The Scheming of a Prosperous Age: A Concubine's Story

  This mansion is much larger than what Jiuyin had imagined.

  Nine turns and thirteen bends, passing through countless corridors and courtyards, yet still unable to leave the main gate.

  The maid led her with nine sounds inside, as if walking in a maze, and she once suspected that the woman who had been hijacked was leading her around.

  Especially inside the courtyard, there were guards everywhere. Every time I passed through a gate, I had to wait for the guard to leave before I could pass through. The whole way here, my body and mind are exhausted.

  "How much longer until we can get out?" She was getting a bit impatient, and her grip on his wrist tightened.

  The maid was startled by the sudden pressure of the hairpin on her neck and trembled for a moment, then hastily replied: "There are... there are four... four courtyards."

  She took a deep breath before explaining: "This is the palace of our Wolf Fang Island's Great King, it's...it's really big, I didn't lie to you."

  Jiuyin doesn't speak, but the place where he can entertain that certain Wang Ye is probably not too bad either.

  But she was a bit worried and didn't know if the maid deliberately refused to take her away.

  "If you dare to play any tricks, I'll drag you down with me even if I die!" The five fingers tightened again, and a crimson line reappeared on the opponent's neck.

  The maid was so frightened that she almost screamed out loud, "Don't...don't be reckless, there are only four courtyards."

  "Hurry up!"

  The courtyard and the backyard were crisscrossed, and after passing by the fourth yard that the maid had mentioned, Jiuyin finally saw the tightly closed big gate in the distance.

  Six guards were guarding inside the gate, with such a strict formation, even if she could come to the gate, she couldn't get out.

  "What's your name? Which courtyard are you on duty in?" she asked softly the maid who was almost fainting from pain.

  The maid's eyes rolled around and she replied in a trembling voice: "I... I'm called Xiaorou, serving in the palace of Qing Furen..."

  "Nonsense! They just called you by a different name!" Jiuyin's voice was icy, the hairpin stabbed in and instantly another streak of blood appeared on the maid's neck.

  "My name is Liu Er, I work in the palace of the great king, I didn't lie!"

  "Squat down." Who knows if she was lying or not, just now saying that to scare her, what did those little girls call her?

  Liu'er obediently squatted down, and before she could even open her mouth to speak, a severe pain suddenly came from the back of her neck, so painful that her eyes rolled up and she fainted.

  Jiuyin gently put down the ceramic flower pot he had randomly grabbed, and dragged the unconscious Liu'er into a cluster of flowers.

  After a while, Jiuyin, dressed as a maid, walked slowly towards the gate with heavy steps.

  Before he had even approached, the gate guard's deep voice rang out: "Who goes there?"

  Jiuyin took a deep breath, suddenly lifted her face, which was half covered by her dark hair, and smiled coyly at the nearest guard: "Brother Guard, I'm following Sister Liu's orders to go out and buy some things. Please let me pass."

  While speaking, she moved forward and closer, her slender jade hand reached out, and under the circumstances where others didn't notice, she slipped the already cleaned emerald hairpin into the guard's hand.

  She took a step back, increasing the distance between them, and then said: "The king is entertaining the prince tonight, and Sister Liu is afraid that the girl won't be able to serve properly, so she had me come out to find some good medicine. Brother Guard, please cooperate."

  A faint fragrance wafted over, carried by her bright and cheerful voice like a canary singing in the valley. The guard was slightly intoxicated, smelling that unique scent belonging to women, his heart couldn't help but flutter.

  He straightened his face, cleared his throat and said in a cold voice: "What medicine does the young lady want? I will report to His Majesty, let His Majesty grant it, no need for you to go out and buy it."

  Although it is said that the so-called good medicine is clear to everyone, however, after nightfall, palace maids are not allowed to go out, which is a rule. Can rules be ruined?

  If discovered by the Emperor, privately releasing a palace maid is punishable by death. Can this small green jade hairpin be worth such risk?

  "Brother Ka, Wang Ye... Wang Ye is about to summon the young lady soon, I'm afraid it won't be in time, let alone..." She batted her eyelashes and leaned in closer, her voice taking on a more alluring tone:

  "This kind of thing, if it wasn't for the king's permission, how would Sister Liu dare? Big brother, what do you say?"