Chapter 10: Do You Know Me?

This shameless person is too much!

It's simply intolerable!

Grace stood up and then sat down again, unable to express her frustration.

She knew she couldn't outwit a Mary Sue protagonist!

With her intelligence, what was the point of time-traveling here?

To serve as daily amusement for the Empress Dowager?

The few times the Mary Sue pondered halfway through, she was clearly weighing her options, right?

In the end, she decided it was more beneficial to keep Grace alive.

Grace never expected that her attempt to save herself by confessing her origins would backfire—Empress Dowager Lu wasn't targeting her at all. By confessing, Grace inadvertently convinced the Empress Dowager not to summon Lord Qingyun, but she ended up under Empress Dowager Lu's control—

"What's wrong with you?"

Aunt Ning looked at the restless Grace and asked once again.

"Oh, nothing."

After saying this, Grace almost bit her tongue.

Earlier, to save her life, she had pledged her loyalty to the Empress Dowager without holding back. The Empress Dowager must have internally mocked her for being a fool even after time-traveling, right?

...Why didn't heaven just let her die outright? Trying to outwit the champion of power struggles is too hard! Not even ten of her previous bosses could match this one's level!

But if the Empress Dowager didn't value her, why did she still say she had tasks for her? Clearly, it wouldn't be as simple as just having her cook; there was no need to deliberate over that. What exactly did the Empress Dowager see in her?

Thinking of this, Grace felt slightly encouraged. If she had tasks assigned, it meant she had some value, even if she was being used.

Being valuable is good; as a working stiff, she should understand that being valuable means having leverage to turn things around.

But seriously, an imperial event providing some minor benefits to common women, with only three spots a year, offering no other substantial perks—how could a Flower Moon Festival, lasting only three days around the festival, be so important? How could the Deputy Minister of Rites exploit it for personal gain?

...

Lord Qingyun returned an hour later. When he went to the palace, he was full of anxiety, but he came back looking astonished.

"Big Sister-in-law went to Cining Palace and came out saying the Empress Dowager not only showed no signs of displeasure but was actually in good spirits, never mentioning Su'er's trouble at all.

"I didn't believe it, so after pleading guilty to the Emperor, I asked him to inquire at Cining Palace. The Emperor said the same: the Empress Dowager was in high spirits, leisurely examining some peculiar artifacts, as if nothing was amiss."

To confirm, Zhaonan and the Xings, who followed behind, solemnly nodded in agreement.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief: "If the Emperor said so, it must be true. It seems we've escaped unscathed."

Mrs. Xing glanced at the silent Grace and added: "Oh, there's another thing. When I discreetly mentioned Su'er cooking for the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace, all the palace servants looked at me, and several of them even lowered their heads, trying to hide their salivating—how strange!"

"Indeed, the Emperor also said that when he asked the Empress Dowager about Su'er's trouble, she seemed indifferent, saying it was a minor issue not worth mentioning, and that Su'er should be summoned to the palace again tomorrow... Wasn't Han'er saying earlier that it seemed quite dangerous? How did she go into the palace, only to be favored instead?"

He actually referred to the Empress Dowager's unscrupulous behavior as "favor"?

Grace, munching on sunflower seeds in the corner, couldn't remain calm.

Ancient people have such low standards! Don't they have any progressive thoughts?

Lord Qingyun, still concerned about Shi En's case, looked at Grace with deep suspicion.

Everyone else turned their puzzled gazes to Grace, who sat there like a clueless child.

After a moment of silent stalemate, Madam Huang sighed first, somewhat self-deceptively: "Anyway, at least the He family didn't get to laugh at us."

Lord Qingyun asked Grace a pointed question: "Why did I never know you could cook?"

The Governor-General of the Great Liang's gaze was earnest, as if seeking the truth.

Grace, holding a sunflower seed, stammered: "Have you ever tried to get to know me?"

She swore this question was instinctive, not intentional, but Lord Qingyun, a high-ranking and experienced official, was visibly shaken, his face gradually reddening, and then he sat there, frozen!

Grace glanced around, then shrank back.

She almost forgot she had issues with this father. Why didn't she speak more cautiously earlier? What if she angered him?

Unexpectedly, no one around seemed overly tense. Lord Qingyun just sat there for a while, then stood up, stamped his foot, and walked out the door!

Grace only looked away after he exited the house...

She had seen Lord Qingyun, her father, twice, and he stamped his foot both times. Despite knowing she had rashly cooked for the Empress Dowager, he didn't slap her then, and now he didn't scold her either... Maybe he wasn't so hateful after all?

Life is tough.

...

After Lord Qingyun left, Mrs. Xing stayed behind to vividly recount the details of her palace visit, then the gathering dispersed.

Grace, citing a desire to rest, declined Zhao Han and Zhao Ying's offer to visit Qiyu Courtyard. She couldn't handle seeing too many people these days—the more she saw, the more likely she was to slip up. If she made too many mistakes, the Marquis' household might burn her as a demon before the Empress Dowager even had a chance.

More importantly, she needed to figure out Shi En's case.

She called in Xiaojv: "Do you know about a corruption case related to the Flower Moon Festival?"

Xiaojv hesitated: "I've heard some things, but I don't know the details."

"Miss!" Before she could ask another question, Hou Xiaolan rushed in: "Something's wrong! The Marquis is blaming Mr. Yun and Guard Hua for your trouble today! He just summoned them to the main hall for severe punishment, and they've already hung up Guard Hua! They're going to expel Mr. Yun!"

"Why?"

Grace was puzzled.

Xiaolan stomped her foot: "Because Mr. Yun is your tutor and Guard Hua is your bodyguard. One is responsible for your etiquette, the other for your safety outside. They can't shirk the responsibility for your trouble today! You must think of something; Guard Hua's legs are about to be broken!"