Chapter 278: Matters Of The Hear (1/2)

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“Nothing. Do as I said first.”

Consort Li waved the maid away and returned to her residence with the help of the other maids. She ran into other consorts on the way, who mocked her after hearing the rumors. She felt humiliated and grew even more resentful of Jun Huang.

The maid hurried to the palace and took some silver taels before rus.h.i.+ng toward Nan Jihan's chamber. His personal eunuch happened to be free. She approached him when no one was around and tugged at his sleeve. They exchanged a knowing glance. The eunuch followed her to a hidden corner.

“What were you thinking?” the eunuch reprimanded before the maid could say anything. “I finally was able to convince His Majesty to leave the room, and yet you made a scene and wasted the opportunity. His Majesty is going to give your consort the cold treatment for some time.”

The maids obediently admitted their faults and handed the eunuch the silver with an apologetic smile. “Lady Li recognized her mistake and told me to make amends to you, gonggong. Apologies for embarra.s.sing you. Please take this offer and forgive us.”

The eunuch weighed the silver with his hand, his expression softening. He glanced at the maid and raised an eyebrow. “Be upfront about what you want. Let's not beat around the bush. However, I have to tell your first that I'm not going to create opportunities for your consort again anytime soon. If His Majesty realizes, he won't forgive me.”

“Of course,” the maid said with a smile. “This servant is just here to ask who the woman is. His Majesty seems to care about her greatly. We'd like to know how we should treat her lest we offend her again.”

The eunuch stared at the maid, who masked her nervousness with a polite smile. She seemed genuine enough, but he didn't immediately respond.

The maid spoke up again, smiling, “Please tell me, gonggong. It won't do any harm. This servant isn't going to tell His Majesty. Can it be that the woman is His Majesty's new consort?”

The eunuch widened his eyes and waved his hands in denial. He looked around, only sighing in relief when he was sure no one was around. He shot the maid a glare and poked at her forehead. “What nonsense are you spouting? If His Majesty hears us, we'll both be doomed.”

The maid got nervous. Jun Huang must be someone important. Her curiosity was piqued, and Consort Li had ordered her to find out about Jun Huang's ident.i.ty. If she failed, she'd be punished.

“I can tell you as a reminder not to clash with her again. She's a friend of the princess and the emperor. She came from Northern Qi to seek treatment. It's also said that she's helped His Majesty take the throne as well. The rest I don't know, and don't dare to ask about.” Concerned, the eunuch added, “This is the end of it. Don't try to get any more information from other people.”

The maid nodded agreeably. She returned to Consort Li's residence and told the consort everything the eunuch said. The consort thought for a long moment with her narrowed eyes fixed on the screen. She remembered something from last year.

“Didn't His Majesty go to Northern Qi last year?”

The maid nodded after a pause. “He did. His Majesty went with the princess to attend the birthday celebration of Northern Qi's emperor.”

“If so, His Majesty must have met the woman there. Send someone to Northern Qi and ask around. She must have a weakness. Although she isn't a consort at the moment, she enjoys His Majesty's favor and is likely to become one in the near future. We might as well try to get some blackmail material first. Then we can use it against her and have her abide by my orders.”

Her face contorted into a horrifying scowl. The maid couldn't help freezing and trying to make herself smaller. She gritted her teeth to contain her fear, but her face had turned pale.

Meanwhile, Jun Huang was reading book scrolls in the study. It was a peaceful life, but not a boring one. The only downside was her growing longing for Nan Xun.

What happened in the morning made her antsy. She lost track of what she was reading. In the end, she put the book aside and sat there looking into the distance.

The supplementary medicine she'd taken made her irritable. She took a deep breath and made her way to the window, looking out at the bright moon and trying to calm herself.

After a while, she finally felt better. She got back to the desk and took out the writing instrument. It took a moment for her to organized her thoughts. She dabbed the brush in the ink and started writing a letter.

After letting the ink dry, she read the letter over and folded it with a smile. The second day, she took the letter to the House of Heavenly Fiends, asking them to deliver it to Northern Qi at once.