Consort of a Thousand Faces

Just as Su Xi-er walked out of the door, she saw a group of Laundry Service Bureau’s palace maids clad in yellowish-brown palace attire walking in her direction. The red spots on their faces had disappeared, and their expressions were relaxed.

 

Old Maidservant Li walked right at the front and glanced at Su Xi-er. Afterwards, she bellowed at the Palace Side Quarters’ palace maids partaking their meals in the room, “Palace maids transferred over from the Palace Side Quarters, all of you are to return to the Palace Side Quarters after you are done washing the clothes today.”

 

In an instant, the palace maids who were eating inside the room came out, their faces filled with delight.

 

We just need to endure for one more day and we can go back to the Palace Side Quarters. Although there is also a lot of work in the Palace Side Quarters, it’s still much better than washing clothes. At the very least, we don’t have to soak our hands in water all day long in the Palace Side Quarters.

 

Old Maidservant Li turned to look at Su Xi-er, speaking in a softer and more mild-mannered tone, “The others can go back, but you must stay. The Imperial Household Department has just instructed that you will remain in the Laundry Service Bureau to wash clothes.”

 

When the other palace maids from the Palace Side Quarters heard that, some felt rueful in their hearts, while some began to sympathise with Su Xi-er.

 

It seems like fate likes to play around with Su Xi-er. At times causing her to be the object of everyone’s anger, while being extremely pitiable at others. At the same time, her success has attracted the jealousy of others, and some even feel as if she deserved any misfortune that fell upon her. 

 

Old Maidservant Li’s voice rang again as she waved her hand at the palace maids from the Palace Side Quarters. “The few of you, come here. Wash clothes with the Laundry Service Bureau maids who have recovered. Su Xi-er, go and simmer medicine for the palace maids who haven’t recovered.”

 

That morning, Eunuch Zhang had told Old Maidservant Li not to casually have Su Xi-er wash clothes in the Laundry Service Bureau. Instead, she would be washing clothes that were specifically sent over.

 

Old Maidservant Li instantly understood Eunuch Zhang’s words. She will only be in charge of washing valuable clothes.

 

This task didn’t require her to wash many clothes, but was something extremely dangerous in of itself. Ordinary maids from the Laundry Service Bureau treated it as an intractable problem nobody wanted. There were even cases of palace maids being flogged to death because they had damaged expensive clothing when washing them.  

 

Now that Su Xi-er would be replacing them, everyone heaved a sigh of relief.

 

The palace maids complied with Old Maidservant Li’s instructions and obediently walked to a few dozens basins of clothes. They filled them with water, squatted down, and began to wash them earnestly.

 

On the other hand, Su Xi-er walked towards the room used for simmering medicine. She washed the medicinal herbs once, placed them into the gallipot, and added some water before placing it on the stove which coal had already been lit. Afterwards, she held a round hand fan and started fanning.

 

Simmering is generally easier than washing clothes.

 

Su Xi-er simply held the hand fan, waving it back and forth.

 

Perhaps she had really not slept well last night. With the smell of medicine assailing her nostrils early in the morning, she became a little sleepy as time passed.

 

It wasn’t long before the round fan in her hands fell to the ground, her eyelids drooping shut as she sat on the small wooden stool.

 

Golden rays of sunlight streamed into the room, settling on her face as it was supported by her right hand. The corners of her lips even curled up slightly, as if she was having a sweet dream.

 

This gentle appearance was the sight that greeted Pei Qianhao’s eyes as he entered the room.

 

Subconsciously, he slowed his steps, hardly making any noise. Although he could do as he pleased with his noble status, he was compromising himself so that he wouldn’t disrupt her pleasant dreams. 

 

He eventually stopped in front of her and simply stared, losing sense of the passage of time.

 

It was only once the sound of the medicinal extract boiling over broke the serenity of the scene did Su Xi-er stir slightly.

 

Immediately, Pei Qianhao took the gallipot down from the stove and placed it on the wooden table at the side.

 

His gaze slowly moved down from her face, his eyes darkening when they fell on her arms.