All the consorts turned their attention to the empress upon hearing Qinglan's terrified voice. They looked at Qinglan with confusion and then back at YueXi, who had appeared in front of everyone for the first time. The empress, in a state of panic, gazed at the imperial maid whom she had ordered to be beaten to death, standing before her alive and unharmed. Even if she had survived, her body should have been crippled. How could she return unscathed? The crucial point was that YueXi had previously been engaged in menial tasks and had not attracted much attention from the consorts. Naturally, the consorts were unaware that the beaten imperial maid was YueXi.
"Empress and Auntie QingLan, what happened? Seeing this newly appointed imperial maid seems to have left you both in a daze," Imperial Concubine Xu remarked, subtly glancing at YueXi and the empress.
"I saw the imperial maid Zhao and was reminded of my deceased sister. It made me homesick. QingLan, you seemed a little distracted just now," the empress quickly regained her composure and said, smiling at YueXi who stood before her.
"I, this servant, also remembered the empress's deceased sister, which caused my distraction. I beg the empress for forgiveness!" QingLan said anxiously.
"Enough, you may rise," the empress said.
"Empress, please don't jest with me. I am unworthy and cannot bear such words from the empress," YueXi said, bowing, but her words made the empress in front of her even more uncomfortable and fearful.
"We are all sisters here. Sister, you've shown your manners. Please have a seat," the empress said reluctantly.
Sisters? These words made YueXi feel disgusted and ironic. Without dwelling on it, she sat in her seat, observing the gazes of the consorts directed at her. Some were disdainful, while others were curious. Each and every one of them made YueXi feel like a beast ready to tear her apart. However, the more dangerous it felt to YueXi, the more entertaining it became. After all, good things were meant to be savored slowly.
While YueXi was still immersed in her own game, Noble Attendant An curiously asked, "I wonder how Sister Zhao managed to capture the emperor's favor. I'd like to learn from her." Though it was a curious question, it carried a sense of belittling YueXi's status.
"I, as an Imperial maid, had a fortuitous encounter with the Emperor. It was only after he witnessed my dance that he desired me to serve him well," YueXi pretended to say shyly.
"I heard about it. Imperial maid Zhao happened to meet the Emperor during the flower appreciation banquet, and she was singing and dancing at the time, performing 'Yearning for Love'," Graceful Consort Ming, sitting near the Empress (Lin Wanshen), emphasized the word 'happened to,' further suggesting that YueXi had deliberately orchestrated the situation. This statement was neither here nor there, causing everyone to look at YueXi with a contemptuous and disdainful gaze.
"I have heard that 'Yearning for Love' expresses a woman's pain and longing for her beloved man," Noble Attendant An confidently remarked, further solidifying the evidence of the palace maids' ill intentions towards the Emperor in the Imperial Garden.
At this moment, all the consorts and concubines began to scorn YueXi as a seductive fox spirit with delusional desires, using vulgar methods to seduce the Emperor.
YueXi then adopted a pitiful and affectionate appearance, sobbing as she spoke, "To be honest, I used to work in the palace and saw the Emperor's portrait in the painting gallery. I felt that the Emperor was majestic and unapproachable, making it difficult for me to get close. It was during that time that I developed feelings of admiration for the Emperor. On the day of the flower appreciation banquet, I knew I had no chance of being by the Emperor's side to serve him, but I wanted him to know my feelings. That's why I danced and sang in the Imperial Garden, and it was during that time that the Emperor approached me..." As she spoke, YueXi shed tears, presenting herself as a woman deeply devoted to her feelings.
YueXi's act managed to silence Graceful Consort Ming and Noble Attendant An's inquiries, making people feel sorry for her. The Empress, on the other hand, still found it difficult to believe the scene before her, staring at YueXi intently, unable to react until Graceful Consort Ming called her, snapping her out of her daze.
"I might have caught a slight cold today, feeling mentally weak. You may all rise and retire," the Empress said.
The consorts and concubines of the six palaces left the FengYi Palace and returned to their own palaces, chatting amongst themselves. They deliberately avoided YueXi, and YueXi also tactfully returned to her own palace.
Inside the FengYi Palace.
In front of the Empress's dressing table, Qinglan stood behind, giving the Empress a massage. They didn't speak, but both were puzzled about how YueXi managed to survive and appear before everyone.
"Qinglan, how is she still alive?" the Empress asked Qinglan, looking back at her.
"I don't know, Your Majesty. Everyone saw you punish her with the rod," Qinglan explained while kneeling on the ground.
The Empress could tell from Qinglan's response that she also didn't know what had happened. She turned her head and instructed Qinglan to continue the massage.
"Qinglan, go to the Internal Affairs Office and investigate where she was and what she did during the past few days," the Empress said with her eyes closed. "What I least wanted to happen has happened."
YueXi returned to her sleeping chamber and started embroidering to pass the time. At that moment, Ruoxin asked, "Miss, the Empress will surely order a secret investigation after seeing you. We must be prepared."
"Even if they investigate, what can they find?" YueXi said with a wicked smile.
"Miss, what do you mean?"
"Of course, I know they want to investigate me. I will give them false information," YueXi said nonchalantly. Ruoxin seemed to understand YueXi's intentions.
Meanwhile, a royal physician arrived at the palace, carrying a box and entering the Imperial Medical Office.
Inside the Imperial Medical Office.
"Colleagues, this is Chu, a physician recommended by my good friend. From now on, we'll be working together, and I hope everyone will take care of him," Chief Physician Hu (Hu Zhesheng) introduced the young man (Chu Xunshuang) behind him to the medical staff. Chu Xunshuang looked at the surroundings of the medical office and wondered, "Lu'er, where are you?"
YOU ARE READING
The Palace Maid is a Fox Spirit
Historical Fiction"In the captivating novel, 'Yue Xi: The Fox's Revenge,' we follow the story of a palace maid named Yue Xi, who finds herself on the brink of death after being framed and betrayed by the Empress. However, fate takes a surprising turn when Yue Xi enco...
