Chapter 2

A cool hand touched Jingzhe's earlobe, followed by a large palm covering his ear.

In an instant, a roaring sound seemed to erupt in Jingzhe's ears, like a river flowing backward. But upon closer listening, it was just the blood in his veins buzzing at that moment. Jingzhe's face turned red in embarrassment.

"This, this guard brother..."

Jingzhe didn't realize his voice was trembling. This strange touch was creepy, and he wanted to run away.

If only this door wasn't so tightly shut, with no room to squeeze through!

Jingzhe swallowed and turned around tremblingly, facing the expressionless face.

"Are you, are you okay?"

The guard looked at Jingzhe coldly: "Why would you think... I'm not okay?"

...Is he really okay?

His fingers are still on his ear!

But the way the guard looked at Jingzhe was as if he were dead.

If it were any other time, Jingzhe would definitely be worried. After all, he was just a eunuch. If he offended these guards who patrolled the palace, it would be troublesome to come and go.

But now that the guard was so cold, Jingzhe was so happy that he almost cried.

Indifference is good, the more indifferent the better!

Jingzhe's tone was obviously happy: "It's nothing, it's nothing, guard brother. I just had a dispute with other palace servants and had to hide here to avoid them, disturbing you, guard brother. I'll leave now."

He finished this sentence clearly and looked at the arm still on his shoulder with a longing gaze.

The guard slowly withdrew his arm. Joy appeared in Jingzhe's eyes, and he was about to leave quickly when he heard the guard's cold voice: "Where do you serve?"

Jingzhe really didn't want to say.

Compared to the ones in Chenghuan Palace, this guard was obviously not an ordinary person. If he let him know his background, it would inevitably cause trouble.

But Jingzhe knew even more clearly that lying would cause more trouble, so he had to say: "I walk in the North Wing."

The guard's eyes were sharp. Under his gaze, Jingzhe always felt a little uncomfortable. He continued to say with a stiff upper lip: "If, if I have done anything wrong, please tell me, brother, or punish me."

He lifted the box in his hand, "I still have to hurry and deliver some food to a few masters."

The guard did not answer Jingzhe's words, but raised his hand slightly and took the waist tag from Jingzhe's waist.

Jingzhe was not worried.

That waist tag was definitely real.

After the guard finished reading it, he didn't keep it and threw it back to Jingzhe. After catching it, Jingzhe said tentatively, "Then I, I'll be going now?"

The guard had already turned and walked towards the small hall, "You come in with me."

Jingzhe sighed helplessly.

He knew it wouldn't be that easy...

A moment later, he was standing in the small hall together.

Jingzhe had never been to this small hall before. Of course, it wasn't just this small hall. Jingzhe had rarely set foot in the palace complex near Fengxian Hall.

As soon as he entered the hall, the messy appearance was shocking.

This was a small hall attached to Fengxian Hall. Even if the person enshrined was not important, the memorial tablets and offerings could not be scattered all over the floor.

What kind of blasphemy was this?

Guard: "You clean this place up."

For Jingzhe, cleaning was the easiest thing to do. The trouble was that this guard was obviously not from a small background, and this messy small hall...

However, this guard seemed to be unaffected by those two strange buffs, which was obviously a blessing in disguise. Otherwise, Jingzhe would have had to climb out even if he had to jump over the wall.

He was really getting a headache from those palace servants who were chasing him.

Jingzhe, with his back to the entrance of the hall, did not see the man leaning against the wall, staring at him with dark pupils.

The small hall was not dusty, and it was obvious that someone cleaned it all the time.

All Jingzhe had to do was to tidy up the mess on the altar. He put the offerings back on the plate and put the fallen candlesticks back in their original positions one by one. It was only then that he discovered that several memorial tablets had also fallen face down.

Jingzhe frowned. After tidying up everything else, he wiped his hands and went to right the memorial tablets.

But when Jingzhe saw the name on the memorial tablet clearly, his movements couldn't help but freeze.

He never expected to see the memorial tablet of the late empress here. The late empress, also known as Empress Dowager Cisheng, was the birth mother of the current emperor, Emperor Jingyuan.

But since she was called the late empress, it was because this empress did not live to see the day Emperor Jingyuan ascended the throne.

When Emperor Jingyuan was young, the late empress passed away, and the late emperor remarried. After Emperor Jingyuan ascended the throne, he honored his birth mother as Empress Dowager Cisheng and sealed Cining Palace. The succeeding empress, the current empress dowager, could only condescend to live in Shoukang Palace.

Shoukang Palace was to the left of Cining Palace. Although it was also a newly built palace and very comfortable, it was not as orthodox and spacious as Cining Palace. It was like a side hall outside the main hall, which always made people feel uncomfortable.

Emperor Jingyuan's move naturally attracted criticism.

When he first ascended the throne, the courtiers repeatedly opposed Emperor Jingyuan's actions. The most vehement one pointed at Emperor Jingyuan's nose and angrily rebuked him for being unfilial.

Since ancient times, the country has been governed by filial piety. Emperor Jingyuan was raised by the succeeding empress for more than ten years, so his actions were naturally absurd.

It was normal for the civil and military officials to object.

But what was not normal was that Emperor Jingyuan cut off their heads. Then he placed them on the steps for people to admire.

Every time he went to court, the air was filled with the stench of rotting blood. It was not until the empress dowager came forward and talked to Emperor Jingyuan that those heads and bodies were allowed to "go home and reunite."

Emperor Jingyuan's ruthlessness was evident.

People often died in the palace, especially in Qianming Palace. Serving the emperor was a job that could cost you your head. In the previous dynasty, it might have been the higher-ups scaring the new palace servants, but with Emperor Jingyuan, it was a reality.

"You can read?"

This sentence suddenly pulled Jingzhe back to reality. His face turned slightly pale, and he quickly put the memorial tablets in order. Then he turned around and said cautiously, "I only know a few words, not enough to be presentable."

Most palace servants were illiterate. This was not a palace rule, but it was an unspoken rule.

Before Jingzhe entered the palace, his parents treated him as a treasure and taught him well from a young age. He had also been enlightened and had studied for several years.

The guard didn't know how much of Jingzhe's words he had heard.

After a moment, he strode towards Jingzhe. Hearing the footsteps behind him, Jingzhe subconsciously turned his head. Two large, cool hands had already touched the sides of his face, their movements somewhat strangely rough and clumsy.

Jingzhe was frozen in place by the man's actions. When he came to his senses, he had already raised his hand to grab the guard's arm and said anxiously, "Guard brother, what are you doing?"

Could it be that skin hunger?

Jingzhe was used to doing heavy work and was not weak, but after several struggles, he couldn't pull the guard away at all. On the contrary, this close contact made his pupils darker and more obscure, like a spreading miasma of death.

He directly tore open Jingzhe's collar and his hand went inside.

His skin suddenly came into contact with a foreign object, and goosebumps rose one after another. Jingzhe was so scared that his scalp went numb: "Wake up... no, calm down, don't touch me randomly, you'll regret it..."

Rip—

Before he could finish his sentence, he was so shocked by the guard's next action that he bit his tongue and let out a pitiful whimper.

It's over.

Jingzhe wanted to die.

This damn buff really worked. Even this cold and indifferent guard brother was unlucky enough to fall for it.

What was even more miserable was that this guard, who knows what he ate to grow up, was as hard as a rock. Jingzhe couldn't push him away at all.

With a crash, there was another clatter.

Jingzhe was grabbed by the neck and pushed hard against the altar. The offerings that had been so hard to arrange rolled all over the floor, stained with dust.

...

Jingzhe's head was buzzing. While his body was as soft as a snake, he also wanted to die.

To be honest, the guard's actions were not rough, and there was no lewd or excessive touching.

He just repeatedly, and repeatedly, caressed.

From the neck to the side of the waist.

From the trembling waist and abdomen to the slightly concave spine.

Repeatedly, and repeatedly again.

The cool palms were stained with a fiery temperature.

It was rubbed until it was stinging and swollen.

The sound of rustling friction arose. Jingzhe couldn't suppress the instinctive trembling of his body, and waves of goosebumps, like prey caught by the back of the neck.

The feeling of being unable to struggle was too terrifying. So much so that when the person behind him suddenly stiffened and subconsciously retreated, Jingzhe's knees went weak and he fell directly to the ground.

He clutched the altar tightly, his fingers almost scratching out bloody marks. When he realized that everything was over, Jingzhe's trembling hands pulled at his torn clothes, wishing he could lose consciousness right now.

He had been hiding and living until now, and he had never thought that he would encounter such a thing one day. In a certain kind of fear, it was accompanied by an uncontrollable shame and anger.

Even his fingers were trembling, but he bit his lip hard.

Otherwise, he was afraid that he would lose control and scream. This was not... not that guard's fault... it was caused by that stupid, absurd buff.

At least... his secret was not exposed. If it really caused a scene, it would be dangerous for him.

He desperately swallowed the lump in his throat.

Jingzhe took a few deep breaths and barely calmed down. Then he said in a low voice, "Please leave quickly. I will clean up here. I will leave later, so it won't have anything to do with you."

After a stiff and deathly silence, the sound of shuffling footsteps rubbed against the ground, and the guard went out.

Jingzhe's forced calmness could only last until then. His breathing was very rapid. Calm down. Calm down.

He kept repeating it in his mind. After a while, he randomly pulled at his robe to cover his body.

[Skin Hunger buff time is up]

This sound suddenly rose, like a thunderclap shaking his eardrums. Jingzhe couldn't suppress his anger at all and had already asked.

"What the hell is this? And what are you?"

[It's a buff, not a 'bafu'.]

[The system introduced itself to the host on the day it appeared.]

[The system's original chosen host was [Helian Duan]. Due to an error, it was bound to the host.]

[The system's main task is for [Helian Duan] to ascend the throne. After the wrong binding, it was adjusted to the host assisting [Helian Duan] to ascend the throne. Once it fails, there will be a punishment.]

Jingzhe closed his eyes. What a mess.

The name Helian Duan sounded a little familiar. It took Jingzhe a while to remember that this was the Thirteenth Prince.

The Thirteenth Prince's title was Rui, and he was the son of the Empress Dowager of Shoukang Palace.

This monster that called itself a system wanted to assist King Rui in ascending the throne, which meant that this person had the idea of usurping the throne?

Jingzhe's face was already pale, and now it became even more ashen.

[As long as you successfully assist Helian Duan, you can get rid of the system.]

"Can't you just get lost on your own?"

Jingzhe closed his eyes. In the end, it was a fatal "mistake."

[Once bound, it cannot be left unless the task is completed.]

Jingzhe was very desperate. How could a low-ranking palace servant who lived deep in the palace assist a high-ranking prince?

This was a huge joke!

What's more...

Jingzhe didn't want to do this.

On the day Emperor Jingyuan ascended the throne, the palace was in a mess. Jingzhe was happy! The son of the succeeding empress could not ascend the throne. He was too happy to have time, how could he assist him?

A cold wind blew past, slamming the half-open window shut.

Jingzhe suddenly came back to his senses and shook his head.

"I won't promise you."

His clothes were torn to shreds, leaving him exposed. After the great anger and shock, his body was very sore, and his back was stinging. He estimated that it was really swollen from the rubbing, which made him very uncomfortable, but he didn't want to move.

He sat there hugging his knees for a while and finally gathered some strength.

Suddenly, a soft cloth was thrown over his head, and his vision went dark for a moment.

Jingzhe raised his hand in panic to feel, and a large, cold hand grabbed his wrist. A rough thumb pressed against his bare spine and slowly moved down.

"Don't move."

Helian Rong said.

—His voice sounded very cold.

His gaze fell on Jingzhe little by little. The body covered by the robe trembled slightly, as pathetic as a small dog drenched in a storm.

Terrified and ashamed.

In Helian Rong's dark eyes, there seemed to be a distorted and burning dark flame. It was an extremely strange gaze.

Jingzhe belatedly realized that what had disappeared was only the skin hunger, but the 'loved by all' buff hadn't disappeared!

He wanted to bang his head on the ground.