Chapter 155 Entering the Palace
Tao Tao: "Father, elder brother".
Zhi'er turned her head when she heard the sound and looked the girl up and down.
She has a pretty and delicate appearance, but not stunning. With makeup, she does have a certain charm.
So it seems she's just average. How could she possibly win the favor of His Highness the Crown Prince?
She frowned, genuinely unable to understand.
Murong Yan strode forward, grabbed her wrist, and brought her to Zhi'er, saying, "This is a palace maid from the Empress's side. The Empress has sent an invitation and wishes to see you."
According to the laws of the Celestial Empire, Zhi'er should bow to her.
So she curtsied and said, "Zhi'er greets Princess Huaimin. My Empress was very impressed with you at the banquet the other day and would like to see what kind of woman you are with such courage."
This statement is somewhat contradictory; it says that it has a very good impression of her, yet it also says that it wants to see what kind of person she is.
Tao Tao glanced at Murong Yan beside her, and then said, "Please rise, Aunt."
Suddenly, Zhi'er's gaze fell on Granny Wu beside her, and she was immediately startled, quickly bowing.
"Zhi'er has met Granny Wu. Zhi'er was surprised to learn that Granny Wu's current mistress is actually the county princess."
She never expected to meet Granny Wu at the Prince's Mansion, and that her new master would be the newly appointed Princess Huaimin.
Granny Wu was a fourth-rank official in the palace, responsible for teaching palace maids and young ladies-in-waiting the proper etiquette. She was known for her strictness, and it was Granny Wu who taught her etiquette.
She hadn't seen her in a long time and thought that Granny Wu had left the palace.
Granny Wu smiled faintly: "Times have changed. My mistress is now Princess Huaimin, but I still hold my position in the palace."
This means that even if she is not in the palace, as the Empress's head maid, she still has to pay her respects.
Zhi'er smiled, but a hint of fear inadvertently showed in her eyes.
The group boarded a carriage and headed towards the palace.
Zhi'er was in the first carriage, while Tao Tao, Murong Yan, and Murong Huai Shi were in the last carriage.
"Xiao Tao, if Her Majesty the Empress asks you anything, you can think it over before answering."
Murong Huaishi looked at Tao Tao, who was silent to the side.
His son was about to go to the border, and at this time, no mistakes could be made, as it concerned the honor and future of the Murong family.
She was thinking about something when she heard the sound, turned around, and nodded: "Don't worry, I'll act according to the situation."
“You are now the legitimate daughter of my Murong family, and you have been listed in the royal register. This is beyond doubt, and no one else can use this as a pretext.”
"And your mother is currently the First Madam of the Murong family, Zhao Shi. Although she mentioned to the Emperor that you were his adopted daughter that night, she did not emphasize it further, so they did not realize this."
"This does not constitute deceiving His Majesty, so there is no need to worry too much."
Tao Tao pursed her lips, then suddenly felt a sharp pain on them, making her frown.
"I see."
Murong Yan looked suspicious, his gaze sweeping over her face as he noticed something amiss.
"What's wrong? Did something happen yesterday?"
She blinked, smiled, shook her head, and said casually, "No, nothing happened. I'm just a little worried that the Empress will recognize me."
"What do you mean? Does the Empress know you?"
Otherwise, what did she mean by saying that?
“I don’t know her, but she saw me before, at the funeral hall of the former Grand Councilor.”
Murong Huai Shi frowned and pondered for a moment.
Murong Yan thought it was something serious, and said nonchalantly, "She's the Empress, how could she possibly remember an insignificant little girl? Don't worry, she might have already forgotten about you."
"I hope so." She smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
She might not remember her face, but she definitely remembered killing a woman named Tao Tao.
Murong Huai Shi nodded: "Yan'er is right. So what if she really remembers you? The laws of the Celestial Empire do not stipulate that one cannot adopt a merchant's daughter as an adopted daughter."
At most, it's just a matter of guessing the reason.
The wheels rumbled and groaned, and soon the carriage came to a stop.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, Princess, we have arrived at the palace gates."
Zhi'er stood by the carriage, waiting for them to get off.
Murong Huai Shi and Murong Yan were going to the Wenqing Hall for court, taking a different route than them. Upon entering the palace gate, they found sedan chairs prepared by the Empress waiting for them.
The eunuch lowered the sedan chair, and Zhi'er reached out and lifted the curtain, gesturing for her to get in.
Tao Tao stood on the bluestone palace path, looking up at the red walls and black tiles. The high walls blocked her view of the distance, and she could not see anything except the sky above her head.
The saying "Once you enter the palace gates, it's like entering a deep sea" is not just a saying.
The long and secluded road seemed to stretch on forever, and the quiet surroundings instilled a sense of inexplicable fear.
There was nothing new about the palace; she had seen it back then. It was just a matter of old versus new compared to what she saw in later years.
Dynasties come and go, but the people within them are different.
The sedan chair was very stable, even more stable than a horse-drawn carriage, and stopped after about fifteen minutes.
The curtain was lifted, and Zhi'er stood to the side waiting.
Rong'er stepped forward to support her, saying, "Princess, be careful." Tao Tao used her strength to get out.
Zhi'er led the way, with Tao Tao and Rong'er following behind.
The three arrived at the gate of a palace. Zhi'er turned to Tao Tao and said, "Princess, this servant will go in and inform them. Please wait a moment."
She nodded. "Thank you for your trouble, Auntie."
For a moment, only they remained at the doorway. Rong'er, being young, couldn't help but look around curiously.
“Princess, this place is so beautiful, it’s completely different from the Prince’s mansion.”
Tao Tao smiled but didn't speak. Instead, Wu Mama beside her whispered a reprimand: "This is the palace, heavily guarded. Don't talk nonsense, or you'll cause trouble for the county princess."
Rong'er shrank her neck and said, "Yes, Granny Wu." Then she stuck out her tongue awkwardly.
Soon, Zhi'er came out and said, "Princess, you can go in now."
Granny Wu and Rong'er waited outside, while Tao Tao stood in the hall. The Empress sat on the soft couch in front of her, with a nanny standing beside her, her expression cold.
She glanced at it only once before bowing her head and saying, "Huaimin greets Your Majesty the Empress, may you enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
The Empress picked up a teacup from the side and blew on the foam in the tea.
After a long while, until Tao Tao's knees were about to buckle, she finally took pity on her and said, "Get up."
Tao Tao's face was tense, her loosely clenched hands clenched tightly, and she took a deep breath silently.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
She lowered her head, maintaining a faint smile on her face, letting the Empress's scrutinizing gaze sweep over her.
The Empress looked her over for a while, nodded in satisfaction, and was about to look away when she noticed that the woman's features seemed familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere before.
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