The candlelight was dim, flickering on and off, making the writing on the booklet indistinct. The Empress was deliberately making things difficult by using the lowest quality candlelight, which illuminated only a small area.
Song Tangxue rubbed her sore eyes, then simply extinguished the candle and took the Buddhist scriptures on the table to the window to copy them by the bright moonlight.
It wasn't that she was particularly obedient in copying Buddhist scriptures; writing allowed her to concentrate, clear her mind of distractions, and think of a way to break the deadlock.
The supervising nanny witnessed this and went to report to the Empress.
"Has she given in?" The Empress closed her eyes, while a young palace maid kneaded her calf, a faint red mark appearing on her wrist with each movement.
"Not yet, but the candlelight was dim, so he took it to the window frame and wrote it himself. He didn't try anything funny," the nanny reported in detail.
"Hmph, just wait, there will be a time when she begs me for help." The Empress opened her eyes, which were pitch black and gleamed with a chilling light.
The young palace maid lowered her head, pretending not to hear anything.
The next morning, as the sky began to lighten, the old woman called out to Song Tangxue at the top of her lungs.
Song Tangxue suppressed her inner turmoil, her wounds throbbing slightly.
"Miss Song, you must copy this carefully. This is a good thing for the country and the people, and you will be blessed!" The old woman said a few sarcastic words before leaving her in the room and leaving.
Song Tangxue sighed deeply, enduring the pain in her shoulder, and picked up her pen to continue copying Buddhist scriptures.
Frowning, he continued writing, his heavy footsteps approaching. He pushed open the door, and Li Zhaoxian stood in the doorway, smiling smugly: "Song Tangxue, I told you, you can't escape my grasp, and you will eventually fall into my hands."
Distracted from her thoughts, Song Tangxue looked up at him with cold eyes: "What are you doing here?"
Despite being given the cold shoulder, Li Zhaoxian was not annoyed. Instead, he walked up to her in a good mood, picked up the sutra she had copied, and read it aloud word by word: "Do you think the gods and Buddhas will protect you?"
Li Zhaoxian maliciously picked up the teacup and poured the tea onto the Buddhist scripture, blurring the writing: "Oops, my hand slipped."
This was a warning to Song Tangxue, and also an attempt to escape her punishment. Whatever Li Zhaoxian owned, whether he wanted it or not, was his.
If Song Tangxue stays obediently by his side and behaves well as the Crown Princess, nothing will happen!
Song Tangxue remained calm and composed, as if he hadn't destroyed anything of hers: "Has Your Highness finished speaking? Don't delay my copying of Buddhist scriptures."
Li Zhaoxian snorted coldly. Since she didn't care, he would come every day and see how long she could keep up this act.
After Li Zhaoxian left, Song Tangxue threw away all the fragrant Buddhist scriptures.
A young palace maid brought in lunch, and unsurprisingly, it was all leftovers. The main dish consisted of two hard steamed buns and a small plate of vegetables.
The palace maid, though somewhat reluctant, said, "Her Majesty said that Miss Song is copying Buddhist scriptures to pray for the country's well-being, and that a peaceful mind and body are best. She will be eating vegetarian food from now on."
Song Tangxue didn't comment on the meal, but instead looked at the young palace maid, or more precisely, at the red string on her wrist: "Do you know Cuixi?"
Little palace maid: "Sister Cuixi?"
Song Tangxue felt half relieved. Cuixi had mentioned to her that there was a palace maid in the Empress's palace with whom she had a very good personal relationship because Cuixi had once saved her life.
The man was wearing a red string, which was a gift from Cui Xi.
Song Tangxue pointed to the red thread in her hand: "This was given to you by your sister Cuixi, wasn't it?"
Cui Xi told her all this just in case, so that Song Tangxue wouldn't be isolated and helpless when she was trapped in the central palace, just like now.
The young palace maid's expression turned serious: "What does Miss Song want me to do?"
They knew that Cui Xi had been sent to Song Tangxue's side as an inside agent. Now that Cui Xi had turned against them, they were just following in Cui Xi's footsteps, so it was only natural for them to help Song Tangxue.
"I won't implicate you. You just need to spread the word that I'm imprisoned in this palace." Song Tangxue didn't expect this little palace maid to be able to help her escape.
The palace maid nodded; "Miss Song, please make do with this. I'll find a way to bring you some food for dinner."
Song Tangxue thanked her for her kindness, finding her to be a grateful young girl, and the palace maid hurried away.
The young palace maid didn't come alone that evening; she was accompanied by the old nanny. The old nanny threw the food box in her hand in front of Song Tangxue and asked, "How is Miss Song's copying of the Buddhist scriptures going?"
Song Tangxue put down her pen, revealing the few remaining sheets of paper beside her.
The old woman's face immediately turned cold: "You only copied this much in one day? Perhaps Miss Song's heart is not sincere? Or are ordinary people not worth Miss Song's attention?"
Song Tangxue didn't believe they didn't know that Li Zhaoxian had come to cause trouble.
"You're overthinking it, Granny." Knowing full well what was going on, Song Tangxue didn't explain.
"If you ask me, Miss Song should serve Her Majesty the Empress well. Her Majesty the Empress is kind-hearted. She can relieve this suffering by giving away some money. Why make yourself unhappy?" the nanny advised.
There wasn't even a place to rest in this room. I slept curled up on the table last night. The wound on my shoulder had reopened, but luckily I had some wound medicine with me. I gritted my teeth and applied it, and my forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat.
At this moment, the faint pain, blown by the night wind, felt icy cold.
"Hmph, the Empress, who should be a model for all women, is now scrambling to make money everywhere, just like a despicable merchant!" Song Tangxue's words exposed the old woman's pretense.
The old woman was so angry she jumped up and down: "What do you mean by a cunning merchant? The Empress has her own clever uses for this money, how dare you interfere!" Her voice became much sharper.
"The best use is for yourself, and you loyal lackeys might even get some rewards from time to time," Song Tangxue said sarcastically.
This analogy infuriated the old woman so much that she almost choked. She was used to being in charge, and everyone in the palace would give her face out of respect for the Empress.
In the past, a palace maid who talked back like that would have been dragged away and beaten with a board long ago.
But this one wasn't her. The old woman was furious, but there was nothing she could do. She could only leave first, instructing the palace maid to take "good care" of Song Tangxue.
After the old nanny left, the little palace maid took out a paper bag containing a chicken leg: "Miss Song, please have something to eat first. There are also some medicines for your injuries here."
Song Tangxue, supporting herself, thanked them.
Meanwhile, Consort Lin also heard the rumors of Song Tangxue's imprisonment and felt anxious. Song Tangxue absolutely could not be harmed, whether as an ally or because she knew her biggest secret.
If you push her too far, it's not impossible for her to trade her secrets for a chance.
Clutching her soft belly, Consort Lin ordered her maids to gather information and find a way to get Song Tangxue out.
At this moment, even the pickled cucumbers she had on hand, meant only for show, were hard to swallow, and Consort Lin paced anxiously in the palace.
Xie Qianzhong, who was outside the palace, also received news from the secret guards.
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