It was the height of summer, and the flowers in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom.
Along the path beside the lake, the radiant blossoms still held onto crystal-clear dewdrops from the morning.
A flash of light swept by, and a figure appeared there.
A sweet-faced young woman, dressed in a simple, pale robe, wore a wooden hairpin shaped like a cloud.
With only the lightest touch of makeup, her beauty was already unmatched—cool and ethereal.
Xunian lowered her head to look at her ancient-style clothing, curiously touching the coarse blue fabric wrapped around her. The texture felt rough to her fingers.
On the ground nearby lay a gorgeously dressed woman, her lips stained with dark red blood.
Xunian was about to crouch down and check if the woman was still alive, when suddenly, from who knew where, another woman dressed exactly like her jumped out.
The woman, with an unremarkable face and a faint scar running across her cheek, stepped up beside Xunian with a terrified expression and shouted,
“Ahhh! Someone help! Murder! Murder!”
At that moment, Xunian really wanted to ask, Who are you?
The other woman had just cried out when, from around the nearby corner, a group of people came rushing toward them with an intimidating presence.
Leading them was a beautiful woman, dressed even more lavishly than the one lying on the ground.
She wore all manner of golden ornaments on her head and hands, her fair and well-maintained wrist adorned with a jade bracelet.
Her gaze toward Xunian was icy, as if she were staring at something already dead.
Behind her trailed a crowd of men and women, young and old. The men were all dressed as Eunuchs, the women wore the same attire as Xunian—clearly Palace Maids.
Xunian suspected she had walked right into a trap.
She quickly analyzed her situation. Now, the woman next to her was spreading rumors that she had killed the woman lying on the ground.
Clearly, she was a textbook Backpot Scapegoat.
Seeing the group approaching, Xunian gritted her teeth and decided to go all out.
The scarred Palace Maid beside her kept yelling, “Murder! Murder! The Palace Maid has committed murder!”
Sure enough, her guess was correct—her current identity was a Palace Maid.
Xunian didn’t care anymore. She went straight up to the Palace Maid, caught her off guard, and gave her a shove.
The Palace Maid hadn’t expected Xunian to do this. As she was steadying herself, she saw Xunian leap into the lake.
“Plop———”
Water splashed up in the lake, and Xunian’s figure vanished beneath its surface.
The Palace Maid was so stunned by Xunian’s move that she forgot to keep shouting.
It wasn’t until the group drew near that she hurriedly stepped forward and bowed. “Reporting to Madam, this servant saw it with her own eyes—just now, that Palace Maid killed Zhao Changzai!”
The extravagantly dressed woman narrowed her beautiful eyes and ordered the people behind her, “Fish her out for me.”
Several people ran to the lakeside to pull her out.
Xunian was dragged out, soaked from head to toe, her body icy cold from the water, clothes dripping as she lay there looking half-dead.
“Search her!”
A Palace Maid approached, just about to check the girl, when Xunian’s eyes suddenly snapped open.
Her jet-black eyes calmly surveyed the elegant, noblewoman in front of her, with not a hint of the fear a Palace Maid should have.
The Palace Maid hesitated, seeing that Xunian was now awake.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Search her!” the noblewoman’s elderly attendant urged from her side.
Xunian guessed that the old woman was the legendary Nanny from the Palace.
The Palace Maid had no choice but to search Xunian all over, rummaging through every pocket, but found nothing.
The searching maid’s eyes flashed with panic for a second, her face turning pale.
She looked to the noblewoman. “Madam, this servant… this servant didn’t find anything.”
The contempt on the noblewoman’s face faded, and for the first time she looked straight at Xunian, her gaze suspicious.
Xunian rose slowly, neither humble nor arrogant, bowed properly, and said, “Madam.”
She had observed in the lake how the Palace Maid who tried to frame her had saluted this woman.
After the salute, the “Madam” before her looked at Xunian even more strangely.
She asked, “Did you kill Zhao Changzai?”
Xunian mimicked the Palace Maid’s reply, “This servant has been wronged.”
But the Madam acted as though she hadn’t heard, continuing, “Do you admit your guilt?”
Xunian persisted, “This servant has been wronged…”
“Refusing to confess adds to your crimes. As punishment… Yizhanghong for you.”
Yizhanghong?!
Xunian had seen ancient dramas—she knew that Yizhanghong meant being flogged with thorned canes or iron rods until the lower body was a bloody mess, left crippled for life.
With her own constitution, if she took that beating, she wouldn’t survive at all.
This was a sure-death situation.
Xunian realized—this “Madam” was determined to have her killed.
Flexible as she was, Xunian suddenly knelt with a “plop,” pointing at the Palace Maid who’d framed her and declared loudly, “She killed her! This servant has been wronged! Please, Madam, see clearly!”
At that, the Palace Maid who’d accused Xunian also dropped to her knees. “Please, Madam, see clearly!”
The Madam seemed a little troubled and asked Xunian, “If you claim she’s the killer, how will you prove it?”
“Madam need only search her to know.”
“Search!” the Madam commanded.
A Palace Maid hurried to search the accused maid—and sure enough, found something.
She pulled out a small vial.
Opening it, she revealed inside a white powdered poison.
The Madam was visibly shocked to see the vial of poison, frowning at Xunian, speechless.
“You framed her!” the Nanny stepped forward, her wrinkled face hawk-eyed and sharp as she glared at Xunian.
The Nanny’s word was the Madam’s word—the Madam fell silent, tacitly agreeing with the Nanny.
So this “Madam” and the framing Palace Maid were indeed in cahoots. Perhaps Zhao Changzai lying on the ground had been killed by this very Madam.
The “Madam” waved her hand, signaling the Eunuchs behind her to seize Xunian.
A few Eunuchs took several steps forward, about to grab Xunian.
A clear, melodious laugh rang out before anyone appeared—just hearing the voice, one could tell it belonged to a beauty.
On the snow-white branches of the pear tree, the blossoms bloomed splendidly.
From behind the tree emerged a woman dressed in a golden Phoenix Robe, regal and imposing.
Then, a breathtakingly beautiful face came into view.
The beauty’s alluring phoenix-shaped eyes curved slightly, holding a hint of a smile.
The moment she appeared, everything else around seemed to lose its luster.
Judging by her attire, she could only be the Empress.
“Empress Elder Sister, what brings you to the Imperial Garden to enjoy the flowers today?” the “Madam” asked, showing no hint of fear even before the Empress—her status was surely extraordinary.
“I was merely passing by,” the Empress replied, her eyes filled with both curiosity and a bit of suspicion as she looked at Xunian.
“This Palace Maid looks rather familiar—she should be one of mine from my own Palace.”
[Author’s note: (Previously on: This is a Rules Survival Tales scenario. The Emperor is an anomaly, and in reality has nothing to do with the concubines, so you can rest assured while reading.)]