An extreme fear rose from the soles of her feet. Xiaohua put down the broom and saw the dusty steamed bun not far away. She quickly ran forward and squatted down. There were already ants crawling onto the bun.
After a while, some ants lay motionless on the ground, one by one...
Xiaohua's hands trembled. She had indeed overestimated her own contribution and underestimated the cruelty of others.
"Xiaohua! What are you doing in there? You think you're still the princess's maid, don't you?" The nanny's voice rose several degrees: "Do you want to be beaten tonight?"
Xiaohua took a few deep breaths and quickly responded, "Sorry, Ma'am, I just tripped over my broom. I'll be right out! Calm down! I'll be right out!"
Xiaohua quickly swept the buns on the ground, picked up the broom and rushed out. Many palace servants in Xinzheku looked at her with either contempt or ridicule.
The nanny was kind-hearted and didn't say anything more: "Let's go. We'll go to Zhuang Ning Palace later. Don't talk, just do your work... Empress Defei has a kind heart. If you do well, you will be rewarded..."
Xiaohua still held the bamboo broom tightly. Someone seemed to be talking to her as they walked by, but she didn't hear clearly. She only heard the person spit at the end: "What are you doing with all that airs? You're all the same!"
She will die.
This is the thought that has been turning over in my mind countless times during this journey.
But she wanted to live.
She and the other palace servants began to follow the instructions of the nanny and Xiaoning, the head maid of Zhuang Ning Palace, and soon they dispersed and started cleaning.
There are few objects in Zhuang Ning Palace, and the courtyard is quiet and clean.
Xiaohua was assigned to clean a storage room, which was filled with boxes or rolled-up murals. There was no dust on the wooden floor, but she still held the broom tightly in her hand and swept it across the floor.
"Your Majesty, I'll get it for you. I'm cleaning inside." Xiao Ning's voice came from outside the door. Xiaohua was stunned for a moment.
Looking up, she saw Consort De standing at the door, nodding gracefully. Xiao Ning took a scroll and was about to go out, "Cleaning diligently, Consort De will reward you well."
Xiaohua nodded.
The next second, she suddenly put down the broom and knelt down in the direction of Concubine De with a plop: "Concubine De, please save me!"
Xiao Ning paused, and Concubine De turned around in surprise.
There was silence for a moment, and Concubine De's expression returned to normal. "You are—the little flower next to the twin princesses, right?"
Xiaohua nodded excitedly: "It's a maid, it's a maid!"
Concubine De smiled and said softly, "Your Majesty is very magnanimous. After sending you to the Xinzheku, he will not punish you again. You don't have to worry."
Xiaohua quickly shook her head, gritted her teeth, and risked her life. She knew that Consort De, known for her dignity and kindness, was her last straw. "But the Empress will..."
Defei frowned slightly, then her expression returned to normal. She paced a few steps into the house. Xiao Ning stood outside the door and closed the storage room door.
The only people in the room were the kneeling Xiaohua and the elegant Concubine De in front of her.
De Fei didn't say anything. Xiao Hua looked at her in panic and trembled as she said, "I was arranged by the Hua family to be by the princess's side..."
Concubine De just slowly unfolded the scroll in her hand, as if admiring the painting.
Xiaohua mustered up her courage and said, "The princess was let go by me, and I am no longer useful. Someone just brought me some steamed buns, but they were accidentally eaten by a mouse and I died..."
De Fei acted as if she hadn't heard. "You helped the princess escape, and it's a mercy of His Majesty to send you to the Xinzheku. But the princess is penniless, and I don't think she can leave for long. You'll be safe when she returns..."
"No!" Xiaohua retorted subconsciously, her voice lowering: "The princess can leave. Concubine Mu gave the princess money, so I... can't wait..."
Concubine De gently raised her fingers that were holding the scroll, and said casually, "Did Concubine Mu know that the princess was going to run away?"
"No..." Xiaohua lowered her eyes: "The princess lied to Mu Zhaoyi..."
Concubine De looked down at the landscape painting in her hand. It was the one Mu Chenshuang had given her. She said it was the work of her brother, but her brother seemed to have caused a lot of trouble for the Mu family recently.
Concubine De seemed to have thought of something: "Did Concubine Mu give all the jewelry that His Majesty gave her to the princess?"
"No," Xiaohua, already on the verge of extreme nervousness, answered mechanically, "It's a deposit slip from a money shop outside the palace. I have cash on hand."
After saying that, she suddenly realized something - Mu Zhaoyi, why do you want to save money outside the palace?
She had only wanted to pretend to find some words to express her loyalty to the princess without giving it much thought, but now she realized she had missed something.
De Fei also looked up at her: "Are you telling the truth?"
Xiaohua quickly came to her senses and kowtowed: "Every word is true!" After that, she struggled back to her original position: "Her Majesty the Virtuous has always been kind and generous. Please, Her Majesty the Virtuous, save me!"
"You've made a big mistake," De Fei seemed a little helpless: "There's nothing I can do."
Xiaohua looked at Concubine De. With her many years of experience in dealing with the imperial court and the imperial court, she finally gritted her teeth and took a gamble like a gambler: "If Her Majesty Concubine De is interested in me and wants me to serve you, I will be as loyal as a slave to repay you for saving my life."
Defei looked at her for a long time. Xiaohua felt like she was meeting Defei for the first time. She was a completely different person from the usual elegant and non-confrontational Defei.
De Fei smiled gently: "You are very smart."
After that, she gently called out to Xiao Ning outside the door. Xiao Ning opened the door and said, "My Lady."
"This maidservant cleans very diligently, and Zhuangning Palace is in need of some maidservants," Concubine De said word by word, "Let's keep her in Zhuangning Palace."
"Yes." Xiao Ning's face was calm.
Xiaohua felt relieved and kowtowed vigorously on the ground: "Thank you, Empress Defei, thank you, Empress Defei..."
"No need," De Fei slowly rolled up the painting, her voice gentle and refreshing, "I just feel that Zhuang Ning Palace has become a little quieter. You can tell me more about things I don't know to relieve my boredom."
"I will tell you everything I know!" Xiaohua continued to kowtow. She had already realized her value in the eyes of Concubine De, and she also knew that this Concubine De might be a bigger supporter than the Queen.
When all the palace servants finished cleaning and gathered in the courtyard to receive their rewards, they discovered that there were two people standing next to Concubine De. One was Xiao Ning, and the other was Xiao Hua, who had just been carrying a bamboo broom with them!
The nanny was also a little surprised. When Xiao Ning handed the reward to her, she spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, but everyone in the courtyard could hear it: "Zhuang Ning Palace just needs a maid. Xiaohua will stay here."
"Yes, yes, yes," the maid in charge of the palace servants quickly agreed, "Thank you, Madam Defei."
Consort De stood on the steps and smiled gently: "Thank you for your hard work today."
The nanny led a group of palace maids away. Xiaohua accepted all kinds of looks, but she didn't care anymore.
She had a chance to survive.
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