Chapter 42 You Came Empty-Handed
"Miss, you're joking again. Who would scold someone as kind as you?"
Chun Tao always stands firmly on Yu Nian's side, no matter what, truly deserving to be called Yu Nian's die-hard fan.
"You're the only one who thinks I'm a good person."
Yu Nian smiled and pushed all the food that had been prepared for her on the small table to Chun Tao.
"I have no appetite, you eat it for me."
After saying that, he closed his eyes to rest and went to the mental shop to exchange for items.
Yu Nian was somewhat uneasy during this trip to the palace. She didn't know what tricks Chunyu Han was up to, so she decided to prepare something in advance to be on the safe side.
These 1,000 merit points, while not a huge amount, are enough for Yu Nian to choose something to rely on.
Yu Nian was only a beginner account, and there weren't many items to choose from in the store. As she looked around the inventory, Yu Nian suddenly spotted a great item.
The carriage came to a stop, and Yu Nian got off, clutching her skirt, and met the old nanny who had come to guide her.
Before entering the palace, Yu Nian did some research. Shou Kang Palace was located on a high ground, built against the foot of a small mountain, where a large area of ginkgo trees were planted.
At this time of year, most of the ginkgo leaves have turned yellow, and the fan-shaped leaves, interwoven with yellow and green, hanging on the treetops are quite beautiful.
The group entered the woods, and after walking for a short while, the old woman stopped.
"Beyond the woods lies the banquet for family members. Miss, please rest here for a moment. I have to relieve myself, so please excuse me for a moment. I will be back soon. Please do not move around unnecessarily, lest you offend our distinguished guests."
The old woman bowed slightly, uttered those words, and then left.
However, the old woman who was in a hurry to relieve herself never returned. Yu Nian waited for a while, calculated the time, and realized that if she didn't leave soon, it would be too late.
No one would care if someone as insignificant as her was late for the banquet, but if it displeased Chunyu Han, then Yu Nian would be in trouble.
"Let's go, it's not far anyway."
Yu Nian turned around and said something to Chun Tao. Today, Yu Nian was wearing a light blue blouse and skirt, with a red crystal magpie trailing hair ornament in her hair. Standing among the ginkgo trees, she suddenly turned around. The colors that stood out in the yellow and green made Chun Tao's eyes dazzle.
Her young lady is really beautiful, so why doesn't His Highness the Crown Prince like her?
Yu Nian reached out to pull Chun Tao, and Chun Tao finally came to her senses.
"Miss, are we really not going to wait anymore?"
"What are you thinking, you little rascal? Are you waiting for that old nanny to come back and pick us up?"
Yu Nian had a premonition that this trip to the palace wouldn't go smoothly, but she didn't expect the setbacks to come so quickly.
"But we're not familiar with the roads in the palace. It would be terrible if we got lost."
Chun Tao was somewhat apprehensive about coming to the palace for the first time. She had heard that the rules in the palace were absolute, and that palace maids could be punished on any pretext.
"Pah, pah, pah, we're definitely not lost. Let's get out of this grove first, then find someone to ask. We're already in the Shou Kang Palace area, how can we not even find a trace of those two palace maids and eunuchs?"
Yu Nian led Chun Tao out with high hopes. This maid was good in every way; she could cook and was loyal. The only problem was that she was only as brave as a grain of rice.
Half an hour later, Yu Nian looked at the familiar ginkgo tree in front of her and bit her lower lip.
I really did get lost...
"Miss, it will be too late if we don't get out soon."
Chun Tao looked miserable. If Yu Nian arrived late, Prime Minister Yu would definitely punish her when she returned to the manor.
"Don't worry, I have a way."
Yu Nian remembered that her system had a location tracking function for Chunyu Han. Chunyu Han should have arrived by now, and she could definitely find her way out by following this location.
Yu Nian opened the system panel, found the navigation function, and clicked on it.
Sorry, the signal is weak in the forest and we are unable to receive the signal from the bound object.
Yu Nian: Damn it! Your system is concerned with signal strength?! Lao Liu, are you deliberately trying to trick me again?!
Don't think so badly of me; it's just that your account level is low.
The system outwardly offered a brief explanation to Yu Nian, but inwardly it chuckled mischievously: So what if I tricked you? Come at me if you dare.
Yu Nian: You win. I refuse to believe this nonsense.
Unable to find her way out of the woods, she decided to take another route.
"Chuntao, lend me a hand."
Yu Nian stepped on the large rock, about to lift her foot to climb the tree.
"My lady, you can't do this! What will people think if they see this!"
"If there were other people around, I wouldn't have had to climb the tree."
Yu Nian climbed a sturdy ginkgo tree to observe the terrain.
The higher you stand, the farther you can see. There's some truth to this saying.
Yu Niansu covered her brows with her hand, her bright peach blossom eyes slightly narrowed. Oh! There's a pavilion over there against the mountain, and there's someone inside!
Yu Nian happily jumped down from the tree, her light and agile movements like a lark, completely unconcerned that her clothes were torn by the branches.
"Let's go, Chuntao, let's ask for directions."
With a direction, Yu Nian and her group quickened their pace considerably.
A row of long, narrow pavilions built against the mountain were blocked by a row of tall ginkgo trees. If Yu Nian hadn't climbed the tree, they would have had a hard time finding them.
In the pavilion, sitting by the railing was an elderly woman, with no hairpins or decorations in her hair, and dressed in a very simple palace outfit.
He sat there casually, yet possessed an air of dignified composure.
Yu Nian thought about it and realized that someone with such an air about him would be a servant of some status in the palace, even if he wasn't a master.
So, with Chun Tao by her side, she stepped forward and bowed, "Greetings, Granny. I was on my way to my family's banquet, but I got lost. Do you know how to get there?"
The girl's sweet voice was crisp and clear, even more pleasant to listen to than the nightingale in the forest.
The old woman raised her head, glanced at Yu Nian, and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Little girl, whose daughter are you?"
Upon hearing this, Chun Tao became a little anxious. Even if this nanny was a senior servant, she was being far too rude. Her young mistress was always very polite to her, a mere servant.
Yu Nian raised her hand to stop Chun Tao from acting impulsively. She was asking for directions, and she couldn't very well extinguish this little flame of hope with her own hands.
It's not hard to understand why senior palace maids might have a bit of arrogance.
"Your subject is Yu Nian, and your father is Yu Huaifeng."
The old woman's eyes flickered when she heard Yu Huaifeng's name.
I've heard that Prime Minister Yu's only legitimate daughter is spoiled and pampered. She was jilted by the Crown Prince and then publicly confessed her feelings for the Regent, offending the Empress. She's unruly and arrogant.
Seeing him today, he doesn't seem as rude as the rumors suggest.
"I think you'd better not go. The banquet has already started, and the Empress Dowager doesn't like people who are late. The families attending the water banquet won't even get to see the Empress Dowager. It doesn't matter whether you go or not."
The old woman spoke calmly, still not offering directions.
Yu Nian smiled ingratiatingly, thinking to herself that this old woman was quite unique.
“My nanny got food poisoning and fell into the outhouse and couldn’t get out. We couldn’t find our way, so we were delayed. Whether I can see the Empress Dowager or not, I will go to see her. Besides, I promised someone that even if my legs are broken, I will crawl there.”
The old woman raised an eyebrow, amused by Yu Nian's words. This girl was quite interesting to talk to, unlike the usual concubines and noblewomen who were so rigid and boring when they came to pay their respects.
The old woman thought for a moment and then spoke again.
"You said you were expressing your feelings to the Empress Dowager, but I see you came to the banquet empty-handed?"
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