Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Not Worth Her Concern

The women stood up and bowed: "Thank you for your guidance, Empress Dowager! We will keep it in mind!"

Leng Jiu disliked playing mind games with other women, but when she did, she could be incredibly daunting. Her remarks, although reasonable, were targeted digs at Hua Yuxuan, especially since she had yet to serve the Emperor in the bedchamber. Hua Yuxuan struggled to maintain her composure.

Leng Jiu had Lu Chang bring out some jewelry and tonics, distributing them among the women. When it came to Hua Yuxuan, she received none: "Noble Consort Hua might not fancy such trinkets from me. I am tired now, you may all leave."

"Your servant takes her leave!"

"Your servant takes her leave!" Hua Yuxuan almost gritted her teeth as she said this. After Leng Jiu left, she coldly glanced at the other women, her fist clenched in her sleeve, and stiffly walked away.

"The Empress Dowager was quite imposing today. You should have seen it, Noble Consort Hua's face turned green when she left!" Lu Chang chuckled, brownnosing skillfully.

Leng Jiu pinched Karno's bottom, eliciting a squeaky protest from it. She smiled at the remark, "No matter how dignified and composed she acts, she is still a woman at heart. And what concerns women most, besides beauty and reputation, are men. Especially when her man is the esteemed Emperor. With Emperor Long Yi summoning so many women to his bedchamber, yet conspicuously excluding her, how could she not feel hurt? My favorite pastime is to hit where it hurts most. It's no surprise she's green with envy!"

"What the Empress Dowager says is true!"

Leng Jiu glanced at him and suddenly asked, "In all your years in the palace, do you have any truly trustworthy subordinates?"

Lu Chang nodded, "Indeed, there are some loyal ones, but they are not in Wei Yang Palace. I've thought about summoning them here, but I feared the Empress Dowager might disapprove, so I refrained."

Leng Jiu pondered, "Hmm! Go ahead and select a few for me. Choose the clever ones, and it would be best if they knew some martial arts."

"As you command, my lady!"

Lu Chang left to find people, and Leng Jiu, bored, decided to go through her belongings. Despite having been here for quite some time, she had never really explored the palace. She wasn't used to snooping around, but wasn't it too boring not to?

The wardrobe and dressing table held nothing but clothes and jewelry, all too monotonous to be interesting. However, in a drawer under the dressing table was a delicate wooden box, locked. The lock proved simple for her to open. Expecting treasures, she found instead a box full of letters, dozens unopened!

She didn't feel guilty for going through someone else's things, especially since this 'someone' was now herself. She was just opening her own things!

The envelope read: "For Jing Hua’s eyes only!" Leng Jiu tore it open to find a letter with just two words: "Stay safe."

Leng Jiu raised an eyebrow and took out all the letters, starting from the bottom. The handwriting on each envelope was the same, obviously written by one person. However, one envelope was noticeably thicker, containing four pages, all addressed to Jing Hua.

"Jing Hua! I know you feel wronged and desperate. Please forgive my inability to rescue you from this predicament. Qing Ling is skilled in disguise; she can take your place. Endure for now, and when I return victoriously, I will take you away, to see the snow in the north and race on the plains! Long Yi has become suspicious of you; be careful!"

Leng Jiu proceeded to open the second letter.

"Jing Hua! The old emperor has murderous intentions towards us. Father is injured but not gravely. You need not worry!"

"Jing Hua! The old emperor will not kill you. Rest assured, his days are numbered. Be cautious!"

"Jing Hua!..."

Each letter was filled with advice, concern, and guilt for her safety. Although the identity of the writer wasn't explicitly stated, it was clearly her brother, Leng Yue. But oddly, there was no mention of 'brother' or 'sister,' and instead, a subtle affection seemed to be woven into the words. This puzzled Leng Jiu. Weren't they siblings? And wasn’t Leng Jing Hua in love with Long Yi? It almost seemed as if her love was a facade.

Leng Jiu locked the letters back up, then decided to take them out and burn them in the brazier. Such letters must not be seen by others!

Lu Chang brought seven people - three eunuchs and four maids. All were young and good-looking, with a steady demeanor. The three eunuchs knew some martial arts, while the four maids excelled in needlework and observing nuances in speech and behavior.

Leng Jiu flipped through a notebook in her hand, detailing records of these seven individuals from the Internal Affairs Department, provided by Long Yue Li’s people. Since it was available, she might as well use it.

After a brief glance, she pointed at one eunuch and two maids: "You three, step forward!"

The three stepped up.

Leng Jiu examined them for a while, leaning back lazily: "State your names!"

"I am Du Heng, at the Empress Dowager's service!"

"This servant is Zi Yu (Qiu Xin), greeting the Empress Dowager!"

Leng Jiu nodded silently after a pause: "You three will stay. The rest may leave for now. In time, I will send for you."

"Yes!"

Once the others had left, Leng Jiu spoke: "Du Heng, you will work near the hall. Your sole task is to gather palace gossip. Be the first to know everything. Understood?"

Taken aback by Leng Jiu’s unexpected command, Du Heng was momentarily stunned, then promptly acknowledged: "Understood, my lady!"

"Zi Yu, Qiu Xin, you are promoted to senior maids and will serve by my side!"

For them, initially third-grade maids, ascending to first-grade status usually took years, if not decades. The Empress Dowager’s sudden promotion, especially to senior maids of Wei Yang Palace, was a cause for elation. They gratefully accepted: "Thank you, Empress Dowager!"

"Don't be hasty with your thanks. This is a probationary period. Everything depends on your performance. If I am dissatisfied, you will be demoted back to third-grade maids!"

Both women nodded repeatedly: "We understand!"

Waving for the two to leave, Leng Jiu summoned Lu Chang and casually asked while holding a cup, "Do you know who Qing Ling is?"

Lu Chang, somewhat surprised, replied, "Qing Ling is your personal maid, brought from the general's mansion. However, three months ago, she was confined in the dark room for some mistake. She's still there now."

Leng Jiu paused slightly, realizing she was her own maid. It seemed right to meet her: "Let's go see her."

The dark room, as the name suggests, was a small, secluded, dark, and dilapidated cell for confinement. Leng Jiu glanced at the small room, motioned for Lu Chang to stay outside, and approached. The door was broken and unlocked, swinging open to release a foul smell of mold and decay. She wrinkled her nose but stepped inside. The room was small, with just a bed and a battered cabinet, and a figure lay under a tattered blanket on the bed.