maidservant

Chapter 43: Xiaoshan meets a young man in the field and investigates the clues in the clothing bureau

"What's the matter, young lady?"

Yunshan was half asleep and half awake when she vaguely heard an old woman's concerned voice coming from a distance. The voice was filled with a bit of the simple warmth of the countryside.

Then, a familiar clear voice said: "My wife is tired from traveling. She is taking a short rest. She is fine. Thank you for your concern."

Yunshan knew as soon as she heard it that it was Lin Xiao who was speaking.

The old woman kept muttering, "Young man, you must learn to be considerate. The weather has just turned cooler, and you're sweating from exhaustion. If you don't pay attention, your body will suffer."

Yunshan's consciousness gradually returned, her eyelids slowly opened, and in front of her was a white-haired peasant woman.

She was wearing a coarse linen shirt with mud stains on the corners from working in the fields. She was holding a hoe in her hand, and her face was full of traces of time.

Yunshan, who had just woken up, felt as if all her bones and muscles had been pulled out of her body. She was soft and lazy.

She struggled to support herself with her elbows, slowly straightened up, tilted her head to the side, nodded gently at the peasant woman, raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a gentle smile, and said softly, "Thank you for your concern, Auntie."

When he stood up, he found that he had Lin Xiao's coat on him. Looking at Lin Xiao again, he was only wearing a wide inner robe with the sleeves tied up high. With this attire, the two of them were alone. If they said they were just master and servant, or just friends, no one would believe it.

Following the direction Lin Xiao pointed, Yunshan saw the afterglow of the setting sun, like a tie-dye jar knocked over by someone, pouring freely on the vast fields, giving everything in the world a layer of warm golden edge.

Suddenly, Yunshan's gaze fell straight on Lin Xiao. There was a hint of scrutiny and curiosity in her eyes, which made Lin Xiao inexplicably flustered.

He subconsciously shrank his neck, waved his hands hurriedly, and explained quickly:
"Hey? Don't look at me like that. I'm a genuine gentleman. It's getting late, the sun is about to set, and the wind is blowing, bringing with it a chill. This outer robe of mine is all I have to keep you warm, so please don't think too much of it."

As he spoke, he hugged himself tightly with his arms, as if he was afraid that Yunshan would misunderstand that he had some ill intentions.

Yunshan couldn't help laughing when she saw his anxious and serious expression.

She was thinking that although Lin Xiao was a noble general, he did not have the oppressive feeling of a master who was superior to him.

Staying in this field with him, smelling the fragrance of the soil, feeling the simplicity of nature, and having a rare peace in my heart, it seemed as if all the intrigues and deceptions in the palace, and the flood of pain today, were all left far behind.

Yunshan had just stood up and brushed the dust off her skirt when she heard the gray-haired peasant woman not far away shouting at her little granddaughter under the tree:
"Girl, don't catch that red toad, it's poisonous!" His voice was full of anxiety and worry.

At this moment, the little girl was holding the red toad wrapped in a small handkerchief carefully in her hands. When she heard her grandmother's shout, she was so scared that her hands trembled, and she quickly let go of her hands and released the red toad.

Seeing this, the peasant woman was furious and anxious. She stamped her feet and scolded him, "You prodigal monkey! You can't keep that handkerchief. You have to burn it. The poison of that red toad can't be washed away!"

Yunshan was originally immersed in the daily life in the countryside, but when she heard this, it was like a flash of lightning flashed through her mind and she came back to her senses in an instant.

Her eyes suddenly became sharp, and she began to repeat the words the woman said, "It's poisonous!" "It can't be washed clean!"
Suddenly, she turned her head and looked at Lin Xiao with a serious expression and a hurried tone: "Mr. Lin, please take me back quickly. I have something very important to report to the Queen!" Yun Shan hurried back to Liuhua Palace with a serious expression. After closing the doors and windows, she told Lin Yu and Yun Jin all her thoughts:

"If this matter were leaked, it would be a serious crime. The strychnine juice must have been made by someone close to the master. I think it was either a first- or second-class maid, or the aunt who accompanied him from the Eastern Palace."

As she spoke, her eyes revealed unquestionable certainty.

Lin Yu nodded slightly, indicating that she should continue.

Yunshan took a deep breath and continued:
"That juice is extremely toxic, and the person who made it must be well aware of it. If it accidentally gets on clothes, who would dare to wear it?"

The three of them sat together and discussed in low voices. After a while, they decided on a countermeasure.

The next day, at daybreak, Yunshan and Aunt Zhuang began a "good show" in the kitchen. Yunshan's face was filled with anxiety, the soup in her hands swaying slightly, while Aunt Zhuang's brows were furrowed and her face was full of anger.

"Miss Yunshan, you have to compensate me for this palace dress!" Aunt Zhuang shouted at the top of her voice, her voice full of heartache and anger.

When everyone looked closely, they saw several holes on Yunshan and Aunt Zhuang's coats that were burned by the charcoal fire, which looked particularly glaring on the solemn palace costumes.

"Okay, okay, I was in such a hurry to bring soup to the Empress that I accidentally burned our palace clothes. Don't worry, auntie, I will definitely compensate you."

Yunshan showed a guilty look as she spoke.

The two of them then changed into the only other set of palace clothes, each holding the burnt clothes, and went straight to the clothing bureau.
"Aunt, it will cost two taels of silver to make a new set of palace clothes for you, and three taels of silver for your first-class palace gown." A female official dressed in ninth-rank clothing said in a flat tone, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"Oh, it's so expensive!" Yunshan pretended to be panicked, widened her eyes, and raised her voice.
"But a few days ago I heard from another palace that it only cost eight coins to make a set!"

"What the hell?!" The female official's face changed immediately when she heard it, and her tone was a little unhappy.

"Your palace robes must be made strictly according to palace regulations. Even the needlework and materials must be carefully crafted. How can they be compared with the clothing of those menial maids and eunuchs?"

Seeing that the two were still hesitating and looking troubled, the female official patiently added:
"A few days ago, Concubine Yang's second-class maid came to order a new dress, also for two taels of silver. Our clothing bureau has recorded all of this in the account books, and there can be no falsification!"

Yunshan and Aunt Zhuang looked at each other and were secretly delighted that they finally got the information they wanted.

The two of them quickly put on a smile and said, "Yes, yes, it must be that we heard it wrong. We hope that Master Shangyi will not take it personally."

Yunshan gave her old clothes to Aunt Zhuang and asked her to go back first. She then took a detour to the imperial kitchen and asked for two new side dishes to avoid suspicion before returning to Liuhua Palace.

(End of this chapter)