Quick Transmigration: The Day I Blew Up My Housemate

1.15 Servant of the Cold Palace (15)

WARNING: The end of this arc has mentionings of torture and although not explicit, reader discretion is advised.

These days, Noble Consort Zhou is always out of it. The kind of out of it that is eating but is unable to be full, sleepy but cannot sleep, bathing but the body is not wet kind. Feng Mian watched the spaced-out look in her mistress's vacant eyes.

This can't go on much longer.

Feng Mian put the hot soup on the table but did not leave right after as she usually would. Instead, she stood next to Consort Zhou.

"Niangniang, have some soup while it's hot. You haven't eaten in days."

For many days now, Consort Zhou had been writing endless streams of letters and though Feng Mian wasn't sure who the correspondent was, every time Consort Zhou received a reply letter back, her mood grew even more solemn. The inner room will soon sprout mushrooms from its walls.

"Leave it there," Consort Zhou said distractedly.

Feng Mian insisted. "This servant will leave after you have a sip."

Noble Consort Zhou folded the piece of paper into an envelope and looked squarely at this servant of hers.

"You seem to be getting bolder by the year," she pointed out bluntly.

"It is this servant's good blessings that niangniang had spoiled me so." Feng Mian was familiar with Zhou Yunqi's bark that was worse than her bite and smiled her usual daring grin. Concubine Zhou bemoaned how lenient she was to this head servant, yet didn't say anything. Their relationship dynamic had been so intrinsically co-dependent from the very beginning that it was hard to change.

"... Tonight, don't blow out the candles," Consort Zhou instructed.

"Why?"

"No reason, bengong wants to do some reading tonight. Don't worry, bengong have thought things through. You don't have to send anyone for the night watch tonight. Wan Mei... you--" Zhou Yunqi stopped mid-sentence.

"--You can leave now. Take care of the Fifth Prince well."

When she later had the time to brew and chew over Consort Zhou's words, Feng Mian felt that she should have seen this as an omen to what was coming.

*********************

Feng Mian felt all sorts of unease that night and even as the gong resounded to indicate the hour of midnight, she couldn't get a shut-eye. Rather than stewing in her discomfort, she decisively fetched her outer robe and made a bee-line towards Consort Zhou's chamber.

As she reached the long corridors, the palace's emergency drum resounded from the tower.

'Bom! Bom! Bom!' It boomed and echoed.

The palace had been infiltrated.

The palace guards had also been summoned hastily to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to protect the emperor.

Feng Mian turned and made a mad dash towards Tian Junli's chambers.

Tian Junli was still rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes when Feng Mian dragged him out without warning and his short feet had to exert a lot of effort to keep up with her long and hurried strides. He had wanted to loosen her clinched hold on him but sensing his companion's disconsolateness that showed through the tautness of her back, he did not disrupt their haste. Neither of them had uttered a word as they ran all the way to Consort Zhou's chamber.

When they reached the inner hall, the two was surprised by a black figure hanging from the window sill. They froze in their spots.

Even with the mask on, Feng Mian had recognised the familiarity of those eyes.