"Noble Consort, is this really okay?"
Yun Zhi looked at Mingshu with a nervous expression, seeming even more scared than she was.
Mingshu's demeanor was very calm, "Do you truly wish to sleep here for the night?"
"But..." Yun Zhi bit her lip, hesitating to speak further.
"Scared of what?" Mingshu winked at her, a cunning glint in her eye, "Rest assured, I do not undertake matters I am not confident about."
Yun Zhi clenched her teeth and ventured cautiously, "Then, should this servant leave?"
"Go on then, go on," Mingshu waved her hand impatiently.
Seeing her act as though nothing was amiss, Yun Zhi became even more anxious and, with a dejected pout, collected herself and turned to leave the Buddhist Hall.
The palace maid standing at the door just glanced at her but didn't stop her.
Their task was to watch the one inside.
Catching a glimpse of Mingshu kneeling erect once more, the two whispered something to each other and didn't interfere any further.
—
The sun set in the west until the last trace of daylight also dimmed.
The moon emerged from the clouds, and the dew grew heavy.
Outside the Buddhist Hall.
The two palace maids, having stood there all day, were hardly spirited by this point, yawning repeatedly and began to grumble quietly.
"How long do we have to stand here?"
"Who knows? Sister Li ordered us to keep a close watch, and I thought this was an easy job, but now I regret it to my guts!"
"Indeed, we must've had terrible luck in our past lives to get assigned to watch over..."
Just then, one palace maid furrowed her brows and stared at her companion in confusion, "What's the matter with you?"
Noticing her partner's gaze kept drifting behind her, the maid, though normally slow to react, realized what was happening and stiffened before slowly turning around. She found herself looking directly into Mingshu's eyes, not knowing how long the latter had been standing there.
Caught gossiping, the maid's face grew sheepish.
In contrast, the other palace maid frowned and stared at Mingshu, "Noble Consort, how come you're out?"
Mingshu slowly smoothed out the wrinkles on her skirt, curving her lips into a benign smile, "Oh, I noticed that the two of you have also been watching over me all day long, and must be quite exhausted by now."
She blinked, her tone sincere, "I'm ashamed to say, praying for the Empress Dowager is a matter for me alone, yet it has caused the two of you to suffer alongside me. I truly feel regrettable about it. Why don't you both go back to rest? It's late in the Shichen."
The two palace maids stared at her, bewildered, with a hint of wariness in their eyes.
The taller-faced maid, who had just questioned Mingshu, replied with a forced smile, "What are you saying, Noble Consort? This is our duty."
They had been instructed by the Empress Dowager to keep an eye on the Noble Consort. If she were to run away in the night, what would they have to show for it?
It seemed as if Mingshu saw right through their concerns, smiling gently, "You can rest assured, I will not sneak out in the middle of the night. If you are really worried, you may lock this door. Surely I won't grow wings and fly out, will I?"
The shorter maid's eyes lit up, but the taller-faced one frowned, tempted but hesitant, "This... this is against the rules."
After all, the other person was the Noble Consort. Although they had received verbal orders from the Empress Dowager to give her a hard time, they didn't dare go too far.
If the Emperor were to hold them accountable later on...
Mingshu's smile was full of charm, her voice soft, "Don't worry, this place is secluded with few passersby. If I don't speak of it and you don't either, is there likely to be a fourth person who might find out?"
As she spoke, she suddenly winked, lowering her voice to complain, "The evening meal really doesn't satisfy the hunger, and I would like to indulge in a little late-night snack. Could you two young ladies possibly do me a favor?"