Yan Qingshu watched as the gazes of the concubines stabbed at Concubine Zhu like knives, and then continued to enjoy her snacks leisurely.
She had been fished out of bed and immediately started washing up. She hadn't even had breakfast.
The Empress talked about the matter of heirs for a while before finally dismissing everyone.
After returning to her palace, there was an extra stack of books and calligraphy copies on her desk.
She walked forward excitedly and flipped through them.
Zhu Yao walked in and said with a smile, "Your Ladyship, these were sent by Eunuch Li not long after you went to pay your respects."
"And he also sent a brand - new set of the Four Treasures of the Study."
"The Emperor said that he would come to teach Your Ladyship calligraphy when he was free."
Yan Qingshu hugged the books in her arms like treasures.
Sure enough, with the Emperor's favor, things she had never dared to dream of before were now in her hands.
She had never dared to imagine learning to read and write, or having her own calligraphy works. Now she had them all.
"Moreover, Eunuch Li said that he would send more things this afternoon." Zhu Yao asked Xiaoluzi to place the breakfast they had just fetched on the table.
"This is the stomach - nourishing tonic the Emperor ordered the imperial kitchen to prepare. Your Ladyship, drink it before having breakfast."
Yan Qingshu opened a book and sat down at the desk. She finished the tonic in a few sips.
Although it didn't taste very good, it was good for her health.
After eating to about seventy percent full, Yan Qingshu asked someone to take the barely - touched dishes away and distribute them. She herself leaned on the heated kang and started to read the book haltingly.
After Zhu Yao had breakfast, she quietly came in.
"Your Ladyship, that maid - painter smells of agarwood."
"Go and check her side - room. After you find it, don't tip her off. Bring her in and say that I have a reward for her." Yan Qingshu turned a page. Seeing the explanation of "not to tip off the enemy" in the book, she couldn't help but smile.
"Remember to put the Emperor's gift, the red - gold hairpin with the design of pine and crane, in there too."
"Yes." Zhu Yao quietly backed out. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone was having breakfast, she went to the maid - painter's side - room.
Sure enough, she found the lost cat's - eye hairpin and earrings in the hidden compartment of the dressing table. She smeared the same agarwood fragrance on the long hairpin and put it into the compartment.
When she came out, she saw that they had finished their meals. Zhu Yao went up and found an excuse to send them away, leaving only the maid - painter.
"Sister Zhu Yao, what do I need to do?" the maid - painter asked.
"Your Ladyship has something to reward you." Zhu Yao smiled kindly and pulled her into the hall.
The maid - painter was a bit cautious and said, "Why would Your Ladyship reward me for no reason?"
"Look at how cautious you are. Your Ladyship has only been in the palace for a short time and is restricted everywhere. That's why she wants to cultivate her confidants. Your Ladyship thinks you are diligent in your work, so she asked me to call you." Zhu Yao said with a smile and led her into the hall.
Remembering the instructions from the Virtuous Concubine, the maid - painter pursed her lips and entered the hall.
"Your Ladyship." The maid - painter knelt on the ground to pay her respects.
Hearing this, Yan Qingshu put down the book. A smile appeared on her extremely beautiful face, but there was coldness in her eyes.
"Maid - painter, I called you here today not only to give you a reward but also to ask you something else."
Yan Qingshu picked up the wooden box inlaid with gilded patterns on the desk and took out the ivory hairpin inside.
The hairpin was pure white all over, warm to the touch, and glistened in the sunlight.
"I think you do things more carefully than the other two, so I called you here."
The maid - painter's eyes fell on the hairpin, full of eagerness.
"Thank you, Your Ladyship, for your praise. This is what a servant should do." The maid - painter kowtowed.
"Maid - painter, which palace did you serve in before?" Yan Qingshu asked her curiously, propping her chin with her hand. Her voice was clear and crisp.
"I'm clumsy and didn't get a good job before. Your Ladyship doesn't despise me. I'm very grateful in my heart."
The maid - painter said and kowtowed again.
Yan Qingshu smiled and asked rhetorically.
"You're grateful to me? If you're really grateful to me, why did you steal the jewelry?"
"And why did you try to sneak out of the palace last night?"
"Tell me, who did you go to see?"
Yan Qingshu's voice was as pleasant as the gurgling stream in the mountains, but in the maid - painter's ears, it was like a thunderbolt.
Her blood seemed to flow backwards. She murmured with her lips but couldn't say a word.
"Don't be in a hurry. I'll wait for you to make up your story. I also want to see if your lies can convince me."
Yan Qingshu straightened up, playing with the hairpin in her hand. The cold look in her eyes, like an ice blade in winter, landed on the maid - painter.
"Your Ladyship..."
"Your Ladyship, please investigate clearly! I'm wronged!" The maid - painter reacted and began to kowtow.
"Really?" Yan Qingshu asked rhetorically.
"I'm really wronged!"
"Go and ask Xiaoluzi to search her side - room. Since this happened suddenly, I think the stolen goods haven't been transferred yet."
Zhu Yao turned around and went out to tell Xiaoluzi.
After Yan Qingshu finished speaking, she continued to read the book. The hall was completely quiet, only the sound of the paper rubbing against each other could be heard.
But little by little, it wore away the maid - painter's luck.
"Your Ladyship, I found this." Xiaoluzi walked in with the wooden box.
Seeing the wooden box, the maid - painter's face turned completely pale. The hidden compartment of the dressing table was extremely well - hidden. How could it have been discovered?
Zhu Yao opened the wooden box, and the stolen jewelry was clearly there.
"Your Ladyship, please spare my life! Please spare my life!"
The maid - painter's voice trembled. Stealing in the palace would result in forty heavy blows with a board. Even if one survived, they would be half - disabled.
"Spare your life?" Yan Qingshu frowned slightly.
"When did I say I wanted your life?"
"Maid - painter, you're really bold. You even dared to steal the red - gold hairpin with the design of pine and crane that the Emperor bestowed. You really surprised me."
Yan Qingshu took out the hairpin that Zhu Yao had just put in from the wooden box.
"No, Your Ladyship, I didn't steal that hairpin with the design of pine and crane!" The maid - painter shed tears and explained as she looked at the beautiful hairpin in her hand.
It was a gift from the Emperor. She didn't dare to steal it!
"The Emperor bestowed agarwood. Its fragrance is delicate and lingers for many days. You didn't even notice that you were stained with it, did you?"
"This hairpin with the design of pine and crane is also stained with the agarwood fragrance. But this hairpin has been sealed away and I haven't even let anyone open it. How did it get the fragrance?"
"Stealing the Emperor's gift. According to the palace rules, what's the punishment?"
Yan Qingshu put the hairpin on the desk, and her expression darkened completely.
"Stealing the Emperor's gift should be punished with fifty heavy blows with a board and then be thrown out of the palace!" Zhu Yao replied coldly.
"I heard that the people in the laundry courtyard don't know how to control their strength. There was a little maid before who died after only receiving more than thirty blows. Her body was wrapped in a straw mat and thrown into the mass grave..."
Yan Qingshu deliberately emphasized her tone and stared closely at the trembling maid - painter kneeling on the ground.
The maid - painter trembled and kowtowed for mercy: "Your Ladyship, please spare my life! I didn't steal out of greed. My old mother at home has tuberculosis and there's no money to treat her. Now my mother's life is being held by the doctor, waiting for me to send money back!"
"Your Ladyship, please spare my life!"
"Not bad. What did the Virtuous Concubine ask you to do?" Yan Qingshu was too lazy to beat around the bush with her.
"I..."
Seeing her hesitation, Yan Qingshu snorted and said, "Go and report to the Empress! There's a thief in the palace who tried to steal the Emperor's gift and sell it outside the palace!"
"Yes!" Zhu Yao responded and was about to back out.
"Your Ladyship! Your Ladyship! I'll tell!"
Hearing this, the maid - painter quickly knelt forward and grabbed the corner of Yan Qingshu's clothes.