One of the palace maids must have heard such unbelievable news that she forgot where she was and what she was doing.
Completely surprised, she could only let out a quick gasp.
Fortunately, the palace maid next to her reacted quickly and covered her mouth, turning the exclamation into a soft groan.
The head palace maid whispered a rebuke, "Are you out of your mind? How dare you shout like that? Are you afraid that the commotion on our side will be too quiet and we won't be discovered?"
The surprised palace maid realized how dangerous her actions had been, and a wave of fear washed over her. So she didn't dare to refute the other party's angry words.
The two remained silent for a while, exchanging glances.
The young palace maid was very puzzled by what she had just heard, so she asked, "Did Master really give such an order? This is a highly treasonous act. If it is discovered, wouldn't that mean..."
Both women understood the unspoken meaning in the maid's words, but since it was their master's order, they could not refuse and could only obey.
Thinking she was unwilling, the head palace maid spoke with a hint of threat, "What, you're unwilling? Don't forget whose family you belong to. Do you still want your mother and brother? Since the master has already given the order, we servants just need to do as the master says. You have no right to refuse."
The young palace maid quickly shook her head in denial, "Sister is joking. Of course, I wouldn't dare to refuse my master's orders. I'm just a little worried."
"Hmph! You don't need to worry about other things. You just need to take care of your own business."
The young palace maid nodded in agreement, indicating that she understood. She thought she had finished speaking and was about to leave, fearing that she would be discovered if she took too long, when she was suddenly called back.
"Remember, after it's all over, what you should do is not to forget your family." The head palace maid was still not entirely at ease, so she called the junior palace maid back and reminded her in her ear, emphasizing the word "family."
Knowing what she meant, the young palace maid's heart trembled, and she gave a soft "Mmm." "Don't worry, sister, I know what to do and will never implicate you, mistress."
"Alright, since you understand, then go back quickly. Remember to be careful and don't get discovered."
After everything was discussed, the two looked around and, seeing that no one was around, secretly and cautiously left.
That day, Qingru, following Consort An's instructions, took two maids to the Imperial Wardrobe to retrieve the new clothes Consort An had made.
This garment was not included in Consort An's allowance; rather, Consort An herself provided the fabric and had it sewn by an embroiderer from the Imperial Wardrobe.
Consort An went to great lengths to win the emperor's favor. Her dress was made of Moon Shadow Gauze, a priceless tribute from Suzhou and Hangzhou. It was a gift from the emperor when she was conferred the title of consort, and she had always been reluctant to use it. Now, in order to regain the emperor's favor, she had no choice but to use it.
Because the Moon Shadow Gauze was extremely precious, and Consort An's required design was quite complex, it took the embroiderer nearly half a month to finally complete it. Fearing that the young palace maid might damage the garment due to her clumsy hands, Consort An sent her personal palace maid, Qingru, to retrieve it.
Having successfully obtained the Moon Shadow Gauze Robe, Qingru led the little palace maid back along the palace path. As they passed by the Imperial Garden, they happened to see someone they recognized among the patrolling guards.
"Sister, you've spotted someone you know. It's still early, why don't you go over and say hello?"
The young palace maid in green behind Qingru was quite familiar with her and knew that the two of them had been seeing each other recently. Seeing this, she smiled and couldn't help but tease her.
Qingru glared at Xiaotao, her cheeks flushing pink. "Little girl, you've really grown up, you've even learned to tease your older sister."
Xiao Zhu hadn't said anything until she heard Qing Ru's words, and she and Xiao Tao both chuckled.
"Don't be afraid, sister. Xiao Tao and I are watching over you. Nothing will happen."
Xiao Tao nodded in agreement and chimed in from the side.
Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Qingru walked over, feeling a little embarrassed.
From afar, the guards spotted Qingru and her two companions. Although they couldn't hear what they were saying, they could guess what they were talking about.
Seeing Qingruchao about to walk over, the group all looked at Qingxi with gossipy eyes, as if they were watching a show.
Qingxi knew why Qingru had come, and was delighted. Seeing Qingru walk in, he quickly pulled her aside to avoid the others.
As soon as she stopped, Qingxi couldn't wait to ask, "Does my cousin have something to say?"
Since he had secretly met with his cousin and was told not to do this, Qingxi had never seen his cousin again.
However, since there had been no progress during this time, his cousin had been having the palace maid contact him, so when he saw Qingru come over just now, he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
In response to Qingxi's question, Qingru nodded and took out a sachet from her sleeve, handing it to Qingxi.
"This was embroidered by my master for you personally. My master said that he was very grateful for your help during this time and knew that you had worked hard. So he specially embroidered this sachet for you. It contains some mosquito-repelling and sleep-inducing herbs, which are perfect for use in the summer."
Upon receiving the sachet, Qingxi smiled broadly, his hands constantly stroking the pattern on it. It was embroidered with a magpie, a design his cousin had loved to embroider for him when he was little. Seeing this pattern brought back memories of his childhood.
"Anything else? Did my cousin say anything else?" Qingxi looked up at Qingru and asked.
"The master said that she needs your help in the palace."
Qingxi agreed without hesitation, "Yes! Of course. Go back and tell my cousin that I understand. If she needs anything and if there is anything I can do to help, just tell me and I will do my best to help."
"Please rest assured, my lord, I will definitely inform my master."
With the matter settled and seeing that it was almost time, the two parted ways, one continuing his patrol and the other returning to his Changchun Palace.
As Qingxi walked along the palace path, she would occasionally stroke the sachet at her waist, a gentle smile on her face.
Speechless at his behavior, A-Gui nudged him with his elbow and teased, "Hey, is it really that serious? That little palace maid is so captivating to you? It's just a sachet, and look at how ecstatic you are."
A complex emotion flashed through his mind, startling Qingxi awake. He realized that his behavior was somewhat inappropriate. He composed himself and knew that Agui had misunderstood, but he did not explain.
Seeing that he didn't want to talk about it, Agui didn't press Xiaoqi for more information.
On the other side, on the way back to Changchun Palace, Xiaotao and Xiaozhu were also teasing Qingru with smiles.
"Sister Qingru, that guard is indeed handsome with striking features. It's normal that you would like him."
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