Huang handed the handwritten edict she had just written to Jinping, "Take this to the Jingshi Room to exchange for a waist badge to leave the palace."
Jinping took the order and asked cautiously: "I wonder what errand the master is sending the slaves out of the palace to do?"
Huang stared at her, with a cold look on his eyebrows, "Are you really ignorant or are you pretending not to know?"
Her question caused a trace of fear to flash through Jinping's eyes, and he lowered his head further, "I really don't know, Master. Please make it clear, Master."
After the palace servants who stood upright with their hands lowered went down, Huang uttered words from his lips that made Jinping's heart tremble, "Red Flower!"
Jin Ping felt her heart beating wildly as if it was about to burst out of her chest, and various thoughts flashed through her mind. For a long time, she suppressed her fear and said in a trembling voice: "I obey the order."
Just as Jinping was about to go down, Huang's cold and chilling voice came into his ears, "You have been with me for a year or two. You have always done things properly and in line with my wishes, so I have been with you all these years."
They all value you, so don’t let me down."
Jinping didn't dare to look at Mrs. Huang, and hurriedly lowered his head and agreed. The moment he stepped out of the hall and felt the sunlight falling all over his body, Jinping actually felt like he was reborn after a disaster.
She turned back and glanced at Huang who was sitting at the top through the hall door that had not yet been closed. Huang's usually gentle face seemed a bit cold in the early morning of winter; or maybe it was not due to the seasonal temperature.
But...she is no longer the master Jin Ping knew.
Changed, everything has changed...
When Jinping stepped into the Forbidden City with red flowers in his arms and walked towards Chonghua Palace, his steps became slower and slower, and he even found it difficult to move back. He glanced in the direction of Yanxi Palace from time to time.
She knew in her heart that once things went as planned by Huang and Wei Jingxuan, Xianyue's hard-won child would turn into a puddle of blood. Although she had never served Xianyue, she had spent more than ten years on the arduous road to seeking a child.
, she saw it all in her eyes. This child meant too much to Xianyue. She couldn't imagine how desperate and sad she would be after losing it.
She wanted to prevent the tragedy from happening, but once she did, Huang would definitely not let her go. Should she be tortured with a stick, send herself to Xinzheku, or kill herself directly?
Thinking of death, Jinping's whole body went cold. She didn't want to die, nor did she want to watch an innocent little life die. What should she do?
While Jin Ping was looking around, a figure quietly appeared behind her, "Why is Auntie standing here?"
Jin Ping was startled by the sudden voice. When he saw clearly that it was Liu Qi, he was stunned and said: "Why are you here?"
Liu Qi's eyes flashed lightly and he said: "Master saw you haven't returned for so long and was afraid that something might happen to you, so he asked me to come over and have a look. Who would have thought that I saw you standing here when I came back? What were you thinking just now?"
His words made Jinping a little excited, and he blurted out: "Master, are you afraid that something will happen to me, or are you afraid that I will spread the news?"
"You have to ask the master to know this." After saying this, Liu Qi said: "Since aunt is back, go back quickly."
"Let's go." Jinping was still a little angry in his heart. Huang's move clearly meant that he doubted himself, so he sent Liu Qi to monitor him. However, Huang was the master after all. Unless she decided to fall out with him, she could only follow orders.
.
Returning to Chonghua Palace, Huang took the red flower, took a look at it, and said, "It's none of your business here. Let's go down and see how dinner is being prepared."
After Jinping went down, Huang asked Liu Qidao, "Where did you find Jinping?"
"The report to the master was near the Shenwu Gate. At that time, Jinping was standing there in a daze, as if thinking about something. When the slave said that the master ordered the slave to come to see her, she seemed very excited, and even asked if the master was worried about her.
Go and tell the news."
Huang snorted coldly and said: "It seems that she, like Wu Si, is full of opinions about me, but she is better at hiding it than Wu Si."
"Master, what happened?" Before Liu Qi finished speaking, Huang said coldly: "I don't like people who talk too much. If you can't change this habit, you can continue to serve in the outer palace."
When Liu Qi heard this, he quickly shut up and did not dare to say more. After a moment of silence, Huang said: "From now on, I will keep an eye on Jinping. If she is disloyal to me, or secretly has an affair with Yanxi
If you contact me, I will inform you immediately."
That night, although Mrs. Huang went to bed early, she tossed and turned and couldn't sleep all night. When she woke up in the morning, her face was full of haggard. Jinping opened the curtain and whispered: "Master, do you want to sleep a little longer?"
"
Mr. Huang shook his head and said, "No need. I'm just lying around. I can't sleep at all. Please help me freshen up and change my clothes."
Jinping responded, and after cleaning her face, he helped her sit down in front of the bronze mirror to dress up. In order to cover up the tiredness on her face, Jinping applied a slightly thicker makeup, which made her look more attractive.
Huang looks several years younger.
Mrs. Huang looked at herself in the mirror, stroked her cheek and said, "I remember that when I first stepped into the dormitory, I was seventeen years old, but now I am thirty-eight. Twenty-one years have passed.
After that, you get old, wrinkles appear, and you are no longer the age of youth."
Jin Ping consoled him: "How can such a thing happen? From the slave's point of view, the master is still the same as before and has not aged at all."
Huang smiled and said: "Actually, being old may not be a bad thing. At least you will think about things more carefully and thoughtfully than when you were young, and know what is best for yourself." As she said this, she saw what was reflected in the peepshow.
Jinping hesitated to speak and raised his eyebrows: "What's the matter? Do you have something to say to me?"
Jin Ping wanted to persuade him, but thinking about Wu Si's situation and Liu Qi's appearance yesterday, he finally endured his words and said instead: "This slave wants to ask the master which pair of steps he plans to use today."
How could Mrs. Huang not hear the perfunctory tone in her words, but she exposed it and said, "Whatever you want."
Jinping finally took out a pair of gold-plated jade steps and put them on Huang. At this time, Liu Qi came in and reported that it was Yongzhang who wanted to see him.
Jin Ping said in surprise: "Third Brother? Why did he come here so early?"
Huang was not as surprised as Jinping, as if he had expected Yongzhang to come, "Let the third elder brother go to the side hall, I will be there later."
After Liu Qi withdrew, Mrs. Huang straightened her appearance in the mirror and walked to the side hall. Yongzhang had just sat down there and when he saw her coming in, he quickly stood up and saluted.
Mrs. Huang gently helped him up and said: "Third brother is coming over now. I think I haven't had breakfast yet. Why don't you just eat it with me and Yongxuan?"
Yongzhang was a little flattered by Huang's enthusiasm. Ever since the Su incident, Huang had been very cold towards him, and was even reluctant to let him see Yongxuan. This was actually the first time he was so enthusiastic like today.