In the secluded laundry quarters of the palace, palace maids dressed in blue palace gowns were washing clothes sent from various palaces by the pool. Several matrons were patrolling the courtyard, some with kind faces, others with indifferent expressions.
Cai Ning sat by the pool on the far left, carefully washing the clothes in her hands. Her expression was no longer as timid and nervous as when she served in the concubines' palaces. The testimony of Consort Wu was provided by her voluntarily. She secretly went to plead with the guards and palace servants in the main hall, but was stopped outside and refused to be let in no matter what.
She tried to bribe the guards and palace servants with silver, but still couldn't get in. Just as she was leaving in despair, she happened to run into Prince Yuan, who was walking along the palace road with only one servant. On a whim, she went to beg Prince Yuan for help, and to her surprise, he actually gave her a way out.
Knowing the extent of Consort Wu's crimes, all she wanted was to survive. She was grateful that she had betrayed Consort Wu; otherwise, she would have been dead long ago. When the imperial edict was issued, all of Consort Wu's palace servants were executed. Only Prince Yuan pleaded for her, and the emperor showed leniency by demoting her to the laundry department—a stroke of luck indeed.
Life here is tough, but the old women here are all nice. Aside from a few maids occasionally provoking her, she doesn't care. Right now, all she wants is to save enough money to leave the palace in three years and go home to live a good life.
With that thought in mind, she hummed a little tune and became even more focused as she washed the clothes.
The palace maid standing nearby glanced at her, utterly bewildered. What was this person so happy about? Being demoted from a first-class palace maid to the lowest third-class palace maid—anyone else would have been devastated long ago.
As everyone busied themselves, a female official entered with two palace maids. She exuded an air of authority, and everyone immediately rose to pay their respects. Several matrons went to greet her.
"Greetings, Your Excellency."
"Rise. I have come here today on an important matter. Our laundry department is responsible for washing the palace's clothes, and the most important task is the Emperor and Empress's clothes. Everyone must pay close attention to this."
"yes."
Seeing that everyone obediently agreed, the female official nodded in satisfaction: "The Imperial Household Department has sent word that the Emperor and the Empress have gone to Jinghe Garden to escape the summer heat and will be staying for a while. Jinghe Garden is only a quarter of an hour away from this laundry department, so everyone must be careful with their words and not offend the Emperor or the Empress who is pregnant with the prince."
“What you say is true, sir. We understand.”
"Most importantly, Her Majesty the Empress is about to give birth to our dynasty's first prince, who will undoubtedly be of immeasurable importance. His Highness's new clothes need to be made as soon as possible, as well as Her Majesty the Empress's new clothes, which will then be sent to our laundry department for cleaning. I don't need to elaborate on the importance of this task; everyone knows it."
Upon hearing this, everyone whispered among themselves, their expressions filled with joy. If they could personally wash the prince's clothes, the Emperor and Empress would be pleased, and they would surely receive many rewards. But who would get this opportunity?
The old woman cleared her throat to quiet everyone down, and they immediately fell silent, eagerly awaiting the lady-in-waiting's next words.
The female official glanced indifferently at the people below, then pointed to Cai Ning standing at the back: "You, come here!"
Cai Ning didn't know why she was being called, but she still obediently stepped forward and said, "This servant greets Your Excellency."
Seeing this, everyone was filled with envy. This person hadn't been there long, yet she was frequently praised by the maids. Now, she had been personally chosen by the lady-in-waiting, so this lucrative post was sure to fall to her. Especially the two palace maids who had repeatedly provoked Cai Ning; their faces were contorted with rage as they glared at Cai Ning as if they wanted to pounce on her and tear her apart.
"Although you have only been here a short time, the nannies have repeatedly praised you for not only washing your clothes clean but also taking good care of yourself. Moreover, you used to work in the inner palace and know the proper etiquette, so I intend to entrust this task to you."
Cai Ning was actually very unwilling. The female official had put her in the spotlight with just a few words. Who knew how these people would talk about her? She just wanted to live as a nobody.
However, she could not disobey the order, so she had to bite the bullet and agree: "Thank you for your appreciation, sir. This servant will certainly live up to your expectations and serve Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Prince."
The female official was extremely satisfied: "The order is that you will accompany the artisans from the Clothing Bureau to deliver new clothes to the Empress."
Cai Ning's pupils dilated slightly.
"Yes, ma'am."
After seeing the lady-in-waiting off, everyone looked at Cai Ning with envy. The two palace maids who disliked her stepped forward and shoved her, saying, "How disgusting!"
The cold-faced old woman stepped forward and pulled the person aside, blocking Cai Ning: "Get back to work, or I'll report to the Lady Official."
"Granny!" The two women glared angrily, wanting to retaliate, but upon seeing the nanny's stern expression, they immediately grumbled and went back to their work.
"Thank you, Granny." Cai Ning was filled with gratitude.
The cold-faced old woman nodded slightly: "Go back and do your job well."
That evening, Cai Ning came out of her room and rushed into Gong's room. She felt extremely comfortable when she came out. Feeling refreshed, she walked back, but after only two steps, she lost consciousness and was carried out in a sack.
The next day, a palace maid sweeping outside the Jinghe Garden discovered a corpse in the well under a tree. Startled, she dropped the bucket of water, screamed deathly pale, and collapsed to the ground, shrinking back in panic. Her screams attracted the attention of the surrounding palace maids: "What's wrong? Are you alright?"
The palace maid who was with her put down her broom and tried to help her up, but the maid's legs were too weak. She tugged at her companion's sleeve and pointed at the well, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time. Everyone had no choice but to go forward and watch, and without exception, they all screamed in fright and fled in panic, supporting each other.
The Imperial Household Department had the woman's body retrieved, and after identification by various palaces, it was confirmed that she was Cai Ning, a palace maid from the Laundry Bureau.
Cai Ning's body was placed in the courtyard of the laundry department. The old nanny and a group of palace servants covered their mouths in disbelief, while several timid palace maids huddled together with tears in their eyes, clearly frightened to tears.
The female official glanced discreetly at the group; two palace maids seemed unusually calm. She had learned of Cai Ning's mistreatment after she left, but there was no evidence yet that the two women were responsible.
The eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department were still alive, so it was best not to make a fuss.
“Since you are from our laundry department, we…” Before the female official could finish speaking, Cai Ning, who was lying on the ground, suddenly coughed violently and coughed up a lot of water.
The palace maids huddled together in fright. The two maids who had bullied Cai Ning were also startled. She wasn't dead? Had she risen from the dead? The female official, annoyed by the maids' screams, demanded, "Silence!"
The eunuchs in charge of household affairs were also startled and took a few steps back: "What happened? The coroner examined the body, and it's alive again?" The old women were also filled with fear.
Cai Ning woke up amidst everyone's stares and panic, slowly sitting up and looking around. She glanced at the crowd, wondering why they were looking at her with such terror.
Oh, right! Wasn't she asleep in the dimly lit space of consciousness? How did she wake up here? What happened?
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