Chapter 48 - 1#

“Jingzhe, are the things I asked you to prepare ready?”

The autumn wind rustled, and the excessive chill eroded one’s body warmth, making people inevitably put on a few more layers of clothes.

Jiang Jinming was obviously wearing more than usual, looking a bit thickset. He was more afraid of the cold than ordinary people and always changed into thick clothes early.

Jingzhe: “Here.”

He handed the organized items to Jiang Jinming.

The Chief Eunuch checked them roughly, nodded to Jingzhe with satisfaction, and then summoned the other young eunuchs.

While Jiang Jinming was talking to the others, Jingzhe looked down at the documents at hand and couldn’t help but frown.

Before Xinsheng left, he handed over the matters he was recently handling to Jingzhe.

Only he didn’t explain anything clearly. The progress of each task was different. As soon as Jingzhe took over, he almost got everything mixed up.

Fortunately, he had done this before, so it was easy to get back into it.

Spending some effort, he reorganized the messy documents, rushing here and there, and finally finished the work before Jiang Jinming needed it.

Xinsheng’s hostility towards him was rather obvious.

But Jingzhe remembered that he had never offended him before, right?

After pondering for a moment and not coming up with a reason, Jingzhe didn’t bother thinking about it anymore.

Even if he didn’t like him, what could Jingzhe do? Could Jingzhe force his head and make him like him?

There was no need.

For people he didn’t care about, he didn’t bother to care too much.

When the matters at hand were almost dealt with and Jiang Jinming had gone to rest, Jingzhe organized his things and planned to make a trip to the North Wing.

Mingyu had a better relationship with Wuyou. Every year on Wuyou’s birthday, Mingyu always remembered to congratulate him. It was just that this year, today, Mingyu was so busy he couldn’t even spare the time, so Jingzhe planned to make the trip on his behalf.

Who asked him to go to the Imperial Kitchen this year? Today just happened to be a banquet arranged by a certain palace concubine, so he had been busy since early morning.

When he went out, it was already evening.

The sky was dim, and Jingzhe walked very carefully.

Having previously stumbled upon Yunkui’s affair, Jingzhe now rarely took small paths. Detouring was detouring, but being open and aboveboard meant he wouldn’t see things he shouldn’t see.

Upon arriving at the North Wing, Wuyou was obviously pleasantly surprised.

He didn’t expect that even after Mingyu left, he still remembered him.

The North Wing now looked quite different from before. Perhaps because Chen Mingde and Nanny Ming were both people who didn’t like changes, the North Wing hadn’t changed for many years before.

But now, Jingzhe felt that although he hadn’t been here for just a few months, this place had undergone earth-shaking changes.

Even the places where the masters lived had been switched around.

Wuyou said secretly: “It was Nanny Chen who felt that the previous matters in the North Wing were too unlucky. So she had us clean up again, everyone changed their residence, and many arrangements were also changed…”

Whether true or false, after all this was done, one felt at ease and was no longer troubled by previous worries.

Wuyou: “Qitui and Baqi said before that this was having nothing to do when idle, but now every time they go back to their room to rest, they are faster than me. I don’t see any reluctance.”

Hearing this, Jingzhe couldn’t help but smile.

Wuyou was getting old, and in the future, he could only be a low-ranking eunuch. However, just like his name (Wuyou means “worry-free”), he didn’t care much. Compared to life outside, he was more accustomed to the current comfort.

When Mingyu asked him before if he wanted to leave, it was Wuyou himself who refused.

Wuyou: “Jingzhe, you were right to leave. If you had continued to stay in the North Wing back then, there would definitely have been more trouble.”

He didn’t know if it was because he hadn’t seen Jingzhe for too long that Wuyou’s desire to confide became strong, to the point that he said everything.

“I often come to the North Wing, but I haven’t seen any trouble.” Jingzhe lowered his head, with some hesitation, “Before, it was all quiet…”

Wuyou looked around, leaned into Jingzhe’s ear, and whispered: “Lidong is very jealous of you.”

Jingzhe blinked in confusion: “I don’t have much interaction with him, do I?”

Lidong was the young eunuch who replaced Changshou. Jingzhe had no dealings with him. Although he had visited the North Wing several times and indeed felt a faint hostility from him, the most obvious one was still that time Sanshun blocked him.

Wuyou: “But he has always been very concerned about your whereabouts. It was only after Nanny Ming passed away that I realized he was clearly Nanny Ming’s person.”

Ordinary eunuchs and palace maids wouldn’t be divided so clearly. But in the North Wing, perhaps because Nanny Ming and Chen Mingde were previously pitted against each other, the relationships among their subordinates were consistently poor.

Lidong siding with Nanny Ming was undoubtedly a betrayal in the eyes of Wuyou and the others.

Jingzhe: “So, Nanny Ming paid a lot of attention to me.” He keenly realized what Wuyou wanted to say and completed the rest of the sentence for him.

Wuyou nodded: “Previously, when something happened to Nanny Ming, Lidong was obviously panicked. He even tried to find Grandpa De to talk, but was stopped by Sanshun. Later, I saw him sneaking out, so I followed him and found him heading east all the way.” Unfortunately, he didn’t keep a close eye at that time and lost him in the end.

…Heading east. Jingzhe couldn’t help but wonder how many masters were in the east.

Calculating back and forth, there seemed to be quite a few.

Jingzhe had a headache. The Emperor’s concubines were truly numerous.

Moreover, the North Wing was originally located in the north near the west. As long as one went out, mostly one would head east.

“Wuyou, thank you for reminding me.”

Wuyou shook his head and said to Jingzhe: “I should be the one thanking you. I didn’t dare say it before, and only mentioned it now. It’s a bit of hindsight.”

Jingzhe smiled and said: “This isn’t something necessary. I can only be grateful; how could I blame you?”

Wuyou also laughed along. Looking out the window, Heye and Handan walked by together. The two of them were whispering, biting each other’s ears, not knowing what they were talking about.

Wuyou’s expression faded a bit: “In the past, the relationship between Handan and Heye was the best.”

Jingzhe also saw the two outside the window.

He knew the Heye Wuyou mentioned was the Heye from before.

“Actually, with Nanny Ming dead, I feel somewhat relieved in my heart.” Wuyou sighed, “Everyone knows Heye was driven to death by her, but there is no evidence. Even if Commander Wei comes to investigate, it’s useless.”

Jingzhe suddenly remembered everything he heard from Mingyu, whether it was the fatal wound on the back, or the suppression from above preventing further investigation…

Previously, Jingzhe always felt that the mastermind behind the scenes attacked Nanny Ming, disposing of her easily when she was no longer useful. But what if, conversely, Nanny Ming was actually killed by someone else?

A strange conjecture suddenly rose in Jingzhe’s heart.

He temporarily suppressed this thought and listened to Wuyou chattering.

“…After she left, Handan and Heye are also about to leave. It is estimated that it will be decided before winter.”

Jingzhe: “Where are they going?”

Wuyou: “One is going to Yongning Palace, and the other, currently undecided, but mostly likely to Lady Jieyu’s place.”

Jingzhe noted down these two palace concubines. Their residences happened to be in the east.

Wuyou looked at the sky outside and reluctantly cut off the conversation, “I’ll get you a lantern. It’s convenient for you to see on your way back. You’d better go back early.”

Any later, and walking this palace path alone would be even scarier.

Wuyou never dared to go in and out alone. Every time he went out at night, he would definitely drag someone to accompany him.

Jingzhe took the lantern handed by Wuyou. Although it was a bit old and the candlelight was dim, it could still illuminate the path under his feet.

Jingzhe: “Next time I come back, I’ll bring it to you.”

Wuyou waved his hand: “No need, it’s just a broken lantern. Why return it? Go quickly.”

Just now at dusk, after Jingzhe arrived at the North Wing, it drizzled slightly. Fortunately, when he was about to return, the rain stopped again; otherwise, what Jingzhe would have to borrow would not be just a lantern, but also an umbrella.

Jingzhe carried the lantern and walked out slowly. Along the way, this bean-sized light only illuminated the square inch under his feet, leaving his upper body submerged in darkness.

He amused himself by thinking that if anyone bumped into him, they would probably be scared to death.

From the North Wing to the Palace Maintenance Office, one needed to cross the entire palace. It was getting late, and Jingzhe was afraid of encountering inspections, so he specifically took a detour based on past experience.

…Although he didn’t want to take the small path.

Inevitably, he had to pass through some remote and narrow places.

Jingzhe silently prayed to Buddha in his heart, hoping not to bump into anything he shouldn’t.

But who knows if it was because Jingzhe wasn’t sincere enough when praying, or this last-minute desperate move wasn’t accepted by Buddha.

When Jingzhe boldly took the small path, he heard some strange rustling sounds.

Jingzhe really wanted to pretend he didn’t hear it and walk straight past.

Even if someone was doing something in secret, compared to Jingzhe, they should be the ones more afraid and hiding.

But who would have thought, a gust of wind came and blew out Jingzhe’s small lantern.

Jingzhe was stunned. Lifting the lantern to take a look, he realized there was a crack on the inside. No wonder the lantern went out when the wind was strong.

He couldn’t move forward or backward for a moment. Hearing those fine, fragmented sounds right by his ear, just as he wanted to muster his courage to walk past, he heard them getting closer.

Jingzhe revealed a look of despair. As a last resort, he pushed open the window of a nearby remote palace room and climbed in quickly.

Just as the window closed, Jingzhe heard voices sounding above his head. They actually stopped outside this wall and started arguing.

Jingzhe: “…”

Don’t think that just because the naked eye can’t see, there really isn’t anyone!

He had a painful lesson.

“You say you’re quitting now, do you really not want your life anymore?”

“Continuing to do it is also risking my life!”

“Are you crazy? Then what do you expect me to do?”

“Kangman, I’m sorry to you. If not for me, you wouldn’t have been forced… But, I really can’t do it anymore!”

“Since you know you dragged me into the mire, how dare you…”

“I was wrong, I really…”

Jingzhe rested his chin on his hand. These two went back and forth, arguing over this issue, repeating the same few words over and over. He could almost memorize them.

Finally waiting for the outside to quiet down, Jingzhe breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly realized there were no footsteps leaving.

He waited a bit longer before hearing someone outside sigh deeply.

“Since that’s the case, I can’t stop you either. Bear the consequences yourself.”

Then, the footsteps of the two sounded one after another, leaving hurriedly.

Jingzhe didn’t go out immediately, afraid they would make a return attack. After a while, when it was truly quiet outside, he carried the extinguished lantern and climbed out again.

Jingzhe didn’t recognize the voices of the two people just now.

In their words, only a name sounding like “Kangman” was mentioned. He remembered the pronunciation, but didn’t know how the specific characters were written.

Jingzhe looked up at the moonlight, daring not to stay any longer, afraid of causing more trouble.

He carried the small lantern and left hurriedly.

Not long after, light footsteps sounded again in the secluded palace. It turned out the two people from just now had actually returned.

One of them touched the window edge, revealing a gloomy expression: “You were right, there really was something strange.”

They had left just now, not even halfway, when Ding Peng suddenly pulled Kangman back, saying he recalled that while talking just now, it seemed like there was mud at the foot of that palace wall.

Hearing this, Kangman brought Ding Peng back.

It had rained lightly this evening. The rain wasn’t heavy, but it lasted long, only stopping just two quarters of an hour ago.

The place where they spoke was very remote. After night fell, it was impossible for anyone to go there. If there were wet mud prints, it could only mean someone had been there in the darkness.

With their hearts raised, they naturally found wet mud on the way back. And touching the window edge, there were still slight traces, although wiped, some residue remained.

Ding Peng pushed open the window and looked inside.

“There’s some too.”

Neither of their faces looked good.

Kangman: “Don’t panic. We didn’t reveal anything just now. At most, it can be counted as us gossiping and getting into an argument.”

Fortunately, they were tight-lipped when outside. Even when talking with acquaintances, they dared not reveal a bit.

This caution played a role at this time. It was just a pity they couldn’t catch that damned eavesdropping thief.

…

The autumn air was crisp, and the sun was bright.

The cool breeze blew, making people feel very comfortable. Most of the palace servants in the Palace Maintenance Office had just returned from work, talking in groups of twos and threes.

Jingzhe asked Shien if he knew any eunuch with the pronunciation “Kangman”. Shien frowned and thought for a while, hissing: “Seem to have heard of such a person, but don’t know him. You want to see him?”

Jingzhe waved his hand: “No, just heard someone mention it by chance. You don’t need to ask either.”

He didn’t ask too much, just wanted to confirm what he heard last night. Jingzhe wiped his traces when leaving. Even if someone really turned back and found someone had been there, they wouldn’t know who exactly it was.

Unless they had clairvoyance and clairaudience.

Shien raised an eyebrow and looked at Jingzhe: “That’s rare.”

Jingzhe: “This is concern.”

Shien: “Sounds more like lingering fear.”

Speaking of this, Jingzhe’s face fell.

He would never run around on small paths again. Every time he would encounter something. Haven’t these people thought about finding a more hidden place?

Or finding an open place…

Jingzhe choked at the thought of the original field. No, besides being open, it had to have no place to hide. That would be the best place for whispers.

Otherwise, who knows if someone is hiding behind some palace wall? Even in the grass that doesn’t reach the calves, many people could be ambushed!

Jingzhe accumulated a belly full of grievances. Upon seeing Rong Jiu, he couldn’t help but vent a little.

Rong Jiu said expressionlessly: “So, next time you want to go to a place more exposed to the elements?”

…Could his words just now be twisted like this?

Of course not!

Jingzhe glared at Rong Jiu and muttered: “Don’t talk about being exposed to the elements, even inside a room won’t do.”

Rong Jiu raised his hand and pinched the back of Jingzhe’s neck, as if carrying a small animal, “What does the life and death of others have to do with you?” If one isn’t cautious and gets discovered, isn’t that also one’s own fate?

The logic was sound, and Jingzhe didn’t have much of a savior complex.

He quickly remembered his guess at the North Wing earlier.

He stole a glance at Rong Jiu. That look was a bit curious and a bit eager to try.

Almost staring holes into Rong Jiu.

“What are you staring at me for?”

Rong Jiu pinched the back of Jingzhe’s neck again, tickling Jingzhe into shrinking back.