Palace Fighting: Naive Concubines' Ascent to Power-Chapter 386: Intense Killing Intent

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Chapter 386: Chapter 386: Intense Killing Intent

Hearing that tone, Liu Ying felt a chill in her heart and hurriedly crawled over on her knees, "No, no, I only thought I had made a mistake, I’m coming over now."

As she crawled to Attendant Zhou, she lowered her head, not daring to look directly, fear rising in her heart. Sometimes she found her master terrifying, and this was such a moment, she dared not disobey.

Attendant Zhou chuckled lightly, extended his right hand to grasp Liu Ying’s chin, and lifted her face up to examine it closely, "Indeed, this skin is delicate enough to break with a puff," he said in a sparse, usual tone.

Then, suddenly changing his tone, he added a hint of sharpness, "What miraculous medicine have you used to achieve such skin in such a short time, tell me about it."

Liu Ying wanted to shake her head, but her chin was tightly grasped by Attendant Zhou, making it impossible to move.

Her gaze drifting, she worried that her actions had been discovered, yet still harbored a slim hope, "Master, I haven’t used anything, perhaps it’s your generosity, I’ve been eating well and sleeping well recently, and the little bumps I had before have healed on their own, I..."

"Ha!" Attendant Zhou laughed aloud, cutting off her words, leaned in and stared into her eyes, leaving her with no escape, a grim smile forming on his lips, "Is it because I’ve treated you too well that you no longer see me as your master and dare to deceive me?"

Attendant Zhou’s demeanor was unbearably cold and terrifying, like a vengeful ghost crawling up from hell to claim a soul.

Liu Ying was immediately terrified to the core, no longer daring to cling to any hope, her lips trembling as she said, "Master, I... I used some scented cream..."

"The box that you were told to get rid of?" Attendant Zhou’s smile faded, his eyes turning exceptionally cold.

Liu Ying hung her head, nearly crying out in her nervousness, "Yes... yes..."

Attendant Zhou’s expression darkened, uninterpretable for a moment, then he released her chin, his expression returning to normal, releasing Liu Ying, "It’s just a box of scented cream after all, meant to be discarded, if used, it’s used. Where is the box?"

Liu Ying collapsed to the ground, drenched in cold sweat, her voice trembling, "It’s lost, thrown into the well.

"Lost?"

Liu Ying confessed truthfully, "Yes, yes, I did not disobey you, I just felt it a pity to waste the cream, greedily scooped it out and threw the box into a secluded well in the Imperial Garden, please punish me, my Lord."

Speaking thus, she knelt properly again, her body shivering, trembling as she awaited her fate.

She was very afraid, today’s master was exceptionally terrifying. Remembering that palace maid from before, she shook even more. Had she known not to covet a bargain, she would have no regrets now.

Attendant Zhou’s face seemed to soften again, his voice gaining some warmth as he sighed softly, "You have been with me for many years, you are the most trusted person, such a trivial matter is not worth punishing."

Her master isn’t going to punish her? Liu Ying suddenly looked up, a flicker of hope ignited.

Seeing Attendant Zhou’s now gentle expression, the past scene seemed like an illusion, causing Liu Ying to be slightly stunned, questioning if she had seen something wrong before.

"Don’t blame me for being so harsh on you." Attendant Zhou became visibly saddened, then continued, "This scented cream was a beloved item left by Sister Sun, unfortunately, she and I were the closest of friends, we may not see each other again, thinking of this often leaves me sleepless at night, seeing this box of cream makes me reminisce painfully."

Hearing these words, Liu Ying recovered her spirits, not so afraid anymore, she quickly comforted, "Master, perhaps Talented Lady Sun will return if she recovers from her illness..."

Attendant Zhou shook his head, gently wiping away tears with a handkerchief, "There are things you don’t know, Sister Sun might..."

Liu Ying was startled, blurting out, "Did Talented Lady Sun really pass away from the epidemic?"

Attendant Zhou looked her in the eye, seeing through all her thoughts, understanding something, then his following words also changed, "There are taboos in the palace, do not talk about this matter. I questioned you so forcefully just now because I was worried you might act on your own and catch something. If others knew you were using an ominous item, it would not end well."

"Master, I..." Liu Ying, touching her own face, spoke out in terror.

Indeed, as she had guessed, would there be any consequences for her? Oh heavens, she should have listened to her master and not been greedy.

At this moment, she had almost forgotten the fear she had felt towards Changzai Zhou just a moment ago, and took his words as truth.

Changzai Zhou stood up and walked over to help her up, comforting her gently, "I have some medical knowledge, and have just examined you; your eyes are bright, and your complexion is rosy. There’s nothing to worry about. Be not afraid, this box of Scented Cream seems untouched by Sister Sun, so you are safe. However, you mustn’t speak of this to anyone, otherwise..."

Liu Ying struggled to her feet, nodding vigorously to assure him that she would keep silent.

Her heart settled somewhat; her master had thought ahead and kept this matter hidden for her, so she must not mention it either. If word got out that she had used Talented Lady Sun’s belongings, she was sure to be dragged away.

How she had unjustly mistrusted her master just a while ago.

With a mix of gratitude and guilt, she bowed her head in sorrow and said, "Master, it is my fault for not listening to you..."

When Liu Ying could not see him, a sly smile formed at the corner of Changzai Zhou’s mouth. He spoke softly, "No worries. As long as the Scented Cream is fine, tonight you will take me to the well where you threw the Scented Cream, and retrieve the box. This will also serve as a final farewell to Sister Sun."

Liu Ying nodded solemnly, "Yes, thankfully I didn’t shatter the box; I threw it whole into the well. I will tie a rope and search for it later; I will definitely redeem my wrongdoing, master, rest assured."

Changzai Zhou nodded lightly, "Very well, you may go now."

"Yes."

The moment Liu Ying turned around, Changzai Zhou slowly smiled, a smile filled with murderous intent.

At dusk.

Nanny Qi reappeared in front of Lian Hua, joining the Emperor and her for dinner as usual.

Lian Hua observed Nanny Qi intently from the start to the end of the dinner without discovering anything unusual.

It shouldn’t be so; all signs indicated that her conjecture should be correct, from accidentally overhearing Nanny Qi whispering with Chief Steward Zhang, to the occasions before and after lunch, and then Nanny Qi’s subsequent disappearance, all hinted at something unusual.

She was not one to give up easily; there were things she’d ignore if she wasn’t interested, barely sparing them a glance.

But she was concerned about Nanny Qi’s affairs and, partly out of a desire for excitement, grew increasingly curious. She pondered and deduced, always concluding that Nanny Qi and Chief Steward Zhang were hiding a secret. Yes, she was sure of it.

Yet all her attempts had revealed nothing. Had she perhaps overthought it?

Take the following attempt, for example:

The first round:

She scooped a few bites of rice, sneakily watching Nanny Qi while eating.

Once she swallowed what was in her mouth, she held her chopsticks and casually asked while looking at the dishes on the table, "Nanny, what were you doing this afternoon?"

Nanny Qi paused, the hand that was bringing food to her mouth hesitated, but her expression remained unchanged as she replied, "This old servant has been resting all along."

After speaking, she continued to eat quite naturally.

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