bestfiction Chapter 291 Palace Construction Peak
Chapter 291 Palace Construction Peak
In the autumn of the Western Jing Kingdom's imperial palace, sunlight streamed through the carved window lattices, illuminating the courtyard of the Lan Yue Pavilion. The ginkgo leaves, bathed in golden light, swayed gently in the breeze like golden butterflies. Su Liyue, dressed in a moon-white long dress, sat engrossed in studying a martial arts manual on a stone bench in the courtyard. Since Liu Ruyan had been banished to the Cold Palace, the palace appeared outwardly calm, but Su Liyue knew in her heart that undercurrents still flowed.
The palace maid responsible for taking care of Su Liyue was named Cui'er. Cui'er, relying on her years of service in the palace, initially disregarded Su Liyue, who came from the martial world. That morning, Su Liyue instructed Cui'er to prepare water for washing, but Cui'er didn't come for a long time. After quite some time, Cui'er finally strolled in slowly with a basin of water, her steps dragging, her face full of impatience.
"Why did it take so long?" Su Liyue frowned slightly and asked. Cui'er casually put down the basin and replied perfunctorily, "There are many things to do in the palace, and I can't manage right away." Su Liyue looked at the water in the basin; it had already cooled down. She couldn't help but feel annoyed, but she still suppressed her anger: "Go and change the water to hot water."
Cui'er reluctantly picked up the basin of water, muttering under her breath, "A woman from the martial world, and she's so picky." Su Liyue, with her sharp ears, heard her words clearly and secretly made a mental note of them.
When it was time to eat, Su Liyue found that the food delivered was not only small in quantity, but also very perfunctory. She called Cui'er over and questioned, "Is this the food you prepared?" Cui'er lowered her head and said casually, "This is all the imperial kitchen sent. There's nothing I can do about it."
Seeing Cui'er's expression, Su Liyue understood that Cui'er was deliberately making things difficult for her. In the past, she would have already lost her temper and taught her a lesson, but now that she was in the palace, she couldn't act as freely as she did in the martial world. She decided to give Cui'er a warning first.
"Cui'er, as a palace maid, you should fulfill your duties. If you continue to be so negligent, I will not let you off easily." Su Liyue's tone was serious, and her gaze was piercing. Cui'er nodded repeatedly on the surface, but in her heart, she didn't take it seriously at all.
A few days later, Su Liyue asked Cui'er to fetch a precious book and painting, which Jiang You'an had specially found for her. Cui'er obeyed and left, but did not return for a long time. Su Liyue sent people to search everywhere, only to find out that Cui'er had gone to chat with other palace maids and had completely forgotten about the matter.
Su Liyue could no longer tolerate it, and she decided to teach Cui'er a lesson. She ordered her men to take Cui'er to the courtyard, which was already filled with palace maids and eunuchs from Lanyue Pavilion.
"Cui'er, do you know your mistake?" Su Liyue asked coldly. Cui'er lowered her head, feeling somewhat afraid, but still stubbornly replied, "This servant does not know what mistake I have made."
Su Liyue sneered, "Since you took charge of my care, you've repeatedly neglected your duties and deliberately made things difficult for me. Today, I'm determined to rectify this lazy attitude." She then looked at the old nanny beside her, "Nanny, according to palace rules, how should such a negligent palace maid be punished?"
The old nanny respectfully replied, "Reporting to Miss Su, according to palace rules, she should be given twenty strokes of the cane as punishment." Upon hearing this, Cui'er turned pale with fright and knelt down with a thud, "Miss Su, this servant knows her mistake, please forgive this servant this time."
Su Liyue remained unmoved: "If you are not punished today, other palace maids will follow your example. What kind of order will this Lan Yue Pavilion maintain? Execute him!"
At Su Liyue's command, two eunuchs stepped forward and pressed Cui'er onto the bench. The paddle struck Cui'er's buttocks again and again, causing her to scream in pain and beg for mercy.
Seeing this, the other palace maids trembled with fear, lowering their heads and daring not to slack off in the slightest. Su Liyue looked at everyone and said sternly, "What happened today is a warning to you. In Lan Yue Pavilion, everyone must perform their duties. If you dare to slack off again, Cui'er will be your fate."
After this punishment, the palace maids and eunuchs of Lan Yue Pavilion became diligent and conscientious, daring not to be negligent in the slightest. Meanwhile, Su Liyue's prestige in the palace was unknowingly established.
This matter quickly reached Jiang Youan's ears. Jiang Youan came to Lanyue Pavilion, looked at Su Liyue, and said with admiration in his eyes: "Miss Su, I didn't expect that you are not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also so decisive in handling palace affairs."
Su Liyue smiled slightly: "Your Highness, although I come from the martial world, I also understand that without rules, there can be no order. If this lazy atmosphere is not rectified, how will we gain a foothold in this palace in the future?"
Jiang Youan nodded in agreement: "Miss Su is absolutely right. With you here, I feel at ease." The two smiled at each other, and ginkgo leaves gently drifted down in the courtyard.
On a bitterly cold winter night in Xijing Kingdom, the wind howled like a knife, cutting through every corner of the palace. Inside the Lan Yue Pavilion, Su Liyue sat by the brazier, engrossed in a martial arts manual. Cui'er entered carrying a steaming bowl of ginseng soup, a fawning smile on her face: "Miss Su, it's late. Have some ginseng soup to warm yourself up."
Su Liyue put down the manual, took the ginseng soup, and was about to drink it when she smelled an unusual aroma. She frowned slightly and looked at Cui'er: "Why does this ginseng soup have a strange smell?" Cui'er was startled, but she tried to remain calm: "Miss Su, perhaps some medicinal herbs were added to the ginseng soup, which makes the taste a little special. This ginseng soup was specially prepared for you by this servant; it's very nourishing."
Su Liyue was skeptical, but put down the ginseng soup and said, "I feel fine tonight, so just leave the ginseng soup." Seeing this, Cui'er was secretly anxious, but dared not show it, and could only retreat.
It turned out that Cui'er had harbored resentment ever since Su Liyue punished her, and had been looking for an opportunity to take revenge. Recently, seeing Jiang You'an's doting affection for Su Liyue, her jealousy burned fiercely. A bold and crazy plan quietly formed in her mind—to drug Jiang You'an and then use the opportunity to take his place.
A few days later, Jiang Youan was to visit Su Liyue at Lanyue Pavilion. Upon hearing the news, Cui'er began preparations well in advance. She secretly obtained an aphrodisiac from outside the palace, intending to slip it into Jiang Youan's tea when he wasn't looking.
Jiang Youan arrived as scheduled that day. Su Liyue came out to greet him, and the two walked hand in hand into the pavilion, where they sat on the couch and chatted idly. Cui'er brought in tea, her eyes gleaming. Taking advantage of Jiang Youan and Su Liyue's inattention, she quickly poured the medicine into the tea.
"Your Highness, please have some tea," Cui'er said respectfully, a hint of smugness flashing in her eyes. Jiang You'an picked up his teacup, about to drink, when Su Liyue suddenly remembered the strangeness of the ginseng soup that day, and an ominous premonition welled up in her heart.
"Your Highness, wait!" Su Liyue reached out to stop Jiang Youan. "This tea seems a bit off." Jiang Youan put down his teacup and looked at Su Liyue with suspicion. Su Liyue picked up the teacup, smelled it, and her face instantly turned grim: "This tea has the smell of aphrodisiacs."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Youan's face darkened, and he looked at Cui'er: "Cui'er, what's going on?" Cui'er was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she knelt down on the ground with a thud: "Your...Your Highness, this servant did not know...This tea was sent by the Imperial Kitchen, and this servant was only responsible for bringing it over."
Su Liyue snorted coldly: "Cui'er, you still dare to argue? That day when you brought me ginseng soup, I smelled something strange. Today, this tea was brought to me by you yourself. Do you think you can hide it from me?"
Seeing that her scheme had been exposed, Cui'er collapsed to the ground, her eyes filled with despair. Jiang You'an was furious: "Cui'er, how dare you! You actually dared to drug me, Your Highness! What is your purpose?"
Cui'er cried and said, "Your Highness, I have long admired you. Seeing how much you favor Miss Su, I am filled with jealousy. I thought that if I could spend the night with you, perhaps I could win your favor..."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Youan trembled with rage: "Outrageous! As a palace maid, you have no sense of duty and dare to commit such a treasonous act! Guards, take Cui'er away and hand her over to the Imperial Household Department for punishment!"
Soon, Cui'er was taken away by the guards. Jiang You'an looked at Su Liyue, his eyes full of gratitude: "Miss Su, thanks to you. If you hadn't noticed something was wrong, I would probably have fallen into this lowly servant's trap today."
Su Liyue smiled slightly: "Your Highness, I have been wandering the martial world since I was a child and know a little about various medicines. I was prepared for Cui'er's ill intentions. I just didn't expect her to be so bold as to attack Your Highness."
After this incident, Jiang Youan trusted and relied on Su Liyue even more. Su Liyue also understood that the palace was fraught with danger, and a slight misstep could lead to utter ruin.