Several eunuchs stepped forward and, amid the young palace maid's shrieks, stripped her almost naked, leaving only a tablecloth wrapped around her.
After inspecting the items, Eunuch Wang, the Empress Dowager's personal attendant, nodded to her.
He also presented the silver bracelet for her inspection.
"Hmph. Mingzhi-is that someone's courtesy name? A mere palace maid, carrying so many valuables, each engraved with a different name. I had no idea there were so many hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the palace."
The young palace maid's head rang with a clang. Dazed, she could find no excuse to defend herself.
She had worn everything to show off, never imagining they would become her death warrant.
"Mother, this palace maid's illicit conduct certainly disgraced the imperial family. But this young eunuch is strange as well. Why did he rush in and insist that the offender was the wife of the Marquis of Zhennan?"
"Indeed, there is scarcely any light here. Even we, who know the marquis's wife well, could not make her out. Who knows how many times this eunuch has even seen her? Yet he was so certain the woman involved was the marquis's wife. I truly cannot understand it!"
After Madam Yu finished, Madam Lin added, "Could it be that this young eunuch has excellent eyesight and can make out faces in the dark?"
"Then he should have known exactly who was inside. How could he have mistaken her for my daughter?"
Chu Xin'er murmured, "Perhaps someone told him. That's possible too."
The young eunuch's eyes bulged like bronze bells. With his mouth gagged, saliva kept spilling out.
Jiang Shuyue: [That eunuch was bought off too? By whom? With all that silver, wouldn't it be better to just give it to me?]
Huahua: *[Don't get worked up. He didn't take