Chapter 8 — Saving the Emperor One Sugar Cube at a Time

I straightened the disarrayed folds of my robe, quickened my pace forward, and dropped respectfully to my knees.

Over the past few days, I have thoroughly investigated your background. You entered the Bureau of Washing Clothes at the age of ten, spent eight grueling years washing garments, and endured countless hardships just to climb step by step to the imperial presence.

You are someone who fiercely clings to life and is excessively greedy for wealth.

His voice carried a trace of exhaustion, yet it was unusually tinged with a few measures of genuine praise.

If not for you risking your life to retrieve that piece of rock sugar this time, the rivers and mountains of the great dynastic realm would truly have fallen into the hands of those treacherous ministers.

I pressed my forehead to the ground in a deep kowtow, making no effort to conceal my worldly and base nature whatsoever.

This humble servant understands nothing of grand national righteousness; I only know that as long as my master remains alive, this humble servant can keep her own head attached to her shoulders.

This servant is terrified of death, and even more obsessed with the meager scraps of silver distributed every single month.

The Empress Dowager was startled into a soft laugh by my brutally honest words:

You silly girl, when faced with life and death you dared to defy all odds, yet now you are so brutally honest without a single ounce of pretense.

Xiao Qiyuan also rarely allowed the corners of his lips to curve upward:

Since that is the case, the throne shall reward you handsomely and grant you a most satisfying bounty.

He sat straight, his voice ringing out clearly as he made the grand proclamation:

Imperial maid Yan Shu has rendered distinguished service in protecting the sovereign.

From this day onward, your servile status is officially erased, and your identity as a free citizen is restored. You are bestowed with a three-courtyard mansion right here within the capital, along with a reward of one thousandliang of pure gold!

You are permitted to leave the palace immediately. From this day forward, the sky is high and the sea is wide, do as you please in absolute freedom!

One thousand liang of gold! A grand three-courtyard residence! And my free status completely restored! My heart hammered wildly against my ribs as I abruptly raised my head. This was an ultimate goal that I had never even dared to dream of in my wildest fantasies.

This humble servant expresses her deepest gratitude for the imperial grace! May the Emperor live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, and ten thousand times ten thousand years!

This head of mine struck the ground with the utmost sincerity, my forehead crashing heavily against the white jade-paved floor and producing a crisp, resounding echo. Three days later. I had changed into a simple, unadorned civilian outfit, standing quietly outside the towering, majestic gates of the imperial palace. In my hands, I tightly clutched the precious deed to the land and a thick stack of bank notes. Turning my head to look back, the overlapping tiers of crimson walls and golden tiled roofs remained as magnificent yet chillingly aloof as ever. That place had buried the unbridled ambitions and lives of countless souls. Xiao Chengyu, Meng Wannian, and Wu Xuezhou—who had all fancied themselves capable of manipulating the entire realm—had ultimately ended up as mere sacrificial pawns trapped within this cage of supreme power. Yet all of those turbulent affairs had ceased to have the slightest bit of connection to me. I tested the weight of the heavy bundle clutched against my chest, listening to the crisp, delightful chiming of gold leaves colliding against one another, and found myself unable to keep the corners of my mouth from curving upward into a radiant smile. I turned around, took a long stride forward, and walked resolutely toward the bustling, vibrant, and prosperous streets of the capital city. Welcoming the brilliant, newly risen rays of the morning sun. Setting forth to embrace my brand-new life of abundant wealth, leisurely idleness, profound peace, and endless joy.