NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14: What Do You Want?
Chapter 14: What Do You Want?
Qiao Nian felt very reluctant, standing in the courtyard of Noble Consort De’s palace chambers. Her heart was uneasy.
Although she had spent three years in the laundry bureau, she had never been here before. Yet, she felt the atmosphere was similar to the laundry bureau, filled with a suffocating sense of unease.
She feared that, like three years ago, she might come here and never leave.
She didn’t know how long she had been standing there, only that her toes felt numb from the cold, before someone came to summon her to see the Noble Consort.
As the door opened, a wave of warmth hit her face, making her nose tingle.
She sniffled, and before entering the room, she heard Noble Consort De’s voice, “I’ve looked at the clothes. They’re indeed washed very well.”
Only then did Qiao Nian see the person. She quickly knelt and bowed, “This slave greets Noble Consort.”
She had grown accustomed to being a slave in the laundry bureau. Even though she had been brought back to the Marquis’s mansion, she still instinctively referred to herself as “slave” when facing nobles.
Noble Consort De paused, then seemed to recall something and chuckled, shaking her head, “You’re indeed just as your mother described.”
Qiao Nian thought that the “mother” Noble Consort De referred to must be Madam Lin.
She remained silent, looking down at her knees, but she sensed Noble Consort De dismissing the others in the room.
The door closed, and the warmth of the room enveloped her.
It didn’t feel particularly comfortable; rather, it made her increasingly uneasy.
Then, a pair of fair, jade-like hands appeared before her eyes. “Come,” said Noble Consort De, her voice unnaturally gentle.
Qiao Nian felt uncertain but still reached out her hand.
Noble Consort De helped her up, her gaze falling on Qiao Nian’s hands covered in chilblains. She sighed softly, “Did you feel wronged when I asked you to wash clothes yesterday?”
The concern in her voice was obvious. Qiao Nian frowned slightly, then shook her head.
This small grievance was nothing compared to those three years.
Noble Consort De led Qiao Nian to sit down nearby, then continued, “Don’t blame me. You surely know who ordered those palace maids to bully you before. Your brother was too impulsive. If I didn’t do something, the Empress would surely not let the Marquis’s household off.”
Qiao Nian understood, of course.
The Marquis’s household’s status was no longer what it used to be. Their life or death depended on a single word from the nobles.
Otherwise, how could the eldest daughter of the prestigious Marquis’s household be punished to work as a slave in the laundry bureau for three years over a glass bowl?
All of this was just the Emperor’s way of putting the Marquis’s household in its place.
And she, a mere ant, how could she resist?
“I know you’ve been wronged,” Noble Consort De spoke softly, as if trying to melt Qiao Nian’s frozen heart with a touch of tenderness.
But Qiao Nian kept her eyes lowered and remained silent. Though she appeared calm and gentle, she was completely impenetrable.
If she had truly broken the glass bowl three years ago, then even a lifetime as a slave would have been deserved.
But it wasn’t her.
So, what use was it to acknowledge her grievances?
Noble Consort De finally sighed, “How about this? Consider yesterday’s clothes washing as a favor I owe you. In the future, if there’s anything you want, feel free to ask me.”
It was only at this moment that Qiao Nian showed a reaction.
She knew that Noble Consort De had no obligation to say such things to her.
Perhaps because she had watched Qiao Nian grow up, Noble Consort De still harbored a trace of pity.
Qiao Nian thought for a moment before speaking, “There’s a palace maid named Liu Niang in the laundry bureau. Could Your Highness transfer her to serve you? Even as a cleaning maid would be fine.”
Noble Consort De hadn’t expected Qiao Nian to use the favor she had deliberately offered for someone else, let alone a mere palace maid.
She frowned, “Are you close to this maid?”
Qiao Nian shook her head, “No one in the laundry bureau dared to be close to me. It’s just that Liu Niang has a weak personality. In my three years there, she never bullied me. I fear others might bully her after I’m gone.”
She hoped that what she had endured would be suffered by her alone.
Seeing Qiao Nian’s quiet yet incredibly resilient demeanor, Noble Consort De felt moved. She nodded, “Alright, I’ll have someone transfer Liu Niang here shortly.”
“Thank you, Noble Consort,” Qiao Nian stood up and bowed properly.
Noble Consort De suddenly felt a pang of sympathy. She stood up as well and asked gently, “What about you? Don’t you want anything for yourself?”
Didn’t she want to ask for something to compensate for those three years of undeserved suffering?
Qiao Nian was grateful for Noble Consort De’s pity. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly in a smile.
It was one of the few smiles she had given in the past three years.
“In the future, this slave only wishes to stay by Grandmother’s side. I don’t want anything else.”
With these words, she silenced all the words Noble Consort De had been prepared to say.
Even after seeing Qiao Nian off, Noble Consort De’s heart still ached.
A senior palace maid draped a cloak over her shoulders. Watching Qiao Nian’s retreating figure, she couldn’t help but comment, “Young Miss Lin seems much more calm and composed than in previous years.”
“Indeed…” Noble Consort De finally sighed, her heart aching slightly.
What kind of hell on earth had she experienced to change from the vibrant, outgoing person she once was to how she is now?
Leaving Noble Consort De’s chambers, Qiao Nian followed the guiding palace maid towards the palace exit.
She walked quickly, almost pushing the maid ahead.
But she couldn’t be blamed. She was truly terrified of this place surrounded by high walls on all sides.
She feared that if she walked too slowly, she would again be found reasons to be kept here for another three years.
But haste makes waste.
Qiao Nian suddenly stumbled, her whole body falling to the side.
However, the expected pain didn’t come. Instead, a familiar yet strange scent entered her nostrils.
“This slave greets General Xiao!”
The guiding palace maid had already knelt in greeting. Qiao Nian finally reacted, quickly retreating from Xiao Heng’s embrace and bowing, “Greetings to General Xiao.”
Xiao Heng’s expression was cold. The sudden emptiness in his arms seemed to make him uncomfortable. He clasped his hands behind his back and glanced down at Qiao Nian’s ankle before speaking, “Is Miss Qiao’s foot injury not yet healed?”
It was the third day already. The medicines from Medicine Valley were always excellent.
Thinking of this, Xiao Heng frowned. It seemed she hadn’t used the medicinal wine.
What about the ointment he had sent?
His gaze unconsciously flicked to Qiao Nian’s arm. Her long sleeves covered even her hands, let alone the injury on her arm.
Qiao Nian hadn’t expected to encounter Xiao Heng here, much less for him to ask about these things.
He had never cared about her before.
As such, she didn’t answer him.
In fact, she felt that given their current status, she shouldn’t say a word more than necessary.
But Xiao Heng clearly didn’t know what Qiao Nian was thinking. He glanced coldly at the kneeling palace maid and said in a cool voice, “You may go about your business. I will escort Miss Qiao back to the mansion.”