Thief?
Nianyao instinctively thought of her own small Jade Ring—the one she had originally intended to send out of the palace but had been confiscated by the guards.
Nianyao suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness. Now, this could be considered a blessing in disguise.
A faint smile touched Nianyao’s dimpled cheeks as she comforted, “It’s fine. We have clear consciences, so surely nothing will happen.”
The blue-clad palace maid nodded and was about to say something.
But then she saw the matron walking solemnly toward them.
Nianyao’s right eyelid twitched violently.
The next moment, the matron swept her gaze up and down Nianyao.
“You’re the one by the window?”
Nianyao didn’t know what they were searching for, but she had already checked before leaving her room earlier. Apart from the handkerchiefs she had embroidered herself and intended to take out of the palace to sell, there was nothing else.
Nianyao nodded, speaking softly, “Yes, Matron, that is my spot.”
The matron snorted coldly, her disdainful gaze sweeping over Nianyao as she raised a hand. “Take her away.”
Nianyao’s expression shifted slightly, but the maidservants behind the matron had already stepped forward.
Growing anxious, she even quickened her speech: “May I ask why the matron wishes to take me away? Whether it leads to life or death, at least let this servant know what she has done.”
Hearing Nianyao’s words, the matron turned and stared at her lovely, flower-like face.
She extended her hand, showing Nianyao what she held in her palm. “This item certainly shouldn’t belong to a mere maidservant like you.”
In her hand was a pearl from the East Sea. If it were just any Eastern pearl, that would be one thing. But this one, anyone with eyes could tell, was from the Empress Dowager’s crown.
The blue-clad maid who had been standing beside Nianyao paled slightly.
She unconsciously took a step back, her gaze toward Nianyao turning into disgust, as if Nianyao were some heinous criminal.
The color gradually drained from Nianyao’s face. Her lips moved. “This… this isn’t something I took.”
But facing the stern matron, Nianyao’s words seemed feeble.
The matron snorted again. “Whether it was you or not will become clear in time.”
She had no desire to say more to Nianyao.
Nianyao was merely the daughter of a disgraced official—parents dead, without power or influence, and even despised by her own master.
Even if she were wrongly accused, no one would come to plead her case.
And she, the matron, having recovered the Empress Dowager’s lost treasure, would surely receive a great reward. Even if she had caught the wrong person, as long as that person died, it would be a case of no evidence against the dead.
The matron rubbed the Eastern pearl in her hand. Truly a treasure of utmost value—smooth and sleek to the touch, the grain large and plump.
“Someone, take her to the Office of Punishments.”
The Office of Punishments—the place palace maids and eunuchs feared most.
If you entered without connections, you went in standing up and came out lying down.
Merely having broken hands or feet was considered a good outcome there.
What was truly feared was leaving with not a single patch of unbroken skin, having endured every torture before finally breathing your last.
An older palace maid had once told Nianyao and her group that if someone was sent to the Office of Punishments, there was no point in struggling.
Better to dash your head against something and die before entering, ending it all without suffering.
The old maid’s words flashed through Nianyao’s mind. Despair filled her eyes.
Could it be… could it be that her life would end like this, silently fading away?
But she still had younger siblings! And her father, whose injustice had yet to be cleared!
Nianyao’s vision blurred, gradually revealing her father’s face.
Prime Minister Jiang, with his long beard and solemn countenance, yet his eyes when looking at Nianyao held the unique tenderness only a father could possess.
Nianyao’s throat tightened. She gritted her teeth until her gums bled, her eyes already bloodshot, startling everyone nearby.
This version of Nianyao was entirely different from the timid girl they usually saw—as if she were two separate people.
It was impossible to connect the two.
“Injustice!”
“This humble servant, Jiang Nianyao, begs an audience with the Empress Dowager!”
Nianyao’s words were choked with blood, each syllable a tearful plea. Those who had seen Prime Minister Jiang before felt a sudden dizziness; Nianyao’s face gradually transformed into another’s.
Mama An was no exception. Her face pale, she snapped out of her absurd reverie.
Prime Minister Jiang had held the reins of the court for seventeen years, since the current emperor was a boy of fifteen or sixteen.
Even now, his lingering influence could faintly be felt within the palace walls.
Mama An opened her mouth, but seeing Nianyao like this, she found herself unable to utter a refusal.
Her expression darkened slightly. “Since she wishes to see the Empress Dowager, let her kneel before Her Majesty! Let’s see what pretty words she can spin.”
The others glanced at Mama An, then at Nianyao.
Involuntarily, a sliver of admiration for Nianyao arose in their hearts.
Everyone knew Mama An was someone who never went back on her word. Yet now, for the first time, they witnessed her retract what she had said.
However, though she had granted Nianyao permission to see the Empress Dowager,
whether the Empress Dowager would actually receive her was not up to the servants, but rested in the hands of their superiors, their masters.
The Empress Dowager had just risen from her afternoon nap. Her inner robe was made of the most exquisite floral brocade tribute from Jiangnan, embroidered with swirling cloud patterns—delicate yet grand.
Hearing the commotion outside, she reached up to massage her temples.
“What is happening?”
Mama An, who attended her closely, handed the Empress Dowager a cup of warm water. Her gentle, soothing voice instantly eased the Empress Dowager’s irritation.
“This humble servant heard that the Eastern Pearl has been found.”
“Oh? Is that so.” The Empress Dowager took a sip of tea, cradling a warming pot in her hands, feeling the warmth spread through her body.
Her gaze fell upon the window lattice, her expression indifferent.
“Then why is there still such a racket outside?”
Mama An carefully took the teacup from the Empress Dowager’s hands. “I heard it’s the little thief, clamoring to see Your Majesty to plead her innocence.”
The Empress Dowager’s brow furrowed slightly. “See me? What are they doing for their meals, letting anyone approach at will!”
Seeing the Empress Dowager about to lose her temper, Mama An quickly moved behind her, setting the teacaside and beginning to massage her shoulders.
“Your Majesty, that person… is said to be Nianyao.”
Inside the inner hall of Shouning Palace, Mama An’s words instantly plunged the room into dead silence.
Even Mama An, who had spoken so aptly moments before, felt uneasy in her heart.
An unknown length of time passed; even the wind outside grew still.
Only then did the Empress Dowager’s cool voice break the silence.
“In that case, bring her in.”
Upon hearing this, Mama An ceased her movements, lowering her eyes and bowing her head. “Yes.”
In the main hall of Shouning Palace, Nianyao had lost count of how many times she had scrubbed these very tiles in the two years since entering the palace.
Now, gazing at them, their patterns seemed intricately complex, each winding and twisting line as if following its own predetermined fate.
Nianyao knelt on the ground, her knees aching sharply. She kept her head bowed, not daring to make a sound.
She was gambling.
Betting on her identity—the identity of a daughter of the Jiang family. Betting that it was worth the Empress Dowager’s audience.