Consort of a Thousand Faces

“The Empress Dowager bestowed it,” Su Xi-er slowly replied.

Old Maidservant Liu raised her eyebrow as her tone became a bit higher. “Oh? It’s the first time the Empress Dowager has bestowed something to a palace maid, not to mention a palace maid from the Palace Side Quarters. Miss He serves by her side, but even she doesn’t receive many rewards.”

“This servant also doesn’t know why the Empress Dowager wanted to bestow me this.” Su Xi-er purposely said. She had been aware of the Empress Dowager’s intentions from the moment she had received the fragrance sachet.

“Remove it. Let me have a look.” Old Maidservant Liu was still smiling, but how could she not understand the Empress Dowager’s personality? She managed to attain the position of Empress in merely a year, and is now the youngest Empress Dowager in history. How can this kind of person bestow a fragrance sachet to a palace maid in the Palace Side Quarters for no reason?

Su Xi-er removed the fragrance sachet and passed it to Old Maidservant Liu. The smell of safflower had been totally replaced by the fragrance of the medicinal powder that blended into the cloth, making it so that Old Maidservant Liu couldn’t discern anything.

Old Maidservant Liu placed the fragrance sachet near her nose and sniffed it carefully. Afterwards, she knitted her brow and opened the fragrance sachet to examine it, only finding a few ordinary medicinal herbs inside

“Old Maidservant Liu, this servant added a few medicinal herbs in the fragrance sachet. They’re the ones you previously gave this servant.”

“So that’s how it is.” Old Maidservant Liu tied the fragrance sachet firmly and returned it to Su Xi-er.

Actually, Old Maidservant Liu had recognised a different smell. It was the smell of medicinal powder, but now that she had looked in the sachet, she wasn’t certain.

Right at this moment, a palace maid’s voice came from outside. “Old Maidservant Liu, Miss He is coming over here.”

“She came really quickly. Su Xi-er, withdraw.” Old Maidservant Liu tidied her clothes slightly and stood up from the chair.

Su Xi-er tied the fragrance sachet at her waist and walked out of the room. With just one glance, she saw the approaching Miss He.

“This servant pays her respects to Miss He,” Su Xi-er greeted her respectfully by bending at the knees.

He Ying didn’t wave her hand for her to get up, but looked at her waist instead. “I’ll count you as tactful. You’re still carrying this fragrance sachet.”

She immediately reached out her hand and pulled Su Xi-er fiercely, leaning closely to her ear. He Ying’s tone carried a hint of ruthlessness as she spoke. “The trap you set harmed Old Maidservant Zhao. I didn’t expect that a seemingly weak woman knows how to scheme very well.”

Su Xi-er pretended to be ignorant. “Miss He, Old Maidservant Zhao was the Palace Side Quarters’ Old-Maidservant-In-Charge. Why would this servant harm her?”

“Hmph, pretending to be foolish.” He Ying flung Su Xi-er’s arm down ferociously. She no longer spared her a glance and directly entered Old Maidservant Liu’s room.

As Su Xi-er looked at the closed room door, a subtle glint flashed across her eyes. He Ying’s intentions by coming to the Palace Side Quarters as clear as day. She is doing the same thing as what she did with Old Maidservant Zhao again, using the Empress Dowager’s decree to instruct Old Maidservant Liu to kill me.

The Empress Dowager bears such a heavy grudge with me that she bestowed to me a fragrance sachet with safflower, all just for the sake of one man.

Although she is the esteemed Empress Dowager, she is still a woman in the prime of her youth, and has a strong yearning for love.

It’s just that Prince Hao has so many women. Is the Empress Dowager able to manage all of them? Why does she always target me? Su Xi-er knitted her eyebrows slightly. I’m currently not Prince Hao’s woman at all!

“Su Xi-er.” Hong Li suddenly appeared and pulled her. She asked softly, “Do you feel that Old Maidservant Liu is very strange?”

Su Xi-er didn’t reply. Only when the two of them had walked further away did she ask, “What do you mean by strange?”

Hong Li shook her head. “I am also unable to explain. I simply feel that she’s strange. You are accurate in your observation, so I came to ask you.”

At this point, Hong Li’s eyes shone. “Once, Old Maidservant Liu asked me when you and Prince Hao got acquainted!”