79: Picked Up A Maid
Xiao Ting wanted to avoid them, but now she couldn’t. She had to pretend to be well-behaved and respectfully greet the Empress Dowager and the Empress.
“Get up. The banquet is about to begin. If you’re not seated and waiting, where are you going?”
The Empress Dowager’s voice was still not very warm.
Xiao Ting cursed in her mind, old witch, none of your business.
But she replied, “Replying to the Empress Dowager, Ting’er wanted to go see how Aunt Guifei is preparing.”
The Empress Dowager frowned slightly, held her head high, then instructed: “Then go. Xiao Guifei has been in a bad mood recently, so you can tell her once you meet, be careful not to be a joke later.”
Xiao Ting obediently agreed.
She knew that if her Aunt Guifei suddenly saw Tao Zhi’s body in the lake, she’d be shocked. Now that it’s the Emperor’s birthday, there’s a dance that she must do every year.
The Empress Dowager was worried that she’d make a fool of herself and damage the face of the Imperial family.
Xiao Ting secretly thought: To hell with the role of mother-in-law. She only cared about her son, regardless of who he married. No matter their face or body, hehe, as long as her son is well, it didn’t matter if some of them fell to their deaths.
Xiao Ting lowered her eyebrows and planned to leave. Suddenly Si Yue Junzhu asked: “Imperial Grandmother, Si Yue hasn’t been to the Imperial Capital for a long time. I don’t know who this younger sister is?”
The Empress Dowager smiled and patted Si Yue Junzhu’s hand, saying: “She’s Xiao Ting, it’s your Ninth Uncle’s newly accepted wangfei.”
New?
Also, accepted?
Didn’t he marry me?
Xiao Ting thought that based on how this old woman treated her, she must not like her, so why did she receive damage, ah?
But Si Yue Junzhu had a surprised expression, and it took a long time before she said: “It turns out that she’s the Sixth Miss from Imperial Uncle Xiao’s family, the famous Xiao Ting!”
Her eyes turned slightly in disdain.
Xiao Ting thought, is she that famous? Also, she’s known throughout the Empire?
Why didn’t it spread all over the five countries and ten provinces?
“By the way, Imperial Grandmother, didn’t Ninth Uncle already have a wife?”
The Empress Dowager patiently explained: “Your Ninth Aunt is a fateful person and died four years ago.”
After she finished speaking, she introduced Si Yue Junzhu to Xiao Ting, “This is Si Yue Junzhu from Rui Wangfu.”
Xiao Ting twitched the corner of her mouth, took a few deep breathes before smiling at Si Yue, acknowledging her.
I will endure.
But this dissatisfied the Empress Dowager. Her face sank as she said, “What kind of expression is this? Do you have no etiquette?”
The Empress always felt Xiao Ting was displeasing to the eye from the beginning. It’s just that Empress Dowager was in front, so she didn’t have the right to speak.
Seeing this, she added oil to the fire and said: “Imperial Mother, Jiu Wangfei has always been like this, so you don’t have to lower yourself to her level.”
“Yes, ah, Imperial Grandmother, Sixth Miss is lively by nature, and she certainly knows very little about the rules of our Imperial family. Besides, she’s not from a scholarly family, so you shouldn’t ask too much. Why bother with her!”
Si Yue Junzhu and the Empress performed a ‘you say, I say’ skit. Even if Xiao Ting was more straightforward, a bad image has been drawn right now.
One said that she had always been unruly, and the other called her Sixth Miss. That was not to recognize her as Jiu Wangfei, let alone call her Ninth Aunt.
She blinked at the two women winking and chattering about her.
Xiao Ting accepted them one by one.
I will endure once more.
It’s a pity that these people didn’t end there.
So, she suddenly rolled her eyes, looked behind them, and said: “Emperor.”
The women turned their heads subconsciously but saw nothing behind them, only the quiet road with swaying lanterns.
When they turned around, there was only the maid, who had knelt there for a long time and was leading the way for Xiao Ting.
Xiao Ting’s figure was nowhere to be found.
At this time, Xiao Ting had already gone to another road after they turned around. These women are annoying. It seemed better to visit the Palace less in the future.
And that ghost junzhu also opposed her.
She couldn’t afford to provoke her or hide from her, ah.
There should be no hatred between them, right?
Could it be that the original host once beat her?
Xiao Ting thought as she walked, but she couldn’t think of a reason. There’s no helping it, who made her only inherit part of the memory of the original host.
She shook her head and suddenly realized the darkness in front of her and something blocking her way.
Xiao Ting was dumbfounded, where is this?
A dilapidated courtyard, a collapsed gate, and pitch blackness. No matter how you look at it, it’s eerie.
She took a look at the road. After avoiding the Empress Dowager and the others, she didn’t seem to have met anyone again.
So, is this the cold palace or a forbidden palace?
Walking forward, she could still see under the plain moonlight. At a glance, this palace should have been left like this for more than ten years. There are wild weeds everywhere and even two very lively hares jumping around.
Xiao Ting was speechless. This is the Palace, ah!
How could such a sight appear in the noblest place of the Imperial Capital?
However, as she continued, she didn’t find anything iconic. She didn’t know what this place is, and she didn’t meet anyone, so Xiao Ting was about to return where she came from.
Who would have thought that when she was about to turn around, her feet got entangled in something?
She bowed her head and took a look at the weeds. Frick, there was someone at her feet.
She stepped on someone’s long hair. This turning movement twisted it along the weeds next to it and tangled her ankle.
Xiao Ting knelt and pushed the person, but there was no response.
“Is it a corpse?”
She turned the person over, only to find that it was a young woman.
Her eyes were tightly closed, seemingly asleep. There’s still weak breath from her nose, and her arms and legs were intact, but her night clothes are too thin.
She was also holding a sheepskin scroll tightly in her hand. Xiao Ting was just about to take it and look, but the young woman suddenly opened her eyes, a cold glint flashing for a moment.
Seeing this, even Xiao Ting, who had seen countless ghosts, was taken aback.
“Gods, you scared this miss to death.”
The weeds could reach more than three feet high, and Xiao Ting tripped and fell to the ground as soon as she retreated.
The young woman was about eighteen or nineteen years old, with long hair and a high bun, her eyes sharp with killing intent.
“Who are you? Why are you here?”
Before Xiao Ting could react, a shimmering cold sword crossed her neck. The cold feeling brought goosebumps all over her body.
“I say, beautiful woman, what are you doing? This is the Palace!”
Xiao Ting felt that the woman in front of her was very kind, and although she was indifferent, she looked more confused. Could it be…?
So she had an idea and asked: “Are you also a transmigrator?”
The young woman looked at her condescendingly, not speaking.
Xiao Ting thought they’re the same. She didn’t care about the cold sword on her neck at the moment. She slowly got up and said with a smile: “What if I tell you, I’m also one? Right, I came from Earth, where did you come from?”
“We shouldn’t be from the same hometown! And I’m Chinese, how about you?”
“By the way, you may not know this world yet. I tell you, this is a feudal dynasty. There are people like the Emperor, and there are several dominatrices in this Palace. People must kneel and worship them at every turn. If you accidentally do something that displeases them, they’d cut off your head. It’s really dangerous…”
“Hmph.” The woman snorted, interrupting Xiao Ting’s long story before it ended, and said, “Pretending to be crazy and saying nonsense, isn’t that enough?”
“Uh.” Xiao Ting was speechless, looking at her suspiciously for a long time before reacting, “If you’re not a transmigrator, then who are you?”
“Aiya, it’s over. I let out the secret this time.”
Why is she so stupid that she explained her background when she met someone? Once again, this world is very dangerous.
The world said: I won’t shoulder this blame, you’re obviously just stupid.
Xiao Ting was still muttering when she heard a plop behind her. Just now, the woman, who looked like a peerless master, fainted again.
Xiao Ting was dumbfounded, what’s with this situation?
“Does God want me to kill someone?” Xiao Ting looked at the sky, watching the slowly moving crescent moon in the sky, “How can that be? This miss has never killed before, okay?”
Therefore, a certain woman, who fell into the idiotic channel again, squatted down again and pushed the woman. Seeing the unresponsive woman, she finally gritted her teeth and carried her.
She didn’t know how long she walked before arriving outside of YaoChi Palace to her surprise. Seeing that it was her, the maid guarding the gates hurriedly came over.
“Jiu Wangfei, Guifei has gone to the lake for the banquet.”
The palace maid glanced at the woman being carried by Xiao Ting and said: “Who is she? Do you want this servant to help?”
Xiao Ting nodded repeatedly and said some nonsense: “This is this consort’s maid. She fainted because of some discomfort, so help her in quickly.”
“Yes, Jiu Wangfei.”
The palace maid immediately recruited people to carry the woman in and place her inside the courtyard.
“This consort remembers that Aunt has a momo here who understands the art of medicine, invite her quickly.” Xiao Ting has been to YaoChi Palace several times, so she’s very familiar with the ladies here and can speak very casually.
Ever since Xiao Guifei was poisoned, the Emperor sent a mama over to wait on her in fear that someone would harm Xiao Guifei again.
Only one person got this honor in the entire harem.
Although the Empress sent this mama, Xiao Guifei treated her very well, so seeing Xiao Ting, she also kindly greeted her.
“Mama, please help me see how is my maid?”
Xiao Ting muttered a bit in her heart. She’s lacking in her brains, will this person die?
If she’s going to die, she should throw her out now and not trouble her Aunt.
The mama responded with a smile and told Xiao Ting that she’s okay after a moment. The woman just passed out and would wake up after an hour of rest.
Only then did Xiao Ting relax. Seeing the mama staring at the parchment scroll in the woman’s hand, Xiao Ting walked over and pulled it out of the woman’s hand, then stuffed it into her sleeve pocket.
The mama was also clever and didn’t ask anymore.
“Jiu Wangfei should go to the birthday banquet of His Majesty, this servant will show you the way.”
“Aiya, this is terrible. This consort has to go quickly, thank you all!” Xiao Ting remembered her purpose of entering the Palace, hurriedly lifted her skirt and ran out.
The palace maid who had spoken to her reminded her repeatedly, “Jiu Wangfei, you’re going in the wrong direction.”
Xiao Ting paused, turned around, and said: “Huh? Isn’t it this way?”
Palace maid: So, how did you find YaoChi Palace just now?
“This servant will lead you over!”
“That seems better, hurry up.”