Chapter 21 - 1#

“Jingzhe, Jingzhe, what are you spacing out for?”

Gusheng nudged Jingzhe and looked at him curiously.

While sweeping today, he had watched Jingzhe get distracted several times, and now he had almost fallen into the lotus pond, saved only by Gusheng’s pull.

Someone had just died in this lotus pond a while ago.

Many people felt it was unlucky and were unwilling to come here even when sweeping. Jingzhe and Gusheng’s next task was arranged here, and Yunkui and another eunuch, Huiping, were also in a team.

In Gusheng’s opinion, Jingzhe’s luck was a bit bad.

He had clearly been favored by Miss Huang and had served by her side for more than half a month. He was just one step away from soaring to success and becoming a eunuch in the Zhongcui Palace, with a third-class or second-class errand.

This was much better than their current situation of still having to struggle in the Zhidian Division and wait for the year-end assessment.

It was still unknown if he could pass the assessment. He was already nineteen this year!

Not to mention Jingzhe, who was already twenty. This was his last chance. If he could go to the Zhongcui Palace, he naturally wouldn’t have to think about these troubles.

But at this critical juncture, Jingzhe fell ill and was bedridden for several days, unable to even go to roll call, and ultimately missed this opportunity for wealth and honor.

Even Gusheng, who had been a little jealous of Jingzhe before, couldn’t help but sigh at this encounter. Thinking that he had also been unrecognized for his talents all these years, he finally calmed down and had a good attitude towards the returned Jingzhe.

Perhaps because of this blow, Jingzhe had been frequently distracted while working these past few days.

This was not difficult to understand.

However, why would he suddenly laugh strangely while sweeping?

This was really strange!

Could it be that he had gone mad?

Jingzhe coughed, gripped the broom, and shook his head, “I’ve been hit by a few setbacks these past few days. Thanks to Gusheng’s constant help, I will adjust myself as soon as possible and not cause you trouble.”

Gusheng laughed heartily, “What help? Just calling you a few times is helping? You should at least be like Yunkui, pointing at others to do things, then you should be thanked.”

Yunkui heard Gusheng’s complaint from a distance and said dissatisfiedly, “I say, Gusheng, when have I ever asked you for help without paying you?”

“Yes, yes, you are a magnanimous person, please forgive this humble one.” Gusheng cupped his hands with a grin.

Yunkui had a straightforward and boisterous personality. He was tall and sometimes rough in his movements, but he was not a bad person and was easy to talk to. Otherwise, he would not have been assigned to sweep the lotus pond.

It was said that he was the apprentice of a certain manager, and passing the assessment was a sure thing. Sometimes when he had something to do or was slacking off, he would ask for help.

He was also willing to spend money and would never let people work for free. So those who earned money would not say anything bad about him, and they had always been like brothers with Yunkui.

After finally cleaning this area, the few of them picked up their tools and walked back.

The sky was dimly lit, and there was no one around.

Yunkui patted Jingzhe’s shoulder and asked curiously, “You said you were sick before. I can’t see anything else, but was it very painful? I saw earlier, was your mouth broken?”

Jingzhe paused slightly, his heart skipped a beat, but his face did not show it.

He subconsciously touched the mark on the corner of his mouth and sighed, “Yes, I bit it myself, it hurts.”

Before he “escaped” from Rong Jiu, Rong Jiu had stuffed a jade bottle into his hand.

With the medicine in the bottle, the finger marks on Jingzhe’s neck quickly faded, but the one on his mouth was still obvious and easily seen by others.

Gusheng tut-tutted, “You’re still unlucky.”

Jingzhe: “Forget it, maybe it’s not in my fate. In the future, I’ll still rely on myself and not think about reaching the sky in one step.”

Gusheng couldn’t help but think of Jingzhe’s friend, Changshou, and nodded. So what if he left the North Wing and went to the Chenghuan Palace?

He still died in the blink of an eye.

Changshou was dead.

This was what Mingyu told Jingzhe after he returned.

After Jingzhe was abducted by Rong Jiu, he didn’t know where he was, but after the buff ended, Rong Jiu took Jingzhe out.

He followed Rong Jiu in a daze, turning and twisting for a long time before he came to a familiar palace.

Rong Jiu’s identity was more mysterious than Jingzhe could have imagined.

He was about to run away when he saw a familiar place, but Rong Jiu stretched out his long arm and hooked Jingzhe over, their bodies pressed tightly together.

Jingzhe’s body suddenly tensed, and he could smell the faint medicinal fragrance coming from Rong Jiu.

That smell came from Rong Jiu’s fingers.

It was to apply medicine to Jingzhe that every inch of his skin was soaked in it, so that the smell could still be smelled after washing.

“Trying to run?”

Jingzhe: “…I, these few days, I have to go and explain…”

“No need to explain.” Rong Jiu said flatly, “No one will come to ask you why. Just go back and say that you were sick.”

Jingzhe felt a little relieved, at least it wouldn’t arouse suspicion from others.

“As for your answer…”

Rong Jiu said slowly, and Jingzhe immediately tensed up again like a small animal about to be eaten. The back of his neck was flushed red, a kind of unconcealable shame, annoyance, and stiffness.

“Next time, I want to hear it.”

Rong Jiu didn’t press him hard.

But these words, like a shadow, refused to be separated from Jingzhe’s heart.

He went to the Zhidian Division in a daze. Along the way, it was as if he had taken a hallucinogen. Not only were his eyes dazed, but his face was also flushed with an unusual red.

Rong Jiu, hoped that he would be his good person.

As long as Jingzhe closed his eyes, Rong Jiu’s appearance at that time and the words he said seemed to reappear. His ears were burning hot, and even if he covered his ears, he couldn’t block the repeated echoes.

Rong Jiu… actually, liked him too?

Jingzhe had never thought that he would get a response from Rong Jiu when he realized that he liked him.

What was Jingzhe thinking?

At least, he never thought of letting Rong Jiu know.

Falling in love with someone was a secret matter for Jingzhe.

In his situation, he was not qualified to fall in love with anyone.

Regardless of whether this person was Rong Jiu or a palace maid, his status was not suitable. It would not only drag others down, but also harm himself.

The palace rules did not allow it.

The gap between Rong Jiu and Jingzhe also did not allow it.

Jingzhe could see that Rong Jiu’s background, although he didn’t know which noble family he was from, was definitely from a noble family. When they sat down to eat together, although Rong Jiu didn’t talk much, his every move had a natural grace.

This had already been immersed in Rong Jiu’s flesh and blood. No matter what kind of person he became, that elegant posture would not be erased.

Facing Rong Jiu, Jingzhe was undoubtedly inferior.

Even if he agreed to Rong Jiu, they could not last long.

Both reason and reality were telling Jingzhe this.

He should also refuse Rong Jiu.

When he heard Rong Jiu say that, he should have refused him immediately.

He should have done so.

However, when Jingzhe heard Rong Jiu say that, his heart was filled with incomparable joy.

He was so happy that even his fingers were trembling.

He wanted to respond, so he bit his lip.

The words of refusal were stuck in his throat, but he couldn’t spit them out.

It was not an easy thing to hide one’s love.

Long before Jingzhe realized it, that endless love had already flowed to Rong Jiu’s side in Jingzhe’s words and deeds, silently.

He liked Rong Jiu’s face, his bad temper, and could even tolerate his overly violent emotions.

He couldn’t bring himself to say “no” to Rong Jiu.

The only thing Jingzhe was glad about was that Rong Jiu didn’t ask him to answer immediately. Otherwise, he really didn’t know what answer he would blurt out now.

With this secret and joyful mood, he happily went to the Zhidian Division to report for duty and received a formal errand. Only then did he hurry back to the North Wing.

As soon as he entered the North Wing, he saw Qitui Baqi with red eyes. As he walked further in, Mingyu’s expression was also listless and he didn’t look happy.

Jingzhe suppressed the joy on his eyebrows to avoid being out of place, “Mingyu, what happened?”

Mingyu was finally happy to see Jingzhe back and pulled him into the room.

As he walked, he said in a low voice.

“Changshou is gone.”

Jingzhe’s heart sank.

Changshou was not saved after all.

Only two of the people in the Chenghuan Palace survived. One was Xiahe, the head palace maid by Concubine Xu’s side, and the other seemed to be a second-class palace maid. There were no other survivors.

Concubine Xu still didn’t dare to go back to the Chenghuan Palace and had been living in the Shoukang Palace.

Mingyu and Jingzhe chatted for a few words and forced himself to cheer up.

Although Changshou’s matter made them sad, it was just a case of “the fox mourns the death of the hare.” Mingyu didn’t like Changshou very much.

“Let’s not talk about him. Do you know that there’s been another lively event in the harem recently?”

While talking, Mingyu quickly returned the things that Jingzhe had given him before.

These things were all well preserved by Mingyu.

He hadn’t touched them, and he hadn’t let anyone find them.

Jingzhe hugged him and thanked him for a while, shaking him until he was almost dizzy. Only then did he put the things away and ask, “What happened?”

It was so fast that even the North Wing received the news.

Mingyu: “The Miss Huang you served before is now the noble consort of the Zhongcui Palace. Her rank is even higher than that of Consort De. I heard that this noble consort likes His Majesty very much. His Majesty has been unwell these past few days and didn’t even go to the morning court. The noble consort brought her own things and waited outside the Qianming Palace for a full half an hour.”

Jingzhe: “This matter has spread too quickly.”

The morning’s events were even known in the North Wing.

“That’s natural.” Mingyu winked, narrowing his already small eyes even more. “Before, at least people were allowed in. Except for those His Majesty disliked, he wouldn’t be so rude to people.”

No one expected that the noble consort couldn’t even deliver the things.

Jingzhe thought of what Rong Jiu had said, lowered his eyebrows, and couldn’t help but say, “Perhaps His Majesty was also unhappy before.”

He touched the things hidden in his bosom.

If the Empress Dowager really killed the Cixi Empress Dowager, then the one in the Shoukang Palace was undoubtedly Emperor Jingyuan’s enemy. And most of the beauties in this harem were all selected by the Empress Dowager, and the remaining small part were all presented from below.

Perhaps, from the very beginning, Emperor Jingyuan liked no one.

Even more so, he hated them.

Who would like their own enemy, and the things handled by their enemy?

Jingzhe didn’t stay in the North Wing for long. After talking with Mingyu and seeing Chen Mingde, he hurried to the Zhidian Division.

He also wanted to see the things about Talented Lady Yao that he had finally taken out.

But he didn’t have much time.

However, Jingzhe squeezed in some time to read the letter on top.

Among the scattered things, the one on top was a letter. It looked like it was indeed Talented Lady Yao’s handwriting.

At least it was exactly the same as the handwriting on the inside of the sewing kit that Jingzhe had seen.

It was only after reading the letter that Jingzhe knew the real reason for Talented Lady Yao’s death.

Back then, after giving birth to Emperor Jingyuan, the Cixi Empress Dowager had been depressed and would have episodes from time to time, causing chaos in the palace.

Later, she often took the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician and slept most of the time, which made her more stable.

The late emperor was afraid that the Cixi Empress Dowager would be unhappy, so he specially appointed Talented Lady Yao to attend to her illness. Talented Lady Yao and the Cixi Empress Dowager were indeed related by a long and winding road, and they were also cousins.

Because of this, Talented Lady Yao often appeared by the Cixi Empress Dowager’s side.

She was taciturn and did not attract attention.

Therefore, many times, she would be ignored.

A person who was too familiar and ordinary was like a decoration, which would make people have the illusion that she would not speak or call out.

It was precisely because of this that Talented Lady Yao quietly learned that the medicinal soup that the Cixi Empress Dowager drank every day was actually mixed with deadly poison.

Those poisons were fed to her bowl by bowl by Talented Lady Yao.

When Talented Lady Yao overheard the imperial physician’s words, her body couldn’t help but tremble. She had never thought that she would become an accomplice in the murder of her cousin!