Chapter 19 - 2#
“Let’s go. After today’s banquet, these young mistresses won’t have the leisure to wander around.” Yunkui, no matter how diligent, didn’t want to work under the scorching sun. As April approached, the heat was making his throat dry. “Let’s go to the front and rest.”
Jingzhe nodded, tidied up the debris from prying things open just now, and then followed Yunkui unhurriedly.
It wasn’t until he bent down to wash his face that Jingzhe felt a lingering fear.
The green thumb ring was given to him by Zhu Erxi.
Zhu Erxi gave it to him because it was Chen An’s instruction.
But Jingzhe went to dig out the green brick because of the hint from Talented Lady Yao’s sewing kit. Why was the key to the box hidden in the green brick given by Chen An?
…Could it be that Talented Lady Yao’s hint was originally intended for him?
Jingzhe was dying to know what he had just found. He made small talk with Yunkui and the others, his mind elsewhere. As they were chatting, he suddenly saw the female official of the Xiuxiu Palace approaching with two palace maids.
The boys immediately stood up and bowed respectfully.
The female official looked them over and finally chose Jingzhe: “Young Mistress Huang’s serving maid broke her leg while moving things. Now Young Mistress Huang wants a eunuch to serve her, and it will be you.”
Jingzhe: “…” He found it hard to force a surprised expression.
But Yunkui and the others were envious, feeling that Jingzhe had gotten lucky. Then the female official pointed to a palace maid and told Jingzhe to take this time to pack his things. He would then live in the row of houses behind the Xiuxiu Palace for convenient service.
Jingzhe agreed on the surface. When he went back to pack, he exchanged a look with Mingyu and silently handed over all his belongings to him.
In this palace, Jingzhe’s best friend was Mingyu, the kind he could entrust his life and fortune to. If even Mingyu was not to be trusted, then he really should have died sooner.
Jingzhe thus settled down in the Xiuxiu Palace, doing his work diligently, except for occasionally tying a thin strand of hair to his belongings. When it broke once or twice, he knew what was going on.
Huang Yijie’s personality was actually very gentle. She was not picky with her servants and often gave rewards. She would also sort out the food she couldn’t finish and give it to them.
She was popular in the Xiuxiu Palace, so many people came to visit her.
As one of her attendants, Jingzhe had no choice but to remember many people’s names, while also enduring the strong scent of their perfume.
However, in recent days, the most talked-about person among them was Emperor Jingyuan.
That day, the incident Emperor Jingyuan caused in the Chenghuan Palace was indeed too big, frightening many of the selected ladies. However, at the palace banquet organized by Consort De, Emperor Jingyuan deigned to appear for a quarter of an hour.
Although it was only for a short while and he left soon after, it was enough to give many of the selected ladies a special feeling.
Jingzhe often heard them talking about Emperor Jingyuan, about his handsome appearance, his arrogant and cold temper, his lofty and superior aura…
He snorted at every comment he heard.
Handsome appearance?
Could he be as good-looking as Rong Jiu? If Rong Jiu’s face were to be revealed, who wouldn’t be stunned by his beauty?
Arrogant, cold, and aloof?
Still not as good as Rong Jiu.
Rong Jiu only looked cold, but he was a good person, spoke elegantly, and was gentle.
It was just that recently he had discovered that Rong Jiu was quite mischievous and could sometimes scare people to death.
At the thought of Rong Jiu, Jingzhe sighed sadly.
They had met by chance in the palace last time, but didn’t say much.
Was Rong Jiu angry at that time?
As he thought, he dug out a large dollop of ointment and applied it to his finger.
Jingzhe’s finger, which had almost been crushed before, later became red and swollen. After using the jade bottle of ointment given by Rong Jiu, he realized that it was different from the one used for frostbite before, only the jade bottles looked similar.
With generous use, Jingzhe’s finger was finally much better, and he estimated it would recover in another day or two.
Originally, he didn’t want to be so extravagant, but thinking of Rong Jiu’s cold snort that day, he couldn’t figure out who this bad temper was directed at, so he could only sigh and try to make up for it…
Now that the injury has healed, he shouldn’t be angry anymore, right?
Sigh, I miss Rong Jiu a little.
Under Jingzhe’s “longing,” the days in the Xiuxiu Palace passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the final round.
The Empress Dowager, who had recovered, selected twenty age-appropriate women for Emperor Jingyuan, including Huang Yijie.
Then, she began to leisurely select for the various relatives of the imperial clan.
Jingzhe, waiting outside the hall, silently negotiated with the system.
“I know this damn mission will definitely fail because this is what King Rui is supposed to do and I can’t do it at all because it’s your fault so can you choose a more normal punishment buff!”
Jingzhe almost ran out of breath from saying it all in one go in his mind.
The system was dry.
[The system does not have interference authority.]
Jingzhe smiled: “Go to hell.”
He frantically stabbed a small effigy of the system in his mind.
…
The selection process, which lasted for more than a month, ended in mid-April.
It seemed long, but in fact, it was much simpler and faster than in the past. Emperor Jingyuan paid no attention to the selection throughout the process and did not care about the selected ladies. He only rejected the Empress Dowager’s idea of appointing an empress.
Naturally, this candidate was Huang Yijie.
But the emperor was unwilling, and the Empress Dowager could not force the decree.
These twenty young mistresses who had kept their nameplates had not yet been assigned their ranks and could only live in the Xiuxiu Palace.
Jingzhe and another palace maid also continued to serve, unable to immediately return to the Zhi Dian Si.
Jingzhe sighed inwardly, ruthless.
Truly ruthless.
He didn’t believe that he was chosen to serve Huang Yijie by accident. After all, Concubine Xu was the Empress Dowager’s person. How could the Empress Dowager not know about the abnormality she discovered?
It was a foregone conclusion that Huang Yijie would enter the palace. When she was successfully promoted, when arranging for palace maids, it would be natural to say that she liked the palace maids who had served her before, and wouldn’t that keep Jingzhe in her palace?
It was still manageable when dealing with Concubine Xu before, but now dealing with the Empress Dowager…
Jingzhe touched his neck, feeling that it was not that tough.
…
“The Empress Dowager has decreed—”
On April 18th, the decree from the Shou Kang Palace finally arrived.
Huang Yijie was enfeoffed as Noble Consort and resided in the Zhongcui Palace; Jin Yunzhu was enfeoffed as a concubine and resided in the Xianfu Palace; Shi Jiejiao was enfeoffed as a Jieyu and resided in… and so on. After the eunuch finished announcing, some were happy and some were sad.
Now that they had their ranks and residences, these newly entered masters of the palace naturally could not continue to gather in the Xiuxiu Palace.
For a time, the Xiuxiu Palace became busy again.
Jingzhe was busy in and out, packing things with the palace maid.
Then, the late system finally beeped.
[Mission Five Failed]
[Random buff: In the world, only mother is good]
[Effect: Within 48 hours (about 2 days), everyone who sees the host will have an extreme desire to protect the host, care for the host, and love the host, just like a mother protecting her child.]
Jingzhe: “…”
Huh?
What??
Before he could digest this bad news, Yue Yun, the palace maid who had been working with him, suddenly grabbed Jingzhe’s hand and said with heartache: “Jingzhe, what are you doing with these things? Go and rest on the side, let me do all this.”
Jingzhe: “…No, Sister Yue Yun, this is my duty…”
He tried to snatch the bundle from Yue Yun’s hand, but he couldn’t?
Yue Yun’s petite body erupted with a force that completely overpowered Jingzhe.
Jingzhe’s dark eyes were filled with confusion.
Ah???
[A mother, in the face of the thought of protecting her child, will always burst out with infinite power.]
The system said faintly.
Jingzhe: “If you say another word, I’ll kill myself and end all your future missions.” He threatened sinisterly.
He didn’t want to know, thank you!
Jingzhe had no choice but to follow behind Yue Yun. As soon as he walked out, he ran into Huang Yijie coming over with a few palace maids.
Jingzhe instinctively wanted to hide behind Yue Yun.
But how could the petite Yue Yun hide a tall Jingzhe?
Huang Yijie saw Jingzhe at a glance, the smile on her face became more and more intense, her eyes filled with a smile, incredibly gentle.
“Jingzhe, my dear, you have served me well recently. What reward do you want? Is a hundred taels of gold enough?”
When Jingzhe heard “my dear,” he had already shivered, and a chill ran up his spine, feeling like his head was about to explode.
“This is the servant’s duty. If you must talk about a reward, the servant wants to go back to the Zhi Dian Si to work. I wonder if Your Highness will agree?”
Behind Huang Yijie stood the female official of the Xiuxiu Palace. Her originally stern face was also very gentle, and she was staring at Jingzhe without blinking, completely different from the cold appearance she had half a day ago when she came to inform them that they would be following Huang Yijie in the future.
Huang Yijie frowned in difficulty, then sighed and nodded gently.
“Since it’s what you want, I will naturally grant it.”
She took a step forward, wanting to grab Jingzhe’s hand to talk. Jingzhe was so scared that he took two steps back, almost bumping into the wooden door. Three people behind Huang Yijie ran out at the same time, saying it was dangerous and wanting to be a cushion for Jingzhe.
Even Huang Yijie was so scared that she was about to pounce over.
Jingzhe: …Help!
I have to endure this for two more days. By then, either they will be crazy, or I will be crazy.
Jingzhe thought painfully.
With Huang Yijie’s words, Jingzhe could have left the Xiuxiu Palace, but the influence of that buff would make everyone who saw him subconsciously pay attention to him.
If Jingzhe ran a few steps, he would be stopped and told that it was too dangerous and he couldn’t be reckless.
Jingzhe: “…”
Ah ah ah ah I’ll kill you, system!
The system was as quiet as a chicken.
Jingzhe used all his strength to escape from the tiger’s den of the Xiuxiu Palace. He didn’t dare to go to crowded places along the way, and rushed into deserted palace paths until he was sure there was no one behind him, then he breathed a sigh of relief.
In his current state, where could he hide?
He had to report to the Zhi Dian Si, but there were so many people there. The thought of the grand occasion in the Xiuxiu Palace just now made Jingzhe’s hair stand on end.
So, go back to the North Wing first?
Jingzhe thought weakly, there are fewer people in the North Wing, and they are more familiar, so it shouldn’t be too crazy… right?
“What won’t be too crazy?”
Jingzhe’s nerves were tense, and a sudden sentence almost made him throw the bundle in his hand. He barely realized that it was Rong Jiu’s voice and stopped his action abruptly.
“What are you doing here?”
Jingzhe asked subconsciously, and then his face changed dramatically.
“Wait, don’t come over, don’t look at me!”
He covered his face with his hands, wishing he could shrink into the wall.
Rong Jiu raised his eyebrows and advanced instead of retreating.
Jingzhe’s back was against the palace wall, and there was nowhere to run. He could only hug his bundle and shrink against the cold wall, trying to stay away from Rong Jiu.
He hadn’t forgotten at all how Rong Jiu had looked calm and composed, completely unaffected, and then suddenly erupted with force in the next moment.
Rong Jiu looked down at Jingzhe from above.
Jingzhe’s appearance was actually not inferior.
His eyebrows and eyes were gentle, but when he smiled, he was cunning, like a nimble little beast, soft and glutinous.
Rong Jiu suddenly frowned, soft and glutinous?
When did he have such an opinion of Jingzhe?
He didn’t quite like this feeling, there was an urge to pinch his throat and strangle the life out of him.
He carefully felt the subtle change and said calmly, “Going back to the North Wing?”
Seeing Rong Jiu’s composure, Jingzhe straightened his back. After a moment of hesitation, he chose to trust Rong Jiu’s self-control.
…Even if he didn’t believe it, there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t beat Rong Jiu.
“First, I’ll go back first, and then I’ll find a way to ask for leave from the Zhi Dian Si.”
“Hmm. Is the Zhi Dian Si very good?”
“It’s just so-so, just getting by, I…” Jingzhe said halfway, then suddenly bit his tongue and reacted abruptly.
He didn’t tell Rong Jiu about his transfer to the Zhi Dian Si!
Jingzhe belatedly realized where Rong Jiu’s anger had come from that day.
Jingzhe explained drily: “It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you, it’s just…”
“It’s just that I’m busy and we don’t run into each other.” Rong Jiu said calmly, “So you didn’t even leave a message.”
Jingzhe felt a pang of guilt.
All the way back, Jingzhe followed behind Rong Jiu like a little wife, apologizing profusely.
He even forgot to ask him why he had appeared there just now.
But as Jingzhe stepped over the narrow door of the North Wing, his arm was pulled back with force.
Jingzhe turned back and met Rong Jiu’s dark eyes.
In the cold and gloomy pupils, a small Jingzhe was reflected. He pulled Jingzhe back forcefully and gently, his slender fingers landing on his face, then pressing on the corner of his eyebrow.
“I don’t want you to go.”
The man said calmly and simply.
“I want to hide you.”
His fingers fell, slowly and deliberately stroking Jingzhe’s back, which was already an almost ambiguous embrace.
“No one can see.”
He was somewhat unable to control his actions and roughly pinched Jingzhe’s waist.
“This desire is surging and its source is unknown, Jingzhe, do you know… why?”
The cool words were like winter frost, making one’s hair stand on end.
Jingzhe struggled desperately a few times, trying to escape from Rong Jiu’s iron grip. Unfortunately, the iron grip was indeed an iron grip, and its strength was astonishing. Coupled with the damn buff from the system, he couldn’t even pry off a single finger.
“I think…” Unable to escape, Jingzhe immediately returned to his quail-like appearance and said obediently, “Rong Jiu should rest well and sleep more, so that he won’t have such an illusion.”
“Illusion?”
The man turned his head to look at him.
Such a beautiful face attacking at close range, Jingzhe was about to hyperventilate. He barely held on to his sanity and nodded firmly, “Illusion!”
Jingzhe’s face twisted when he remembered the phrase “extreme desire to protect.” He pressed his hands on Rong Jiu’s arms, no longer caring about the bundle that had fallen to the ground, and said with unusual seriousness and sincerity.
“Rong Jiu, look, we are friends. Friends can’t have such a possessive desire, right? Mingyu and I are also friends, which shows that friendship will not have such extreme emotions. So, it must be an illusion. You let go, let’s both go back and have a good sleep…”
Jingzhe’s mouth had never been so glib.
The “In the world, only mother is good” buff was an extremely strange buff that would forcibly twist everyone who saw Jingzhe into a paranoid.
He deeply repented his great sin in his heart.
“…So, you go back now…”
Rong Jiu expressionlessly pinched Jingzhe’s mouth.
“Noisy.”
Then his cold fingers touched the back of his neck.
Jingzhe had two bags of tears in his eyes and held on to the last trace of clarity.
Hateful.
How could he use force to suppress him?
…
When he woke up again, it was a completely unfamiliar place.
This was an extremely spacious hall, probably a side hall of some palace. The beams above were clean and tidy, and at a glance, it was not a dilapidated place. He was a cleaner and knew that this must be maintained day and night.
…Where is this?
Who on earth is Rong Jiu? His background is so powerful that he can come and go freely even in the palace?
Jingzhe hissed as he clutched the back of his neck, which was still aching faintly.
As soon as he moved, he felt that something was wrong.
There seemed to be a heavy object hanging from his ankle, making a harsh clattering sound.
Jingzhe immediately lifted the quilt and saw an iron ring around his right ankle.
Like a caged little beast, he was bound to the bed, and the winding iron chain extended to the end of the bed.
He crawled to the end of the bed in a few steps and pulled the iron chain hard.
It didn’t move at all.
“No way… Did Rong Jiu not take me to some palace, but took me out of the palace?”
This possibility was even more absurd than the former.
But if not, how did this bed, this iron chain, and this ring appear?
While Jingzhe was struggling to pull the iron chain and trying to escape, a faint figure stood there behind the bed curtain, silently watching Jingzhe’s movements.
Until Jingzhe turned around, cursing.
“When I see Rong Jiu, I’ll have him…”
“Have me what?”
Rong Jiu asked gently.
Jingzhe froze and lowered his head.
That timid look, like a sacrifice waiting to be offered, forced to expose his fair neck.
“Nothing.”
Jingzhe pouted.
What could he do, jump up and beat Rong Jiu up? Why did the buff have such a reaction on Rong Jiu?
If Rong Jiu had a child in the future, would he also imprison him like this?
No way!
Jingzhe frantically shook Rong Jiu’s shoulders in his mind.
Rong Jiu had never experienced motherly love.
Naturally, he had never even had the meaning of a mother.
A distorted buff, on a distorted person, will only make the seeds that are already flowing in the bloodline take root and sprout, nourishing a distorted and dark poisonous flower.
The man’s fingers behind his back were itching to move.
The more one avoids, the more cautious one is, the more it makes people have the desire to make things difficult.
Force him, hold him down, tear off his disguise, that violent and crazy impulse was beating in Rong Jiu’s bone marrow at this moment.
His emotions are violent, and his love is distorted.
If one奢求the fruit it breeds, one can only get immense malice.
—Tear him apart and destroy him with the force of a landslide.
Jingzhe watched as the man lifted the bed curtain. He subconsciously hid in the bed, not knowing what part of Rong Jiu this action touched. His big hand grabbed the cold iron chain at the end of the bed, wrapped it around his fingers twice, and pulled it hard.
Jingzhe had never thought that such an ambiguous and awkward scene would happen between him and Rong Jiu.
When he was pulled back by the iron chain, his toes were held down, and his bones were pressed inch by inch with force, and the tall, dark shadow fell, he was still trying his best to hope that Rong Jiu could be a little more sober.
My ankle hurts so much.
The place that was pressed hurts so much.
Most importantly, my conscience hurts so much too!
Cold fingers pinched Jingzhe’s face, and Rong Jiu stared at him silently, especially at the mouth that was still struggling to speak.
A flash of violence crossed Rong Jiu’s brow, and then Jingzhe’s scalp hurt. The man’s fingers pulled his hair back, forcing him to raise his head. The next moment, a sharp pain exploded on his lips.
Rong Jiu bit Jingzhe’s mouth.
Jingzhe struggled desperately, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree. The pain made him cry. The fragile tears were licked away, and sharp teeth gnawed at the corners of his eyes, smearing a gorgeous red.
That was not a kiss. It was predation.
The lips were just the first step of eating.
Then bite, crush, and devour every bone.