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"The Emperor must have taken a liking to her because of that pitiful appearance. She is indeed beautiful, but that timid nature of hers is utterly useless. I really don't understand what that old fox was thinking, letting such a girl into the palace," Xie De Fei clearly looked down on the respectful and obedient Firefly.
The man who had been waiting nearby frowned slightly. "Your Highness, that woman may not be as simple as she seems."
"What is it? Speak up," Xie De Fei replied dismissively. From the very beginning of the selection process, she had paid some attention to this girl chosen by Old Buddy. However, Xie Weiying seemed as if she didn't belong in the harem at all; during the crucial selection, she fell ill and had been sick ever since, unable to be of any help. Even after entering the palace for so long, she had not gained the Emperor's favor. Only recently had rumors begun to circulate about the Emperor's newfound affection for her, but in Xie De Fei's eyes, such sudden attention was merely a fleeting novelty, just like the other beautiful women in the harem. Looking at her frail appearance, she seemed utterly useless. Although she would later regret her judgment, at this moment, she dismissed her niece entirely.
"Old Buddy wouldn't just let a clueless little girl into the palace to deal with us," the man continued. "Besides, that Fourth Young Lady seems familiar; it's as if I've seen her somewhere before..." He appeared puzzled by this sense of familiarity and couldn't quite make sense of it.
"Hmph," Xie De Fei scoffed coldly. "Without me backing him up, do you think he would still have a place in court? Ultimately, he prioritizes the interests of the Xie Family above all else. He won't easily abandon me."
Seeing her displeasure, the man hesitated to speak further but still felt uneasy. That Xie Weiying gave him an odd sense of déjà vu, as if he had known her long ago. Strange—why would he have such an illusion? An illusion, he reassured himself.
Noticing that the man remained silent for a long time with a changing expression, Xie De Fei felt inexplicably uncomfortable. "Hmph," she snorted disdainfully. "I see you're smitten with a beauty."
The man collected himself and chuckled lightly. "How could that be? Would that make you jealous?" He was no longer serious or humble; instead, he smiled warmly. "You know in your heart that I only love you." Although he said no more, a glint of determination flashed in his eyes—this woman could not be allowed to remain.
Xie De Fei's pale face flushed at his words, resembling a shy maiden encountering love for the first time as she playfully pouted, "You're awful."
The man laughed heartily and stepped forward to embrace her fragile form tightly, his eyes filled with tenderness. These years had been hard on her. Xie De Fei giggled shyly in his arms without struggling, leaning affectionately against his broad chest.
No one could disrupt her rise to power in the harem, he thought bitterly.
"Very good, very good," I nodded in satisfaction after personally testing it out; it truly was no different from modern instruments. The craftsmen of this palace were remarkably skilled. Because Xiao Quanzi enjoyed my singing, my interest was piqued. Initially, I only intended to try my luck by drawing a modern guitar for him to see if there were any artisans who could replicate it based on my design—I had no expectations whatsoever. But unexpectedly, within less than seven days, they produced it so beautifully and exquisitely; honestly, I was genuinely delighted.
"By the way," I looked up at the excitedly blushing Xiao Quanzi and asked, "how did you manage to do this?"
Xiao Quanzi blushed slightly, though it was hard to tell given his already rosy complexion. He lowered his head respectfully and said, "The craftsmen all mentioned that although the design drawn by the master is a bit strange, it resembles a pipa overall. So as long as they put some effort into adjusting the strings, it should be fine."
"Is that so?" I replied with a cheerful smile. "Make sure to thank them for me. Also, have Yun Ying bring some jewelry to reward them. They’ve worked hard for my guitar."
"Understood. Master—" Xiao Quanzi looked at me expectantly, hesitating to continue.
"Heh," I chuckled at his eagerness. "What’s the rush? You want to hear it that badly?"
He gazed at me with hopeful eyes. "Can I…?"
I nodded and struck a cool, exaggerated pose while holding the guitar. After familiarizing myself with it and tuning a few notes, I lazily began to sing:
What I see has extinguished
What has vanished is remembered
I stand at the ends of the earth
Listening to the soil sprout
Waiting for the night-blooming cereus to blossom again
Leaving its fragrance for the years
The Other Shore has no lighthouse
Yet I still gaze out
As darkness turns my hair white
Tightly gripping my torch
He comes, I tell myself
I am not afraid; I love him dearly
…
I have always loved Wang Fei's "Red Spider Lily."
What I saw was extinguished.
What disappeared was remembered.
As I was deeply engrossed in my singing, a sudden round of applause erupted behind me, accompanied by a mocking voice that said, "Sister seems to be in quite a good mood. However, I wonder if after seeing this, she still has the heart to continue singing."
I looked up at the sound and realized it was Consort Wang, along with a group of various concubines. I wasn't fond of socializing, and I felt a bit dizzy amidst the array of beautiful women, none of whom I recognized. I couldn't understand why they had all come to my Jiu Nian Xuan.
Feeling confused, I obediently asked, "Sisters, is there something you need from me?"
Consort Wang seemed to step aside slightly, revealing Yun Ying who was crouched behind her. I was surprised and asked, "Yun Ying, what are you doing there? I was wondering where you had gone all morning. But—" I still gazed at the group of women with mixed expressions of malice and schadenfreude, puzzled.
Before I could finish my sentence, Wang Dieyi stepped forward angrily and threw down some cloth dolls and talismans she had been holding in front of me. With disdain, she said, "You wicked woman! Not only did you use witchcraft to confuse the Emperor, but you're also trying to harm us with curses. Hmph! If it weren't for Yun Ying being unable to stand your Demoness act, we might have been killed by you long ago!" As she finished speaking, she rushed forward and pushed me. I stumbled and fell awkwardly to the ground. Huan Shuangshuang, who had been silent at the back, rushed to stop her as she attempted to kick me.
Wang Dieyi continued to yell furiously, "You woman, today I must—"
The scornful gazes of the crowd were fixed on me. Yet I remained oblivious to it all, staring blankly at Yun Ying who looked down in guilt. After a long moment, she mustered up her courage and lifted her head to say to me, "Master, it's Yun Ying who is sorry for you. But I truly cannot bear to see you harm these ladies. I'm sorry."
I was taken aback; I thought she would explain or give me a reason. However—the contemptuous gazes from everyone intensified once more. Even the usually composed Consort Wang had a hint of anger flickering across her face.
Oblivious and stubbornly insistent, I asked her, "Why? Why—" Even though I had scolded her for spying on me and expressed my dissatisfaction with her working for the Head of the Family, it was only because I cared about her.
She was not looking at me, only Xiao Quanzi behind her was furious, shouting at her, "You ungrateful person! The master treats you like a sibling, and yet you slander him!" As he spoke, he tried to rush forward to confront her, but was quickly restrained by other eunuchs who had come with him. Struggling to break free, he continued to curse angrily.
"What are you doing—Master! Master..." Xiao Quanzi exclaimed as he saw two burly men approaching me. He looked at me anxiously and shouted.
Just then, the eunuch holding him gave him two sharp slaps.
My heart ached as I coldly glanced at the women around me. Finally, I said coldly, "Let him go, and I will go with you."
A chill passed through my heart, but soon I lowered my head again, feeling timid and trembling with fear. When I looked up again, my eyes were already misty with tears.
Consort Wang was clearly startled by my earlier icy Gaze, momentarily taken aback. However, seeing my frightened demeanor again brought her back to reality; she dismissed it as an illusion. Once she saw that we had made enough of a scene, she calmly said, "Take her away."
I obediently stood up and followed them to avoid being tied up like a dumpling. At that moment, I realized I had calmed down. Although Yun Ying's words had nearly caused me to faint from pain, a glimmer of hope remained in my heart. Perhaps she had her reasons for acting this way; I comforted myself.
I would never believe that Yun Ying, who grew up with me, would betray me—unless I were dead.
Looking at the nearly frantic Wang Dieyi, could she really think I was such a malicious woman? It was absurd; using curses and hexes was considered feudal superstition in modern times. Who would be foolish enough to think that a mere talisman could frighten someone?
I was a twenty-first-century person! If I wanted to deal with them, why would I resort to such lowly methods? I could simply test the poisons that Old Buddy taught me on them without them ever knowing—guaranteed to make their lives miserable. They were underestimating my intelligence. I laughed inwardly at the thought.
I had no idea what other lines or evidence they had prepared, but I found it all rather boring. Although it was foolish of me to think so, I admitted that if there were witnesses and physical evidence, I would be in serious trouble in this ancient palace—very serious trouble. After all, such matters were strictly forbidden in the palace; if it escalated, my life would be at stake.
Regardless of everything else, preserving my life was the top priority.
As I reached the entrance of Jiu Nian Xuan, I turned to check on Xiao Quanzi, but unexpectedly found myself gazing deep into Yuhua's eyes. She looked at me with a sorrowful expression, her eyes filled with guilt and sadness. Was it because she hadn’t stood up for me? That foolish girl, I didn’t want to drag her into this. After taking another look and confirming that Xiao Quanzi was fine, I felt relieved.
Hmph, the dull harem, the dull women of the harem.
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