Palace maid Shuoning

(Up)

Qingman approached Jiang Shuoning with light steps; she had been waiting for this day for a long time.

She remembered that two years ago at the laundry department, Jiang Shuoning reprimanded her in public without giving her any face, causing her to be fined three months' wages. She had always held a grudge against him.

Just as Qingman was about to raise her hand to slap Jiang Shuoning across the face, Jiang Shuoning suddenly looked up at her, his gaze as calm as a still lake.

Qingman paused for a moment. That look in her eyes was just like the one Jiang Shuoning had given her when he reprimanded her—not angry or imposing, but it made people feel inexplicably guilty.

Jiang Shuoning neither retreated nor dodged; his voice remained calm:

"Miss Qingman just said that I bumped into Your Highness's palanquin. But I was walking right next to the palace wall, and there was a distance of more than three feet between me and the palanquin."

If this counts as a breach of etiquette, then probably no one would dare to walk on the roads inside the palace.

Qingman retorted angrily, "Still dare to argue!" As she raised her hand to strike, Jiang Shuoning suddenly grabbed her wrist and swung his other hand back at her.

With a sharp "snap," not only was Consort Wei stunned, but the passing eunuchs and palace maids also stopped in their tracks.

Just then, the Emperor walked out of the archway and happened to see this scene.

Bao Zhong looked up and his expression changed drastically; his hand, hidden in his sleeve, suddenly clenched.

Feng Xi frowned and said in a low voice, "Why is Miss Shuoning here? And why did she get into a conflict with Consort Wei?"

The Emperor did not respond, but his gaze fell on Jiang Shuoning, a hint of inquiry flashing in his deep eyes.

Qingman covered half her face, seemingly still in shock, before Jiang Shuoning pushed her away. He looked up at Consort Wei and said, neither humble nor arrogant:

"My lady, as I just said, there was a distance of more than three feet between the palanquin and me, and there was no collision at all. It is unreasonable for you to send someone to beat me without even knowing the facts."

"This servant is from Consort Rong's side. If this servant has truly offended Your Highness, Consort Rong will handle the matter on Your Highness's behalf. It is not up to anyone else to do it."

Wei Xuanshi was speechless for a moment after being shut up by her words. Her pride was about to be put down, but she caught a glimpse of a bright yellow figure at the archway.

Her expression changed, and she hurriedly ordered the palanquin to be lowered. She quickly stepped out and went to greet the Emperor: "This concubine greets Your Majesty."

Qingman hurriedly knelt down and said, "May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

Jiang Shuoning's face turned pale, and she suddenly turned around and knelt down, pressing her forehead against the blue brick: "This servant greets Your Majesty."

The Emperor stopped a few steps away, his gaze passing over Wei Xuanshi and Qingman, and landing on Jiang Shuoning.

Seeing her kneeling there, her back taut, the hem of her thin gauze dress draped over the blue bricks like a petal fallen to the ground.

The Emperor glanced at her for a moment, then looked away and turned to Consort Wei, his expression neither friendly nor distant, his voice indifferent: "What's going on?"

Wei Xuanshi's eyes suddenly reddened, and she pressed her handkerchief to the corners of her eyes, her voice trembling with a hint of grievance:

"Your Majesty, I know that I come from a humble background and have often been the subject of gossip. I have never dared to utter a single complaint. I am content as long as I can serve Your Majesty well."

But the concubine's forbearance only led to others taking advantage of her even more...

As she spoke, she covered her eyes with her handkerchief again, her voice lowering slightly.

Qingman knelt on the ground, hurriedly echoing:

"Your Majesty, please understand. My lady has always been cautious and timid, never provokeing anyone from Yihua Palace. To have Your Majesty's favor is already a great blessing, and I would never dare to cause trouble because of it. But today, I was unexpectedly frightened, and I was even beaten in public..."

As she spoke, she deliberately turned her face to the side, revealing one side of her slightly swollen cheek, her voice carrying a perfectly timed sob.

Bao Zhong stood behind the Emperor, his face expressionless, but in his mind he quickly did the calculations.

The more aggrieved Wei Xuanshi cried, the harder it was for Jiang Shuoning to extricate herself. She had been right in every word she said, but in the matter of physically assaulting someone, she had already lost the upper hand.

He lowered his eyes, his brows furrowed, and he secretly thought of a solution.

Feng Xi still had his usual smile on his face, but his gaze had darkened.

Wei Xuanshi was someone he had helped rise to power; if this incident wasn't handled properly, it would be a loss of face for him.

(under)

After listening, the Emperor turned his gaze back to Jiang Shuoning and said in a deep voice:

"Is this the kind of people Consort Rong has trained? Or has Consort Rong always been like this, and you servants have all followed suit?!"

Jiang Shuoning's forehead was pressed against the blue brick, and he didn't look up. These words were harsh, each one hitting Consort Rong squarely.

If she admits it, it confirms that Yihua Palace has failed in its discipline; if she denies it, it is tantamount to publicly defying the Emperor.

After a pause, Jiang Shuoning spoke, his voice not loud, but as steady as a pebble dropped into water:

"Your Majesty, the first thing Consort Rong taught me was manners. The second was dignity. If I were beaten in front of everyone today, it would not only be my face that is lost, but also the face of Yihua Palace and Consort Rong."

"This servant intervened because I feared I could not protect the dignity of Yihua Palace. If I have done anything wrong, this servant is willing to accept punishment, but I beg Your Majesty to understand that this matter has nothing to do with Consort Rong."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor scrutinized Jiang Shuoning and saw that she lowered her head even further, revealing a large section of the back of her neck, where the scar was faintly visible in the sunlight.

His gaze paused slightly, his brow furrowed gently, and the tone of his voice suddenly shifted:

"Didn't I instruct the Imperial Medical Academy to develop the best scar-removing ointment? Why haven't we heard back yet?"

Jiang Shuoning stiffened, then lowered his head and replied:

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Medical Academy has prepared the ointment. They say that three boxes will completely fade the scar and restore it to its original state. This is the second box I just picked up today."

As she spoke, she presented the ointment with both hands. In the process, a scroll of scripture suddenly slipped out of her sleeve and landed on the blue brick with a thud, its pages scattering.

The Emperor's gaze fell on the ground: "What's that?"

Bao Zhong immediately stepped forward, bent down, picked up the scroll of scriptures, quickly glanced at the cover and the writing, then turned and presented it to the Emperor with both hands:

"Your Majesty, please take a look."

The Emperor took the book and flipped through a couple of pages, his gaze lingering for a moment on the handwriting. The small, elegant calligraphy was meticulous and beautiful, each stroke executed with utmost care.

He looked up at Jiang Shuoning: "Did Consort Rong copy this?"

Jiang Shuoning remained kneeling on the ground and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, with Qingming Festival approaching, the Empress has been copying scriptures day and night during her confinement, saying it is to pray for the royal family's well-being. She asked me to deliver them to Guanghua Hall for worship on the way."

The Emperor closed the book, gently stroking the cover with his fingertip. He asked no further questions, simply handing the book to Bao Zhong: "Send it to Guanghua Hall."

Bao Zhong bowed and accepted it: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Seeing that the Emperor showed no intention of punishing Jiang Shuoning, Consort Wei quickly glanced at Feng Xi.

Feng Xi subtly glanced at Consort Wei, then smiled and spoke:

"Your Highness Consort Rong is truly thoughtful. It's also thanks to the Emperor's personal permission that Miss Shuoning can come and go freely in the Imperial Hospital. Without this grace, I'm afraid Your Highness would have had to spend countless nights copying scriptures, only to have them read by yourself."

The locust trees on both sides of the palace road had just sprouted new buds, and when the wind blew, the delicate leaves rustled.

The Emperor paused for a moment, then walked straight towards Jiang Shuoning, stopped in front of her, looked down at her, and slowly spoke:

"Jiang Shuoning. I granted you permission to go to the Imperial Hospital, but when did I grant you permission to run around the palace like this?"

Jiang Shuoning stiffened: "Your Majesty, this servant dares not."

The emperor took a step forward, his dark boots stopping at the edge of her field of vision.

"Consort Rong is confined to her quarters, yet you've been running around for her more enthusiastically than anyone else. Getting medicine from the Imperial Hospital is an important matter, and delivering scriptures to the Guanghua Palace is also an important matter. But you've managed to do both within the same hour. Do you think I'm blind, or do you think you're too clever for your own good?"

The palace servants on the palace path lowered their heads even further, and no one dared to look up.

Wei Xuanshi stood three steps behind the Emperor, a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth.

Jiang Shuoning's forehead was pressed against a blue stone, and his voice came out in a muffled tone:

"This servant dares not treat His Majesty as blind, nor does he dare to presume to be clever. However, with Qingming Festival approaching, if Your Highness's scriptures are not delivered today, they will not be ready for the Qingming offerings."

"I thought that since the Imperial Hospital and Guanghua Hall are on the same palace road, I would do it along the way. If Your Majesty feels that my actions were inappropriate, I am willing to accept punishment."

The Emperor did not respond, his gaze lingering on her plain white gauze dress, then on the hair ornament in her hair, pausing for a moment:

"Jiang Shuoning, besides delivering scriptures for Consort Rong, what else did you do today?"

Jiang Shuoning replied, "Your Majesty, this servant only wishes that Your Majesty can see the Empress's good intentions."

The Emperor's voice suddenly lowered: "Besides this?"

The wind rustled the locust tree leaves. Baozhong stood far behind, sweat beading on his forehead.

He understood clearly that the Emperor's question, "Apart from this," was not directed at Consort Rong.

Today, Jiang Shuoning changed her clothes and hairpin, and even her eyebrows were drawn lighter than usual.

The Emperor didn't overlook any of these things. He was waiting for her to speak up and become the second Imperial Guard.

Bao Zhong's hands, hidden in his sleeves, gradually clenched into fists.

Jiang Shuo lowered his head even further, his voice almost carried away by the wind:

"This servant... wishes that Your Majesty and Your Highness could return to the way things were before."

The Emperor straightened up. All the subtle emotions on his face vanished in an instant, leaving only the faint anger radiating from the sunlit palace path.

"Jiang Shuoning is utterly disrespectful and defied Consort Wei, showing no remorse whatsoever. Since he has assaulted someone, he shall kneel here on the palace path and reflect upon his actions. He shall come to see me only when he has come to his senses."