BHB chapter 5

 

Was Rong Jiu’s interaction with Jingzhe during this period influenced by the “Loved by All” buff? If so, Jingzhe felt even more guilty.

“Can’t that influence be removed?”

[Because it is a punishment, it cannot be removed.]

Jingzhe was helpless. These two buffs might seem like bad luck to others, but they affected Jingzhe in every way. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be called punishments.

Especially the aftereffects.

If Jingzhe were more serious, he would have reached a dead end by now, doubting whether his friendship with Rong Jiu was real.

The more he thought about it, the more tangled up he got. However, Rong Jiu was better than the people in Chenghuan Palace.

Their reactions were much more intense than Rong Jiu’s. If he had really been caught by one of them, how could he be eating good meat right now? Rong Jiu has strong self-control and a cool temperament. He quickly shook off the buff’s charm, which made Jingzhe feel much more at ease.

“How could I possibly help?” Jingzhe said weakly. “There’s no way I could help Prince Rui ascend the throne. I hold a grudge against him.”

The system jammed.

The host and the mission target both held grudges and didn’t want to complete the task. There was no precedent for this.

However, this was also the first time that the wrong mission target had been bound.

Seeing that the system wasn’t responding, Jingzhe rubbed his forehead irritably and asked, “Why do you want to help Prince Rui? Is it because he will make a good emperor?”

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

[Emperor Jingyuan will become seriously ill in a few years and burn himself to death in bed. All of the adult princes will burn to death in the palace, except for a seven-year-old prince. After he takes the throne, he will have no power and will be busy fighting for authority within the palace, so he won’t have time to manage anything else. Then, the Qiang people will invade the south. War will break out for thirty years, and it still won’t end.]

[This system is a manifestation of the former emperor’s hatred.]

[Among the adult princes, Prince Rui is the most qualified in terms of identity, status, and ability.]

Jingzhe’s face turned pale, his eyelashes trembled slightly, and he leaned against the headboard of the bed.

Will Emperor Jingyuan really die in just a few years? And all the other princes, too?

The country will be destroyed, the family will be ruined, and the mountains and rivers will be in turmoil. A collection of hatred? Isn’t that a ghost?

Jingzhe felt a chill down his back and tried to shake it off.

Although Jingzhe hadn’t cared about any of this before, he had to now.

He pursed his lips and a trace of concern appeared between his brows.

“According to what you said, Prince Rui doesn’t have to ascend the throne. As long as we can stop the destruction of the country and the downfall of the family, that should be enough, right?”

Jingzhe was very clever. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have survived this long in the palace while hiding his identity.

The last sentence the system spoke undoubtedly revealed the reason it chose Prince Rui.

[Yes.]

The system did not hide anything.

“Then why can’t Emperor Jingyuan do it?” Jingzhe asked.
“If I could have reminded him of his illness in advance, maybe he wouldn’t have burned himself, and none of that would have happened.”

Jingzhe didn’t know the emperor and wasn’t sure if he was capable of such a thing. But what the system said was terrifying.

Emperor Jingyuan inherited the throne from the previous emperor. Although he did not bring peace to the world, he ruled fairly and uprightly. There were no natural disasters or refugees. Although some enemies outside the borders were stirring up trouble, they wouldn’t dare attack as long as the court remained stable for a few years.

To solve this problem,

Jingzhe couldn’t do it alone. Compared to warning Emperor Jingyuan, this might actually have a small chance of success.

“Emperor Jingyuan doesn’t care,” the system said. So it’s useless.

Jingzhe’s heart sank.

“You mean he’s doing it on purpose?”

“The system can only know what happens objectively and cannot judge subjective thoughts. But Emperor Jingyuan doesn’t care.”

Jingzhe frowned. Before he could untangle this ball of yarn, the system’s voice came again.

Mission 3: Prevent Yao Cairen’s death.

Jingzhe widened his eyes. Yao Cairen?

“Is that the one in Bei Fang?”

[Yes.]

There was indeed a Yao Cairen like that in the Bei Fang.

…

In Chenghuan Palace, soft footsteps approached the door from outside, brushing over the snow and leaving a trail of footprints. The freshly swept ground quickly became covered in white as the snow continued to fall.

Qiu Yi, who had just delivered a gift, frowned and looked uncomfortable.

Second-class maid Qiao Lan saw this and quickly approached her. She took Qiu Yi’s hand and said, “Sister Qiu Yi, are you cold from being outside? Hurry inside and warm up your hands and feet.”

Qiao Lan was the best at talking; she always managed to touch people’s hearts. Usually, she gained a lot from it. But today, Qiu Yi wasn’t in the mood, so she pulled her hand away and hurried inside.

Qiao Lan couldn’t hide her disappointment and was left looking embarrassed.

Another second-class maid, Cheng Lan, laughed out loud and said, “Some people are eager to do something fragrant, but they don’t even consider their own status. Truly unpleasant.” She spoke quickly and lightly, then went back to work without looking at the resentment in Qiao Lan’s eyes.

“She’s narrow-minded. If you provoke her, she might frame you in the future.”

“If you don’t provoke her, she might still frame you,” said Cheng Lan, curling her lips. “Don’t forget, when Sister Qiu Yi went out to run an errand earlier, she picked two Lans, but not her. Don’t you remember the look on her face?”

Xin Lan recalled Qiao Lan’s usual behavior and shook her head.

“But Sister Qiu Yi really doesn’t look well today,” she whispered. “She’s always been the gentlest of the senior maids.”

Qiu Yi, the subject of their conversation, had been summoned to the inner hall, where she met Xu Bin.

The inner hall of Chenghuan Palace was as warm as spring. Xu Bin reclined on a soft couch, reading a book. Winter fruits were beside her. She truly knew how to enjoy life.

Qiu Yi bowed and said, “My lady, Qiu Yi has returned.”

Xu Bin looked up. She was a generous and dignified woman in her early twenties with a sharp mind. She put down the book she was holding and beckoned Qiu Yi over.

“Why do you look like this? My dear, what scared you?”

Qiu Yi and the two other senior palace maids weren’t surprised. Consort Xu was tall and intelligent, and she always spoke to the girls gently and familiarly.

“My lady, I followed your instructions and went to the queen to deliver the gift…”

Qiu Yi recounted everything that had happened that day.

It seemed that Consort Xu’s order for Qiu Yi to deliver the gift had an ulterior motive.

Liu Cairen had just been sentenced to death by Emperor Jingyuan and was living in the side hall of Yongning Palace[mfn]Yongning Palace (永宁宫) = Palace of Eternal Peace.[/mfn]. Consort Kang occupied the main hall of Yongning Palace. She had a soft temperament and rarely left her rooms, so she couldn’t control Liu Cairen.

“I went to Yongning Palace, and Consort Kang looked pale. She seemed scared by what happened to Liu Cairen. When I left, I saw people from the Imperial Household Department cleaning the side hall. All the servants were gone.”

Qiu Yi lowered her voice. Liu Cairen had died the day before, and today the Imperial Household Department was already clearing out her things. The speed was astonishing.

But that wasn’t all. When Consort Liu got in trouble, even the servants in the palace died.

Chunlian said softly, “His Majesty is truly heartless.”

When Consort Liu died, her body was returned to the Prince of Huainan; she wasn’t given a proper burial. Even the servants suffered. One didn’t know whether to call the emperor cold or cruel.

Consort Xu glared at her coldly and said, “Consort Liu was asking for death! If you keep spouting nonsense like this, you’d better leave the palace.”

Chunlian was so frightened that she knelt on the ground and repeatedly said, “I know I was wrong.”

Consort Xu rubbed her forehead, thinking of the once lovely Consort Liu. With a face like that, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say she would be favored upon entering the palace. But she was too young and didn’t know how deep the waters ran. Praised to the heavens, she truly believed she was a deity.

There were many things in this palace, and the waters were deep.

This time, Consort Liu had simply become a target.

Consort Xu lowered her eyes and looked at Qiu Yi. “Is there anything else? Tell me everything at once.”

Qiu Yi replied, “Two or three groups of people went to Yongning Palace today, and then I left.” She gave a general account of the day. “But when I returned, I ran into people from Bei Fang.”

“You mean the people from Bei Fang also went to inquire about Consort Liu?”

Consort Xu raised her brows in surprise.

In the Bei Fang, aside from a few consorts of the former emperor, there were no consorts belonging to Emperor Jingyuan. This was because Emperor Jingyuan had a ruthless temperament. If a consort offended him deeply enough, she might end up like Consort Liu. How could anyone survive in the Bei Fang?

Qiu Yi leaned forward. “Exactly. That kid in the Bei Fang was blind at first. I had someone beat him, but that drew the attention of another palace maid. She didn’t dare show herself and only went looking for him after we left.”

At that time, Qiu Yi had sensed someone spying on her. The person seemed to leave, but actually stayed behind to watch, returning to keep an eye on things. She happened to see He Ye going off to find Changshou and leave together.

Worried about He Ye’s whereabouts, she went to check and discovered he had indeed come out from around Yongning Palace.

“Why would the people from Bei Fang be asking about Liu Cairen?” Xu Bin muttered to herself. “Also, Liu Cairen is already dead, so why did the imperial kitchen change staff?”

Qian Qin was like a fish in water in the imperial kitchen. Though he wasn’t neat, he was great with people. This time, Liu Cairen requested soup and water, and Qian Qin made quite a lot of it—but that didn’t count as dereliction of duty.

So why did Emperor Jingyuan kill him too?

Xu Bin couldn’t guess the reason and gave up trying to figure it out.

She smiled and leaned back, narrowing her eyes. “Today, many people want to be the mantis, but some want to be the yellow sparrow. I’ll be the mantis and see what the yellow sparrow does.”

Qiu Yi froze for a moment, then understood.

Consort Xu had her show off outside today to gather information and act as bait to see how others would react.

At the very least, they were not the only ones who knew something was amiss in Bei Fang.

After Qiu Yi finished reporting, Consort Xu gave her a few gifts, and she left.

Consort Xu usually kept Chunlian and Xia He by her side to talk.

Xia He was clever, and Chunlian had been brought into the palace by Consort Xu from outside. Though she didn’t always speak properly, Consort Xu was more lenient with her since she was an old maid, and others generally didn’t argue with her.

Qiu Yi was calm and generous. Consort Xu often let her go out, and she never made mistakes when dealing with people.

“Sister Qiu Yi, how about we go to the north room?”

A palace maid named Shanlan approached, pouting and looking unhappy.

Qiu Yi tapped her forehead and laughed. “What are you talking about? You only go out if there’s something to do. Why would you want to go to Bei Fang otherwise?”

Displeased, Shanlan said, “Just now, that guy said there was no one like that in the Bei Fang, but clearly there was. You were kind enough to remind him—how could he not find someone?”

Hearing Shanlan say this, Qiu Yi couldn’t help feeling a little pleased.

She naturally remembered what had happened that day.

Consort Xu had suddenly wanted a snack that wasn’t usually made in the palace that day. Qiu Yi didn’t have to go herself, but she was cautious and afraid the servants wouldn’t do it right, so she went to supervise. Unexpectedly, on the way there, she ran into a young eunuch.

The little eunuch kept his head down, but he caught Qiu Yi’s attention for some reason. She leaned in closer instinctively.

What happened afterward still made Qiu Yi feel a little embarrassed and confused.

If only she had caught him and asked him clearly that day!

Suppressing her disappointment, she said calmly, “Don’t overthink it. If someone doesn’t want to come, what’s the point in forcing them?”

Shanlan was more imaginative than others. She rolled her eyes and said with a grin, “Why did Sister hit that boy? I thought you were angry because he wouldn’t talk.”

Qiu Yi tapped her forehead and said, “Still running your mouth? Talking nonsense again. I hit him because he was looking where he shouldn’t.” She had answered his question, but his eyes almost fell on her chest. Truly a nasty little pervert.

“That’s true.” Though—

Shanlan was still thinking about the boy she’d seen that day. He was just a kid. If she couldn’t find him, she would let it go.

Strangely enough, when she saw him that day, her heart raced and her face flushed. She’d really wanted to catch him, but now, after some time had passed, her feverish crush had cooled off, and she wasn’t so obsessed.

After saying a few words to Shanlan, the soft expression on Qiu Yi’s face faded.

She and Shanlan felt the same way. In fact, after all this time, she didn’t miss him that much. Otherwise, she would have gone to Bei Fang a long time ago instead of just casually asking about him today.

However, Qiu Yi stopped Shanlan for another reason.

Chasing someone in the palace that day had really been reckless. After she returned, Qiu Yi was terrified for a long time with cold sweat on her back. It took her a while to calm down.

Today, however, she felt that same chilling fear again, like a warning.

It was better to avoid trouble.

The scattered fragments across the solemn imperial city quickly came together to form a stream. Eventually, the stream turned into a neat little document on the desk in Qianming Palace.

One stack after another.

Until a pair of hands picked them up.

Ning Hongru stood respectfully behind, bowing like an old servant.

“Your Majesty, everything has been cleaned up. Tomorrow, Prince Huainan will definitely receive this gift.”

No one knew why Emperor Jingyuan was angry, but he was ruthless.

Those who often accompanied the emperor didn’t need to know much as long as they served His Majesty with all their hearts.

“Anything else?”

Emperor Jingyuan’s voice was cold—chilling to hear in the winter.

Ning Hongru quickly replied, “The Empress Dowager would like to invite Your Majesty to discuss appointing an empress.”

“No.”

Ning Hongru fell silent.

He could guess that Emperor Jingyuan’s mind had recently been focused on the inner palace and had drifted toward Bei Fang.

He had no idea what that poor boy had done to offend this devil.

…

A cold wind blew, and the poor quarters of the Bei Fang were bone-chilling.

Jingzhe stood outside the door and sneezed several times.

Mingyu asked, “Are you tired of Nanny Ming already?”

Jingzhe quickly covered his mouth, but he was still standing outside Nanny Ming’s door.

Lately, after being beaten, Changshou had become much more well-behaved. Unless he went out on errands, he didn’t even mutter his usual curses.

Seeing him change his ways made everyone happy.

Otherwise, having to hear his rants every few days would have been miserable.

But Nanny Ming had fallen ill.

He Ye found out first.

He was Nanny Ming’s most trusted aide in Bei Fang. He followed her around all day and didn’t serve any other masters.

Three mornings ago, He Ye went to help Nanny Ming get up. Unexpectedly, when she entered her room, she found Nanny Ming burning with fever and slurring her words. She had lost consciousness completely!

He Ye panicked and went to find Jingzhe.

He had no choice. Technically, a sick palace maid should have been transferred. If Nanny Ming’s condition was reported, she would definitely be moved out to die. Even though she was a leader in Bei Fang, she wasn’t important. No doctor would come for her.

That day, He Ye rushed to the eunuch’s quarters in a frenzy, nearly grabbing Jingzhe’s robe while crying and begging him to go. Jingzhe desperately held up his pants so they wouldn’t fall down.

It was the first time Wuyou had seen Jingzhe look scared. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, he probably would’ve laughed out loud.

Mingyu quickly stepped in and pulled He Ye away.

“Sister He Ye, if you want Jingzhe’s help, this isn’t the way to do it. You know, Jingzhe only knows a few tricks. How could he possibly treat Nanny Ming?”

Back then, Chen Mingde had been saved because he was still conscious, made the decision himself, and spent his own money to survive.

But what about Nanny Ming?

She was unconscious and couldn’t speak. She had even tricked Jingzhe before and didn’t have the money to pay. Even if Jingzhe could find a way, was he supposed to cover the costs himself? If the treatment failed, who would take responsibility?

Back then, Chen Mingde said he wouldn’t blame Jingzhe for life or death.

He cried so hard that he eventually caught Sanshun’s attention.

When Sanshun got involved, Chen Mingde knew.

The old eunuch puffed on his tobacco pipe and sighed again.

“Jingzhe, go take a look.”

His words meant he was taking responsibility.

Jingzhe finally relaxed a little and went to see Nanny Ming. He didn’t want trouble, but he would save lives if he could.

To everyone else, he was a eunuch—neither male nor female. No one said anything when he touched Nanny Ming’s wrist to check her pulse. However, he left tasks like changing clothes and wiping sweat to the palace maids.

After everything was taken care of, Jingzhe sighed with relief and spoke with He Ye.

“Nanny Ming was just angry and got a fever. For now, eat light meals and take care of her. She’ll be fine.”

He Ye had lost his composure earlier from panic. Now that she knew Nanny Ming would recover, she became serious. She nodded to Jingzhe, thanked him again, and went back inside.

As they came out, Wuyou tugged at Jingzhe’s sleeve.

“sister He Ye is calm again and looking down on us already.”

He Ye didn’t like eunuchs. She always felt that they were neither male nor female, and they creeped her out. If she hadn’t been so desperate, she wouldn’t have gone to the eunuch quarters.

A few days later, Nanny Ming had recovered but couldn’t get out of bed. Several palace maids served her. This way, she ignored her master’s duties.

Jingzhe had to do more.

After chatting with Mingyu, he set out to collect plates and chopsticks, gathering them as he walked. Eventually, he reached Yao Cairen’s residence.

She was the person the system had mentioned.

Jingzhe couldn’t figure out how Yao Cairen would die.

He had seen that Yao Cairen was healthy lately. With enough food and no serious illnesses, he could probably live another ten years.

But if it wasn’t a physical illness, then did someone want her dead?

He thought of something and slowed down. From inside the room, Yao Cairen began cursing.

“You blind dog! Seeing me fall to this point and still ignoring me, not pouring tea or washing clothes! You always dawdle when doing things! Why haven’t you died yet if you’re this slow?!”

Of all the masters in Bei Fang, Yao Cairen was the most unruly.

She had a nasty temper and loved to curse people out. Sometimes, when she was in a bad mood, She’d curse “bitch” over and over again.

The palace staff didn’t like going to his place, let alone doing chores for her.

Yao Cairen’s expression brightened slightly when Jingzhe walked in. In Bei Fang, Jingzhe was the only person Yao Cairen treated slightly better. After all, if no one else did it, Jingzhe would.

However, if Yao Cairen was in a bad mood, she would still scold Jingzhe.

Jingzhe sighed and said, “Just tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do it.”

Yao Cairen was in her forties or fifties. She had fierce eyes and brows and spoke in a sarcastic tone.

She wore a cotton coat with her fingers tucked inside.

“That group of bitches, getting all upset over a few words. If they were really capable, why are they still in the Bei Fang?” Yao Cairen didn’t let up .She lifted her hand and shoved a piece of dried fruit into Jingzhe’s mouth. “Get out, you too. Don’t block the way.”

Jingzhe stepped out and sighed again.

Yao Cairen’s words were unpleasant and cruel, but sometimes she’d shove something into your hand—anything depending on what she happened to be holding.

Even though no one liked her, Jingzhe didn’t want her to die.

For the first time, Jingzhe was excited to complete this task.

“You said Yao Cairen will die. So how will she die?

[The system doesn’t know.]

Jingzhe choked. “Then what do you do?”

“The system can only issue tasks. The more tasks the host completes, the more the system can do.”

It was basically a relationship of mutual support.

Jingzhe frowned. If this system had landed on Prince Rui, wouldn’t they have benefited each other and both won?

Jingzhe stepped out and walked into the snow.

Regardless of the task, he still wanted to save Yao Cairen’s life.

“It’s great that the host is willing to do it,” the system said. Then the punishment can also be lifted.”

Speaking of the punishment, Jingzhe’s face darkened.

That damn deadly punishment had really left a mark. He absolutely didn’t want a third time.

He was just too unlucky!