Consort of a Thousand Faces

Su Xi-er looked at him. “Even what?” 

 

Pei Qianhao loosened his hands. “It’s nothing. Wear your shirt properly. Return to your room after you have delivered the medicine.”

 

He then turned to leave, leaving the door wide open. 

 

Peering out, Su Xi-er saw that all the palace maids in the vicinity had already been dismissed. Gazing at his retreating figure, she mused over what he had said just now. “Wear it when I tell you to do so. This Chinese bodice is even…” What came after that?

 

Don’t tell me that he hadn’t secretly hidden it, but specially searched for it?

 

Su Xi-er knitted her eyebrows as she recalled the Lucky Knot Yun Ruofeng gave her. He specially searched for it and there is only this one pair in the whole world. But what happened afterwards?

 

Hehe. In this lifetime, I can’t repeat the same mistakes. 

 

Her fists were tightly clenched as she remained frozen on the wooden stool. Only after 15 minutes had passed did she realise that her clothes were still dishevelled. 

 

Using both her hands, she rapidly straightened them out and couldn’t help but curse in her heart. What a splendid Prince Hao. You dared to pull my clothes off. You even left the room door open when you left! 

 

With her clothes tidied up, she poured the medicinal extract in the gallipot into a few large bowls.

 

Just as she had finished pouring all of it out, a palace maid came. “Su Xi-er, Old Maidservant Li instructed you to look for Eunuch Zhang at the Imperial Household Department in order to get two new well buckets for the Laundry Service Bureau. I will deliver the medicine instead.” 

 

The palace maid placed the few large bowls containing the medicinal extract onto a wooden tray before taking it away.

 

Su Xi-er contemplated for a moment before heading towards the Imperial Household Department.

 

Eunuch Zhang had long prepared for her arrival. The imperial bodyguards at the door only asked for her name before letting her in. 

 

The room was the place where she had met Eunuch Zhang for the first time. While he had tried to evaluate her in the past, the gaze that Eunuch Zhang trained on her was one of surprise and confoundment.

 

“Su Xi-er, there are no outsiders here. Tell me the truth; were you the one who caused the incident in the Laundry Service Bureau?”

 

Su Xi-er slowly answered, “So you’ve already deduced it, Eunuch Zhang. Indeed, I was the one who did it. However, regardless of the means, Ruo Yuan has returned to the Palace Side Quarters.”

 

“Are you sure that you have managed to retreat unscathed? The Imperial Physician Institute has already found that the grass came from the woods beside the Palace Side Quarters during their investigation.”

 

Su Xi-er smiled. “I have already been taken back to be questioned by Imperial Physician Zhao; yet, am I not standing here safe and sound? As for whether I can retreat unscathed, aren’t you the clearest about that, Eunuch Zhang?”

 

Eunuch Zhang’s expression became solemn but it returned to normal in a moment. “To have come up with such a method, I don’t know if I should say that you are audacious or courageous. Nevertheless, I mean what I say. Feel free to instruct me should you need my help in the future.”

 

With the help of the Head Eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, she would be able to receive news in the palace faster in the future.

 

“You have already heard about the Empress Dowager going to the Beauty Palace, right?” Eunuch Zhang suddenly mentioned the Empress Dowager.

 

Su Xi-er nodded in affirmation.

 

“The Empress Dowager was obstructed by her father, Lord Pei, on the way. The only reason that this matter didn’t blow up is because Lord Pei suppressed the news. And yet, Prince Hao didn’t pay any attention to it. Right now, there is almost nobody who knows that the Empress Dowager is not in the Compassionate Peace Palace, but the Pei Residence.” Eunuch Zhang sighed.

 

“On the day of the incident in the Laundry Service Bureau, I had gone to the Compassionate Peace Palace and found the Empress Dowager completely incensed with Prince Hao. The conflict between these two siblings is too huge; either one party will concede or…””

 

Eunuch Zhang stopped to look at Su Xi-er carefully.