Consort of a Thousand Faces

Miss Qing coldly snorted, the look in her eyes becoming even more contemptuous. In the end, she swept a glance over Su Xi-er before she turned to leave.

The few servant girls from the Palace Side Quarters had yet to regain their senses, continuing to stare at Miss Qing’s departing figure in a daze.

“Does Miss Qing have a very high status in the palace? How is she compared to Miss He?” Su Xi-er looked at the other palace maids.

A palace maid’s opened her mouth wide to the point it could swallow an egg. “Miss Qing’s status is even higher than Miss He’s. Having followed Prince Hao since she was young, she is the head maidservant in the Prince Hao Residence. ”

Su Xi-er’s brow was knitted. Imperial Bodyguard Wu dispatched such a person to send dinner to me. If I hadn’t left that repose palace, Miss Qing would definitely have ‘served’ me. Rather than ‘serve’, ‘monitor’ might be more appropriate.

“Since she’s from the Prince Hao Residence, why doesn’t she stay in the Prince Residence instead of entering the palace?” Su Xi-er continued to ask.

“I have already said it. Miss Qing has followed Prince Hao since young. Their relationship is superb! What’s wrong with her entering the palace?”

This is to say, Miss Qing is the Room Concubine Servant[1] Prince Hao keeps. However, Prince Hao is the Pei Family’s foster son. Can the Pei Family be so kind as to even let him keep a room concubine servant since he was young?

Besides, if she is Prince Hao’s room concubine servant, how come she likes Imperial Bodyguard Wu?

“Don’t speak any more to her. Her whole body reeks of bad luck. Let’s not get infected by it.” A palace maid reminded. Not long after that, everyone had left.

It was currently night, with only a few who were aware of her return to the Palace Side Quarters. She needed to ‘pay her respects’ to Old Maidservant Zhao now and thank her properly for that bowl of chicken soup.

~~~ 

In front of Old Maidservant Zhao’s door.

Su Xi-er was just about to knock the door when she heard people speaking inside. From their voices, she could distinguish that one of them was Old Maidservant Zhao, while one of them was He Ying.

He Ying walks so fast. She took the Third Imperial Prince to the Compassionate Peace Palace and returned to look for Old Maidservant Zhao so quickly. Women with decent strength in their legs usually have martial arts skills, and pretty good ones at that.

“Miss Xiao He, why did the Empress Dowager pardon Su Xi-er?”

“You don’t have to concern yourself about that. However, that isn’t to say that you should leave her alone. Let her experience some hardships and monitor her. Don’t allow her to take even half a step outside the Palace Side Quarters.”

“It’s just that she has already drunk a mouthful of chicken soup. In one more day, the Heartbreak Grass’s effect will set in.”

“Oh? Hehe, if that’s the case…”

Su Xi-er didn’t bother to listen any further to their whispers after that. It seems like I can’t be in a rush to look for Old Maidservant Zhao. I had better return to my room to rest first.

Not looking for her, however, didn’t signify that Su Xi-er had let go of the matter just like that. The corners of Su Xi-er’s mouth was raised, and a fierce glint flickered across her eyes. She already had a plan in mind.

~~~

The next day.

“Ah, Mu Tao is dead?”

“It’s absolutely true. Her body was already disposed of last night. I reckon that they have already proved that the one who ambushed Prince Hao was Mu Tao!”

“I saw Su Xi-er return last night. I didn’t expect that this matter would end just like that.”

Su Xi-er had just opened the door to her room when she heard the palace maids gossiping. Not missing a beat, the eyes of those maids were immediately filled with hostility and contempt once they saw her.

“All of you, get to work! What are you still doing there!” Old Maidservant Zhao’s bellow caused the crowd to dissipate. However, once she saw Su Xi-er, her expression immediately changed to one of benevolence.

“Su Xi-er, good fortune will definitely ensue since you have survived a great a calamity. Did you sleep well last night? Is your body feeling alright?” Old Maidservant Zhao was acting in such a manner for the sake of sounding her out.

I figure that this person will suddenly die a day later. The might of the Heartbreak Grass really can’t be belittled.

“I feel a little stuffy in my chest and find that I can’t really catch my breath. Is it because the chicken soup yesterday was too nourishing?” Su Xi-er intentionally drew the topic of the conversation to the chicken soup.

1. Tongfang Maidservants are usually maidservants who are of the highest rank among the servant girls. However, their status is not as high as the more recognised concubines so Tongfang Maidservants are also known to have the lowest status among concubines. Their status is quite controversial since it’s hard to say if they are a servant or a concubine since they don’t really have a title but are asked to perform duties in bed.