Afterward.

Sui’er had no choice but to steel herself and carry the meal sent from the Imperial Kitchen to the princess.

When she reached the doorway, her steps paused.

She first poked her head inside to look, but she didn’t see anyone in the room, and it was extremely quiet.

Sui’er had never been here before and had never seen Jing Xuan, so she inevitably felt somewhat curious and anxious. After taking several deep breaths, she finally moved forward cautiously with small steps.

“Princess?”

Her voice echoed through the vast bedchamber, creating an echo.

Sui’er didn’t see anyone in the outer hall, so she carried the meal into the inner hall, just in time to see Jing Xuan taking down a thin cloak from behind the screen.

“Princess, let this servant help you.”

Sui’er quickly set down what she was holding and went over to take the cloak, carefully draping it over Jing Xuan’s shoulders.

“Is the princess going out?”

Jing Xuan had never seen this maid before.

“Which palace are you from?”

“This servant was just transferred to Zhang Zhi Hall.”

“Where is Duan’er?”

“Sister Duan’er isn’t feeling well, so she had this servant come deliver the meal to the princess.”

Question and answer!

Jing Xuan glanced at the meal placed on the table, her eyes growing cold. She pushed away Sui’er, who was tying the cloak strings for her.

As those two gray-white strings slipped from her hands, the cloak slid from her body and fell to the floor.

It lay softly at her feet.

Sui’er thought she had said something wrong again and was so frightened that she immediately knelt on the ground, head lowered. “This servant knows she was wrong, Princess, please spare my life.”

No matter what the mistake was, admitting fault first was never wrong.

Jing Xuan glanced at her sideways. “Take the things away. I’m not hungry.”

“Princess…”

“Why are you so frightened? Get up.”

“Yes.”

Sui’er rose trembling, but her body no longer dared to straighten.

“Pick it up.” Jing Xuan’s voice was cold and also very weak.

Sui’er didn’t dare say more. She quickly picked up the cloak from the floor, patted off the fine dust that had settled on it, and carefully draped it over Jing Xuan again.

Jing Xuan also noticed the injury on her face.

She asked coolly, “What happened to your face?”

Sui’er tensed, her eyes flickering as she said, “This servant accidentally fell.”

“Fell on your face?”

“Yes.”

Heh.

Jing Xuan laughed coldly. She knew in her heart that the palace maids of Zhang Zhi Hall normally didn’t even dare breathe loudly, walking and conducting themselves with utmost care in everything—how could they fall like this?

She tilted her head slightly, reaching out to touch Sui’er’s face, her gaze turning sinister. “Did she use a knife? Or a porcelain shard? Or perhaps, scissors?”

Ah!

Sui’er’s whole body shuddered.

Her eyes widened.

Like a demon, Jing Xuan’s hand moved slowly from the gauze on Sui’er’s face to her chin, then gripped it firmly and lifted it up.

Forcing the maid to look directly at her.

“Princess?”

“I think she must have gripped you like this at the time, then took those scissors she often uses to cut flowers and slowly sliced across your face, bit by bit. Am I right?”

That voice was like something emerging from an unfathomably deep abyss, making one’s hair stand on end.

As if she had been there at the scene, witnessing it with her own eyes.

Sui’er swore that when Consort Xiao had cut her face, she hadn’t been as terrified as she was now.

No wonder everyone was unwilling to serve this princess.

So she was insane!

Insane to the point of being twisted.

Sui’er didn’t dare move, staring at her with eyes full of fear.

Until Jing Xuan released her. “Are you very afraid of me?”

“No… no.”

“Heh, I’m not as vicious as she is. I won’t take your life.”

“Thank… thank you, Princess.”

Jing Xuan smiled, very gently.

That smile was as if it were covered in thorns, piercing the young maid before her full of holes.

“All right, hurry and take the things away.”

Having said that, she went toward the outer hall.

Sui’er stood dazed in place for a long time before coming to her senses. She quickly picked up the things to leave.

After performing a courtesy, “This servant takes her leave.”

Just as she was about to exit—

“Wait.” Jing Xuan called out to her.

“Does the princess have other instructions?”

“Since Duan’er isn’t here, you come comb my hair.” She sat before the mirror.

Sui’er was alarmed. “This servant… this servant has never combed hair for a master before. I’m afraid I won’t do it well.”

“It’s fine, come here.”

“Yes.”

So Sui’er took the comb with trembling hands and combed her hair, not daring to use force, still being extremely careful.

Jing Xuan opened a jewelry box, selected an ornament from inside, and held it in her hand playing with it. Through the mirror before her, she asked, “Do you like it?”

Sui’er nodded.

Jing Xuan raised her hand and inserted the hairpin into her hair. “If you like it, you can take all the jewelry here.”

“This servant wouldn’t dare.”

“What’s there not to dare? It’s what you deserve.”

Ah?

What she deserves?

Sui’er didn’t understand.

Jing Xuan then said, “The injury on your face will probably follow you for a lifetime. Mother Consort owes you this, something she can never repay in her entire life.”

Oh!

So that’s what she meant.

Sui’er hurriedly shook her head and waved her hands. “It was this servant who said the wrong thing and made Her Ladyship unhappy. This servant deserved the punishment.”

At that moment, Jing Xuan’s gaze deepened. She curved her thin, cold lips, her phoenix eyes gathering light, a cold gleam flashing.

“Wrong? What is wrong? What is right? Everything is decided by what she says.” She laughed coldly, but in the next moment, her eyes recovered their calm, the corners of her mouth carrying an extremely gentle smile as she asked Sui’er, “Do you have any family left?”

“No more, just this servant alone.”

“Then would you like to follow me?”

“Ah?”

“When I marry out, I’ll take you to Huyi.”

“Ah!”

She exclaimed again.

Jing Xuan asked, “You’re unwilling to follow me?”

“No, being able to follow the princess is this servant’s honor, it’s just… it’s not possible right now.”

“Why?”

“Her Ladyship wants this servant to look after that fool.” She spoke truthfully.

Fool?

Jing Xuan looked at her in confusion. “What fool? Where would a fool come from in this palace?”

Sui’er said, “It’s that fool the princess brought into the palace before. Her Ladyship brought him into the palace a few days ago, and now he’s locked in that room on the west side. She has this servant looking after him.”

Wei Yi?

Jing Xuan’s brow furrowed as she asked, “Why did Mother Consort bring him into the palace?”

“This servant doesn’t know.” She shook her head, continuing, “He had this servant find some bamboo strips and paper for him, along with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, saying he wanted to make lanterns.”

As for why the fool wanted to make lanterns, she had no idea.

Jing Xuan felt puzzled. Several months ago, Wei Yi had left the capital with Prince Rong and Ji Yunshu. How could Wei Yi be in the capital at this time?

And in Zhang Zhi Hall at that?

What about Ji Yunshu?

What about Prince Rong?

The more she thought about it, the more something seemed wrong.

After pondering for a long while, she said, “Sui’er, from today onward, you’ll stay with me, but you must also continue looking after that fool. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Doesn’t he want those writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones? Prepare everything for him.”

“Yes.”

Sui’er agreed, discovering that this princess wasn’t so frightening after all!

That night, when no one was in the hall, Jing Xuan wrapped herself in her outer garment and carried a lantern out of the bedchamber.

In a short while, she arrived outside the room where Wei Yi was confined.

There was no one outside, and the door had a lock on it.

She somehow had a key and opened the door.

Inside there was only one lamp, and as the door opened, a breeze blew in and immediately extinguished the candle flame.

Pitch black!

Fortunately, Jing Xuan was still carrying a lantern in her hand.

She moved the lantern in her hand forward, and saw Wei Yi still sitting cross-legged on the floor, also looking up at her.

But because of the light shining on him, he instinctively tilted his head to the side.

“Wei Yi? Is it really you?”