Chapter 1010The Mysterious Concern from the Palace
“Nanny Zheng, why didn’t you come in by yourself?” Shao Wanru looked up and asked in surprise.
“She brought someone from the Palace here!” Yujie whispered.
Shao Wanru frowned and put down the letter. The faint blush on her face gradually faded away. “Someone from the Palace?”
“She came from the side door over there. I heard that Nanny Zheng picked her up. The old maid guarding the door asked someone to inform Nanny Zheng, so she came to you immediately with her!” Yujie explained in detail. Nanny Zheng had already told her about this matter.
A person from the Palace asked Nanny Zheng to pick her up and came here late at night in a sneaky way — she was not sent by the Empress Dowager or the Empress.
But in addition to them, Shao Wanru didn’t know who else in the Palace would send someone to see her.
She wasn’t familiar with the other women in the Palace and never had any dealings with them. “Is it Shao Yanru?” Shao Wanru shook her head secretly. “It’s impossible.”
It was not that Shao Yanru could not come to her. With Shao Yanru’s character, she would find a way to reach her if she needed her help. But since she had been in disgrace in the Palace, she couldn’t send someone at this time, let alone trouble Nanny Zheng. After all, she was unacquainted with Nanny Zheng.
“Nanny Zheng’s old acquaintance?”
With this idea in her mind, Shao Wanru went to sit down on the chair and said, “Let Nanny Zheng in!”
“Yes!” Yujie bowed sideways and then left. When she reached the door, she gestured to Nanny Zheng who was waiting outside. Nanny Zheng nodded to the nearby palace maid and entered the door first.
The palace maid followed her into the room.
The lights in the room were neither dazzling nor dim. Shao Wanru, wrapped in a layer of golden light, looked elegant and charming. It seemed that she was going to sleep because she had pulled down her hair and let it fall onto her shoulders, making her look dainty and cute. “She looks like an underage girl,” Nanny Zheng sighed in her heart, “but now she has to stand firm under pressure for the Prince Chen’s Mansion.”
“Greetings, My Lady!” Nanny Zheng took two steps forward and said with great respect.
Shao Wanru looked up at her and said gently, “Nanny Zheng, that’s not necessary. You look for me late at this time. What can I do for you?”
Her eyes fell on the palace maid who came in with Nanny Zheng as she spoke. The maid in a palace suit was indeed from the Palace, but she covered her face with a lightweight veil, revealing only a pair of eyes. She looked very mysterious.
At this time, she also gave a salute to Shao Wanru respectfully.
Yujie followed them in, but she stayed at the door and did not get close to them.
“My Lady, please punish me!” Nanny Zheng moved her lips and seemed to want to say something, but suddenly she knelt and choked with sobs.
Shao Wanru widened her beautiful eyes in surprise and asked in astonishment, “Nanny Zheng, what are you doing? Just tell me what you want!”
“My Lady, I concealed my identity: I used to work for Consort Lan in the Palace.” Nanny Zheng didn’t get up but just said.
“Consort Lan?” Shao Wanru thought of the lady whom she had only met once. She was gorgeous regardless of her age. Even if Shao Wanru had just met her once, she still remembered her.
Shao Wanru stood up, walked up to Nanny Zheng, and helped her up. With a soft voice, she told her, “It doesn’t matter that you’ve driven out of the Palace and who you belonged to in the Palace. Since you have already left there and are running errands for me, you are mine. I don’t care who your previous master was.”
Shao Wanru had already known something about Nanny Zheng who was said to be kicked out of the Palace when implicated in something. Nanny Zheng must have offended someone, so she couldn’t find a job tutoring Misses in an influential family. That was why she ended up in the Qin’s Mansion. However, Shao Wanru gave no thought to these past things.
Nanny Zheng was her subordinate who worked for her wholeheartedly, which was enough for Shao Wanru.
“I know Your Highness is always generous, but it’s my fault that I haven’t yet explained everything to you.” Nanny Zheng was touched and gratified. She wiped her tears and looked up firmly. “My Lady, I used to work for Consort Lan, but I’m yours now and in the future. So, My Lady, please trust Consort Lan and me!”
Her words sounded illogical. Shao Wanru’s watery eyes landed on the palace maid behind her again.
She believed in Nanny Zheng. What she said made sense. When Shao Wanru decided to take Nanny Zheng in, she trusted her. But it was unreasonable to ask her to trust Consort Lan. How could she come to such a conclusion?
Consort Lan in the Palace was shrouded in mystery, but it was said the Emperor favored and trusted her. But other than that, Shao Wanru didn’t think she had anything to do with her. The next day after her wedding, Shao Wanru met Consort Lan in the Palace. It was the only time that she saw Consort Lan. After that, she didn’t see her again in the Palace.
They said Consort Lan used to be very favored. But later, she became haughty because of the Emperor’s love and indulgence. Then, the Emperor locked her up, and even the Empress was not allowed to see her.
But that day, it seemed that Consort Lan could come and go freely. It didn’t look like she was left out in the cold at all.
Of course, these things crossing her mind had nothing to do with Shao Wanru. They soon slipped from her memory. If it weren’t for the outstanding appearance of this Consort Lan, Shao Wanru couldn’t even remember her face.
“Then what does she have to do with me now?”
“Nanny Zheng, is she Consort Lan’s servant?” Shao Wanru asked.
Nanny Zheng stepped back and gave way to the palace maid behind her. “My Lady, she is the trusted palace maid of Consort Lan.”
The palace maid stepped forward, removed the veil covering her face, and respectfully bowed to Shao Wanru. “Princess Chen, do you remember me?”
The face under the veil looked indeed familiar. On second thought, Shao Wanru recognized that she was the palace maid who had stayed with Consort Lan that day.
“Has something happened to Consort Lan?” Shao Wanru asked in confusion. She didn’t think she had any personal relationship with Consort Lan.
“Her Highness is fine, but she is afraid that something might happen to you!” the palace maid answered softly.
“Something related to me?” Shao Wanru, more and more surprised, didn’t feel her affairs could have anything to do with Consort Lan.
The palace maid asked, “She heard that something happened to you today: the Marquis Xing’s Mansion was scheming against you. There was also a man who was involved. It was said that he wanted to ruin your reputation. My Lady, is that right?”
Shao Wanru’s face instantly darkened. After looking the palace maid up and down, she said with a much indifferent look, “Does this have anything to do with Consort Lan?”
“Consort Lan cares about everything about you. She is afraid that you will suffer losses without Prince Chen in the mansion. Considering there is no one you can rely on, Consort Lan wanted you to know that she could tackle knotty problems for you. In the future, if something happens to the Prince Chen’s Mansion, you can ask Nanny Zheng to go to the Palace and ask her for help!”
Seeing that Shao Wanru misunderstood, the palace maid explained hurriedly.
“What does this mysterious Consort Lan want to do?” Shao Wanru, her long and thick eyelashes fluttering twice, wondered why Consort Lan cared so much about her. After all, she had only met her once, so Shao Wanru seriously doubted her purpose.
These words meant Chu Liuchen was away, so no one could be a pillar of the mansion. As Shao Wanru was too young to be sensible enough in her eyes, Consort Lan wanted to help and take care of her at this time.
When Chu Liuchen left, he didn’t tell her Consort Lan had such a good relationship with him. Previously, she even faintly sensed that he didn’t really like her.
“Thank you for your kindness, Consort Lan. But it’s not convenient to trouble Consort Lan with these things!” Shao Wanru said softly with a gentle smile. Though her heart was in turmoil, she didn’t show it on her face.
She looked much calmer than before, and the expression on the palace maid’s face also eased. After all, she was here to convey Consort Lan’s good intentions. It would be bad if Princess Chen misunderstood her.
“My Lady, that’s all right. Consort Lan is very fond of you. After she met you in the Palace and returned, she talked about you the most, exclaiming that you were a perfect girl. After experiencing so many sufferings and hardships, Prince Chen finally found someone who loves him genuinely…” The palace maid choked with sobs when she said that.
Nanny Zheng also wiped her tears aside.
However, Yujie and Shao Wanru looked blank, for they could not comprehend what they were talking about.
Shao Wanru pondered for a while and said, “Please show my gratitude to Consort Lan. If I need her support in the future, I will do as you said. But for now, there is no need to do so.”
“Yes, as you command, Your Highness!” the palace maid said with red-rimmed eyes and looked at Shao Wanru with tenderness in her eyes.
That day, she didn’t see the maid carefully. At this time, she found the palace maid was also a mature palace maid who looked not much younger than Nanny Zheng. Shao Wanru supposed that she should be Consort Lan’s trusted principal maid who had served her for many years.
So did it mean that Nanny Zheng was also Consort Lan’s trusted subordinate in the past?
“I’m specially sent here to inform you this. If you’re in need of help, you can ask someone to send a message to us. Consort Lan can go out of the Palace. If you have something to do, she’ll do her best to assist you. Please trust us, Princess Chen!” The palace maid leaned to one side and saluted. “I can’t stay outside for too long. I have to go back to serve Consort Lan. Please forgive me for leaving now!”
“Yujie, see her off for me!” Shao Wanru nodded and said.
When Yujie lifted the curtain, the palace maid wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, wore the veil, and turned to leave. Yujie followed her out, leaving Nanny Zheng and Shao Wanru in the room.
“Nanny Zheng, were you Consort Lan’s reliable maid?” Shao Wanru asked slowly. This matter was not important in the past, so she didn’t ask about it. But now, they somehow came to her through Nanny Zheng. Even though Consort Lan did it in a gesture of goodwill, Shao Wanru couldn’t help but doubt it.
The whole thing sounded very mysterious.
If it wasn’t because of Nanny Zheng, could it be related to Chu Liuchen? When Shao Wanru heard the words from the palace maid serving Consort Lan, thoughts thronged her mind.
With tears in her eyes, Nanny Zheng said with emotion. “My Lady, I used to be Consort Lan’s trustworthy maid. Previously, the Empress blamed something on me, so Consort Lan had to send me out of the Palace. I didn’t expect to become your servant. I’m so lucky, and so is Consort Lan!”