Framing, the Empress’s Poisonous Scheme

Luckily, before Jada Tang and Mira Tang came in to serve her, Serena Feng slipped back into her room, took off her dirty clothes, messed up the bedding, and used the leftover water from yesterday to quickly wipe herself down. She changed into a clean outfit, and as for the bloody clothes...

Serena frowned, missing Evan Zhou dearly... Back when Evan was around, he would quietly take care of her blood-stained clothes without her needing to say a word, and never asked any questions. But Jada Tang and Mira Tang weren't the same. These two...

They wouldn't ask, but they'd think about it, maybe even investigate what she had done. Sigh, in the end, she couldn't fully trust those two. Serena wrapped up the clothes and shoved them under the bed, planning to toss them in the stove to burn later that night.

When Jada Tang and Mira Tang came in to serve, they were startled to see Serena Feng looking haggard, her eyes bloodshot. "Miss, what happened to you?" She looked like she hadn't slept all night. The two maids grew suspicious, glancing around the room with the corners of their eyes, but found nothing out of the ordinary.

"Just had nightmares all night, couldn't sleep well." After staying up all night, Serena's voice was inevitably hoarse. She drank a cup of water to soothe her throat before speaking.

Jada Tang and Mira Tang wanted to say more, but seeing Serena Feng's clear reluctance to talk, they obediently fell silent. Jada helped Serena wash up, while Mira went to tidy the bedding.

When Mira's hand touched the ice-cold bedding, she froze. Turning to glance at Serena, who was busy washing up, she made sure Serena hadn't noticed anything unusual. Mira took a deep breath and continued tidying as if nothing had happened, but a faint sense of grievance flickered in her heart.

Miss doesn't trust them.

Serena Feng hadn't even finished her breakfast when the Empress's reward arrived: not too much, not too little—a fine zither, a Go manual, a wolf-hair calligraphy brush, a stack of imperial rice paper and painting paper, a riding outfit, and a whip.

Six items, all laid out on the table.

Serena Feng could only think—the Empress really was stingy. These six items together weren't worth half as much as the calligraphy masterpiece the Crown Prince gave her. Was the Empress not even bothering to keep up appearances?

"Miss?" Jada Tang and Mira Tang saw Serena Feng staring at the imperial gifts in a daze and reminded her softly.

"Just put them away." Serena Feng waved her hand indifferently. She didn't care whether the Empress gave her much or little; what mattered was that the Empress had shown her attitude.

"Yes, Miss." Jada Tang and Mira Tang quietly stepped forward, even more cautious than usual. Serena gave a small laugh—these two were probably still upset with her, upset that she hadn't told them about her contest with Wendy Summers in advance.

Truthfully, she really had just forgotten to mention the contest to them—it wasn't intentional secrecy at all.

So those two maids only learned about her contest with Wendy Summers from outsiders. Serena understood how they felt, but that was as far as it went—she would still do what she needed to do.

It wasn't just Jada Tang and Mira Tang—even if it were her friends or family, there were things she had to keep secret. Everyone has their own secrets, and what makes a secret a secret is that only you know it.

She had no interest in sharing her secrets, nor in prying into others'. She was a simple person, and all she wanted was a simple life.

Serena Feng had rushed back to the city just to make sure she was present when the Empress's reward arrived. Now that she'd received it, she was free to rest. After giving Jada Tang and Mira Tang a few instructions, she shut her door and went straight to sleep.

Last night, she was truly exhausted. If it had only been surgery, it would have been fine, but she’d also gotten into a fight beforehand; now every muscle in her body ached, and she was dead tired.

Serena Feng fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed. Jada Tang and Mira Tang were now certain Serena had gone out last night. The two maids exchanged a glance, seeing bitterness and hurt in each other's eyes, which finally turned into a quiet sigh...

If their mistress didn’t want them to know something, they couldn’t ask.

The Empress elegantly tended the incense in her burner, a rare smile in her eyes. "Is everything taken care of?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, everything is ready. Miss Feng accepted the zither." The senior nanny, about forty years old, stood three steps away from the Empress. Hearing the Empress’s question, she stepped forward respectfully to reply.

"Good, as long as she’s taken it. This time, I want to make sure Serena Feng and the Crown Prince never recover politically." The Empress tossed the incense stick aside and clapped her hands. The nanny immediately offered a clean, warm towel for the Empress to wipe her hands.

The Empress’s way of wiping her hands was very similar to Serena Feng’s—both carefully wiped each finger back and forth. The difference was, the Empress did it with far more grace.

Serena Feng wiped her hands purely for practicality, with no sense of beauty. The Empress, on the other hand, was so delicate it was like tending a flower. Her slightly raised pinky had a seductive flair—almost forty, yet she radiated the allure of a woman in her thirties, mature and captivating.

Unfortunately, there were too many young beauties in the palace. Except for the first and fifteenth of each month, the Emperor rarely visited the Empress.

"Don’t worry, Your Majesty. That zither was personally modified by Wyatt Mo, a direct disciple of the Mo Artificer Guild. No one will notice anything wrong. When the time comes, just find a chance to knock it to the ground—the hidden items will fall out." The nanny’s face bloomed with a smile, but it was the kind that made people uneasy.

The Empress nodded in satisfaction. "Arrange everything carefully. I won’t allow any mistakes. Understood?"

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I’ll handle everything perfectly and won’t let you down." The nanny was about to flatter the Empress further when a eunuch announced Princess Serenity’s arrival.

"Mother, Mother, you must stand up for me! That Serena Feng is just too hateful—making up some gambling scheme and pretending it's all for the country and the people. She’s shameless!" Princess Serenity’s voice rang out before she even entered, clearly furious.

Serena Feng, an orphaned girl, had bested her again and again. Now she was waving the banner of helping the court and saving the poor—wasn’t this a direct challenge to the princess herself?

Helping the court and saving the poor—those were things a princess should do. Who did Serena Feng think she was, stealing the spotlight?

Just thinking about the gossip in the imperial city made Princess Serenity tear up with frustration.

The young nobles in the capital were practically pointing at her, saying Princess Serenity only knew luxury and didn’t care about commoners, that she wasn’t even half as capable as Serena Feng.

The Empress shot a look at the nanny, who respectfully withdrew. She knew that as long as she handled this matter well, the Empress would reward her richly.

As long as it worked, the Crown Prince and Serena Feng would be guilty of plotting against the Emperor—a capital crime. Even if Ninth Royal Uncle intervened, he wouldn’t be able to save them...

"What’s wrong, my child?" The Empress came forward and embraced Princess Serenity, her face full of concern.

"Mother..."