Chapter 65 - 2#

“Do you know who is behind Xin Sheng?” he said faintly.

A few days ago, Jiang Jinming had already received the news, but he kept it to himself and didn’t say anything.

Jingzhe was silent for a moment: “Someone from Yongning Palace?”

Consort Kang was no longer Consort Kang, but when mentioning Yongning Palace, the first person that came to mind was still her.

Jiang Jinming sighed: “Indeed.”

At first, Jiang Jinming couldn’t understand why Consort Kang, a dignified imperial concubine, would target Jingzhe.

Later, after her identity was exposed, coupled with the news from the Department of Prudence and Punishment, Jiang Jinming vaguely realized that the person Consort Kang was targeting should be Rong Jiu?

Jingzhe was just implicated by Rong Jiu.

Such things were common in the palace.

Many times, people died without knowing why they died.

Perhaps because of a sentence, perhaps because of a movement, or perhaps, it was due to hidden troubles brought about by relationships they didn’t even understand.

Jiang Jinming felt annoyed when he thought of this and looked at Jingzhe, waving his hand to tell him to get out quickly.

Jingzhe was used to getting out. Hearing Jiang Jinming’s words, he slipped out nimbly and even closed the door for him.

After walking a few steps outside the door, he saw a young eunuch rushing over. Seeing Jingzhe, his eyes lit up immediately.

“Jingzhe, I finally found you.”

The person speaking was Laifu.

His legs and feet had recovered, although he still limped a bit when walking, but he was much better than before.

Jingzhe was led by Laifu and was a little suspicious, “Why are you in such a hurry?”

Laifu smiled and said: “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, it’s something good.”

He pushed Jingzhe to the outside of Huiping’s room, and saw many people sitting inside, mostly people he knew after coming to the Directorate of Palace Maintenance.

They hid in the room lively and bustling, and when Jingzhe came in, they gave him a big shock.

There was a faint fragrance in the room. Several pairs of hands pushed Jingzhe before he saw a large table full of dishes.

Shien shouted and talked to him amidst the excitement.

“Everyone chipped in, thinking of celebrating for you. If you don’t finish eating today, you can’t go out.”

Jingzhe felt as if his heart had been hit hard by something. Caught off guard, his eyes were about to turn red. He immediately lowered his head so as not to show his embarrassment.

He blinked, then raised his head again, looked at the others in the room, and cupped his hands towards them, “How can Jingzhe deserve such trouble from you all?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? You usually help us a lot…”

“Come, come, sit down quickly, don’t say those polite words.”

“If you don’t eat more today, we won’t let you leave.”

In the chattering excitement, several people supported Jingzhe and sat him down at the table.

It wasn’t until evening that these people dispersed.

Although the palmams didn’t care what they did in their spare time, their liveliness was actually inappropriate. But surprisingly, no one came to stop them during the whole process.

Jingzhe leaned on Huiping’s back, hugging his stomach and wailing: “I’m stuffed.”

Huiping laughed loudly, shaking his body so much that he shook Jingzhe off.

With a thud, Jingzhe lay face down on the bed.

This pressed against his stomach, making him uncomfortable.

Jingzhe hugged his stomach with difficulty, rolled hard on the bed, and finally arched and arched, lying face up.

Beside his ear, he heard Shien and Gusheng whispering.

“…Sure enough, for things like this, Yunkui has to act coquettishly to the palmam to be useful, otherwise rely on us…”

“Ugh, don’t say such terrible things, Yunkui that big guy acting coquettishly… Ugh…”

“If he hears you, be careful Yunkui pulls your tongue out…”

Jingzhe closed his eyes, rubbed his stomach gently, and almost lulled himself to sleep.

It was Huiping who patted him awake.

“Jingzhe, you should go back.”

Jingzhe woke up and was stunned for a moment, then remembered, oh, he is no longer living with Huiping.

Jingzhe got up slowly, went limp on Huiping’s shoulder, stayed for a while before sobering up a lot, said goodbye to his friends, and walked back unsteadily.

The night was deep, and Jingzhe’s figure disappeared into the darkness.

Liu Fu saw the figure outside in his room, and across the path, called Chen Mi: “Hey, this Jingzhe just moved here, making such a big fanfare, it’s really too ostentatious.”

Did he really think moving was a big deal?

What a shallow guy.

Chen Mi turned over lazily on his bed.

The noise from the Directorate of Palace Maintenance just now wasn’t small, and they could hear it vaguely.

Chen Mi: “The palmam of the Directorate of Palace Maintenance didn’t say anything. It’s useless for you to mutter here.”

He didn’t like Jingzhe much.

But there weren’t many people he liked anyway.

Chen Mi was very picky.

Someone like Jingzhe who should have moved here clearly but still mixed with third-rank eunuchs, in his opinion, was self-degrading.

Now that this person had moved here, Chen Mi couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to him.

As for Liu Fu…

Regardless of whether he was envious or jealous, Jingzhe’s popularity was much better than his.

Chen Mi glanced sideways at Liu Fu. Aside from other things, just Jingzhe’s handsome face looked much better than Liu Fu’s face full of flesh, let alone his temperament, he really knew how to conduct himself.

Chen Mi turned over lazily again, not wanting to look at Liu Fu’s ugly face.

…

Jingzhe floated back to the room.

He didn’t drink alcohol.

There couldn’t possibly be alcohol on the table.

However, he didn’t know if one or two dishes on that table were cooked with wine. Jingzhe tasted a little bit of it.

Among them, some were Mingyu’s cooking.

Jingzhe could taste it.

…This person, when asked him to go over for dinner the day before yesterday, didn’t say anything.

Really good at hiding things.

Jingzhe yawned and entered the room in the dark.

Just after taking two steps, he subconsciously stopped and listened slightly.

This room was very quiet.

Much quieter than outside.

But Jingzhe inexplicably felt that there was someone in this room.

A slight tingling sensation ran across Jingzhe’s skin, making him unable to take another step forward.

Jingzhe spoke hesitantly: “…Rong Jiu?”

“Mn.”

The cold response made Jingzhe relax suddenly.

He said “Ay”, then continued to walk inside in the dark. The unfamiliar place made him spend more time than usual to light the oil lamp.

Jingzhe held the oil lamp and shook it by the table, discovering Rong Jiu.

He was sitting peacefully on the stool.

…Actually, with Rong Jiu’s long arms and legs, sitting on the bench, it always felt like he was condescending to be stuffed here.

Rong Jiu should sit in those spacious grand master’s chairs.

That would be beautiful and noble.

When he came to Jingzhe’s side, he was like a beast raised roughly, even his fur was not so glossy.

Jingzhe suppressed the inexplicable thoughts in his heart, put down the oil lamp again, sat down beside Rong Jiu with a thud, and buried his head under Rong Jiu’s arm.

Rong Jiu looked at Jingzhe’s strange action expressionlessly and said nothing.

Jingzhe didn’t ask him why he broke the agreement again and again, and Rong Jiu didn’t ask him why he made such a strange move.

After a long time, Rong Jiu felt Jingzhe’s little dog head rubbing back and forth, speaking softly.

“Rong Jiu, I am so happy today.”

A trivial matter, which even he himself didn’t think was anything, but so many people gave him gifts and chipped in to prepare a banquet for him.

He had never thought that there would be such satisfaction. Very happy, as if the whole person was going to float into the sky.

Rong Jiu pulled Jingzhe’s head out and looked at his slightly red eyes: “Crying?”

Jingzhe looked up, “No, why would I cry.”

He got up again to pour water.

“Since you are here, why didn’t you light the lamp? This room is very dark. Is it cold? I’ll go find a charcoal basin…”

He didn’t know until he moved, but he was startled once he moved.

Jingzhe still had a lot of high-quality charcoal, all bestowed from before. He stuffed them in the corner at that time, and completely forgot about them as he stuffed them.

When he left, he also shared a lot with Huiping and the others.

Jingzhe stuffed the tea into Rong Jiu’s hands, got up and busied himself. When he got the charcoal fire going, the temperature in the room finally rose.

Rong Jiu’s hands were too cold, making Jingzhe shiver. This person didn’t wear enough clothes, always giving people the illusion that he lived on an aura of power.

Jingzhe struggled to drag Rong Jiu up and sent him to sit by the charcoal basin.

Rong Jiu: “Don’t be busy, come sit.”

Jingzhe originally intended to carry the teapot out to beg for some hot water. Hearing Rong Jiu’s words, he hesitated for a while, but still put it down and walked back to sit beside Rong Jiu.

Jingzhe said after a while, “You were playing word games with me earlier.”

Rong Jiu: “It was you who didn’t hear it.”

Jingzhe bumped Rong Jiu with a headbutt: “Even if it were someone else, they would think it meant one day.”

It is said that meeting again on days ending in three, six, and nine, anyone would think it was set for a day!

Who could have thought that Rong Jiu would think the night didn’t count?

Rong Jiu: “You have nothing to do at night anyway.”

This didn’t count as breaking the agreement, anyway, he wouldn’t disturb him doing things at night.

Jingzhe pouted, “Then don’t I have something to do today? You waited here for no reason?”

Isn’t this a waste of time.

Rong Jiu: “But you will come eventually.”

His voice was very calm, not taking this matter to heart at all. That icy voice, inexplicably, made Jingzhe’s conscience hurt a little.

While he was bustling with friends, only Rong Jiu waited bitterly alone in this empty and dark room, his fingers so cold, which made him involuntarily hold the man’s wrist.

“You…”

Jingzhe paused, “Don’t be like this.”

Rong Jiu raised his eyebrows: “Don’t be like what?”

His lowered expression still carried cold arrogance. This man didn’t feel that what he did was worthy of pity at all. On the contrary, he tightly clasped Jingzhe’s fingers and said coldly: “If you don’t allow it again, I won’t listen.”

Giving way once is fine, but giving way every step is a bit too much.

Listening to Rong Jiu’s words and looking at his face as cold as frost, Jingzhe burst out laughing.

One hand was clasped by Rong Jiu and couldn’t move, the other hand rubbed the man’s face, saying with a smile: “Why are you so cute?”

Rong Jiu raised the eyebrow on the other side as well, vividly expressing his suspicion.

In this world, Jingzhe was probably the first person to think so.

Jingzhe didn’t care.

There were only the two of them here. He thought Rong Jiu was cute, so Rong Jiu was very cute.

Finally warming Rong Jiu’s fingers a bit, Jingzhe looked at the increasingly heavy wind and snow outside and hesitated a bit.

“Are your skills very good?”

Jingzhe asked sneakily.

Rong Jiu always tolerated his inexplicable little appearances… For example, they were in his own room, with only the two of them, why did he have to speak sneakily like a thief?

Rong Jiu said calmly: “Fairly okay.”

Jingzhe curled his lips: “What level is fairly okay? How do I know if you are okay at climbing walls or climbing roof beams?”

Rong Jiu looked at him expressionlessly.

Jingzhe smiled awkwardly: “Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue, I definitely didn’t mean you are a gentleman on the beam (thief), I wanted to ask…”

Rong Jiu’s big hand covered Jingzhe’s face, blocking his words back, and said coldly: “Okay enough not to alert the guards.”

Jingzhe’s black eyes lit up, and he said a little awkwardly: “Then, do you want to stay tonight?”

Rong Jiu slowly lowered his head to look at him, which made Jingzhe’s voice pause briefly, “…I didn’t mean that!” He first explained in an attempt to cover up, then lowered his voice, “The wind and snow outside are too heavy. I finally got your hands and feet warm. Going back in the snow…”

Rong Jiu’s hands and feet would definitely be cold as ice again when he went back.

Can’t he feel sorry for his own lover?

Jingzhe was a little ashamed and annoyed at first by the stare, but then he became righteous and spirited.

Rong Jiu said lightly: “If you can accept it, there is no objection.”

Jingzhe didn’t quite understand this remark.

He thought, Rong Jiu didn’t snore or grind his teeth when sleeping, what was unacceptable about this?

As for that old habit of not being woken up, anyway, Jingzhe didn’t have the habit of getting up at night.

…Wait, he suddenly realized that he had been restless and unable to sleep in the middle of the night recently… If he tossed and turned in bed, he would definitely disturb others’ sleep.

Never mind, if he really encountered this unlucky thing again, he would lie motionless on the bed, and he could always endure until tomorrow!

Jingzhe had determination when he needed it. He did what he said, turning around to prepare new pillows and blankets.

Rong Jiu looked at Jingzhe’s thin back, slowly stopping the fingers that had just covered his mouth at the tip of his nose. He keenly smelled extremely faint alcohol.

No wonder, today’s Jingzhe looked more… “lively” than usual.