Xin Jiuwei followed half a step behind him, maintaining a just-right distance. She could feel the curious or inquisitive gazes from the palace guards, and she could also feel the invisible, suffocating pressure emanating from Xiao Xun.
Passing through layers of palace gates and traversing long palace corridors, the carved beams and painted rafters, the soaring eaves and brackets, all displayed the majesty and wealth of the imperial family, yet also exuded a cold distance and an invisible shackle. A oppressive, medicinal atmosphere permeated the air. Palace servants hurried about, each holding their breath, their faces filled with a fearful unease, as if a great calamity was about to befall them. The shadow of the Empress Dowager's serious illness loomed over the entire palace like a vast haze.
Xiao Xun's steps were steady and powerful, his eyes fixed straight ahead. Xin Jiuwei followed with her head bowed and eyes lowered, raising all her senses to the limit, carefully observing everything around her, noting the path, the distribution of guards, and the palace servants who seemed respectful but whose eyes were shifty.
Finally, we stopped in front of a heavily guarded palace, filled with the strong aroma of medicine. Above the palace gate hung a golden plaque with the words "Cining Palace".
"Your Highness, Miss Xin, please wait a moment, this servant will go in and inform her." A middle-aged eunuch guarding outside the hall bowed and glanced quickly at Xin Jiuwei, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
Xiao Xun nodded slightly.
Before long, the eunuch came running out with a smile on his face: "Your Highness, Third Miss, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has just taken her medicine and is in good spirits. She summons you both to an audience."
Xiao Xun glanced at Xin Jiuwei, giving her a signal. Xin Jiuwei took a deep breath, suppressing all the distracting thoughts in her mind. Instantly, she adjusted her expression to a perfectly balanced one, tinged with worry and respect, and lowered her head slightly as she followed Xiao Xun into the palace that symbolized the highest power in the harem.
The hall was dimly lit, and the heavy smell of medicine mixed with expensive incense was almost nauseating. Heavy curtains hung low, blocking out the outside light. Several imperial physicians stood respectfully in a corner, not daring to breathe. Several richly dressed imperial concubines and a few princes and princesses were also sitting or standing in the hall, the atmosphere as heavy as lead.
Xin Jiuwei's eyes darted around quickly. She saw the Empress, sitting below the main seat, her face filled with worry yet unable to conceal her dignified composure; she saw the Second Prince Xiao Zhuo, sitting next to the Empress, with a gentle face but unfathomable eyes; and she also saw several other unfamiliar princes and princesses.
The moment Xiao Xun entered, all eyes were fixed on him, filled with a complex mix of emotions: scrutiny, inquiry, apprehension, and a hint of barely perceptible contempt. But when their gaze fell upon the plainly dressed, meek, and clearly low-born woman half a step behind him, that contempt and inquiry transformed into tangible disdain and undisguised curiosity.
"So this is... the 'savior' that Sixth Brother recently found?" A slightly languid female voice rang out, carrying undisguised sarcasm. The speaker was a beautiful woman in palace attire sitting next to the Second Prince Xiao Zhuo, with striking features; she was none other than the Fifth Princess Xiao Yufu.
Xin Jiuwei could feel those gazes like thorns in her back. She lowered her head, her posture even more subdued, as if she couldn't bear the invisible pressure.
Xiao Xun seemed not to hear him, and walked straight to the center of the hall. Facing the main seat, he bowed and said, "Grandson Xiao Xun, along with... Lady Xin Jiuwei, pays respects to the Empress Dowager. May the Empress Dowager enjoy good health." His voice was steady, with just the right amount of concern.
Xin Jiuwei immediately knelt down, her voice soft and submissive: "This commoner, Xin Jiuwei, kowtows to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, wishing Your Majesty good health and long life." She lowered her body, her forehead touching the cold, smooth gold brick floor, her posture humble to the point of being dust.
"Cough...cough cough..." A suppressed and weak cough came from behind the heavy curtains, carrying the decaying aura of an old person. An aged and hoarse voice slowly rang out, with the inherent authority of a superior: "Is...Xun'er here? And...that girl from the Xin family? Both...get up..."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager." The two rose as instructed.
A palace maid carefully lifted a corner of the curtain. Xin Jiuwei finally saw the legendary Empress Dowager who held immense power in the harem. She lay on a large phoenix couch, covered with a bright yellow brocade quilt. Her face was withered, her eyes sunken, and her former shrewdness and sharpness had been replaced by a murky sickness. Only her eyes, when looking at Xiao Xun, still managed to gleam with a faint light.
"Xun'er... come forward... let me... take a good look at you..." The Empress Dowager's voice was broken and weak.
Xiao Xun stepped forward as instructed and sat down on the embroidered stool beside the phoenix couch, taking the Empress Dowager's withered hand in his. "Grandmother, your grandson is here." His voice was extremely gentle, and his face revealed genuine worry and filial piety, completely different from the cold and deep-seated sixth prince he usually was.
Xin Jiuwei stood by with her hands at her sides, her eyes downcast, like a lifeless background. She could clearly feel the gazes coming from all directions: the Second Prince Xiao Zhuo's gentle exterior concealing a deep-seated inquiry; the Fifth Princess's undisguised disdain; the Empress's scrutinizing worry; the curious or indifferent eyes of the other princes and princesses... like an invisible net, firmly covering her.
"Good...good...it's good that you're back..." The Empress Dowager's cloudy gaze lingered on Xiao Xun's face for a long time, as if trying to find a trace of the young man who had left the palace in him. She breathed a few times, and her gaze finally slowly moved to Xin Jiuwei behind Xiao Xun. Her gaze was scrutinizing, with the natural indifference of a person in a superior position.
"You... are that girl from the Xin family?" The Empress Dowager's voice was soft, yet it carried an invisible pressure.
Xin Jiuwei immediately curtsied again, her voice respectful and meek: "Your Majesty, I am indeed Xin Jiuwei."
"Xun'er...you said you saved him in Yingzhou?" The Empress Dowager's gaze swept over her plain face, as if assessing the value of an item.
"This humble woman is terrified." Xin Jiuwei lowered her head even further, her voice carrying just the right amount of shyness and unease. "Your Highness is blessed with boundless good fortune and is protected by Heaven. This humble woman... this humble woman only had a chance encounter and did her bit of effort; she dares not take credit." She declined all the credit, adopting an extremely humble posture, perfectly befitting the fear and trepidation a daughter of a lowly official should feel when facing the majesty of the Emperor.
Xiao Xun spoke at the opportune moment, his voice low and gentle, carrying an unprecedented, almost affectionate tone: "Grandmother, if it weren't for Jiuwei's selfless protection that day, I fear I would never have seen your kind face again." He paused, his gaze turning to Xin Jiuwei, his eyes deep and focused, as if brimming with countless emotions, his tone so gentle it could drip water, "She is to me... a second life."
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