Chapter 6

Once he started thinking about Talented Lady Yao, Jingzhe couldn't help but pay more attention.

Talented Lady Yao was a concubine of the late emperor. A mere talented lady was just a passing cloud in the late emperor's palace, but to be demoted to the North Wing was somewhat different.

Talented Lady Yao had a bad mouth, a bad temper, and loved to curse. The palace servants in the North Wing all cursed her in private.

Usually, Jingzhe didn't like to gossip and hadn't heard much. After he started to deliberately inquire, he discovered that everyone had a lot of guesses about the origins of these masters.

On this day, when Mingyu heard him ask about Talented Lady Yao, he laughed.

"I thought you didn't like to hear others talk about these things, Jingzhe. If you asked someone else, I might not know, but I do know a little about this Talented Lady Yao."

He smiled with a hint of pride, which was not annoying.

"I heard this from Baqi," Mingyu said. Baqi was older than them and knew more. "Talented Lady Yao was originally a person of Empress Dowager Cisheng. It is said that she was a distant relative. When Empress Dowager Cisheng was ill, she was chosen to serve her. But Empress Dowager Cisheng passed away during this illness. The late emperor was angry that Talented Lady Yao did not serve well and demoted her to the North Wing."

Empress Dowager Cisheng was Emperor Jingyuan's mother. Her illness back then was just a cold. At first, no one expected that this empress would eventually pass away.

Jingzhe was lost in thought. He remembered that small hall.

There was a small courtyard next to the Fengxian Hall, and in the small courtyard, there was a small hall. That day, he saw the memorial tablet of Empress Dowager Cisheng in the hall.

Speaking of which, why was Rong Jiu in the small hall that day?

Jingzhe frowned. Wasn't Rong Jiu a guard patrolling the North Wing? The distance between Fengxian Hall and the North Wing was still quite far.

Mingyu didn't know what Jingzhe was thinking and was still talking.

"After Talented Lady Yao came to the North Wing, she was very quiet for the first few years. But then, for some reason, she went crazy and started cursing every day, cursing people so much that they didn't dare to get close. Even the other masters who occasionally walked around didn't like to talk to her."

He spread his hands and patted Jingzhe's shoulder.

"Only a good old man like you doesn't take what she says to heart."

Jingzhe said calmly, "She is a master, and we are servants. Being cursed a few times won't hurt."

Mingyu said embarrassedly, "I don't have your good temper. But it's true, at least she wouldn't do something as disgusting as forcing people to wash clothes with hot water."

Jingzhe frowned and took his hand to look. Mingyu shook his head repeatedly and laughed, "It's not me, it's Matron Ming."

His voice lowered.

"You don't know, after Matron Ming recovered, her mouth is a little crooked, she can't speak clearly, and her temper is getting worse and worse."

Mingyu pursed his lips and motioned for him to look outside.

He saw two palace maids walking past. One of them was Heye, who was crying as she walked, and the other palace maid was comforting her.

Heye's hands were swollen like red pig's trotters, and there were several large blisters.

Jingzhe's face darkened slightly: "Is Matron Ming deliberately torturing people?"

Mingyu: "When a person's body is broken, their heart also turns bad. Look, I didn't see that she was so vicious before."

Although Matron Ming was their superior, the eunuchs managed the eunuchs, and the palace maids managed the palace maids. If Matron Ming wanted to torment those palace maids, Chen Mingde couldn't interfere. If she tormented the eunuchs, Chen Mingde would definitely not agree.

Therefore, Mingyu could sigh with such detachment.

Jingzhe shook his head and went to sweep with Mingyu.

But when he swept outside Matron Ming's house, he saw the closed door curtain being lifted, and a tall figure stood by the door, calling out to Jingzhe: "Jingzhe, Matron Ming wants you to come in and talk."

Mingyu subconsciously grabbed Jingzhe's sleeve, a trace of fear on his face.

Jingzhe smiled at him and looked at Handan: "Sister Handan, I'm coming."

Handan's eyes were slightly red, obviously she had cried.

Most of her hands were covered by her sleeves, and only a little bit of white cloth could be seen.

I wonder if it's the same as Heye...

When Jingzhe entered the house, his body obviously warmed up a bit.

There was charcoal burning in Matron Ming's house. Although it was not smokeless, it was much warmer than outside. After he came in, Handan quickly closed the door. The doors and windows in the house were tightly closed, the smell was not very good, and it was also very dark. Matron Ming was sitting crookedly in a chair.

Jingzhe took two steps forward and bowed slightly: "Greetings, Matron."

Matron Ming didn't speak, her cold eyes sizing up Jingzhe, like sharp hooks,刺得人生疼.

Jingzhe let her look, and his peripheral vision caught Handan standing on the side, crossing her hands uncomfortably.

"Jingzhe, I heard that you know a little about medicine. Come and see if my body can still get better." Matron Ming didn't speak, but when she did, her mouth and eyes appeared crooked. "Come here."

Jingzhe didn't move, "Forgive my incompetence, this little trick of mine can't read the pulse, so I can't diagnose Matron Ming."

"Is it that you don't know, can't, or don't want to?"

Matron Ming threw the teacup and said gloomily.

The hot tea splashed on his feet and seeped into the soles of his shoes. Fortunately, the fragments didn't fly up.

Handan screamed in fear, then quickly swallowed it.

Jingzhe said lightly, "I am incompetent, I really can't do it."

Matron Ming stared at Jingzhe coldly, wishing she could skin him alive.

The reason why she was so ill was because after Heye came back, she told her that all the people in the side hall of Qianqing Palace were gone.

The word "gone" in the palace has a special meaning.

Matron Ming understood what it meant as soon as she heard it. Even her goddaughter was gone. She was both shocked and angry, and even more afraid that she would be implicated. She fell ill and almost didn't wake up.

After she woke up, she found herself in such an ugly state, and her spirit was already half broken. In this state, even if she left the North Wing, no one would want her. All her previous plans had come to nothing!

She resented Heye for bringing this news that made her so ill, and she hated Jingzhe even more.

Talented Lady Liu was dead, Qian Qin was also dead, her body was ruined, and even her goddaughter was gone. Why could Jingzhe still live in peace?

For a moment, Matron Ming's gaze on Jingzhe became even more terrifying.

But Jingzhe was calm: "If Matron has nothing else, I will go out to do my work first."

Without even getting Matron Ming's permission, he turned and left.

Jingzhe had always been proper and cautious in his actions. When had he ever been so rude? It was the first time Matron Ming had been contradicted by him. She was so angry that she was short of breath and almost fainted.

Handan ran over in a few steps, calling out repeatedly, "Matron, Matron..." but she only called out and didn't dare to help her up.

She was afraid that if Matron Ming recovered, she would slap her again.

She was also frightened by Heye's miserable situation.

In just over half a month, Matron Ming's temperament had changed so much that it was frightening.

Mingyu was afraid that something would happen to Jingzhe, so he hid outside the door to eavesdrop. He didn't expect to see Jingzhe lose his temper for the first time.

Jingzhe had a good temper. Whatever others asked him to do, he always agreed. Today's situation, for him, was already considered angry.

"What's wrong? It's rare to see you so unhappy."

Jingzhe frowned. Matron Ming had plotted against others, and after failing, she had a stroke from anger. Fortunately, it wasn't serious, and she woke up, but her temper changed and she tormented others, completely ignoring the problem was with herself. Today, Matron Ming called him over, clearly not for a medical examination, but for something else.

He didn't want to stay for a moment longer.

"Let's go, let's go, don't be stuffy here. I've swept this side clean, let's go somewhere else."

Mingyu pulled Jingzhe and left.

No matter how much Matron Ming hated Jingzhe, with Chen Mingde around, she couldn't do anything openly.

The days passed like this, until the matter of Talented Lady Liu and Qian Qin became old news in the palace, and new news came.

Changshou and Wuyou were whispering.

"I heard that the Empress Dowager gave the Emperor a good scolding."

"Why is that?"

"The Empress Dowager wants the Emperor to establish an empress, but the Emperor refuses."

"It's true that it's not good for the harem to not have an empress, but if the Emperor is unwilling..."

Changshou had been listless for many days, but recently he had regained his vitality. When he talked about such gossip, his eyes lit up with joy.

"But the Empress Dowager is an elder after all. We emphasize ruling the country with filial piety. I think maybe the Emperor will agree."

Jingzhe passed by and casually added a sentence.

"Is that so?"

He walked without making a sound, which startled Changshou, who jumped up. When he saw it was Jingzhe, Changshou's expression was a little strange.

Jingzhe noticed and raised his eyebrows at him.

Changshou stammered for a while, then lowered his voice: "Do you know someone from Chenghuan Palace?"

"No." Jingzhe's face was not red and his heart was not beating fast, "I never like to go out, how would I know someone from Chenghuan Palace?"

Wuyou nodded in agreement, "Are you hallucinating? Why are you asking this?"

Changshou was so anxious that he scratched his head: "That day I was beaten, and after thinking about it, I always feel it's strange. For no reason, why would someone from the North Wing stop me and ask if we have any good-looking young eunuchs? I thought, the best-looking one is Jingzhe, isn't it?"

Wuyou looked at Jingzhe twice and stroked his chin: "Jingzhe is good-looking, but didn't you say that the person from Chenghuan Palace praised that young eunuch to the heavens?"

No matter how good-looking Jingzhe was, he wasn't that good-looking, right?

Changshou knew that what Wuyou said made sense, but perhaps he was too entangled. Now he was suspicious of everyone, especially Jingzhe.

But Jingzhe looked too calm, and he really didn't like to socialize. Chenghuan Palace was so far away, it didn't seem like Jingzhe would know anyone there.

Jingzhe nodded at them, then quickly went to deliver the meals.

He delivered the meals for the masters one by one. When he got to Talented Lady Yao's place, he saw her sitting by the bed in a daze.

The rooms in the North Wing were all small. Besides a bed, a wardrobe, and a set of table and chairs, there was nothing else.

Jingzhe placed the things for Talented Lady Yao one by one and invited her to eat.

But Talented Lady Yao acted as if she couldn't hear.

Jingzhe had no choice but to retreat.

Two quarters of an hour later, he came back to clean up and found that everything had been eaten, so he was relieved.

After a few times, Jingzhe also felt a little strange.

After observing carefully for a few days, Jingzhe was surprised to find that the reason why Talented Lady Yao didn't eat immediately was because every time he left, she would test for poison.

A silver needle, to test it.

She would only eat if there was no poison.

Jingzhe lowered his eyebrows. Didn't Talented Lady Yao's actions mean that... she actually knew that something might happen to her?

He carefully recalled what Mingyu had said. Talented Lady Yao was demoted to the North Wing because of Empress Dowager Cisheng... Could it be that there was something strange about what happened to Empress Dowager Cisheng back then?

He was a little scared and suppressed this guess.

"Jingzhe, someone is looking for you."

The gatekeeper Baqi came to call him. Jingzhe was slightly surprised and followed him out. He found that the person waiting outside the door was actually Rong Jiu's colleague.

To say he was a colleague, Jingzhe was not too sure.

He had only seen him walking with Rong Jiu once, and he was following behind Rong Jiu.

Later, he asked, and Rong Jiu said he was a colleague.

Except for the time he apologized, Rong Jiu had never looked for him again. When he saw his colleague appear, Jingzhe thought something had happened and quickly followed him out to the small door.

"Did something happen to Rong Jiu?"

Jingzhe was a little worried and asked anxiously.

"No." The guard first shook his head, paused for a moment, then nodded, "It can be considered something."

Jingzhe frowned: "What is it?"

The guard said in a rigid tone, "He has a mission recently and is not often in the palace. He asked me to come and tell you."

Jingzhe breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his brow.

"It's nothing, why did you have to make a trip to tell me? Thank you."

He bowed slightly, but before he could bend down, the guard quickly held his arm to prevent him from "thanking" him, and then quickly withdrew his hand as if he had been burned.

This reaction made Jingzhe a little confused.

The guard nodded dryly, turned and left.

Qitui leaned against the door and said with a grin, "Jingzhe, your friend is too sentimental. For such a small matter, he even came to tell you specifically."

Jingzhe pretended not to hear the probing in his words and said calmly, "I have no other contact with him, but I see him occasionally when I go out. Maybe he was afraid I would worry."

Baqi said casually, "It's fine, at least he has a heart."

Jingzhe nodded at them and turned to enter the North Wing.

Qitui's eyes followed him, but were blocked by Baqi.

"Alright, no matter how good his relationship with that guard is, what does it have to do with us? Don't bother." Baqi noticed Qitui's excessive attention to Jingzhe, "Are you jealous of Jingzhe?"

Baqi asked half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Qitui "tsked", "Who's jealous of him? It's just strange."

After a few words of idle chat, they all disappeared.

In the middle of the night, Jingzhe was half asleep when he heard some movement outside. He was already a light sleeper and woke up immediately.

He listened for a while, but only felt strange.

In the sound of the wind and snow, there seemed to be other strange movements.

He quickly got dressed and woke up Mingyu.

Mingyu was originally sleepy. When he saw Jingzhe standing at the head of the bed, he was almost scared silly. Hearing his soft instructions, he quickly got dressed and followed him to carefully open the door.

Jingzhe and he held wooden sticks that they had grabbed from behind the door and quietly approached the source of the sound.

Unexpectedly, the source of the movement was actually from Talented Lady Yao's place.

Jingzhe's heart turned cold. Without thinking, he kicked the door open. The door slammed against the wall with a loud bang.

As soon as the door was kicked open, it formed a cross-ventilation with the open window. The draft howled through, chilling one's heart.

Talented Lady Yao had fallen face down on the ground, motionless, and it was unknown whether she was alive or dead.

Jingzhe threw away the wooden stick and asked Mingyu to help Talented Lady Yao up. He quickly ran to the window and only vaguely saw the treetop on the wall shake. He didn't know if someone had escaped.

Behind him, Mingyu shouted, "She's awake, Talented Lady Yao is not dead."

Jingzhe quickly walked back and helped Talented Lady Yao up with Mingyu.

Talented Lady Yao's back of the head was bleeding, and it was sticky with her hair. She was a little delirious and couldn't speak.

Jingzhe asked Mingyu to quickly go and get Matron Ming and Chen Mingde. He helped Talented Lady Yao to lie down. Just as he was about to get up to get hot water to wipe away the blood, he heard Talented Lady Yao talking nonsense.

"It wasn't me... I didn't kill her, I didn't kill my cousin... hehe, it was His Majesty... ahhhhh..."

She scratched her face and screamed madly, then hid in the bed, trembling.

Jingzhe was stunned.

His Majesty?

Which His Majesty?

The late emperor, or Emperor Jingyuan?