Uya, humph, I'll let you off this time, but you won't be so lucky next time.
...
It was very late when Yunyi returned to her palace after watching the fireworks. It was only on her way back that Ruoshu told her that Wuya Xinyue had almost been knocked down by the palace maid beside her while watching the fireworks.
Back at Chengqian Palace, she drank two bowls of ginger soup before she warmed up.
Wu Yaxin returned to her east wing, drank some hot tea, and dismissed Hongyi before casually saying to Yuyin, "Tell me, what happened tonight? How did you fall down for no reason? Did someone do something to you? And if I'm not mistaken, this person was probably after me. If you hadn't controlled yourself, you would have knocked me down and we would have fallen to the ground together."
Yu Yin was incredulous that her master knew. She knelt down and recounted everything that had happened that night.
“Your Majesty is wise. Tonight, someone did indeed push me from behind when I was completely unprepared, causing me to lose my balance and fall. I was looking up at the fireworks when I felt a strong force on my waist. I couldn't control myself, but I knew I couldn't bump into Your Majesty, so I fell to the other side. After I fell, I looked behind me and there was no one suspicious, so I have no idea who did it.”
Tapping her hand on the table, Wu Yaxin Yue pondered, "Who could have done this to embarrass me? Such a childish tactic is somewhat reminiscent of what that idiot Consort An would do."
After mentally reviewing all the women in the harem and eliminating some, Wu Yaxin whispered a few names to Yu Yin.
"Here's what you'd like to do: investigate these people and see if they were the ones who did it. By the way, pay special attention to Consort An; investigate her thoroughly. Be careful not to alert them."
Yu Yin accepted the order and nodded to indicate that she understood.
Wu Yaxinyue was quite at ease with Yu Yin. Although Yu Yin was officially sent by the Imperial Household Department and arranged for her by Consort Tong, in private, Yu Yin was a maid arranged for her by her family. She was loyal and capable, and knew about some of the hidden forces of the Wu Ya family. She was a capable assistant to Wu Yaxinyue.
Meanwhile, Consort An, who was suspected by Wu Yaxin, was completely unaware of the situation.
She returned to her Changchun Palace, where the anger she had been trying so hard to suppress finally had a chance to vent. As soon as she entered the main hall, she couldn't help but slap Yuxin across the face, cursing angrily under her breath.
"You sluts, you're all sluts! Consort Yi is cunning and shrewish, always using petty tricks to curry favor with the Emperor. And that Lady Wuya too, lowly in status, shameless. To be so favored by His Majesty, she must have used some underhanded methods." With a forceful wave of her hands, the things on the table fell to the ground.
Yu Xin knelt on the ground, not daring to speak, not daring to move, and not even daring to shed tears.
Seeing Yu Xin trembling on the ground, Consort An's anger had not subsided. She pinched her several more times before her anger slowly subsided.
"You didn't do a good job tonight, so you're not allowed to eat tomorrow. Let the hunger wake you up. If you fail to complete the tasks I've ordered next time, you'll be in for a beating."
She waved her hand, not wanting to see Yuxin's gloomy appearance. "Alright, go down. Just seeing you makes me angry."
After bowing and paying her respects to Consort An with deep gratitude, Yu Xin left.
Outside the door, Yu Rou, who was also a senior palace maid, was surprised to see the swollen handprint on her face. She looked at her with pity and secretly slipped a bottle of medicine into her sleeve.
"Here, this is the medicine I bought from Xiao Luzi at the Imperial Hospital last time. It works quite well. Take it home and use it quickly. A young lady can't have marks on her face. Don't come out on business for the next few days. Wait until the marks on your face have faded before you come out again."
Hearing these words of concern, Yu Xin's eyes reddened. She held Yu Rou's hand, whispered a thank you, and didn't dare to talk any longer before returning to her room.
Some time has passed since the Golden Festival, and the once calm palace has been thrown into turmoil by a major piece of news.
On the palace path, a young palace maid sweeping the ground pulled her companion along, whispering gossip about the palace as they worked.
"Have you heard? The imperial physician has diagnosed Consort Wuya of Chengqian Palace with a pregnancy. I heard His Majesty was overjoyed and bestowed many gifts upon her. Even the Empress Dowager of Cining Palace and the Empress Dowager of Shou Kang Palace sent gifts to the consort."
Another palace maid, holding a broom, spoke with a hint of envy in her voice, "Consort Wuya was already quite favored by His Majesty, and now that she's pregnant with his child, she's going to rise even higher. Originally, Consort Wuya was just a bondservant maid like us, but now she's a consort and might even be promoted because of her pregnancy, while we have to sweep the floor here. Heaven is really unfair."
A clear, melodious voice interrupted their conversation: "Stop chatting and get to work. The nanny will be here to check soon, and you'll be punished if you don't do your job well."
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