Chapter 29 - 4#

This was precisely on the fifth day after the two of them had parted on bad terms.

Counting the days, it had been almost a month.

Rong Jiu had also not come several times.

The end of the year was approaching.

Jingzhe patted his full little belly and sighed heavily.

He didn’t know how Rong Jiu’s body was. When they met frequently before, he thought about him, but not so often. But now that he suddenly couldn’t see him, and didn’t know when he would, the flame in his heart seemed to grow with the wind, burning even more fiercely.

He turned over, thinking about the bowl of persimmon soup.

His reaction was so strong, and he subconsciously avoided Zheng Hong’s possible questions, because of Chen Mingde.

He clearly remembered that the first fire that burned him in this harem was related to persimmon soup.

The late Talented Lady Liu, and the dead Qian Qin… and Chen Mingde, who behaved very strangely throughout the whole incident.

He remembered Chen Mingde’s words at that time, and even more, he remembered his terrified expression.

…There was something wrong with this persimmon soup.

Or perhaps, it was related to the many secrets of this harem, a secret that could not be mentioned and would never be known.

Although Jingzhe didn’t know what it was, he still cautiously closed the window, not letting out any possible trace.

He hadn’t had persimmon soup for a long time, and suddenly having a bowl of it aroused countless itches in Jingzhe’s heart. This itch was very annoying, making him toss and turn, unable to sleep.

Finally, Jingzhe discovered in a panic, well, it turned out there was another reason.

He calmly got up, calmly practiced a set of punches in front of the returning Huiping, and calmly lay down again.

Then, it took him half an hour to fall asleep.

In the blink of an eye, New Year’s Eve arrived. The entire harem was decorated with lanterns and colored streamers. Even if there were no happy events in the year, they still had to prepare well.

The Zhidian Si also became busy. Snow fell everywhere, and the daily tasks became much heavier. They always had to sweep those places clean, especially today.

There was a banquet to be held in the palace. If they disturbed these noble masters, their few lives would not be enough.

Even Jingzhe put down his work to help. It wasn’t until the afternoon that he felt at ease.

When he went back, Jiang Jinming gave them New Year’s money.

This money was from Jiang Jinming’s own pocket, not much, but it was a good omen.

Everyone thanked Jiang Jinming cheerfully, and then saw Yunkui’s tall figure appear in the distance.

He was no longer a member of the Zhidian Si, but Jiang Jinming was still his master, and he could always be seen visiting Jiang Jinming.

After two months of hard work, Yunkui had adapted to life in the Miscellaneous Purchasing Office. Every time he came back, he always brought all kinds of things for Jiang Jinming.

The other supervisors didn’t say anything, but they were jealous in their hearts.

What kind of luck did old Jiang Jinming have to have taken in such a righteous son.

It wasn’t that no one gave them gifts, but could they not tell whether the gifts were sincere or for some other purpose?

People, once they don’t lack money and have no ambition to rise, begin to covet things they don’t have.

For example, sincerity.

Yunkui, this silly guy, had nothing else, but this tall and strong young man was very respectful of the elderly!

Jiang Jinming: I’m not that old!

Jingzhe and Yunkui exchanged a few words, then followed Huiping back. They had to stay up late tonight for the New Year’s vigil. They could wake up late tomorrow, not too much, but it was an annual custom.

On the first day of the new year, you could always rest a little longer.

However, before they even reached their room, they were called back. It was said that the imperial kitchen was short of staff, and many people had been borrowed from the Zhidian Si.

Jingzhe, Huiping, and others were among them.

Among the others who were sighing, Jingzhe was actually a little happy. He might be able to see Mingyu.

However, he did see him, but unfortunately, he couldn’t say hello at all.

Jingzhe only found out why they were short of staff when he went there.

This year’s banquet had many more people than in previous years, so the dishes and portions were much larger than before. By the time the food was delivered from the imperial kitchen to the banquet, much of it was already cold!

To avoid this, the imperial kitchen had made many devices to keep the food warm. Candles were placed underneath to keep burning, and the dishes were on top, so that the hot dishes could finally be sent into the hall.

Once this was done, there were more and heavier things, and the shortage of staff naturally increased.

The people who were called to help were busy until the moon was high in the sky before they could relax. The rest was no longer their responsibility.

However, being able to participate in such a birthday banquet, the people who went also heard a lot of gossip. At this moment, Shi’en was walking behind them, happily saying:

“His Majesty didn’t come, and many of the concubines were very disappointed.” On such a cold day, they were dressed so thinly. If it wasn’t for Emperor Jingyuan, what was it for? “The Noble Consort and Consort De were sitting next to the Empress Dowager. I heard that Concubine Xu didn’t come either…”

Several people chattered away, walking back together slowly, and it didn’t seem so cold anymore.

But as they walked, they suddenly realized that someone was missing.

They stopped and looked around, counted, and found that Jingzhe was missing.

Huiping and the others hurried back to look for him, but when they turned around, they saw Jingzhe a few steps behind, standing in the corner of the shadows.

It wasn’t just him. Besides him, there was another tall figure.

Hidden in the darkness, his face could not be seen clearly, but he was a head taller than Jingzhe. When the two stood together, there was a strange illusion that Jingzhe was very small.

Jingzhe seemed to hear their voices, looked back, but didn’t move.

After a while, he even waved at them.

“Jing…”

Shi’en was about to call Jingzhe back when Huiping stopped him. “Let’s go.”

Shi’en: “Aren’t we waiting for him?”

“That should be his friend.” Huiping said calmly, “He’s not a woman, are you afraid he can’t find his way back?”

Seeing Huiping say this, Shi’en looked at him strangely, feeling that Huiping’s words were a bit odd.

But what he said also made some sense.

Looking at Jingzhe, he probably wasn’t a bad person, so Shi’en shrugged, put his arm around Huiping’s shoulder, and the few of them slowly walked back.

Leaving Jingzhe alone.

…

Jingzhe was originally happy.

He saw Rong Jiu.

Rong Jiu never came. Although he would send something every time he “broke his promise,” it wasn’t the real person. Especially since they had a falling out the last time they met.

Sometimes, Jingzhe would also think, was Rong Jiu deliberately throwing a tantrum and not coming to see him.

But thinking of Rong Jiu’s cold face, Jingzhe very rationally dismissed this possibility.

“Are you feeling better?”

Jingzhe waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, then couldn’t help but ask. He tried to make out Rong Jiu’s appearance by the dim light of a lantern not far away.

But it was night, and they were standing in the dark.

No matter how Jingzhe looked, he couldn’t see Rong Jiu’s face clearly, and naturally, he couldn’t sense Rong Jiu’s somewhat terrifying gaze.

Of course, it wasn’t that Rong Jiu’s gaze wasn’t terrifying in the past.

To some extent, Rong Jiu was a person who, just by standing there, gave off a very strong and cold feeling, a very difficult person to get along with.

It was just that in Jingzhe and Rong Jiu’s past interactions, although he wasn’t very aware of it, in reality, Rong Jiu had been restraining his outward aura.

Anyone who has hunted knows that hiding one’s own aura is the key to hunting.

Otherwise, the panicked prey will suddenly flee.

But at this moment, Rong Jiu seemed to no longer… hide. His pure black eyes stared at Jingzhe, a strange, sticky, solidifying feeling, enough to make one sense that something was wrong.

But the usually sensitive Jingzhe seemed a little dull at this moment.

Perhaps it was because the ice and snow had frozen his nerves, perhaps it was because the days of hard work had numbed his consciousness, or perhaps… it was because the joy of seeing Rong Jiu after so long had diluted the ominous sign. In short, at the moment the premonition appeared, Jingzhe did not flee immediately.

Instead, he stood on tiptoe and touched Rong Jiu’s face.

So hot.

This was Jingzhe’s first feeling.

Rong Jiu’s body temperature had always been low, on the cool side. This kind of heat, was he having a fever?

“…So, will Jingzhe help me?”

Eh, Jingzhe’s senses suddenly became extremely sharp. With that sentence, his heels subconsciously took a small step back.

A small step.

Because… Rong Jiu, was he originally this tall? He remembered that he was indeed a little shorter than Rong Jiu, but this little bit… could it cause such a big difference… right?

Rong Jiu was just standing in front of him, but it was as if some terrifying shadow had covered him. They were already in the dark, but the sense of oppression and intense gaze from Rong Jiu was so strong, as if a mountain was toppling over, pressing down heavily.

So, another small step.

Jingzhe’s movements were very light, and his voice was also very low: “…If, you need my help…”

Rong Jiu was not right.

Jingzhe vaguely sensed this, but couldn’t figure out what the problem was.

But the strange sense of unease made him want to run away. If the person in front of him wasn’t Rong Jiu, he would definitely…

Rustle, rustle—

He heard Huiping and the others approaching.

They must have found him suddenly missing.

After all, he was walking along when Rong Jiu suddenly pulled him over.

Very unexpectedly.

Huiping and the others were here. Jingzhe seemed to breathe a sigh of relief in his heart. “They’re here to find me. It’s almost time for the gates to close. Why don’t I go back first…”

Gulp.

Jingzhe didn’t realize that he couldn’t continue his words. It was a subconscious action.

Before he realized it, he had taken a few more steps back. A frantic unease was rioting in his body.

Just as he was about to turn around, to run away, to call out Huiping and the others’ names from his throat, Rong Jiu reached out and covered Jingzhe’s mouth.

Very, very tightly, and with force.

That hand almost covered most of Jingzhe’s face, drowning all sounds in the silence.

Compared to Rong Jiu’s more petite body, he was tightly bound in a scorching embrace. It was indeed a tall figure that could completely swallow Jingzhe.

The man covered Jingzhe’s face, listening to his violent, terrified gasps, and kissed the back of his neck. As if burned, Jingzhe’s body trembled finely.

He whimpered and tried to pry Rong Jiu’s hand away, mmm… he tried to squeeze out a little hum to let Huiping and the others hear.

“Jingzhe,” Rong Jiu said, “say goodbye to your friends properly.”

Jingzhe was held so tightly, the strong force cinching his waist, he could barely stand on his tiptoes, barely able to touch the ground.

The man’s voice behind him was hoarse, strange, and soaked in a twisted heat: “You don’t want them to see…” The hand covering his mouth tightened, and Jingzhe was forced to lean against Rong Jiu, as if kneaded together by an external force, “us like this, do you?”

The suffocating sense of unease, the violent gasps, and the sound of a frantic heartbeat by his ear made Jingzhe’s throat tighten… I can’t let them come over… they might… die…

An nameless terror struck.

Jingzhe struggled to gasp for breath, and weakly raised his hand to wave at the few people in the distance.

Then, Jingzhe heard the man laugh.

And then, he realized that the continuous, surging, and noisy sound that had been ringing in his ears.

It was Rong Jiu’s heartbeat.

It was throbbing frantically, crazily, like a violent wild horse, excited to the point of madness.

Author’s note:

Ning Hongru: Imperial Physician Zong, His Majesty, he, he ran away!

Zong Yuanxin: ????? Done for, done for, done for—