Pei Zhuang ‘s face fell out of fright. She tried her best to collect herself before commanding, “I am hungry. Bring me some desserts.”
Lan’er let out a long sigh of relief, “Normally you would be having at least your fifth or sixth meal at this time of the day before, but today, this is merely your second meal! Eating less is better than suffering anorexia!”
After Lan’er left, Pei Zhuang opened the concealed compartment carefully and took out an earring as well as a note which said, “Meet me at 1:30 pm in the royal garden.”
Shaking the earring before her eyes, Pei Zhuang suddenly recalled something which was totally strange to her.
A seemingly slender woman, her face very vague, fell to the ground and rolled farther and farther until she disappeared into the distance.
Wasn’t that woman knocked to the ground herself!?
Pei Zhuang had an instinct that this earring was related to the death of its previous owner.
Given the complexity of the people’s mind in the palace, it was very difficult to confirm whether someone was loyal to her, so Pei Zhuang must be well prepared before the escape. Let alone there were many concubines and high-ranking officers casting covetous eyes on her.
If she were not dark-skinned and fat like this, she would surely be regarded as an evil woman doing great harm both to the emperor and country!
Pei Zhuang suddenly felt chilly and uncomfortable.
She said to Lan’er, who had just stepped into the room with food in a hurry, “Let’s go for a walk in the royal garden.”
With the intention of exhorting Pei Zhuang not to go outside in case she might catch a cold, Lan’er, saw that her master had already stepped outside, so she reminded Pei to walk slowly and caught up in a hurry.
Pei Zhuang finally managed to find the exact pavilion where she was pushed to the ground in her memory.
Searching around it for a long period, she still couldn’t get a clue about her strange past.
While Pei Zhuang was staring blankly at the Chinese roses in full bloom, Lan’er suddenly pulled her sleeve hard. “The empress is coming,” she murmured nervously.
When Pei Zhuang turned around, a woman clad in a rouge dress with phoenix patterns was already standing before her with a lot of maids and menservants gathering around.
Pei Zhuang, with her heart sinking suddenly, tried her best to keep calm before extending her respect to the empress by making a curtsy.
Fortunately, she had learned a lot about the royal etiquette from Lan’er during her convalescence, or she would be highly likely to be punished for her misbehavior.
Didn’t the empress play a leading role in the plots against her?
“Please forego the formalities, Madam Min. You haven’t fully recovered, so why not stay in your bedroom and rest?”
What a gentle voice! Pei Zhuang would nearly mistake the empress as her lover if she were a man...
Pei Zhuang suddenly became a little bewildered.
She sized the empress up secretly.
As a dignified and noble beauty, her eyes still sparkled with a wisp of indifference despite her tender smile.
But in Pei Zhuang’s opinion, the empress’s smile...seemed to be sincere.
The empress caught a glimpse of Lan’er standing behind Pei Zhuang, who knelt down at once in panic.
“Since you have suffered an accident before, it is very necessary for you to bring more maids and eunuchs. Lan’er is too young and naive.”
“Yes, I will. Thank you very much for your concern.”
Pei Zhuang stood in the pavilion, staring blankly at the receding figure of the empress.
The handsome emperor treated her surprisingly well, while the pretty empress was amiable. Was she not a fatty endeared to the emperor but a panda—their national treasure instead?
“In the Jin Dynasty, can monsters become human beings?”
Lan’er knelt down again with nervousness and begged “Never say these ominous words again, or you will be burned at the stake! And no, monsters can’t become human beings in the Jin Dynasty!”
Inside the Xuanji Palace.
A large crowd of people were kneeling in the yard. As soon as Pei Zhuang asked them to get up, Gu Jinghong strode inside and seized her sleeve with a sullen look. “Where have you been?”
“I...I merely went for a walk in the royal garden.”
“Since you still haven’t recovered from the injury, you mustn’t go out casually!” Gu Jinghong dragged her inside the room with something gleaming in his eyes.
Staggering behind him, Pei Zhuang was somehow a little confused.