After the maidservants left. Ren signaled for Yen to follow. Sure, enough is was Consort Gina palace
When Ren knocked on the door, a quiet voice answered with a curt
"Come in."
When they walked inside, there was a red-haired beauty lovingly holding a baby wrapped in a soft blanket. The baby had a rosy face. She had her mother's pale skin. They heard the cute sounds of her sleeping, her lips slightly parted. She was the very picture of health.
"I have arrived with the person," Ren said.
"Thank you for the hard work you have done." Consort Gina gave her yet a different warm smile to the one she gave Ren and lowered her head at her.
Yen widened her eyes in surprise. "I can't receive this type of treatment from someone who outranks me," she stated, choosing polite words.
"No. My gratitude goes beyond that. You are my baby's benefactor."
"This must be some kind of mistake. Surely you got the wrong person." Yen said calmly. Even if she said it politely, there was no difference in the fact that she denied it. She didn't want attention she also didn't want to get entangled in this incident. Ren noticed that Consort Gina was making a slightly tired face, shook the piece of cloth to her.
"Did you know that this is the cloth used for the work clothes of maids?" he said
"Now that you mention it, it looks similar." Yen decided to play dumb, thinking maybe just maybe she'll get out of this. Although she knew in her heart, it was futile
"Indeed. These are used by maidservants that work for clothes duty."
Palace officials amazing into six duties. Those in charge of clothes wore working clothes Yen, who oversaw washing duty, was placed into there. Ren lifted her unbleached skirt was the same color as the cloth Ren was holding. Which showed the interior of her dress had a section that was hidden by pleats. If you examine it, you will find a strange seam. In short, the evidence was there. She was somewhat shocked that Ren had acted so rudely in front of a royal consort.
Yen signed and giving up "So, what now?"
The Next day Yen belonging where moved as she now became a maid of the Emperor's Favored Consort.
Her rank had risen from the bottom of the pyramid structure to somewhere in the middle. According to what she was told, her wages had also increased exponentially, and she was provided a narrow room, not the worker's office she had up until recently. Her sleeping quarters had upgraded from a straw woven mat and a sheet to a bed. The room was with enough to fit two beds. She was happy that she no longer had to avoid stepping on her roommates when she woke up in the morning.
The Jade Palace, where Consort Gina resided, had four other maids aside from Yen. As the imperial princess was beginning to eat baby food, there hadn't been a need to employ a new wet nurse.
Compared to Consort Jie who had more than ten people with her, it was quite a small number. Seeing as Yen had suddenly moved up the ranks from being the lowest class maidservant to a co-worker, she saw looks of disapproval from the maids, but there wasn't any of the harassment she had honestly been expecting. Instead, what she saw had been looks of sympathy.
She understood when she was before imperial court dishes made with lots of medicinal herbs.
One after another, Consort Gina's head maid, Hong placed small plates with portions of the side dishes before Yen. Consort Gina looked on apologetically but made no sign of stopping it. The remaining three maids looked at her piteously, a food taster. Everyone became nervous because of the incident with the crown prince. It was because of the circulating rumors about the imperial princess' illness and where the poison had been slipped in. No doubt the maids, not knowing where the poison came from, were fearful. From that, it wasn't strange that they would send in maids with a specialty in poison tasting as disposable pieces.
It wasn't just Consort Gina. It also included the Imperial Princess's food and the Emperor's nourishment dishes when he visits. It appears that poison had been served twice when Consort Gina's pregnancy was known. One had been light; the other had paralyzed the limbs and damaged the nerves. The maids, who had been nervously acting as food tasters up until now, were honestly grateful towards her. Yen frowned as she looked at the plates. They were made from clay.
Yen picked up the chopsticks immediately and consumed some food. Even it was poisoned, it wouldn't kill her. When there were no changes to Yen's body, and she affirmed that there was no poison with her own knowledge, Consort Gina finally started to eat as she went to test the bland baby food.
"I believe it would be better to replace the plates to those made of silver." Without putting any feeling to it, Yen told that to her Boss, Hong. She had been summoned to Hong's room to report on today's actions. It was a spacious room lacking in gorgeous ornaments, which bespoke of her practical personality.
"It's just as Ren-sama said," Hong confessed with an amazed face that they didn't use silver tableware on purpose. Because Ren had instructed them to, it was likely that he was also the one who had ordered Yen to be a food taster. Yen listened to Hong with a cold expression, fighting back her bad mood. "I don't know why you hid your knowledge and skills on poison and medicine. Even if you just said you could write, you would have been paid more," Hong said.
"It's because I lived as a traveling doctor even though I have been kidnapped and taken away, then sold to become a maidservant like many here.
Hong and Yen had a short talk afterward before Yen bowed and left the room