Chapter Six: The First One of Our Own
Back in the Purple Light Palace, Shang Jiuya practically collapsed into the nearest soft chair. The brief standoff at the corner of the corridor had exhausted her already dwindling strength and courage. Her heart was still pounding wildly in her chest, a reminder of how dangerous her impulsive actions had been.
The disdainful and indifferent looks in the maids' eyes as they left pierced her heart like needles. Who stood behind them? Guan Shanyue? Or some other powerful elder brother, sister, or elder? Would they report her? Would it bring even more terrible retaliation?
She dared not think any further, and could only grip the handrail tightly, trying to draw a sliver of illusory support from this cold object.
The palace maids standing in the hall remained meek and obedient, as if nothing had happened. But Shang Jiuya felt that beneath their lowered eyelids lay a more unfathomable gaze.
She waved her hand, her voice filled with undisguised weariness, "All of you... step back. I want some peace and quiet."
The maids bowed silently, filed out, and closed the heavy palace doors.
She was suddenly left alone in the hall, with only the faint crackling sound of the ghostly blue demonic flames dancing on the walls.
The silence brought no peace; instead, it amplified her inner fear and unease. She curled up in the chair, hugging herself tightly, as if that would give her a tiny bit of security.
Time flowed slowly in the dead silence.
Just as Shang Jiuya was almost driven crazy by her own wild thoughts and began to regret her impulsive actions, a slight rustling sound came from the direction of the palace gate.
Shang Jiuya suddenly raised her head, looking warily at the palace gate, her heart pounding again.
Could it be... that retribution has come so quickly?
The sound paused for a moment, as if confirming the movement outside. After a while, the palace door was pushed open a crack, and a small, thin figure darted in quickly and deftly, then closed the door again almost silently.
It's that little palace maid who was just bullied!
As soon as she entered, she knelt down with a thud, bowing deeply towards Shang Jiuya. Her thin, frail shoulders trembled slightly, but she dared not utter a sound of crying.
"This servant...this servant Bai Yu kowtows to thank Your Majesty for saving my life!" Her voice was very low and choked with sobs.
Shang Jiuya was stunned.
She never expected the little palace maid to return, let alone that she would risk such a risk to secretly come and thank her.
For a moment, she was at a loss for words. Reason screamed at her: This was a trap! Could this be another snare? A ruse? A ploy to gain sympathy and get close? In this demonic palace, any sudden act of "goodwill" deserved the deepest scrutiny!
She looked at Bai Yu lying on the ground, scrutinizing every detail with sharp eyes—her still somewhat disheveled hair, the dust on her dress, and her slightly swollen eye sockets.
None of this seems like a disguise.
Moreover, what value does this puppet demon lord, whose life hangs in the balance, have that warrants such a clumsy self-inflicted injury scheme? Wouldn't a simple cup of poisoned wine be much easier?
An absurd yet hopeful thought cautiously peeked out—perhaps this really was someone like himself, struggling to survive in the depths of this demonic palace.
Shang Jiuya didn't tell her to get up immediately. She took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound calm, even with a hint of indifference that she herself felt guilty about: "Your name is Bai Yu? Raise your head."
Bai Yu trembled, seemingly even more frightened, but still obediently raised her head. Her face, still wet with tears, was deathly pale, but her eyes were unusually clear. She dared not look directly at Shang Jiuya, her gaze lowered, falling on the hem of Shang Jiuya's skirt.
"Why did you come?" Shang Jiuya continued to ask, "What happened just now was nothing more than a small favor for me. Aren't you afraid... that those people will find out and cause you trouble again?" She deliberately downplayed the intervention that required a great deal of courage as "a small favor."
Bai Yu's lips trembled slightly. "Your Majesty... this servant... this servant is afraid. But... but Your Majesty saved this servant... you are the only... the only person willing to do this for this servant..." If Your Majesty hadn't intervened, Lian Xin would have taken away her last remaining magic crystal, which was the cornerstone of her mother's survival!
She paused, then kowtowed again. "This servant is of lowly birth and insignificant... but... if Your Majesty does not despise me... this servant... this servant is willing to do anything for Your Majesty! Please give this servant a chance!" Bai Yu knew that a servant of her lowly birth was not taken seriously by those noble demons. She had served in the Twelfth Prince's palace and had occasionally heard the Twelfth Prince's complaints about the Demon Lord. The Demon Lord was in a difficult situation, yet he was willing to speak up for her.
Anything?
Shang Jiuya's heart skipped a beat. The allure of those words was immense for her at this moment.
But she still dared not believe it easily. This demonic palace was fraught with danger at every turn; one wrong step would mean utter destruction.
She remained silent, her gaze still scrutinizing Bai Yu. The air in the hall seemed to freeze, with only Bai Yu's soft gasps escaping from the silence.
After a long silence, Shang Jiuya finally spoke slowly, "You came from the Eleventh Lady's Palace?"
Bai Yu trembled again and whispered, "Yes... this servant was originally a cleaning maid in the Twelfth Prince's palace. But... but this servant is clumsy and doesn't know how to say nice things, nor... doesn't know how to understand His Highness's thoughts. Once, His Highness was in a bad mood and found this servant an eyesore, so... so he demoted this servant to the Ziguang Palace to do rough work..."
When Shiyi Niang was mentioned, Bai Yu's subconscious fear was unmistakable.
Shang Jiuya quickly searched through the original owner's hazy memories. Eleventh Sister, ranked twelfth, that spoiled and willful younger sister skilled in illusion and charm? The original owner seemed to have a weak impression of her, only remembering that she was favored by her fourth or sixth brother, but the fragmented memories were blurry, and Shang Jiuya couldn't distinguish whether it was Ao Li or Seventh Mu. Eleventh Sister was quite arrogant; Bai Yu's description seemed to fit.
"Demoted to the Purple Light Palace..." Shang Jiuya pondered, "Then do you know which people in the Purple Light Palace are... which people were arranged by other princes or elders?"
This question is undoubtedly a test, and also a risk.
Bai Yu suddenly raised her head, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes. But when she saw Shang Jiuya's equally tense yet expectant gaze, the panic slowly faded, replaced by an excitement inspired by trust.
She said hurriedly, "This servant...this servant knows a little! The tall maid guarding the east side hall corridor is called Lianxin, she...she used to be in the Ninth Prince's palace. And of the two maids who are responsible for delivering your meals, the one with a mole at the corner of her eye often sneaks off to deliver things to the people in the Third Elder's palace...and the guard guarding the left side outside your bedchamber, he...he seems to be one of the Fourth Prince's men..."
She rattled off several names and their corresponding suspicious points as if they were her most treasured possessions. This information might be fragmented, or some might just be her guesses, but it was invaluable to Shang Jiuya, who was surrounded by darkness.
Although she was mentally prepared, Shang Jiuya still felt a chill run from her feet to the top of her head when she heard with her own ears that almost every visible "one of her own" could be an informant.
But at the same time, a faint hope also arose.
Bai Yu... she might really be...
Looking at the little palace maid in front of her, who had straightened her back slightly because she had provided "useful" information, and whose eyes were filled with a hint of expectation and flattery, Shang Jiuya's last line of defense finally loosened a little.
She still couldn't fully trust anyone, but she was willing to... take a gamble.
Shang Jiuya slowly exhaled, "Alright, I... understand. I understand your intentions."
She paused, looking at Bai Yu's eyes that lit up instantly, and solemnly instructed, "What happened today, and what you said to me, must never be mentioned to a third party. In the future, when we are out in public, we must act as usual and not show the slightest abnormality. Everything... requires utmost care, understand?"
Bai Yu nodded vigorously, her small face full of seriousness and solemnity: "This servant understands! This servant will be careful! I will never implicate Your Majesty!"
"Hmm." Shang Jiuya nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then added softly, "You yourself... should also be careful. If it's not necessary, don't come looking for me for the time being."
"Yes! This servant will obey Your Majesty's orders!" Bai Yu kowtowed again.
She whispered a few more words about her rough ideas on how to secretly transmit messages. The main idea was for Bai Yu to actively observe and leave extremely subtle marks under extremely safe conditions. Shang Jiuya then told her to leave quickly to avoid arousing suspicion.
Just as she had come, Bai Yu slipped out of the palace gate silently and disappeared into the dimly lit corridor.
Silence returned to the hall.
Shang Jiuya could no longer remain calm.
The first one.
In this cold, suffocating, and murderous demon palace, she seemed to have finally found the first "person" who might belong to her.
Despite the fragility of the relationship, which is built on enormous risks and incomplete trust.
Although the help Bai Yu can provide may be extremely limited.
But this is just the beginning.
Shang Jiuya slowly closed her eyes and rested her chin on her knees.
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