Chapter 157: Seeing a Ghost

Jinzhi walked out of the Warm Pavilion, blessed Hongyu, and immediately made silent gestures.

She was just about to ask something when both of them froze.

Jinzhi looked at the badge at Hongyu's waist, an item only the senior maid in charge of household affairs could wear, realizing the other was not an ordinary maid, yet her cheek was swollen as if slapped and puffed up.

Hongyu, upon seeing Jinzhi's whole face, also jumped in surprise; two different faces appearing on one person was indescribably eerie.

One side was a peerless beauty, the other was burnt beyond recognition, covered with ugly scars, making the viewer's heart tingle with numbness.

Jinzhi knew her face was frightening, so she slightly turned aside to avoid Hongyu's gaze.

Hongyu didn't expect that despite bearing this half‑fearsome face, Jinzhi remained so composed; she didn't find her visage repulsive at all, and even thought the gentle, water‑like woman before her was far superior to her own mistress.

Jinzhi was a favorite of the Princess Consort, so she wouldn't dare to make a show of herself.

She hurriedly asked for her birthdate; Jinzhi gestured a few times, noting she was about half a year older, and laughed, "If we go by birth month, I should call you sister."

"Jinzhi sister, sorry to disturb you today; my master needs a few pieces of Shu embroidery for a wedding dress, could you please help, Jinzhi sister?"

Jinzhi wouldn't dare delay; before the Princess Consort left she had already instructed this matter, so Jinzhi hurried with two junior maids to the storeroom, selected three pieces of Shu embroidery in festive colors, and presented them before Hongyu.

Hongyu took them quickly, turned around, but the hem of her skirt got caught on a flower branch in the corridor and was torn in an instant.

She couldn't help but gasp, feeling very distressed.

Following Su Wanrou brought her no benefit—only a few months' stipend; Su Wanrou occasionally gave gifts when in a good mood, but they were things Hongyu disliked, such as decorative trays and ornamental bonsai, which were useless to a girl from a poor family like Hongyu, so she had to keep them carefully.

If the potted plants die, they'd just be another good beating.

Now Hongyu doesn't ask Su Wanrou for any gifts; she only hopes to survive safely until Su Wanrou's wedding day.

Su Wanrou was extremely jealous; when she married, she would never bring another woman into her husband's household, and would certainly send her out of the residence to find a husband.

Su Wanrou had also once promised her that if she helped with misdeeds, she would be granted freedom.

Now only a few days remained until Su Wanrou's marriage; she just needed to endure a little longer for everything to be complete.

But the dress she wore today was her favorite, one she had saved her monthly stipend over the years to secretly have made at a ready‑made clothing shop.

The other senior maids in the Wangfu also dressed alike; they could choose styles and fabrics they liked, as long that the outer robe was from the Wangfu.

She didn't expect it to tear such a huge hole; Hongyu was on the verge of tears, cursing her bad luck.

Jinzhi quickly gestured for Hongyu to sit in the outer hall for a while, even brewed her a cup of tea, then brought a small stool and sat just in front of Hongyu, placing the torn hem on her own lap.

She then began stitching with a flying needle, embroidering a branching narcissus onto Hongyu's skirt hem, which beautifully complemented Hongyu's lotus‑colored dress.

Because of that single flower, Hongyu's dress suddenly looked even more beautiful than before.

Holding the tea cup, Hongyu felt a gentle warmth rise in her heart.

She had never seen someone so gentle and kind; though she couldn't speak, her eyes were as clear as pristine lake water.

Hongyu couldn't help but laugh, slipped the embroidered sachet she had made into Jinzhi's hand, and said, "Thank you, Jinzhi sister; today's matters are urgent, I must leave now, and I'll come find you when I have time to talk."

Jinzhi smiled and nodded; Hongyu, with two junior maids carrying the Shu embroidery, hurried back to Tan Chun Garden.

Before she even reached the courtyard, Hongyu's body began to tremble involuntarily, yet she forced herself to carry the Shu embroidery inside.

Su Wanrou leaned against the welcome pillow, sipping goat's milk, her mood again sour.

She probably couldn't marry Prince Rui; no matter what she did, she was in a bad mood, perhaps she would never be happy in this life.

"Master! The Shu embroidery is ready; please have a look," Hongyu carefully presented the Shu embroidery before Su Wanrou.

Sure enough, it was a palace award, but unfortunately it was intended for Prince Rui's Princess Consort, not for her.

Su Wanrou thought this was something Gu Jiu Ling had passed to her, and felt aggrieved; if it weren't for Gu Jiu Ling, she would already be high‑ranking, with endless palace gifts pouring in—why should she have to eat Gu Jiu Ling's leftovers?

Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting!

The silk was indeed fine, and Su Wanrou couldn't just burn such precious Shu embroidery, yet she felt uneasy and wanted to vent her frustration on the servants.

She didn't expect to spot the newly embroidered narcissus on Hongyu's skirt at a glance, and was instantly stunned.

After all, the narcissus was embroidered on a large area; her eyes weren't blind—there hadn't been such a thing on Hongyu's skirt before.

"Come here!" Su Wanrou beckoned Hongyu.

Hongyu hurriedly, trembling, walked over and bowed, "Master?"

"The embroidery on the skirt looks nice; did you do it?"

She was momentarily stunned, then instinctively wanted to protect Jinzhi; she knew how her mistress behaved—no maid in the household could be as good as her, even the embroidery skill shouldn't surpass hers.

She quickly bowed and said, "In reply to your words, I was in a hurry earlier; the skirt was torn by a flower branch in the courtyard, so I went outside to find an embroiderer to mend it."

With a splash, Su Wanrou suddenly hurled the bowl she held at Hongyu's face; Hongyu couldn't dodge—dodging would be worse—so she took the blow, and her forehead split open, bleeding.

"Dog! Your nerve keeps growing!" Su Wanrou's hostility toward Hongyu stemmed from Hongyu's striking looks; in this Wangfu she stood out, and Su wouldn't allow any woman in the Wangfu to be prettier than her.

At this point, Gu Jiu Ling was out of reach; disciplining a servant was more than enough.

"You went to fetch something and took half an hour to return; half an hour is not enough to leave the Wangfu! Ask the old women guarding the Xi Ce Men! Fine! You dog slave, how dare you deceive your master—do you expect a beating?"

Hongyu quickly knelt, repeatedly kowtowing to Su Wanrou, "Master! Master! It is my fault! It is my fault!"

"I was worried I delayed some time, and your punishment made me panic; I deserve death! I deserve death!"

Hongyu harshly slapped herself twice.

Su Wanrou sneered, "Who actually did the embroidery? Such skill—it's a pity you didn't stitch my wedding dress!"

"It was... it was... the Jinzhi girl beside the Princess Consort!"

Su Wanrou's eyes flashed; she steadied herself, "Someone close to the Princess Consort? Bring them! Fetch the Jinzhi girl!"

Jinzhi, not knowing how she had offended Su, hurried over, entered the Warm Pavilion, bowed low to Su Wanrou, and gestured a blessing.

"Are you Jinzhi? Raise your head so I can see!" Su Wanrou said with a cold smile at the corner of her mouth.

Jinzhi carefully lifted her head.

Su Wanrou's complexion suddenly changed dramatically; she sat up from the bed in an instant, staring rigidly at Jinzhi's face as if she had seen a ghost.