Chapter 1

"Have you heard? Several more bodies were dragged out of Qianming Palace. There's blood all over the outside of the hall."

"Are you crazy? Why are you talking about this?"

"I heard they're sending more people to the front of the hall. I'm afraid..."

"Tch, is that something we should even be thinking about? You're overthinking it."

Under the shade of a tree, two eunuchs whispered together, afraid of being overheard.

It was a quiet afternoon, and idle gossip was only natural. But when it came to that person, it was a different matter. Elsewhere, they would have been cautious and wouldn't have dared to say a word, but this was the North Wing.

A few rows of small houses, hidden away in the magnificent palace, were very inconspicuous. Outside the courtyard was a long alley that separated light from darkness.

Few people came to the North Wing. Besides the patrolling guards, there were only Matron Ming and the head eunuch Chen Mingde, who were in charge, and a few errand boys under them.

Being far away, the news was also outdated.

What Changshou and Wuyou were talking about just now had happened four or five days ago.

"There's not much to do in the North Wing, and there's no currying favor," Wuyou, true to his name, was one who liked leisure. "Do you still want to go out?"

Changshou blushed slightly and retorted, "Who's like you, with no ambition at all? Who would want to stay here for a lifetime?"

A figure passed by under the corridor, carrying some clothes to be washed, and happened to catch Wuyou's eye.

Wuyou pointed, "Look, isn't there one?"

It was Jingzhe.

Jingzhe was the oldest among them, already nineteen.

According to the head eunuch Chen Mingde, when they were selecting young eunuchs, no one wanted to come to this dilapidated North Wing. But Jingzhe was the first to volunteer, begging Chen Mingde to choose him.

Chen Mingde was in charge of the North Wing, and besides Matron Ming, it was him. Of course, he had his own calculations.

Jingzhe was beautiful.

Among the young eunuchs back then, he was outstanding. A young attendant with such looks would have had an easier time finding a good position in the palace. Why would he voluntarily come to the North Wing?

But at that time, the boy's eyes concealed an inexplicable emotion. With a gentle blink, his clear eyes seemed to be covered in mist.

Chen Mingde's heart was moved, and he decided to keep him.

He just didn't expect that after a few years, Jingzhe would remain content in the North Wing, completely different from those boys who were desperately trying to get out, as if he couldn't wait to take root in this barren soil.

Jingzhe went all the way to the well, spent some time washing and starching the clothes, and then brought them back.

On the way, he met Changshou, who greeted him with a smile and said, "Grandpa De is looking for you."

Chen Mingde was forty-six this year, and with his status, he deserved such a title.

Jingzhe thanked him and walked on with the wooden bucket.

Changshou glanced at the dark green dress inside. It belonged to an elderly concubine in the North Wing and was supposed to be washed by the palace maids every few days.

But the palace maids in the North Wing were quite lazy and sometimes forgot. These nominal masters of the "cold palace" couldn't order them around. Only Jingzhe, the good-natured one, would take them to be washed one by one.

Even in such a cold winter, it was no exception.

Jingzhe hung the dress to dry before going to find Chen Mingde.

Chen Mingde's residence was a bit larger than theirs, and he had a young eunuch named Sanshun serving him. Sanshun was simple and honest, not talkative, and usually very quiet.

Perhaps that was why Chen Mingde found him pleasing to the eye and chose him over Changshou.

However, Sanshun and Jingzhe had a good relationship. He would smile whenever he saw him. This was probably related to the time a few years ago when Chen Mingde had a fever and Jingzhe helped out.

Besides Sanshun, two other boys were standing outside the door.

They didn't look like eunuchs from the North Wing.

Sanshun led Jingzhe in. In the small room, besides Chen Mingde, two other people were sitting.

One was Matron Ming, and the other was a somewhat unfamiliar middle-aged eunuch, wearing a cotton cloak. The slightly bright color signified his different status.

In the palace, low-ranking eunuchs could only wear gray-green, which was changed to blue in winter. The palace maids' colors were brighter, but only a few.

The brighter and more cheerful the color, the higher the status.

Although the head eunuch was a stranger, Jingzhe recognized him. Seven years ago, when new recruits were being selected, he had also shown his face.

He was Qian Qin, the head of the Imperial Kitchen.

Qian Qin was very portly and spoke gently. He condescended to come to the North Wing without any arrogance, just asking calmly:

"I heard from Chen Mingde that you have a knack for making soup."

Jingzhe: "How dare I show off in front of the head."

Qian Qin: "A noble person wants to drink Xiangfan's persimmon soup, but no one in the Imperial Kitchen knows how to make it. I heard you are from Xiangfan and also know how to make persimmon soup. Just do me this favor and teach these apprentices of mine."

Qian Qin made it clear that he didn't want Jingzhe to get involved in the affairs of the Imperial Kitchen, but just to borrow him for a few days to learn.

At this point, Jingzhe had to agree.

After all, the head himself had come in person. Who had the face to refuse?

It was agreed that he would go to the Imperial Kitchen to wait the next day, and Qian Qin left with his people.

Chen Mingde's face darkened. He glanced at Matron Ming and said in a low voice, "Did you tell them about Jingzhe?"

Matron Ming said nonchalantly, "The new young master is very delicate and favored. She wants to drink Xiangfan's persimmon soup. What can the Imperial Kitchen do? They still have to find someone. Jingzhe has this skill, helping out for a bit is also a way out. Am I wrong?"

Chen Mingde: "Even if it's a great fortune, one must have the life to enjoy it. My people, Matron, you'd better not think about them in the future."

Matron Ming sneered and glanced at Jingzhe: "If it weren't for this boy's skill, I wouldn't have bothered to say anything. Fine, fine, since you don't appreciate my kindness, I won't be in the way here."

After Matron Ming left, Chen Mingde pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

Jingzhe: "Grandpa De, don't worry about me. It's just for two days, it's fine."

Chen Mingde laughed coldly: "Fine? If it were really fine, why do you think Qian Qin came all this way? With his personality of not doing anything without benefit, he came here specifically to greet me and ask me for a favor." He coughed twice, and Jingzhe took a few steps forward and brought the hot tea to Chen Mingde's hand.

Chen Mingde glanced at him and sighed again.

"Tell me yourself, why do you think Qian Qin came over?"

Jingzhe was silent for a moment before saying softly, "There are so many people in the Imperial Kitchen. It's hard to find someone from Xiangfan, but it shouldn't be that hard to find someone who can learn to make persimmon soup. The reason he came to Grandpa De is probably because... if something goes wrong, it's easier to shift the blame."

The young master Qian Qin mentioned was Concubine Liu, who entered the palace last year.

Concubine Liu was presented by the King of Huainan. She was beautiful and talented. She was greatly favored as soon as she entered the palace, and it had been more than half a year now.

This young master was from Xiangfan in her childhood and later went to the south. A few days ago, she caught a cold and, while ill, became nostalgic for her hometown, saying she wanted to eat Xiangfan's persimmon soup. The master had spoken, and the people below had to obey.

"It's just a soup, why go to so much trouble?"

Jingzhe's voice was pleasant, but a little hoarse, with a hint of doubt.

When a popular person in the palace wanted something, there was often no need to say much before people scrambled to do it. This was a matter of face, and Qian Qin's actions were surprising.

"Is it because... something happened with this persimmon soup before?"

Jingzhe had some skills. One year when Chen Mingde had a fever, he had been busy and had also made it. At that time, when he was half-asleep, Chen Mingde didn't say anything, but after he was fully awake, he gave him a few pointers.

Among them, he told him not to make persimmon soup again.

Chen Mingde suddenly looked at Jingzhe, his cold and suppressed voice filled with fear:

"Never say such a thing again!"

...

When Jingzhe came out, Sanshun smiled foolishly, which made his somewhat low spirits a little better. He said a few words to him and then went to his residence.

The rows of rooms inside were all for the masters. Even if they were down-and-out masters, they were still masters. The palace servants who served them could only rest on the outside, also several to a room.

But the North Wing was cold and there wasn't much work.

Sweeping, washing, and fetching meals every day, there was nothing else to do. The ones serving in the inner rooms were a few palace maid sisters. Only the heavy work would be left to the eunuchs.

Changshou caught up from behind and patted his shoulder, saying, "Jingzhe, what did Grandpa De want you for?"

Jingzhe: "The Imperial Kitchen wants to find a boy who can make soup to help out, so they've sent me over for a few days."

Changshou was both surprised and jealous, staring at Jingzhe's swollen and reddish hands, "How did such a job fall to the North Wing?"

Jingzhe added, "It was Matron Ming's recommendation."

Changshou quickly glanced at Jingzhe's calm face and said in a drawn-out voice, "...Matron Ming..."

Speaking of which, Matron Ming and Chen Mingde both worked in the North Wing. They were originally on good terms, but for some reason, the atmosphere between them was always strange.

The boys who ran errands below knew this very well. As soon as they heard it was Matron Ming's recommendation, they no longer thought it was a good thing.

Changshou was convinced that this was a trap, and the look in his eyes as he stared at Jingzhe was different.

At that moment, the palace maid Xiari, who was serving in the inner row, hurried over, saying that a master needed to move a heavy object. Without another word, she took the resting Changshou and Mingyu with her. For a moment, Jingzhe was the only one left in the dark room.

Jingzhe tidied up his bed, opened all the windows, and then noticed his hands.

Washing in winter was the hardest. There was no charcoal fire, and he had to put his hands in cold water, which made his fingers sore and swollen, sometimes with a piercing pain.

No wonder the palace maid sisters were always reluctant to move.

Jingzhe hesitated for a moment and looked at the small wooden cabinet by his bed.

Everyone in the room had such a small wooden cabinet. A few changes of palace clothes were stuffed in the bottom, and the top drawer could hold some delicate personal items.

Jingzhe's cabinet was originally unlocked, but after losing things a few times, he also locked it.

He took out the key from his neck, carefully opened the cabinet, and took out a small jade bottle from the top layer.

The bottle was smooth and round, and it looked extraordinary, not something someone of Jingzhe's status could afford.

He tilted the bottle, and a milky white liquid overflowed into his palm. Then he put the bottle away and slowly began to apply it. When it touched the chilblains, it stung, but after it was evenly applied, the originally unbearable swelling and pain gradually subsided.

But as he rubbed, Jingzhe became lost in thought, his face a little pale.

He was thinking about what had happened to him.

Three months ago, Jingzhe encountered a strange thing.

He didn't know from which day, but a strange, dry voice often appeared in his ear.

The first time it appeared, Jingzhe was startled and almost thought he had seen a ghost. But after the second and third time, he calmed down.

Palace servants couldn't afford to get sick.

If they were valued by their masters, it would be a different story. For eunuchs and palace maids like Jingzhe, let alone seeing a doctor, not being dragged out to wait for death was already good enough.

If he really had an incurable disease, making a fuss would be useless.

He would just have to wait for death.

Until that day.

It was an ordinary autumn day. Changshou said he had injured his arm and couldn't carry heavy things. He took Changshou's place and went to the Imperial Kitchen. On the way back, the strange voice sounded again.

[Task 1 failed, please accept the punishment.]

Jingzhe frowned slightly, quickened his pace through the corridor, and put the voice out of his mind.

He had heard the word "task" once or twice before, but he had always forced himself to ignore this auditory hallucination.

Just before, he had been sent to help with the funeral of a young eunuch named Deshun. It was just a roll of bedding, buried outside the palace.

When it was his turn, it would be no different.

Jingzhe had lived to the age of nineteen. For many of those years, compared to his family, it was as lucky as if it had been stolen. If he really had to die, it would just be to accompany them.

[Random buff: Loved by all]

[Effect: Within 2h (about 1 shichen), everyone who sees the host will fall in love with the host]

Even though Jingzhe had repeatedly ignored the auditory hallucination, he was still startled by the content.

What was a "buff"? Loved by all?

What kind of wishful thinking was this?

Jingzhe found it amusing. Did this auditory hallucination appear because it knew his parents were dead and thought he was inherently lacking in love?

Just then, a few palace servants came towards him from around the corner. The one in the lead was clearly a head palace maid from Chenghuan Palace. Jingzhe stepped aside to avoid bumping into her.

The head palace maid walked by, her gaze barely brushing past Jingzhe, and then she suddenly stopped.

Jingzhe was slightly stunned and heard her ask, "Which palace are you a eunuch from? Why do you look so unfamiliar?"

Jingzhe: "I serve in the North Wing. It's normal that you don't recognize me, sister."

"I see. I think you're a diligent one. The year-end evaluation is coming up. How about coming to Chenghuan Palace?"

Not to mention Jingzhe's astonishment, even the people behind the palace maid raised their heads in shock.

This was truly abrupt and direct.

When they saw Jingzhe's appearance clearly, their original astonishment faded and was replaced by a touch of fanaticism, even more enthusiastic than the head palace maid. A eunuch even took two steps forward, grabbed Jingzhe's wrist, and said with a smile:

"Sister Qiuyi really has a good eye for people, to have spotted such a piece of uncut jade at a glance. This is truly a good treasure. It would be a great loss to let it go..."

The palace servants behind Qiuyi surrounded him, their eyes filled with a strange fanaticism, as if they couldn't wait to strip Jingzhe's clothes off.

Another palace maid came forward and reached out to touch Jingzhe's face.

Jingzhe's hair was already standing on end from the young eunuch's touch. Seeing another hand coming, he shivered violently.

He suddenly pulled his hand back and said stiffly, "Thank you for your high regard, sister. Forgive my rudeness, but my master is still waiting for this food today. I need to go back early."

By the end, Jingzhe didn't even know what nonsense he was spouting. He hurriedly bowed and turned to leave.

He was originally walking. After hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, he started running.

Jingzhe didn't expect this "buff" to be so terrifying!

The North Wing was considered the most remote corner of the imperial city. Sometimes, to avoid trouble, Jingzhe would take the long way around. At least in terms of navigating the twists and turns without running into patrolling guards, he was a little better than those fanatical pursuers.

Originally, he should have taken the main road north from the palace road out of Xiqing Gate. Now, to avoid the pursuit of these people, he simply turned at Cangzhen Gate, went all the way to Qizhi Gate, made a big circle, and turned back to Fengxian Hall.

By the time he reached Fengxian Hall, the sound of footsteps was already distant, as if they were hesitating about where he had gone.

Jingzhe looked up at the plaque of Fengxian Hall and didn't dare to enter without permission. But on the left, there was another small courtyard with a small hall of three seats. He didn't stop, pushed the door open lightly, carefully hid his figure behind the door, and held his breath.

Although someone did chase him to Fengxian Hall, it was a solemn place, and they didn't dare to be presumptuous. After calling out a few times and finding it too quiet, they went to look elsewhere.

Jingzhe didn't let go of the hand covering his mouth and nose until all the sounds had disappeared, and he breathed a little rapidly.

Were those people crazy!

Palace servants were not allowed to walk around the palace freely. The way they had chased Jingzhe just now was already terrifying. Was it the trouble caused by that "buff"?

Was all this not a disease of auditory hallucinations, but a real monster... hiding in his ear, speaking, and casting spells?

Jingzhe's face was pale, still frightened. As he looked around, he was like a startled, rain-drenched sparrow. He didn't even realize he was trembling. It was probably because of the monster from who knows where, and the magic that could control people's hearts.

"Strange..."

Jingzhe murmured.

Why wasn't there even a single palace servant on guard here? This was Fengxian Hall, how could he have entered so unimpeded?

He hadn't thought much when he was running away, but now that he was calm, he had doubts.

"Hah!"

As he turned around, he came face to face with a tall, dark figure and almost bumped into the person's chest.

Jingzhe suddenly stepped back, his back against the courtyard door. He subconsciously looked up and saw the man's appearance clearly.

The clothes he was wearing seemed to be the uniform of the palace patrol guards.

This guard had a beautiful and handsome face, with sharp eyebrows and a high nose, but no expression.

It was a sharp, suffocating beauty. The indifferent gaze was like a sharp blade, carrying a terrible pressure. The pupils, as dark as the lurking breath of death, moved and slowly fell on Jingzhe.

"Who are you?"

The voice had a beautiful tone, the slightly heavy and curly sound rolled off his tongue, and the syllables seemed to have an exotic rhythm.

Jingzhe's heart pounded wildly, and an inexplicable sense of crisis sank in his lower abdomen.

That "buff"...

As soon as he thought of those fanatical people, his legs couldn't help but tremble. He suddenly turned around, wanting to escape from this small hall.

But an arm from behind passed over his shoulder and slammed on the courtyard door. Clang—

The heavy impact completely closed the door that had been left ajar.

[Task 2 failed, please accept the punishment]

[Random buff: Skin hunger]

[Effect: Within 1h (about half a shichen), people within the host's vicinity (within ten steps) will crave intimate contact. If they cannot have skin-to-skin contact with others, they will feel uneasy and bewildered, and then lose control]

Jingzhe's vision went black. What kind of bad luck was this, one thing after another?

Where did this Task 2 come from!