"Princess, if there's nothing else for you, I'll head back now."
Qiu'er wasn't a palace maid who came here to serve people properly. She brought Xiu Ning in because Xiu Ning had been exceptionally generous these days.
Xiuning nodded slightly, "Thank you for your hard work."
"You're too kind, Princess. It's all what I should do." Qiu'er turned and left, making sure to close the door behind her.
With Xiuning alone in the room, she had a chance to reflect on what had happened that day.
To be honest, Xiu Ning was quite satisfied with her performance. She was neither too high-profile nor completely ignored (she noticed the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager glancing at her). When she came out of Cining Palace, although she encountered a trap that could have been reversed again and again, she managed to avoid it with her wisdom and returned to Chuxiu Palace smoothly.
'That Fang'er,' Xiu Ning thought of the palace maid she'd shoved three times on the road, 'System, her first action, wasn't it initiated by her?'
If Xiuning wasn't mistaken, the other person suddenly fell towards her.
Xiu Ning, with her keen senses, quickly noticed the problem and used it to deduce the truth.
Because she felt the effect was good, she added two more falls later (in fact, the latter two were intentionally thrown at the other person by Xiuning, and the cause and effect were completely different from the first one).
'The host's intuition is correct,' the system affirmed.
'So, the other party came specifically to make me fall and get injured.' They must have thought her face was a threat and decided on her.
Otherwise, with three people walking back together, and the other two wearing elaborate makeup, there's no reason for them to only stare at her.
"Host, your situation is more dangerous than you imagined. This is only your fifth day in the palace."
There are still more than ten days to live. Given the frequency with which the Empress Dowager summons the young ladies, Xiuning will definitely have more opportunities to go out.
Xiuning completely agreed; she hadn't thought of it either (though she had, it was useless). However, it seems she needs to adjust her tactics.
'Try to stay in Chuxiu Palace and not go out. No matter how powerful their methods are, they can't really send their schemes in.'
Xiuning still had confidence in Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. The Hesheli clan, the Niohuru clan, and other powerful families might really get impatient and want to cause trouble, but they probably wouldn't be so crazy as to slap the Empress Dowager in the face.
According to some unofficial historical records she had read, some people said that the reason why Empress Niohuru died young was because she offended the Empress Dowager.
'Let's wait and see how Shumulu Yixuan and Dong'e Jingxin return today. I have a feeling that the Empress Dowager's invitation is unusual.'
Xiu Ning touched her chin with one hand, her expression thoughtful.
...
Later, when the young ladies who had gone to the main hall to learn etiquette returned, Shumulu Yixuan and Dong'e Jingxin, who had been called away earlier, still did not show up.
Upon seeing this, Yiergenjueluo Yiyun and Guarjia Yuxi directly inquired about Xiuning, who was already resting in her room.
"What's going on? The three of you went together. Do the other two have any other plans?"
Guarjia Yuxi still cares a lot about Shumulu Yixuan, even though their alliance is only superficial and easily broken.
Xiuning shook her head and gave a rough account of how they went to the Imperial Garden to admire the flowers after returning from Cining Palace. "I was going to go too, but I fell on the way. Luckily, I was alright, but my makeup was ruined."
Xiu Ning didn't say the rest, but Guarjia Yuxi and Irgen Gioro Yiyun both understood that it was better to give up this opportunity than to meet the Empress Dowager in disheveled attire.
“My sister is really unlucky,” Yigenjueluo Yiyun sighed, then looked up at the still quiet window. “I suppose those two have gotten a lucky break. Let’s wait patiently.”
What's wrong with going to see the Empress Dowager? The later you return, the better the conversation went.
When the imperial selection comes, as long as the Empress Dowager is willing to give them a simple suggestion, their chances of being selected will greatly increase.
Guarjia Yuxi nodded, but at the same time she felt a little disappointed. There were five people in the room, and the other four had met the Empress Dowager, but she was the only one. Could it be that the Guarjia clan was not well received?
The three of them were preoccupied with their own thoughts and had no interest in chatting.
After exchanging a few words, Yiergenjueluo Yiyun and Guarjia Yuxi went back to their rooms, leaving Xiuning alone at the table to ponder.
Unlike the two, the later Shu Mulu Yixuan and Dong E Jingxin returned, the more Xiu Ning felt that their ending wouldn't be good.
Resisting the urge to let the system investigate using discount points, Xiu Ning bit her lip, her expression calm.
As darkness fell, there was finally some noise outside the door.
However, it wasn't two people who returned; it was only Shu Mulu Yixuan.
"Where is Sister Dong'e?"
Irgen Gioro Yiyun asked first, her eyes constantly scanning behind Shumulu Yixuan.
"She... something happened to her, she won't be back tonight."
Shu Mulu Yixuan lowered her head slightly, and due to the dim lighting, it was impossible to see the expression on her face.
Xiu Ning frowned. What did this mean? There was no way that the selected concubines would not return unless they had made a mistake and needed to be sent home.
"What happened? You and Princess Dong'e went to the Imperial Garden together."
Logically, you should have gone together and returned together, but now... Now only Shumulu Yixuan is left, and Guarjia Yuxi can't help but feel afraid of her.
Could it be that Shu Mulu Yixuan did something to trick Dong E Jingxin into going home with her?
Returning home at this time would not bring any good reputation to the young lady.
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