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墨書 Inktalez
As I walked along, I glanced at my clothes and accessories with satisfaction. To be honest, it was quite exhausting, but I was eager to see the expression on Brother Sima's face when he saw my outfit. However, this attire was indeed heavy.
From head to toe, I was dressed in a gaudy, merchant-like ensemble, adorned with all the gold and silver hairpins and decorations he had personally bestowed upon me recently. There were golden and jade flower basket earrings, jeweled hairpins embedded with emeralds, gold-threaded silk with touches of jade, silver inlaid with gemstones, engraved gold flowers, and jade carvings. Gold, silver, jade, emeralds, tortoiseshell, pearls, and gemstones—all of it was piled onto me. I looked like a country bumpkin who had just encountered these treasures for the first time—so utterly tasteless.
Yet, I was quite pleased with the effect.
"I'll ask you just once: did you do it?" The man sat there with an air of authority, coldly questioning me.
I stood there, gazing at him calmly. "I just want to know if the Emperor believes it."
"Impudent! You should kneel before the Emperor!" A matron stepped forward fiercely and forced me to kneel on the ground. I remained silent and obediently fulfilled her wish.
I looked at the man who sat high above me yet felt so unfamiliar. He had once told me that I didn't need to kneel—that no one needed to kneel. Now—hmph! I knew he regarded me as An Jin's substitute. Although we were both ourselves, an inexplicable bitterness surged within me. When we were brothers, I had told him that as An Jin, I would never kneel to anyone unless An Jin willingly did so. But now—ha! I self-deprecatingly smiled; I was no longer An Jin; I was Xie Weiying. What I said no longer held any weight.
Consort Huan had only come to visit Consort Wang for a short while before taking her leave from the Emperor. It was the first time I saw Brother Sima smile so sincerely at his consort as he reminded her to take good care of herself.
I knew that smile was genuine. Could it be that Brother Sima had fallen in love with her? That he had someone he cared for? The thought weighed heavily on my heart and caused a dull ache within me.
My dear aunt sat high beside the Emperor, looking at me as if she didn't recognize me at all—so cold. Was this the law of survival in the palace?
"Consort," he suddenly turned his gentle gaze toward Consort Wang sitting nearby. My heart sank; I couldn't help but care about how many women he had around him. "Tell us what you know."
Consort Wang smiled charmingly and waved at Yun Ying, who stood silently beside her. She then turned back to the Emperor respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, it was this servant who discovered it. She is Xie Jieyu's personal maid; her words cannot be wrong. Yun Ying, quickly tell everything you know."
"Yes, Your Highness." Yun Ying knelt on the ground in fear. "Reporting to Your Majesty, this servant witnessed it firsthand: Consort Jie has been secretly practicing witchcraft in an attempt," she hesitated and glanced fearfully at me, "to harm all the consorts."
I was speechless.
"Your Majesty—Your Majesty—please help me... This servant can't take it anymore—wuwu..." Yun Ying suddenly burst into tears, choking on her sobs as she said pitifully: "Your Highness, Your Majesty, Jieyu takes out her frustrations on this servant whenever she is unhappy—either hitting or scolding... Jieyu sent away all the palace maids and eunuchs because she didn't want anyone to know; especially when Jieyu was ill—whenever she felt down, she would hit and scold this servant..." By the end of her statement, Yun Ying was too distraught to continue speaking.
"Servant has repeatedly advised Mistress Jieyu not to harm the other ladies, but Mistress Jieyu has struck Servant several times, saying that Servant is ungrateful. Furthermore, she has starved Servant for several days to teach her a lesson. Servant truly does not wish for any harm to come to the ladies—Servant—" As she spoke, Yun Ying suddenly collapsed on the ground, sobbing pitifully.
If the target of her words were not me, I would certainly feel deep sympathy for her and shed a few tears of compassion. Goodness gracious, her performance was too good! Where are the Oscar judges? I want to file a complaint, make a suggestion, report this—such a talented actress here, and no one is nominating her for Best Actress at the Oscars! Her acting was simply outstanding!
All the ladies present were moved by Yun Ying's heartfelt performance, and some even shed tears, using handkerchiefs to cover their faces as they quietly sobbed.
Only I kept my head down, struggling to suppress my laughter to the point of nearly gasping for breath. If I laughed out loud, I would be in big trouble. It wasn't just because I was holding back; my whole body was trembling from the effort. However, in the eyes of everyone else, it appeared as if I was trembling in fear or crying uncontrollably.
"Lift your head."
I held my breath tightly until my face turned red, forcing tears from my eyes as I raised my head with a pitiful expression.
Sima Rui looked unwillingly at this woman who resembled Little Jin, trying to find any trace of Little Jin in her. But there was none—not at all. The tears streaming down her face, the fear in her eyes, and her trembling body made her look like a rabbit caught by a predator in sheer terror. His An Jin would never behave like this; she would stand up and loudly mock these foolish women. She would look down on everyone with disdain and then leave without a second thought. Sima Rui knew that this Xie Weiying wouldn’t dare harm anyone; those women were merely resentful of the inexplicable favor she had received lately. In fact, Sima Rui himself didn’t understand why he had been unusually partial to one person. His usual principle was to maintain balance in the harem.
Sima Rui frowned again as he looked at this woman adorned with jewels and finery, eager to wear everything he had bestowed upon her. A bitter feeling welled up inside him; his Little Jin would never act like this. Although Little Jin was generous with gifts, after an initial curiosity about gold and jewels or rare treasures, she always treated them with indifference, as if they were of no concern to her.
Sima Rui felt an inexplicable anger rise within him as he thought of her resemblance to Little Jin but realized she was entirely different—like another person altogether—and couldn’t help but blame her for wasting her beauty. His expression darkened immediately.
Little Jin, Little Jin, where are you?!
Distracted by his turbulent thoughts, Sima Rui failed to notice the girl kneeling on the ground. Besides tears in her eyes, there was also a hint of coldness, disdain, helplessness, and heartache hidden deep within them. If he weren’t so enchanted by An Jin and had clearer judgment, he might have seen through it all; however—
The other ladies saw that the Emperor remained silent for too long and assumed he was captivated by this vixen and unwilling to punish her. They fanned the flames further: "Your Majesty, I witnessed Xie Jieyu entering the back garden alone in a mysterious manner. At that time, I wondered what she was doing; now I understand—wuwu... Your Majesty, such a malicious woman! You must seek justice for us!"
Upon hearing this, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes dramatically; how careless they were to let Miyu see me. It must have been when I got lost for the first time that she spotted me. After all, later on, when I went there again, I moved like a shadow; it would have been difficult for her to catch sight of me. Wait a minute—since I overheard that conversation... Brother Sima—I raised my head in panic and found him looking at me with an unreadable expression. Upon seeing my alarmed face, he actually smirked darkly; I hoped he wouldn’t remember anything related to that night. Quickly lowering my head again respectfully, I tried to appear humble.
Miyu?! Sima Rui looked at the girl whose eyes showed signs of panic and couldn’t help but think back to that ordinary palace maid he had seen late one night in Miyu. An ordinary maid wouldn’t usually catch his attention; however, even Li Jiu spoke of her with admiration when discussing the Three Kingdoms. Plus, that night her bright eyes had left an impression on him. But what did that have to do with her? What connection could there possibly be between that special Court Lady and this weak woman who panicked so easily that even her own maid would betray her?
Sima Rui felt increasingly irritated as those women buzzed around him incessantly recounting her alleged crimes—he could hardly make sense of what they were saying anymore.
All she could think was, she is not Little Jin, she is not Little Jin?!
"Your Majesty—please spare me... I am wronged—" I dramatically pinched my thigh hard, forcing myself to cry, putting on the appearance of a madwoman. The disdain in Sima Rui's eyes deepened.
At that moment, Yuhua, who had been hiding at the back, suddenly stepped forward and knelt before the emperor, trembling as she said, "Your Majesty, Sister Ying has always been gentle and kind-hearted. I believe she would never commit such an unforgivable act. Please see it clearly."
It seemed strange that someone would dare to plead on behalf of another in such a situation, so Sima Rui glanced at her. What was her name? Sima Rui thought for a moment, oh, it was that Yaya who practiced vegetarianism and recited scriptures with Consort Huan. This woman might be a bit foolish, but her heart was in the right place.
I looked at Yaya with some gratitude; she returned my gaze with concern. For a moment, our eyes met, and I knew she understood my thanks and the teasing about her being a silly girl; otherwise, she wouldn't be smiling at this moment.
"Enough," Sima Rui said impatiently with a long sigh. "You are confined for three months. Without my command, you are not to step out of Jiu Nian Xuan. If you offend again, you will be severely punished." After finishing his words, he left coldly without waiting for anyone's reaction or even glancing back.
The beautiful ladies were all stunned. Only I stood up easily and smiled at them, completely free of the fear I had just shown. I waved my hand and said, "Sisters, Firefly will return now to carry out the emperor's orders. Goodbye."
As I reached the door, I turned back to Yun Ying and said, "I don’t know why you did this, but if you want to come back, Jiu Nian Xuan will always be open for you." Then I left without looking back.
When I returned to Jiu Nian Xuan, Xiao Quanzi was still crying in the courtyard, his little face stained with tears. I could hear him sobbing so hard he was hiccuping. My heart ached; this palace truly cared for me. Earlier when those people came, I had signaled for my little white friend to hide; now he was obediently beside Xiao Quanzi, licking his face. Surely little white understood his kindness towards me; otherwise, with his usual indifference and disdain for others, he would never behave like this.
I walked over and helped him up; after all, he was just a twelve-year-old child. Seeing that I was fine, he immediately hugged me and cried.
"Master, Master! You're okay, you're okay—" he said between sobs.
I gently stroked his stiff back to dispel his panic and worry.
I wiped away his tears and couldn't help but smile at his calico cat-like appearance. "You're already this big and still crying? Aren't you embarrassed?"
He smiled shyly, his face turning red all the way to his ears as he stammered, "I—I was worried about you."
"Silly," another silly one. I hugged him and pulled him up while laughing. "Go take a bath and change your clothes; sister will take you somewhere fun." I mischievously winked at him.
He glanced at his disheveled appearance and quickly ran away.
Hah, seeing him leave, I picked up Little White and returned to my room to change clothes and take a hot bath. Sigh, this outfit is truly exhausting.
In the end, I had Xiao Quanzi change into a simple scholar's outfit. I also made a slight disguise, swapping into a white shirt for men. Although I startled Xiao Quanzi when I came out, I was quite pleased with my scholar look.
"Remember, when we go out, don't call me master or miss; you should call me young master," I poked his forehead to bring him back to reality.
Carrying Little White (I initially didn't want to bring this troublesome creature, but I couldn't resist his pitiful gaze), I turned left and right with Xiao Quanzi until we arrived at Frostfall Palace. This was the Cold Palace within the royal palace, the closest place to the outside world; we just needed to climb over a high wall to reach the outside.
While Xiao Quanzi was still dazed looking at the high wall, I seized the opportunity to grab him by the collar and leaped into a world completely different from the palace.
Along the way, Xiao Quanzi followed me like a fool, curiously gazing around. Right, ever since he was sold to the palace as a eunuch at the age of five, he hadn't been outside. Children are always overflowing with curiosity about new things. I let him be.
I was taking Xiao Quanzi to the most sensational fashion show in Jiankang City. All the nobles were fighting for a VIP seat, with prices skyrocketing to more than fifty times their original value. The gang fights for decent seating happened almost daily... it wasn't an exaggeration! How could such modern events exist in this era? Naturally, it was the masterpiece of Jun Jin Villa, the number one estate in the world, and it was my suggestion. A fashion show! An outdoor super exciting fashion show in ancient times! So many classical beauties wearing clothes designed by me, walking gracefully on stage with the catwalk steps I taught them, captivating all men's gazes—how I looked forward to such a scene, so beautiful and ethereal!
Thinking of this made me feel somewhat elated; however, coming out this time had attracted quite a troublesome character! Regret...
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