Although the first light of dawn was breaking on the horizon, the maidservant still lit the candles in the room. The dancing flames illuminated the whole room.
However, the nightmare she had just experienced still haunted Ruan Jiu, making her tremble uncontrollably.
A maidservant named Lianchun walked in with a pillow and placed it behind Ruan Jiu to make her sit more comfortably. Then she picked up the quilt that had fallen on the ground and covered Ruan Jiu with it again.
"Lianchun, what is this pillow made of?" Ruan Jiu sniffed. The smell instantly soothed her restless heart.
Lianchun replied, "I've noticed that you've been having trouble sleeping these days, so I made this pillow with buckwheat. I was afraid you might not like it, so I added some dried lavender. Do you not like the smell?"
So it was lavender! No wonder it smelled so nice.
Ruan Jiu smiled. "I like it very much. Thank you, Lianchun."
"Miss, you're willing to avenge my younger sister. I'm extremely grateful! What I've done for you is just a small thing. It's not worth your thanks!"
Lianchun's younger sister was the maidservant who had been dragged out by Song Yanran to take the blame that day. The two sisters had depended on each other in the palace since childhood and had a very deep bond.
After learning that her younger sister had been beaten to death with a cane, Lianchun had run crying to Ruan Jiu's courtyard and knelt there for three days and three nights.
At first, Ruan Jiu had thought that Lianchun was sent by Song Yanran to spy on her. Instead of being secretly plotted against, she decided to keep Lianchun by her side.
Unexpectedly, in order to show her loyalty, within just half a month, Lianchun had managed to root out most of the people Song Yanran had placed around Ruan Jiu. Moreover, Lianchun was very smart and quick - witted, which was undoubtedly a great help to Ruan Jiu.
Suddenly, Ruan Jiu caught sight of the hairpin on Lianchun's head. The gemstone inlaid on it sparkled in the candlelight.
"Lianchun, the hairpin on your head is really beautiful."
Lianchun nervously touched the hairpin on her head, then took it off and suddenly knelt on the ground. She exclaimed, "Please punish me, Miss!"
Ruan Jiu frowned and looked at the hairpin lying in Lianchun's palm. She asked in confusion, "What are you doing?"
Lianchun replied, "This was a gift from the Crown Princess to my younger sister. After my sister passed away, this was the only thing left. I couldn't bear to throw it away, so I wore it on my head to remind myself to avenge my sister all the time. If it bothers you, Miss, I'll throw it away right away!"
After hearing this, Ruan Jiu gave a faint smile. She had thought it was something serious.
"Get up."
Seeing that Lianchun still refused to get up, Ruan Jiu continued, "No one would turn down gold, silver and treasures. Keep it. It can be a keepsake."
Seeing that Ruan Jiu didn't blame her, Lianchun kowtowed repeatedly to express her gratitude. Then she carefully put the hairpin back on her head.
After Lianchun left, Ruan Jiu couldn't help sighing in her heart. Truly, the bond between sisters was deep.
-
Soon, the Chinese New Year's Eve was approaching. As in previous years, many important court officials were invited to the New Year's Eve banquet in the palace this year.
Ruan Jiu was not originally on the invitation list. After all, her current identity was just a female family member of a prince's mansion. But Song Yanran unexpectedly invited her to the banquet.
Ruan Jiu of course knew that Song Yanran wasn't being kind. It seemed that Song Yanran was planning to take action at the New Year's Eve banquet. However, she was quite curious about how Song Yanran would act in the heavily - guarded palace. This New Year's Eve banquet was surely going to be extraordinary.
On the day of the palace banquet, the three of them walked into the grand hall together. Song Yanran was dressed in a magnificent light - yellow palace dress, looking elegant and noble. But Xiao Wang didn't wear palace clothes. Instead, he chose a crescent - colored brocade robe just like Ruan Jiu's. At a glance, Song Yanran seemed like an outsider.
Song Yanran was so angry that she almost gritted her teeth, but she had to pretend to be gentle and polite. However, after today, she wouldn't have to see that face she hated anymore. Thinking of this, her mood seemed to improve a little.
Xie Jingchu was also attending this palace banquet. Although Ruan Jiu had prepared herself mentally, when she saw Xie Jingchu, her heart still couldn't help fluttering.
She still had a lingering fear of that nightmare. She had once thought about going to Xie Jingchu and telling him everything, and then they could find a way out together. But she knew that all this was just wishful thinking, and she could only suppress such thoughts in her heart.
Because Lan Yu was not only a secret guard sent by Xiao Wang to protect her but also to monitor her every move. As long as she dared to get close to Xie Jingchu, Xiao Wang would know about it soon. Before she came up with a foolproof plan, she could only continue to play the role of Song Qingyu well.
"All officials, raise your glasses and toast to the coming New Year." The Emperor's deep and powerful voice came from the dragon throne.
Ruan Jiu looked up. Sitting beside the Emperor were not only the Empress but also Concubine Shu. However, the Concubine Shu now was completely different from the one she had seen in the cold palace that day. Now, Concubine Shu looked radiant and full of energy.
Then, the Empress raised her glass. "May our dynasty prosper and the country be peaceful and the people live in tranquility."
Just as the Empress finished drinking the wine, Concubine Shu let out a charming laugh.
"Your Majesty, I'm different from the Empress. You're my sky and the sky of thousands of people. I only wish Your Majesty good health."
These words were undoubtedly a public slap in the face of the Empress. The Empress's face visibly darkened. However, these words pleased the Emperor greatly. The Emperor burst out laughing several times and bestowed a lot of treasures on Concubine Shu.
It seemed that the Emperor still felt it was not enough, so he asked, "I wonder what else my beloved concubine wants?"
Concubine Shu gave a charming smile. "I'm already content to be able to serve Your Majesty again. It's just that..." She pursed her lips, looking hesitant to speak.
"Beloved concubine, just speak your mind."
Concubine Shu glanced at Xie Jingchu sitting at the table and then said, "Now, the Huo family only has Jing'er left. But he's still unmarried. If my elder brother were alive, he would surely blame me for not taking good care of his only son."
After hearing this, Xie Jingchu narrowed his eyes slightly. As soon as Concubine Shu looked at him, he knew what she was up to. How restless she was!
Immediately, he stood up. Before Xie Jingchu could say anything, Concubine Shu continued, "I dare to ask Your Majesty for an imperial edict."
"Oh? I wonder which girl my beloved concubine has chosen for Jing'er?"
"Jing'er and the Princess are of similar ages. I just don't know if Jing'er has such good fortune."
These days, Concubine Shu had figured it out. Instead of asking Xie Jingchu to make friends with the Crown Prince, it would be more practical for him to marry the Princess directly. The Princess was not only the Crown Prince's younger sister but also had been raised by the Empress since childhood. No matter who ascended the throne in the future, she could live a stable life in the harem. And Xie Jingchu could also become a royal relative through this marriage, with a boundless future.
Concubine Shu's words exploded like thunder in Ruan Jiu's ears. At this moment, a big hand suddenly grabbed her palm. She looked over and found that Xiao Wang's sharp eyes were staring at her intently. The coldness in his eyes seemed to be warning her not to act rashly.
But was she really going to watch Xie Jingchu marry someone else? Was she going to let that terrible nightmare become reality?!