"My lady isn't she trying to leave the palace? This servant has finally found a way."
As soon as Wanwan finished speaking, she felt a sharp pain in her wrist. Her mistress had tightly gripped her arm and, with wide, fluttering eyes, excitedly exclaimed, "Really? Really? What way?"
Yun Xiao, dressed in white undergarments with her long hair unbound, leapt from the bed and paced back and forth in excitement.
The mere thought of leaving this place made every cell in her body hum with activity. She loathed this place more and more, and because she detested the scheming people here, she had even come to hate where she lived. At this moment, she wished she could be out immediately.
And that too, without anyone noticing.
Seeing her mistress so happy, Wanwan felt even better. More importantly, she also wanted to leave. This place was too boring; leaving the palace would be much better.
"This servant has been paying close attention to the palace's schedule and discovered that every afternoon, around Shen Shi, a batch of carriages carrying goods would enter. These are from the Imperial Merchants' shops, delivering fruits and vegetables to the imperial kitchens. To ensure the princes and princesses in the palace receive fresh vegetables, this is a daily necessity. They enter and exit through a side gate of the palace. At that time, we could…?"
Wanwan blinked her eyes, making playful gestures with a mischievous air.
Yun Xiao understood her meaning and quite agreed with the method. Those imperial merchant deliveries would surely be filled with large and small baskets. They could hide in the baskets then, and successfully get out. This was truly excellent.
"Wanwan, this is wonderful, truly wonderful! Come, let's get ready to leave this place."
Yun Xiao and Wanwan embraced each other in delight, laughing and jumping, brimming with joy.
A moment later, Wanwan stopped, looking at her mistress with concern. "If we leave, what about Xiuxiu and the others? Will they be implicated?"
Yun Xiao's eyebrows flickered as she thought seriously. "They shouldn't be. They are merely quiet and obedient palace maids. My leaving wasn't their idea. Could it be that Shangguan Yao wouldn't even spare minor palace maids?"
"That's true."
The two became happy again, a strange sense of joy filling the sleeping quarters. Xiuxiu entered from outside, a puzzled expression flitting across her pretty face.
"Why is my lady so happy?"
This was rarely seen. Her mistress usually seemed listless, but now she was full of vigor, as if some momentous good news had occurred. Xiuxiu became curious and stared at her mistress and Wanwan.
"Tell me, what great joy has befallen you?"
"Nothing, where would any joy come from? I told my lady a joke, and she's laughing so hard."
Wanwan naturally wouldn't tell Xiuxiu about such a matter. If she did, this girl would likely be terrified and would definitely try to stop them from leaving. She was still a palace resident, and even if they wanted to take her, she might not leave. Life outside the palace might not suit her.
"Mmm," Xiuxiu raised an eyebrow and didn't press further, but she brought up another topic.
"Do you know? It's spread throughout the palace that the Emperor's guest was assassinated last night. An assassin broke into the palace intending to kill that person. The Clear Breeze Pavilion now has many more guards."
Wanwan's interest was piqued, and she eagerly pressed for details. "What happened? Was that person injured? Was he killed?"
Yun Xiao tossed her long hair, elegantly walked to a nearby chair, sat down, and took a sip of tea. The events of last night flashed through her mind. That ethereal person was named Ximen Yao, his martial arts were unfathomably profound, and his schemes were even deeper. To be the Emperor's strategist, he must possess extraordinary abilities.
However, this person would surely be detrimental to the Cloud Prince's Estate. Her father's feigned illness to relinquish power – could this have been Ximen Yao's idea? Yun Xiao's pupils suddenly widened, and she remained motionless for a long time.
So, perhaps her father's illness wasn't real. If that were the case, the Emperor might find ways to deal with her father. He not only wanted to strip the Cloud Prince's Estate of its power but also wanted to take the lives of everyone in the estate.
At this moment, she would rather her father were truly ill than be a pawn in Ximen Yao's scheme. If that were so, this man would surely have further moves…
Yun Xiao truly hated herself for not taking the opportunity to stab that fellow last night. But it might not have been possible to harm him. That man's martial arts were simply unfathomably profound. If he didn't want to be injured, it was likely no one could harm him.
She wondered who would have a greater chance of winning if his martial arts were compared to Murong Chong's.
Yun Xiao racked her brains but couldn't come up with any possibilities. Both of them were very mysterious, somewhat cunning. Appearing in the imperial palace at this time and inciting conflict between the Cloud Prince's Estate and the imperial family, they were indeed ill-intentioned.
Beside her, Wanwan and Xiuxiu were still discussing whether Ximen Yao had been injured last night.
Yun Xiao looked at Wanwan. Wanwan was knowledgeable and had been in the outside world for many years, so she likely knew many things. Yun Xiao couldn't help but ask.
"Wanwan, have you heard of a person named Ximen Yao?"
Upon hearing her mistress's question, both maids stopped talking, turned their heads, and looked over.
Wanwan thought seriously for a moment, then blinked her large eyes. "Ximen Yao… I seem to have heard of him. His whereabouts are erratic. It's said he's resourceful and appears and disappears mysteriously. I once heard that if this person were to enter officialdom, he would surely reach the Emperor's court and be enfeoffed as a marquis, but this person seems to disdain being an official."
As Wanwan spoke, Yun Xiao fell into thought. Such a man who viewed the glorious land as mere dust, why then did he arrive like a storm?
Like Murong Chong, he had a hidden agenda, but what was it, she didn't know.
No matter how powerful they were, now that they had targeted the Cloud Prince's Estate, she would not stand idly by. Therefore, she had to leave the palace. Now that her father had relinquished his heavy authority, she could fully reveal to them that she wasn't foolish…
After much consideration, Yun Xiao made up her mind, and a captivating smile bloomed on her face.
"Alright, let's not bother with those matters. It's the Emperor's concern, not ours."
Since the mistress had spoken, the servants naturally wouldn't say more. Wanwan and Xiuxiu stopped mentioning the assassination attempt from last night and proceeded to help their mistress change and wash, a flurry of activity…
Shen Shi and three quarters.
Wanwan had been keeping a close watch on the imperial kitchens. The carriages procuring fruits and vegetables had entered through the back palace gate and were now unloading. However, this unloading would likely continue until evening.
The bright moon shone, and the cold intensified. After finishing dinner, Yun Xiao feigned feeling unwell and retired early.
Tonight, Xiuxiu was scheduled to be on duty, but Wanwan used the excuse of being worried about her mistress and sent Xiuxiu to rest. She also sent away the eunuchs guarding the sleeping quarters, instructing them to only keep watch in the outer hall and not allow anyone into the inner chamber, as the mistress desired quiet due to her distress.