Deputy Chief Steward Qian swept her gaze around the room before finally settling on Jiang Mi, who sat by the bed. "You're the girl slapping people here? What do you think you're doing? This is outright rebellion!"
Jiang Mi looked up at her without speaking.
Deputy Chief Steward Qian frowned and was about to reprimand her when Jiang Mi stood and took a step forward. She instinctively raised her hand to block.
As a martial artist at the Houtian Fifth Layer, her reaction speed was naturally beyond that of ordinary people.
Deputy Chief Steward Qian raised her hand very quickly, so quickly that Steward Sun and Chief Steward Liu could not even see it clearly.
But Jiang Mi's hand was faster.
Smack.
A slap landed squarely on Deputy Chief Steward Qian's face.
Fair and impartial, one each, with neither young nor old cheated.
That slap left Deputy Chief Steward Qian stunned, but it also brought her to her senses.
She was a martial artist at the Houtian Fifth Layer. Among the servants of the Marquis's Household, her cultivation was second only to the chief steward's.
Yet just now, she had not even seen how Jiang Mi raised her hand.
This was not a matter of speed, but an overwhelming difference in cultivation realm.
The girl before her, this girl who was certainly not yet twenty, actually had cultivation far above hers!
What tremendous strength was this? No wonder Chief Steward Liu had called her over and said there was no use summoning the guards.
Of course there was no use!
That was the first thought that sprang into Deputy Chief Steward Qian's mind. Her second was to question Jiang Mi's identity. She immediately realized that this was an exceedingly hot potato.
Fine, you're a genius. Even a genius seen only once in a hundred or a thousand years is no problem.
A third thought followed close behind: she had to toss this hot potato away quickly. When the marquis assigned blame, it absolutely must not fall on her.
Deputy Chief Steward Qian held her cheek and drew a deep breath, swallowing all the questions and curses that had risen to her lips.
She raised her head and looked into Jiang Mi's eyes, her expression thoroughly respectful.
Her arrogance was gone, and her lost memory suddenly returned as well. "You wish to see the marquis?"
Jiang Mi nodded, her expression calm.
Deputy Chief Steward Qian immediately unfastened a token from her waist and handed it to Chief Steward Liu, who stood nearby with a peculiar expression. Through somewhat gritted teeth, she said, "Steward Liu, go. Escort this honored guest to the main hall to see the marquis."
With that, she turned and left, her steps so quick she might have been fleeing for her life.
Chief Steward Liu stood rooted to the spot, clutching the token.
This isn't right.
Everyone passes the blame upward. Why is the deputy chief steward tossing the hot potato downward?
No wonder the chief steward always says she doesn't fit in! So this is how she doesn't fit in!
Chief Steward Liu's expression went through a spectacular array of changes. She looked at the token in her hand, then at Jiang Mi, then in the direction Deputy Chief Steward Qian had vanished. Her lips trembled several times, but she could not get a single word out.
Jiang Mi withdrew her gaze and looked at the stupefied Chief Steward Liu. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "What are you standing there for? Lead the way."
"Yes, yes, of course. Please follow me." Before Chief Steward Liu's mind could catch up, her mouth had already spoken, relying on years of professional training.
She felt even worse.
If she had not agreed, things would have been fine. She could simply have shoved the token into Steward Sun's hands and made her take this hot potato to see the marquis.
Now, she had to make the trip whether she wanted to or not.
She could only hope Deputy Chief Steward Qian still had some conscience and had informed the marquis beforehand.
Chief Steward Liu walked ahead, every step unbearably heavy.
This hot potato's cultivation was absurdly high, yet she wore the clothes of the lowest-ranking menial maid in the Marquis's Household. Even if one wanted to follow the rules, it was impossible to know which rules applied.
Jiang Mi, on the other hand, was relaxed, without the slightest nervousness.
As for the marquis, she had seen him a few times. He hardly counted as a stranger anymore.
It was just that she had always met him on her knees in the simulations. Now, at last, she would meet him standing.
She could not call it excitement or nervousness. All Jiang Mi felt was the relief of having finally reached this point.
The corridor was long. The main courtyard of the Marquis's Household lay in the deepest part of the inner residence. To reach it from the rear quarters where the maids lived, they had to pass through three gates, two long corridors, and a garden.
Several crabapple trees grew in the garden. It was their flowering season, and pinkish-white petals covered the ground. When the wind blew, they fluttered into the air like a snowfall.
Jiang Mi's steps paused briefly. Her gaze lingered on the drifting petals for a moment before she continued in the direction Steward Liu indicated.
Once they passed through the garden, the main courtyard lay before them.
The vermilion gates stood open. A plaque hung above them, bearing the words "Jingyuan Hall" in bold, vigorous strokes, written by the emperor himself.
Two young servants stood before the entrance. Both froze for a moment when they saw Steward Liu approaching with a menial maid.
Steward Liu displayed the token and explained the situation.
After announcing their arrival, a young servant stepped aside from the doorway. "The marquis said to invite this young lady inside."
"Please." Chief Steward Liu also gestured for her to enter.
Jiang Mi glanced at her without speaking and stepped over the threshold.
Chief Steward Liu remained where she was, watching Jiang Mi's figure disappear through the doorway. Then she let out a long breath. As though all her strength had been drained, she leaned against the doorframe and nearly slid down it.
The young servant glanced at her, hesitating to speak.
Chief Steward Liu waved a hand, feeling that she no longer even had the strength to talk.
The main hall was enormous, more than ten times the size of the room Jiang Mi lived in.
Dark floor tiles had been polished until they reflected people's figures. A long red sandalwood table stood in the center, holding a teacup and several books. A man sat upright behind it. He had a lean face and a short beard, and wore a slate-blue informal Daoist robe. He still held a volume in his hand.
This was none other than the marquis of Dingbei Marquis Manor.
The marquis raised his head, his casual gaze falling on Jiang Mi.
In his view, what important business could a maid possibly have?
There were hundreds of maids and older serving women in the Marquis's Household, and every day their petty disputes were as numerous as hairs on an ox. If he looked into every one, he would have no time left to be marquis.
But soon, his casual air gave way to puzzlement, then astonishment.
The marquis's gaze rested on Jiang Mi for a few breaths before he suddenly spoke, his tone unexpectedly mild. "How old are you this year?"
Jiang Mi looked at him, something stirring faintly within her.
It was a strange question. Jiang Mi had considered everything he might ask, but never imagined Dingbei Hou would ask her age.
But that was all right. Jiang Mi needed something from him now. Since he had asked, she would simply answer.
"Sixteen."
Jiang Mi told him the truth. Her voice still held the youthful quality unique to her age, fresh and tender as a bamboo shoot newly emerged from the earth in spring.
"Sixteen?"
Dingbei Hou repeated it, his voice filled with surprise.
He set down his book and leaned forward slightly, as though trying to discern some clue on Jiang Mi's face.
Sixteen years old, at the Houtian Ninth Level!
At that age, with that cultivation, she would have been a genius cherished like a priceless treasure by any aristocratic clan in the Capital, or even across the entire Five Nations of the Northern Region!
And now, this genius had appeared in their Great Xia.
This was simply Heaven blessing Great Xia!
As for the many suspicious points surrounding Jiang Mi...
Before you continue