Qin Jiu Jiu looked at the person in front of her, her eyes shifting through various emotions before finally regaining their calm. "Greetings, Fifth Prince?"
The person before her must be the Fifth Prince, Sheng Huai An.
As rumored, his face was as gentle and refined as jade, with a teardrop mole on his right eye, adding a touch of allure to his gentle demeanor.
A figure flashed through Qin Jiu Jiu's mind. She felt as if she had seen this person before, not because of Xie Jing, though the two bore a striking resemblance. Qin Jiu Jiu could sense a significant difference between them.
Though she couldn't quite articulate why, she simply recognized him.
This person reminded her of the man she had met in Xi Liu City on the Mid-Autumn Festival night. After Xie Jing had left her, she encountered this man with the same appearance and similar aura.
It was the first time she had seen him. Later, while traveling with Xie Jing towards the Xie family in Hua Yang, in that forest, she had seen a man in black, and he seemed to merge with the person before her.
Sheng Huai An observed the expression on the woman's face and couldn't help but smile faintly. "How did you know?"
His question, of course, was how Qin Jiu Jiu could have known that the person before her was the Fifth Prince, Sheng Huai An.
Seeing this, Lin Shu Xue immediately understood that this handsome man who had suddenly appeared in the Fifth Prince's palace was indeed the Fifth Prince, Sheng Huai An.
Although this Fifth Prince was not favored and had a very low presence among the princes, he was not someone of her status could offend.
Thinking of the words she had just spoken to Jiu Jiu, she wondered if this elusive Fifth Prince had heard them. Her heart felt as if it were being roasted over a fire, consumed by anxiety.
Fortunately, Jiu Jiu had reacted quickly and discerned the Fifth Prince's identity so swiftly.
Otherwise, they might both be in deep trouble, even though the Fifth Prince appeared to be a gentle master.
"You may rise."
After telling them to stand, Sheng Huai An did not intend to let the previous topic drop.
"How did you know my identity?" His gaze fell upon Qin Jiu Jiu, as if he were trying to see through her.
"Have you perhaps seen me before?"
Qin Jiu Jiu felt that this question was not simple. She had already harbored suspicions in her mind, and now that Sheng Huai An had asked, she dared not answer carelessly.
"Your Highness Fifth Prince, you jest. We servants have only recently entered the palace and naturally have not had the opportunity to meet Your Highness. It is merely that I saw your extraordinary bearing, and looking at your embroidered silk attire, I presumed you to be a prince."
"Moreover, someone who can freely enter and exit a prince's palace can only be its master..."
Sheng Huai An let out another light laugh, not sparing praise. "A clever girl. From now on, you shall be promoted to a first-class palace maid and serve by my side."
Serving by his side seemed to have its pros and cons. The advantage, naturally, was that being a personal attendant would make it easier to investigate the secrets of the palace. With a different status, her treatment within the palace would also change. The disadvantage was that as a personal attendant, she would need to be more cautious to avoid him discovering her secrets, and it would be inconvenient to contact Brother Xie and the others.
Thinking of this, Qin Jiu Jiu felt a pang of hesitation.
But before she could decide, she heard Sheng Huai An say, "What, you are unwilling?"
His voice was still gentle, but it inexplicably sent a chill down Qin Jiu Jiu's spine.
Driven by an unseen force, she nodded and replied, "This servant thanks Your Highness!"
Sheng Huai An smiled with satisfaction and then walked out of the hall.
As soon as the Fifth Prince left, Lin Shu Xue chirped, "Jiu Jiu, congratulations! You'll have to guide me from now on!"
Lin Shu Xue was unaware of Qin Jiu Jiu's predicament. From her perspective, Qin Jiu Jiu had stumbled upon great fortune, being promoted to a first-class palace maid immediately upon entering the palace. Her treatment would be vastly different from theirs, who were fourth-class palace maids. She herself wasn't sure if she could reach first-class before leaving the palace!
Seeing Lin Shu Xue genuinely happy for her, Qin Jiu Jiu could only hide her own emotions and force a smile.
***
As Xie Yun and Bai Qianluo approached the Empress's Palace, they sensed a strong demonic aura. However, the moment they entered the palace, the aura became faint and gradually dissipated, as if their previous sensation had been an illusion.
Following the eunuch, they entered the hall. The furnishings within were unlike anything they had seen before, and the luxurious palace astonished them all.
They eventually saw a screen, behind which a phoenix bed was vaguely visible. The front of the bed was veiled by sheer curtains, obscuring the situation within.
Yet, they could faintly hear a woman's low murmurs, a mix of joy and sorrow, making it impossible to discern the nature of her dream.
"Her Majesty the Empress is inside. You will remain here. Her Majesty's imperial countenance is not for you to behold. If you require anything, simply state it, and this humble servant will attend to it immediately!"
After speaking, a silence ensued.
"Sir Eunuch, is Her Majesty dreaming?" someone finally asked.
The woman's voice from within was hoarse and low, sometimes laughing, sometimes sobbing, indicating a wide fluctuation in her emotions.
The demon-capturing bell on Xie Yun's person was surprisingly quiet, even quieter than when they were on their way to the Empress's Palace. It seemed the closer they got, the more quiescent the bell became.
Why was this so?
He could clearly feel the demonic energy. From the moment he entered the inner palace, he had been able to smell it, yet upon entering the Empress's Palace, the demonic aura seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Xie Yun quickly reached a conclusion: there were two possibilities. One, there were no demons here, and everything he had sensed was an illusion. Two, a powerful demon was hidden within the Empress's Palace. Because of this great demon, lesser demons in the inner palace dared not approach, and the great demon could conceal its aura. This would explain why there was demonic energy in the inner palace, but not a trace within the Empress's Palace.
Xie Yun considered that the latter was more plausible.
"Find a way to look around this Empress's Palace," Xie Yun whispered to Bai Qianluo.
Bai Qianluo nodded, then clutched her stomach, feigning intense abdominal pain.
"Sir Eunuch, is there a privy? I think I ate something bad."
The calls of nature are unavoidable. Even if the eunuch was impatient and found Bai Qianluo troublesome, he still led him into the courtyard of the Empress's Palace.
The previous area was the Empress's sleeping quarters. The Empress's Palace was vast and could not possibly consist of only one sleeping chamber. At this moment, Bai Qianluo had arrived at the courtyard behind the sleeping quarters.
The front of the Empress's Palace housed the sleeping quarters, the middle had a small kitchen, and the back was where the servants' rooms were located, including the privy.
Naturally, the eunuch led Bai Qianluo to the privy for the servants; Her Majesty the Empress did not use that one.
"Sir Eunuch, thank you. I can go by myself."
The old eunuch, still showing a hint of disdain, agreed.
"This humble servant will return now. You remember the way, right? After you are done, do not wander off. Return directly!"
Bai Qianluo clutched her stomach, looking flustered, and nodded repeatedly in response.
The eunuch then said sternly, "Be sure to return immediately. If you wander off and cause trouble, this humble servant cannot protect you!"
Bai Qianluo quickly replied, "Understood, Sir Eunuch! I will be back shortly..."
Then, clutching her stomach, she walked towards the privy. The eunuch finally left.