The clamor of voices and frantic footsteps instantly shattered the oppressive silence that had filled the hall.
Su Yao’s teacup trembled violently in her hand, scalding tea splashing onto her skin, yet she felt no pain.
Nanny Chang hurried into the room, her steps rushed, and leaned close to the Empress Dowager’s ear to whisper a few words.
The Empress Dowager’s face, which had held a faint smile moments before, instantly turned ashen. She cast a deep, penetrating glance at Su Yao.
That gaze seemed to pierce right through her, making Su Yao’s heart tighten and her hands and feet turn icy cold.
“Let’s go. I must see this for myself.”
Everyone followed the Empress Dowager as she rushed to the scene. There, twenty-eight palace maids knelt in neat rows on the stone pavement, trembling uncontrollably.
The head matron paced back and forth, a rattan cane in hand, her face flushed with fury. With each step, the cane struck the stone with a sharp, cracking sound that sent chills down everyone’s spine.
“Speak! Who was the last to see Eunuch Hai?” the head matron roared, her voice strained, the flesh on her face trembling with rage. The maids lowered their heads in fear, not daring to make a sound.
Just then, the Empress Dowager arrived. Seeing her, the head matron’s face instantly turned deathly pale. She dropped to her knees with a heavy thud, kowtowing repeatedly, her forehead striking the stone with dull, resounding thumps.
“Your Majesty, Eunuch Hai has gone missing.”
“How could a grown man simply vanish?”
Lu Huaijin stepped forward unhurriedly, his posture tall and straight.
“A mere servant missing? Such a trivial matter dares to disturb everyone at Her Majesty’s Flower Banquet? You insolent dogs have gone too far.”
His cold gaze swept over the crowd, and everyone it touched couldn’t help but shiver.
The servants present hung their heads in shame, wishing they could vanish into the ground.
The head matron was so terrified she nearly collapsed, kowtowing incessantly. Her forehead was already bruised and bleeding, the blood trickling down her cheeks as she pleaded, “Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, have mercy!”
Eunuch Hai’s disappearance instantly plunged the once lively Flower Banquet into chaos. No one had the heart to savor the tea Su Yao had prepared anymore.
She paused in her steps and looked up, spotting Zhao Zhirou standing not far away, conversing with another woman.
The woman looked familiar, but Su Yao couldn’t quite place her at the moment.
Nanny Chang followed Su Yao’s gaze and curled her lip, muttering softly, “That’s Zhao Zhifu, the illegitimate daughter of General Zhao’s family.”
Only then did Su Yao remember—they had indeed met a few times before.
Zhao Zhifu had never been a well-behaved one. Once, Su Yao had even stood up for Zhao Zhirou and taught her a lesson.
Now, standing at a distance, she couldn’t hear what they were saying, but judging by the way they were tugging at each other, the atmosphere was clearly tense.
Yet, at this moment, Su Yao’s mind was consumed with her own safety. How could she spare a thought for others’ affairs?
Eunuch Hai’s disappearance was inextricably linked to her. She felt her life hanging by a thread and knew she had to find a place to hide and think of a plan quickly.
She hurried back, but had only taken a few steps into the inner room when rapid footsteps sounded behind her.
“Su Yao?”
Su Yao’s heart skipped a beat. She stopped and turned to see Zhao Zhifu standing there.
“It really is you.”
Zhao Zhifu wore a triumphant expression, as if she had uncovered some incredible secret.
“You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
Su Yao only wanted to get rid of her quickly. After speaking, she turned and tried to leave in haste, fearing Zhao Zhifu would continue to pester her.
“I definitely didn’t mistake you for someone else.”
Zhao Zhifu quickly stepped forward, directly blocking Su Yao’s path, her tone aggressive. “As the daughter of a disgraced official, how could you appear at the Empress Dowager’s Flower Banquet? You’d better confess honestly—did you use some underhanded means?”
These words struck Su Yao’s ears like a thunderclap.
Her face instantly turned deathly pale, her brows tightly knitted together. Subconsciously, she glanced around, terrified that someone else might have overheard.
If this reached the Empress Dowager’s ears, she would be utterly finished.
Just as Su Yao was filled with despair and unsure how to respond, Lu Huaijin’s voice suddenly came from behind her.
But at this moment, Su Yao was too tense to notice.
Hearing Lu Huaijin’s voice, the arrogance on Zhao Zhifu’s face vanished without a trace. The previously aggressive girl suddenly fell silent, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Su Yao had no time to wonder why Lu Huaijin had suddenly appeared. As long as Zhao Zhifu stopped pestering her, she would thank her lucky stars.
Taking advantage of Zhao Zhifu’s momentary daze, she quickly sidestepped around her and hurriedly fled the scene.
She rushed down the corridor, her heart pounding violently in her chest as if it were about to burst through.
Nanny Chang saw her and, noticing no one else around, leaned in close, her voice hushed. “Miss Su, you truly missed quite a spectacle.”
“A spectacle?” Su Yao looked puzzled.
Nanny Chang glanced around, confirming no one was eavesdropping, before continuing:
“It was that Zhao family’s illegitimate daughter just now. Earlier, she swore before the Empress Dowager that she had long admired Lord Lu, speaking with such sincerity that even I almost believed her. But then, in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, everything changed.”
At this point, Nanny Chang deliberately paused for effect, watching Su Yao’s growing curiosity before adding, “That girl cried and made a scene, insisting she’d rather die than marry Lord Lu. It was quite the lively spectacle.”
“What?”
Su Yao’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Though Lu Huaijin was domineering and ruthless at his core,
in public, he always appeared as refined and elegant as a gentle breeze under the bright moon. Every gesture exuded scholarly grace, and the phrase “a gentleman unparalleled in this world” suited him perfectly.
If he so much as nodded, countless noble young ladies from the entire capital would scramble to marry him.
What on earth was wrong with Zhao Zhifu?
To reject such a good match and make such an ugly scene.
“What about the eldest Miss Zhao?” Su Yao blurted out almost without thinking.
She had known Zhao Zhirou for a long time, and even in her own difficult circumstances, she couldn’t help worrying for her.
Nanny Chang shook her head gently, sighing helplessly. “I’m afraid it’s not looking good either. Just now, when the Empress Dowager asked the eldest Miss Zhao for her opinion, she also politely declined. Who knows what these Zhao sisters are thinking, turning down such a fine match.”
Upon hearing this, Su Yao let out a long sigh.
Seeing Su Yao’s expression, Nanny Chang thought she was troubled over Lu Huaijin’s marriage prospects and couldn’t help teasing:
“Look how nervous you are. You can’t be greedy, girl. Someone like Lord Lu will eventually marry. And you, don’t be too jealous. When you meet a kind and easy-going mistress, your life will be easier.”
Upon hearing this, Su Yao was momentarily speechless.
Only she herself knew that she didn’t care whom Lu Huaijin married—as long as it wasn’t a girl from the Zhao family, she would be relieved.
Perhaps more than anyone else, she hoped Lu Huaijin’s marriage would be settled sooner.
That night, the people from Shenxing Si discovered something unusual in the bamboo grove of Leng Gong!