The Palace Maid is a Fox Spirit

Chapter 1: Frame-up

After delivering the meal to the Emperor at the Taihe Hall, Yue Xi returned to the Fengyi Palace to receive her salary. Today was Yue Xi's birthday, and although no one celebrated with her, she was content to have a good meal. With this in mind, Yue Xi happily returned to the Fengyi Palace to serve the Empress.

Little did she know, upon arriving at the palace, Yue Xi was immediately dragged by several guards to the main hall, where she was forcefully thrown to the ground. Still bewildered by the situation, Yue Xi was slapped across the face. "You wretched servant!" Empress Xiao (Xiao Yingxia) angrily scolded Yue Xi. Though Yue Xi hadn't yet understood what was happening, she remained on her knees, begging for mercy.

"Empress, please calm down. I have no idea how I have offended you. Please enlighten me!" Yue Xi pleaded pitifully.

"Empress, Yue Xi still doesn't understand what she did wrong. It seems she can't stay here any longer," said Qinglan, a personal maid by the Empress's side, adding fuel to the fire.

"Aunt Qinglan, I truly don't know anything. Please investigate!" Yue Xi cried anxiously, looking desperate and pitiful. However, her tears only fueled Empress Xiao's anger.

"What a cunning woman! Your tears may appear pitiful, but Yue Xi, you should know that seeking personal glory behind the Empress's back is a great disrespect. You face the death penalty!" Qinglan preemptively exposed Yue Xi's transgression, catching her off guard.

"Empress, I'm innocent! I have always been loyal to you. I would never seek personal glory behind your back. Please believe me!" Yue Xi remained prostrated on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing until blood trickled down, all in the hope that the Empress would forgive her. Unfortunately, the Empress had already decided that she could no longer keep Yue Xi by her side.

"You wretch, still won't admit it? I found this fabric in her accommodation. It was the one the Emperor rewarded you with years ago, and you were so fond of it. Now that Yue Xi has stolen it, it can only mean that she has ulterior motives towards the Emperor," Qinglan continued to pour oil on the fire, fearing that the Empress wouldn't take action. As Yue Xi looked at the fabric, unable to utter a word, she didn't know how it ended up in her accommodation. Her eyes turned bloodshot as she gazed at Qinglan by the Empress's side, finally understanding everything.

Yue Xi recalled Qinglan's kind instructions earlier in the morning, which were to deliver the food personally made by the Empress to the Taihe Hall. At that moment, Yue Xi realized that Qinglan had taken the opportunity to steal the Empress's fabric and placed it in her own accommodation. However, the Empress had always kept the fabric close to her and wouldn't have given Qinglan a chance to steal it unless she intentionally handed it over. Coming to her senses, Yue Xi looked at the smiles on the faces of the Empress and Qinglan and understood that the Empress wanted to get rid of her.

But Yue Xi still held on to hope and pleaded with the Empress, "Please, Your Majesty, let A Jing testify for me. We share the same accommodation. She can vouch for me. Please, Your Majesty, listen to me!" At that moment, A Jing stepped forward timidly and said, "Sister Yue Xi, what are you talking about? Your Majesty, I know nothing. All I know is that Sister Yue Xi has repeatedly tried to catch a glimpse of the Emperor's whereabouts, hoping to win his favor. I don't know anything else." "A Jing! What are you saying?" Yue Xi looked at A Jing in despair, and A Jing trembled in fear. "Sister Yue Xi... I'm sorry, but I can't hide it anymore. Please forgive me."

Yue Xi couldn't speak anymore. She cried, shaking her head, shouting for the Empress to understand. Unfortunately, the Empress was already disgusted with her and ordered her to be dragged away and beaten to death with a cane. "Take this wretched servant away, beat her to death, and then throw her into an unmarked grave!"

"Empress, have mercy! Empress, have mercy! I am innocent! Please, Empress, have mercy!" Yue Xi cried until her voice broke, but the people in front of her looked on coldly, and the other palace maids laughed, showing no sympathy. The eunuchs placed her on a chair and repeatedly struck her waist with a wooden board. Yue Xi felt her bones in her waist shatter, and blood soaked her clothes from behind. She coughed up blood and glared fiercely at the Empress in the palace until she lost consciousness.

Yue Xi, barely clinging to life, strained her eyes and looked around. She found herself abandoned in an unmarked grave, waiting for death. As she gazed at the sky, the stars shimmered, seemingly mocking her as if even the heavens were laughing at her. Palace maids were destined for a wretched fate, and all Yue Xi wished for in the next life was peace and to stay far away from the palace. With that thought in mind, Yue Xi closed her eyes, awaiting the arrival of death.

"Poor, pitiful beauty," a voice spoke, causing Yue Xi's curiosity to open her eyes. She saw a woman, but she was far from ordinary, with white ears and a tail, resembling a fox.

"Such a waste of a beautiful appearance, isn't it?" the fox spirit taunted.

"Who... are... you?" Yue Xi asked in a soft voice.

"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is that I need you, and you need me," the fox spirit smiled and said, "I have been observing you. Unexpectedly, the Empress really intends to put an end to your life. By now, you must despise her deeply, right?" She looked at Yue Xi lying in the unmarked grave, her face filled with resentment and hatred. The fox spirit chuckled lightly.

"I can avenge you and return everything you've endured today to her. All I need is your body, and I can exact revenge on your behalf," the fox spirit seductively said.

"I... hate the Empress... I hate them... I want to repay them tenfold..." Yue Xi's eyes filled with resentment and determination. With force, she uttered a few words, indicating her agreement to the deal with the fox spirit.

"Very well, your fate shall change from this moment," the fox spirit said and began to cast a spell, transferring her own soul into Yue Xi's body. Yue Xi's wounds miraculously healed, and her skin became even more fair and delicate. "Yue Xi, from now on, I am you, and you are me," the fox spirit possessing Yue Xi declared.