Palace maid Shuoning

(Up)

As dusk settled, the rain gradually stopped, and a damp chill filled the air.

Jiang Shuoning had just stepped into Yihua Palace when the heavy palace gates behind him slammed shut.

The entire palace was unusually quiet, with faint sobs emanating from the rooms of the palace maids and eunuchs.

After thirty strokes of the cane, few were able to crawl back to their houses on their own. The rest lay prone, unable to even utter a sound from the pain, huddled in their own corners, enduring the agony.

Jiang Shuoning stood under the eaves, a white cloth wrapped around his neck, his clothes still on, with dried bloodstains remaining on his cuffs.

She was the only one who could still stand and walk.

Suihe died. Consort Rong was placed under house arrest. She survived.

But she didn't know how much longer she had to live. Suihe's letter was still outside.

Jiang Shuoning went back to her room and changed into a plain blue palace dress. She pulled the collar up to its highest point, but it still couldn't cover the white cloth around her neck.

His face was so pale it was devoid of any color, and the red mole between his eyebrows stood out even more, like a grain of cinnabar fallen on the snow.

She stood in front of the bronze mirror, glanced at herself, her eyes indifferent and expressionless, then turned, pushed open the door, and walked out.

As Jiang Shuoning passed the duty room, he heard muffled complaints coming from inside, and he paused for a moment.

Fengchun lay face down on the bed, sweating profusely from the pain, clutching the pillow with both hands, cursing and gasping for breath:

"That vile woman, Suihe, should die on her own. She dragged us down with her thirty strokes of the cane. When she was alive, she abused us countless times because she was the Empress's confidante. Now that she's dead, she's dragging us down with her. The Emperor should have her whole family executed."

The young eunuch knelt beside the bed, applying medicine to him; his hands trembled violently, and his voice was weak and feeble.

"Who can argue with that... Even the Empress has been confined to her quarters; everyone in Yihua Palace has been affected. This is truly an unexpected disaster."

The young eunuch sighed, his eyes filled with grievance, then changed the subject:

"But Sister Shuoning got a great deal this time. She risked her life to protect her master, injured her neck, and the Emperor rewarded her, and the Empress remembered her. It's just that we who did nothing got punished."

Feng Chun scoffed, then gasped in pain.

"If it were me, I would have done the same. Everyone in this palace is looking out for themselves. I used to wonder why Jiang Shuoning was promoted to a position of authority by the Emperor as soon as Suihe had that incident."

Thinking about it now, it's probably not that simple. Jiang Shuoning might not be able to escape responsibility for Sui He's actions today. She's much more cunning than Sui He. I'll have to be careful around her in the future.

He paused, then lowered his voice:

"Aren't there enough wronged spirits in this palace? They'll come to claim our lives sooner or later. If Suihe really becomes a vengeful ghost, the first one she'll probably seek out won't be us."

Jiang Shuoning stood outside the door, listening to Fengchun's conversation with the little eunuch, his fingers hanging at his sides slowly curling up.

After standing there for a moment, she turned and left.

(under)

indoor

Qing'er lay face down on the bed, burying her head in the pillow, her shoulders shaking as she cried.

After being beaten thirty times, her skin was raw and bleeding. The fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl lay there, in pain with every movement, and could only cry helplessly.

The door creaked open.

Qing'er looked up with teary eyes, her face covered in tears and sweat, her hair stuck to her cheeks, looking utterly disheveled.

Upon seeing that it was Jiang Shuoning, her crying paused for a moment, then surged again, and she called out in a nasal voice, "Sister..."

Jiang Shuoning walked over, sat down by the bed, and placed the ointment in his hand next to the pillow.

She looked at Qing'er lying on the bed, too afraid to move, and then at the tear stains and sweat on her face. She reached out and brushed the hair stuck to her face.

"Don't cry," she said softly, then paused and added, "Have you applied the medicine?"

Qing'er nodded, crying even harder: "It hurts... Sister, it hurts so much..."

She shifted her body slightly, buried her face in Jiang Shuoning's arms, and held her waist tightly with both hands.

Jiang Shuoning was startled and instinctively tried to push her away, but Qing'er held on even tighter.

"Sister, Qing'er is so sad, Qing'er is in so much pain..."

Jiang Shuoning stood stiffly, looking down at Qing'er in his arms.

It turns out that when the pain from a wound reaches a certain point, everyone needs to be loved and held.

She suddenly remembered Zhou Zhengyin. He had huddled behind a pine tree and asked her if she was in pain. She said she wasn't, but that she was a little cold.

He moved forward half a step and tucked himself a little under the umbrella.

He probably wanted to hug her then, but he didn't dare.

Something suddenly welled up inside her, and she closed her eyes, trying to suppress it.

Her hand, which had been hovering in mid-air, slowly lowered and gently patted the wound. "After the medicine is applied, just bear with it and the pain will subside."

Qing'er remained motionless in her arms, and her sobs gradually subsided.

"Sister, Her Majesty doesn't seem well. She's locked herself in her room." Qing'er slowly raised her head, her red and swollen eyes filled with tears as she looked at her. "This matter must have been a great blow to Her Majesty."

Jiang Shuoning lowered his eyes and looked back at her, remaining silent for a moment: "Since it has happened, we must face it. I will go and attend to Her Majesty in a little while."

Qing'er pouted, and two more tears slid down her cheeks:

"Sister, did my words yesterday harm Sister Suihe? It was I who harmed Her Majesty, who harmed..."

Jiang Shuoning raised his hand to cover her mouth, his eyes suddenly turning cold, and his voice was very low:

"You gave her money yesterday out of old feelings; it was her own fault for doing something so crazy. It has nothing to do with you. Remember, it has nothing to do with you. Otherwise, your fate wouldn't be any better than Suihe's."

Qing'er trembled under her gaze, looked into her eyes, and obediently nodded.

Jiang Shuo Ning released her grip without saying anything more. She stood up, straightened her clothes, paused at the door, and said:

"Rest well today and don't move around too much."

After saying that, he opened the door.

The moment the door opened, a gust of cold wind rushed in, causing the candlelight in the room to flicker.

Qing'er suddenly screamed.

Jiang Shuoning turned to look at her, tugging at the wound on his neck, his brow furrowing slightly: "What did you shout?"

Qing'er's face turned deathly pale, as if she had suddenly remembered something, and she stared at her with eyes full of terror:

"Sister, Sister Suihe died in our Yihua Palace... She... she harbors resentment..."

Jiang Shuoning glared at her, his voice lowering:

"Shut up. Her Majesty is most averse to talking about such supernatural and bizarre things. If you want your tongue and teeth to separate, just say it again."

Qing'er was silenced by her words and shrank into bed, not daring to make a sound.

Jiang Shuoning glanced at her, closed the door, and left.

The wind under the corridor was a bit cooler than before. She paused at the door for a moment, pulled her collar tighter, and walked towards Consort Rong's bedroom.

But the two sentences that Fengchun and Qing'er said kept popping into my mind.

Suihe will transform into a vengeful ghost to claim lives.

Suihe died in Yihua Palace, and she harbored resentment.

She stopped, looked up at the dark courtyard, where lanterns swayed in the wind under the eaves.

Suddenly, she scoffed.

If there were truly vengeful spirits seeking revenge, the imperial city would probably be overflowing with the dead from this deep palace long ago.

She didn't believe any of that. There was only one thing she believed: whether the letter Suihe had mentioned was true or false.

If it's true, who would Suihe give the letter to?