CHAPTER 26: CHAPTER 26: AMBUSHED

Upon returning to Xianfu Palace, Xue Ya spilled everything she encountered while fetching the meal like spilling beans: "It seems Consort Ji remembered the favor from last time and specially came to warn our mistress."

Xue Ya, worried, finished speaking and saw that her mistress seemed more interested in the food box, stomping her foot: "Mistress, you should be more careful!"

Yun Jiao lifted the lid of one of the food trays and found that today’s snack was sweet shaomei: "Alright, I’ll eat the snacks first today."

Here, shaomei is actually another term for shumai, unrelated to plums. The Kitchen’s shaomei is made with heavy oil and fatty meat, mixed with minced peanuts, rock sugar, osmanthus, and white sugar, offering a sweet meat filling. The skin is folded to resemble a plum blossom at the top, and a pomegranate at the bottom.

Each piece was delicately crafted, and Yun Jiao easily finished a tray.

Even if the palace maid was anxious, if the mistress wanted to dine, she could only serve by her side.

After eating until she was eighty percent full, Yun Jiao slowly spoke: "I will certainly be cautious, but to live in constant fear over something that hasn’t happened yet would be giving the villains exactly what they want! Let them intimidate me! You all have no idea how much I’ve been through before entering the palace."

She had been a mercenary in Call of Duty, uncovered the conspiracy of Pope Alexander VI in Assassin’s Creed, and even had a self-developed two-character open-world mobile game on her phone.

Few secluded women are raised to be bold; palace intrigue usually centers around fear, scaring people into insomnia and mental fatigue, making it easy to handle thereafter.

But such psychological attacks are ineffective on Yun Jiao.

When something happens, she can rewind; even if pushed into water ten times, she would have learned to swim by then.

Gong Mei joked: "The mistress’s mindset is indeed commendable."

"Do you all know why I choose to finish my meal before answering questions? When faced with a situation, one must remain calm. If you can’t learn calmness, force yourself to do other things first. Fear and anger are like the tumultuous seas during high tide, but once the waves recede, the true nature of the matter will be revealed."

Yun Jiao spoke with a gentle smile, lightly swinging her legs.

In her own room, she was always carefree, regardless of posture when standing or sitting.

"Since our mistress has a plan in mind, we can be at ease."

Palace maids assigned to concubines have their status and treatment in the palace bound to their mistress.

They are most afraid of anything happening to Yun Jiao.

Fortunately, Yun Jiao was considered someone who rarely left her residence, often circling around Xianfu Palace—Concubine Li believed that joining the Qiu Lie was a stroke of luck from following her, and her attitude toward Yun Jiao improved, even opening up the small swing in the main courtyard garden for her.

Three days before Qiu Lie, she did not leave her residence except for formal greetings.

The next day, as Yun Jiao exited Jianzhang Palace and walked down a main road, an eunuch approached her, smiling as he greeted: "This servant serves in Changle Palace; the mistress invites you over."

Hearing "Changle Palace," both of them were startled.

There is only one mistress in Changle Palace, and that is the Empress Dowager.

For concubines below the rank of consort, they might only get the chance to pay their respects from afar during major festivals, otherwise having no opportunity to meet her.

"Why does the Empress Dowager summon me?"

Yun Jiao did not completely trust the other party.

She first saved a backup, then heard the eunuch look at her with a difficult expression: "This servant wishes to tell the mistress, but the Empress Dowager only said to summon you and did not tell this servant any specifics," he paused, urging: "Without the decree, I would not dare to block your way; delaying the Empress Dowager’s affairs, no one can take the responsibility!"

"Alright, I’ll go now."

If it’s really the Empress Dowager summoning her, she indeed cannot afford to delay.

If not, then she’ll rewind and think about how to handle it.

After walking for a while, they were veering off further and further, seldom meeting others.

Nearing a pond, Yun Jiao stopped the leading eunuch: "My fate is wary of water; let’s take another path."

"Mistress, that will take a longer route. If the Empress Dowager criticizes you..."

"I’ll take the blame."

"This servant does not wish to speak unfavorably, but the Empress Dowager’s affairs are indeed beyond your responsibility."

Yun Jiao laughed: "With the time you waste arguing with me, we would have reached the destination by now taking another path."

Palace attendants are skilled at reading faces, the eunuchs even more so. After realizing that Attendant Lady Xi was truly not budging, he begrudgingly led them down another path. But if someone intended harm, they would hardly give up easily. Along a shaded path away from the pond, a shadow leaped from behind a tree, fiercely pushing the two down.

There was a slight slope there, and rolling down would surely result in injuries.

At the moment of impact, Yun Jiao decisively rewound.

Simultaneously, she confirmed that the one who summoned her was not the Empress Dowager.

...

The Empress Dowager didn’t need to resort to underhanded tactics to deal with an Attendant Lady; she could find any excuse to confine her or summon her to Changle Palace for punishment. Yun Jiao had no room for resistance, and would likely need to figure out why she offended the Empress Dowager, then rewind to half a month ago or even before entering the palace to plan slowly.

Moreover, this situation exploited her lack of backing.

A well-connected lady like Attendant Lady Sun would have "insiders" arranged by her family among her palace maid assignments after entering the palace. It’s not that Xue Ya and Gong Mei weren’t dedicated to her, but both had little experience, often failing to recognize many faces serving prominent masters, with no experience in dealing with crises.

"This servant wishes to tell the mistress, but the Empress Dowager only said to summon you and did not tell this servant any specifics."

As Yun Jiao contemplated, the little eunuch in front of her repeated his urging.

"Okay, hurry up, the Empress Dowager’s affairs cannot be delayed."

Finding themselves alone, Yun Jiao feigned compliance.

Seeing that Attendant Lady Xi had no suspicion and was obediently following, the eunuch let his guard down. While passing a garden, Yun Jiao caught sight of Concubine Li sitting on a sedan in the distance. She promptly grabbed the eunuch’s collar and shouted towards Concubine Li: "Concubine Li, help!"

The eunuch, seeing the situation turn south, tried to escape.

"He’s not an eunuch from Changle Palace, Xue Ya, help hold him!"

Should he escape, this lead would be lost.

Perhaps realizing the consequences of falsely transmitting the decree, seeing the two clinging to him, he turned to punch Yun Jiao! He thought Yun Jiao was nothing but a frail woman, but to his surprise, she dodged with a smug laugh: "Haha, your every move is within my calculation!"

This laughter shattered the eunuch’s composure.

He swung three punches, even attempting to kick.

Attendant Lady Xi seemed to predict his every attack path, deftly dodging them. With this maneuvering, five seconds passed, and the robust eunuch serving Concubine Li rushed over and captured him.

The chief eunuch, Hai Tao, from Concubine Li’s side, struck his knee, and he immediately knelt.

With her sedan majestically raised, Concubine Li asked, "In broad daylight, why are you shouting for help? Lift his head; let me see which insolent slave defied the hierarchy."

Hai Tao lifted the eunuch’s chin, then his face darkened: "Mistress, he killed himself out of guilt."

Blood slowly dripped from the eunuch’s lips.