The Little Lucky Maid from the Inner Courtyard—Pampered Mad by Her Childhood Sweetheart, the Young Lord
The Little Lucky Maid from the Inner Courtyard—Pampered Mad by Her Childhood Sweetheart, the Young Lord Chapter 63


Chapter 63: Miss Xu Falls into the Water

Huahua timidly poked out half of its little head, but before it could stretch its body, Xie Yixing pressed it back with one finger.

He had long suspected that Yaoyao was hiding something in her pocket, but he hadn’t exposed her.

With him around, a little snake couldn’t stir up any trouble.

Yaoyao looked up at Xie Yixing with guilty eyes and said softly, “Brother Persimmon, I was wrong.”

That morning, when they were about to leave, Huahua had wrapped itself around her chubby leg, flicking its tongue and complaining that she hadn’t played with it in days. It had been stuck alone in the room, bored out of its mind, using its head to knock against table legs just for fun. If it weren’t for the promise of delicious pastries, it would’ve slithered away and gone home already.

Especially after Yaoyao told it that she was going to a place with even tastier desserts today.

Although Yaoyao had promised to bring some back for it to try, Huahua couldn’t wait~

There were still several hours until nightfall, and it couldn’t go hungry that whole time.

In the end, Yaoyao softened and tucked it into her pocket, sneaking it into the palace with her.

When he heard the little girl admit her mistake, a warm light flickered in Xie Yixing’s eyes.

Yaoyao was skilled at acting cute. Whenever she pouted, her fair cheeks would flush with a soft pink that was especially endearing.

Today, she knew she’d really done something wrong—even Nanny Wu’s face had darkened, her eyes revealing a hint of anxiety.

Her little chubby hands clutched the hem of her clothes, her pale fingertips nervously rubbing the smooth silk threads.

She let out a soft sigh, which landed on Xie Yixing’s heart like a jade bead falling onto a jade plate, ringing with a clear sound.

How could he bear to scold Yaoyao? If anything, he shared some of the blame.

He had known and said nothing.

He had indulged her in bringing Huahua into the palace.

“It’s already done. Just be careful from now on.”

Xie Yixing wrapped her clenched little fist in his palm, offering her a comforting look. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

With the young master speaking up, Nanny Wu didn’t dare say anything more.

She silently prayed that they would get through this palace visit without incident.

The moment the little snake poked its head out and met Xie Yixing’s warning gaze, it shrank back and huddled silently inside the pocket.

It sniffled pitifully—this palace wasn’t nearly as fun as the chubby girl had said.

There wasn’t even enough space for a snake to stretch!

Luckily, the chubby girl had a conscience and secretly slipped pastries into the pocket. Otherwise, a small, hungry snake stuck in this cramped place all day—that was just cruelty to snakes!

Sensing Yaoyao’s gloomy mood, Xie Yixing glanced at another dessert table and planned to take her over to try some new flavors.

Just as he picked her up, he happened to catch a glimpse of three figures ahead.

Their overly showy appearances made him uncomfortable.

He lowered his eyes coldly, ignoring their provocative stares.

Just as he was coaxing Yaoyao into eating some mung bean cake, a shout rang out near the rock garden not far away—

“Something’s wrong! Miss Xu has fallen into the water!”

In the harem’s pond, there were a few rare ornamental koi brought as tribute from the Western Regions. The Emperor had ordered a special waterway to be built connecting to a hot spring, allowing the koi to thrive in warm water—even in winter, the pond did not freeze.

But this also meant the steam from the hot spring created a misty, dreamlike scene.

Xie Yixing was just about to leave the area with Yaoyao when someone blocked his way.

Madam Fang was a senior palace servant who had served the Empress for many years.

While the Empress rested in her chambers, Madam Fang was patrolling the area.

She never expected that, despite all precautions, the first person to meet with an accident would be the Empress’s own niece.

Upon hearing that Xu Sanning had fallen into the water, the Empress didn’t even bother putting on her headdress. She simply threw on an outer robe and rushed to the side hall.

Xu Sanning had already been rescued, and the imperial physician arrived in time.

There was no danger to her life, but she was badly frightened.

When the Empress saw Xu Sanning’s pale little face, her own expression darkened immediately.

Someone had dared to harm her niece—in the Empress’s own territory, the inner palace!

Even though the palace maid who rescued her claimed that Xu Sanning was alone at the time, that didn’t mean she had simply fallen by accident.

The Empress had watched Xu Sanning grow up and knew her temperament well. She was always careful and cautious—there was no way she would have been so careless.

“Investigate!”

The moment the Empress spoke in anger, everyone in the room stared at her belly.

Right now, the imperial heir was the most important matter. If the Empress’s anger affected her pregnancy, whether or not Xu Sanning had fallen accidentally, the matter would blow up.

That’s why Madam Fang had already sent people to seal off the area. Whether it was the young ladies chatting nearby, the young masters playing games, or even the eunuchs and maids, no one was allowed to leave.

In just the blink of an eye, the young master had carried Yaoyao over to another side to eat pastries, so Nanny Wu was separated from them.

Ironically, the side where Nanny Wu had been standing was actually the safe zone. From there, she could clearly see the sealed area opposite.

She had intended to follow her young master, but was stopped by Madam Fang.

“The Empress commands that the truth must be uncovered. Until we get to the bottom of this, we ask that all households cooperate!”

Although Madam Fang only told them to remain in place, the sudden turn of events frightened many.

Xie Yixing held Yaoyao tightly in his arms, his eyes sharp as he scanned the surroundings.

The imperial palace was a foreign place to him—and the people nearby were all strangers.

Xie Yixing disliked dealing with strangers. From the moment he entered the palace, he had ignored everyone, keeping them out of his sight.

Yaoyao didn’t understand why they were being told to stay put. Had something happened?

Luckily, she still had Xie Yixing by her side.

As long as she had her Brother Persimmon and delicious pastries, she didn’t mind waiting a bit longer.

Meanwhile, the Empress anxiously waited in the side hall for her niece to wake up. She hadn’t imagined that what was meant to be a cheerful winter feast would end up like this.

If anything really happened to her niece, even if her maiden family didn’t demand answers, she herself wouldn’t be able to forgive it.

The Emperor arrived soon after, not even having changed clothes.

He had been stuck since morning with Duke Xu in the Hall of Mental Cultivation discussing disaster relief in the south. Only when the eunuch came to report that the Empress’s niece had fallen into the water did he breathe a sigh of relief—and used the excuse of checking on the Empress to escape Duke Xu’s relentless grip.

When Duke Xu heard that his granddaughter had fallen into the water, he too was anxious.

But as a male relative, he wasn’t allowed to enter the inner palace, so he simply stayed in the Hall of Mental Cultivation waiting for news.

The Empress hadn’t expected the matter to reach the Emperor’s ears and appeared slightly flustered.

“Your Majesty, this was due to my negligence. I didn’t manage things properly, and that’s how this happened.”

Back when the Emperor had favored Noble Consort Wei exclusively, even if the Empress remained silent, he would still find fault with her.

But ever since New Year’s Eve, his attitude toward both women had flipped completely.

Not only had he repeatedly rejected Noble Consort Wei’s advances, but since that night, he had come to dine with the Empress every day and even took the initiative to care about her health.

This had left the Empress both surprised and touched.

She had been married to the Emperor for over a decade and had never seen him act so gently.

She had even privately suspected that the Emperor had an ulterior motive. After all, how could someone change so drastically in such a short time?

Miumi[Translator]

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