The Real Drama Is Yet to Come

She knew all about the little dramas among the maids in the household.

Kevin Zhuo furrowed his brow.

The Empress Dowager had two daughters. The elder one had passed away, leaving only Princess Xinyao, whom she cherished like her own heart.

If a playboy gets a maid pregnant before marriage, there's no way she'd let the princess marry into that mess.

But Grace Wan was shrewd. After a brief look of surprise, she smiled at the Empress Dowager and said, "Sierra just got married not long ago, and she's already pregnant—discovered right at your birthday banquet, no less! What luck!"

She couldn't just blurt out, "How did this girl get pregnant before even getting married?"

After all, she's from the Prime Minister's household—saying that would only embarrass them.

The Empress Dowager nodded with a gentle smile.

Even if she was just a maid, it was still a good omen.

Sierra quickly woke up, half genuinely and half pretending, startled enough to roll over and kneel on the ground, trembling all over, not daring to utter a single word.

"M-my name is Sierra," she answered.

"Don't cry," Grace said sympathetically. "We all know your child is Kevin Zhuo's."

"How come you didn't even know you were pregnant?"

"Replying to Your Majesty, I did know. I just wanted to come to the palace and soak up some of your good fortune, so I didn't tell Second Madam or Miss—just tagged along. I didn't expect to be in such a rush this morning, skipped breakfast, got hungry, and fainted! Please forgive me, Your Majesty!" Sierra said.

Now that Sierra had received the Empress Dowager's Blessing Pouch, Wan Xue Nong probably wouldn't dare try to harm her so easily.

With a wave of her hand, the Empress Dowager's maid brought over a bowl of porridge for Sierra.

"Don't cry," Grace said sympathetically. "We all know your child is Kevin Zhuo's."

The maid then handed her a Blessing Pouch. "This is a gift from Her Majesty. Hurry and thank her!"

Sierra, moved to tears, kowtowed three times to the Empress Dowager, accepted the Blessing Pouch with both hands, carefully tucked it into her bosom, then took the porridge and left.

Grace hadn't said a word the whole time.

Now that Sierra had received the Empress Dowager's Blessing Pouch, Grace Wan probably wouldn't dare try to harm her so easily.

After all, if something happened after receiving the Empress Dowager's Blessing Pouch, it would be seriously bad luck.

The Empress Dowager would definitely be displeased if she found out.

Once they're back at the estate, Grace Wan will probably secretly find a manservant and marry Sierra off, just to cover up the lie she told the Empress Dowager.

......

But the real drama is still to come!

Who told Grace she spent two or three years as the Imperial Noble Consort in the palace?

She knew this palace—and everyone in it—like the back of her hand.

At the Empress Dowager's birthday, people lined up to offer her toasts.

The Empress Dowager was a Spirit Practitioner, so drinking a few glasses was nothing for her—she could handle one cup after another without ever getting drunk.

But after a few drinks, trips to the bathroom become inevitable.

When the Empress Dowager got up to use the restroom, Grace quietly followed.

On the way there, they passed through a flower-lined corridor.

It was a beautifully crafted redwood corridor, adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, with climbing flowers on both sides—absolutely gorgeous.

As the Empress Dowager returned from the restroom and walked through the corridor, she heard Sierra crying on the other side of the vine-covered wall: "...Miss, you know the child in my belly is the Second Young Master's! If you don't believe me, once the baby is born, we can use a Bloodline Stone to prove it!"

The Bloodline Stone is a mystical stone used to verify blood relations.

"Don't cry," Grace said sympathetically. "We all know your child is Kevin's."