Ning Huaixiu had been utterly disheartened since she was injured that night. Although she was grateful that the Empress Dowager did not kick her while she was down and was willing to lend her a hand, she could not hide her own disappointnt. After all, the man who loathed her like vermin was the one she had deeply loved for many years—loved with all her heart, her liver, and her very marrow.
Since her injury, she had been lying in the room recuperating every day. In just a few short days, she had already experienced the warmth and coldness of the world.
The palace maids living in the sa room all knew of her original status and looked down on her self-inflicted degradation with disdain. Though they did not trample over her, each one of them treated her like she was air, unwilling to engage with her.
Throughout these days, not a single person had spoken to her. Whenever people saw her, they showed mocking and contemptuous expressions, sothing she, as a young lady who had been pampered from childhood, had never experienced.
The attitude of those around her made her feel so ashad she could find no place to hide, and her heart was filled with sorrow. If not for fear of causing her parents grief, she would have rather dashed her head to death than endure such contempt and disgust!
When Huan Qiu ca to summon her, she was lying on the kang, staring blankly at the beam above.
Her identity was no longer that of the thousand-gold daughter of the Chancellor’s mansion; she was just an ordinary palace maid, forced to sleep on a communal kang with more than a dozen others, without a private space to bathe, change clothes, or even relieve herself. Everything had to be done under the watchful eyes of everyone else, making her feel extrely ashad. But, helpless and filled with sha, she also deeply regretted her rash decision to enter the palace.
"Ning Huaixiu, the Empress Dowager summons you to see her!"
Upon hearing this, Ning Huaixiu quickly scrambled up from the kang, hurriedly changed her clothes, and combed her hair. The Empress Dowager was her only hope. If she wished to leave this place alive, only the Empress Dowager could make it happen. As such, she had been eagerly anticipating a summons from the Empress Dowager these past few days.
Not daring to keep Huan Qiu waiting, and even less to keep the Empress Dowager waiting, she quickly finished dressing and followed Huan Qiu, her gaze ekly downward.
Upon entering the Royal study, she saw the man who filled her daydreams and haunted her dreams seated behind the dragon case, his gaze lowered, reviewing the accounts.
The sunlight stread through the glass windows of the great hall, casting a delicate glow on his face that captivated all living beings. The light created a faint halo, making him look exceptionally handso, whilst also exuding the domineering presence of soone who looked down upon the world from an elevated position!
A pang of heartache struck Ning Huaixiu; she stole a glance at him and then quickly lowered her head, following Huan Qiu into the room where the Empress Dowager of the Eastern Room was.
Entering the room, she saw Empress Mu sitting on the bed by the window, her head lowered, examining the account books. Today, Empress Mu was dressed in simple ho clothes—a light green cotton jacket, and a matching long skirt that trailed on the floor. Her hair was not done up in a bun, nor adorned with flowers; instead, her black, shiny hair was loosely plaited into a twist braid that casually draped over her back.
This unadorned appearance did not make her look plain and elegant, but rather, it heightened her glowing red lips and jade-white face. Indeed, she was imnsely charming and unparalleled in beauty, such that even soone accustod to seeing beautiful people like Ning Huaixiu was montarily dazzled by the sight of the Empress.
No wonder he was solely devoted to her. If it were anyone else, they would probably be no different, right? The Empress truly was a peerless beauty unmatched in appearance, and it was not surprising that she had the royal favor!
Seeing Ning Huaixiu standing there transfixed, staring at Cai Wei without performing the proper greeting, Huan Qiu stealthily nudged her. Ning Huaixiu snapped out of her trance and swiftly knelt down, kowtowing to Cai Wei.
"Servant pays her respects to the Empress Dowager!"
She did not address herself as "this subject’s daughter," but as "this servant." Upon entering the palace, she was considered part of the slave registry, no longer entitled to refer to herself using the term used by the nobility.
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