Meanwhile Xi Shu had already informed the Bai twins who were now looking for Shen Maio too.
He moved through the dim corridor with light, steady steps.
His eyes swept the shadows, the corners, the narrow passages leading off the main path. He had searched the garden twice. No sign of Shen Miao. No sign of anyone as if her after a while nature itself had erased her steps. Now he was deeper in the servants' quarters, where the air was cooler and the lanterns fewer.
Rounding another corner, he stopped mid-step.
The maid in the far corner swiftly turned missing his movements.
Seeing no one behind her she breathed a sigh of relief.
She stood near a small service table, her back half-turned away from Xi Shu's position. From the looks of it, she was young, her grey robes were neat, her hands trembling slightly as she set down a tray she had been carrying for a while.
She rubbed her hands muttering something that Xi Shu couldn't quite hear properly.
Her head turned.
Xi Shu moved quickly hiding his presence as the maid checked the corridor, then the tray, then the corridor again.
Xi Shu frowned.
She didn't look like any servant of the princess's household that he knew. He had worked with the princess's staff before, during the war preparations and the years after. He knew this type of behavior, her movements, their quiet efficiency. This woman moved like someone who did not belong.
"A new servant, perhaps" he thought
But thinking about it something was wrong with her behavior
"A spy? maybe" he thought. He quickly brushed it off it couldn't be possible every spy or worker hired by the strictly background checked for the princess's protection.
He frowned.
He needed to watch her . Xi Shu thought slowly glancing from behind the wall.
After making sure she was alone. The maid paused, her hand pressed to her chest. She exhaled—a shaky, relieved breath—and muttered something under her breath.
"...too much... for this... I should have asked for double..."
Xi Shu heard it. His eyes narrowed.
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a small glass vial. Dark liquid lay inside it. She uncorked it with practiced ease and poured its contents into one of the cups on the tray. Then gently swirled the cup until the liquid dissolved.
She stared at the cup for a moment, frowning. Then she glanced around, looking for somewhere to hide the empty vial.
Not able to find one, she slipped it back into her sleeve, straightened her robes, and turned to leave—
She froze.
Xi Shu was now standing in her path.
He did not grab her immediately. He simply stood there, blocking her way, his face calm and expressionless.
She gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth.
"I—I—"
"Who sent you?" Xi Shu asked. His voice was quiet, unhurried.
"No one," she stammered shaking her head as she backed away "I was just—"
Xi Shu reached out and caught her wrist before she could hit the table behind her. His grip was firm.
"You poured something into that cup," he said. "Tell me what it is."
"Please—I don't know—"
"Tell me, or I will take you to the princess's guards. They will ask you the same questions, but they will not be as patient as I am."
The maid's face went pale. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.
Xi Shu waited.
It took only a few seconds.
"It's...It's just a sleep draft," she whispered lowering her head " I'm sorry I didn't know I..... the lady just said—she said it would only make her sleep. She said no one would get hurt."
"Who?"
The maid remained silent.
The silence became unbearable.
Then finally—
"Madam Ling. A woman approached me and gave me some silver she.... she told me to give it to the girl in the kitchen. The one in pale blue. Then—" she swallowed, "—then.... then I was supposed to lead her to the east guest room."
Xi Shu held her gaze for a long moment.
"Is that the whole truth"
She nodded like a chicken pecking rice.
Seeing that she must be speaking the truth, he released her wrist.
"Sir, am sorry...I. ...didn't me to ...I just got greedy for a while am sorry" She stammered almost going to her knees.
Xi Shu stepped back his face as black as the base of a pan.
"Go," he turned his face. "Tell no one you spoke to me. If you try to carry out her orders, I will find you."
The maid quickly stumbled to get up before fleeing.
Xi Shu watched her back disappear into the shadows. He looked down at the tray—the cup with the dark liquid on the table, still untouched.
He lifted the poisoned cup.
His calm expression didn't change.
But his pace quickened as he headed toward the kitchens.