, and Jixiang’s life could not be saved.

Even if she had to use all the sentiment and face she had accumulated prior with much difficulty, even if it would cause her to lose the large favor from General Manager Wu, she would not hesitate.

As long as she could save that child’s life…

“Don’t go,” said Granny Zhang, her hands like clamps, keeping Wei Yingluo in place.

“Granny, step aside!” Wei Yingluo used all her strength to struggle out of her grip.

All of a sudden, her body froze.

“Don’t look!” Granny Zhang covered her eyes with a hand. But in the end, Wei Yingluo pulled it down.

Before her eyes was the path to the Correction Bureau⁵.

Palace maids and eunuchs who committed crimes would definitely be thrown there for a heavy dose of punishment.

The doors to the Correction Bureau opened. Out spilled an aura that made others uncomfortable. It resembled tears that were many years old and fresh blood.

Two eunuchs stepped out carrying a stretcher with one in the front and one in the back.

A white cloth draped over the stretcher, covering a person from head to toe. There appeared to be an outline of a woman’s face at one of the ends. When the stretcher passed by Wei Yingluo, it accidentally shook, and a pale arm slid out from underneath the cloth, hanging powerlessly over the stretcher’s edge.

An embroidered handkerchief fell from its fingertips.

Wei Yingluo bent down to pick it up. In an instant, her vision blurred.

Embroidered on the handkerchief was an adorable blond dog. The one raised by Jixiang’s family. She had said that it resembled a human greatly, and even knew to hunt some sparrows and voles to feed its masters, the young Jixiang and her grandmother.

This was Jixiang’s birthday present.

“May you have a long life and peace year after year.” Wei Yingluo grasped the embroidered handkerchief, muttering, “May you have a long life and … peace year after year.”

At the end of her words, she had already broken into a sob. At that moment, Wei Yingluo turned around and dashed toward the Correction Bureau. But Granny Zhang yanked her back.

“Let go of me!” Wei Yingluo yelled, anger thick in her voice. “I want to see General Manager Wu! I want to ask him why he did this! He obviously knew there was something fishy about this, so why didn’t he handle this matter impartially like he did with me before?!”

“Foolish child, everyone has their own problems.” A sigh escaped Granny Zhang’s lips. “If Her Majesty the empress did not limit the time for the investigation, then he would have dealt with it fairly and slowly discovered the true culprit. However, Her Majesty the empress had only given him two days’ worth of time. He had no choice but to worry about himself first before worrying about other people.”

Wei Yingluo understood the reason. However, she was still not resigned to it. “But even if he couldn’t find the culprit, he would only be punished lightly. Yet Jixiang had to give up her life…”

“No one would be willing to take punishment for someone they don’t know.” As Granny Zhang spoke, tears flowed from her eyes, covering her face. She said in a hoarse voice, “No one… would cry for someone they don’t know.”

Instantly, Wei Yingluo’s tears fell.

Sigh. Poor Jixiang. Her death flag was raised last chapter…

At any rate, it was so satisfying to see Wei Yingluo grab Linglong by the collar and shove her to the ground. Believe me, she gets even more ruthless than this. I really can’t wait until we’re at that part…