Chapter 17#

“Bang, bang, bang—”

In the morning, the door of the North Wing was knocked open. Ba Qi yawned, rubbed his eyes, and didn’t even see who it was: “Who is it!”

“I’m from Chenghuan Palace, I have something to ask of Jingzhe.”

Outside the door stood a pretty palace maid, but her face was pale and her hair was a little messy, which startled Ba Qi, who almost thought she was a ghost.

After confirming her identity, Ba Qi’s attitude became more attentive, and he hurriedly invited her in.

Jingzhe had also just woken up and was rinsing his mouth. When he heard the commotion, a bit of confusion appeared in his eyes.

When he heard it was Qiu Yi, Jingzhe’s sleepiness vanished.

These few days were the days when the new concubines entered the palace, and the entire palace’s attention was drawn to this matter. Regardless of rank, even the frequently troubled Chenghuan Palace was no exception.

Why would Concubine Xu let her head maid come to him at this time?

Jingzhe felt that something was wrong. When he saw Qiu Yi, he was even more certain that this time Qiu Yi had come not for Chenghuan Palace.

But for herself.

Qiu Yi’s face was ashen and she looked very disheveled. After she entered the room, Jingzhe sent the other people out, gave her the only stool, and then stood unnaturally at a distance.

“Sister Qiu Yi, this is…”

Qiu Yi raised her head, and her listless eyes lit up the moment she saw Jingzhe. She suddenly stood up and walked in front of Jingzhe, grabbing his sleeve and pleading:

“Jingzhe, save me, save me, I’m about to die, only you can save me… woo woo… save me, I beg you to save me…”

As Qiu Yi spoke, she burst into tears.

This sudden breakdown not only scared Jingzhe, but he hadn’t closed the door, so the commotion inside the room could be heard outside.

He Ye came over and was about to enter the door, but was stopped by Mingyu.

Mingyu was usually smiling and gentle, but at this time his attitude was very firm. He stepped forward and closed the door, then turned his back to the door and looked at He Ye.

“I guess they need some space to talk alone.”

He Ye met Mingyu’s sharp gaze, and her smile froze for a moment. She immediately nodded naturally and said with a smile, “Of course, Mingyu is right.”

With Mingyu guarding, no one would eavesdrop.

Inside the room, Jingzhe finally managed to calm Qiu Yi down and was handing her a handkerchief, “You, you wipe your tears.”

Qiu Yi lowered her head and took the handkerchief.

Jingzhe: “You just said, let me save you… did something happen?” He wasn’t familiar with Qiu Yi, but he always felt that she wasn’t someone who would break down so easily.

Qiu Yi looked tired and weary. She covered her face with the handkerchief and after a long while, she told him what had been happening in Chenghuan Palace recently.

When Jingzhe heard that four people had already died in Chenghuan Palace, he was undoubtedly surprised. The last time he went, although he felt that there were fewer people, he didn’t notice anything unusual.

The news in the North Wing was not very well-informed, and they were not even very clear about such a major event.

Qiu Yi pursed her lips, looked up at Jingzhe, her face still stained with tears.

“The palace servants who died were all with me that day, and saw you.”

Jingzhe’s heart skipped a beat.

The system urgently clarified.

[The buffs produced by the system will not have such a poor effect.]

Qiu Yi was still talking.

“I know… I know, it might be a coincidence, or maybe I’m overthinking… but they died one by one, each one an accident… do you think it’s possible?” Qiu Yi grabbed her hair, her emotions on the verge of collapse, “It’s my turn next… it must be me.”

Qiu Yi was a very meticulous person.

She would never forget the things she did and the things she moved every day.

But since the day before yesterday, she had a very uncomfortable feeling, as if something had been ignored by her, but she was also worried and her heart was heavy.

She was very uncomfortable.

Nothing went smoothly, she broke things, fell while walking, choked while eating…

All these things made Qiu Yi’s hair stand on end, and she became more and more neurotic in checking the things around her. That strange premonition was driving Qiu Yi crazy.

But the more tense she was, the more a strange guess grew in her heart.

—She was going to die.

After listening to her, Jingzhe was silent for a while and said, “You just said that those people didn’t die by accident, so… what does Concubine Xu think?”

“…Concubine Xu is also very scared and has been praying to the gods and Buddhas, but after the Empress Dowager sent people over, the concubine has been sleeping much more peacefully at night.”

Jingzhe lowered his eyebrows. The Empress Dowager sent people, and Concubine Xu felt at ease? Were the successive accidents really accidents? No, even he could guess that someone was behind this, let alone Concubine Xu.

After the accident, Concubine Xu went to find the Empress Dowager… the Empress Dowager sent people… at ease…

The Empress Dowager sent people to imply that she would protect Concubine Xu? Otherwise, with these “accidents” happening one after another, like death descending, how could Concubine Xu be at ease.

…So, Concubine Xu is the Empress Dowager’s person?

Thinking of this, his heart turned cold.

Concubine Xu’s actions, her relationship with the Empress Dowager, and Concubine Yao’s words before her death, all undoubtedly made Jingzhe feel a sense of urgency and threat.

“I don’t know why you think this matter is related to me.” Jingzhe frowned, “I really can’t do anything about the matter of Chenghuan Palace.”

It wasn’t a question of whether Jingzhe wanted to or not, it was that he couldn’t.

Whether it was an accident or man-made, this matter happened in Chenghuan Palace. Jingzhe was far away in the North Wing, what could he do?

He couldn’t protect Qiu Yi at all times, just like the task with Concubine Yao…

He would not promise what he could not do.

Qiu Yi suddenly lost her strength and sat on the stool in a daze.

She actually knew that this was just a desperate struggle. It was not certain whether it was related to Jingzhe or not.

If someone was really targeting Chenghuan Palace and attacking these palace servants, and in such a way… without leaving a trace, even Concubine Xu couldn’t find out, what could she do?

Jingzhe: “Why don’t you tell Concubine Xu about your situation?”

Qiu Yi looked up at Jingzhe.

Jingzhe: “If it’s an accident, then no one can know the result. But if it’s man-made, I think Concubine Xu also hopes to catch the person. If you tell her your guess, maybe Concubine Xu can follow the clues and arrange for a few more people to protect you.”

If someone really wanted to kill, then the more people watching, the harder it would be for the person in the dark to act.

Qiu Yi carefully wiped her face with a handkerchief, tidied her messy hair, and smiled at Jingzhe: “Thank you, Jingzhe.”

She seemed to have calmed down.

Before leaving, Qiu Yi turned back and said to Jingzhe.

“Actually, what I said before still counts.” Qiu Yi was very sincere, “Concubine Xu is a good master and never criticizes her servants. If you are willing, Concubine Xu will not mind your previous refusal.”

Jingzhe shook his head and smiled, sighing, “Sister Qiu Yi, Chenghuan Palace is a good place, but at this juncture, Concubine Xu has a lot to worry about, it’s really not good to trouble her for me.” He was cautious and didn’t say anything definite.

Qiu Yi came to find him, which was natural, but also unnatural.

It was even possible that it was a test.

Qiu Yi heard the loosening in Jingzhe’s tone, pursed her lips and smiled, then went out.

Jingzhe saw her out. When they reached the narrow gate, Qi Tui and Ba Qi glanced at them and said nothing, then made way.

After Qiu Yi left, the people of the North Wing gathered around and asked about Qiu Yi’s intentions.

Jingzhe answered with the words he had discussed with Qiu Yi before, “She and I were old acquaintances. Recently, there have been several accidents in Chenghuan Palace, and she was inevitably worried, so she came to find me.” Then, he told them about the matter of Chenghuan Palace.

Compared to the relationship between Qiu Yi and Jingzhe, the matter of Chenghuan Palace surprised them more.

Even Chang Shou didn’t know so clearly, only vaguely knew that Chenghuan Palace had changed people several times.

Wu You sighed: “I thought the North Wing was unlucky enough recently, I didn’t expect Chenghuan Palace to be even worse.”

Chang Shou pouted and glanced at Wu You: “No matter how many accidents happen, they happen in Chenghuan Palace.”

“What, would you rather go to Chenghuan Palace and wait to be haunted?” Mingyu said with a grin, “I wouldn’t.”

The few of them were bickering and almost didn’t hear Qi Tui calling for someone at the narrow gate.

This time, it was still for Jingzhe.

Jingzhe knew what was going on. He went out, and sure enough, the one looking for him this time was Zheng Hong.

Not long ago, he had asked Zheng Hong to do something.

Zheng Hong pulled him outside the door and frowned: “Have you thought it through? When I advised you to leave before, you didn’t want to go, but now you want to move?”

Jingzhe: “I originally thought that the North Wing was a comfortable place, and it would be fine to live a peaceful life. But now it seems that it’s troublesome, so naturally I have the heart to move up.”

Of course, more reasons were related to the system.

The tasks given by this damn system really forced people to be motivated.

Zheng Hong thought so too, and nodded.

He talked to Jingzhe again and again, and the two of them whispered for a while before leaving.

Being sought out twice in a row was really eye-catching, but after a while, when someone came again, the people in the North Wing were already numb.

Today, Jingzhe’s market was really good.

This time, it was Rong Jiu.

As soon as Jingzhe heard it was Rong Jiu, he immediately took out the finished gloves and went out happily.

Mingyu stood by the door, and for a moment thought that Jingzhe had a furry tail.

Wagging excitedly.

He shook his head, he couldn’t appreciate Jingzhe’s taste.

Rong Jiu was beautiful, but too cold.

It was creepy.

The creepy Rong Jiu stood outside the door. Qi Tui and Ba Qi stood a little far away, not daring to get close.

The two of them were muttering that this person outside was too cold and hard. Every time they saw him come to the door, they felt that their lives were being shortened. When they saw Jingzhe coming, they stopped talking.

Jingzhe crossed the threshold for the third time and took the initiative to lead Rong Jiu’s sleeve out. The faint smell of iron, with the movement, was faint.

But Jingzhe was too happy to notice: “You’ve been so busy recently, how do you have time to come over?”

Rong Jiu replied lightly: “How do you know I’m busy?”

“The new concubines are entering the palace, the whole court is in motion, aren’t you busy?”

If it weren’t for this batch of new concubines entering the palace, Jingzhe wouldn’t have had such a suitable opportunity.

When the new concubines entered the palace, the palace naturally had to send people to serve them. They couldn’t bring their own people. However, in the past, this was handled by the Department of Internal Affairs and was handled very properly.

But this time, the Empress Dowager took over everything, especially the people who were transferred, they had to be from the inner court.

The palace was very large, and besides those who lived in the palace, it also included the inner city surrounding the imperial court. Not all palace servants could enter it.

After the Empress Dowager issued this order, in order to welcome this new batch of concubines, some positions became vacant. Zheng Hong had the most connections, and Jingzhe had spent a lot of effort to get his help.

If he wanted to get close to the Palace of Gathered Elegance, he couldn’t go without a reason.

But he couldn’t be too blatant either.

This really took Jingzhe a lot of effort to come up with a suitable idea.

“So, how long are you going to hold on to my gift?” Rong Jiu raised his eyebrows and looked at Jingzhe, “Are you reluctant to part with it?”

Jingzhe was stunned for a moment, then raised his hand and handed the wrapped gloves to Rong Jiu, “How dare I, this is one of my life-saving money.” He smiled slyly, “If it’s missing, I’m afraid I’ll meet a debt-collecting ghost in the middle of the night.”

And a very scary ghost.

Rong Jiu raised his hand and caught the gift.

But the scarlet color was unusually eye-catching, directly tearing through the peaceful atmosphere at this time.

Jingzhe stared at the blood on his hands, stunned, “…You, are you injured?”

He was somewhat used to the smell of blood that Rong Jiu sometimes had on him, but he never thought that he would see the blood-stained appearance so nakedly.

Rong Jiu looked down and shook his head indifferently.

“It’s not my blood.”

He held the small package in one hand, and with the other hand, he casually wiped Jingzhe’s earlobe, leaving a little cold residual red. The cold chill, due to the momentary touch, was like a gangrene attached to the bone, spitting out malicious poisonous messages.

“On the way here, I found that my subordinate was not doing his job well, so I took care of it myself.”

In the understatement, it was soaked with wet blood.

The sunlight scattered on the man’s cold white skin, but there was no warmth at all. Rong Jiu’s always cold face actually had a vivid and lively smile.

He was smiling.

Like a finely carved stone statue, it suddenly came to life.

For a moment, a strange sense of familiarity flashed in Jingzhe’s heart. It was as if at some point, he had seen…

This strange, unusual transformation…

The gloomy and crazy atmosphere of the whole picture made Jingzhe shiver… was it a dream… or what… the broken memories in the dark night, some of which were not clear, but suddenly burned, making his palm have a strange tingling pain.

Rong Jiu leaned over and looked at the stunned Jingzhe, as if coaxing a naive little beast.

“Jingzhe, do you think I did the right thing?”