Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 30: The Little Thief

   “I really don’t know what Her Ladyship sees in you. A mere little embroideress, yet somehow you’ve stepped straight through the gates of Changchun Palace!” Ming Yu looked Wei Yingluo up and down, her gaze far from friendly.

The person sent by Changchun Palace turned out to be… her.

Ming Yu sat in the chair with a plate of pastries beside her—glutinous rice balls, green bean cakes, rose pastries, sesame candies—a colorful four-kind assortment that looked delicious just from appearance.

She was savoring the sweets with great concentration, looking less like someone on official business for the Empress and more like someone taking advantage of the errand to enjoy a leisurely half-day.

She had been sitting for as long as Wei Yingluo had been standing. Remembering the earlier warning from Chief Steward Wu, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: “The King of Hell is easy to deal with; the little devils are the difficult ones.”

The steps into Changchun Palace were probably not going to be easy to climb.

“Alright, I’ve delivered the message.” Ming Yu finally seemed to have had her fill. She popped the last piece of pastry into her mouth, clapped her hands, and said, “Finish up your business in the embroidery workshop quickly. Come to Changchun Palace by the end of the month.”

“Yes, I’ll see you off, Sister Ming Yu.” Wei Yingluo accompanied Ming Yu all the way to the entrance of Changchun Palace. The round trip took nearly half an hour, yet just walking and chatting like this made her feel more exhausted than working five or six hours straight in the embroidery workshop.

The most bitter and tiring work in the world is none other than serving others.

Dragging her utterly weary body back to the palace maids’ quarters, Wei Yingluo suddenly frowned.

Something was wrong…

The noisy chatter that had filled the room stopped the instant she stepped through the door.

The palace maids who shared the same quarters—some standing, some sitting, some near, some far—all turned to look at her with the exact same strange gaze. That look made Wei Yingluo extremely uncomfortable: it carried mockery, sarcasm, pity, and sympathy all at once.

Why were they looking at her like that?

Full of confusion, Wei Yingluo walked back to her bed. Two quilts lay side by side, two pillows pressed close together.

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

Even eating a bowl of noodles shouldn’t take this long. By her calculations, Jixiang should have finished and returned ages ago.

A young palace maid who had been fairly close with Jixiang answered in a low voice: “She was taken away.”

Wei Yingluo froze. “What did you say?”

“She was taken.” The young maid had to repeat it, hesitated, then added, “…The item was hidden on her person…”

“What item was on her?” A bad premonition rose in Wei Yingluo’s heart.

“…A sachet.” The young maid sighed. “Inside it was the peacock feather threads that had gone missing earlier…”

“That’s impossible!” Wei Yingluo strode right up to her, eyes blazing. “You’re lying!”

“I’m not lying! It was Chief Steward Wu himself who searched her and found it!” The young maid was truly frightened by the terrifying look in Wei Yingluo’s eyes. Panicking, her gaze darted around the room and suddenly landed on one person. She pointed and cried out, “It’s said that it was Linglong who reported it!”

Wei Yingluo slowly turned her head. “Linglong!”

Linglong was lying face-down on her own bed, half her pillow soaked with tears. Her swollen red eyes looked back at Wei Yingluo. It was unclear whether she was explaining to her or to everyone else:

“I grew up together with Jixiang. Her family was poor; they often didn’t know where the next meal was coming from, so she sometimes had sticky fingers… I never imagined that after entering the palace—having food and clothes—she still hadn’t broken that bad habit…”

Before she could finish, a hand seized her by the collar and yanked her up from the bed.

“Nonsense!” Wei Yingluo’s furious face was inches away.

“I’m not talking nonsense! I didn’t want to believe she was that kind of person either… I just… I just mentioned it to Chief Steward Wu.” Linglong sniffled, sounding aggrieved. “Later I found out that Her Majesty the Empress had only given Steward Wu two days to solve it. He must have been anxious to catch the thief and decided to search everyone. Who could have known it would actually turn up…”

“Ha!” Wei Yingluo scoffed with icy disdain. “Do you think I’ll believe that?”

Linglong looked at her in shock.

“The peacock feather threads have been missing for so long. Now the moment Steward Wu comes and asks around, they’re suddenly found.” Wei Yingluo dragged Linglong right up to her face—eye to eye, like two crossed war blades sparking with the intensity of a fight to the death. “Linglong, do you think I would believe it? Do you think Steward Wu would believe it? Steward Wu… he just wants to close the case as quickly as possible, that’s all.”

With a violent shove, she threw Linglong to the ground. Without looking back, Wei Yingluo stormed out of the palace maids’ quarters.

Trees flashed past her on both sides. The path rushed backward beneath her feet.

Suddenly someone dashed out and blocked her path, stopping her frantic run.

“…Momo.” Wei Yingluo finally saw who it was. Panting hard, she said, “I have to find Chief Steward Wu. If I’m too late, it’ll be over…”

If she had been even a moment later, Jixiang’s life would have been beyond saving.

Even if it meant using up the hard-earned favors she had painstakingly accumulated, even if it meant owing Chief Steward Wu an enormous debt of gratitude, she was willing to pay any price.

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

“Don’t go.” Momo Zhang’s hands clamped down like iron pincers, holding Wei Yingluo firmly in place.

“Momo, let go of me!” Wei Yingluo struggled with all her strength.

Halfway through her struggle, her entire body suddenly froze.

“Don’t look!” Momo Zhang hurriedly raised one hand to cover her eyes, only for Wei Yingluo to forcefully pull it away.

Ahead lay the path leading to the Palace Discipline Office.

Palace maids and eunuchs who had committed offenses were inevitably sent there to suffer.

The great doors of the Palace Discipline Office stood wide open. A nauseating smell drifted out from within—like old tears mingled with fresh blood.

Two eunuchs emerged from the doorway, one in front and one behind, carrying a stretcher between them.

A white cloth covered the person on the stretcher from head to toe. The cloth rose and fell in the rough outline of a woman’s face. As they passed by Wei Yingluo, the stretcher jolted slightly. A pale, lifeless arm slipped from the side and dangled limply.

A embroidered handkerchief slid from the fingertips and fell to the ground.

Wei Yingluo bent down and picked it up. Her eyes immediately blurred with tears.

On the handkerchief was an adorably chubby yellow dog—the very one Jixiang had raised back in her hometown. People said it was unusually intelligent; it would go out and catch sparrows and field mice, then bring them home to feed the old and the young.

This was the birthday gift she had given Jixiang.

“May you live a hundred years, safe and sound year after year.” Wei Yingluo cradled the handkerchief and murmured, “May you live a hundred years, safe and… sound year after year.”

   By the end her voice had broken into sobs. Suddenly she turned and rushed toward the Palace Discipline Office, only to be dragged back hard by Momo Zhang.

“Let me go!” Wei Yingluo cried in fury. “I’m going to find Chief Steward Wu! I want to ask him why he did this! He knew perfectly well there was something suspicious about the whole affair—why couldn’t he handle it impartially the way he did with my case before?”

“Silly child, everyone has their own difficulties,” Momo Zhang sighed. “If the Empress hadn’t set a strict deadline, of course he would have handled it fairly and taken his time to find the real culprit. But the Empress only gave him two days. He had no choice but to protect himself first, and then protect others.”

Wei Yingluo understood the logic perfectly; it was just that her heart refused to accept it. “But even if he couldn’t find the thief, at worst he’d receive some punishment. Yet Jixiang… she had to lose her life…”

“No one will take a punishment for someone who means nothing to them,” Momo Zhang said. As she spoke, tears began to roll from the corners of her eyes, crisscrossing through the deep fish-tail wrinkles on her face. Her voice grew hoarse and broken. “No one… will shed tears for someone who means nothing to them.”

In that instant, Wei Yingluo’s tears came pouring down.

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 29: Good Sisters

   “Have you heard?” A palace maid quietly leaned close to Linglong’s ear. “Her Majesty the Empress took a real liking to Yingluo. That day Chief Steward Wu specially instructed Momo Zhang to transfer Yingluo to Changchun Palace!”

Her finger trembled; the needle pricked out a tiny bead of blood. Linglong unobtrusively wiped it away.

“To be able to serve Her Majesty the Empress—she really is blessed.” The palace maid sighed. “Linglong, it’s truly a pity for you.”

Linglong smiled lightly, as calm as a breeze. “What is there to pity about me?”

“In terms of looks, in terms of embroidery skill—you’re no worse than her at all. Yet Momo Zhang is so blatantly partial! If you had been the one to present the tribute that day, the person heading to Changchun Palace now wouldn’t be Wei Yingluo!” Seeing Linglong’s expression growing darker and darker, the maid hurriedly changed her tone to comfort her. “But it’s good that she’s leaving. Once she’s gone, it’ll finally be your turn to shine!”

Who cares about shining in this rundown embroidery workshop!

On the surface Linglong could still maintain her composure, but the needle in her hand grew increasingly erratic. The scene she had accidentally glimpsed that day kept replaying before her eyes.

“Momo, you’ve been far too kind to me.”

“That foolish senior sister of yours is my most accomplished disciple. For her sake alone, I’ll give you two extra points of care.”

Two points? That was far more than just two!

The best resources, the best opportunities—all of them were tightly reserved for Wei Yingluo alone! Everyone else didn’t even have the slightest chance to stand out!

“If only Momo Zhang would take care of me like that, then I too could win the Empress’s favor. Those two bolts of silk and that hairpin would have my name on them too! Aiya!”

Linglong sucked her freshly pricked finger into her mouth again. She stared at the embroidery frame in front of her, at the messy, chaotic pattern on it, and a surge of anger rose in her heart. She grabbed the scissors beside her—snip!

“Linglong!”

Her hand jerked. The scissors tore a long gash across the embroidery frame. It had been her best skill—the brocade cat design. The tear ran straight from left to right, slicing right across the cat’s neck, neatly severing its head. The whole picture instantly turned bloody and ominous. The cat’s two eyes now seemed to glare at her accusingly.

Linglong hurriedly flipped the frame face-down on the table and stood up to greet the newcomer. “Yes, Momo? I’m here. What do you need me for?”

“It’s not me who’s looking for you,” Momo Zhang said. “It’s Chief Steward Wu.”

Two beams of light flashed in Linglong’s eyes. Her heart leaped—could her luck finally be turning? Was it finally her turn to be noticed by a Noble Lady?

“…The Empress has issued an order. She has instructed Chief Steward Wu to find the thief who stole the peacock feather threads.” But Momo Zhang’s next words shattered her hopes. “Starting with you. One by one, you will all go and answer his questions. Whatever Chief Steward Wu asks, you answer truthfully. Understood?”

With every additional word Momo Zhang spoke, Linglong’s face grew one shade paler.

Even her legs felt weak and soft.

It was as though a headless cat had wrapped itself around her leg, staring up at her with those ill-omened feline eyes.

Not everyone was summoned for questioning—at least Wei Yingluo was spared.

In fact, when Chief Steward Wu arrived, the very first person he met with was her.

“With these eyes of mine, I have never misjudged a person,” he said kindly. “From the very first time I saw you, I knew you were no ordinary carp in the pond. Sooner or later, you were destined to leap out of this little embroidery workshop.”

“All thanks to your grace, sir,” Wei Yingluo replied, still maintaining the same respectful demeanor she had shown him from the beginning. She bowed and lowered her head. “If it hadn’t been for you upholding justice that day, where would I be now? I would likely have been expelled long ago by Aunt Fang and Zhu Chugong over those baseless accusations. This kindness I will never forget. In the future, if there is any place where I can be of use to you, Chief Steward Wu, please feel free to command me.”

“Haha, no need to be so polite! We help each other, that’s all!” Chief Steward Wu laughed heartily.

In the palace, no one offered kindness without reason. Favors given today were investments expecting repayment tomorrow.

Chief Steward Wu had very high hopes for Wei Yingluo and had no intention of cashing in that valuable favor just yet. He spoke to her gently for a while, even obliquely hinting at some of the Empress’s preferences. Finally, he patted her shoulder and said:

“When you reach the Empress’s side, you must serve her well. Don’t think that because she appears gentle and kind-hearted, you can slack off. The Empress may be merciful, but the people around her are not necessarily so.”

Wei Yingluo’s heart stirred. She nodded and said, “Yingluo understands. Thank you for the reminder, Chief Steward Wu.”

The higher a person’s position and power, the more cautious their words become. Every sentence they utter has passed through nine twists and turns in their mind, been weighed and measured countless times before finally being spoken.

Every single word carries deep meaning.

“Never mind. I’ll think about it later.” Wei Yingluo glanced at the sky and smiled. “There are more important things to do today.”

In the palace maids’ dining hall, a bowl of long-life noodles was gently placed in front of Jixiang.

Snow-white noodles curled in the broth, topped with rich, savory red minced meat and bright green vegetables.

“Know that on ordinary days it stirs the gods’ greed; this dish surpasses even fresh flat peaches. Thread after thread of fate can be tied, year after year our thoughts remain entwined. Dragon whiskers softly sway three thousand feet, crane lifespan eternally prosperous for eight hundred years. On this auspicious birthday, long-life noodles are worthy of celebration; family harmony and the moon share perfect reunion. One bowl of longevity noodles—please accept it with my humble regards.”

Wei Yingluo winked at Jixiang across the table.

“Wishing you a hundred years of life, and peace every single year.”

“Yingluo-jie…” This was a huge surprise. It took Jixiang quite a while to come back to her senses; she was so moved that her speech even stuttered a little.

“You—you—how did you know that t-today is my birthday?”

“When we first entered the palace, didn’t the managing eunuch specially read out everyone’s names and details while checking the roster?” Wei Yingluo smiled.

“He only said it once and you remembered?” Jixiang looked at her with admiration. “Your memory is really good.”

“Yes, I have a very good memory.” Wei Yingluo laughed.

How could her memory be that good? In truth, she had noticed Jixiang looking depressed lately, so she deliberately went to ask the managing eunuch about it.

Even this small bowl of noodles had not come easily.

The masters could eat whatever they wanted whenever they wanted, but if palace maids wanted something extra, they had to slip silver to the imperial kitchen cooks. Wei Yingluo had entered the palace practically empty-handed—where would she get any money? So she had traded her labor: several sleepless nights spent embroidering a few pieces for the cooks in exchange for this one bowl of noodles.

“Eat quickly, it’ll get cold if you wait any longer.” Wei Yingluo handed the chopsticks to her. “You have to eat the whole strand in one go, okay? That way you’ll live a hundred years.”

“Mm!” Jixiang took the chopsticks, picked up the noodles, put them in her mouth and slurped. Suddenly tears began to fall.

“What’s wrong?” Wei Yingluo was startled. “Does it not taste good?”

She dipped another chopstick into the broth, tasted it… the flavor was actually very nice, well worth the embroidery she had given up. So why was the other girl crying over it?

“Yingluo-jie, you’re really so good to me.” Jixiang choked out through sobs. “In the whole palace, only you truly care about me. Wuwu… once you go to Changchun Palace, no one will care about me anymore.”

“I’m not leaving forever.” Wei Yingluo’s heart softened. She hugged her and said, “Even if I don’t come back, can’t you just come visit me?”

“I… can I really come see you?” Jixiang looked at her with both hope and worry. “Wouldn’t that make things difficult for you? I may be slow, but even I know that not just anyone can enter Changchun Palace…”

“What difficulty could there be?” Wei Yingluo pressed a handkerchief she had already prepared into the other girl’s hand. “Take this. It’s your birthday present. In the future, if you miss me, come to Changchun Palace. If you can’t get in, just ask someone to pass this handkerchief inside. The moment I see it, I’ll know you’re thinking of me and I’ll immediately ask for leave to come see you. All right?”

Jixiang felt her chest grow warm; fresh tears fell again. The slightly salty drops landed in the soup, yet when she tasted them in her mouth, all she could taste was sweetness like honey.

“Wei Yingluo! Wei Yingluo!” A palace maid’s voice called from outside the door. “Are you there?”

“Yes, what is it?” Wei Yingluo turned and answered.

“Someone from Changchun Palace is here. Come with me quickly.”

“Yingluo-jie, go quickly.” As soon as Jixiang heard, she became even more anxious than Wei Yingluo. She pushed her arm gently. “I’ll stay here and finish the noodles. There’s plenty in this bowl—it’ll last me a long time.”

“Mm, I’ll be right back.” Wei Yingluo gave her an apologetic glance, then followed the maid out.

After she left, Jixiang didn’t rush to eat the noodles. Instead she gazed fondly at the handkerchief in her hand.

Embroidered on it was a yellow dog—the very one she had raised back in her hometown. Life had been hard for her in the palace, but it had also been hard back home. Her parents favored her younger brother; he ate the rice while she could only drink the soup—and sometimes there wasn’t even soup left. She would cry from hunger until her grandmother, unable to bear it, took her under her wing and squeezed out whatever little food she could from between her teeth to feed her.

It wasn’t her parents who supported her grandmother in her old age—it was the old yellow dog at home. Though plain-looking, he was an excellent hunter and often brought back sparrows and field mice from outside. Otherwise she and her grandmother would have starved to death long ago.

She rarely told anyone these rambling, trivial memories—because no one liked to listen.

Only Wei Yingluo not only listened, but kept them in her heart.

“Thank you.” Jixiang pressed the handkerchief to her burning heart, silently repeating over and over, “Thank you, Sister Yingluo. To be able to enter the palace, to be able to meet you… it’s truly wonderful… Jixiang only needs to live to fifty. All the remaining years of my life, I give them to you. I wish you a long life of a hundred years, safe and peaceful year after year.”

“Sigh.”

A soft sigh interrupted Jixiang’s thoughts. She turned her head and immediately pulled a long face.

At some point, Linglong had sat down beside her. No one knew what she had just been through, but her face was pale as paper, and a trace of panic and unease lingered between her brows.

Jixiang picked up her bowl of longevity noodles and was about to leave when Linglong reached out and pulled her back.

“Jixiang, how did you become this kind of person?” Linglong said with quiet sorrow. “You weren’t like this when we were little.”

The two were from the same hometown and had even been neighbors. However, Linglong’s family was much better off than Jixiang’s. Sometimes she would toss the sweets she couldn’t finish to her. Because she craved those little treats, little Jixiang would obey anything she said—climb a tree when told to climb, bark like a dog when told to bark.

“We used to be so close, but ever since we entered the palace, you’ve kept your distance from me.” Linglong sighed again. “Is it because of Wei Yingluo?”

“Hmph, so you do know!” Jixiang replied bluntly and quickly. “She never did anything to you, yet you’re always gossiping about her behind her back!”

Linglong’s expression turned cold. To hide the chill on her face, she lifted a sleeve as if wiping away tears. “You blame me for targeting her, but have you ever thought about how hard I’ve tried? My embroidery isn’t that much worse than hers, yet the mama always favors her. How could I not feel resentful?”

“It’s actually a big difference. You’re only really good at embroidering cats—everything else is just average. But Sister Yingluo can embroider any pattern and knows every stitch.” Jixiang looked at her strangely, speaking as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “If you want the mama to value you, just work harder. Stop focusing only on cats and try more varieties… Wait, don’t tell me the reason you keep embroidering cats is because you can’t compare to Sister Yingluo in anything else?”

Linglong’s tear-wiping motion froze. A cold, sinister chill seemed to radiate from her body.

“…Fine.” After a long silence, she slowly lowered her sleeve and said in a pitiful, fragile voice, “I’ll embroider more varieties from now on.”

Jixiang wasn’t one to hold grudges. Seeing her childhood friend looking so pathetic, her heart softened and her tongue loosened as well. “Forget it, forget it. As long as you stop targeting Sister Yingluo in the future, we can still be good sisters.”

“Good. Then I swear to heaven right here.” Linglong pressed three fingers together and pointed to the sky. “If I ever harbor the slightest ill intent toward you or toward Wei Yingluo, may heaven punish me by making me smash into a wall and die a horrible death!”

Jixiang hurriedly pressed her pointing hand down and whispered reproachfully, “Don’t say that—it’s taboo!”

“So… we’re friends again?” Linglong looked at her expectantly.

Having already gone this far, what else could Jixiang do? After grumbling for a long while, she finally nodded reluctantly.

“Good Jixiang!” Linglong reached out and hugged her, resting her chin on her shoulder. Her eyes glinted with ferocity, yet her voice was sweetly soft as she smiled and said, “By the way, today is your birthday. I prepared a gift for you…”

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 28: Apology

The night had already grown deep.

In the embroidery workshop, lamp after lamp had been lit.

The lamplight dyed the window paper a warm orange hue. Peering in through the sheets of paper, one could see that though it was clearly time for dinner, every single palace maid was gathered here. Even though their stomachs rumbled with hunger, not one of them had left.

Once again pricking her finger with the needle, Jixiang let out an “Ouch!” and quickly popped the bleeding fingertip into her mouth. She glanced back toward the door and asked indistinctly through her mouthful: “Has Sister Yingluo still not come back?”

Linglong, working on her embroidery without lifting her head, replied: “She probably won’t be coming back at all…”

“What are you saying!” Jixiang snapped angrily. “Pah pah pah—hurry up and spit three times!”

Linglong pursed her lips, too lazy to perform such a crude gesture. Seeing this, Jixiang grew even angrier and was about to give her a proper scolding when the palace maid nearest the door suddenly shouted: “She’s here, she’s here! Someone’s coming from outside!”

Jixiang froze for a moment, then immediately abandoned Linglong and ran toward the door.

A gust of wind rushed past her—someone had dashed out even faster.

“Zhang… Momo Zhang?” Jixiang stared dumbfounded at the figure’s back.

Like an elderly parent whose only son had gone off to take the imperial examinations, Momo Zhang practically stumbled and scrambled out the door, then stood there gazing eagerly at the eunuch outside, hoping to hear some good news from his lips—at the very least, not bad news!

“Congratulations, Momo Zhang.” The newcomer was three palace maids, led by one whose rank was slightly higher than Momo Zhang’s. Yet she now spoke to her with utmost courtesy and a smile on her face. “Wei Yingluo from your embroidery workshop made a great impression at the longevity banquet. These are the items bestowed upon her by Her Majesty the Empress.”

With a wave of her hand, the two maids behind her stepped forward carrying trays.

One tray held two bolts of silk, the other a pair of hairpins.

Items made in the palace workshops were naturally of the finest quality in the world—and these, being bestowed by the Empress herself, were of the absolute highest grade in both craftsmanship and materials.

As for the two jade hairpins, no one could fully judge their quality, but everyone could see that the color was exceptionally pure and even. A faint, hazy aura of mist-like clouds seemed to linger around them—now visible, now not, like fog yet not quite fog. Perhaps they were made from the legendary Lantian jade, the kind described in the saying: “On a warm day in Lantian, the jade gives birth to mist.”

The two bolts of silk, however, were immediately recognizable. Having worked in the embroidery workshop for over half a year, everyone knew good fabric when they saw it. One maid exclaimed in admiration: “This material is truly excellent. When worn on the body, it’s like wearing a garment made of spring water—wearing it regularly not only nourishes the skin, but nourishes the person as well.”

“You don’t understand—this is tribute sent from the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau,” another more knowledgeable palace maid said enviously. “All of it is meant for making clothes for the mistresses. Yingluo really has good fortune…”

Momo Zhang pulled the leading palace maid aside and spoke with her for a while. Then she took some silver from her sleeve and insistently pressed it into the other woman’s hand. The maid refused at first, but after much back-and-forth, she reluctantly accepted it. Only after personally seeing the visitor off did Momo Zhang return, her face beaming with delight. To the group of palace maids who were staring at her eagerly, she announced:

“It’s all right now. You can go back and eat.”

At a time like this, who could possibly have any appetite?

Jixiang was the first to rush over. “Momo, good Momo, please tell us quickly—what did Sister Yingluo do at the birthday banquet?”

“Yes, Momo, please tell us,” Linglong also came closer, speaking calmly. “What exactly did Yingluo do that not only did Her Majesty the Empress not punish her, but even bestowed a reward?”

Momo Zhang was in an excellent mood. Smiling at the two of them, she said, “I’m not entirely clear on the details myself. Why don’t you wait until she comes back—she can tell you everything in her own words.”

Linglong was silent for a moment before asking, “Where is she now?”

“Receiving her reward,” Momo Zhang replied. “Of course she has to go kowtow and express gratitude to Her Majesty the Empress!”

Outside Changchun Palace.

   Ming Yu held a hexagonal palace lantern in her hand. Its warm orange light illuminated the slender figure kneeling on the ground before her, stretching the shadow behind her long and thin under the moonlight.

“Your Highness,” Wei Yingluo pressed her forehead to the back of her hands. “This servant has come to plead guilty.”

“Oh?” Empress Fucha had already removed her heavy ceremonial robes and changed into the simple white clothing she usually wore. She approached gracefully under the moon, like Chang’e returning from the lunar palace—immortal in bearing, her smile gentle and charming. “Not to express gratitude, but to plead guilty?”

“Yes.” Wei Yingluo made no attempt to hide anything and confessed everything openly. “A few days ago, thieves broke into the embroidery workshop and stole the peacock feather threads. With no other choice, this servant used deer-tail velvet threads as a substitute. To get away with it in the main hall, I fabricated an entire explanation.”

“Since you already got away with it, why come and confess to me now?” Empress Fucha asked with a smile.

Wei Yingluo thought to herself: Because I don’t believe it.

Everything had gone too smoothly—almost as if Empress Fucha had deliberately cooperated with her.

Once she realized this, a cold sweat broke out on Wei Yingluo’s back. She no longer dared to harbor any illusions of luck. Without another word, she came straight to Empress Fucha to plead guilty.

“Your Majesty is merciful and compassionate toward your servants. Not only did you refrain from exposing me in public, you even bestowed a gift upon me. My heart is filled with fear and unease. How could someone who committed such a grave mistake as I have the face to accept your reward?” Wei Yingluo kowtowed. “I beg Your Majesty to take back the gift and punish me instead.”

“What has been bestowed cannot be taken back. Do you take me for what kind of person?” Empress Fucha gave a light laugh. “Besides, what’s done is done. Today is my birthday—I do not wish for any unpleasantness to occur. Do you understand?”

Wei Yingluo kowtowed again. “Your Majesty’s benevolence—this servant will remember it in her heart forever.”

“However…” Empress Fucha drew out her tone slightly. “There is one thing that this palace finds extremely strange…”

“Please speak, Your Highness,” Wei Yingluo said quickly. “This servant will tell you everything without reservation.”

“Ming Yu said that while you were waiting outside the hall earlier, you deliberately delayed your entry until the very last moment.” Empress Fucha asked, “What exactly were you waiting for at that time?”

Wei Yingluo’s eyes darted around as she tried to think of an answer, but before she could speak, Empress Fucha had already provided one herself.

“You were waiting for the Emperor,” Empress Fucha said. “Weren’t you?”

Wei Yingluo was greatly startled. Reflexively, she raised her head and met a pair of wise, penetrating eyes.

Anyone who possessed eyes like these could not possibly be an easy mark—how could she ever be deceived so simply!

In the flash of lightning and spark of fire, Wei Yingluo made her decision.

“Yes!” Gritting her teeth, Wei Yingluo laid the entire matter bare. “Your Majesty enjoys profound imperial favor. This servant wished to borrow the Emperor’s momentum at that moment to make Your Majesty happy. That way, when this servant entered the hall to make her report, Your Majesty would not fly into a rage.”

Empress Fucha’s expression suddenly darkened. “What audacity! You even dared to make use of the Emperor himself!”

“Please forgive this servant, Your Majesty!” Wei Yingluo kowtowed repeatedly, assuming the complete look of someone who had resigned herself to placing her life entirely in the other’s hands. “If punishment must be given, please let it fall on this lowly servant alone—do not implicate the innocent people in the embroidery workshop!”

“Of course there must be punishment. Let me think…” Empress Fucha fell silent.

Only when Wei Yingluo’s breathing had grown noticeably heavier did the Empress suddenly let out a soft chuckle. “Then I shall punish you to remake all of my everyday robes—using only deer-tail short velvet this time. Do you remember?”

Wei Yingluo jerked her head up like a condemned prisoner who had just been granted a pardon. She stared blankly for a long moment before wild joy flooded her face. With a resounding thud, she smashed her forehead against the floor. “Yes! This servant thanks Your Majesty!”

“Very well. It’s getting late—go back now.” Empress Fucha looked at her gently. “From now on, once you finish embroidering my everyday robes, deliver them to Changchun Palace in person. And also…”

She turned to Ming Yu beside her. “Theft has appeared in the palace for no apparent reason. Chief Steward Wu bears unavoidable responsibility—tell him to investigate this matter thoroughly!”

Ming Yu quickly assented.

“That’s enough. I am tired now.” Empress Fucha nodded. “See her out.”

A six-sided palace lantern led the way ahead, illuminating the path out of Changchun Palace.

“Sister Ming Yu, this is far enough.” Wei Yingluo did not dare truly let Ming Yu accompany her the whole way. From Changchun Palace to the embroidery workshop and back—even walking quickly—would take nearly half an hour. “I can manage the rest of the road myself.”

Ming Yu had no desire to waste time on a mere little palace maid either. “Fine then. I’ll head back.”

With that, she immediately turned and walked back toward Changchun Palace.

Wei Yingluo watched her go from behind. More accurately, she was not so much watching Ming Yu as she was gazing fixedly at Changchun Palace in the distance.

The night was already deep, yet Changchun Palace blazed as bright as day. What illuminated it—the palace maids hanging lantern after lantern along the walls, the legendary night-shining pearls offered as tribute, or perhaps that human-height coral tree from today’s birthday banquet?

That was Empress Fucha’s residence—the dwelling place of the most honored woman in the rear palace.

In the past, she could only look at it from afar. But starting today, it no longer felt quite so unreachable.

“Lord Fucha Fuheng…” Wei Yingluo murmured in a voice only she could hear. “Wait for me. I’m coming to find you…”

Far away, Changchun Palace shone brilliantly. Around Wei Yingluo, however, everything was pitch black.

The darkness swallowed her figure, swallowed her expression, turning her into a mere black silhouette—so utterly out of place against the distant, blazing splendor of Changchun Palace.

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 27: The Tribute

   The chief eunuch Li Yu entered briskly, a snow-white whisk tucked under his arm, followed by a line of eunuchs carrying red sandalwood boxes.

“Long live Her Majesty the Empress!” Li Yu smiled like a Maitreya Buddha. “By His Majesty’s command, this servant has come to deliver this year’s birthday tribute.”

The Empress rose to greet him: “His Majesty is too kind. This concubine expresses her gratitude.”

“Your Majesty, please do not be hasty. In addition to the usual gold, silver, and silks, His Majesty has specially prepared a gift just for you.” With that, Li Yu clapped his hands, and two handsome young eunuchs carried in an exquisitely crafted dressing case.

The timing was perfect: the hour of zi (midnight), the very moment Empress Fucha had been born.

At the top of the dressing case, a small black compartment suddenly sprang open, and out popped a vivid emerald-green cuckoo bird. At first glance it looked utterly lifelike; only upon closer inspection did one realize it was carved from a single piece of imperial jadeite, with two black agate stones set as eyes that sparkled with spirit—exquisite and adorable. The moment it “saw” Empress Fucha, it spread its green feathers and let out a clear “cuckoo, cuckoo” call.

The Empress immediately showed delight: “Is this a clock?”

“To give Your Majesty a surprise, His Majesty instructed the Clock Workshop long ago to create it. They labored over it for a very long time and produced a birthday clock. But His Majesty said that we Chinese do not customarily give clocks as birthday gifts, so he specially ordered them to modify it. Look—” Li Yu opened the dressing case. Inside lay an array of various jewels, most of them emerald and agate pieces that perfectly complemented the cuckoo bird’s calls. Smiling, he continued, “This is a dressing case, but the little compartment on top can tell time accurately!”

Its value was secondary; what was truly precious was the thought and care the Emperor had poured into it.

Every consort present was filled with envy. Noble Consort Hui in particular dug her long artificial nails so deeply into the flesh of the maid beside her that, though it hurt, the other girl clenched her teeth and dared not make a sound.

“How thoughtful of the Emperor to go to such lengths for this palace,” the Empress finally said, displaying the first smile she had worn at the birthday banquet.

Those around her immediately crowded forward with flattering words. The Empress raised a hand, and the voices instantly fell silent. Turning to Li Yu, she said, “Eunuch Li, kindly inform His Majesty that this palace will come in person shortly to express gratitude.”

“Yes, Your Ladyship.” Li Yu replied respectfully. As he turned to leave, his footsteps paused for a moment.

Wei Yingluo stood off to one side of the path, calmly holding her tray high as if nothing were amiss. By chance—or perhaps design—the tray perfectly concealed her face.

Though he found the woman vaguely familiar, this was, after all, the Empress’s birthday banquet. Li Yu could hardly order her to raise her head at such a moment; it would only invite needless speculation from others. With the Empress’s instruction weighing on him, he withdrew his gaze and continued on his way.

After he left, everyone’s attention and discussion remained fixed on the cuckoo bird. It was only after a long while that Empress Fucha remembered there was still a palace maid who had come to present a gift. She turned, her expression gentle and kind, and asked, “What has the embroidery workshop sent?”

Wei Yingluo slowly unfolded the yellow silk cloth draped over the tray, revealing the neatly folded phoenix robe beneath.

A wave of gasps rose from all sides—not in admiration of the phoenix robe’s beauty, but…

…in astonishment at its crudeness.

“How dare you!!” Before Empress Fucha could even speak, her senior palace maid, Ming Yu, was already shouting furiously. “You actually dare present such a thing to the Empress!!”

The embroidery on the phoenix robe was extraordinary: the phoenix spread its wings as if about to take flight. In terms of craftsmanship, it was hardly inferior to the earlier ingeniously carved cuckoo bird.

The difference lay in this: the cuckoo had been carved from precious emerald, whereas the phoenix robe on the tray was woven from the fur of some unknown animal.

“I distinctly remember sending peacock threads to the embroidery workshop. What exactly is this?” Ming Yu strode forward, snatched up the phoenix robe, and examined it. Her face grimed further with anger. “This isn’t gold thread, nor even silver thread. Very well—the embroidery workshop has openly embezzled the peacock threads and then dared to palm off this shoddy, slipshod substitute?”

Wei Yingluo swiftly knelt. “This servant does not dare.”

“You don’t dare? You’ve already done it—what is there left that you don’t dare?” Ming Yu was about to hurl the phoenix robe into the girl’s face when a calm voice came from behind: “Wait.”

Empress Fucha beckoned. Ming Yu handed the garment over. The Empress lowered her head to examine it closely for a moment; even she could not help but frown. Raising her eyes to Wei Yingluo, she asked, “If not mistaken, this is thread twisted from deer-tail down.”

“Your Ladyship is truly wise.” Wei Yingluo made no attempt to conceal it; she openly admitted the fact with composure.

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

It really was the lowest-grade embroidery thread—deer-tail fur. Even slightly higher-ranking palace maids would never use such material for clothing. Had the people in the embroidery workshop eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard to be this daring? Or had someone instructed them to use this to humiliate the Empress?

In an instant, numerous gazes—some overt, some surreptitious—flicked toward Noble Consort Hui.

Even Empress Fucha harbored similar suspicions. Her expression gradually cooled as she asked, “Why did the embroidery workshop choose to use such thread?”

Was the Empress only fit for such thread? Or had there been an error with the materials sent from above? In the eyes of those present, either answer constituted a humiliation for the Empress. The former needed no explanation; the latter would mean that the Empress was utterly unable to control the rear palace—anyone could swap out materials at will and, on such an important occasion as a birthday banquet, deliberately humiliate her with a deer-tail phoenix robe.

Whatever happened after the banquet, however the Empress chose to handle the matter, one thing was certain: this little palace maid… was as good as dead!

Under the crowd’s deathly stares, Wei Yingluo took a deep breath. Still maintaining the posture of holding the tray aloft, she spoke clearly and distinctly:

“This servant has heard that Her Ladyship the Empress has always practiced frugality, and has remarked that gold and silver threads are extravagant and wasteful. Moreover, before our Great Qing ancestors entered the Pass, all clothing and adornments were made exclusively with deer-tail down thread. On this occasion, this servant has presumed to abandon gold and silver threads and return to the old ways. In doing so, we both obey Her Ladyship’s principle of strict economy and serve as a reminder to all present to remember the hardships our ancestors endured in founding the imperial enterprise.”

“This…” Ming Yu had already prepared to call for someone to deal with Wei Yingluo, but upon hearing this unexpected speech from her, she was suddenly rendered speechless. She tried for a long time to find fault in the girl’s words but couldn’t pick out a single flaw, so she could only cast a pleading glance toward Empress Fucha.

How would Empress Fucha deal with Wei Yingluo?

Wei Yingluo had already guessed it with near certainty.

Earlier, she had refused to come in and present the gift because the Empress had been in a foul mood at the time due to the fertility-Guanyin statue sent by Noble Consort Hui.

Even a kind person who fasts year-round might, when in a bad temper, stretch out a foot to kick the household dog at their side.

So she had waited and delayed, dragging things out left and right, until finally the Emperor’s gift arrived.

That little emerald-green cuckoo bird sang brightly enough to dispel the gloom in the Empress’s heart.

Even a person with a fiery temper will speak more gently when in a good mood—and might even kindly toss a bun or two to a beggar by the roadside.

“Man proposes, Heaven disposes,” Wei Yingluo thought to herself. “Heaven above… please do not disappoint those with sincere hearts.”

Heaven, naturally, would not disappoint someone with a sincere heart.

“…You little girl, your mind is quite ingenious.” Kneeling on the ground, she could only hear Empress Fucha’s voice drifting down from above her head, carrying a tone of relaxation and delight. “Nowadays, extravagance and waste are on the rise in the palace. If everyone could remember the hardships our ancestors endured to build this dynasty, we ought to abandon luxury and live simply and plainly. Someone, come—bestow upon her the twenty-eighth chapter: offering an apology.”

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 26: Substitute

   The embroidery workshop quickly filled with people.

“Oh my God, the peacock feather thread is missing! Serves her right—all the good luck always lands on her, and now she’s finally in deep trouble!”

“Exactly! Let’s see how she explains this! If Mama had given the work to me, I wouldn’t have messed it up like her!”

“Hehe, this time she’s definitely getting kicked out of the palace, right?”

“More than that—she’s going to lose her head!”

Yingluo suddenly spun around and coldly swept her gaze over the crowd: “On the road to Hell, I’ll have all of you accompanying me—I won’t feel lonely at all!”

The others had been gleefully kicking her while she was down, but this sudden remark instantly soured their mood. Linglong stepped forward from the group and spoke the thought on everyone’s mind: “What nonsense are you spouting! You lost the item yourself—why should we be buried with you?!”

“She’s not wrong.” A cold, sharp voice suddenly rang out behind her. Linglong turned her head and, to her horror, saw Momo Zhang standing right there, staring at her with eyes like knives. “The phoenix robe is the embroidery workshop’s offering gift. We are all in this together—upper and lower as one. If the Empress asks about it, do you think she’ll only punish her alone? Instead of gloating over someone else’s misfortune, you’d better touch your own neck and see if it’s sturdy enough to withstand a single stroke!”

If those words had come from Wei Yingluo’s mouth, most people would have dismissed them.

But coming from Momo Zhang—and said a second time—no one could afford not to believe them.

This matter was truly one of shared glory and shared ruin. If anything went wrong, the entire embroidery workshop could be doomed.

One palace maid, terrified, began to cry: “What are we going to do? I don’t want to die!”

The maid beside her hurriedly covered her mouth: “Pah! You’re not allowed to say that word in the palace!”

Another maid gritted her teeth: “Which damned, knife-worthy thief stole it? Hurry up and return it—unless you want to keep it as a burial offering?”

At those words, everyone began looking around suspiciously, eyeing one another with distrust, each wishing they could immediately drag out the little thief who had ruined them all.

“Momo, it’s my fault!” Jixiang suddenly dropped to her knees with a thud at Momo Zhang’s feet. Unlike the others, she had always thought of Wei Yingluo first. To spare her sister some suffering, she was willing to take the blame herself. “It was me who insisted on dragging Sister Yingluo away, which gave the thief the chance. If you’re going to punish someone, punish me!”

Wei Yingluo glanced at her, then knelt down beside her and addressed Momo Zhang: “Momo, one person should bear the consequences of their own actions. The peacock feather thread was lost while in my hands. I am willing to take full responsibility.”

Momo Zhang sighed. “And how do you plan to handle it?”

“The urgent priority is to rally the entire workshop and finish the phoenix robe first.” Wei Yingluo thought for a moment, then gritted her teeth. “As for the peacock feather thread… I hope Mama will grant me one request.”

“What is it?” Momo Zhang asked.

“Please open the doors to the storeroom!”

The last time Wei Yingluo had entered the storeroom was when she had overeaten kaolin clay and her belly had swollen, making her clothes no longer fit. Momo Zhang had specially allowed her to go to the storeroom to fetch an old but properly sized garment.

There, she had not only seen many old and new clothes, but also countless old and new threads. Almost every embroidery thread that had ever been fashionable in the world—or was currently in vogue—was gathered in that place. Among them, there was always something that could serve as a substitute.

The storeroom doors were opened. Wei Yingluo walked slowly past the shelves, carefully inspecting box after box of embroidery threads.

Gold thread—no, not suitable. Peacock feather thread shimmered with seven colors under sunlight; gold thread had only one hue. The moment sunlight hit it, the difference would be glaringly obvious.

The same applied to silver thread, red thread, and threads of any other color.

Although multicolored threads could somewhat approximate the hue, they lacked that innate, heaven-bestowed aura of nobility and luxury—indeed, they fell short even of gold and silver threads.

Jixiang held a lamp for her, her voice trembling with tears: “This won’t do, that won’t do either… Why don’t you just blame it on me? I’m thick-skinned and tough—I can take a beating…”

“I won’t let you get beaten.” Wei Yingluo continued sorting through the embroidery threads, her gaze resolute and unwavering. “And I won’t let Momo Zhang get beaten either.”

She knew full well that if she ultimately failed to produce the phoenix robe, two people would surely try to shoulder all the blame themselves.

One was Jixiang, and the other was Momo Zhang.

“Hey! Why are you so stubborn!” Jixiang was so anxious she spun in circles. In her distraction, she bumped into a wooden rack beside her. A bag that had been loosely tied slipped off, and the cord came undone at once, spilling its contents onto the floor.

Wei Yingluo paused. “This is…”

Amid the gold and silver threads scattered around, the items on the ground looked unusually plain.

“Oh, these are furs for making winter capes—low-grade stuff, completely useless!” Jixiang bent down to gather the white pelts. “Everything else at least gets a proper box, but these don’t even rate that. They just get tossed into any old bag.”

After picking them up, she casually tied the bag shut again with the cord. She stood on tiptoe to put it back on the rack when a hand suddenly reached out from the side and stopped her.

Jixiang blinked in surprise and turned. “Sister Yingluo?”

Wei Yingluo took the bag from her hands, loosened the cord once more, pulled out a piece of fur, and held it up for closer inspection.

It really was inferior quality—still carrying a faint animal odor. Without proper treatment, even a palace maid would probably turn her nose up at wearing it.

Seeing the thoughtful look on her face, Jixiang asked in disbelief, “Sister Yingluo, you… you’re not thinking of… No way—this is the most useless thing here!”

“There is no person without value in this world, and no object without use,” Wei Yingluo replied with a smile. She gently ran one finger over the soft fur; a gleam of intelligence passed through her eyes. “It all depends on how you use it—and where you put it!”

One month later—

   “The Gold and Jade Workshop presents four jade objects in two boxes, and two lai-stone ruyi scepters.”

“The Ceramics Workshop presents a pair of jade phoenix vases and a pair of crystal double-fish vases.”

“The Glass Workshop presents a carved ivory dressing case and an enameled pocket watch with mirror.”

“The Screen Workshop presents a pair of palace fans with peacock feathers on purple sandalwood stands, a carved purple sandalwood throne, and a pair of cloisonné enamel crane candlesticks.”

Outside Changchun Palace, long lines of eunuchs and palace maids sent by the various workshops stood waiting to present their gifts. Wei Yingluo stood among them, holding a tray covered with a piece of yellow silk that completely concealed what lay beneath.

“Relax,” she told herself silently. “Man proposes, Heaven disposes.”

At that moment, two young eunuchs emerged from the main hall, bowing as they walked. Perhaps because they were still inexperienced, they didn’t bother lowering their voices or avoiding eavesdroppers nearby.

“Did you see Her Majesty the Empress’s face? It was really something—ugly from start to finish. Not a single smile the whole time!”

“Her Highness Noble Consort really went too far,” the other said. “Of all things to send, she gave Her Majesty a golden statue of the Child-Giving Guanyin.”

Everyone in the palace knew: ever since the premature death of her eldest son, Empress Fucha had borne no more children. What Noble Consort Hui had done was equivalent to publicly ripping open the Empress’s deepest wound and then rubbing salt into it.

Wei Yingluo had originally been standing in the middle of the crowd. Hearing this, something stirred in her heart, and she quietly fell back a few steps.

Though man proposes and Heaven disposes, if one wants success, it’s best to avoid man-made disasters as much as possible.

After receiving such a “grand gift” from Noble Consort Hui, the Empress might not say anything outwardly, but she was surely suppressing a bellyful of rage. Anyone who went in to present a gift now—whatever it was—wouldn’t win any favor.

They might even end up bearing the brunt of her anger…

“Unless…” Wei Yingluo glanced back over her shoulder, “…unless the gift is presented right after that person.”

Her steps fell further and further behind, and before she realized it, Wei Yingluo had retreated to the very end of the line.

One by one, the palace maids ahead of her entered carrying their trays, while inside the hall the continuous sound of ceremonial announcements echoed.

Unknowingly, she was the only one left…

“Embroidery Workshop tribute—”

The eunuch’s summons rang out from within the hall.

Though there was clearly no one behind her, Wei Yingluo kept turning her head anxiously, eyes searching.

“Embroidery Workshop tribute—”

The eunuch’s call sounded again.

Three times is the limit; if a third summons were to ring out, even proper etiquette would turn into a breach of protocol.

Wei Yingluo could only take a deep breath and murmur to herself, “Man proposes, Heaven disposes!”

Holding the tray in both hands, she walked into Changchun Palace with heavy, slow steps.

Though the palace was usually frugal, on this birthday celebration day Changchun Palace was lit with lanterns and decorated lavishly, gleaming in gold and splendor. Noble Ladies she recognized and some she did not sat high at the banquet tables. Human-height coral trees, Western mirrors smoother and more flawless than a calm lake surface, and rare treasures that common folk could only dream of seeing were piled high throughout the hall—all of them gifts presented to the Empress.

The summoning eunuch announced: “The Embroidery Workshop presents one phoenix-amid-peonies women’s robe, and one pair of stone-blue satin embroidered phoenix-head high-heeled women’s shoes!”

Yingluo knelt down and raised the tray high above her head: “I respectfully congratulate Her Majesty the Empress on eternal youth and endless blessings of longevity.”

The tray remained held high for a long moment, with no one stepping forward to receive it.

Perhaps because it was her first time seeing so many Noble Ladies, she was so overwhelmed that she forgot what came next? Empress Fucha kindly reminded her: “Once inside the hall, why haven’t you uncovered the yellow silk yet?”

Wei Yingluo pressed her lips together. She had deliberately fallen to the back of the line, slowed her pace, and delayed lifting the yellow silk as long as possible—she had done her utmost, yet she still hadn’t been fast enough. With a silent sigh in her heart, she was just about to lift the yellow silk when, at that very moment, a long, drawn-out announcement came from behind her:

“The Emperor bestows a gift!”

It was as if an electric current surged through Wei Yingluo’s entire body.

She had to summon every ounce of strength she possessed just to suppress the wild joy surging in her heart.

That person… had finally come.

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 25: The Chief Embroiderer

How unpredictable the ways of the world can be.

Not long ago she had repeatedly warned and advised Jinxiu not to try every means possible to get close to the palace guards—especially Fucha Fuheng.

Who could have imagined that fate would play such an enormous joke on her?

“Sister Yingluo, who are you looking at?” Jixiang asked softly from beside her.

On the opposite corridor, a group of patrolling palace guards was passing by—six in total. Fucha Fuheng and Qingxi were both among them.

Palace maids who dreamed of climbing high branches to become phoenixes were not limited to Jinxiu alone. But no one dared act on it the way she had. Most only paused in their work, gazing from afar and whispering among themselves: one saying how tall this one was, another commenting how handsome that one looked. By the end of the discussion their faces would flush and their hearts would flutter.

“No one. Let’s go,” Wei Yingluo said, withdrawing her gaze. She smiled at Jixiang. “Come on, let’s head back to the embroidery workshop. I hear the long-time embroiderers are all busy rushing to make everyday robes for the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. And in just one more month it will be the Empress’s birthday. Every palace and workshop are preparing birthday gifts for Her Majesty. Following tradition, our embroidery workshop must present Her Majesty with a phoenix robe—but I wonder who the chief embroiderer will be…”

One hour later, everyone had gathered in the embroidery workshop.

Momo Zhang looked around at the assembled group and spoke slowly and deliberately: “The chief embroiderer will be—”

Every face turned toward her with eager anticipation. Linglong in particular couldn’t help standing on tiptoe, as if doing so might help her stand out from the crowd and catch Momo Zhang’s eye.

Momo Zhang’s gaze was indeed drawn to her for a moment. Linglong’s face lit up with wild joy—but the smile quickly froze. Because that gaze slowly moved away from her and finally settled on Wei Yingluo.

“—Wei Yingluo!”

Momo Zhang announced.

The tiptoes that had been raised came back down to the ground with a thud.

There was a chorus of sighs all around. Linglong held back for a moment, but finally couldn’t restrain herself any longer and asked, “Momo, you always think of Yingluo for every good opportunity—then what about the rest of us?”

Momo Zhang turned her gaze toward her and countered with a question, “Are you saying I’m playing favorites?”

Linglong jumped in fright and hurriedly lowered her head. “I wouldn’t dare…”

“You don’t dare, which is not the same as saying it isn’t true.” Momo Zhang shook her head, then addressed everyone: “Fine then. Whether it’s you or anyone else—if any of you feel it’s unfair, if any of you think your embroidery is better than Yingluo’s, then step forward. I’ll hand the work over to you!”

The women looked at one another.

If it were only a matter of embroidery skill, there were plenty of ambitious ones among them who would have dared to step up and compete. But just two days earlier, Aunt Fang had been expelled from the palace, and even Jinxiu—whose needlework ranked second only in the embroidery workshop—had been sentenced to hard labor in the Laundry Department. On top of that, Wei Yingluo had just received the favor and recognition of Chief Steward Wu. At this very moment, when Wei Yingluo’s momentum was at its peak, who would dare to challenge her?

In the end, no one stepped forward.

Even Wei Yingluo herself felt her limelight had grown too bright. After the day’s embroidery work was finished and she assumed everyone else had already left, she quietly sought out Momo Zhang alone and sighed. “Embroidery requires years of accumulation. How old am I, really? No matter how good my work is, it’s still limited. In the embroidery workshop, among the palace maids—and even including the master artisans brought in from outside—there are countless whose skill surpasses mine… Momo, you’ve been far too kind to me.”

“There is a custom among palace maids: preparations for the birthday ceremonies of the Empress and the Noble Consort are always assigned to newly arrived maids. On that day, when the mistresses are in a good mood, most will receive generous rewards. Even if the work isn’t perfect, they won’t be overly harsh. This is to give you all a little hope, a chance to stand out.” After delivering this official-sounding explanation, Momo Zhang suddenly winked at her. “Besides, that foolish older sister of yours was my most outstanding disciple. Even just for her sake, I’ll look after you a little extra.”

Wei Yingluo felt a surge of emotion. She wanted to say something, but after racking her brain for a long while, she couldn’t find the right words.

“Enough of that. Palace maids don’t go around with long, mournful faces. No matter the circumstances, you must always keep a smiling appearance. Come now.” Momo Zhang smiled. “Give me a smile.”

Wei Yingluo stared at her blankly for a long moment. Then, like an infant just learning to smile, she tentatively lifted the corners of her lips, revealing an immature, somewhat stiff smile.

A smile like that could hardly be called beautiful.

Yet at this moment, it was not a smile meant to please a Noble Lady, nor one designed to disarm an enemy. It was a smile that came from the heart—genuine and sincere.

It was also the first time she had truly smiled since hearing the news of her sister’s death.

A few days later, the materials needed for sewing the phoenix robe arrived at the embroidery workshop.

There were silks and satins in abundance, but what drew the most attention was the box of peacock feather thread in Momo Zhang’s hands.

The feathers looked as though they had just been plucked from a peacock’s tail—vivid and brilliant. But in this palace, everything demanded exquisite refinement, especially items intended as tribute to the Noble Ladies; no expense was spared on labor or materials.

“Peacock feather thread is woven by interlacing peacock feathers with gold and silver thread. Even a highly skilled weaver can only produce one meter per day.” Momo Zhang handed the box to Wei Yingluo with great care and solemnity, instructing her, “You must use it well and be extremely careful not to make any mistakes. There is no extra to replace it.”

Wei Yingluo quickly accepted the box.

At that moment, a ray of sunlight slanted into the box. What lay inside no longer seemed like mere fabric, but rather priceless jewels, refracting a dazzling array of multicolored light—dreamlike and illusory, like a mirage shimmering on the sea.

Everyone was captivated by its beauty.

Then, an untimely voice broke the spell.

“What happens if a mistake is made?”

The speaker was hidden among the crowd and had deliberately pinched their voice. Though Wei Yingluo immediately looked in the direction of the sound, she couldn’t identify who it was.

Momo Zhang’s expression darkened instantly. In the palace, nothing was more taboo than speaking such ominous words. She snapped sharply, “Who was that? Step forward!”

She called out three times, but still no one dared to come forward.

Seeing this, Momo Zhang scoffed with icy disdain. “This is a tribute to be presented to Her Majesty the Empress. If even the slightest error occurs, we will all lose our heads together!”

Some believed her words; others did not.

But whatever thoughts were in the others’ hearts, Wei Yingluo paid them no mind.

She cared only about the opportunity right in front of her.

“I cannot take the initiative to approach Fucha Fuheng. Too many eyes are watching him, and too many are watching me. Being too forward would only give others a handle against me.” At the embroidery frame, Wei Yingluo picked up a strand of peacock feather thread from the box and toyed with it, thinking to herself, “For now, the best plan is to start with the people around him… No doubt that’s what Momo was thinking when she assigned this task to me. If I do it well, naturally I’ll leave an impression with his sister—the Empress.”

How many people’s steady rise to prominence began with nothing more than leaving behind a single favorable impression?

   Wei Yingluo concentrated fully on her embroidery. She became so absorbed that she lost all track of time. Only when someone shook her shoulder did she turn her head. Outside the window, night had already fallen. Jixiang stood beside her holding an oil lamp, a hint of complaint in her voice: “Sister Yingluo, I’ve called you three times already, and you completely ignored me.”

“Sorry, I got too caught up in the stitching.” Wei Yingluo smiled, then raised a hand to rub her sore, stinging eyes.

“It’s pitch dark and you didn’t even light a lamp—do you not want your eyes anymore?” Jixiang set the oil lamp down in front of her. The flame illuminated the box of peacock feather threads, making them shimmer and sparkle. The light forcefully drove back the surrounding darkness, turning the area around Wei Yingluo as bright as daylight. Even Jixiang—who usually had eyes only for food—couldn’t help but be drawn in by the sight. It took her quite a while to snap out of it. Turning to Wei Yingluo, she said, “Aren’t you hungry? Let’s go eat together.”

Wei Yingluo’s stomach had long been growling, but she smiled and replied, “No, I’m not hungry yet. Why don’t you just bring me back something simple? I’ll eat later.”

One should never harbor thoughts of harming others, but one must always guard against being harmed. That untimely remark earlier today had made her realize someone was jealous of her.

Jealousy was like a knife—no one knew when it might strike from behind.

Wei Yingluo suspected someone might tamper with the phoenix-feather threads—perhaps secretly take a few strands. Such precious materials, once missing even a little, had no substitutes.

The best defense, therefore, was to use up the threads before the other party could act: finish the phoenix robe, complete it, and deliver it into Momo Zhang’s hands.

“You… you’re not planning to keep working, are you?” Jixiang frowned. Her gaze shifted to the peacock feather threads, and the earlier delight vanished, replaced by a trace of disgust. “Finishing this phoenix robe will take at least a month. Working at this pace every day—are you trying to kill yourself? Here’s what we’ll do: you go eat first, and I’ll help you embroider for a while!”

Though her intentions were good, Wei Yingluo didn’t dare hand the work over to her. After all, this was the same person capable of turning a phoenix into a barnyard chicken…

“There are only two choices: either let me help you embroider, or come eat with me!” Jixiang shook Wei Yingluo by the shoulders, half domineering and half coquettish. “It’s only the time it takes to burn half an incense stick. Come on, come on!”

“Fine, fine, alright!” Unable to withstand the pestering, Wei Yingluo finally gave in and stood up to leave with her.

Tonight’s meal was exceptionally generous: pumpkin porridge cooked sweet and delicious, refreshing cold cucumber salad, and braised rice-noodle pork—rich but not greasy. Unfortunately, Wei Yingluo’s mind was still on the embroidery workshop. She picked at a few dishes, wolfed down two or three mouthfuls of rice, set her chopsticks down, and said, “I’m full. I’ll head back first.”

“So fast?” Jixiang’s mouth was still stuffed with rice-noodle pork. She stared at the barely touched dishes on the table and mumbled indistinctly, “What a waste… Wait for me! I’ll finish right away!”

Wei Yingluo hurried back toward the embroidery workshop.

Thinking back carefully, that earlier remark had certainly not been casual or meaningless.

“What would happen if something went wrong?”

What would happen if someone deliberately caused her to make a mistake?

   “The kitchen rarely makes rice-noodle pork, and I still have half a plate left uneaten. Hey, why are you in such a rush? The stuff isn’t going to fly away…” Jixiang’s complaints suddenly caught in her throat. She stood frozen at the embroidery workshop doorway, gaping in shock through Wei Yingluo’s shoulder at the scene inside.

Chaos reigned in the embroidery room. Embroidery frames, fabrics, and even the phoenix robe had been carelessly thrown onto the floor. Wei Yingluo stepped forward quickly. On the phoenix robe, which had only just begun to take shape, several large holes had been deliberately cut—dark, gaping mouths that seemed to mock her, as if intent on swallowing her, and her future, whole.

“…This is bad!” Wei Yingluo’s expression changed abruptly. She rushed toward the box that held the phoenix-feather threads.

The candlestick was still in its original place. The box was still in its original place. The lid was open—and inside was pitch black. Nothing remained.

Peacock Feather Thread… Gone

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 24: A-Man

   “Ahem, cough cough…” At night, Aunt Fang tossed and turned for a while before calling out in a hoarse voice, “Bingqing, pour me a bowl of water!”

No response came for a long time.

“Yu Jie!” Aunt Fang tried calling someone else. “Pour me a bowl of water!”

Still no reply.

The two palace maids who used to wait on her every day—who would rush to bring her tea the moment she so much as coughed lightly—had now both vanished without a trace.

“You two ungrateful wretches! After all the trust I placed in you day after day!” Aunt Fang cursed at length, tears finally spilling from the corners of her eyes. “And now… now you won’t even give me a sip of water…”

Before she could finish, a teacup was brought to her lips.

The water was cold and contained no tea leaves at all, but Aunt Fang had been thirsty all night and could no longer afford to be picky. She seized the cup with both hands and gulped it down in one go.

“Had enough?”

“One more… Wait—no!” This wasn’t the voice of Bingqing or Yujie! Aunt Fang jerked her head up, and what met her eyes was a face as pure and lovely as a lotus blossom. Even without any makeup, it possessed seven-tenths of the world’s beauty.

“Now that you’ve had enough, answer a few questions for me.” The young woman smiled slightly.

“Wei! Ying! Luo!” Aunt Fang spat each syllable through gritted teeth. “You actually dare show your face in front of me!”

“If I didn’t come, I’m afraid you wouldn’t even get a mouthful of water,” Wei Yingluo said with a quiet sigh. “How pitiful. In just half a year more, you could have left the palace according to the rules. But now that you’ve been driven out, not only will there be no severance pay, I doubt even your own family would dare take you in.”

At the thought of her miserable old age, Aunt Fang’s vision darkened. Her lips trembled as she spoke: “Why… why did you have to ruin me like this? And that belly of yours… what exactly is going on with your belly…?”

She had tossed and turned over this question night after night, yet never found an answer. If she hadn’t been convinced that Wei Yingluo was pregnant, she never would have dared drag Manager Wu into it.

“Oh, you mean this?” Wei Yingluo gave a light laugh. Her fingers gently stroked her still slightly swollen abdomen, her tone as casual as if she were talking about someone else’s body. “A while back I got some high-grade kaolin clay from the pottery workshop. A small amount won’t kill you, but it causes rapid bloating. I only acted about two-tenths convincingly, yet you all took the bait so eagerly, couldn’t wait to get rid of me…”

A chill ran down Aunt Fang’s spine as she listened.

She said “a small amount” and “no danger to life,” but it was still dirt, after all. People had died eating Guanyin clay before—who could say what would really happen after swallowing it?

Someone who was so ruthless even to herself would only be more merciless to her enemies.

“As for why…” Wei Yingluo flicked her fingers, and a delicate plum-blossom hair-tassel dangled from them. “Do you still recognize this tassel?”

Aunt Fang stared hard. “This… this is the one I lost a while back! You little thief—”

“You’re the thief!” Wei Yingluo suddenly seized Aunt Fang by the hair, forcing her head up so their eyes met. The gentle mask she had worn for so long was completely torn away, revealing to Aunt Fang the true, terrifying face of a vengeful avenger. “Look at my face. Look carefully. See who I really am!”

“You’re Wei Yingluo… No—no, you’re…” Aunt Fang stared in horror at the face before her. “You’re… Wei Yingning!”

Wei Yingluo had always found it strange.

If Jinxiu targeted her out of jealousy, why would Aunt Fang get involved?

Not until she picked up the plum-blossom tassel Aunt Fang had dropped did the truth slowly surface. Before her older sister entered the palace, Wei Yingluo had stayed up all night making that very tassel for her by hand.

“Speak!” Wei Yingluo viciously yanked Aunt Fang’s hair, her expression ferocious, like an unwilling demon who had clawed her way back from hell. “Tell me everything about Wei Yingning! Otherwise I’ll go straight to Manager Wu right now and expose all the cruel ways you’ve mistreated palace maids over the years. When that happens, you won’t just be expelled with a clean record—you’ll be punished far worse!”

“No—no, I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything…” Aunt Fang broke down in tears and yielded. “When I first heard your name, it sounded a little familiar. Later, when I thought about it carefully… Wei Yingning changed her name as soon as she entered the palace. Everyone called her A-Man…”

By some twist of fate, when Wei Yingning entered the palace, she too had been assigned under Aunt Fang.

The two sisters even did the same things: rising before dawn to embroider different flower patterns onto the handkerchiefs and clothes that belonged to Aunt Fang.

“Later she got caught in a scandal. I seized the evidence and used it to threaten her. I made her hand over all the valuables around her, as well as her private savings, for me to ‘keep.’” Aunt Fang pointed toward the corner. “There—buried under that floorboard.”

Wei Yingning pushed her away, swiftly pried open the wooden plank, and from beneath it pulled out an old, faded blue cloth bundle. When she untied it, there wasn’t even half a copper coin inside—only a couple of worn old clothes and a cracked, now worthless jade pendant.

“So many years have passed… the money… I’ve already spent it all.” Aunt Fang shrank into the corner of the bed, hugging her knees tightly, trembling as she spoke. “Don’t report me. Once I leave the palace, I’ll find a way to repay you.”

Wei Yingluo had no interest in the money. She stared blankly at the old clothes in her hands. They seemed to still carry the warmth of her sister’s body. She cradled them carefully to her chest, as though holding her sister herself…

“You keep saying my sister committed some shameful act.” She turned her back to Aunt Fang, her voice low and heavy. “What exactly was this shameful act?”

“What else could it be… stealing a man…” Aunt Fang muttered.

“Nonsense!” Wei Yingluo whipped around, her voice sharp. “My sister was not that kind of person!”

Aunt Fang’s shoulders shrank inward. “If you don’t believe me, go ask Momo Zhang.”

Wei Yingluo frowned. “Momo Zhang knows about this too?”

Aunt Fang gave her a strange look in return. “Why do you think she’s taken such good care of you? It’s because your sister was the embroidery girl she valued most. If you want to know what happened to A-Man, you shouldn’t ask me—you should go to her…”

Before she could finish speaking, the room was already empty. Only the two doors, violently flung open, remained, creaking back and forth with a lingering squeak.

At the palace maids’ quarters, in Momo Zhang’s residence.

Two teacups sat on the table. Because they had been left for some time, the tea was no longer scalding—just the right temperature to drink. Momo Zhang sat calmly beside one cup, eyes closed in quiet repose, as though waiting for a guest.

Knock, knock, knock.

“The door’s not locked. Come in.” Momo Zhang slowly opened her eyes. “Sit down. Drink the tea first.”

Wei Yingluo stood panting at the doorway. She had run the entire way, her throat burning as though on fire. Only after gulping down a cup of tea did she finally regain enough strength to speak.

“Mama.” She set the cup down and stared at Momo Zhang, who was calmly refilling it for her. “Wei Yingning was my sister.”

The tea was poured once more, the emerald-green leaves swirling and unfurling in the cup, releasing a fresh fragrance. Momo Zhang spoke slowly and deliberately:

“I’ve told you before—do not mention that name. It is taboo.”

Wei Yingluo stared at the teacup being offered to her. After a long silence, she asked softly:

“You already knew. You knew everything. But why… why didn’t you tell me anything?”

“What did you want me to tell you?” Momo Zhang replied. “That A-Man did something wrong and I was deeply disappointed in her?”

“Everyone says my sister did something wrong. But what exactly did she do that was so terrible she had to pay with her life?” Wei Yingluo pushed the teacup aside, threw herself at Momo Zhang’s knees, lifted her small, palm-sized face, and looked up with tear-filled eyes like a wronged granddaughter clinging to her grandmother’s hand, shaking it again and again. “Mama, Mama, please tell me. I beg you!”

Momo Zhang could no longer resist her. She let out a heavy sigh.

“Someone reported it to Chief Steward Wu, saying she had been missing all night and must have been carrying on an illicit affair outside the palace. Her luck was not as good as yours. Chief Steward Wu searched the rockery in the Imperial Garden and found the filthy undergarment she had left behind…”

“My sister was always proper and self-respecting—she would never do such a thing!” Wei Yingluo listened but refused to believe a single word. “She must have been framed!”

“I also wish she had been framed.” Momo Zhang looked down with pity at the girl huddled against her knees. “But she told me herself—no one forced her. It was entirely voluntary.”

The world before Wei Yingluo’s eyes suddenly darkened. Everything seemed to spin. With every word Momo Zhang spoke, another crack opened beneath her feet, and countless hands reached up from the fissures, trying to drag her down into the abyss.

“There was no other choice but to follow palace regulations—death by random beating.” Momo Zhang gently stroked her hair, comforting her. “But her fate was not yet sealed. At that time, the Empress Dowager was ill and did not wish to see blood spilled in the palace. So instead she received fifty strokes of the cane and was expelled from the Forbidden City. How… how has she been since then?”

“…She’s dead.” Wei Yingluo could no longer hold back her tears. “Everyone said she hanged herself out of shame and could not face anyone. But I investigated the wound—there were blue finger marks around her neck. She was strangled to death!”

Momo Zhang was greatly shocked. She suddenly grabbed Wei Yingluo by the shoulders: “Strangled to death?”

Wei Yingluo nodded through her tears, the drops continuing to roll down her cheeks with every movement.

“This isn’t right, this isn’t right…” Momo Zhang had walked more paths in life than most people had eaten meals. In an instant, she spotted the flaw. “If she truly had willingly engaged in illicit relations with someone, how could she have ended up silenced by murder? There must be something more to this matter… something hidden.”

“Yes—that’s exactly why I entered the palace,” Wei Yingluo said, wiping the tears from her face. “I cannot allow my sister to die so unjustly and without explanation. I must find the truth and give her justice! Momo, I beg you—help me, and help her too!”

“How can I help you?” Momo Zhang looked helpless. “So many years have already passed, and there isn’t a single clue…”

A clue?

Wei Yingluo thought for a moment, then suddenly took out a jade pendant from her bosom: “Momo, please take a look at this jade pendant.”

It was one of the few belongings left behind by Wei Yingning. Because Aunt Fang was greedy, it had been hidden under a wooden plank and never discovered during searches. It had remained sealed away in dust for years—until today, when it finally saw the light again.

Momo Zhang took the jade pendant and examined it. Her brows immediately furrowed.

Wei Yingluo had been watching her face closely the entire time and naturally did not miss this change in expression. Her heart stirred at once—three parts excitement and seven parts anticipation—as she asked: “Momo, do you recognize this jade pendant?”

Momo Zhang shook her head and said: “Fucha insignia.”

It was a phrase in Manchu. Wei Yingluo naturally did not understand and could only wait for Momo Zhang to explain.

“I don’t recognize the jade pendant itself, but I do recognize the name engraved on it,” Momo Zhang said slowly. She raised her head, her gaze complicated as she looked at Wei Yingluo. “Fucha insignia—this jade pendant belonged to His Majesty’s childhood friend, his wife’s younger brother, an Imperial Guard—Fucha Fuheng.”

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 23: The East Window Has Been Blown Open

   “Yingluo, have you… gained weight?”

Not only did the consorts and concubines have new clothes measured and tailored—the palace maids did too. Especially the newly arrived young maids, who were still growing; after just a few months, their sleeves would already be too short.

Since they “eat off the mountain when on the mountain, drink off the water when by the water,” the embroidery workshop never shortchanged its own people. So when it came time to measure and make new clothes for the maids, the first priority was given to Wei Yingluo’s group of newcomers.

But the moment the soft measuring tape was wrapped around Wei Yingluo’s waist, Momo Zhang frowned. “Your waist has gotten at least an inch bigger. What have you been gorging yourself on lately?”

Wei Yingluo remained silent. Jixiang, standing beside her, immediately spoke up in her defense.

“No way!” Jixiang said. “Sister Yingluo has been throwing up everything she eats lately. She hasn’t had a proper meal in days!”

Momo Zhang shot her a fierce glare, annoyed at her loose tongue, then turned back to Wei Yingluo and sighed. “The clothes you’re wearing now are already too small. Before the new ones are ready, go to the storeroom and pick out an old one that fits for the time being.”

“Thank you, Momo,” Wei Yingluo said with a touch of shame. While the others continued with their measurements, she went alone into the storeroom.

Inside the storeroom were piles of new fabric and new garments, as well as old fabric and old clothes. The world is unpredictable—fortune and misfortune can change in an instant. Sometimes brand-new clothes are finished, yet the person who was meant to wear them is already gone. Sometimes, in just a few short months, the most fashionable patterns fall out of style, and so these garments and fabrics are tucked away on high shelves, untouched for years, their colors fading, mold slowly spreading, growing shabbier and older… until finally, no one will ever wear them again.

Just like the women of the rear palace who grow old.

Wei Yingluo walked slowly past rack after rack of hanging clothes. At last she selected a subdued stone-blue garment. After glancing around and confirming no one else was present, she removed the clothes she was wearing so she could try on the old stone-blue one in her hands.

Stripping off her outer garment revealed the close-fitting inner clothing beneath.

It could no longer conceal the slight swell of her abdomen.

And none of this escaped the watchful eyes of Jinxiu, who had followed closely behind.

When the news reached Aunt Fang’s ears, she slammed the table and stood up, laughing: “Excellent! This is truly a case of catching the adulterer red-handed with the evidence right there. I’m going to fetch Chief Steward Wu this instant!”

Jinxiu, standing to one side, eagerly added fuel to the fire: “While you’re at it, call Momo Zhang over too—let her see with her own eyes what kind of ‘outstanding disciple’ her prized protégé really is!”

“Exactly right! And drag that old hag along as well—let’s see if she’ll still dare to show off in front of me after this!”

Aunt Fang scoffed with icy disdain, then hurried off impatiently to find Chief Steward Wu.

This was no trivial matter. Wu Shulai immediately set aside whatever he was doing and rushed to the palace maids’ quarters.

“Wei Yingluo!” He fixed his gaze on the young girl before him. “Someone has accused you of shameful conduct. Do you plead guilty?”

Wei Yingluo was wearing a freshly changed stone-blue gown that made her demeanor appear even more composed and steady. She first respectfully curtsied to Wu Shulai, then calmly replied:

“May I ask, Eunuch, what exactly is this ‘shameful conduct’ being alleged, and who is the accuser?”

“It’s me!” Aunt Fang stepped forward from the crowd, her eyes like knives slicing into her. “I accuse you of carrying on an illicit affair with a guard and secretly conceiving a child!”

Wei Yingluo let out a soft sigh. “Auntie, I have never offended you. Why would you use such baseless slander to harm me?”

“Whether it’s baseless or not will become clear with an examination!” Aunt Fang turned to Wu Shulai. “Chief Steward Wu, please summon an experienced mama to examine her—then the truth will be plain for all to see!”

Seeing her so confident and fearless, Wu Shulai couldn’t help but frown.

From what he knew of Aunt Fang, she would never dare make such a public accusation without some solid basis. Could it really be true, as she claimed, that Wei Yingluo had…?

Wu Shulai did not want the matter to escalate further. If Wei Yingluo lost face, his own reputation as the chief eunuch in charge of the palace maids would suffer as well. So he spoke with a hint of persuasion:

“Wei Yingluo, if you truly did this, it would be better to confess honestly now. Otherwise, if it’s discovered during the examination, the humiliation will be even greater.”

“Defiling the palace carries the penalty of death by random beating. I; Yingluo values my life—how could I possibly have the nerve to do such a thing?” Wei Yingluo cast a faint glance at Aunt Fang. “Just as Aunt Fang suggests—summon an experienced mama and let the truth come to light.”

Wu Shulai was now thoroughly confused by the two of them. Aunt Fang acted as though she held irrefutable proof and intended to destroy her opponent completely, yet unexpectedly Wei Yingluo appeared just as upright and unafraid of scrutiny. This…

“Very well,” Wu Shulai finally said. “Someone, go and summon Momo Yan!”

Momo Yan was a midwife.

According to her own account, she had served across two reigns of emperors and had personally delivered three princesses and four princes. No one knew whether she was telling the truth or simply boasting.

To secure her services, Wu Shulai had to use both his personal influence and a certain amount of silver.

Otherwise, this formidable figure would not have been moved.

But to Wu Shulai, the expense was worthwhile. The matter had already grown quite public, so only a midwife whose status and skill were universally respected could produce a result that everyone would accept.

Of course, if she could be persuaded—thanks to the silver—to quietly resolve the issue and make it disappear, that would be ideal…

Aunt Fang saw through his thoughts and sneered: “Momo Yan, with so many eyes watching and so many mouths ready to talk, you had better examine her very carefully. Otherwise, if in a few months this little wretch gives birth to a full-term child, your golden reputation will be ruined.”

“Chief Steward Wu,” Wei Yingluo shot her a sideways glance, then turned back to Wu Shulai. “Though I am only a palace maid, I am still the daughter of a respectable family. To have my spotless reputation slandered like this—any other person might dash their head against the wall in despair! The one making this accusation clearly intends to drive me to my death. May I ask: if in the end I am proven innocent, how will the accuser be dealt with?”

“The palace has its rules. Those who defile the court are beaten to death at random. Those who make empty accusations and falsely incriminate others are beaten with random blows and expelled from the Forbidden City! Enough—everything now depends on the result of this examination!” Wu Shulai waved his hand. “Momo Yan, begin!”

“Miss, come with me.” Momo Yan led Wei Yingluo into a small room that had been prepared in advance.

The doors and windows were tightly sealed, and not a single sound leaked out. Those waiting outside had no idea what was happening inside; to them, the time dragged on like years. Jixiang paced back and forth on the spot. Momo Zhang’s gaze once again turned toward the door. Aunt Fang’s right foot tapped the ground impatiently.

At last, with a creak, the door opened again.

Momo Yan stepped over the threshold, wiping her hands with a damp cloth.

“How is it?” Aunt Fang rushed forward in a single stride. “What’s the result? Is her belly really big?”

Momo Yan paused for a moment. “It is… bigger…”

“Did you hear that? Did all of you hear that!” Aunt Fang was overjoyed. She spun around and shouted to Wu Shulai, to Momo Zhang, and to everyone standing in the inner courtyard: “Wei Yingluo is pregnant!”

Her words were like throwing a live chicken into a pot of boiling water.

Instantly the water splashed everywhere, feathers flew in all directions.

“My God, she really did something shameful!”

“I always said she was sneaky all the time—turns out she was sneaking off to meet someone!”

“Tch, so what if her embroidery is good? Her character is rotten—she’s completely disgraced us all!”

“No, no—Sister Yingluo would never do something like that!”

Momo Zhang swayed on her feet. If Jixiang hadn’t quickly supported her, she might have collapsed to the ground right there. Not far away, Wu Shulai’s expression was also very dark. The look he directed toward Wei Yingluo was filled with disappointment.

He had once held such high hopes for this child… sigh…

He was just about to raise his hand and bring the matter to a close when Momo Yan suddenly roared: “Enough! Can’t you all let me finish speaking?!”

The chaotic clamor abruptly stopped. Aunt Fang froze for a second, then said, “Didn’t you just say her belly is big…”

“I said her belly is bigger… than usual!” Momo Yan finally got the chance to finish the sentence she had left hanging. Then she scoffed with a sneer. “It’s most likely she ate something hard to digest and bloated her stomach. But the most important thing is—she is still a virgin. Her chastity is intact!”

“What!” Aunt Fang could hardly believe her ears. She grabbed Momo Yan’s arm. “What did you say? Did you… did you make a mistake?”

“Pah!” While others might give her face, Momo Yan had no intention of sparing hers. She immediately spat in Aunt Fang’s direction and, relying on her seniority, snapped: “Shut your mouth! A little girl like you dares to act experienced in front of me? How many women have you actually seen that you would dare declare someone is pregnant? I’ve been in the palace for forty years—I’ve examined countless candidate consorts and palace maids. Do you think I can’t even tell the difference between a married woman and a maiden?!”

Aunt Fang’s face was sprayed with spittle, yet she didn’t even have the presence of mind to wipe it off.

The stares all around made her feel ice-cold all over. Almost pleading, she clung to Momo Yan: “You’ve never made a mistake before. Maybe… maybe just this once you did? Please—I beg you, Momo Yan—check her again. Just once!”

“No need!” Wu Shulai stepped forward and said in a deep voice, “Momo Yan is an old momo with forty years in the palace. When it comes to women’s matters, even the head of the Imperial Medical Academy can’t compare to her experience! Dozens of eyes saw it clearly—Wei Yingluo has indeed been wrongly accused. You, as the managing auntie, have truly acted disgracefully!”

Aunt Fang could no longer hold herself up. Her knees buckled and she dropped to the ground, sobbing bitterly: “Chief Steward Wu, Chief Steward Wu, I—I was only misled by that girl Jinxiu’s nonsense! She wanted to frame Wei Yingluo—it wasn’t me!”

Suddenly dragged out to take the blame, Jinxiu jumped in fright. Seeing everyone turn their gazes toward her, she kept retreating, but she had nowhere to go. She could only wave her hands frantically: “No—no, it wasn’t me! Aunt Fang, how can you blame me? It was clearly you who told me to keep an eye on Yingluo. I only reported what I saw—I didn’t exaggerate a single word!”

“Hmph! It was obviously you who had a grudge against Wei Yingluo. You deliberately fed me false information to scare me, using me as your weapon. I… I…” The more Aunt Fang spoke, the angrier she became. Suddenly she lunged at the other woman, grabbing her by the hair and clawing at her face, roaring: “I’ll fight you to the death!”

The two of them grappled together like lifelong enemies. Even three or four people couldn’t pull them apart. For a moment, dust flew up and hairpins and jewelry scattered across the ground.

“Enough!” Wu Shulai roared, “What a disgrace, what an utter disgrace! Someone, come! Pull these two apart!”

In the end, it was the eunuchs he had brought with him who stepped in, forcibly separating the two women. Even then, they refused to settle down, continuously kicking their legs at each other while crying out and begging for mercy toward Wu Shulai.

Wu Shulai’s head throbbed from their noise. His gaze turned to Wei Yingluo as he slowly said, “Wei Yingluo, you are the victim here. What do you say?”

From the tone of Wu Shulai’s words, it seemed he was handing the decision over to Wei Yingluo?

Aunt Fang and Jinxiu exchanged a glance, then immediately switched targets, pleading desperately toward Wei Yingluo in turn.

Aunt Fang: “Yingluo! Yingluo! I was wrong, I was truly wrong! It was my fault, I was too harsh and unfair. Everything is my mistake—please forgive me! From now on, I won’t pick on you anymore. This is all Jinxiu’s doing—she’s the one who sowed discord! You’re a good girl; it’s all her fault!”

Jinxiu: “Yingluo, don’t believe her! She’s just trying to beg for your forgiveness! You and I entered the palace together—you know how timid I am. How could I have planned something this big all by myself? It was her—she’s the real mastermind behind it. I only went along with it because I had no choice!”

Wei Yingluo ignored the two of them completely. She curtsied once more to Wu Shulai, her tone calm and steady: “People’s words can be fearsome. If not for Your Excellency Chief Steward Wu upholding justice, Yingluo would likely have had no choice but to die to prove her innocence. Now that the truth has come to light, I ask that Chief Steward Wu handle this impartially.”

“Oh?” Wu Shulai chuckled. “Even if I were to let them both go, you wouldn’t hold any resentment in your heart?”

Aunt Fang and Jinxiu’s eyes instantly lit up with fervent hope. They looked at Wei Yingluo with anxiety and pleading, only to see her gently shake her head and reply, “No resentment.”

Wu Shulai smiled with satisfaction. “Though you bear no grudge… I cannot simply let them off like that! Momo Fang!”

“Here, here—your humble servant is here.” Aunt Fang, whose full name had been called, hurriedly knelt down.

“You slandered others and committed the sin of malicious speech. Forty strokes of the cane, then expulsion from the palace!” Chief Steward Wu said coldly. Then his gaze shifted abruptly from her collapsed, paralyzed form to the trembling Jinxiu. “Palace maid Jinxiu, jealous of your fellow maids and sowing discord—twenty strokes of the cane, and sentenced to hard labor in the Laundry Department.”

The two immediately burst into loud sobs and screams.

Aunt Fang: “No! Chief Steward Wu, I know I was wrong! I truly know I was wrong! Chief Steward Wu! Chief Steward Wu!”

Jinxiu: “It’s not my fault! It was all Aunt Fang—she’s the one who harmed me. This really has nothing to do with me!”

Wu Shulai truly could not bear to hear their voices any longer. With a wave of his hand, several eunuchs stepped forward together and dragged the two women away with force.

“What kind of place is this palace that you dare to spout nonsense and stir up trouble? Anyone who dares to cause more chaos or make trouble out of nothing—those two will be your example!” Wu Shulai swept his gaze around. Wherever his eyes fell, everyone lowered their heads—until they reached Wei Yingluo, when his expression softened somewhat. “If you want to learn from someone, learn more from Wei Yingluo. She is the true role model worthy of your emulation.”

Perhaps he had only said it casually, but so what?

   Once he left, everyone raised their heads again, and the way they looked at Wei Yingluo had completely changed.

   Aunt Fang was gone from the palace maids’ quarters.

   And now, with Chief Steward Wu’s words added on top…

   …From this day forward, in the palace maids’ quarters, who would dare to oppose Wei Yingluo again?

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 22: Rumors

   The rumors were not only spreading among the palace maids—they were also circulating among the guards.

They had even reached the ears of Fucha Fuheng.

“Qingxi and a palace maid?” Fucha Fuheng frowned, sensing that something was off about the matter.

He knew Qingxi’s character well: cautious and prudent, never doing anything out of line. When the guards were off duty, it was common for them to indulge in wine, women, and song. Sometimes even Fucha Fuheng couldn’t refuse and had to accompany his subordinates to drink flower wine—but in all those times, he had never once seen Qingxi among them.

For a man like that to be rumored to have seduced a palace maid? Fucha Fuheng couldn’t help shaking his head. “Who has Qingxi offended, that someone would spread such a rumor to harm him?”

The guard who had come to report the gossip hurriedly said, “No one’s framing him—I saw it with my own eyes.”

Fucha Fuheng frowned. “What exactly did you see?”

“A few days ago, while we were patrolling the Imperial Garden, a very proper-looking little palace maid passed by and quietly slipped something to Qingxi.” The guard chuckled with a slyness to the face. “I wasn’t the only one who saw it—several others did too.”

Since there were eyewitnesses, it probably wasn’t something fabricated out of thin air.

But one-sided accounts can mislead. Fucha Fuheng had no intention of believing only one version of events. He questioned the man carefully—especially about the little palace maid’s appearance and attire—then finally stood up. “All right. I’ll go ask Qingxi myself.”

When he arrived at the guards’ quarters, it happened to be Qingxi’s rest time. Several colleagues were teasing him nearby, and the topic was precisely the palace maid affair. Fucha Fuheng’s heart stirred. He withdrew the foot he had just stepped forward with, concealed himself behind the door, and quietly listened.

“Hey, Qingxi—you’ve got game! Snagging such a pretty little palace maid without making a sound!” One guard slung an arm around Qingxi’s shoulders, winking exaggeratedly.

“You had your head down the whole time—how do you even know she’s pretty?” another disagreed. “Maybe when she looks up, her beard’s thicker than yours.”

“Get lost—don’t be sour grapes just because you can’t have her,” the first guard shot back. “Any girl selected to enter the palace—how many of them aren’t good-looking? The ugly ones don’t even make it through the Forbidden City gates! Besides, a girl in the bloom of sixteen or seventeen—just tidy her up a little, and how could she not be beautiful? Right, Qingxi?”

Qingxi was squeezed in the middle by them, his face full of embarrassment. He could only reply stiffly, “The ancestors’ rules do not permit us to have improper relations with palace maids. As for me and her…”

“Hey, I thought you were going to say something serious!” One of the guards burst into loud laughter and clapped him on the shoulder. “This kind of thing—as long as no one reports it, the officials won’t investigate. Palace maids will be released sooner or later anyway. If you like her, just take her as a concubine later! That’s taking a ‘nafu qi hei’ (Manchu: concubine), not marrying a ‘sarigan’ (Manchu: wife). What’s there to be afraid of!”

Fucha Fuheng could listen no longer. He stepped out from behind the door, his voice cold and stern: “Qingxi!”

The teasing laughter in the room instantly died. Everyone, including Qingxi, hurriedly stood up. “Lord Fucha…”

Fucha Fuheng walked up to Qingxi and looked at this man—who had always been known for his upright and clean conduct—with a pained and disappointed expression. Slowly he said, “Palace maids and guards are forbidden from private exchanges. This is palace regulation. You should have known it from the very first day you entered the palace!”

Qingxi bowed his head under the rebuke.

Fucha Fuheng took a deep breath and extended his hand. “Hand it over.”

When Qingxi remained motionless for a long moment, he repeated more forcefully, “Hand over whatever that palace maid gave you!”

Qingxi looked at him with a complicated expression for a while, then let out a faint sigh. He reached into his robes, took out an object, and placed it in the open palm extended toward him.

Everyone had assumed it would be an embroidered handkerchief with a lady’s name, or perhaps a sword tassel stained with lipstick, or even a precious lock of hair cut from her temple—symbolizing “binding our hair together as husband and wife, never to part until our heads turn white.”

But when eyes turned to look, what they saw was… a stone.

A perfectly ordinary, grayish-white stone, the kind one could pick up anywhere in the Imperial Garden, with nothing special about it at all.

One of the guards who knew Qingxi well wanted to help him out. Seeing this, he laughed and said, “Giving a stone means ‘my heart is as firm as stone’—oh dear, so you’ve been rejected? Hahaha!”

It had to be said that Qingxi was well-liked. As soon as he laughed, the others joined in. Laughter filled the guard station; everyone seemed eager to treat the whole thing as a joke and let it pass.

“Silence!” Fucha Fuheng said coldly.

The laughter stopped at once. Everyone cautiously studied Fucha Fuheng’s expression. This made him feel almost amused inside—did they really think he was the kind of person who would indiscriminately start beating people with a board the moment he walked in?

…Yes. He was exactly that kind of person.

“Everyone will recite the Guard Regulations one hundred times!” Fucha Fuheng ordered, hands clasped behind his back. “Anyone who cannot recite them perfectly will not eat dinner!”

“Ah? Lord Fucha!”

“No, please…”

“Mercy!”

Wails of misery filled the guard station, but Fucha Fuheng remained unmoved.

This was all for their own good. If he let the matter slide lightly, they would develop a false sense of security and might one day actually commit some real disgraceful act.

A hundred recitations were a moderate punishment—and a reminder to everyone.

After leaving the guard station, Fucha Fuheng couldn’t help but open his palm again on the way back. He gazed at the small stone in his hand and murmured, “And that palace maid… who exactly is she? And what does this thing mean? Could it really be ‘my heart is as firm as stone’?”

The commotion in the guard station wasn’t huge, but it wasn’t small either. When no one was deliberately trying to conceal it, it naturally couldn’t escape the eyes of those who were paying attention.

“Auntie! Auntie!” Jinxiu knocked on Aunt Fang’s door, her face full of excitement. “I found out who that guard is!”

“Oh?” Aunt Fang sat up on the bed. “Who?”

“His name is Qijia—Qingxi. I heard the two of them not only exchanged private gifts, but also swapped love tokens…” Jinxiu embellished and dramatized the events in the guard station, then added, “I also found out that he’s on duty every five days, guarding the Qianqing Gate. Today must be the day they secretly arranged to meet!”

“The people in the Imperial Guard quarters already know about those two. It’s basically a done deal now,” Aunt Fang said with a cold laugh. “You keep a close eye on her for me. I reckon it won’t be many more days before those two are going to cause a major incident!”

Jinxiu didn’t need Aunt Fang to tell her—she was already watching Wei Yingluo like a hawk.

Yet no matter how closely she watched, she never once caught Wei Yingluo in the act of meeting a man privately. Several times Aunt Fang pressed her for a report, and all she could offer were faint traces and suspicious clues.

But weren’t those faint traces enough to prove something?

“Ugh!” In the palace maids’ dining hall, the food had just been served when Wei Yingluo suddenly covered her mouth and rushed toward the doorway, retching violently.

Jixiang quickly brought the dish of vegetables up to her nose, sniffing at it like a small animal for a long while before asking in confusion, “It doesn’t smell spoiled… Sister Yingluo, do you just not like fish?”

Today’s meal was excellent—there was both fish and meat. Especially the bowl of fish soup each person received: the broth was milky white, the fish flesh had almost melted into it, the bones softened by long simmering so they could be swallowed whole. It was incredibly fresh and fragrant, lingering on the lips and teeth.

Palace maids rarely got to eat meat, but fish was even rarer—not because fish was more expensive, but because eating too much could leave a fishy taste in the mouth, which might displease their masters.

Everyone treasured this rare chance—everyone except Wei Yingluo.

“…Mm, I don’t really like fish,” Wei Yingluo replied, turning back with a strained smile at Jixiang. “You can have mine.”

Jixiang was delighted. “Sure, sure! Then I’ll give you my green beans.”

Just as they were exchanging plates, a voice suddenly cut in from the side: “Is your stomach upset? My sister-in-law was like that when she was pregnant—everything she ate made her want to throw up.”

Wei Yingluo’s face froze. She turned toward the speaker and said, “Last time Noble Consort Hui bestowed quite a few lotus-root-flour dumplings. I ate too many by accident and my stomach hasn’t been right since. It’s nothing serious.”

Jinxiu smiled but said nothing. Inside, however, she scoffed—

Lotus-root-flour dumplings? That was three months ago, old news. Even if they were hard to digest, they couldn’t possibly still be causing trouble now!

Could it really be…?

Jinxiu’s gaze drifted casually across Wei Yingluo’s abdomen.

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   Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 21: Lotus-Root-Flour Dumplings

   Whether someone is pretending to be stupid cannot be seen in front of others—only when no one is watching can the truth be revealed.

Zhilan left Chuxiu Palace carrying a six-sided palace lantern.

She deliberately kept the wick turned very low, so that it only illuminated a few inches ahead of her feet. This way she wouldn’t startle anyone.

Taking a familiar shortcut, Zhilan managed to leave Chuxiu Palace ahead of Wei Yingluo and then hid herself on the path the girl must take back to the embroidery workshop.

The moment she heard footsteps approaching, she blew out the lantern.

Darkness immediately enveloped her. Zhilan pressed herself behind a large tree. The tree’s shadow fell over her like a shroud of black clouds and mist, wrapping her tightly in darkness so that no eye could discern her.

Soon the footsteps drew nearer, accompanied by a series of little burps.

“Oh no!” The footsteps suddenly stopped.

Zhilan held her breath at once, straining to hear what she would say.

“If I just take these dumplings back like this, what if everyone asks me to share them?” Wei Yingluo muttered in distress. “They’re so delicious—I really don’t want to share them with anyone. Maybe… maybe I should just eat them all right now!”

Under Zhilan’s stunned gaze, she lifted the bowl and began gulping them down. Halfway through, she suddenly went “waaah” and vomited everything—along with what she had already eaten back in Chuxiu Palace—onto the ground.

As she retched, she suddenly squatted down and began to cry. Zhilan thought at first that she was crying over some grievance, but then she heard her sigh mournfully: “How did it all come back up… ah, what a waste, what a waste…”

This person—this person really is an idiot!!

Zhilan couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Afraid that continuing would only dirty her eyes and ears further, she spat softly in disgust and turned to leave to report back.

Behind her, the sound of vomiting continued in fits and starts.

Wei Yingluo forcefully dug at her own throat. She knew that the louder and more violent her retching sounded, the faster Zhilan would hurry away.

“Cough, cough cough…” After finally emptying her stomach, Wei Yingluo slowly raised her head. The violent vomiting had caused glistening tears to well up at the corners of her eyes, yet two flames still burned fiercely within them.

Play dumb.

Noble Consort Hui’s sudden attack had come too abruptly. In her panic, this was the only tactic she could think of to cope.

Anyone can pretend to be stupid, but precisely because it’s something anyone can do, it becomes all the more difficult. The hardest part was how to quickly extinguish Noble Consort Hui’s killing intent.

One must remember that this mistress had the heart of a snake and scorpion—she could casually strike even at the consorts and concubines of the rear palace, to say nothing of a lowly little palace maid like her.

That was why she had eaten those seven bowls of lotus-root-flour dumplings just right—enough to look convincing, but not enough to truly harm herself.

Presumably, that self-proclaimed clever woman Noble Consort Hui would, for a considerable length of time to come, no longer waste her attention on a “fool” like her.

“Noble Consort Hui would not target me without reason.” Wei Yingluo wiped the residue from the corner of her mouth and sneered coldly. “So who was the one who informed her?”

That person was surely hiding not far from her side.

Her first suspicion fell on Jinxiu—after all, she was in the know, and it had been she who led Zhilan to the embroidery workshop to find her. But for the moment she had no proof. And besides Jinxiu, there were three others who had never gotten along with her and never stopped badmouthing her behind her back—for example, right now.

Three days had passed since her return from Noble Consort Hui’s palace. On this day, the palace maids from the embroidery workshop and the gold-and-jade workshop were suddenly summoned to one place. They were told that a senior eunuch would soon arrive to give them instructions.

When many people gather, mouths multiply.

The three of them huddled together, whispering in voices neither too loud nor too soft—just loud enough for those nearby to hear clearly. One of them said:

“Wei Yingluo came back very late last night, you know—”

“Wasn’t she summoned to Chuxiu Palace by Sister Zhilan?”

“After Sister Zhilan finished giving her instructions, do you think she’d keep her for dinner? You’re so naive. After she left Chuxiu Palace, she went straight to a secret rendezvous! Her sweetheart is one of the guards in the Forbidden City!”

They spoke with such vivid detail, as if they had witnessed it with their own eyes. Half the people believed it outright; the other half didn’t quite believe it, yet still listened with relish. After all, the love of gossip is universal—even if one doesn’t believe the story, it can still be entertaining.

Everyone turned to look. Wei Yingluo couldn’t help clenching her fists tightly.

“Eunuch Li has arrived!”

The sharp announcement from a young eunuch temporarily silenced the chatter.

Wei Yingluo only glanced up once before quickly lowering her head again.

Truly, good news never travels, while bad news arrives in droves. She recognized the Eunuch Li approaching from the opposite side—he was none other than the senior eunuch who had been attending the Emperor the last time.

Fortunately, Eunuch Li did not recognize her. The weather was rather hot today; there was no need even to speak—merely standing in the sun for a little while was enough to soak one’s back in sweat. Several attentive young eunuchs hurriedly carried over a chair into the shade, presented tea and a fruit platter. Eunuch Li took two sips of water, then instructed:

“Who has come?”

“The newly arrived palace maids from the embroidery workshop and the gold-and-jade workshop,” a young eunuch replied while fanning him.

Eunuch Li nodded. “Same as the past few days—begin.”

He folded his hands in front of his abdomen, leaned back in the chair, and closed his eyes as if dozing. Yet he was not truly asleep; instead, he kept both ears pricked high.

“Come, line up one by one and speak,” the young eunuch ordered. “Just say: This humble servant is tickling the sacred tree!”

What kind of words were these?

The palace maids looked at one another, completely baffled by the meaning.

“Hurry up—don’t waste Eunuch Li’s time!” the young eunuch urged impatiently.

At last, one palace maid stepped forward with gritted teeth:

“This humble servant is tickling the sacred tree…”

Before she could finish speaking, Eunuch Li, reclining in his chair, slowly shook his head. The young eunuch attendant had been watching his every move from the corner of his eye and immediately called out:

“Next.”

“This humble servant is tickling the sacred tree’s itch.”

“Next.”

“This humble servant is tickling the sacred tree’s itch.”

“Next.”

“This humble servant is tickling the sacred tree’s itch.”

“Next.”

The line in front of her grew shorter and shorter, while the sweat on Wei Yingluo’s face grew more and more abundant.

“Sister Yingluo, are you very hot?” Jixiang handed her a handkerchief, asking worriedly, “Here, use this to wipe your sweat.”

Wei Yingluo accepted the handkerchief without a word, raised her hand to dab at the perspiration, then suddenly swayed and collapsed to the ground.

Jixiang was startled and hurriedly threw herself over her. “Sister Yingluo! Sister Yingluo, what’s wrong?”

The commotion was loud enough that Eunuch Li slowly opened his eyes.

“What’s happening?”

The young eunuch went over to check, then returned and reported:

“Eunuch, it’s a little palace maid who fainted from the heat.”

Eunuch Li glanced up at the sky. Even though layers of dense tree canopy shaded them overhead, a few threads of sunlight still slipped through the gaps between leaves and struck the skin like scalding water.

“This weather really is hard to endure.” Eunuch Li raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and gave the order: “Take the one who fainted back first. Everyone else, move into the shade and continue.”

“This humble servant will scratch the sacred tree’s itch.”

“Next.”

“This humble servant will scratch the sacred tree’s itch.”

“Next.”

“This humble servant will scratch the sacred tree’s itch.”

“Next.”

The voices of the exchanges gradually faded into the distance.

Wei Yingluo, half-carried and half-supported by Jixiang as they walked back, opened her eyes for a moment—then quickly closed them again, letting out a quiet sigh of relief in her heart.

She still didn’t know why Eunuch Li was looking for her, but fortunately she hadn’t shown her face that day. She had been wearing ordinary palace maid attire; neither the collar nor the cuffs bore any special embroidery—such privileges belonged only to senior palace maids and the older aunties and mammies.

Eunuch Li could only search among the low-ranking maids, and he could only identify her by voice.

The leather workshop, the embroidery workshop, the gold-and-jade workshop, the Ruyi Pavilion… he still had thousands of voices left to listen to. Most likely, after hearing so many, he would gradually forget what her voice sounded like.

“This matter isn’t urgent for the time being,” Wei Yingluo thought to herself. “The priority right now is to deal with the gossip and rumors swirling around me. Hah—though they say rumors stop with the wise, in this world the fools far outnumber the wise. There are hardly any truly clever people…”

Even Momo Zhang was thinking the very same thing.

After the embroidery workshop’s tasks were finished, she kept Wei Yingluo behind alone. She closed the doors and windows, shutting out any curious ears, then asked gravely:

“Everyone is saying that you are involved with a certain guard. Is there any truth to it?”

Wei Yingluo smiled. “Momo, the rumors have even reached you?”

“They are everywhere in the embroidery workshop,” Momo Zhang said earnestly. “I don’t believe them myself, but when three people repeat a story, it becomes a tiger. Rumors can do great harm. You must be especially careful.”

The two of them looked at each other in silence. After a moment, Wei Yingluo finally asked softly, “What’s the worst-case scenario?”

“The worst case,” Momo Zhang replied, “is if the rumor reaches Chief Steward Wu’s ears.”

Although she had met him before and even earned his favor, knowing a person’s face does not mean knowing their heart. Wei Yingluo freely admitted that her understanding of Chief Steward Wu was far less than that of the mammy before her, who had crawled and rolled through the harem for more than a decade. So she asked earnestly, “Momo, in your opinion—if the rumor really does reach Chief Steward Wu’s ears in the worst-case scenario—would he punish me without distinguishing right from wrong?”

“That he would not do.” Momo Zhang thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Chief Steward Wu is a man who gets things done properly. If something falls into his hands, he will almost certainly investigate it thoroughly—unlike some of the other eunuchs, who would casually dispose of people just to quiet things down quickly.”

“I understand…” Wei Yingluo said thoughtfully.

She believed in settling grudges without letting them fester overnight. If there was an enemy, deal with them early—never leave them lurking in the shadows, where they could strike at any moment. As she left the embroidery workshop, a plan was gradually taking shape in Wei Yingluo’s mind. She was only missing one thing… a prop.

Her footsteps suddenly halted. She turned her gaze toward the corridor opposite.

Several craftsmen were pushing a cart past.

One of the younger craftsmen sensed something and turned his head—only to meet Wei Yingluo’s gentle smile. His entire face instantly flushed crimson. He froze in place, stammering speechlessly, as if an immortal maiden had pointed at him and turned him to stone. It wasn’t until one of his companions smacked him on the back of the head and scolded him—” What are you staring at? You want to lose your eyes? That’s a palace woman. She looks that beautiful—who knows if she’s actually one of the ladies…”—that he snapped out of it.

The group hurriedly lowered their heads and pushed the cart away in a fluster.

Because of their hasty movements, a scattering of white powdery soil spilled onto the ground where the wheels had passed.

A pair of white embroidered shoes slowly approached. Then a slender, beautiful hand reached down and scooped up a handful of the scattered dust.

Looking down at the white powder in her palm, a breathtakingly beautiful smile slowly bloomed across Wei Yingluo’s face.

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