Xi Ying Tang’s words were relayed quickly.
In the afternoon, all the servants were gathered in neat rows on a piece of open ground usually used for pottery outside the castle garden.
They faced the new steward standing on the steps, Puruse, a man with a stiff expression, high cheekbones, and sunken eye sockets.
Though his background was only marginally better than the shortest maid, Bo Tan, no one dared to look down on him.
Everyone knew that this was the steward carefully selected by Tii, trusted and valued by Mo Er.
“Stand here and don’t move,” Zhiru Xin ordered. “Every one of your rooms is being searched. Until the inspection is over, none of you are allowed to leave this place.”
The servants hung their heads in dejection, their faces pale and uneasy.
They all knew this search was related to the recent spy incident in the Palace. If they were even suspected of being a spy, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Clack, swish, clack…
At that moment, a sudden, frantic noise drew Su Ling’s attention. It was a short, sharp, almost inaudible sound, vibrating at a high frequency right beside Su Ling’s ear.
She turned her head and noticed everyone’s gaze was focused on a single point.
That point was none other than the tall maid with long, deep golden hair—Marentia.
Marentia was visibly panicked, her teeth chattering so hard it looked as if she might shatter them.
Zhiru Si obviously noticed her abnormal behavior. He walked down the steps and stopped in front of Marentia.
“What’s going on with you?”
Marentia tried to speak, but not a word came out, as if some invisible force had locked her throat.
Her condition was so suspicious that Puruse’s stiff face broke into a wary smile.
Originally, he’d thought nothing would come of this group of people, and that the inspection was just a formality. But if there really was a culprit among them, then this would be a great opportunity for him to make his mark!
“Not talking? If you won’t talk, then we’ll search even more thoroughly. Your name is Marentia, isn’t it?”
Speaking with relish, he waved his hand, and one of his trusted male servants came forward.
“Go, search her room again.”
“Yes, sir!”
The pale maid seemed as if her soul had left her body. Her legs trembled uncontrollably, and she nearly collapsed to the ground. Her abnormal behavior made everyone around her even more suspicious.
Even Su Ling’s heart tightened—could Marentia really be the spy?
In a split second, countless logical threads raced through Su Ling’s mind.
The inquiry that made her sneak out of the city in the middle of the night; the fact that Phil was waiting just outside the city, inviting her to join the uprising… and now, Marentia, who was as nervous as a cornered animal.
Marentia was Nori’s personal maid, and perhaps the only confidante of the little princess.
If Nori and Phil were working together, and Marentia was loyal to Nori, then it was entirely possible that Marentia was connected to the uprising and thus the Palace’s spy.
If that was the case, another figure flashed through Su Ling’s mind.
“Could it be… Li Wei?” she murmured, frowning deeply as the name echoed silently in her thoughts.
Previously, outside Ying Yi’s room, she’d accidentally overheard Lianxiu and Marentia whispering together.
At that time, she’d already suspected Lianxiu was connected to Li Wei, but Ying Yi kept her mouth tightly shut. Out of consideration for the other girl’s position, Su Ling hadn’t pressed the matter and simply let it drop.
Now, centering on Nori, a complicated web of relationships unfurled in Su Ling’s mind.
Nori, Phil, Marentia, and Tii—the four of them were connected like the threads of a spider’s web, just the tip of a tangled iceberg, all pointing toward the internal unrest in Anxian’er’s kingdom.
“Hah.”
Realizing this, Su Ling didn’t panic. Instead, she exhaled quietly, her breath calm and steady.
What seemed like a terrible conclusion was, after all, just conjecture inside her own mind.
At present, she didn’t have enough information to confirm her suspicions.
The whispers and murmurs of anxious servants filled Su Ling’s ears, wrapping around her like a swarm of gnats that refused to leave.
Marentia’s behavior had drawn everyone’s attention. Now, with the corner of their eyes, they secretly watched the pitiful maid, their faces revealing a mix of sympathy and schadenfreude.
Su Ling sighed softly, turning her face away, not looking at her.
After quite a while, the group of male servants finally returned.
“Did you find anything unusual?”
Facing Zhiru Si’s expectant gaze, they all looked disappointed as they shook their heads.
“Reporting, sir, we found nothing.”
Zhiru Si’s expression darkened in frustration. He stomped his feet in annoyance, his eyes scanning the returning servants as if to pierce through them.
“Are you sure you checked thoroughly? Not even the slightest clue?” His voice was low and stern.
The male servants looked at one another, their faces showing a blend of frustration and helplessness. They bowed their heads in unison and replied quietly,
“Sir, we checked very carefully. There was nothing suspicious in Marentia’s room, aside from the items Miss Su Ling had previously damaged. Nothing else of note.”
Zhiru Si’s face became even gloomier, his clenched fists trembling as if suppressing his unwillingness to accept defeat. He knew well that today’s search had yielded nothing, and not only would his diligence be doubted, he might even have lost a golden opportunity to make a name for himself.
“Listen up! Search everyone’s rooms again! If you still can’t find anything, all of you will answer to me!”
Zhiru Si’s voice rang out like thunder across the open ground, shaking the hearts of everyone present.
“Yes, sir!”
The faces of the male servants in charge of the search turned ashen. Without daring to hesitate, they hurriedly responded and prepared to begin another round of searching.
The other servants waited nervously, barely daring to breathe, afraid that the slightest move might arouse Puruse’s suspicion.
After a long while, the group of male servants finally returned once more.
This time, one of them stepped forward to Puruse, holding something shining in his hand. Instantly, everyone’s attention was drawn to it, eyes wide with anticipation.
“Sir, I found this in a maid’s room.”
It was a uniquely shaped sea conch goblet, its white outline flowing elegantly, the body slightly curved inward, its surface covered with a thin sheen of pearly luster. The base was bronze.
Sea Forest City was home to many such exquisite sea conch goblets, considered precious, and typically only brought out for banquets.
But now, one had turned up in the room of a lowly servant.
“It took me a long time to find it, hidden in a small box under the bed,” the horse-faced male servant said with a sly grin. “Sir, this maid must be up to something shady!”
Puruse raised his eyebrows, carefully inspecting the goblet, then suddenly his expression changed as he swept his gaze over everyone present.
“Whose room was it?”
“It was Bo Wan’s.”
The horse-faced man answered smugly.