Consort of a Thousand Faces

Chapter 16.2: safflower

Then, she ran towards Old Maidservant Zhao. “Su Xi-er doesn’t know what’s good for her. Old Maidservant, you can’t indulge her anymore!”

Old Maidservant Zhao had a terrible headache with how cumbersome matters were. It is the Empress Dowager on one hand, and Su Xi-er who has an unknownbacker on the other. I must make a choice. Being indecisive is no longer an option.

After pondering for a moment, the expression in Old Maidservant Zhao’s eyes turned ruthless. “Su Xi-er, there were numerous chamber pots sent here this morning. They are in the small woodhouse at the northwest corner of the Palace Side Quarters. Go clean them up!”

When Hong Li heard the words ‘northwest corner’ and ‘small woodhouse’, her expression changed. Su Xi-er could sense the fear in her eyes.

The chamber pots aren’t piled up there at all. I have never heard any palace maid mention that place before, and I have also never met any palace maid who has gone there before.

Despite that, the very mention of this place caused Hong Li to reveal a terrified expression. Could it be that there is some unspeakable secret hidden there? 

“There’s a woodhouse at the northwest corner of the Palace Side Quarters?” Su Xi-er raised her head to look at Old Maidservant Zhao and asked.

Old Maidservant Zhao’s expression changed slightly as she flung her sleeves. “Of course there is. You just have to go and scrub all the chamber pots until they become immaculate.”

“In the past, I have always been washing at night. Although the time has now changed to day, I’ll definitely go since they are your instructions, Old Maidservant.” Su Xi-er hung the fragrance sachet at her waist before turning around and heading towards the northwest corner.

As Old Maidservant Zhao looked at the fragrance sachet at Su Xi-er’s waist, her expression was a little complicated. Why is there safflower mixed inside? It’s definitely the Empress Dowager’s intentions for He Ying to send this. Don’t tell me…

“Old Maidservant Zhao, Su Xi-er can’t tell what’s good for her. A few strikes of the plank is enough. Why is there a need to…” When Hong Li saw the coldness in Old Maidservant Zhao’s eyes, she immediately zipped her mouth.

“She brought it upon herself.” Old Maidservant Zhao’s voice was calm, her eyes directed at Hong Li in a warning look.

Hong Li trembled. Could it be that she has already seen through the collaborative relationship between Su Xi-er and me?

If she has seen through it…should I gamble that Su Xi-er will escape this calamity?

“Monitor Su Xi-er.” Old Maidservant Zhao turned to leave.

Hong Li pursed her lips tightly. I don’t want to get close to that woodhouse at the northwest corner at all. Any palace maid that has a connection to that place will die.

Since she dispatched me to monitor Su Xi-er, she must have started to become suspicious of me!

Su Xi-er walked all the way in the direction of the northwest corner. The palace maids who saw her thought that she had gone mad for her to be walking towards the northwest corner without rhyme or reason. When they saw that the direction she was walking towards was the abandoned woodhouse, everyone’s eyes involuntarily widened, giving her incredulous, terrified and multifarious looks in their eyes.  

Su Xi-er paid no attention to them, instead being ever more curious about what kind of place the woodhouse was.

How exactly is that place like? What is hidden there that makes these people so afraid?

The further down the remote path she headed, the more unkempt the foliage became. Some of the plants were already taller than humans. 

When she walked even further ahead, she realised that she had already reached the end of the path. Where is the woodhouse?

Could it be that the woodhouse is within the cluster of plants? With such a theory, she walked into the cluster of plants.

An old-fashioned wooden cabin entered her eyes. The sides of the wooden cabin were overgrown with weeds and there were even cobwebs hanging from its doors. 

The abandoned woodhouse. Everyone was terrified when they heard of this place.

Su Xi-er walked towards the wooden cabin, pushing aside the cobwebs and opening the door before she stepped in.

A dusty old-fashioned smell assailed her nostrils. Everything in the woodhouse was covered with dust.

There weren’t many things in there. There was a shelf for placing wooden basins, a set of damaged wooden desk and stools, a rusty oil lamp as well as a cupboard in the corner.

From its appearance, it looked like a wooden cabin that had been abandoned for a long time. Apart from that, there was nothing else much that was noteworthy. However, she definitely didn’t believe that this was an ordinary woodhouse. She inspected every nook and cranny, but unfortunately, her comprehensive search was doomed to yield nothing besides more dust.

That was until she came to the cupboard in the corner and discovered that there was something below the right corner of the cupboard.

This thing is…