“Mistress, let this servant go out and see.” Ziyun stepped outside. Spotting Eunuch Zhang from Empress Liang’s palace, she greeted him with a polite smile: “This servant pays her respects to Eunuch Zhang. May I ask what brings you here today?”
Ziyun privately suspected that the Empress had likely caught wind of the Crown Prince bringing a woman back and had specifically sent someone over to take a look.
Sweeping a sidelong glance at Ziyun, Eunuch Zhang maintained a cold, haughty expression. His voice was sharp and shrill, sounding as though he were perpetually pinching his throat: “Her Majesty the Empress heard that His Highness has brought a young lady back. Naturally, out of concern for the Crown Prince, Her Majesty wishes to lay eyes on her in person.”
Ziyun didn’t take Eunuch Zhang’s condescending attitude to heart; after all, as someone serving directly by the Empress’s side, very few people dared to cross him.
“Please step inside, Eunuch Zhang.”
With a flick of his horsetail whisk, Eunuch Zhang brushed past Ziyun and strode straight into the main hall. The moment he stepped inside and caught sight of Nanzhi sitting in the chair, he paused for a fraction of a second, entirely blindsided by Nanzhi’s breathtaking beauty. No wonder the Crown Prince, who had always kept women at arm’s length, brought her back.
Such looks were peerless, even if placed inside an imperial harem brimming with beauties gathered from across the empire.
His Highness certainly has a sharp eye.
Recovering his composure, Eunuch Zhang stepped forward and inspected Nanzhi closely for a moment before speaking in a measured tone: “You must be the young lady His Highness brought back, yes? This servant serves in Her Majesty the Empress’s palace. The Empress wishes to see you. Come along with this servant, Milady.”
Eunuch Zhang’s attitude could hardly be described as courteous. He clearly didn’t hold Nanzhi in high regard and even let a distinct streak of disdain color his manner.
While the beauty was indeed stunning, the Crown Prince had never been a man ruled by carnal desires. For all he knew, this girl had brazenly seduced His Highness, and the Crown Prince’s interest was likely nothing more than a passing fancy.
Nanzhi easily read the contempt hidden in Eunuch Zhang’s chilly gaze, but she had no energy to waste on petty grievances right now. Her mind was entirely consumed by a single startling thought: The Empress actually wants to see me?
She had just arrived and hadn’t yet figured out the Empress’s temperament; this summons from the Empress had come far too abruptly.
Naturally, Nanzhi couldn’t simply flat-out refuse. Though a flutter of panic rippled through her chest, she forced herself to calm down almost instantly. When the enemy attacks, parry with a sword; when the flood rises, build a dam.
Offering a light, composed smile, Nanzhi replied courteously: “Sorry to trouble Eunuch Zhang with leading the way.”
With that, she followed Eunuch Zhang toward the Empress’s palace. Ziyun trailed closely behind her, though Qingyu, who had been inside the room just moments before, had vanished without a trace.
Throughout the walk, Ziyun was consumed by anxiety. An abrupt summons from the Empress meant this meeting was bound to be far more complicated than a simple casual greeting.
Nanzhi was acutely aware of the dangers Ziyun was worrying over. For now, she could only take things one step at a time, though privately, she wouldn’t mind at all if the Empress took an instant dislike to her and threw her out of the palace.
She wouldn’t hesitate for even a split second.
Suppressing the complex web of emotions churning in her chest, Nanzhi finally arrived outside the grand entrance of the Empress’s Changchun Palace.
Eunuch Zhang came to a halt, turned around, and cast a final warning look at Nanzhi: “Milady, wait here for a moment while this servant goes inside to announce your arrival.”
Nanzhi nodded with a polite smile, standing upright and composed as she waited in place. The palace maids and eunuchs passing by couldn’t resist casting curious, wide-eyed glances her way.
From a short distance away, a few maids began whispering and gossoping among themselves:
“Is that the beauty the Crown Prince brought back?”
“It has to be! I never thought His Highness would actually bring a woman home!”
“She is drop-dead gorgeous. She makes Consort Li from the imperial inner court look utterly plain by comparison.”
“Shh, keep your voice down. She’s looking right over this way.”
As she spoke, Nanzhi’s gaze happened to intersect with that group of maids. Instead of speaking up, she offered them a faint, gentle smile that instantly flushed their faces red with embarrassment. Guiltily lowering their heads, they hurried away from the spot.
Withdrawing her gaze, Nanzhi acted as though nothing had happened at all.
After waiting for a short while, she noticed that Eunuch Zhang still hadn’t emerged from the inner hall, causing her to knit her brows in quiet contemplation. Could the Empress be deliberately trying to make things difficult for me?
She was intentionally laying down psychological pressure even before Nanzhi had set foot inside.
While Nanzhi maintained her composure, Ziyun grew increasingly uneasy beside her, starting to fret on her mistress’s behalf as she caught a distinct whiff of ominous foreboding in the air.
The Empress likely held a deep displeasure toward Nanzhi; otherwise, she wouldn’t have left them standing out here for so long without a summons.
Before long, the heavy atmosphere surrounding Nanzhi stirred once more as another group of palace maids began whispering among themselves.
“Hmph, who knows where she crawled out from? She’s just leaning on a couple of decent looks to seduce the Crown Prince,” one maid muttered, her tone dripping with undisguised disdain and a flash of venomous jealousy.
“Sister Biyun, keep your voice down! You’ll get us caught.”
“What is there to fear? Didn’t you see the Empress dislikes her?” Biyun retorted, her shrill voice carrying across the courtyard as she rolled her eyes.
Though Biyun thought she was being subtle, Nanzhi’s hearing was sharp enough to catch every word. Following the direction of the voice, she turned her head just in time to catch Biyun mid-eye-roll.
Meeting the maid with a cold, detached glance, Nanzhi calmly withdrew her eyes.
Realizing she had been caught and feeling looked down upon, Biyun boiled with incandescent rage. She’s just got a pretty face, what’s she so smug about?!
The Crown Prince is going to grow sick of her sooner or later!
Biyun had originally been selected by the Empress as a bedchamber maid-in-waiting for the Crown Prince. Unfortunately, Shen Huaixu had flatly rejected Empress Liang’s good intentions. Seeing Nanzhi now, Biyun was consumed by a blazing, blinding fire of jealousy.
Which palace maid didn’t want to serve the Crown Prince? Even securing the lowest position as an imperial bedchamber maid was something countless women scrambled for.
Who wouldn’t want to latch onto the massive tree of the Crown Prince? If one were fortunate enough to win his favor, they could instantly leap up the branch and transform into a phoenix.
Back then, Biyun had exhausted every trick in the book and pulled numerous strings to catch the Empress’s eye. The Empress had even chosen her and dispatched her to the Crown Prince’s quarters, only for Shen Huaixu to refuse to spare her even a single glance before having her and the others sent straight back to the Empress’s palace, completely untouched.
Laying eyes on Nanzhi today, and knowing she had been personally brought back by the Crown Prince—coupled with her breathtaking, ethereal beauty—Biyun’s envy reached its absolute boiling point.
Suppressing her bitter resentment, Biyun watched Nanzhi out of the corner of her eye. As she walked past her, she deliberately aimed to bump her shoulder against Nanzhi’s.
To Biyun’s shock, Nanzhi seemed to have anticipated her move all along. The moment Biyun closed in, Nanzhi smoothly shifted her weight and sidestepped a few paces away.
Losing her balance entirely, Biyun stumbled forward with a ragged lurch, nearly face-planting onto the stone pavement until Nanzhi reached out and caught her by the arm, steadying her.
With a warm smile and a soothing, melodious voice, Nanzhi steadied her and said, “Careful now, Miss. Watch your step.”
Nanzhi had already figured out that this maid was likely infatuated with the Crown Prince and had targeted her out of pure spite. After all, they were complete strangers; why else would someone try to trip her up out of nowhere?
The hostility radiating from the maid’s eyes was glaringly obvious from yards away, keeping Nanzhi on high alert from the start.
Though she harbored zero desire to help someone who clearly wished her ill—knowing full well that kindness wouldn’t buy her an ounce of gratitude—she was currently standing inside the Empress’s palace grounds. Playing the part of the gracious lady was simply a necessity.
Lifting her head, Biyun stared at her in utter astonishment. Not only had she failed to knock Nanzhi down, but she had ended up making a complete fool of herself instead, fueling an even deeper, burning hatred for Nanzhi in her heart.
Lowering her eyelashes to mask the dark, spiteful glint flashing through her eyes, Biyun quickly slapped on a fake, subservient smile and offered her thanks: “Thank you, Milady.”