Li Maner never expected that after a nap, an imperial edict from the Empress Dowager would arrive.
It wasn't the annulment edict she had anticipated, but a summons to the palace.
"Miss, why are you holding onto it like that?" Ziyan carefully took the imperial edict from Li Maner's hand, patted it, and then placed it on the display stand with both hands, treating it with great reverence.
Li Maner couldn't quite grasp the sentiment of ancient people. It was just an edict. If this were in her previous life, it would be equivalent to a message on DingTalk, so why the need to enshrine it?
"Oh dear, what are you still standing there for? We need to get ready."
"Ready for what?"
Lu Yi hastily hung up the chosen clothes, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles as she did so. "Miss, you need to bathe and change, and prepare to enter the palace."
Li Maner sighed, "Is it really that much trouble? Your young lady bathes every day."
"This is different. Hurry up!"
Li Maner had no choice but to be pushed into the bathing room by her maids. She bathed and changed with great solemnity.
Ziyan was uneasy. "I wonder why the Empress Dowager summoned our young lady to the palace."
"Perhaps it's about the annulment?" Lu Yi whispered, "I suspect the Empress Dowager might not be entirely willing for our young lady to break off the engagement, otherwise, it wouldn't have dragged on for so long."
Ziyan said with worry, "What's destined to happen will happen. At worst, she'll just scold our young lady a few times. With the Ning family's favor, the Empress Dowager won't say too much."
"Let's hope so."
Li Maner tidied herself up and changed into new clothes. She was then guided to the dressing table by Granny Wu.
"Good granny, please don't style my hair too heavily or put on too many accessories."
"Absolutely not. Entering the palace is no trifling matter. Every aspect must be attended to."
Granny Wu, holding a comb with jasmine-scented hair oil, meticulously combed Li Maner's hair until it was smooth. She then picked out a flawless white jade hairpin from the dressing box, wound her hair around it, twisted it into a bun, and finally inserted the hairpin close to her scalp into the bun.
"Hiss~" Li Maner gasped in pain. "Granny, please be gentler."
"If I'm too gentle, this hairpin won't hold your hair, and it will look messy. Wouldn't that be disrespectful before the Empress Dowager?" Granny Wu carefully smoothed her stray hairs and placed a beaded flower with tassels, featuring kingfisher-inlaid butterfly motifs, on each temple.
"Granny, I'm this old already, and I'm still wearing these beaded flowers." Li Maner frowned in distaste. "Can I change them to pearls?"
Granny Wu thought for a moment, carefully removed the beaded flowers, and replaced them with two simple Southern Pearl floral ornaments.
This looked much better.
After changing her clothes, Li Maner was ready to depart.
Before leaving, she had to go to Madam Cui's for some guidance. The current Madam Cui wouldn't lecture Li Maner endlessly, but she did instruct her to behave herself in the palace and not do anything out of line. She also told her to see Consort Shu if she had the chance.
"If the Consort knows you've come, she'll surely send for you. When you go, you must observe her health and report back to me truthfully. Not a single detail must be omitted."
As she said this, Madam Cui's expression became very serious. The corners of her eyes drooped, concealing the sharpness in her gaze, but Li Maner still detected a hint of ruthlessness in her tone.
"Yes," Li Maner replied respectfully, "Grandmother, please rest assured. The Consort's affairs are of utmost importance."
Madam Cui nodded with satisfaction. "You may go. Don't be late for your palace appointment." Madam Cui had Granny Wang fetch the Marquis's waist token for her. "Take this with you, just in case."
Li Maner took the waist token. The moment it touched her hand, she sensed something peculiar about it. She calmly took the token and said, "Grandmother, your granddaughter will take her leave."
"Go!"
After Li Maner left, Granny Wang said worriedly, "Old Madam, the eldest young lady is a healer, and she's quite capable. That token was tampered with, could she have discovered it?"
Madam Cui pondered for a moment before saying, "Fifty-fifty. I'm taking a gamble now."
"A gamble?" Granny Wang still didn't quite understand.
"If she doesn't discover it, everything proceeds as planned. But if she does?"
Granny Wang suddenly understood, "You mean, you'll see how the eldest young lady reacts."
"Precisely," Madam Cui sighed thoughtfully, "I increasingly feel that this child is plotting something. For the Li family, I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse."
"Old Madam worries too much. The eldest young lady is, after all, of the Li family blood. She is also a member of the family. When the nest is overturned, how can any eggs remain intact?"
Madam Cui fiddled with her prayer beads, implying, "If she remains ignorant her whole life, she might still cherish familial ties. But what if the truth comes to light?"
Granny Wang dared not speak. She saw Madam Cui's lips twitch slightly, as if with great bitterness.
At this point, has the Old Madam regretted it?
Regret is futile...
The moment Li Maner stepped out of Songhe Hall, she threw the waist token into her spatial dimension.
The waist token carried a strong, fishy odor. Others might not detect it, but her nose wouldn't be fooled.
If her guess was correct, the token had been tampered with. Ač (gu) worm had been planted within, waiting for the opportune moment to emerge.
Then she would become the host.
Her dear grandmother, it seemed, possessed extraordinary methods! Ning Shi's death from the gu worm back then was undoubtedly related to Madam Cui. Now, she was actually trying to harm her with a gu worm.
"Miss, what are you thinking about?"
Li Maner smiled faintly, "Nothing much, I'm just worried you'll be nervous."
Ziyan gripped her handkerchief. "I'm not nervous. As long as I'm with you, Miss, I'll be fine."
Lu Yi also chimed in, "Sister Ziyan, don't worry. The palace isn't a place where people get eaten. You just need to stay close to Miss."
"How about we switch? I'll wait outside the palace gates, and you go into the palace with Miss."
Lu Yi immediately shook her head like a rattle drum. "I can't do that, I really can't. You go with Miss."
Ziyan then looked pleadingly at Granny Wu.
Granny Wu shook her head. "You should go with Miss."
Ziyan let out a wry smile. "No one is even fighting for such a good job. You all are so..." unmotivated.
Li Maner chuckled inwardly, thinking that despite being servants of the Marquis's estate, they were quite timid.
The carriage slowly made its way towards the Imperial City and was stopped outside the palace gates.
The lead guard saw that it was the carriage from the Iron Gallant Marquis's estate and asked, "Is this the eldest young lady of the Iron Gallant Marquis's estate?"
"It is. My young lady is entering the palace by imperial edict from the Empress Dowager."
Eunuchs were already waiting by the palace gates.
"Follow this way."
Li Maner nodded slightly, and Ziyan slipped a pre-prepared turquoise pouch into the eunuch's hand. "Thank you, Eunuch."