BHB chapter 11

 

Jingzhe slept soundly. When he woke up, he looked at the familiar ceiling and still felt a little dazed.

The heat in his body had faded. After that strange wave of heat had completely disappeared, even his bones felt relaxed.

Was he… back in Bei Fang?

How did he get back?

His mind and eyes were full of questions, but he was too comfortable lying down and too lazy to move, so he just lay there in bed, staring blankly.

The entire Bei Fang was quiet, with only the sound of rustling snow.

He suddenly remembered that last night must have been New Year’s Eve.

He had been bewitched by a cursed buff and lost track of time. When he met Rong Jiu, he hadn’t thought about it at all. Was it him who sent him back?

So today would be the first day of the new year.

The Bei Fang had an extremely dull New Year.

Many people were still busy preparing for Yao Cairen’s seventh day.

[Today is the second day of the new year.]

The system quietly corrected the host’s misunderstanding.

Jingzhe, who had just woken up, froze and stared blankly out the window. It was still early outside, and the air was damp. It might have snowed and rained last night.

“How is this possible? I slept for a whole day, not just one day…”

[The host did indeed sleep for a full day and night. Otherwise, how could the buff on the host have been removed?]

Jingzhe was speechless. His punishment buff lasted three days, starting on December 29th, the day Yao Cairen had her accident. Only the following morning counted as a full day.

He met Rong Jiu the next day, New Year’s Eve.

Now that Jingzhe felt his body was back to normal, that meant today was the morning of the fourth day.

Today was the second day of the Lunar New Year.

Had he really slept for a full day and night?

Actually, it was a day and two nights.

Jingzhe moved his arms and legs and inspected his clothing. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He lowered his head to look at his lower body and frowned slightly. Rong Jiu shouldn’t have discovered his identity, right?

At that time, castrated people were not completely ‘cut off.’

Only two parts were removed, and most of the appearance was preserved.

That was why Jingzhe had been able to hide it until now; otherwise, it would have been difficult to cover up the past.

He stepped out and washed his face with snow water. The cold air made him shiver and woke him up completely.

Jingzhe had learned from his mistake and would not be deceived by beauty again.

For example, what if he exposed himself by staying at Rong Jiu’s place this time, even if the intention was well-meaning?

If he wasn’t careful, he would drag others into it.

Especially with this system.

The previous buff wasn’t too serious, but this time, it was truly vicious and almost killed him. If it happened again, he wouldn’t survive.

[The system has made preliminary adjustments, and the mission has been updated.]

[Mission 4: Investigate the secret behind Yao Cairen’s death.]

“Knowing how Yao Cairen died—how is that useful for Prince Rui ascending the throne?”

Jingzhe frowned.

What use was Yao Cairen’s life to Prince Rui?

[After thorough analysis, the system confirmed the host’s statement. The system’s goal is to prevent the downfall of the Helian court. As long as that can be prevented, it doesn’t matter who the emperor is. However, adjusting the system’s missions takes time, and some missions will be at a “high difficulty level,” so please be aware.]

This means that the system’s primary mission is no longer to encourage Jingzhe to assist Prince Rui.

This was good news for Jingzhe.

Otherwise, it would have been awful.

After washing and changing his clothes, he walked toward Bei Fang and ran into Handan.

Handan noticed that he was standing and walking around, seemingly unoccupied, so she asked him to help prepare the food. After he agreed, Handan rushed back to serve several masters. He raised his eyebrows in surprise as he looked toward her.

Did Handan not know that he hadn’t been in the Bei Fang yesterday?

How did Rong Jiu manage it?

Amazed, Jingzhe went to the imperial kitchen.

Since Qian Qin’s accident, the head steward of the imperial kitchen had been replaced. The current steward, Zhu Erxi, was cold and had a bad temper. Jingzhe often heard him shouting.

However, Jingzhe noticed that the atmosphere in the kitchen was better than it had been when Qian Qin was around.

At least Zhu Erxi spoke his mind and never hid anything.

He cursed, but to him, cursing meant the matter was over and that there was no need to worry about him holding a grudge. Qian Qin was different, though. He would just smile gently and then stab you in the back when you least expected it.

The subordinates clearly preferred Zhu Erxi.

By the time Jingzhe arrived, people from many palaces had already taken the food. When it was his turn, only a little was left.

By this time, the previously busy imperial kitchen had quieted down.

However, a few stoves were still lit.

Jingzhe took his items according to the rules and was about to leave when a young eunuch he didn’t recognize stopped him.

“Are you Jingzhe from the Bei Fang?”

Jingzhe nodded and asked, “Who are you?”

The young eunuch smiled and said, “That’s right. Wait a moment. Zhu Zongguan[mfn]Zongguan ( 總管) generally means Chief Steward, General Manager, or Head Supervisor,[/mfn] wants to see you.”

Jingzhe frowned. He and Zhu Erxi had no dealings.

He shouldn’t know him.

Fortunately, Zhu Erxi’s quarters were just a few steps away.

Zhu Erxi could be heard cursing inside the house. He looked thin, but his voice was loud. When the unfamiliar eunuch brought Jingzhe over, Zhu Erxi glanced at him sharply.

Jingzhe heard a few words from outside the door. It sounded like Zhu Erxi was saying that someone had entered his house.

An unfamiliar eunuch asked anxiously, “Zongguan, was anything stolen?”

Zhu Erxi spat, “Nothing’s missing.”

Jingzhe saw Zhu Erxi’s expression and was slightly moved.

No.

Something was definitely missing.

That wasn’t the look of relief.

Zhu Erxi stared at Jingzhe and raised his eyebrows. “Are you Jingzhe?”

Did Zhu Erxi not know what he looked like?

Then why did he send someone to fetch him?

“Take this.”

Zhu Erxi rummaged through his pocket and threw out an item.

Jingzhe barely caught it. He finally got a firm hold of it and took a closer look. It was a green ring.

“Chen An left this for you,” Zhu Erxi said indifferently. “He said that if he ever heard your name in the palace, he’d give it to you.”

Jingzhe froze, holding the ring. “… Grandpa Chen?”

Chen An was the eunuch who had arranged for the group that helped Jingzhe enter the palace. Thanks to Chen An’s trickery, he was able to enter the palace safely that year.

Zhu Erxi didn’t seem interested in explaining further. The theft at his house had clearly made him uneasy. He waved his hand at Jingzhe, signaling for him to leave quickly.

Jingzhe was escorted out again by the unfamiliar eunuch.

The eunuch kept muttering, “Don’t blame the steward. He’s a good man with a foul mouth. His house has been robbed a few times lately, but the thief has never been caught. Zongguan is furious.”

“They didn’t steal anything?” Jingzhe asked unconsciously.

“Zongguan said no.” The unfamiliar eunuch shook his head. “Nothing was taken. But why do they keep showing up at his door? It’s strange…”

By the end, he was confused, but he still kindly saw Jingzhe off.

Jingzhe remembered his name:

Haolin.

He had worked with Zhu Erxi for several years and was considered his trusted aide.

On the way back to Bei Fang, Jingzhe lowered his gaze.

Zhu Erxi had been in the palace for many years, so it made sense that he was hard to figure out. Still, emotions showed, and you could catch glimpses of them during transitions.

Zhu Erxi knew something about the frequent thefts—or, more accurately, he knew what the thief was after.

Jingzhe touched his chest.

Could it have been this green ring?

When Zhu Erxi gave it to him, there was a visible sense of relief between his brows.

And a bit of luck.

Jingzhe thought of Zhu Erxi. In the house behind him, Zhu Erxi was also thinking of Jingzhe.

Zhu Erxi and Chen An had a good relationship.

That good relationship meant that Chen An had saved Zhu Erxi’s life.

A life-saving debt must be repaid.

That’s why the green ring had been hidden in his home for so long, and he never revealed it.

He had a bad temper but was very cautious.

He sensed that his home had been broken into on the first day he returned.

Even though the palace was strict, there were still people who stole.

But it happened to him?

Too many times.

Zhu Erxi checked the entire house but found nothing missing. After checking it all night, he finally vaguely guessed what the issue might be.

“Chen An, Chen An—you’ve caused me trouble even after death.”

Zhu Erxi complained, but he still stuck out his butt and lifted the wardrobe while grumbling. Under the heavy wardrobe, he found that the floorboards had been hollowed out and a wooden box had been placed there.

Inside the wooden box was another green ring.

Zhu Erxi took out the green ring and was about to throw away the wooden box when he suddenly stopped. He put the gold ring back in the same place and took the green ring with him.

Sure enough, a few days later, the box had been broken into again. After this happened several times, Zhu Erxi checked again and found that the wooden box was empty. This confirmed that something had been taken, and Zhu Erxi’s expression turned ugly.

After thinking it over, he decided to give the item to Jingzhe.

Jingzhe was just a lowly eunuch in the Bei Fang palace, but it was hard to say how famous he was. At least Zhu Erxi knew that, before Qian Qin got into trouble, he went to Bei Fang to ask Chen Mingde for someone.

That person was Jingzhe.

Regardless of the reason, Zhu Erxi was happy to hear Jingzhe’s name again after several years. Surely that didn’t count as breaking the original agreement.

Zhu Erxi hurried to send this hot potato away.

…

Jingzhe returned to the Bei Fang, delivering food to various places and exchanging a few more words with Handan.

Handan told him that Nanny Ming had sent word that they wouldn’t be able to return for a few more days.

The two of them were left in the Bei Fang to serve the remaining masters.

Yao Cairen was only supposed to stay for seven days. However, it happened to be the New Year, and Empress Dowager Huang felt it was bad luck. She didn’t want to deal with the matter while the New Year atmosphere was still strong. She planned to hold the funeral after 49 days.

That changed the meaning. Empress Dowager Huang sent some people to take over. Chen Mingde and Nanny Ming could only return on the seventh day.

Jingzhe touched his chest again and unconsciously looked toward Yao Cairen’s residence.

Handan asked, “Why, still thinking about it?”

“I just don’t understand why anyone would want to harm Yao Cairen,” Jingzhe said softly.

Handan said, “It’s none of our business.”

Her words sounded cold, but they were vital for survival in the palace:

Don’t get involved if it’s not your business.

Seeing Jingzhe frown, she shrugged and said, “If you’re free, clean her room. Even though He Ye tidied up, some items haven’t been sorted, so everything needs to be put back in its place.”

Jingzhe had already planned to do that, and after Handan suggested it, he nodded.

Half an hour later, he had counted all the items in Yao Cairen’s room, classified them, and made a list.

Everyone in Bei Fang knew he could read, so there was no need to hide it.

When Handan passed by the doorway, she saw the busy scene inside the room, shook her head, and walked off.

In the Bei Fang, only Jingzhe would do this.

He was always doing unpleasant tasks and making trouble for himself.

But if something happened in the Bei Fang, Jingzhe was the first person they would think of.

He might not solve the problem, but he wouldn’t harm anyone.

That was the biggest difference.

They weren’t like Jingzhe—they had mocked him.

But they were also jealous of him.

He lived much more openly than most people did.

Now, open and honest, Jingzhe returned to his quarters after sorting Yao Cairen’s things.

He noticed signs of someone rummaging through Yao Cairen’s room with a bit of stealth.

Jingzhe was closest to Yao Cairen in the Bei Fang. He often visited Yao Cairen’s residence. Though he didn’t know her that well, he knew her better than the others did.

Yao Cairen’s home had definitely been searched.

That matched his judgment.

Yao Cairen had been killed. The person who killed her searched her home afterward.

There were no guards at the Bei Fang, so people could come and go as they pleased.

However, this gave Jingzhe a sense of potential crisis. If they could kill Yao Cairen so easily, they could kill others at will.

At the same time, Zhu Erxi’s home was broken into — in a tightly guarded imperial city. Could this be a coincidence?

The most unbelievable thing in the world is a coincidence.

That was what his father always said.

Jingzhe’s heart sank. These seemingly ordinary things—after all the twists and turns—were they actually related to him?

Who could he have offended?

Fortunately, he found some clues in Yao Cairen’s home.

Just as Zhu Erxi had made a fake ring to mislead others, Yao Cairen had her own skills. Even though her entire room had been turned upside down, she had left some things behind unnoticed.

Yao Cairen had a sewing kit.

There was nothing hidden inside—just needles and thread. The silver needles used to test for poison were also inside.

However, the sewing kit had two layers of fabric that could be flipped to reveal a different color.

Jingzhe was struck by inspiration when he remembered Yao Cairen fiddling with the silver needle. He was suddenly enlightened.

The sewing kit was still there, meaning no one had discovered its secret. So it ended up in Jingzhe’s hands.

There was tiny handwriting stitched inside the reversed fabric.

“No matter when I die, the person who killed me is definitely connected to the Empress Dowager. In this world, I’m the only one who knows that the Empress Dowager Cisheng’s death is related to her. I’ve hidden something important behind the side hall of Chuxiu Palace[mfn]Chuxiu Palace (储秀宫 / 儲秀宮) Palace of Gathering Elegance or Palace for Nurturing Elegance.[/mfn], behind the eighth blue brick on the side path. You can retrieve it yourself.”

Didn’t she mention the late emperor?

Why was it now connected to the Empress Dowager?

Yao Cairen’s handwriting didn’t reflect her usual behavior; it was beautiful.

But no matter how beautiful the writing was, it couldn’t stop Jingzhe’s heart from racing.

Chuxiu Palace…

That place only opened during the selections.

Usually, it was like a cold palace. Except for those in charge of sweeping, no one went there.

It really was a good place to hide something.

It was hard to find.

However, it was also a huge inconvenience for Jingzhe to go there.

He would need a suitable excuse.

…

In the Qianming Palace, a female official was speaking.

Her voice was soft and smooth with a touch of tenderness; it was very moving.

“Some of the targets in Chenghuan Palace haven’t mentioned Jingzhe recently. Qiu Yi has investigated Jingzhe’s identity…”

“Zhu Erxi gave Jingzhe a ring.”

“Consort Xu, Consort Liu, Consort De, and Consort Zhang have all sent people to connect with those in the Bei Fang…”

“The people sent by the Empress Dowager to handle the funeral have…”

Everything secret and non-secret was turned into words that she slowly spoke.

Emperor Jingyuan listened.

He closed his eyes, playing with the round, black jade beads in his hand.

His entire being exuded a deep black color with a faint shine.

After the female official finished speaking, Emperor Jingyuan opened his eyes and lifted the black jade beads in his hand. Casually, he asked, “Do you think a dug-out eyeball could be as beautiful as this black jade?”

The female official paused. “Everyone only has a pair of eyes, so they should be more precious than black jade.”

Black jade is inanimate and not as valuable as human life.

Human life is sometimes expensive and sometimes cheap.

After thinking for a moment, she realized that the people in Chenghuan Palace were in danger.

Those targeted by Emperor Jingyuan might not get into trouble right away.

But most of them would die sooner or later.

“But there are many people in the world and many eyes. Pure black jade is rare,” Emperor Jingyuan said. His voice faded. “Just like there are many cunning people, but few who are pure and kind.”

Truly interesting people are also rare.

Pure and kind?

People like that should have died out long ago in the palace, shouldn’t they?

The female official sighed inwardly, but she didn’t dare speak. She respectfully bowed.

In less than two days, this exquisite black jade appeared before Jingzhe.

He held the expensive-looking object and stared in astonishment at Rong Jiu, who was standing at the door.

A tall figure blocked all the light from the half-open door. Its beautiful, handsome face, as if crafted by the heavens, made Jingzhe unable to stop looking at it.

“You said you’d give me this thing…”

Rong Jiu said calmly. “It was a souvenir I brought back. I forgot to give it to you.”

Black jade should be more pleasant than an eyeball, right?

Jingzhe shuddered for no reason.

He hadn’t expected what he received to be a wet, bloody eyeball!

…Such a cruel gift.