The Captive Consort's Tale - Chapter 52, No Escape

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Mingruo thought she would be able to leave this place soon, but it turned out that she was just disappointed. She waited for a long time in Zhuohua Palace, until the evening of the next day, but Duan Mama did not come to see her.
The nanny doted on her the most, so it was impossible for her not to come looking for her after seeing the jade pendant. There were only two possibilities: either the nanny was unable to come, or she came but was unable to enter Zhuohua Palace.
Thinking of this, she immediately called out, "Someone come here!"
Immediately, a palace maid ran in and knelt down: "Miss."
Seeing that it was the palace maid who had promised to deliver the jade pendant to her yesterday, Mingruo was overjoyed and asked, "Yesterday I asked you to deliver the jade pendant to Granny Duan. Did you go?"
"Reporting to Miss, as you instructed, I delivered the jade pendant to the nanny's room, but she was not there. So I placed the jade pendant on her table. Then, because the chief eunuch, Eunuch An, instructed me not to leave Zhuohua Palace without permission and to serve you at all times, I returned."
"...So you didn't personally hand the jade pendant to Granny Duan, did you?" Mingru clenched her fist.
"Yes, Miss." The little palace maid could tell that Mingruo was in a gloomy mood and was afraid of being questioned, so she immediately kowtowed vigorously.
"Please spare me, young lady! Please spare me! I didn't mean to disobey you. Please forgive me! I will never do it again!" She kowtowed repeatedly, and blood seeped into the thick carpet on the ground, showing how hard she had kowtowed.
Mingruo immediately went to help her up, "What are you saying? Since you've already put the jade pendant in the nanny's room, she'll definitely receive it. She... she's probably just a little busy. Get up, don't kowtow anymore."
"Thank you for your mercy, Miss! Thank you for your mercy—" The little palace maid stood up following Mingruo's hand, her face full of fear, as if she was afraid that she had done something wrong and that Mingruo would immediately take her life.
A bitter smile played on her pink lips. Mingruo had never imagined her appearance could be so wretched. She thought that in the month or so she had lived in Zhuohua Palace, while not exactly approachable, she had at least treated everyone with kindness. Why was this palace maid so afraid of her? Did she think she could eat people? "...What's your name?" To put the young palace maid at ease, Mingruo deliberately softened her voice. She was naturally beautiful and charming, and her young age gave her an innocent and carefree appearance. With her smile and gentle voice, the palace maid did indeed relax a little, and her face no longer appeared so pale.
"My name is Xia Rong, Miss."
"Xia Rong..." Mingruo read the name aloud several times, then praised, "It's not bad. Who named you that?"
“Yes, Miss, it’s my father,” she replied softly, looking at Mingruo’s face.
“My father worked as a private tutor for a few years and knew a few characters, which is why he gave me this name.”
"Then how did you get into the palace?" Mingruo asked again.
"Several younger brothers were born into the family, and my parents couldn't afford to raise so many children. So when I was seven years old, they spent money to ask a matchmaker to send me to the government office so that I could have the opportunity to become a palace maid. Now I've been doing this for eleven years."
"I see." Mingruo smiled slightly.
"You've suffered, though." All parents in the world are born with sons, and have all forgotten the goodness of their daughters.
"It must have been very tiring. Do you want to leave the palace?"
To her surprise, Xia Rong immediately broke free from her grasp and knelt down again with a thud. "This servant wouldn't dare, this servant wouldn't dare, this servant never even considered leaving the palace, please forgive me, young lady—"
What did she say that was so frightening?
Mingruo was completely baffled, yet she couldn't ask. This girl seemed genuinely afraid of her, and she didn't know why. After a long while, she could only sigh and say, "You can get up now. I won't ask."
"Thank you, Miss..." Xia Rong glanced at Ming Ruo, stood up cautiously, her face full of unease and trepidation.
Mingruo stopped asking her about the palace—she had placed all her hopes on Granny Duan. "Xia Rong, I have one more question for you. If you know the answer, can you tell me the truth?"
"Please ask, young lady, I will answer to the best of my knowledge."
Her purple phoenix eyes lowered, and Mingruo avoided looking at Xia Rong's feigned calm face. "I want to ask you... you've been in this palace for so long, are you well-informed?"
"Miss... what do you mean?" Xia Rong answered very cautiously.
"I just want to ask you about someone." Mingruo tried to speak to her in a gentle and unhurried manner, afraid that she might accidentally reveal something.
"...Who does the young lady want to ask?"
"General Duanmu Yun," Mingruo pursed her lips, "has he returned in triumph?"
"No, Miss," Xia Rong replied respectfully.
"General Duanmu is still on campaign and has not returned to the capital."
“…Really?” Mingruo murmured. “Then do you know roughly when I can come back?”
"This servant doesn't know. I'm just a lowly palace maid; I wouldn't know such things."
Mingruo nodded. "Thank you for your hard work. You can go now."
"Yes, I will serve you outside. Please summon me if you need anything, Miss." Xia Rong gave a courtly salute and slowly withdrew. The crisp sound of the beaded curtain echoed in the empty palace.
Watching Xia Rong walk away, Mingruo looked out the window; winter had already arrived.
"Well, did you say anything inappropriate?" Xia Rong had just stepped out of the palace gate when she was met by an anxious-looking eunuch, An. "What did the young lady ask you?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, the young lady asked if I personally handed the jade pendant to Granny Duan, and also asked when General Duanmu Yun will return to court." Xia Rong's previous trembling expression had completely vanished, and she answered with utmost respect.
"Then what did you say?!" Eunuch An asked urgently.
"This servant replied that she had placed the jade pendant on the nanny's table because she needed to serve the young lady." If that were the case, it would be perfectly natural for it to be "lost," right? "Then she told the young lady that General Duanmu had not yet returned to court."
"Very good. Xia Rong, you did very well. It was worth all the teachings we gave you." Eunuch An squinted his eyes in satisfaction.
"I have already handed the jade pendant over to the Emperor. You must serve her carefully. I suspect the young lady is planning to leave the palace, so you must keep a close eye on her and make sure she doesn't escape. Tonight, the Emperor is hosting a banquet for envoys from several countries, and he will be visiting the young lady tonight. You must serve her well, understand?"
"Yes, please rest assured, Father-in-law."
"Um."
Mingruo could never have imagined that her jade pendant would never reach Duan Mama's hands.

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