My Presence?

A week passed with her being listless and apart from the initial two sleepless days, Huan Meirong slept well the rest of the week. Nonetheless, her guard didn't lower and her doubts increased; she really did want to know what was going on with those people.

And as though the heavens were replying to her, her question was answered the next day in a manner where she didn't have leeway to even breathe.

*Slam* The door of her little cottage was brutally opened. She didn't jolt awake because she had already awoken as she had heard many pairs of steps coming here; her alertness on the other people hadn't dropped after all, so her sleep was pretty light.

She didn't get that anxious with the sudden influx of people in her little cottage and just wondered what was happening in the household. She had recognised the steps of Huan Meiqi and Si Xuli among the tens of pair of footsteps, both of them were the ones leading and judging by the steps behind them, the rest of the people were maids.

"Hurry up, dress her up. No need to bath, there's no time," Si Xuli said.

"Aye," tens of maidservants answered in unison.

'Dress me up?' Huan Meirong thought as she sat on her bed.

"Eldest miss, what… what is happening?" Zhi'er murmured as he quickly jumped out of the bed when he heard all the commotion.

"I… hey!" She was pulled out of the bed while Zhi'er was shoved away.

"Eldest miss, this servant is sorry but we need to be quick," a maidservant whispered to her as they took away her clothes.

'This…' Something fishy was going on, she was being dressed in fine clothes; she could smell and feel the expensive fabrics and scented sachets.

'Just what in the world…?' as she was going into deeper thinking, she heard Huan Meiqi's murmuring amid the ruckus, "Mother, what do you think that Imperial Eunuch is going to decree? And why is needed eldest sister presence?"

'Imperial Eunuch? My presence?' Huan Meirong couldn't make sense of it and went into silent ponder, 'What could it be? I don't think it is…'

"I don't know, but whatever the case we must hurry back with her," she whispered back before rushing the maidservants, "Can't you all be quicker?"

"Aye, aye, aye…"

In less than ten minutes, Huan Meirong was dressed from head to toe and dragged away; she couldn't resist, there were just too many maidservants pulling her. Moreover, even if they weren't, she couldn't avoid being present in the announcement of the decree if it was specified that she must be there or else even more troublesome things might arise.

When Si Xuli and Huan Meiqi saw her, they couldn't help but be agape at Huan Meirong's looks. There was no shade of makeup on her pretty face but the gaudy set of blue and green robes along with the head ornaments were enough to make her look breath-taking. However, though both were agape, their reactions and inner thoughts were different.

Huan Meiqi had an unbelieving pair of eyes and envy written all over her face while Si Xuli's pupils had contracted due to a heavy shock, 'That little looks… is so alike that wench…' Si Xuli stomach was churning, wasn't she supposed to look haggard as just the needed food for her to live were served to her?

"Madam, the eldest… she is ready," the head maid voiced out.

Si Xuli came back to her senses, remembering that it wasn't time for this, "Quickly to the carriage."

"Aye."

'Madam?' Huan Meirong thought with an inner laugh; it seemed that Si Xuli made her maids call her so. 'Tsk, how delusional,' she added to her thinking as she was led to the outside. She had already made a pair of conjectures about that decree and had the room to think about useless things to ease her heart more. She didn't think the conjectures she had made were possible but she could not come with another one either, so she could only stay calm, restrain her emotions and see what it was.

Fast mounts pulled the carriage that had a stabilizing formation so they came to the main entrance of the City Lord's House in five minutes without any discomfort.

"We are here. Whatever the decree says, you just shut up and accept it," Si Xuli said to Huan Meirong as she pulled her out of the carriage. Though Si Xuli was dying to say the contrary, she didn't say it; the rejection of a decree wasn't something that only implicated the mentioned person but the whole family.

Huan Meirong nodded, grinding her teeth; she knew it, she had received many in the past, though those times she already knew what they were going to say.