The following evening, Jianqiu brought in the masters from among the common folk.
Yixiu propped her head up and looked at the two people kneeling on the floor. They had their bodies pressed to the ground, their heartbeats pounding like drums.
“This humble one, Xia Yi, pays respects to the Empress.”
“This humble one, Dong Qing, pays respects to the Empress.”
Yixiu waved a hand and gave Jianqiu a look.
Jianqiu understood and said to the two, “You may rise. Lord Qin must have already told you what needs to be done. Just follow the instructions.”
Xia Yi and Dong Qing exchanged a glance, then immediately nodded.
Xia Yi wiped the sweat from their head and bent over to inspect the furnishings in the room, keeping their gaze from the Empress, who was reading on the low couch.
Dong Qing did the same, silently memorizing the furnishings and not daring to glance toward the Empress.
Seeing how sensible they were, Jianqiu did not disturb them as they went about their work. She went over to peel an orange for Yixiu.
Yixiu ate in small bites, occasionally turning a page in the book in her hands.
However, she was not really reading. Strange sounds still disturbed her ears.
The two invited masters finished their inspection quickly. They instructed the palace servants to rearrange some of the furnishings, then came over to take their leave.
Yixiu looked at them crossly and asked, “That’s all?”
Xia Yi and Dong Qing nodded uneasily. “In reply, Your Ladyship, we have corrected all the improperly placed items. Nothing was overlooked.”
Yixiu said nothing, merely waving a hand to signal Jianqiu to see them out.
After seeing them out, Jianqiu returned and stood beside Yixiu again.
“Your Ladyship, was there something wrong with how those two handled things?”
Yixiu shook her head.
Nothing was wrong. They simply hadn’t accomplished what she wanted them to.
“Jianqiu, find some more people.”
Jingren Palace invited several more batches of masters. They kept it from the other people in the palace, but not from the viewers watching the show.
【They’ve invited masters three times already. Even if they’re padding things out, they can’t make it this obvious, can they?】
【I’m just curious why the Empress is inviting masters. They haven’t explained any of the backstory, so it’s impossible to understand.】
【Exactly. In other shows, at least some haunting happens before they invite masters. This one didn’t even bother with a setup.】
【The Empress is really strange. I remember when I watched this on TV before, I found out she was a villain along with Huanhuan. Now she looks evil at first glance.】
【Finally, you’ve noticed something’s off about the Empress too! I knew I wasn’t the only one who noticed her strange behavior and how she’s always looking at the ceiling.】
【Yixiu, what’s on the ceiling? Why do you just have to keep looking at it?】
Yixiu’s hand jerked as she trimmed the flowers. She missed the stray branch beside it and cut off the flower’s finest bloom instead.
Jianqiu froze for a moment, picked up the severed flower, and turned to look at Yixiu.
“Your Ladyship.”
Yixiu’s expression was grim as she set down the scissors with a heavy clatter.
“Take this pot of flowers away.”
Jianqiu gave Huichun a look. Huichun carried the flowers out, and Jianqiu casually tossed the cut flower onto the others.
“Your Ladyship, you’ve seemed distracted lately. Shall I invite an Imperial Physician to examine you?”
Yixiu waved her off.
She knew medicine herself and knew nothing was wrong with her health.
Jianqiu knew Yixiu was skilled in medicine too, so she did not press the matter, but she remained very worried about Yixiu’s condition.
Yixiu rubbed her temples and stood up.
“Jianqiu, there’s no need to invite anyone to examine me again.”
Jianqiu agreed and supported Yixiu as they walked outside.
Feeling vexed, Yixiu went to the Imperial Garden.
Though it was autumn, the flowers in the Imperial Garden were still in full bloom.
Yixiu was not the only one taking a stroll in the Imperial Garden. An Lingrong was there too, stifled from staying cooped up in the palace and sitting in a pavilion embroidering.
Standing beside the rockery, Yixiu watched An Lingrong and suddenly remarked, “As one crop of flowers withers, another blooms. The Forbidden City is never short of flowers in bloom.”
Jianqiu gently squeezed Yixiu’s arm and said softly, “Your Ladyship is a flower that never fades.”
Yixiu smiled and, looking at An Lingrong, asked, “Who is she?”
“Answering Lady An of Yanxi Palace.”
“Answering Lady An. I’ve been so busy lately that I forgot about her.”