Enter the palace?
Jiang Si’s heart instantly began to race upon hearing this.
Ever since Chen Meiren had used Gu to harm Princess Fuqing, Jiang Si had suspected there was someone in the palace skilled in Gu arts. However, with the Emperor and Empress supporting Princess Fuqing, it wasn’t her place to intervene.
But if it was related to her mother’s death, that was different.
If the Heart-Imprinting Gu that Princess Rongyang used to harm her mother came from a Wumiao elder who had entered the palace, she would certainly need to find that person.
“Where in the palace does she work?”
The old woman shook her head. “Since she entered the palace, we haven’t seen her again. We don’t know where she works.”
“If you came here on the Great Elder’s orders, wouldn’t her entering the palace affect the completion of your task?”
The old woman glanced at Jiang Si but didn’t immediately answer.
Jiang Si suddenly realized.
That elder entering the palace was likely part of the task arranged by the Great Elder.
Doubts multiplied in Jiang Si’s mind.
In her previous life, she had been the Wumiao Holy Maiden for several years but had never heard the Great Elder mention sending people to Da Zhou to carry out tasks.
The Southern Borderlands was a general term, and Wumiao was just one of the tribes there. They had always been at peace with Da Zhou, and in her previous life, they even helped Da Zhou defeat South Lan.
Why had the Wumiao Great Elder secretly sent people to the capital of Da Zhou over ten years ago?
Jiang Si temporarily suppressed her doubts and asked, “If you haven’t seen each other for over ten years, how do you usually communicate?”
The old woman looked at Jiang Si with surprise. “Why does the Holy Maiden ask this?”
Jiang Si’s heart tightened, but she maintained a casual expression. “Just asking out of curiosity.”
“May I ask why the Holy Maiden has come here?”
Jiang Si glanced at the old woman and said with a hint of a smile, “Like the elder, I also have reasons I cannot disclose.”
The old woman was silent for a moment, then said, “I’ve lived here for many years. I see the Holy Maiden is dressed as a married woman…”
Jiang Si smiled. “It’s confidential, I can’t say.”
“I’ve spoken out of turn.” The old woman apologized.
Seeing that further questioning might expose her, Jiang Si wisely ended the topic. After chatting briefly about Wumiao customs, she left the small shop.
The young girl respectfully escorted Jiang Si to the shop door before returning. She excitedly told the old woman, “Huawa, the Holy Maiden not only brought a maid but also a guard and an old servant.”
The old woman felt something was amiss.
“Were the guard and old servant dressed in Da Zhou style?”
“Yes.” The young girl didn’t understand why the old woman asked this.
Since the Holy Maiden was operating under a Da Zhou identity, it was natural for her attendants to be dressed in Da Zhou style.
The old woman frowned deeply and suddenly stood up to walk towards the back.
“Huawa, where are you going?” The young girl followed.
The old woman stopped and said, “To write a letter to send back to the tribe.”
On the road, A Man curiously asked, “Mistress, what were you talking about with that little girl?”
Jiang Si glanced at A Man and said, “The Wumiao language.”
“You can speak Wumiao?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“But I’ve never seen you learn it.”
“It’s innate.”
The little maid scratched her head in confusion.
It wasn’t like killing or arson, how could this be learned without a teacher?
But since her mistress said so, it must be true.
A Man instantly stopped troubling herself and was left with nothing but admiration for her mistress.
Jiang Si remained silent back to Prince Yan’s mansion.
“Greetings to the Princess Consort.”
“Greetings to the Princess Consort.”
Amidst the greetings of the mansion’s servants, Jiang Si returned to her chambers and asked A Qiao, “Is His Highness home today?”
As a prince who didn’t need to inherit the throne, being idle was enough. However, Emperor Jingming deeply resented the Crown Prince’s mediocrity. To motivate this rotten wood, he had his sons gain experience in various government departments.
“His Highness sent word earlier that he had gone out.”
Jiang Si instructed A Qiao, “Go to the front and tell them to inform His Highness to come see me when he returns.”
A Qiao accepted the order and left.
Jiang Si sat down by the couch, absently hugging a pillow as she pondered.
Many things were far more complex than she had imagined, and these were things she couldn’t access in her previous life.
There was a rustling sound by the window.
Jiang Si looked up and saw a fuzzy head poking through the open window.
Er Niu had his two front paws on the windowsill. Seeing Jiang Si look over, he raised one paw and waved.
Jiang Si immediately smiled, and walked out of the room and around to the outside of the window, beckoning to Er Niu.
Er Niu quickly ran over and obediently sat in front of Jiang Si.
“Why did you come over during mealtime?”
Er Niu wagged his tail and made a whining sound in his throat, sounding somewhat distressed.
“Could it be that there weren’t enough meat bones?”
“Woof—” Er Niu barked once, tapping the ground with his tail.
Jiang Si understood then, it wasn’t that there weren’t enough meat bones.
Since getting a mistress, Er Niu had been living a happy life where he could eat bowls and bowls of meat bones.
“Then is today’s meat bone not to your taste?” Jiang Si guessed.
Er Niu tapped the ground with his tail again.
Jiang Si blinked, unable to guess anymore.
A clear voice came: “This fellow wants to eat braised pork hock.”
Er Niu quickly nodded, unusually barking twice at Yu Jin in a fawning manner.
Yu Jin felt irritated just looking at him.
In the past, this dog was somewhat useful, able to help him send messages to A Si, but now he only knew how to compete for attention.
Er Niu keenly sensed the change in his male owner’s mood. His doggy face immediately turned serious, and he suddenly ran towards his dog’s house.
Jiang Si and Yu Jin looked at each other in bewilderment.
Soon, Er Niu ran back out, carrying a chrysanthemum in his mouth which he placed in Jiang Si’s hand.
Yu Jin’s face immediately darkened.
This fellow even knew to bring flowers to A Si!
Jiang Si held the purple chrysanthemum Er Niu had brought, and couldn’t help but smile. “A Man, go to the kitchen and ask if there’s any braised pork hock. If there is, bring some for Er Niu.”
A Man cheerfully agreed and walked out, with Er Niu hurriedly following, wagging his tail.
Yu Jin stared fiercely at Er Niu’s back, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
“What are you thinking about?”
“I’m wondering if we should find a wife for Er Niu.”
After the joke, the two entered the room.
Yu Jin looked steadily at Jiang Si and said, “A Si, you seem unhappy today…”
He knew visiting the Yining Marquis’s mansion was no good; every time she went, A Si came back unhappy.
Hearing Yu Jin’s words, Jiang Si’s eyes reddened, and she nearly burst into tears.
The pain and grievances suppressed in her heart came crashing down like a tidal wave.
People always easily show their vulnerable side in front of those they care about most.
“What’s wrong?” Yu Jin pulled Jiang Si into his arms. “Surely the people at the Yining Marquis’s mansion don’t dare to mistreat you now?”
Jiang Si buried her face in Yu Jin’s chest, wiping her tears on his clothes. She bit her lip and said, “A Jin, my mother was killed by Madam Yu.”
The man’s solid chest tensed for a moment, and he raised his hand to her hair. “What exactly happened?”
Jiang Si pulled Yu Jin to sit down and told him the whole story.
“So, your mother was killed by Princess Rongyang?”
Jiang Si nodded.
“What do you plan to do? Shall we send her to meet her daughter?” Yu Jin suggested in a consultative tone.
Jiang Si smiled. “I was thinking the same thing.”
Within a few days, the Yining Marquis’s mansion sent someone to report a death: the First Madam, Madam Yu, had passed away from illness.
Yu Jin picked up the funeral notice and looked at it, smiling. “The Yining Marquis’s mansion sure moved quickly.”