Chapter 453: Elder Sister Sili, You Have Gone Too Far! |
After Ning Wei followed Xiao Chun away, she went to Yan Ruxue's bedchambers to help with the tidying.
"In the past, I was the only one allowed to tend to our mistress's room."
"After all, I have been with our mistress for over ten years. And as for the other palace maids here, I do not feel at ease trusting them with it. I always have the feeling that among the maids of our Ning Xue Palace, someone has surely been bought by Han Jiu Palace. If our mistress were ever to become pregnant and someone secretly placed musk incense in the room, that would be a very serious matter."
"But from now on, you can help me look after Ning Xue Palace together. After all, you were sent here by our Yan residence, and our mistress says your character is good, so I will trust you."
"From this day forward, we are our own people, not like the other palace maids. Understood?"
Xiao Chun cleaned the room as she spoke to Ning Wei.
Ning Wei quickly gave a nod. "Understood, Elder Sister Xiao Chun. But Elder Sister Xiao Chun..."
Ning Wei looked around the room with curiosity. "Noble Consort Xue's bedchambers are truly so clean. There does not seem to be much left to tidy at all."
The room was exceptionally neat and orderly. Ning Wei felt there was barely any need to clean it. Even the air was permeated with a faint, delicate fragrance.
It was the natural scent that drifted from Noble Consort Xue herself.
"Oh, you have noticed that, have you? Honestly, sometimes even I feel that our mistress is not at all like someone in her position."
Xiao Chun, in the middle of changing out the tea leaves, puffed out her cheeks slightly and muttered quietly.
"From the time she was small, our mistress has always done many things herself, and she does them all very neatly. It is as though our mistress has performed every kind of household task countless times before."
"In fact, even small things like changing the tea leaves and giving the table a light wipe, our mistress deliberately leaves for us to do, because she worries we will have nothing to occupy ourselves with and people will gossip. So you should also be quick and diligent in your work. When there are tasks to be done, get ahead of our mistress and do them first. Understood?"
"Understood."
Ning Wei gave a nod, and the image of that breathtakingly beautiful woman drifted back into her mind.
She really was so wonderful to look at.
"Elder Sister Xiao Chun, His Majesty is almost here."
Just as Xiao Chun was instructing Ning Wei, a palace maid came running in and called out urgently.
"Quick, come with me to welcome His Majesty."
Xiao Chun hurriedly arranged the tea set on the table into proper order, then led Ning Wei toward the entrance of Ning Xue Palace.
Ning Wei stood at Xiao Chun's side, head lowered, waiting for the Zhou Kingdom's ruler to arrive.
In her heart, Ning Wei was growing increasingly nervous.
She had thought that seeing the Zhou Kingdom's ruler would still take some time but she had not expected to find herself on the verge of meeting him so quickly.
"His Majesty arrives!"
With that announcement, the Zhou Kingdom's ruler walked into Ning Xue Palace a moment later.
The palace maids of Ning Xue Palace all bowed in unison and called out, "Your servants respectfully welcome His Majesty."
"No need for such formality. Rise." Xiao Mo said and the moment Xiao Mo's familiar voice reached Ning Wei's ears, Ning Wei's head snapped up, and she looked at the man before her.
"Elder Brother Xiao..."
Staring at Xiao Mo's profile, Ning Wei cried out inwardly, her voice silenced in her chest.
Ning Wei's eyes trembled, and her heart began beating faster and faster.
She had not expected that she would truly see Elder Brother Xiao right here in the Zhou Kingdom's imperial palace.
Compared to a thousand years ago, Elder Brother Xiao had not changed in the slightest.
It was only that the Elder Brother Xiao of before had cultivated demonic arts, and carried with him a very heavy aura of killing.
Now, Elder Brother Xiao gave off a faint sword qi, and seemed to carry as well a light fragrance of scholarly books but no matter what, Elder Brother Xiao was still Elder Brother Xiao. He had never changed.
And just as Ning Wei continued to gaze at Xiao Mo without looking away,
Sili, walking behind Xiao Mo, seemed to sense something and looked toward Ning Wei.
Ning Wei, feeling someone's eyes on her, looked toward Sili as well.
"Elder Sister Sili!"
Ning Wei's heart gave another sudden jolt.
Sure enough!
Elder Sister Sili really was in the palace.
Even though Elder Sister Sili had disguised herself with a different face, she could still recognize her.
Because the bracelet on her left wrist was the birthday gift she herself had once given to Elder Sister Sili.
She had not expected that Elder Sister Sili had actually become Elder Brother Xiao's personal attendant.
It turned out Elder Sister Yunwei had been right all along.
All these days had passed, and Elder Sister Sili had clearly been right there at Elder Brother Xiao's side the entire time, yet she had kept telling Elder Sister Yunwei that she had not found him.
That could only mean that Elder Sister Sili truly intended to keep Elder Brother Xiao all to herself.
Sili, for her part, was genuinely surprised to see Ning Wei appear in the palace but she quickly and discreetly raised her wrist and pressed her hand downward, signaling Ning Wei to stay quiet for now.
At that moment, even though Ning Wei had ten thousand questions churning in her heart, she knew how to conduct herself, and could only hold them back for the time being.
"Your servant respectfully welcomes His Majesty." Yan Ruxue stepped forward, bowed before Xiao Mo, and said with a warm smile, "The evening is drawing late. Allow your servant to attend Your Majesty inside to rest."
"Very well. Thank you for your trouble tonight, my beloved consort." Xiao Mo gave a nod, and with his arm around Yan Ruxue's soft, smooth waist, the two walked into the bedchambers.
In the eyes of the palace maids, His Majesty and their noble consort mistress were deeply devoted to each other, their eyes full of mutual warmth and affection.
A number of palace maids with more imaginative minds were quite certain that His Majesty and their mistress were in for another sleepless night.
After Xiao Mo and Yan Ruxue entered the room, Xiao Chun and Sili stood guard outside the door.
Although Noble Consort Xue was quite shy when attending to His Majesty and would use a scroll accessible to ordinary mortals to seal off all sound from within, the two of them still had to wait outside, in case they were needed at any moment. However, about one stick of incense later, Sili's brow suddenly furrowed. She pressed a small hand to her abdomen, drew in a sharp breath, and looked to be in considerable pain.
"What is wrong, Elder Sister Sili?" Xiao Chun asked with concern.
In the beginning, Xiao Chun's impression of Sili had not been favorable.
Because Sili's figure was, to put it plainly, far too provocative, rivaling even that of her own young mistress but gradually, Xiao Chun came to see that Sili knew her place and made no deliberate attempt to attract His Majesty's attention. She was merely a maidservant, and posed no real threat.
So Xiao Chun had slowly dropped her guard around her, and over time the two had actually gotten along reasonably well.
"It is nothing much." Sili pressed her thin lips together. "It is just that I have my monthly discomfort lately, and the pain in my abdomen is unbearable. Standing like this feels like being put through a punishment."
"Then Elder Sister Sili should go and rest for a while. Leave things here to me." Xiao Chun said sympathetically.
"But..." Sili glanced toward the room door. "What if His Majesty or our mistress needs something..."
"It will be fine." Xiao Chun, wanting to stay on good terms with her and hoping she might put in a few good words for their mistress in front of His Majesty, said, "Elder Sister, go and rest. It is not as though you do not know, our mistress has never once called for us when she is attending to His Majesty."
"All right then. I will go sit for a little while." Sili gave a reluctant nod.
"Good. Drink plenty of warm water, Elder Sister, and feel free to rest in my room." Xiao Chun said with care.
"Thank you, younger sister Xiao Chun."
Sili offered her thanks and made her way toward the side courtyard where the palace maids resided.
And the very moment Sili stepped through the entrance of the side courtyard, Ning Wei was already there waiting for her.
"Elder Sister Sili... you have gone too far!"