An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

The released servants fled in panic like frightened birds. A woman in brown shorts nearly knocked over a bronze palace lantern. As she pushed through the crowd, the copper bracelet on her wrist scratched a red mark on the little maid's arm.

"The maidservants in light clothes at the back go ahead!" With this order, the remaining half of the people in the room separated into two waves like a tide.

Jing Chunxi took the opportunity to slip into the group of people in dark dresses and took a half step back. Only two maids followed her.

A long-faced maid stood in front, the green hairpins on her temples gleaming coldly in the firelight.

"Sister..." Jing Chunxi just started to speak timidly, and the maid turned her face away in disgust, and the rice beads on her earrings shone like arcs: "Who is your sister? Bad luck!"

The guards shouted as if they were driving cattle.

When a row of maids wearing willow-colored vests passed the inspection, the leading guard suddenly stopped the team with his sword drawn: "Stop! It's your turn!"

Their line moved forward slowly.

"Follow the group! Look straight ahead, don't look around!" another guard shouted, slamming the red-tasseled spear into the ground with a frightening thud. One or two of the maids immediately shrank back, huddling together like frightened quails, and slowing their pace.

"If you delay any longer, I'll throw you all into the Ministry of Justice's prison!" the leading guard suddenly roared, the sword at his waist clashing with his armor, making a sharp metallic scraping sound. His hawk-like gaze swept over the crowd, and several timid maids were already tearing up with fear.

Jing Chunxi walked forward with her back straight, the green cloth ribbons on her buns swaying gently in the wind. As she passed four burly guards, she could even smell the lingering scent of blood on their armor.

She calmly adjusted her breathing, her slender neck held straight, the hairpin in her hair gleaming subtly under the palace lantern. She walked forward calmly, her skirt untangled, as if she were simply strolling through the palace.

"Pass." The guard on the far right uttered a word in a rough voice, but his eyes under his thick eyebrows were still scanning her suspiciously.

Jing Chunxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and was about to quicken his pace when he suddenly heard Ling'er calling out in surprise from the side: "Sister Xi! Over here!" The little girl stood on tiptoe and waved desperately, afraid that he couldn't see her.

The guard on the far right suddenly let out an "eh" and the tip of his knife lifted up a strand of her hair.

"Sister Xi!" Ling'er was startled by this sudden incident. Her surprised voice suddenly turned into crying, and the call pierced the stagnant air.

The little girl broke free from her mother's hand and rushed forward. Her pearl-embroidered shoes were almost caught on her skirt, and she was pulled back by her mother.

"Turn around!" A loud shout sounded like thunder.

"Stop!" Another voice sounded at the same time, and it was obvious from the voice that it came from a different guard.

This was recognition. Jing Chunxi's embroidered shoes barely lifted up, then froze in mid-air. She felt a layer of cold sweat instantly break out on her back, but she forced herself to maintain a stiff posture.

"Are you deaf? Turn around!" The voice came closer, sharp as a knife. Jing Chunxi felt his hair stand on end. He deliberately delayed for a moment before slowly turning around.

Her slender fingers trembled slightly as she pointed at herself, and her eyelashes cast an uneasy shadow on her pale cheeks: "Master...Master, are you calling me?" Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's whisper, with just the right amount of panic trembling.

"This is my personal maid!"

Ling'er suddenly broke free from her mother's hand and rushed forward like a frightened deer, the jade pendant on her waist jingling loudly.

Her almond-shaped eyes opened wide, and her pink fingertips pointed directly at the captain of the guards: "Just try and touch her if you dare!" Before she could finish her words, she was pulled back by the Princess of Hong County, and the gilded armor left several red marks on her wrists.

Princess Hong protected her daughter behind her, her eyes slightly narrowed, and her voice, though soft, carried unquestionable majesty: "This is a servant born in Prince Jing's mansion. She is still young, how could she be an assassin?" The nine-phoenix hairpin holding a pearl in her hair did not move at all, showing the majesty of the royal family.

The young guard closest to Jing Chunxi loosened his grip on his sword upon hearing this, his shoulders noticeably relaxing beneath his armor. Jing Chunxi wanted to take the opportunity to withdraw from the group, but a look from the captain of the guards held him in place.

The guard's eyes were as sharp as lightning, and his thumb stroked the rope around the hilt of the sword: "Princess, please understand, this is a matter concerning Your Majesty..." He paused deliberately, and the unusual jade pendant on his waist shone coldly in the firelight.

"The body shape is similar..." the square-faced guard in the middle muttered, scratching his beard, his eyes as big as copper bells scanning Jing Chunxi back and forth, "but this dress..."

He suddenly reached out and tugged at Jing Chunxi's double buns. His rough fingers scratched her scalp painfully. Jing Chunxi took a step back in pain but did not dare to say a word.

"Take off your shoes!" the guard captain suddenly shouted, startling Jing Chunxi so much she shuddered. She pretended to be panicked and squatted down, but as she bent over, she accidentally fell to the ground, her skirt spreading like a messy flower on the blue bricks. With trembling hands, she handed over two embroidered shoes, the uppers still caked with dust from her fall.

The captain of the guards snatched the shoe away, digging his rough fingers into the sole. Jing Chunxi lowered his head, and could clearly hear his own pounding heartbeat.

Although the embroidered shoes were new, she had deliberately rubbed them to leave scratches on the soles. When she walked all the way from Jingyang Palace, she deliberately increased her footsteps and kept rubbing them on the bluestone slabs to ensure that there were no signs of wear.

"These shoes..." The captain of the guards narrowed his eyes and suddenly threw his shoes to the ground. One shoe hit the base of the palace wall, kicking up a cloud of dust; the other rolled directly to Ling'er's feet, frightening the little girl and making her jump back.

"Your servant..." Jing Chunxi hunched her shoulders, her voice as soft as a mosquito's. She deliberately let her teeth chatter slightly, causing the hairpin in her hair to sway slightly. To anyone who saw her like this, she would be seen as just an ignorant little girl.

"Tell me! Where else have you been?" The Embroidered Spring Blade was unsheathed with a clang. The bright light made Jing Chunxi's face pale. She stumbled back, her back hitting the palace wall hard. The pain made her eyes instantly red.

"We were together..." Ling'er was so anxious that she wanted to rush forward, but her mother held her back firmly. Jing Chunxi seemed to suddenly remember something, twisting her fingers around her belt and stammering, "I went to the toilet and rested my feet under the corridor..."

At this time, she didn't dare to pull Ling'er down, and would rather pass it over vaguely.

"Who can testify?" The captain of the guards swung his sword, pointing it directly at the two remaining maids at the back. The two little girls in brown bodices immediately huddled together, shaking like frightened quails.

"Your humble servant is willing to bear witness." A clear female voice sounded like pearls falling on a jade plate. The crowd parted automatically, revealing a girl of fourteen or fifteen years old wearing an apricot-red silk dress.

"When I was going to the toilet, I happened to run into them. At the time, I thought, I wonder what family's maids and young ladies are the same age? I guess it's hard for them to serve their masters wholeheartedly. That's why I remember them so clearly."