28 A Cunning, Idiot Young Miss 4 (1/2)

Halting her steps and turning around, Xiao Wen curiously walked towards the desk. There, she could see a sheet of paper marred by trails of ink.

The pristine snow paper appeared defiled to the eye, with trails of grainy ink powder scattered over its surface. Holding it closer to view, the maidservant could somewhat visualize and comprehend the written mess.

”Xia over Heaven…Divine Palace crest of Jing…” Xiao Wen read, squinting her eyes.

The script was far too faint to be legible due to the lack of sufficient ink, and she could only manage due to her enhanced eyesight. Unable to comprehend the meaning behind the words, Xiao Wen shrugged before placing the paper back onto the drawing table. Blowing out all of the lamps and covering herself with the blanket, the maidservant entered a light, fitful sleep just as she had predicted.

…She seemed to have not realized something critical.

-

”Xia over Heaven. Divine Palace breaks the crest of Jing, the Forefather laments…” Wei Xuan read out loud, an eyebrow raised in disbelief. Looking at the kneeling maidservant with her head lowered, the minister hesitated before continuing to ask.

”Are you certain that it was truly Fei'er who wrote this script? Not that it was someone else's calligraphy practice that she was looking over?”

”This maidservant saw with her eyes!” Xiao Wen asserted, her hands clasped before her chest. ”It was half a sichen before the Hour of the Tiger's coming. The Fourth Young Miss was indeed holding a brush in her hand, drawing on the sheet of paper in Master's hand.”

”But…” The minister paused, his brows furrowed in thought. Holding the marred sheet of paper before his eyes, Wei Xuan stared at the ink stains as if to bore holes through them.

If he were to give an honest expression of his opinion, it would be bewilderment. The characters, however difficult to interpret due to An Fei having utilized powdered vestiges of ink instead of enacting the proper procedures in grinding and mixing ink, were delicate and rather easy to comprehend the denoted symbol.

The script was roughly the same size as the Small Hairpin Script, yet the strokes were restrained mid-stroke, making the entire string of characters appear dull and worthless. Even the most reserved scholar, one who forsook all deviants of the mind and the relationship between heaven and earth, would possess some dignified attribute in his or her calligraphy.

There simply wasn't a person in either Great Yong or in Wei Xuan's memories, no matter how collected their conscious were, that was capable of writing in such mechanical style devoid of all emotions. Hence, he couldn't readily acknowledge the content of Xiao Wen's report.

”This… What did you do with Fei'er afterwards?” Wei Xuan finally asked the kneeling maidservant.

”This servant was rather coarse and…” Xiao Wen iterated, her voice trailing off as she thought over her next words. ”This servant just put the Fourth Young Miss to sleep without investigating anything in detail…”

As she spoke, the maidservant lowered her head until it touched the cool, sandalwood floor. Nearing the end of her words, she mulled over how angry the minister would become at her negligence toward her duty, her body shivering as her thoughts naturally exacerbated and compounded upon each other.

However, the expected punishment nor words of condemnation did not arrive, and Xiao Wen raised her head in curiosity, only to meet Wei Xuan's confused gaze.

”Master,” she tepidly asked, the same confusion mirrored in the maidservant's pretty eyes. ”Did this servant…do something wrong?”

”…Hm?” The minister soon reacted, blinking his eyes towards the maidservant. ”I thought I just told you to leave, do you have something else to report?”

”…no!” Xiao Wen uttered after a moment of surprise. ”This servant has nothing else to report!”

”Then what are you still doing here?” Wei Xuan rolled his eyes before speaking in a playful tone. ”Go take care of your Young Miss! Lest those maidservants of Shuyan start gossiping about how I don't discipline my servants, save me that trouble, ah!”

”Thanking Master! This servant shall go take care of the Fourth Young Miss!”

Xiao Wen stood before dipping into a full bow, a relieved smile stretching across her face. As if having been granted a full pardon for a cardinal sin, the maidservant dashed out of the room with great haste, startling the other servants attending to their duty in the courtyard.