Chapter 5

Was Rong Jiu's recent interactions with him also due to the "loved by all" buff? If so, Jingzhe felt even more guilty.

"Can't you eliminate those effects?"

[As it is a punishment, it cannot be eliminated.]

Jingzhe was helpless. These two buffs seemed to bring bad luck to others, but they would also affect Jingzhe in every aspect. Otherwise, they wouldn't be called punishments.

Especially the subsequent effects...

If Jingzhe was the kind of person who got hung up on details, he couldn't help but overthink, wondering if his friendship with Rong Jiu was bewitched by some dark magic. The more he thought about it, the more entangled he would become.

But Rong Jiu was much better than those in Chenghuan Palace.

The reaction of the people in Chenghuan Palace was much more intense than Rong Jiu's. If he had been caught, would he still be in one piece now? Rong Jiu had strong self-control and a cold personality, and he quickly broke free from the buff's charm, which made Jingzhe feel much more at ease.

"How can you leave?" Jingzhe said weakly, "I can't possibly help Prince Rui ascend the throne. I have a grudge against him."

The system froze.

The host had a grudge against the mission target and refused to complete the mission. There was no precedent for this in the past.

But this was also the first time it had bound to the wrong mission target.

Seeing that the system was silent, Jingzhe rubbed his forehead in frustration and said, "Why do you want to help Prince Rui? Is it because Prince Rui would be a good emperor?"

Otherwise, why would a pie fall from the sky for no reason?

[Emperor Jingyuan will fall seriously ill in a few years and set himself on fire in his sickbed. All the adult princes in the palace will also be burned to death, except for a seven-year-old little prince. After he ascends the throne, he will have no power or influence, and the court will be in a struggle for power, with no time for other matters. Then the Qiang people will invade from the south, and the war will last for thirty years, leading to the country's collapse.]

[The system is a collection of the last emperor's resentment.]

[Among the many adult princes, Prince Rui is a qualified candidate in terms of status, position, and ability.]

Jingzhe's face turned pale, his eyelashes trembled, and his body swayed slightly as he leaned against the head of the bed.

Emperor Jingyuan will die in a few years? The other princes will also be gone?

The country will be broken, the mountains and rivers will be in turmoil? A collection of resentment? Isn't that a ghost?

A chill ran down his spine, and he wanted it to leave even more.

Even though Jingzhe hadn't paid much attention to these things before, he had to now.

He pursed his lips, a hint of worry on his brow.

"According to you, it's not necessarily that Prince Rui has to ascend the throne. As long as we can prevent the country from being destroyed, that should be enough... right?"

Jingzhe was very smart. If he weren't, he wouldn't have been able to hide his identity in the palace and survive until now.

The system's last sentence undoubtedly pointed out the reason for choosing Prince Rui.

[Yes.]

The system did not hide anything.

"Then why not Emperor Jingyuan?" Jingzhe pressed, "If I can remind him of his serious illness, perhaps there won't be a self-immolation, and then nothing will happen."

He didn't know the emperor and had no way of knowing if he would do such a thing. But what the system said was very frightening.

Emperor Jingyuan took over the throne from the previous emperor. Although the country was not yet prosperous, his rule was considered clear and there were no natural disasters or refugees. Even though there were people on the border who were eager to make a move, as long as there was no trouble in the court, they would not dare to act rashly for a few years.

To solve this problem, Jingzhe alone was definitely not enough.

The difficulty of reminding Emperor Jingyuan, compared to assisting Prince Rui to ascend the throne, the former probably, perhaps, had a glimmer of success.

[Emperor Jingyuan doesn't care.] The system said, [So it's useless.]

Jingzhe's heart turned cold.

"You mean, he's deliberately indulging it?"

[The system can only know objective events and cannot judge subjective thoughts. But Emperor Jingyuan really doesn't care.]

Jingzhe frowned. Before he could sort out the mess, the system's voice sounded again.

[Mission 3: Prevent the death of Talented Lady Yao]

Jingzhe's eyes widened. Talented Lady Yao?

"Is it the one in the North Wing?"

[Yes.]

In this North Wing, there was indeed a Talented Lady Yao.

...

In Chenghuan Palace, a few light footsteps came from outside the door. The rustling sound on the snow left a series of footprints. The ground that had just been swept was covered with a layer of white as the snow continued to fall.

Qiuyi, who had just finished delivering the gifts, frowned, looking uncomfortable.

A second-class palace maid, Qiaolan, saw her and hurried over, holding her hand and saying, "Did Sister Qiuyi get cold outside? Come in quickly and warm your hands and feet."

Qiaolan was the best at talking, always able to say the right thing. Usually, because of her sweet mouth, she got a lot of benefits. But today, Qiuyi was not in the mood. She pulled her hand away and hurried inside.

Qiaolan's face fell for a moment, and she became ashamed and angry.

Another second-class palace maid, Chenglan, burst out laughing, "Some people pounce on everything that smells good, but they don't look at their own status. They are really not likable." Her voice was fast and light. After she finished speaking, she went to work, not even looking at the resentful look in Qiaolan's eyes behind her.

"She's petty. If you provoke her, what if she trips you up in the future?"

"If I don't provoke her, will she not trip me up?" Chenglan pouted, "Don't forget, today Sister Qiuyi went out to do something and called those two Lan but not her. What was her expression then, don't you remember?"

Xinlan thought of Qiaolan's usual performance and also shook her head.

"But Sister Qiuyi's face is really not good," she said in a low voice, "In the past, she was the gentlest of the senior palace maids."

Qiuyi, who was being discussed by several second-class palace maids, had already been announced and entered the inner hall, where she saw Concubine Xu.

The inner hall of Chenghuan Palace was as warm as spring. Concubine Xu was leaning on a soft couch reading a book. Beside her were rare fruits in winter, a true enjoyment.

Qiuyi curtsied: "Your Highness, Qiuyi has returned."

Concubine Xu looked up. She was a woman in her early twenties, with a generous and dignified appearance, very bright and beautiful. She put down the book in her hand and motioned for Qiuyi to come over.

"Why such an expression, my dear? What frightened you?"

Qiuyi and the two senior palace maids in the hall were not surprised. Concubine Xu was tall and beautiful, and she always spoke to them gently and affectionately.

"Your Highness, I followed your instructions and went to deliver gifts to the other ladies..."

Qiuyi recounted what had happened today.

Concubine Xu sent Qiuyi to deliver gifts, with an ulterior motive.

Talented Lady Liu had just been sentenced to death by Emperor Jingyuan, and she lived in the side hall of Yongning Palace. The main hall of Yongning Palace was occupied by Concubine Kang, who had a very gentle temperament and didn't like to go out much, so she couldn't control Talented Lady Liu.

"I went to Yongning Palace. Concubine Kang looked pale, as if she was frightened by what happened to Talented Lady Liu. When I came out, I saw people from the Imperial Household Department cleaning up the side hall... All the servants were gone."

Qiuyi's voice lowered. Talented Lady Liu had just died yesterday, and today the people from the Imperial Household Department immediately came to clean up her things. The speed was astonishing.

But that was not all. When Talented Lady Liu had her accident, even the servants in her palace lost their lives.

Chunlian said softly, "His Majesty is truly heartless."

After Talented Lady Liu died, her body was sent back to the Prince of Huainan, and she was not even given a decent funeral. Even her servants suffered. Should one say the emperor was cold and cruel, or ruthless?

Concubine Xu glared at her and said coldly, "Talented Lady Liu brought it upon herself! If you keep talking nonsense, you might as well leave the palace."

Chunlian was so scared that she knelt on the ground and repeatedly said, "I was wrong."

Concubine Xu rubbed her forehead, thinking of the pretty Talented Lady Liu. With such a face, it was not surprising that she was favored after entering the palace. But she was still young and didn't know her place. When she was lifted to the sky, she really thought she was a goddess and started acting up.

...Some things in this palace run deep.

This time, Talented Lady Liu was just a target.

Concubine Xu lowered her eyes and looked at Qiuyi: "What else? Say it all."

Qiuyi: "There were two or three groups of people who went to visit Yongning Palace, all of them... and then, I came out..." She gave a general account of what happened today. "However, when I was coming back, I ran into someone from the North Wing."

"You mean, someone from the North Wing also went to inquire about Talented Lady Liu?"

Concubine Xu raised her eyebrows, surprised.

In the North Wing, apart from several of the late emperor's concubines, there were no concubines of Emperor Jingyuan. This was because Emperor Jingyuan was ruthless. If a concubine had offended him to this extent, she would probably have ended up like Talented Lady Liu, how could she still be living in the North Wing?

Qiuyi curtsied: "Exactly. At first, that boy from the North Wing was not paying attention, so I had him beaten. But that attracted another palace maid. She didn't dare to show herself and only went to find him after we left."

Qiuyi had a feeling that someone was peeking at that time. She pretended to leave, but actually paid attention and circled back to see. She happened to see Heye go to find Changshou, and they left together.

She was concerned about Heye's whereabouts and specifically investigated, and found that she had actually come from the vicinity of Yongning Palace.

"Why would someone from the North Wing go to inquire about Talented Lady Liu?" Concubine Xu muttered to herself, "Speaking of which, Talented Lady Liu is dead, so why did the Imperial Kitchen also change its staff?"

That fellow Qian Qin was doing very well in the Imperial Kitchen. Although he was not very presentable, he was very good at dealing with people. This time, when Talented Lady Liu asked for soup and water, he did everything perfectly, but this was not out of line.

Why would Emperor Jingyuan kill him too?

Concubine Xu couldn't figure it out, so she simply stopped trying.

She smiled and leaned back, her eyes slightly narrowed: "There are many people who want to be the mantis today, but there are also those who want to be the oriole. I will be the mantis and see what the oriole will do."

Qiuyi was slightly stunned, then she understood.

The reason why Concubine Xu had her show off outside today was to gather information, but it was also to act as bait, to see how others would react.

At least, they couldn't be the only ones who knew about the abnormality in the North Wing.

After Qiuyi finished speaking, Concubine Xu gave her some rewards, and she came out again.

Concubine Xu was used to having Chunlian and Xiahe by her side to talk.

Xiahe was clever in her work. Chunlian was brought into the palace by Concubine Xu from outside. Although she sometimes said the wrong thing, Concubine Xu was always lenient with her because she was an old servant, and others usually didn't compete with Chunlian.

Qiuyi was steady and generous in her actions. Concubine Xu often had her go out and deal with people, and she never made mistakes.

"Sister Qiuyi, are we going to the North Wing?"

A palace maid named Shanlan came over, pouting, looking a little unhappy.

Qiuyi tapped her forehead and laughed: "What nonsense are you talking about? We go out to do things. If there's nothing to do, we naturally don't go out. What are you thinking of going to the North Wing for?"

Shanlan said dissatisfiedly, "That boy just now said there was no such person in the North Wing, but there clearly is. Sister Qiuyi even kindly reminded him, how could he not find the person?"

Hearing Shanlan say this, Qiuyi's heart couldn't help but beat faster.

She naturally remembered what happened that day.

That day, Concubine Xu suddenly wanted to eat a snack that was not usually made in the palace. Originally, she didn't need to run the errand, but Qiuyi was meticulous and afraid that it would not be done well, so she went to supervise it herself. Unexpectedly, on the way, she ran into a young eunuch.

The young eunuch kept his head down, but for some reason, he caught Qiuyi's attention, and she unconsciously approached him.

What happened later, Qiuyi still felt a little embarrassed about, but also a little disappointed.

...If only I had caught that person that day and asked clearly.

She suppressed the faint disappointment and said calmly, "Don't overthink it. If someone is unwilling, what's the point of forcing them?"

Shanlan's thoughts were more than others. Her eyes rolled, and she said with a grin, "Then why did you hit that person, sister? I thought you were angry that he wouldn't say."

Qiuyi's finger tapped even harder, "Do you want your mouth anymore? Talking nonsense here. I hit him, naturally, because his eyes were wandering where they shouldn't." When asked a question, he should just answer. His eyes were about to fall on her chest, which was really disgusting.

"That's true."

Although Shanlan was thinking about the person she saw that day, it was also a childish mentality. If she really couldn't find him, she would let it go.

It was also strange. When she saw the person that day, her heart pounded and her face flushed, and she just wanted to grab him. But now that time has passed, that fervent love has dissipated a lot, and she is no longer so obsessed.

After sending Shanlan away with a few words, Qiuyi's gentle expression faded.

She had the same feeling as Shanlan. In fact, after so long, she didn't think about people that much. Otherwise, she would have gone to the North Wing long ago and wouldn't have just asked casually when she saw someone today.

But Qiuyi stopped Shanlan for another reason.

Chasing people in the palace that day was really too much. After returning to the palace, Qiuyi's heart pounded for a long time, and a chill ran down her spine. It was only after some time that she slowly relaxed.

But today, she inexplicably had that heart-pounding chill again, as if it were a reminder.

It's better to cause less trouble.

The bits and pieces in this solemn imperial city quickly gathered into a stream, and finally turned into a small document on a desk in the Qianming Palace.

One stack, then another.

Until a hand picked it up.

Ning Hongru stood respectfully behind, his back bent like an old man.

"Your Majesty, everything has been cleaned up. Tomorrow, the Prince of Huainan will definitely receive this gift."

Although he didn't know why Emperor Jingyuan had acted so ruthlessly.

But those who were always by the emperor's side didn't need to know so much, as long as they served His Majesty wholeheartedly.

"What else?"

Emperor Jingyuan's voice was cold, and it was chilling to hear in winter.

Ning Hongru hurriedly said again, "The Empress Dowager would like to invite Your Majesty to come over and discuss the matter of establishing an empress."

"I'm not going."

Ning Hongru became honest again.

In fact, he could also guess that Emperor Jingyuan's recent thoughts were all on the previous dynasty, and the little that was left was on the North Wing.

He just didn't know... where that unlucky person had offended this god of death.

...

The cold wind was bleak, and this dilapidated place in the North Wing was very cold.

Jingzhe stood outside the door and sneezed several times.

Mingyu: "Are you tired from Matron Ming?"

Jingzhe immediately covered his mouth. They were still outside Matron Ming's door.

These days, Changshou had been beaten and had become much more honest. Except for going out on errands, he didn't even say the nonsense he used to love to say.

Seeing that he had changed his ways, the others were happy.

Otherwise, listening to it every three days was also depressing.

However, Matron Ming had fallen ill.

It was Heye who discovered it.

In the North Wing, she was considered one of Matron Ming's most trusted people, always hovering around Matron Ming, and not even serving the masters much.

Three days ago, in the early morning, Heye went to help Matron Ming get up. Unexpectedly, when she went into the room, she found that Matron Ming was burning with fever, couldn't speak clearly, and was in a coma!

Heye was extremely anxious. In the end, she went to find Jingzhe.

There was no other way. Logically, a sick palace servant should be moved out. If Matron Ming's matter was reported, she would definitely be moved out to wait for death. Although she was one of the heads of the North Wing, she was not a valuable person and could not call a medical officer to treat her.

That day, Heye rushed into the eunuch's room in a panic, almost pulling off Jingzhe's clothes, crying and begging Jingzhe to go and see. Jingzhe desperately held onto his pants so they wouldn't be pulled down.

It was the first time Wuyou had seen such a terrified expression on Jingzhe's face. If it weren't for the wrong occasion, he would have burst out laughing.

Mingyu hurriedly helped to pull Heye up.

"I say, Sister Heye, if you want Jingzhe to help, this is not the way to do it. You also know that Jingzhe only knows a little bit of clumsy kung fu, and it doesn't count. How can he treat Matron Ming?"

Back then, he could treat Chen Mingde because Chen Mingde was still conscious, made the decision, and took out his own money to gamble on his life.

But what about Matron Ming?

She was in a coma, unable to speak, had tricked Jingzhe before, and couldn't even spare any money. Even if Jingzhe had a way, did he have to pay for her treatment himself? And if he couldn't cure her, who would take the blame?

At that time, Chen Mingde had said that he would not be blamed for life or death!

Heye wailed loudly, which finally attracted Sanshun.

When Sanshun came, it meant that Chen Mingde knew.

The old eunuch held his smoke pot, took a few puffs, and sighed.

"Jingzhe, go and have a look."

With his words, it was equivalent to taking over the matter.

Jingzhe felt much more relieved. He went out to see Matron Ming. He didn't want to cause trouble, but if he could save someone, it was a life, and he should save it if he could.

In the eyes of others, he was a eunuch, neither male nor female. It was fine for him to touch Matron Ming's wrist and take her pulse, but changing her clothes and wiping her sweat were still left to the palace maids.

After everything was done, Jingzhe breathed a sigh of relief and spoke to Heye.

"Matron Ming is just angry, so she has a fever. Eat light food for the next few days and rest well, and she will be fine."

Heye had lost her composure because she was anxious before. Now that she realized that Matron Ming would be fine, her attitude became proper again. She nodded at Jingzhe, thanked him, and turned to go into the room.

When they came out, Wuyou tugged at Jingzhe's sleeve.

"As soon as Sister Heye calmed down, she looked down on us again."

Heye didn't like eunuchs very much. She always felt that they were neither male nor female and felt disgusted. If it weren't for being too anxious this time, she wouldn't even have gone to the eunuch's room.

A few days later, Matron Ming did recover, but she couldn't get up and was served by several palace maids. As a result, the masters were neglected.

Jingzhe had to do more.

After he finished talking with Mingyu, he went to collect the bowls and chopsticks, collecting them as he walked. At the very end was the residence of Talented Lady Yao.

That was the person the system had mentioned.

Jingzhe couldn't figure out why Talented Lady Yao would die.

He had checked her these past few days. Talented Lady Yao's body was still healthy. If she had enough to eat and didn't get seriously ill, she could live for another ten years.

If it wasn't a physical problem, then someone wanted her to die?

He was thinking about it, and his pace slowed down. In the room, Talented Lady Yao started cursing.

"You blind dog, seeing me fall to this state, you neglect me, don't pour tea, don't wash clothes, and make excuses when you do things. Why don't you just die if your hands and feet are so slow!"

Among the masters in the North Wing, the most troublesome was Talented Lady Yao.

She had a bad temper and loved to curse. Sometimes when she was in a bad mood, she would curse "bitch" and "whore" one after another, completely shameless.

The palace servants didn't like to go to her place and didn't want to do things.

When Jingzhe entered the room, Talented Lady Yao's expression improved a little. In this North Wing, the only one she had a slightly better attitude towards was Jingzhe. After all, if others didn't do it, the one who did it was Jingzhe.

But on a day when she was in a bad mood, even Jingzhe would be cursed by her.

Jingzhe packed up his things and sighed, "What do you want? Just say it, and I'll do it."

Talented Lady Yao was in her forties or fifties, with harsh and sharp features.

She was wearing a cotton coat, her fingers tucked inside.

"That bunch of sluts, they get unhappy after a few words. If they were really capable, why would they be cooped up in the North Wing?" Talented Lady Yao was unforgiving with her words. She raised her hand and stuffed a dry fruit into Jingzhe's hand, "Get out, get out, you're an eyesore."

Jingzhe went out and sighed again.

Talented Lady Yao's words were harsh, and she was a harsh person, but occasionally, she would also stuff things into his hand, anything, depending on what she was holding at the time.

Although she was not a likable person, Jingzhe did not want her to die.

For the first time, Jingzhe braced himself and wanted to do this mission.

"You said Talented Lady Yao will die. How will she die?"

[The system does not know.]

Jingzhe was speechless: "Then, what do you know?"

[The system can only issue missions. The more missions the host completes, the more the system can do.]

This was actually a complementary matter.

Jingzhe frowned. In that case, if this system fell on Prince Rui, wouldn't it be a perfect match, mutually beneficial?

Jingzhe took a step and walked into the snow.

Mission or not, he still wanted to fight for Talented Lady Yao's life.

[It's good that the host is willing to do it.] The system said, [You can also avoid punishment.]

Speaking of punishment, Jingzhe's face fell.

This damn, fatal punishment... it was really haunting him. He didn't want a third time.

He was really an unlucky guy!