Chapter 3

Outside the North Wing, there was a long corridor. The narrow palace path blocked the sun, leaving only a little light. Inside the corridor, there was a door wide enough for two people, which was the entrance to the North Wing.

Except for the patrolling guards and the palace servants of the North Wing, those "masters" were not allowed to enter or leave from here.

At this entrance, two eunuchs were guarding.

Imprisoning these masters here.

Qi Tui and Ba Qi guarded here, having nothing to do all day. Only two or three people came in and out every day, very few. Even if they fell asleep, it wouldn't affect anything.

Occasionally, they would chat a few words to pass the time.

For a while, Changshou loved to run out the most. As long as it was something external, he would take it all on. He also made a few friends outside the North Wing through this, but that was all.

There were too many people who were desperate to climb up, and the rest were just insignificant dust.

Today, when Jingzhe passed by, Qi Tui couldn't help but joke: "In the past half month, I've seen you go out often, brother."

Jingzhe smiled slightly and said softly, "It's my turn to fetch the meals today."

"So that's it. I was saying, shouldn't it be Changshou and Sister Heye today?"

"Sister Heye is not feeling well, and Changshou went to help the sisters with their work."

After a few brief sentences, there was no more talk. After verifying Jingzhe's waist tag, they let Jingzhe out.

When Jingzhe's figure slowly walked into the long and gloomy corridor, Ba Qi slapped the back of Qi Tui's head, "You talk too much nonsense."

Qi Tui covered his head and frowned: "It's nothing to ask a few questions."

Ba Qi was too lazy to pay attention to him, but Qi Tui was energetic and dragged Ba Qi to demand an explanation.

Ba Qi rolled his eyes and said lazily: "Jingzhe has been in the North Wing for so many years and has never had a rank or grade. Now he is almost nineteen. If he can't climb to the third rank before he is twenty, he will really be an unrated little eunuch in the future. Do you think he is willing?"

"Impossible. Jingzhe looks like the most well-behaved one."

"Well-behaved? Hmph, you may know a person's face but not their heart. If he really didn't care, why would he run out recently?" Ba Qi crossed his arms and shook his head, "He's just good at pretending, and his emotions don't show on his face!"

At this point, he lowered his voice.

"Have you forgotten that someone sent him things before?"

...

Jingzhe walked out slowly. When his figure was covered by the complicated branches, he saw Rong Jiu standing quietly outside a narrow door.

So today, it was his turn to guard here.

When Jingzhe saw him, he couldn't help but smile. The man looked cold, but when he walked slowly to Jingzhe's side, his tone was quite gentle.

"Where are you going?"

Just as the North Wing was remote, the duty here was not taken seriously. Sometimes the guards didn't even come, and it wasn't as closely watched as other places. The people in the North Wing were used to it. Anyway, nothing big would happen here, unlike other important places.

"To the Imperial Kitchen." Jingzhe said, "Sister Heye, who usually fetches the meals, is not feeling well today..."

"She just doesn't want to go." The guard interrupted Jingzhe coldly.

Jingzhe was not annoyed and turned his head to look at him.

This person's surname was Rong, and he was ranked ninth.

He was one of the guards patrolling the North Wing, and he was also new.

...Of course, he was also the unlucky guy who fell for the buff in the small hall...

Jingzhe now knew that it was a buff, and also a painful torture. This included the painful experience in the small hall that day.

Jingzhe had never embraced anyone so nakedly in his life, and it happened to be Rong Jiu. Rong Jiu's temperament was very cold, he spoke little, and had a difficult temper. If it weren't for the fact that he was hit by the 'loved by all' buff when Jingzhe first met him, they wouldn't have had any dealings.

That day, Rong Jiu left and returned. Jingzhe was very exhausted emotionally and didn't even have the strength to be angry. "If you still want to do something, why not just kill me."

Rong Jiu dragged Jingzhe up from the ground, "Put it on."

Seeing that Jingzhe didn't move, Rong Jiu did it himself.

This finally made Jingzhe react. He took a few steps back and put on the clothes himself.

The clothes Rong Jiu brought were actually palace clothes, and they fit very well.

"What compensation do you want?"

"...What?"

"I bullied you, shouldn't I compensate you?"

Jingzhe swore that everything he had experienced before was nothing compared to the shame brought by the guard's words at this moment. He wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Jingzhe shook his head weakly: "...No need, just never see each other again."

He walked quickly to the table where the food was placed, picked it up, and hurried towards the palace door. When he was about to step out, Jingzhe stopped reluctantly and said without looking back.

"This time was just... an accident. You don't have to take it to heart. Just treat it as being possessed."

Jingzhe left these words and fled in panic, ignoring the mess here.

Everything was caused by that accidental mistake.

That day, Jingzhe didn't dare to go back immediately. He hid until the 'loved by all' buff disappeared before he dared to see anyone.

He had absolutely no interest in completing the tasks.

The two failed tasks were [Task 1: Stop Emperor Jingyuan from killing Xia Liao] and [Task 2: Stop Chen Xuanming from being exiled]. These two tasks failed around the same time on the same day, which meant that Xia Liao died and Chen Xuanming was exiled.

Jingzhe found it hard to calm down whenever he thought of the system.

This so-called system was very rigid. If it was bound to King Rui, there might be a possibility of completing tasks one and two. But how could Jingzhe possibly complete them!!

Where did he get the ability to influence Emperor Jingyuan?

From the time he entered the palace until now, Jingzhe had never even seen him.

After returning that day, Jingzhe scolded the system severely. When a good-tempered person like him got angry, it was truly scary.

Since that day, the system had not made a sound.

Jingzhe thought those things would pass just like that, but unexpectedly, the next day, Ba Qi, the gatekeeper, brought him something, saying that someone had sent it and left it outside the door.

Jingzhe was stunned. In all these years, apart from the North Wing, he had never had deep friendships with anyone. How could anyone send him things?

After going there, he found it was a medicine bottle.

Attached was a note with only the simple word "Apply" written on it, signed by Rong Jiu.

Jingzhe was silent at the time.

Palace servants rarely sent things to each other, as it was easy to be accused of illicit giving and receiving. Moreover, how could someone leave their name so carelessly?

Was he afraid there would be no evidence?

Fortunately, it was medicine, so Jingzhe could muddle through. He didn't even see the person, and there was nowhere to return it, so he could only take it back.

Two days later, Ba Qi came again.

This time it was pastries.

They didn't look like something one could usually eat. The exquisite and beautiful patterns were distinct, like small flowers.

It was still a short note.

"Apology."

Then, the signature, Rong Jiu.

Jingzhe said with a headache: "Trouble you two, if anything is sent in the future, please don't accept it. It's against the rules."

Qi Tui shrugged: "Can't help you with that, Jingzhe. You know, that's someone walking in the palace, we can't easily offend him. When did you get to know such a connection?" The two times different people came, saying they were helping a colleague deliver it, but they were all palace guards. Who dared to stop them for him?

Jingzhe said dryly: "There was a misunderstanding before... forget it, if someone comes to deliver again next time, please help stop them."

As he spoke, he stuffed half a string of coins over.

Chen Mingde was not too mean. He would take 30% of the monthly money of the little eunuchs below, and the rest would still be issued.

Over the years, Jingzhe had saved a little.

Qi Tui and Ba Qi took the money and naturally agreed readily.

When Rong Jiu sent something for the third time, Jingzhe met him for the second time.

...

"What are you thinking about?"

Rong Jiu said suddenly.

Jingzhe came back to his senses, covered his face and sighed, "Why am I always distracted today... I was just thinking about the second time we met."

Rong Jiu nodded and said lightly: "That was the first time someone grabbed my collar and spoke to me."

The first two times, he had just sent someone over.

It wasn't until the person he sent to watch the North Wing mentioned that Jingzhe wanted to meet him that Rong Jiu became interested, and that meeting happened.

As for the reason he sent someone to watch the North Wing...

Rong Jiu's eyes were deep, and no emotion could be seen.

That day, as soon as Jingzhe saw him, he rushed over anxiously, grabbed his collar aggressively, and the first sentence was:

"Don't write notes anymore, do you want to die?"

Then he tore up the note in front of Rong Jiu.

The second sentence was, "I don't need your apology, you go."

It was done in one go.

When Jingzhe thought of the scene at that time, he couldn't help looking embarrassed: "You were too careless."

How could he leave a note every time?

Handwriting, names, and tangible records were all forbidden in the palace.

It was safest if it came out of the mouth, entered the ear, and no third person knew the secret.

In fact, their current meeting shouldn't have happened either.

Jingzhe didn't know how he developed this relationship with Rong Jiu... they were friends, but it was a bit strange. Rong Jiu's actions could be said to be apologetic, but Jingzhe felt even more guilty. In the final analysis, Rong Jiu did that because of the system's mistake.

Jingzhe felt ashamed and guilty, and wouldn't have gotten too close to Rong Jiu. Firstly, he was afraid that the magic wouldn't work well and Rong Jiu would find out the problem and despise him. Secondly, contacting someone like Rong Jiu was not quite the same as his usual style of doing things.

If he had to say...

It might have something to do with Rong Jiu's face.

Rong Jiu was too good-looking.

Jingzhe sighed. He had this problem since he was a child.

He liked good-looking people the most.

The better looking they were, the harder it was for him to resist. This was simply a heinous bad habit.

Fortunately, although Jingzhe had this problem, he was picky.

He would also think some people were good-looking, but they had to suit his taste to make him lose his mind.

For so many years, Rong Jiu was the one who suited his taste the most.

He also wanted to slap himself. He was really asking for trouble for no reason. With Rong Jiu's sharp appearance, he was naturally not to be trifled with. Didn't he learn enough from the encounter when they first met?

In the end, he still blamed that deadly system.

Sometimes when Jingzhe had to go out and met Rong Jiu, he would walk with Jingzhe for a while.

But this was not safe after all, and Jingzhe rarely did so.

The reason for this today was probably because...

"Why are you in a bad mood?"

Rong Jiu asked calmly.

Jingzhe was slightly stunned, not expecting Rong Jiu to say such a thing.

He was silent for a moment, looking at the corridor close at hand. The rustling sound came, and the fallen snow was crushed under his feet, spreading like endless white, covering the road ahead in coldness.

"Tomorrow, I will be borrowed to the Imperial Kitchen to help. There are many people there, not as quiet as the North Wing. I'm just a little worried." Jingzhe finally just said this.

Rong Jiu raised his eyebrows: "The Imperial Kitchen is borrowing people from the North Wing?"

Jingzhe just smiled. Rong Jiu said no more and stopped only after sending him to the palace road leading to the Imperial Kitchen.

Jingzhe subconsciously stopped too. Rong Jiu had already reached out and patted the broken snow on his shoulder. The white snow fell one after another, and he heard his cool voice: "Annoying people, it doesn't matter if you kill them."

Jingzhe: "..."

By the way, besides being good-looking, this person had another problem.

Occasionally, he said shocking things.

The kind that could scare people to death.

He also had a bit of a bad temper.

How could someone like Qian Qin be killed casually?

But what Rong Jiu said never sounded like a lie.

It carried a gloomy weirdness that might be realized.

Jingzhe shook his head, "If it were really that easy to deal with, it wouldn't be so troublesome." Seeing that the Imperial Kitchen was just ahead, he couldn't help but warn Rong Jiu to be cautious in his words and deeds and not to speak like that again, before turning to go in.

Rong Jiu watched Jingzhe's figure enter the Imperial Kitchen, and after a moment, walked in another direction.

He walked unhurriedly, but he was not going in the direction of the patrol.

...

Outside Qianming Hall, the head eunuch Ning Hongru stood at the door, the howling cold wind hurting his face.

If it was like this for him, it was even more unbearable for the delicate young master.

Concubine Liu wore a concentric bun and was covered in a soft brocade cloak the color of misty rain in Jiangnan. Her beautiful little face was frozen pink in the winter wind.

"Manager Ning, I'm just here to bring some food to His Majesty. It's usually like this, why is it different today?" Concubine Liu said in a delicate voice, "Just go in and announce it, His Majesty won't refuse to see me."

Ning Hongru smiled: "If it were in the past, this servant wouldn't dare to stop you, young master. But today His Majesty has ordered that no one is allowed to disturb him, so please go back, young master."

Concubine Liu refused to give in and insisted on going in.

Her rank was low, and she shouldn't have been so presumptuous in front of Ning Hongru. But in this harem, rank didn't matter, what mattered was Emperor Jingyuan.

If Emperor Jingyuan liked someone, even the humblest person would be praised to the skies. If he didn't like someone, even the empress would be useless.

When Concubine Liu first entered the palace, she was also cautious and humble. More than half a year later, she had become arrogant and domineering, like a different person.

After half a cup of tea, Ning Hongru still refused to yield, and Concubine Liu's face looked very ugly.

Just then, a female official hurried out of Qianming Hall and whispered something in Ning Hongru's ear. Ning Hongru's expression changed slightly, and he turned and walked towards the hall.

Concubine Liu's eyes lit up, and she took a few steps forward: "Is His Majesty willing to see me?"

Ning Hongru smiled and said: "Please stay here, young master. This servant will announce you right away."

Concubine Liu stopped then, waiting foolishly outside the door.

The female official followed behind Ning Hongru, and the group hurried into the hall. The female voice quickly added the unfinished words: "...His Majesty is very unhappy."

Ning Hongru shivered. He threw Concubine Liu and Noble Lady Xu to the back of his mind, wishing he had wind and fire wheels on his feet, walking extremely fast.

When he arrived at the bedchamber, he saw a figure kneeling in the hall, speaking softly.

"...That Qian Qin is a sensible person. He couldn't bear to part with the helpers under him, so he found a scapegoat. He got things done for Concubine Liu, and if he gets blamed, there's also an unlucky guy to take the fall..."

Qian Qin? That guy from the Imperial Kitchen? Concubine Liu, scapegoat... As soon as these few words came out, Ning Hongru knew what was going on.

He bowed honestly, and heard Emperor Jingyuan call his name. The voice was very pleasant, but surprisingly cold, like ice.

"Pull out Qian Qin's tongue." A light sentence silenced the bedchamber. After a moment, "Drag the woman outside and chop her up too."

The female official's horrified sob was stifled in her throat, almost making a mistake. Ning Hongru in front of her bowed calmly: "Yes."

When Ning Hongru withdrew from Qianming Hall, Concubine Liu's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but take two more steps forward. She subconsciously stroked her hair, looking at the manager with a smile, with a faint smugness.

"Manager Ning, does His Majesty want to see this concubine?"

She was a little dissatisfied with Ning Hongru in her heart. Knowing that His Majesty doted on her, he still pushed back and blocked her. Being so tactless, she didn't know how he got to this position.

Thinking was one thing, but Concubine Liu didn't dare to show it, for fear of offending Ning Hongru. Since entering the palace, she had seen that eunuchs were all petty people.

The petty Ning Hongru smiled: "His Majesty's oral decree, grant death to Concubine Liu, execute immediately."

Several guards immediately walked out from the front of the hall, grabbed Concubine Liu's arms simply, and dragged her down the steps. The movements were rough and direct, with no pity for the fairer sex.

Concubine Liu screamed in horror: "Ning Hongru, you're crazy! This concubine wants to see His Majesty! His Majesty, His Majesty, this thief is falsely transmitting your oral decree..." Her voice trembled, full of fear, and she didn't even care about the pain of bumping.

Ning Hongru maintained a calm smile, which was his usual mask outside. Seeing it too much, people thought he really had a gentle temper.

But how could someone who followed Emperor Jingyuan be a kind-hearted person?

Ning Hongru looked at Concubine Liu, who was pressed down and kneeling in front of the steps, and said slowly: "His Majesty is benevolent, granting the young master a whole corpse, leaving some dignity."

Dignity? Concubine Liu struggled desperately. What dignity!

She was going to die. Did it matter how she died?

"Your Majesty—"

In the cold winter, the woman's voice was somewhat shrill, like a strange roar.

But soon, red blood spilled on the ground, still steaming.

A guard pulled out the blade, and Concubine Liu's corpse fell straight to the ground.

Ning Hongru: "Drag her out and send her back to the King of Huainan."

"Yes."