“Could the clues to the Painted Skin Case actually be here?” she wondered.
Ci’er stared at the spool of golden thread, her mind racing.
Nanny Liu was merely a steward in the Heir’s Mansion.
With her meager salary and lack of power, she naturally wasn’t worthy of using—let alone touching—such precious tribute golden thread.
Either she stole it.
Or Liu Tingyue rewarded it to her.
Regardless of the possibility, there had to be some shady connection between Liu Tingyue and the Painted Skin Case.
Suppressing the shock rolling through her heart, Ci’er continued to search the wooden box.
At the bottom, pressed under some other items, were a few taels of broken silver, a deed to a farmstead shop, and two blue-covered account books.
One was the official ledger of running expenses, and the other was Nanny Liu’s private account.
It detailed exactly how much charcoal, how many candles, and how many bolts of fabric were bought in which month and year.
She opened the private ledger and almost laughed out loud.
“Received twenty catties, stored nineteen catties.”
“Received ten bolts, stored nine bolts.”
Skimming a little bit each time, slowly chipping away at the stores, could easily be written off as reasonable wear and tear during inventory checks.
It seemed insignificant, but it added up over time.
Over the months and years, it was more than enough to satisfy one person’s greed.
Ci’er took the books, locked the wooden box, and returned it to the bottom of the cabinet, shutting the doors tightly.
After scanning the room to ensure she hadn’t left any traces of a break-in, she slipped out the window and used the cover of night to sneak back to the cellar shed.
The door was still lying on the ground.
Moonlight spilled in, illuminating the mess scattered across the floor.
Ci’er found a clean corner and sat down against the wall.
The night breeze carried a damp, musty scent, its chill piercing straight to her bones.
She wrapped her clothes tightly around herself and closed her eyes to rest.
She forced herself to endure until dawn broke, and then, covered in dust and looking utterly exhausted, she walked toward the side room.
She deliberately made a loud noise to ensure Granny Zhang, who was up early to work in the kitchen, would see her.
“Oh my, isn’t this Ci’er?
What happened to you?”
Rubbing her eyes, Ci’er replied in a hoarse voice, “Someone locked me in the shed all night…”
Granny Zhang jumped in fright and immediately started shouting at the top of her lungs.
“You were just doing your job!
Which black-hearted, rotten-lunged scoundrel would torment someone like this?
That plague-ridden wretch, aren’t they afraid their hands will rot off?”
Hearing the commotion, A Tao rushed over, her eyes red with anger.
“Miss, you terrified me.
If you hadn’t instructed me beforehand, I would have gone to the Second Master last night to seek justice for you…”
Ci’er pulled her into the side room, closed the door, and lowered her voice.
“Don’t rush.
I need you to go out now and tell everyone about me being locked up all night.
Make it sound as miserable as possible.”
A Tao paused for a moment before realization dawned on her.
She nodded vigorously.
“I understand!
What about you, Miss?”
Ci’er patted the dust off her clothes.
“I have my own place to be.”
The sky had just brightened, and Qixia Courtyard was already bustling with activity.
The servants performed their duties—sweeping, preparing water, arranging makeup tools—in perfect order, without making a single untoward sound.
Liu Tingyue managed the domestic affairs of the Nine-Bestowments Royal Mansion. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
She appeared imposing and imperious, but in reality, she was nothing more than an ornament meant to manage the Prince’s household; she couldn’t even be considered the proper matriarch.
If Xie Pingzhang didn’t come to her, she usually wouldn’t even see her husband’s face.
With a lowly background and no hope of ever being elevated to official wife, she could only swallow her bitterness.
Seeing that Liu Tingyue had been restless these past few days, Nanny Cai took the opportunity to fan the flames.
“Your Highness, Lady Li is known for having a suspiciously good memory.
Hearing about this makes even this old servant wonder—a castrator’s daughter, growing up with such a bewitching face, appearing right at this critical juncture, and somehow catching the Princely Heir’s eye immediately?
How could there be such a coincidence in the world?”
Liu Tingyue unhurriedly fingered the Chuanzhu bracelet on her wrist and said lightly, “Wei Yinzhao is twenty-one this year.
How old is that girl?
The age doesn’t match, and neither does the face.
Can her word alone be taken as truth?”
Nanny Cai lowered her voice.
“Your Highness, why doesn’t this old servant find a couple of skilled men to quietly dispose of that girl, saving you the trouble…”
“No,” Liu Tingyue interrupted her.
“It is not easy to make a move against someone the Princely Heir has his eye on.”
She turned around and looked at Nanny Cai.
“Right now, the priority is finding that Wei Family’s daughter for the Prince.
It’s not worth drawing blood over a little girl of unknown origin.
Let’s find an excuse to probe her background first…”
Nanny Cai murmured her assent and stepped aside.
Meiyue lifted the curtain and entered.
“Your Highness, the girl named Ci’er is here.
She says she has an urgent matter and requests an audience.”
Liu Tingyue and Nanny Cai exchanged a glance.
“Let her in.”
The curtain was lifted, and Ci’er walked in with her head bowed.
Her clothes were covered in dust, the corner of her sleeve was torn, and her hair bun was slightly disheveled.
She looked thoroughly wretched, as if she had just escaped from somewhere.
“This servant pays her respects to Your Highness.”
Liu Tingyue did not tell her to rise.
She just watched her, her gaze as sharp as hooks.
“What business do you have with this concubine?”
Ci’er was pale, her eyes red, and her voice brimmed with grievance.
“This servant shouldn’t have come to bother Your Highness, but…
yesterday, someone told me to go to the cellar shed to tidy up some sundries.
After dark, they locked the door.
I called out all night, but no one answered.
This morning, I was so hungry I couldn’t bear it anymore, so I had to hack the door down to get out.”
“Hack the door down?” Liu Tingyue raised an eyebrow slightly.
“This servant was reckless.
I beg Your Highness to punish me…” Ci’er knelt down, took the two blue account books from her bosom, and presented them with both hands.
“This is what I found while cleaning up the sundries.
As it concerns the internal affairs of the Prince Mansion, this servant did not dare to act on her own authority and had to bring them for Your Highness to decide.”
Meiyue stepped forward, took them, and handed them to Liu Tingyue.
Liu Tingyue opened them, and her expression changed instantly.
Nanny Liu was her informant.
Back when she brought down the Princess Consort, this old woman had rendered great service.
Over the years, she knew perfectly well that Nanny Liu was light-fingered; she simply turned a blind eye.
However, she never expected the old hag to be not just greedy, but incredibly stupid.
Liu Tingyue closed the account books and fixed her gaze back on Ci’er.
“You were locked in a pitch-black shed, yet you weren’t the least bit afraid?
You aren’t afraid of the dark?”
The question was abrupt.
Ci’er raised her head, met Liu Tingyue’s gaze, and shook her head.
“This servant is not afraid.
When I was young, I used to walk night roads with my father, so I’m used to it.
After my father passed away, I often walked at night alone.
Sometimes, in the middle of the night, stranded in the middle of nowhere, I would just squat in the wilderness for the whole night.
My favorite places are barren mountains and graveyards—if I’m lucky, I can even find leftover sacrificial offerings.”
Liu Tingyue smiled.
The person before her was not Wei Yinzhao.
Back then, the legitimate daughter of the Wei family feared nothing in heaven or on earth—except the dark.
At five years old, she had been locked in a dark room behind the artificial rockery; in less than an hour, she had cried until her voice went hoarse.
Later, in the Stone Prison, despite all sorts of torture, she had refused to beg for mercy.
The only thing she ever pleaded for was a lamp, which she never dared to let go out.
“Your loyalty is appreciated.” Liu Tingyue placed the account books on the table, her tone softening.
“Go back for now.
Do not mention today’s matter to anyone.”
Ci’er did not get up immediately.
She remained kneeling upright.
“This servant knows the gravity of the situation and will not breathe a word of it.
However…
this servant is bold enough to ask Your Highness to cover for me a little as well.
The Heir’s Mansion is full of eyes and ears.
If people find out I was the one who reported this, I won’t be able to run errands for Your Highness in the future.”
Liu Tingyue raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Run errands for me?” She slowly chewed on these words, as if she had heard something amusing.
Ci’er kept her eyes lowered, her tone submissive.
“This servant is lowly, but I know my place.
Whatever orders Your Highness has, this servant is willing to serve you with the utmost devotion.”
These words were truly spoken with exceptional tact—
Liu Tingyue looked at her for a moment and smiled meaningfully.
“You’re quite a sharp one.
Alright, this concubine understands.
You may go.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Ci’er kowtowed, stood up, and withdrew.
As the curtain fell, Liu Tingyue leaned back against the pillow, opened the account book, and sneered.
“Go fetch that old thing for this concubine.”
Meiyue complied and walked to the door.
“Also.” Liu Tingyue paused, picked up her teacup, and took a sip, her gaze looking into the distance through the lattice window.
“Tell the subordinates to step up the search for that Wei Family’s daughter.
The Prince has been restless and paranoid over this matter, taking his anger out on the people around him at the slightest provocation…
If we don’t get accurate news soon, I’m afraid he will never set foot in my Qixia Courtyard again…”
Nanny Cai nodded repeatedly.
“This old servant will get it done right away.”
Liu Tingyue put down her teacup and suddenly smiled.
“Even a girl newly brought into the mansion knows how to read the situation and pledge her loyalty.
Those unloyal wretches who bite the hand that feeds them are greedy and foolish; they don’t even measure up to her.”