Chapter 42: The Fat Rat, Who Had been Trembling for a Long Time, Staring at Her
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Chirp, chirp, chirp!” The mouse nodded vigorously as Xiao Yin whispered something in its ear before throwing it into the corner.
Looking at the trembling mouse, Su Qian sensed that the Empress Dowager and the others were walking towards the west side hall. “Xiao Yin, clean it up, don’t leave any traces,” Su Qian said from afar.
“Don’t worry, leave it to me!” Xiao Yin quickly wrapped the corpses of the mice in spider silk, forming a ball, which it took out and placed in the arms of the unconscious maid who had passed out. It then carefully concealed itself in Su Qian’s sleeve.
Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager and her party had passed through the Crescent Moon Gate and were walking along the corridor leading to the west side hall.
“Why did Su Qian go to the west side hall?” the Empress Dowager grumbled. “All my treasures are kept there. Can she afford to compensate me if she damages anything?”
“Mother, I think Miss Su should learn from the Ninth Prince’s filial piety, so I sent her to the west side hall. Besides, I believe that as a young lady from a distinguished family, Miss Su would not behave improperly, so you can rest assured.” Princess Xuehua said, but inside she was secretly sneering.
Su Qian might not be reckless, but how could a woman remain calm when suddenly faced with a horde of mice?
Princess Xuehua could already imagine the scene of Su Qian being frightened by the mice and wreaking havoc in the west side hall. She hastened her pace and led the Empress Dowager to the outside of the hall.
The door of the west side hall was tightly closed, and the room inside was silent.
Princess Xuehua frowned and looked suspiciously at a maid standing beside her.
“Don’t worry, I just checked where Xiao Cui was hiding, and there was no one there. She must have succeeded by now. The room is full of mice, and Su Qian might have passed out,” the maid whispered with a sinister smile.
“That makes sense,” Princess Xuehua thought to herself, feeling relieved.
Everyone in the imperial capital knows that Su Qian is a coward, so it’s normal for her to faint at the sight of a mouse.
“What are you guys mumbling about?” The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes and glared at Princess Xuehua. “Open the door!”
“Yes,” Princess Xuehua said as she lowered her gaze, concealing the slyness in her eyes. She eagerly stepped forward and pulled open the door.
“Su Qian, how dare you!” Princess Xuehua couldn’t help but speak up. But when she saw the scene inside the room, the words that she didn’t say were stuck in her throat, and she was so shocked that she almost popped her eyes out.
The west side hall was elegantly decorated. At the moment, Su Qian was seated in front of the table wearing a red dress. Her rolled-up sleeves revealed a section of her snow-white wrist, as if she was a painting come to life. She stopped writing when she saw the Empress Dowager, and respectfully stood up, giving a small bow. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
The graceful and beautiful Su Qian remained poised even after being punished to copy scriptures for two hours, not showing any signs of displeasure. This softened the Empress Dowager’s gaze somewhat, but she still spoke sternly, “Xuehua, don’t stand in the doorway. Quickly go inside.”
Princess Xuehua had been bumped into the palace by Nanny Jin, and she didn’t come back to her senses until the Empress Dowager went to check on Su Qian’s progress.
“How is this possible? Didn’t you say Xiao Cui put a mouse in here?” Princess Xuehua was almost going crazy, lowering her voice to scold the maid behind her.
The maid also looked puzzled and timidly said, “1 don’t know why this is happening either…”
Princess Xuehua was so angry that she almost spewed blood when she saw that everything in the room was intact. She didn’t even notice the fat mouse trembling in the corner, staring at her, and then rushing towards her, climbing onto her embroidered shoe before she could react..