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墨書 Inktalez
This afternoon, the weather was quite pleasant. There was no wind in the air, so it wasn't too cold.
Qing Wu headed to the Sewing Workshop, deliberately allowing Dou Mama to follow her. After all, she didn't know how trustworthy Cai Ping really was.
Before reaching the destination, Qing Wu saw a palace maid beside Cai Ping looking around under a tree by the roadside. Upon seeing Qing Wu, she smiled. Glancing around to ensure no one was watching, she ran over and led Qing Wu down the path.
Dou Mama noticed this and called out to stop her, watching the palace maid warily and blocking Qing Wu's way, refusing to let her move forward.
At first, the palace maid didn't understand. But when she saw the distrust in Dou Mama's eyes, she became anxious and lowered her voice, saying, "How could I make things difficult for you? It's just that Sister Cai Ping wants to avoid being seen by Jade Orchid's people, so we need to steer clear of them. Otherwise, before we can say a few words, Jade Orchid would know."
Dou Mama sneered, "Even if she knows, so what? Does my lady need their permission to do things?"
The palace maid grew anxious and blurted out, "Of course you don't need their permission. It's just that if they find out, they might deliberately make things difficult for Sister Cai Ping later on. Who will be able to inform you then?"
This meant that Cai Ping intentionally wanted to inform Qing Wu about matters concerning the Sewing Workshop—not just now but also in the future.
After hearing this, Dou Mama's expression softened somewhat. She turned back to look at Qing Wu. Seeing Qing Wu nodding, she urged the palace maid to continue moving forward.
Cai Ping shared a room with three other palace maids. The room was small but kept extremely tidy. Cai Ping occupied the bed furthest inside the door. Since the other three were not present and there were no chairs in the room, she invited Qing Wu to sit on her bed.
Qing Wu glanced around and noticed that Cai Ping's bed was somewhat different from the others. Although the bedding was uniform, she had embroidered a few flowers on her sheets. Moreover, as she got closer, a faint fragrance wafted through the air.
Ordinary palace maids wouldn't have access to incense like this. The scent resembled that of flowers; it must have been dried flowers collected over time and used for fragrance.
Qing Wu did not sit down as Cai Ping suggested. Instead, she took a couple of steps forward and stood at a distance from her before speaking calmly.
"Why did you specifically ask me to come at this time?"
Seeing that Qing Wu refused to sit, Cai Ping stood by the bed with her hands clasped and lowered her head, saying, "I ask for nothing in return. I only hope that in the future, my lady can remember how I helped you today and offer some consideration."
"Care for you?" Qing Wu sighed lightly, "I am merely a female official, unable to control my own safety, how could I possibly protect you?"
"But the adult serves beside His Majesty..."
"Serving the emperor is like accompanying a tiger. You understand this principle, don't you?" Dou Mama timely interrupted her words, "The adult cannot promise you anything. If you want to drag Jade Orchid down, feel free to speak with the adult. The adult will consider how to act. However, this is something you must bring up yourself; it is certainly not the adult forcing you to do so. If you think it inappropriate and wish to receive assurances of care before speaking, then you have found the wrong person."
Cai Ping's lips curled into a cold smile, "I had a good relationship with Jade Orchid before; otherwise, she wouldn't have rescued me from Granny Lu's hands. The information I have is naturally more valuable than what others know."
"So what?" Qing Wu laughed, "Jade Orchid and I are like water from two wells that do not interfere with each other. Her news has nothing to do with me. It is only because you stopped me and wanted to speak that I patiently listened to you. If you're willing, that's fine. If not, then forget it."
Upon hearing such resolute words, Cai Ping and the palace maid were stunned.
Cai Ping had already planned to reveal some matters about Jade Orchid, thinking it would not only win over Lord Liu but also drag Jade Orchid down—what could be better?
Who would have thought that Lord Liu simply did not care?
Seeing that she seemed unwilling, Qing Wu slightly nodded towards Dou Mama and intended to leave directly.
—She was not just pretending. She truly intended to leave.
Just as she said, she originally planned to question Jade Orchid about why she deliberately stirred trouble in front of Yen Mama, causing Yen Mama to misunderstand. It was only because Cai Ping had stopped her that she changed her mind.
However, her intention to listen for other news did not mean she was willing to be coerced.
Throughout her life, even in the palace, no one had ever looked down on her. Now a mere palace maid dared to throw words at her and even attempted to make her compromise—wasn't that laughable?
Thinking of this, Qing Wu paused slightly and shook her head inwardly.
—She had truly been spoiled by Huo Yun'ai. In this place where one must tread carefully, she was unwilling to suffer even the slightest grievance.
This cannot be allowed.
Although she thought this in her heart, her determination to leave remained unwavering.
Seeing Qing Wu and Dou Mama openly heading towards the door, making their way to the Sewing Workshop courtyard, Cai Ping finally became anxious.
Jade Orchid had already taken a disliking to her. Both openly and secretly, she was setting traps for her. If she didn't quickly come up with a way to deal with Jade Orchid, it wouldn't be long before she fell into that person's hands.
However, as Qing Wu was walking out and the Door was about to be opened, it was already too late to run over and stop her.
In her urgency, Cai Ping couldn't care about anything else. She lowered her voice slightly and said hurriedly, “Jade Orchid, Jade Orchid has someone in the palace!”
As soon as these words were spoken, Dou Mama reacted first and turned around to scold, “Don't be ridiculous! As a palace maid, how could she do such ** things!”
“It's true.” Cai Ping was so anxious that she stamped her feet. “I discovered it by accident. The handkerchief of the man she secretly hid showed a corner, which I happened to see. Also, she used to hang around the Former Emperor, and then would often go in front of His Majesty. Why is it not like that now? Isn't it because she's focused on someone else? Ah! I saw her sneak out at midnight! Several times!”
This made Qing Wu recall the first time she met Yen Mama. During their casual chat, some words from Yen Mama had slipped out unintentionally.
At that time, things at the Sewing Workshop were quite chaotic and annoying. She usually had very light sleep and would wake up at the slightest noise. Several times, even after sleeping for a long time, she could still hear movements from the Sewing Workshop, which was quite bothersome.
Back then, Yen Mama had merely complained casually about some matters. Qing Wu remembered it but did not ask further so as not to draw attention from Yen Mama.
Now hearing Cai Ping's words, combining what she knew from both sides, Qing Wu began to understand that Cai Ping's words were indeed true. However, she did not show it too obviously; she just nodded lightly and said, “I understand,” before stepping out of the room.
Cai Ping hurriedly followed her and led her down an unoccupied path.
Qing Wu did not refuse.
Only then did Cai Ping let out a sigh of relief.
When the time for parting came, she stood in front of Qing Wu, hesitating as she said, "There is one more thing I haven't discussed with Lord Liu."
Qing Wu glanced at her.
Cai Ping whispered, "Yen Mama from the Brewery, you must have seen her a few times and have some impression of her, right?" Seeing Qing Wu nod, she gained a bit more courage and continued, "Jade Orchid encountered Yen Mama a while ago. She specifically went to confront her, and I don't know what they argued about, but the two of them got into a fight. There were only two or three people around at that time who witnessed it. I followed her for a while because I saw her acting suspiciously. That's how I found out."
After a long pause without a response, Cai Ping felt somewhat discouraged and said dejectedly, "I noticed that day you were coming from the direction of the Brewery, which is why I brought this up."
"Mm."
Just when she was not expecting it, she heard Qing Wu respond lightly.
Receiving Qing Wu's reply filled Cai Ping with joy, but she did not dare to show it. She merely bowed respectfully and waited for Qing Wu to leave.
On the morning of the second day, Qing Wu got up early to prepare to leave the palace.
This was for the Shangyuan Festival, and she had to hurry back early the next morning.
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