Chapter 8 Harboring Delusions The wisps of hair at her temples were lifted by the wind, and suddenly…
That day, Gu Xi came to Bihe Garden again. She had already played two pieces, but no one came to join in.
Normally, that person should have appeared long ago.
Just as she was about to pack up and head back, feeling a bit disheartened, she suddenly saw someone walking towards her from afar.
"Miss Gu, we meet again."
"Lord Bai?!" Gu Xi exclaimed in surprise. The person who came was actually Bai Xingzhi! How could a foreign official like him suddenly appear here?
Although the palace rules of the Sheng Kingdom were not as strict as those of the previous dynasty, officials were still not allowed to enter the palace at night. The fact that Bai Xingzhi could come and go freely here showed that the emperor trusted him immensely.
Bai Xingzhi was taken aback at first, then laughed self-deprecatingly. Now that he had entered the palace, even the way she addressed him was different. Before, she always called him "Young Master Bai".
Bai Xingzhi composed himself and said, "I had heard that Miss Gu had entered the palace, but I didn't expect it to be true."
"Gu Xi greets Lord Bai..." Gu Xi didn't expect to meet Bai Xingzhi here. It had been more than half a month since she last saw him, and she thought she would never have any contact with him again in this life.
However, even if we meet now, it's not appropriate to say anything more, lest someone see us and cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
Gu Xi was about to find an excuse to leave when a thought suddenly popped into her head. She asked somewhat anxiously, "Why is Lord Bai here?" Could it be that he was the one she had been playing music with these past few days?
"I had just finished discussing important matters with His Majesty and was about to leave the palace when I got lost and wandered into this place. Please forgive me, Miss Gu," Bai Xingzhi said apologetically, bowing.
"Is this your first time here, Lord Bai?" Gu Xi asked tentatively. She didn't know what kind of answer she wanted, but she just wanted to know if the person who had been with her all this time was him... She even asked herself if she hoped that the person was him.
“Of course.” Bai Xingzhi nodded.
Gu Xi wanted to press further, but Bai Xingzhi suddenly said, "I heard from the steward that Miss Gu sought me out before entering the palace. May I ask what it was about?" After Bai Xingzhi finished speaking, he looked intently at Gu Xi.
Bai Xingzhi's words instantly brought her to her senses. She had already warned herself at the Misty Rain Pavilion not to harbor any delusions.
How could she have forgotten?
Feeling his gaze, Gu Xi quickly turned her head away: "That day I wanted to thank you in person for saving my life, but unfortunately you were not here, so I had to ask Butler Bai to convey my thanks." Gu Xi said casually.
Regardless of the reason back then, there's no need to tell him now. Since he's already entered the palace, saying anything more would only create unnecessary trouble.
"Is that all?" Bai Xingzhi pressed.
"That's all," Gu Xi replied with certainty.
"Is there anything else urgent?" Bai Xingzhi pressed again.
"Nothing important." Gu Xi's tone remained indifferent, devoid of any emotion.
Bai Xingzhi looked at the top of Gu Xi's head. The wisps of hair at her temples were being lifted by the wind, brushing against her cheeks one by one. He wanted to smooth them down, but his raised hand hesitated to fall. It remained suspended in mid-air before finally falling back behind him.
"Very good." Bai Xingzhi only managed to utter these few words after a long pause. A barely perceptible bitterness flickered in his eyes, but unfortunately, Gu Xi could no longer see it.
Bai Xingzhi turned his back to Gu Xi and strode away from Bihe Garden.
Gu Xi watched his departing figure, but ultimately didn't ask the question she wanted to.
*
In the blink of an eye, Gu Xi had been in the palace for more than half a month.
That day, Gu Xi finished her morning teaching session but couldn't find Zhu Yin anywhere. Usually, Zhu Yin would be waiting for her outside the door early in the morning.
She hasn't seen Zhuyin since this morning, and the people she lives with don't know either.
Zhu Yin has always been a sensible person; if something were to cause a delay, she would always let them know in advance.
"Sister, have you seen my maid Zhuyin?" Gu Xi asked anxiously, grabbing Lu Mengli's hand.
Lu Mengli is the daughter of Lu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. Gu Xi is her closest friend, and in Chuxiu Garden, only Lu Mengli and Chen Wan'er treat her kindly and gently.
Lu Mengli shook her head.
“Miss Gu Xi, this morning Aunt Lin instructed us to go to the Four Departments to retrieve items that the ladies will need when they meet the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine in five days. I remember she went to the Treasury with Dong'er and a few other ladies.” Lu Mengli’s maid, Cai Tang, happened to enter from outside at this moment.
"Are they back now?" Gu Xi asked, turning her head.
“I saw them at the door just now, but I don’t think I saw Zhuyin.” Caitang shook her head.
"Thank you, Caitang, I'll go take a look." With that, Gu Xi hurriedly walked towards the gate.
When she arrived at the door, Gu Xi saw the solemn expressions on Dong'er and the others' faces and her heart sank.
"Dong'er, didn't Zhuyin come back with you?"
"Princess Gu Xi, on our way back just now, we accidentally bumped into Consort Wan, and Zhu Yin is being held there." As she spoke, Dong'er started crying, looking terrified.
“Nonsense! They did it on purpose…” Chen Wan’er’s maid, Biyu, said indignantly. Dong’er tugged at her clothes, signaling her to stop talking.
Dong'er continued, "We came back hoping that Granny Kong and Aunt Lin could go and rescue them, but they are not in Chuxiu Garden right now, and we don't know where to look for them."
"Where is Zhuyin now?" Gu Xi tried her best to calm herself down. The most important thing was to find Zhuyin first.
“On the path beside the pavilion in the center of the lake in the Imperial Garden,” Dong’er replied.
Gu Xi was now in a dilemma. She had only been in the palace for about twenty days, spending most of her time in the Chuxiu Garden. She wasn't familiar with the palace layout and had never been to the Imperial Garden. The palace was vast; once he found her, who knew how much more suffering Zhu Yin would have to endure...
“Miss Gu Xi, I’ll take you there!” Bi Yu said with a determined look, as if she could see through her predicament.
"Thank you, Biyu." Gu Xi looked at her gratefully.
Gu Xi learned the general outline of the matter from Bi Yu. It turned out that Consort Wan had deliberately staged this scene after hearing that they came from Chuxiu Garden. It seemed to be nothing more than an old palace servant trying to establish authority over the newcomers, using her subordinates as a scapegoat.
Gu Xi couldn't understand. In terms of rank, she was just a Consort Wan. There were also Imperial Concubine Gui and Imperial Concubine Shu in the palace. How could it be her turn to establish authority? Besides, although these young ladies-in-waiting didn't have ranks yet, in a few days, no one could say for sure if someone would surpass her. Why would she dare to offend someone at this time?
There's probably only one possibility: the emperor doted on her so much that she forgot her place and thus committed this presumptuous act.
Therefore, it seems that this Consort Wan was merely domineering, rather than a scheming person.
Gu Xi thought that this was good. As long as she, the "newcomer," went there and vented her anger, the matter would be resolved.
The Imperial Garden.
Gu Xi saw from afar that Zhu Yin was kneeling on the path in front of the pavilion in the middle of the lake with her back to her. The person sitting in the pavilion must be Consort Wan.
Gu Xi gave a few instructions and then told Biyu to go back first. She was already grateful that Biyu had brought her along, and she couldn't let her get involved any further.
Gu Xi quickly walked up to Consort Xiang Wan and bowed, saying, "This commoner, Gu Xi, greets Your Highness, Consort Xiang Wan."
Consort Wan was very beautiful. Her almond-shaped eyes were clear and bright, and her gaze seemed to convey a thousand words. Her nose was straight and delicate, and her cherry lips were slightly parted. She looked both lively and charming. It was no wonder that the Emperor favored such a beauty.
“Miss…” Zhu Yin called out, her voice choked with emotion, upon seeing the person who had arrived.
Only then did Gu Xi notice the swollen handprint on Zhu Yin's face and the blood at the corner of her mouth. Her heart trembled, and she suppressed her sadness and anger.
"Who are you?" Consort Wan looked at the newcomer. From their conversation just now, she already knew Gu Xi's identity, but she still asked the question knowingly.
“Your Highness, I am a newly appointed palace maid. Zhuyin is my maid. She did not know the rules and offended Your Highness. I apologize on her behalf and ask Your Highness to forgive her this time.”
Consort Wan had no intention of letting the two women off the hook: "Since you say she doesn't know the rules, then I'll teach her for you." Consort Wan raised her head slightly, looked at Gu Xi, and asked the head maid beside her, "Qin Xin, how many more blows are needed?"
"Your Majesty, the total number of slaps is twenty. Ten have already been delivered, and ten remain." Qin Yin was replying to Consort Wan, but her voice was directed at Gu Xi. Even the palace maid beside Consort Wan was so arrogant and smug; it seemed that Consort Wan was quite favored.
"You heard me? After these ten blows, I'll return them to you." Consort Wan said, admiring her newly made nail guards.
When Gu Xi heard that she had been hit ten times, she was filled with resentment, but she still gritted her teeth and said, "Your Highness, since it is my fault for not teaching her properly, then Your Highness shall punish me. As for my maid, I will punish her when I get back, so Your Highness need not trouble yourself."
"How dare you! A mere palace maid dares to instruct the Empress on how to do things!" Qin Xin scolded Gu Xi. In this palace, everyone knew that the Emperor doted on their Empress the most. Even the Imperial Concubine dared not speak like that. How dare a mere palace maid be so presumptuous?
"Miss, you mustn't..." Zhu Yin was worried that Consort Wan would really punish her young mistress.
Gu Xi gave her a reassuring look. She knew that if it were her who was being punished, Consort Wan would not dare to go too far. If Zhu Yin continued to suffer, twenty slaps would ruin her face. She would never allow that to happen.
Consort Wan was in a really bad mood today. During her morning audience, the other concubines were subtly mocking her, saying things like "Only the new concubines are seen laughing, and the old concubines are not heard crying," implying that she, an old concubine, would soon fall out of favor with the new concubines. She knew they had always disliked her and were now waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
Coincidentally, when I passed by the Imperial Garden today, I encountered a few maids who came out of the Chuxiu Garden. I originally just wanted to give them a small punishment to prevent them from becoming arrogant and vying with me for the Emperor after they were granted titles.
But she also knew the importance of things. Nothing lasts forever. The emperor might change his mind any day. If the one she had caught today were to rise to prominence and become a phoenix in the future, she would be in trouble.
But when she looked up and saw Gu Xi's face, her worries immediately disappeared.
The woman in front of him was of ordinary appearance, not even pretty. The emperor would certainly not be interested in her, so he might as well hit her.
Thinking of this, Consort Wan continued, "Alright, you said it yourself!"
Qin Xin understood and walked up to Gu Xi, then swung her sleeve and began to slap Gu Xi's face repeatedly, leaving red marks on Gu Xi's face soon.
"Miss...stop...Miss..." Zhu Yin shouted hysterically from the side, but she was held back by Wan Pin's other two maids and could not protect Gu Xi.
Gu Xi never expected that Consort Wan would actually dare to slap a young lady. The woman was already a little dazed after the slap.
Qin Xin slapped Gu Xi hard again, but Gu Xi remained silent, her eyes stubbornly fixed on Consort Wan.
"Your Majesty... shall we continue?" Qin Xin asked, to be honest, she was also a little scared. After all, she was a young lady being beaten, and if the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine found out, they might punish her.
Consort Wan was actually a little scared. Although the Emperor doted on her, she didn't want to make too many enemies. She had always heard of people who protected their masters, but she never expected to encounter someone who protected his servant!
What bad luck!
Consort Wan finally gave Gu Xi a proper look. Her back was straight, and her already unattractive face was now even more unsightly. Despite clenching her teeth in pain, she showed no intention of begging for mercy. Her eyes, fixed on her, irritated Consort Wan, who ordered, "Keep hitting her!"
Once she's vented her anger, we'll release her. I doubt she'll dare to make a scene before the Emperor.
Qin Xin obeyed the order and was about to continue fighting when she suddenly heard Zhao Fuquan shout, "The Emperor has arrived!"
A note from the author:
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The male and female leads will meet in the next chapter!
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