Chapter 14: Lingering Fear

“As the saying goes, no one knows a daughter better than her father, but in my view, the reverse is also true. If you hadn't accurately grasped your father's thoughts, how could he have acted so easily? This time, when your father submitted his memorial, it truly added a significant amount of silver to my national treasury.”

As he spoke these words, Zhao Xingjin's eyes clearly held a hint of a smile, yet Xie Jiu felt a sudden chill running down her spine.

It wasn't that she was afraid of Zhao Xingjin knowing that she had been the one operating behind the scenes to ensure Xie Mingshen suddenly submitted a memorial against a group of officials during this morning's court session.

After all, this was a good thing for Zhao Xingjin.

The problem was that when Chunrong had left the palace yesterday to deliver news to the Xie family, she hadn't gone directly to the Xie residence. Instead, she had stopped midway at a needlework shop owned by the Xie family and passed the message through the shopkeeper.

Her intention was to use this method to make Xie Mingshen believe that the news alerting him had been painstakingly extracted from Zhao Xingjin's side by Xie Jiu. Therefore, Chunrong had entered the shop alone, making the move quite discreet.

Yet Zhao Xingjin still found out. This meant that Zhao Xingjin was watching her closely, never letting even the people around her or the smallest of details slip past him.

Thus, everything she had done yesterday had not escaped his eyes in the slightest.

Fortunately, what she had done was beneficial to Zhao Xingjin. Had it been detrimental, would she still be standing here in one piece?

Although Xie Jiu did not believe she could gain Zhao Xingjin's trust in such a short time, his indulgence and gentleness toward her over the past two days—and his even more casual demeanor in her presence—had allowed her to relax somewhat.

She had not expected that he had not lowered his vigilance or guard against her even by a fraction.

This was undoubtedly a wake-up call for Xie Jiu.

The man before her was a young monarch who had ascended the dragon throne by treading upon mountains of corpses and seas of blood; he was certainly no romantic or easygoing young master.

In dealing with him, she had to maintain twelve parts of alertness.

“Very well, I shall pay a visit to the Empress. You may go down and rest.”

Zhao Xingjin gave a light pat to the back of her hand before turning to depart.

Xie Jiu remained where she stood, immediately bowing to see him off.

Once Zhao Xingjin had left, she returned to the side hall by herself. Only after closing the door did she let out a long breath.

“What is wrong, Madam?” Qingfang brought over a cup of water, looking at her with concern.

Xie Jiu took the cup, took a sip, and only after her heart had calmed slightly did she say in a heavy voice, “Fear.”

“Fear?” Qingfang was puzzled.

She turned to look at Chunrong, who also wore a look of confusion.

Xie Jiu continued, “I am afraid that I have actually let my guard down in front of the Emperor these past few days.”

Clearly, when she first entered the palace, she had maintained the vigilance of "accompanying a ruler is like accompanying a tiger," but over these few days, Zhao Xingjin's words and actions had unconsciously lowered her defenses.

One truly shouldn't fear the wolf staying by one's side; one should fear the wolf wearing sheep's clothing, making you slowly forget its true identity.

“Remember this: no matter what happens in the future, stay fully alert within the palace. Think thrice before you act, strive for stability in all things, and never trust anyone other than the three of us.”

Setting down her teacup, Xie Jiu gave her instructions with a serious expression.

Hearing these words, Qingfang and Chunrong's expressions also turned solemn, and they both nodded gravely.

Xie Jiu sighed, her face showing fatigue, as she took their hands. “I have made things hard for you, making you follow me to this place that devours people without spitting out the bones.”

As she said this, both maids immediately shook their heads, expressing their willingness.

They were not being insincere; they were Xie Jiu's dowry maids who had grown up with her since childhood. They had never even considered how they would live their lives if they were separated from her; it was much more reassuring to stay together through life and death.

After the master and servants spoke for a while, Xie Jiu's heart settled again. She then took a calligraphy practice sheet and made another trip to Princess Wenxi's quarters.

She arrived today only to find that Princess Wenxi was still not there.

However, Xie Jiu was in no hurry. After handing the calligraphy sheet to Qinlan, she gave her two additional books.

“My aunt said the Princess is recuperating, so she likely spends her days just lying down resting, which must be quite dull. These two books are suitable for children and might help relieve the Princess's boredom.”

“This servant thanks the Madam on behalf of the Princess,” Qinlan said with a slight bow.

In truth, after she had lied last time saying Princess Wenxi was unwell, she had felt some lingering fear and worry.

She had feared that by intentionally obstructing Xie Jiu's contact with the Princess, she might incur Xie Jiu's resentment, leading Xie Jiu to say something unpleasant to Zhao Xingjin.

To her surprise, not only did Xie Jiu not harbor resentment, but she had actually personally brought calligraphy sheets and books again.

Looking at how attentive she was, it seemed she truly intended to teach the Princess well.

Qinlan had been pondering this lately. Princess Wenxi had no biological mother to protect her. Since Consort Xian had passed away less than a year ago, the Emperor still held the memory of this poor, young, motherless daughter in his heart, so the Princess's life was still relatively comfortable.

But as time passed, the inner palace would continuously see the arrival of new children. Would the Emperor always remember Princess Wenxi?

If the Princess were lively and knew how to seek favor on her own, that would be one thing, but Princess Wenxi had inherited her mother's personality—she was introverted and quiet, and perhaps even a bit timid due to the loss of her mother.

A prince who remained obscure would be fine; once he grew up, he would naturally be granted a title, leave the palace to establish his own household, marry, and have children, becoming the master of his own life.

But if a princess lacked favor, when she reached marriageable age, she might simply be married off to anyone—and that would be the best-case scenario. If there were matters like political marriages, princesses without favor would be the first to be sent.

Qinlan thought that for Xie Jiu to have caught Zhao Xingjin's eye as a woman, she must possess certain skills and abilities.

She certainly would not stop at being a mere mistress in the shadows.

If Princess Wenxi received instruction from Xie Jiu, their teacher-student relationship would become close, making them almost like a mother and daughter. If Xie Jiu gained favor in the future, the Princess might also benefit.

If Xie Jiu lost favor, she could teach the Princess how to act as if she had suffered many grievances, utilizing the Emperor's dislike of Xie Jiu to win much sympathy and affection for the Princess; that would be just as good.

Thus, Qinlan took the initiative to say, “It is so hot, yet Madam has personally made the trip; it is truly hard work. This servant happened to make some iced milk pudding for the Princess today, which she has always loved dearly. I do not know if it will suit Madam's palate, but please, Madam, have a taste.”

These words were an attempt to show goodwill.

Xie Jiu was happy to see this and naturally accepted it to show her politeness.

When she left, Qingfang was carrying an extra food box.

Xie Jiu, of course, was not just eating for herself; she was also bringing a portion for Zhao Xingjin.

Eating a bowl of icy, sweet dessert in the summer, Xie Jiu's mood was quite good on the way back to Chengming Palace.

Thinking that she would just be sitting idly if she went back now, she decided to find something to pass the time.

Looking around, she vaguely saw what appeared to be a lotus pond nearby, so she wandered over.

The lotuses in the palace were surely of the finest quality and not easily seen elsewhere; admiring lotuses in the summer was quite fitting.

By the time she finished her stroll and headed back, it was almost time for lunch.

However, while her mental plan had been quite good, reality was not so wonderful.

When Xie Jiu reached the edge of the lotus pond, she discovered that someone was already there.

Judging by the attire, she should be one of Zhao Xingjin's concubines.

A palace attendant hurriedly whispered a reminder nearby, “Madam, this is Jieyu Wei.”

As soon as those words were spoken, Xie Jiu understood immediately.

Which concubine in the palace was surnamed Wei? It was none other than the daughter of Wei Zhang, Zhao Xingjin's political rival.

(End of Chapter)