By the time Eric Blake realized what was happening, the person behind her had already vanished without a trace. But even though she hadn’t caught them, she could still be certain that the voice definitely belonged to some black-faced man. Repeating those words with great interest, she immediately broke into a sly smile.

Dare to threaten her? Hmph, if she didn’t make that brat cry for his parents by the time she was done, she wouldn’t be called Wu!

Chapter Ten: Congratulations on the Promotion

With the new emperor’s ascension came a fresh atmosphere. In addition to promoting meritorious officials and demoting the former “Two Zhangs” faction, restoring the country’s name to Tang, several other important matters were handled: Luoyang was once again demoted from the Divine Capital to the Eastern Capital, the Northern Capital reverted to its original name of Bingzhou, and the Taichu Palace was renamed back to Luoyang Palace.

At dusk, the golden afterglow of the setting sun cast a layer of gold over the grand and elegant palaces of Luoyang Palace, adding a touch of sanctity. Since it was the day before the Lantern Festival, there was no curfew tonight. The palace was filled with the sounds of music, and the world outside was lively and bustling.

Today, however, Eric Blake came home unusually early. She’d already been in a good mood when she went out, and she was in an even better mood on her return. As she approached Linbo Pavilion near Taoguang Garden, she was even humming a tuneless little song, her mind full of schemes for how to tease that oddball group of four—the young master and his servants.

The maids Rose Miller and Violet Lane, who had stayed behind at Linbo Pavilion, hurried out to greet their mistress when they saw her return. Before they could say a word, they heard Eric Blake singing. Rose Miller let it go, being still young and brought from home by Eric Blake, but Violet Lane couldn’t help but burst out laughing: “Miss, what’s got you so happy!”

“I ran into a big silly goose today, of course I’m happy!” Eric Blake wasn’t the least bit offended by the girl’s teasing. Instead, she gently patted Violet Lane on the head, then noticed that both girls were dressed as if for going out, and couldn’t help but ask in surprise, “Why are you two dressed like this?”

Now it was Rose Miller’s turn to be surprised. She raised an eyebrow in astonishment: “Isn’t Miss planning to go congratulate Lady Harper? Violet Lane and I have been waiting for you all afternoon!”

Lady Harper? Eric Blake was suddenly plunged into utter confusion, and only after a long while did she come to her senses: “You mean Aunt Harper? Wait, when was she made a Jieyu?”

Unlike Violet Lane, Rose Miller had been assigned to serve Eric Blake after her parents died and she was brought to the palace. Though they’d only been together for two years, she knew her mistress was different from other daughters of the Wu family—clever but measured, and very clear about whom to be close to and whom to keep at a distance, with an uncanny knack for news. So, seeing her mistress so bewildered for the first time, she couldn’t help but wonder where exactly she’d been today.

“It was just this noon. His Majesty issued an edict appointing Harper the Scribe as Jieyu. Such big news—countless people have gone to offer congratulations. Miss, do you really not know?”

Seeing the suspicion on Rose Miller’s face, Eric Blake couldn’t help but feel a bit stifled. Who would have thought that, on a whim, she’d gone to the South Market for a stroll and ended up missing such a major event! After her annoyance passed, she pondered for a moment, then put on a relaxed expression and didn’t mention going out at all, simply heading into the room on her own.

“What’s for dinner? Bring it out quickly—I’ve been out all day and I’m starving!”

It was one thing for the young and naive Violet Lane not to understand, but Rose Miller was left completely baffled by her mistress’s confident behavior. Out of a sense of responsibility, she stepped forward to remind her again: “Miss, I heard that Empress Wei also sent Lady Hale and Lady Chase to offer congratulations, and Princess Taiping naturally sent someone as well. Even Princesses Anle and Changning sent people! Now, nearly all the eligible ladies of the inner palace have gone to Xianju Hall. With your relationship with Lady Harper…”

Before Rose Miller could finish, Eric Blake smiled and said, “It’s exactly because of that relationship that I won’t go join the crowd right now—do you understand?”

After sending the still-bewildered Violet Lane to the small kitchen to fetch dinner, and leaving Rose Miller frowning in thought, Eric Blake took off her cloak herself and walked to the window, gazing into the sky in a daze. This room faced west; in summer, the window couldn’t block the setting sun at all, making it unbearably hot, while in winter, only a sliver of the sunset could be seen. Staring at the sun sinking in the west, she recalled the night she’d broken into the palace, and couldn’t help but smile slightly.

Indeed, crisis is opportunity. Grace Harper had already achieved her first goal—this was truly something to celebrate!

Since noon, the threshold of Xianju Hall had nearly been worn down by the endless stream of well-wishers. The original four palace maids had done their utmost but were still overwhelmed, until Julia Chase, who had come on behalf of Empress Wei to offer congratulations, couldn’t bear to watch any longer and sent four more people to help, barely managing to keep things under control. By evening, Grace Harper thought there would be no more guests, but to her surprise, people kept arriving even after the lamps were lit.

At first, she was puzzled, but when people were still lingering past the hour of the dog, she immediately understood. Those elaborately dressed women weren’t really there to congratulate her—they were clearly hoping to use this opportunity to get close to the emperor. Unfortunately, some people’s ambitions were just too shallow!