"Ah!!"
An ear - piercing scream came from Lady Wen.
But Mrs. You's scream was even more heart - rending.
"Mother!!"
At the sight of the chaos, the people around quickly stepped aside, yet craned their necks curiously to see what was going on.
Lady Wen was in a sorry state. A large amount of scalding hot tea had splashed onto her face, and the exposed skin was almost all scalded red. Her carefully prepared indigo - blue festive robe was covered with brown tea leaves, looking utterly dreadful.
Mrs. You also got a few drops of hot tea on her hands, which burned terribly.
Just as she was about to open her mouth to explain and shift the blame, Lan Miao quickly stepped forward, pushing Mrs. You aside. "Mother - in - law, are you alright? Sister - in - law, how could you be so careless as to scald mother - in - law like this? It's truly a sin."
While taking out a handkerchief to wipe the tea leaves off Lady Wen, she looked at Mrs. You disapprovingly, throwing her into the spotlight of public criticism.
Lady Wen had never suffered such a thing.
She wanted to slap Mrs. You hard, but her hands hurt so much that she could only curse angrily, "You little slut! Did you do this on purpose? Do you want to burn me to death?"
"No, no. Someone stepped on my skirt just now."
Mrs. You was at a loss for words, panicked and flustered.
Lan Miao turned around in feigned shock. "What? There were quite a few people here just now. Sister - in - law, don't be afraid. Tell me who stepped on your skirt?"
Hearing this, the on - looking crowd quickly backed away.
Many people glared angrily at Mrs. You. "You blame others for your own clumsy hands?"
Now, Mrs. You was left with no way to voice her grievances.
Lady Wen was even more miserable. She was in excruciating pain and let out a wail. Lan Miao hurriedly said to Lady Wen, "Mother - in - law, this is the palace. We can't make a racket." Lady Wen had no choice but to bear the pain and stop wailing.
"Mother - in - law, don't blame sister - in - law. She was just being careless after all."
Lan Miao hung her head, looking pained.
Before long, an imperial maid from the Empress Dowager's side came over after hearing about the commotion. It happened to be Jiang He. Jiang He looked at the disheveled Lady Wen in great shock. "Miss Lan, what happened?"
"Miss Jiang He, you've come just in time. Could you please find a place for my mother - in - law to rest and summon a royal physician? Mother - in - law has been scalded."
Lan Miao looked extremely anxious, with tears welling up in her eyes.
"Your servant understands. I'll make the arrangements right away." Jiang He called over a few palace servants and ordered them in quick succession. "Help Lady Wen to the side hall. Summon the royal physician on duty in the Imperial Hospital immediately. This is no small matter."
"And my sister - in - law. Although it was her clumsy hands that unfortunately caused mother - in - law to be scalded, she's also injured. Please ask the royal physician to take a look at her too." A glimmer of pity flashed in Lan Miao's eyes, which made Mrs. You, who had been much disliked, feel dazed for a moment.
Jiang He, as the senior maid serving the Empress Dowager, remained calm in the face of the crisis.
"Then how about this? The banquet is about to start. Let Mrs. You accompany Lady Wen to the side hall to see the royal physician. Please stay here, Miss Lan. The Empress Dowager may summon you."
"Thank you, Miss Jiang He."
Lan Miao handed Lady Wen, who was almost fainting from the pain, into Mrs. You's hands. Mrs. You even gave Lan Miao a grateful look before leaving for the side hall with their maids and a few palace servants.
After Lady Wen and Mrs. You left, Lan Miao bowed and apologized to the ladies and young misses who were looking on.
"Everyone, I'm really sorry for causing this commotion. Please don't blame my mother - in - law and sister - in - law."
Seeing Lan Miao's sincere attitude, the others' attitudes towards her became much friendlier.
Just now, Mrs. Qin and Lan Xin had been craning their necks to watch the excitement but never came over.
Lan Miao had a cold and ethereal temperament and a gentle and appropriate tone. Since she had always kept a low - key profile, people didn't know she was so beautiful. At this moment, they all thought that what Lady Wen had said before was false. Some people even came over to ask her about the jade.
After the commotion gradually subsided, Lan Miao let out a long sigh of relief and distanced herself from the crowd.
The mid - day sun was getting stronger.
Her snow - blue dress glowed, making her look as white as jade and her skin like porcelain.
A pair of eyes stared directly at her from the shadows.
The chrysanthemums on the ground were criss - crossed. Lan Miao carefully moved her steps. Just as she lifted her foot, her back bumped into something hard.
Suddenly, it felt as if a puddle of water had rolled over the back of her dress.
The panicked voice of a little maid came from behind. "Your servant didn't do it on purpose. Are you alright, miss?"
At this moment, Lan Miao felt that she was getting her just deserts.
There are gods watching three feet above.
The retribution came so fast.
She looked back and saw two delicate little maids. They looked extremely uneasy. The one on the left was about to cry. "Your back is all wet. What if it doesn't dry for a while?"
Lan Miao's eyes narrowed.
Appearing in an untidy manner could be considered a crime of disrespect. She couldn't show up in front of the Empress Dowager like this. Thinking of what she had just done, she felt guilty.
"Is there any place where I can change my clothes or stay for a while?"
Lan Miao asked softly.
The maid on the right looked a bit familiar. She said slowly, "You might as well follow your servant to the side hall and wait. After your clothes dry, your servant will lead you back."
Lan Miao recalled for a moment. The side hall was where Lady Wen and Mrs. You had gone, and Jiang He was also there. She could try to ask Jiang He to find a dress for her.
"Where is this side hall?"
Lan Miao wanted to go there by herself.
The little maid on the right pointed in the direction where Jiang He and the others had gone. Lan Miao suddenly remembered that she had seen this maid in Cining Palace before, but it seemed that the maid didn't recognize her. Her doubts were dispelled.
The maid on the left's eyes turned red, and her voice was filled with pleading. "Please, miss, don't tell anyone. If the old nannies know that I wet a noble lady's clothes, I don't know how they'll punish your servant. Please don't say anything. Let me take you there, okay?"
Lan Miao saw that the maid was thin and seemed to be only eleven or twelve years old.
Her pair of black eyes reminded Lan Miao of Xue'er.
Lan Miao softened her heart.
"Okay, I won't tell anyone. Hurry up and take me there."
"Thank you for your kindness, miss."
The little maid led Lan Miao onto a small path.
The maid on the right picked up the fallen tea tray. Looking at the backs of Lan Miao and the others leaving, her expression relaxed.
The place they were in originally had few people. Now that Lan Miao had left, even fewer people noticed.
When Jiang He returned to Changchun Garden, she searched everywhere but couldn't find Lan Miao. She wondered to herself, where had Miss Lan gone?
---
After walking for about a quarter of an hour.
The little maid led Lan Miao through a series of turns and finally into the side hall, bypassing the courtyard. The hall was empty, and it was quiet all around.
The little maid whispered to Lan Miao, "Miss, this is the side hall for rest. You can stay here and wait for your clothes to dry. Your servant will try to find a dress for you. I'll take my leave first."
Lan Miao nodded but was still confused.
"Why isn't there anyone else?"
The little maid was stunned for a moment and then quickly replied, "Your servant led you in through the back side door. The others are all in the front hall. You can go and take a look." After saying that, she quickly turned around and left the side hall.
Lan Miao had a sudden thought. When she looked up again, the maid was gone.
The side hall was empty and quiet. A large black - lacquered jade - carved screen stood in the middle. Listening carefully, it seemed that there were really voices coming from around.
Lan Miao walked a few steps. Her clothes were still not dry. She tugged at the wrinkled fabric and decided to go to the front hall first.
At this time, there was a commotion in the courtyard outside.
The figures and voices were vague, and Lan Miao couldn't hear them clearly.
It seemed to include phrases like "Who's in there?", "Trespassing into the palace", "Secret rendezvous...", "Search..."
Lan Miao's heart sank suddenly.
It seemed that she had accidentally strayed into a terrible place?
Could those two little maids be a trap?
She could either go out and explain or find a place to hide and wait for the people to leave. Could she find a hiding place here? Lan Miao forced herself to calm down. She thought that the person the little maid was trying to frame might not be herself. Most likely, it was a case of mistaken identity.
There was still a chance to explain things clearly now.
Regardless, it was better than being discovered. Besides, she didn't know what was hidden in this palace. The voices outside the courtyard were getting closer. Lan Miao's hand touched the doorframe. She pretended to be calm and was just about to push the door open when -
Suddenly, her mouth was covered by a large, bony hand.
A hot breath brushed against her ear.
That familiar voice whispered to her.
"Don't move."