There was a long corridor outside the Bei Fang. The narrow palace paths blocked the sunlight, leaving only a faint glow. Inside the corridor was a door wide enough for two people. This was the entrance to the Bei Fang.
Except for the patrolling guards and palace servants of the Bei Fang, no one was allowed to enter or leave through this entrance.
Two eunuchs were stationed as guards at this entrance.
The masters were imprisoned here.
Qi Tui and Ba Qi stood guard here all day. Only two or three people came in or out each day, which was very rare. Even if they fell asleep, it wouldn’t affect anything.
Occasionally, they would chat to pass the time.
There was a time when Changshou liked to go out. He was in charge of all external affairs. He made friends with a few people outside of Bei Fang, but that was it. Too many people were trying hard to climb up, and the rest were just dust.
Today, when Jingzhe passed by, Qi Tui couldn’t help but joke, “I’ve seen you going out a lot these past few weeks.”
Jingzhe smiled faintly and replied softly, “Today it’s my turn to get the food.”
“Is that so? I thought it was Sister Heye and Changshou’s turn today?”
“Sister Heye is feeling unwell. Changshou went to help the other sisters.”
After exchanging a few short words, they didn’t say much more. After checking Jingzhe’s badge, they let him through.
As Jingzhe slowly stepped into the long corridor, Baqi slapped Qi Tui’s back, saying, “You talk too much nonsense.”
Qi Tui rubbed his head and frowned. “It’s fine to ask a few questions.”
Baqi didn’t respond, but Qi Tui was eager and dragged him for an explanation.
Baqi rolled his eyes and said lazily, “Jingzhe has been in Bei Fang for years and has never had a rank or position. He’s now nineteen. If he doesn’t reach rank three before he turns twenty, he’ll be stuck as a low-ranking eunuch forever. Do you think he’s happy?”
“No, Jingzhe seems to be the most obedient.”
“Obedient?” You can’t judge a person’s heart by their appearance. If he really didn’t care, why did he go out?” Baqi crossed his arms and shook his head. “He’s just good at pretending and hiding his emotions!”
At this point, he lowered his voice.
“Did you forget someone sent him something before?”
…
Jingzhe walked out slowly. When his figure was hidden among the intricate branches, he saw Rong Jiu standing calmly outside the narrow gate.
Today was his turn to guard there.
Jingzhe couldn’t help but smile when he saw him. Although the man looked cold, when he walked up to Jingzhe, his tone was gentle.
“Where are you going?”
Like the secluded Bei Fang, the shifts here weren’t too strict. Sometimes the guards wouldn’t show up, and it wasn’t monitored as closely as other places. The people of Bei Fang were used to this. After all, nothing major ever happened here; it wasn’t as important as other places.
“To the imperial kitchen,” Jingzhe said. “Sister He Ye, who was supposed to serve food today, isn’t feeling well…”
“You don’t want to go,” the guard interrupted Jingzhe coldly.
Jingzhe wasn’t angry and turned to look at him.
His surname was Rong, and he claimed to be a ninth-rank guard.
He was one of the new guards patrolling Bei Fang.
Of course, he was also in the small hall and was scrubbed…an unlucky man.
Jingzhe now knew that the scrubbing session was also a painful form of torture. This included the painful experience in the small hall that day. Jingzhe had never embraced someone so naked before, and the person he embraced was Rong Jiu. Rong Jiu had a cold temperament, didn’t speak much, and wasn’t easy to approach. If Jingzhe hadn’t been cursed with “loved by all” during their first meeting, they never would’ve interacted.
On that day, Rong Jiu came and went. Jingzhe was so exhausted that he didn’t even have the energy to be angry. “If you want to do something else, why don’t you just kill me?”
Rong Jiu dragged Jingzhe off the floor and said, “Wear it.”
When Jingzhe didn’t move, Rong Jiu did it himself.
This finally made Jingzhe react. He took a few steps back and put on his clothes.
The clothes that Rong Jiu had brought were palace robes, which fit perfectly.
“What compensation do you want?”
“…What?”
“I bullied you. Shouldn’t I compensate you?”
Jingzhe swore that none of his previous experiences were as embarrassing as this guard’s words. He wished he could crawl into a hole.
Jingzhe weakly shook his head. “No need. We won’t meet again.”
He hurried to the table with the food, grabbed an item, and rushed to the palace gate. Just as he was about to step outside, he stopped reluctantly. Without looking back, he said,
“It was just an accident. You don’t have to take it seriously. Just think of it as an evil spirit.”
With that, Jingzhe fled in a panic, ignoring the mess.
That unexpected mistake caused everything.
Jingzhe didn’t dare return that day. He hid until the “loved by all” buff disappeared before daring to see anyone.
He had no interest in completing the task.
The two failed tasks were [Task 1: Prevent Emperor Jingyuan from killing Xia Liao] and [Task 2: Prevent Chen Xuanming from being exiled]. They both failed on the same day, meaning Xia Liao died and Chen Xuanming was exiled.
Jingzhe couldn’t calm down whenever he thought about the system.
The system was extremely simple. If it had been bound to Prince Rui, there might have been a chance to complete tasks one and two. But how could Jingzhe do it?
How could he influence Emperor Jingyuan?
He had never even seen the emperor since entering the palace.
After returning that day, Jingzhe scolded the system. He was so furious that he was terrifying when angry.
On that day, Rong Jiu came and went. Jingzhe was so exhausted that he didn’t even have the energy to be angry. “If you want to do something else, why don’t you just kill me?”
Rong Jiu dragged Jingzhe off the floor and said, “Wear it.”
When Jingzhe didn’t move, Rong Jiu did it himself.
This finally made Jingzhe react. He took a few steps back and put on his clothes.
The clothes that Rong Jiu had brought were palace robes, which fit perfectly.
“What compensation do you want?”
“…What?”
“I bullied you. Shouldn’t I compensate you?”
Jingzhe swore that none of his previous experiences were as embarrassing as this guard’s words. He wished he could crawl into a hole.
Jingzhe weakly shook his head. “No need. We won’t meet again.”
He hurried to the table with the food, grabbed an item, and rushed to the palace gate. Just as he was about to step outside, he stopped reluctantly. Without looking back, he said,
“It was just an accident. You don’t have to take it seriously. Just think of it as an evil spirit.”
With that, Jingzhe fled in a panic, ignoring the mess.
That unexpected mistake caused everything.
Jingzhe didn’t dare return that day. He hid until the “loved by all” buff disappeared before daring to see anyone.
He had no interest in completing the task.
The two failed tasks were [Task 1: Prevent Emperor Jingyuan from killing Xia Liao] and [Task 2: Prevent Chen Xuanming from being exiled]. They both failed on the same day, meaning Xia Liao died and Chen Xuanming was exiled.
Jingzhe couldn’t calm down whenever he thought about the system.
The system was extremely simple. If it had been bound to Prince Rui, there might have been a chance to complete tasks one and two. But how could Jingzhe do it?
How could he influence Emperor Jingyuan?
He had never even seen the emperor since entering the palace.
After returning that day, Jingzhe scolded the system. He was so hot-tempered that he was terrifying when angry.
The system hadn’t spoken since that day.
Jingzhe thought everything was over. But the next day, Baqi, the gatekeeper, brought him something and said that someone had sent it and left it outside the door.
Jingzhe was stunned. He hadn’t had close friends outside of the Bei Fang for so many years. Who could be sending him something?
When he arrived, he discovered that it was a bottle of medicine.
Attached was a note with a single word, “ointment,” signed by Rong Jiu.
Jingzhe was speechless.
In the palace, it was rare for people to send each other gifts. It could easily lead to accusations of private dealings. Why would someone leave their name so carelessly?
Were they afraid there wouldn’t be evidence?
Fortunately, it was just medicine, so Jingzhe could talk his way out of it. He hadn’t seen the person, and there was nowhere to retreat, so he could only take it back.
Two days later, Baqi came again.
This time, it was a cake.
It didn’t look like something that would be eaten regularly. It was beautifully decorated with bright patterns resembling little flowers.
There was still a short note.
“Apology.”
Then, it was signed: Rong Jiu.
Jingzhe, with a spinning head, said: “If you’re going to send me something in the future, please don’t. It’s against the rules.”
Qi Tui shrugged. “I can’t help you with this, Jingzhe. You know he’s an imperial guard. You can’t offend someone like him easily. When have you seen this kind of relationship before?” The two times the item was delivered, it was different people. They said they were helping a colleague deliver something, but they were all imperial guards. Who would dare stop them?
Jingzhe said flatly, “There was a misunderstanding before. That’s all. If someone comes to deliver something next time, please stop them.”
As he spoke, he stuffed half a pound of money into his pocket.
Chen Mingde wasn’t too evil. He took 30% of the eunuchs’ monthly wages and left them with the rest.
Jingzhe had saved quite a bit over the years.
Qi Tui and Baqi accepted the money and agreed without hesitation.
The third time Rong Jiu sent something, Jingzhe met with him again.
…
“What are you thinking about?”
Rong Jiu suddenly asked.
Jingzhe snapped back, covering his face and sighing, “Why am I so distracted today? I just remembered the second time we met.”
Rong Jiu nodded and said lightly, “That was the first time someone grabbed my collar and spoke to me.”
He only sent someone to do the first two things.
It was only after the person he sent to watch Bei Fang mentioned that Jingzhe wanted to meet Rong Jiu that he became interested. That’s how they met.
As for the reason he had someone watching the Bei Fang…
Rong Jiu’s gaze was deep and unreadable.
When Jingzhe saw him that day, he rushed over, grabbed his collar, and said,
“Don’t write me notes again. Do you want to die?”
Then, he tore up the note in front of Rong Jiu.
The second sentence: “I don’t need your apology. Just leave.”
He did it all in one go.
Jingzhe couldn’t help but feel embarrassed when he recalled it. “You were too reckless.”
How could you leave notes all the time?
Handwriting, names, and original letters were not allowed in the palace.
It was better to speak aloud and keep the secret between two people. That was the safest method.
Actually, they shouldn’t be meeting at all.
Jingzhe didn’t know how he and Rong Jiu ended up in this kind of relationship. They were friends, but it was strange. Rong Jiu’s behavior could be seen as an apology, but Jingzhe felt more guilty. Ultimately, the system caused Rong Jiu to act this way.
Jingzhe felt embarrassed and guilty. He didn’t want to get too close to Rong Jiu. First, he was afraid the buff wouldn’t work, and Rong Jiu would find out and dislike him. Second, this was different from his usual way of dealing with people like Rong Jiu.
If you insisted…
It might have been related to Rong Jiu’s face.
Rong Jiu was too handsome.
Jingzhe sighed. He’d had this problem since he was young.
He liked the most handsome people.
The more handsome they were, the harder they were to resist. It was a terrible habit.
Fortunately, Jingzhe was picky, even though he had this problem.
He might think someone was handsome, but they had to match his taste before he lost his reason.
Over the years, Rong Jiu was the one who matched his taste the most.
Jingzhe wanted to slap himself for causing trouble for no reason. Rong Jiu had such a fierce look. Of course, he wasn’t someone to mess with. Didn’t he remember what happened the first time they met?
Ultimately, the system was still to blame.
Sometimes, when Jingzhe was about to go see Rong Jiu, he would accompany him for a while.
But it wasn’t safe, so Jingzhe rarely did.
Today, maybe it was because…
“Why are you in a bad mood?”
Rong Jiu asked quietly.
Jingzhe was a little stunned. He didn’t expect Rong Jiu to say something like that.
He fell silent for a moment, looking at the corridor ahead. He heard a rustling sound, and the falling snow was crushed underfoot. It was as if the endless white snow was spreading; even the path ahead was engulfed by the cold.
“Tomorrow, I’ll be sent to help in the Imperial Kitchen. There are a lot of people there, and it’s not as quiet as Bei Fang. I’m just a little worried,” Jingzhe finally said.
Rong Jiu raised his eyebrows. “The Imperial Kitchen is borrowing someone from the Bei Fang?”
Jingzhe only smiled. Rong Jiu didn’t say anything else. He walked Jingzhe to the palace path leading to the Imperial Kitchen before stopping.
Jingzhe stopped unconsciously. Rong Jiu had already reached out and brushed the broken snow off his shoulder. As the white snow fell, he heard Rong Jiu’s warm voice say, “Annoying people. It’s fine to just kill them.”
Jingzhe: “…”
Seriously, besides being handsome, this guy had problems.
Sometimes he said truly shocking things.
The kind that could scare people half to death.
He also had a bad temper.
How could someone like Qian Qin just be killed?
But Rong Jiu’s words didn’t sound like a joke.
There was a kind of horror and strangeness to them that made it seem possible.
Jingzhe shook his head. “If it were easy to deal with, it wouldn’t be such a hassle.” Seeing the Imperial Kitchen just ahead, Jingzhe reminded Rong Jiu to be careful with his words and actions. He told Rong Jiu not to speak like that again, then turned and went in.
Rong Jiu watched Jingzhe enter the Imperial Kitchen. After a while, he walked in the opposite direction.
He walked slowly, but not toward the place he was supposed to be guarding.
…
Outside the Qianming Palace, imperial attendant Ning Hongru guarded the door. The whistling, cold wind made people’s faces ache.
If it was like this for her, then that delicate young master would have an even harder time.
Liu Cairen wore a heart-shaped bun and a misty, Jiangnan-colored brocade cloak. The winter wind had flushed her beautiful face red.
“Chief Eunuch Ning, I’m just here to bring food to His Majesty, as usual. Why is today different? Please just let His Majesty know. He won’t refuse to see me.”
Ning Hongru smiled and replied, “In the past, I wouldn’t have dared to stop you. But today, His Majesty ordered that he not be disturbed. Please return.”
But Liu Cairen refused to give up and insisted on entering.
As a low-ranker, she shouldn’t have been so bold in front of Ning Hongru. But in the harem, rank meant little. What mattered was Emperor Jingyuan.
If Emperor Jingyuan liked someone, no matter how humble they were, he would praise them to the heavens. Conversely, if he disliked someone, not even a queen could help them.
When Liu Cairen first entered the palace, she was cautious and shy. After more than half a year, she had become arrogant and domineering, like a different person.
After a cup of tea’s time, Ning Hongru still wouldn’t budge, and Liu Cairen’s face turned ugly.
Suddenly, a palace maid rushed out of the Qianming Palace and whispered something in Ning Hongru’s ear. His expression changed slightly, and he turned toward the hall.
Liu Cairen’s eyes lit up, and she followed a few steps behind. “Is His Majesty willing to see me?”
Ning Hongru smiled and said, “Please wait here, Miss. I’ll deliver your message.”
Liu Cairen stood foolishly at the door and waited.
The palace maid followed Ning Hongru, and the group rushed into the palace. They only heard the woman quickly add a few words: “…His Majesty is extremely displeased.”
Ning Hongru was startled and forgot all about Liu Cairen or Xu Guiren. He wished he had wind-fire wheels under his feet so he could rush forward.
When he reached the bedchamber, he saw a figure kneeling in the hall and speaking softly.
“Qian Qin is a man who knows how to handle things. He couldn’t bear to part with his subordinates, so he found a scapegoat. Since he did a good job for Liu Cairen, if the blame falls on him, someone will suffer…”
Qian Qin? The man from the Imperial Kitchen? Liu Cairen, just take the blame…
As soon as he heard these words, Ning Hongru understood.
He bowed respectfully and heard Emperor Jingyuan call his name. His voice was pleasant yet cold as ice.
“Cut out Qian Qin’s tongue.” This gentle command silenced the hall. After a moment: “Then drag that woman out the door and behead her.”
The palace maid’s sob caught in her throat, and she almost faltered. Ning Hongru bowed calmly in front: “Yes.”
When Ning Hongru left the Qianming Palace, Liu Cairen’s eyes lit up, and she stepped forward involuntarily. She subconsciously ran her hand through her hair and smiled proudly at the servant.
“Ning, is His Majesty going to see me?”
She was a bit unhappy with Ning Hongru. She knew that the emperor liked her, yet Ning still refused her. How stupid. How did he even get to that position?
Nevertheless, Liu Cairen didn’t dare show it, afraid of offending Ning Hongru. After entering the palace, she realized that all eunuchs were petty.
Ning Hongru smiled and said, “His Majesty has ordered Liu Cairen to be executed immediately.”
Several guards rushed out and grabbed her arms, dragging her down the steps. They moved swiftly and roughly, showing no mercy to the woman.
Liu Cairen screamed in horror. “Ning Hongru, you’re crazy! I want to see His Majesty! This criminal is misrepresenting your command!” Her voice trembled with fear, and she didn’t care about the pain of being bumped around.
Ning Hongru maintained his usual mask of a calm smile. After observing him for so long, people believed that he really had a gentle temperament.
But who could be kind and still serve Emperor Jingyuan?
Ning Hongru looked down at Liu Cairen, who was kneeling before the steps, and slowly said, “His Majesty is merciful and has rewarded you with an intact body—dying with dignity.”
Dignity? Liu Cairen struggled desperately. What dignity!
If someone is about to die, does the manner of death matter?
“Your Majesty—”
In the bitter winter cold, the woman’s voice was sharp, like a strange shriek.
But soon, the ground was covered with red blood that was still faintly warm.
A guard withdrew his blade, and Liu Cairen’s body fell to the ground.
Ning Hongru said, “Drag her away and return her to the Prince of Huainan.”
“Yes.”
![](https://cdn.ko-fi.com/cdn/kofi3.png?v=2" border="2" alt Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com){kind=small}
