Palace maid Shuoning

(Up)

Upon hearing this, Bao Zhong suddenly stopped walking, his back taut like a fully drawn bow.

The six eunuchs behind him also stopped.

Zhou Zhengyin stood in the middle, his hat brim pulled down so low it almost covered his entire face. His shoulders trembled slightly, but he quickly regained his balance.

Jiang Shuoning squatted on the ground, clutching a piece of broken porcelain in his hand, his fingertips turning white from the force, and a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

She looked up at Zhou Zhengyin's back. He stood among the six eunuchs, his figure noticeably taller than the others, and even with his back bent, he was still too conspicuous.

My heart jumped into my throat, and even my breathing slowed down.

In the courtyard of Yihua Palace, the wind suddenly stopped. No one moved.

Bao Zhong paused for a moment, then slowly turned around, his usual smile returning to his face. He quickly stepped forward, shielding the person behind him, and bowed, saying:

"Does Your Majesty have any further instructions?"

Consort Rong stood under the corridor, her red lips slightly raised: "I will copy the scriptures myself. I will accept Eunuch Baozhong's intentions."

Bao Zhong bowed his head, his voice respectful: "Your Majesty is blessed with great fortune. It is my honor to be able to share some of Your Majesty's burdens."

Consort Rong nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, go back early."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Bao Zhong straightened up, turned around and scolded the people behind him in a low voice, "What are you all standing there for? Let's go."

The eunuchs quickly followed, with Zhou Zhengyin mingling in the middle, flanked by the figures on both sides, inching his way out.

Jiang Shuoning squatted in the pile of broken porcelain, watching them step out of the palace gate and disappear into the sunlight outside. Only then did he slowly loosen his grip on the shards.

She felt as if her bones had been removed, and dark sweat stains spread across her back. A gust of wind made her shiver.

Feng Chun scratched his head in confusion and glanced towards the palace gate:

"Huh, I remember Eunuch Baozhong brought six people, but it looks like there are seven?"

Xia He, standing beside her, frowned and counted on her fingers, thinking, "Six people? I remember there were seven..."

The two looked at each other, both somewhat confused.

Jiang Shuoning got up and poured the broken porcelain into a basket. Without responding to the two, he straightened up, dusted off his hands, and walked towards the backyard.

Bao Zhong walked slowly along the palace path, the sunlight slanting down from the eaves, casting a long and thin shadow in front of him.

He didn't turn around, but simply gave a brief instruction to those behind him:

"You six go back to the greenhouse first. You don't need me to tell you how to explain what happened today, do you?"

The six eunuchs responded in unison.

Bao Zhong then turned slightly to the side, took out a money bag from his sleeve, and handed it to the leader, saying in his usual tone, "Take this and share it with the brothers."

The head eunuch took it, weighed it between his fingertips, his eyelids twitched slightly, and he quickly bowed and said:

"Rest assured, Your Excellency, we are fully aware of what happened today and will not divulge a single word."

Bao Zhong didn't say much, only nodded slightly.

The six people quickly walked away along the wall, their footsteps soon scattered by the wind deep into the passageway.

Bao Zhong stood there, watching the group walk away. The faint smile on his face seemed to dry in the sunlight, gradually disappearing.

He turned around, his gaze falling on Zhou Zhengyin, and said coldly, "Come with me."

Zhou Zhengyin pursed his lips, said nothing, and silently followed.

The two turned into a secluded alleyway, one after the other. The sunlight was cut into a narrow strip by the high wall and fell at their feet.

Baozhong walked slowly, but his steps were heavy, as if he were stepping on something with each step.

Zhou Zhengyin followed behind, like a shadow clinging to the ground, not daring to ask where they were going or why.

A breeze swept in from the alleyway, causing the hems of their clothes to flutter slightly before quickly settling back down.

He suddenly remembered Consort Rong's cry of "Wait!" at the entrance of Yihua Palace. Even though he had already come out, the thought still made his heart tighten.

(under)

Behind an artificial hill in Panting Lake.

Bao Zhong stared coldly at Zhou Zhengyin, who had his head bowed, his chest heaving slightly, before finally speaking:

"You spent the entire night in Yihua Palace last night. Do you know the consequences?"

Zhou Zhengyin nodded, his voice low:

"I know. My aunt told me to leave in the middle of the night last night, but some unexpected things happened, so I was delayed overnight. My aunt originally planned for me to leave tonight."

Bao Zhong frowned slightly: "Aunt?"

Zhou Zhengyin cautiously raised his eyes and glanced at him, then truthfully replied:

"Yes. Shuoning said that I'm not allowed to call her by her name anymore. She said she would teach me to read and write and do her best to help me."

"aunt……"

Bao Zhong slowly savored the name on his tongue, then suddenly his mind wandered, and he smiled silently.

She was more efficient than he had imagined.

With a single word, "Auntie," she severed all thoughts of herself and those of others, leaving herself no way out.

He looked at the meek and obedient young man before him and was momentarily surprised. There weren't many people in the palace who would treat him like this.

He paused for a moment, then his expression softened: "You were reading all night last night?"

Zhou Zhengyin nodded obediently.

Baozhong then asked, "What books did Shuoning make you read?"

Zhou Zhengyin carefully took the book out of his pocket and handed it over.

Bao Zhong took the book and glanced at the words "Palace Rules" printed on the cover.

That was something he had given to Jiang Shuoning, but he never expected that she would use it to teach him to read.

He smiled slightly and looked up at Zhou Zhengyin: "You really should learn the palace rules. Tell me, do you really want to study?"

Zhou Zhengyin nodded vigorously, his eyes showing an unusual seriousness: "I really want to."

Baozhong closed the book and handed it back to him:

"Go back and stay safely in Changmen Palace for now. I know you want to see her, but your risky trip to Yihua Palace will only harm her sooner or later. I'll take care of the rest."

Zhou Zhengyin took the book and carefully tucked it into his pocket, but hesitated as he looked at Baozhong.

"Is there anything else?" Baozhong asked.

He pursed his lips, as if gathering his courage, before asking in a low voice, "Actually... I could sneak over the wall and leave tonight."

Upon hearing this, Bao Zhong raised an eyebrow, slowly turned around, put his hands behind his back, looked up at the calm lake, and spoke in a flat tone, revealing no emotion:

"What if something goes wrong again tonight? I can smooth things over if Nagato is gone for one night. But what if it's two, three, or four days?"

He paused slightly, but his tone remained calm.

"There are eyes everywhere in this palace; you can't guard against them all. If it were really as simple as you think, why did a fire suddenly break out while you were safely in the imperial mausoleum?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengyin's heart tightened, and he looked at Bao Zhong's back with confusion.

He noticed that Bao Zhong, like Jiang Shuoning, always had such an upright posture, his robes were without a single wrinkle, and even his back view exuded a calm and unhurried demeanor.

"Things in this world are never what they seem. What you think is an accident might be someone who calculated the timing. What you think is luck might be a pre-planned path. Look at this lake,"

Bao Zhong gestured slightly with his chin towards the lake and continued:

"Look how calm the surface of the water is, that's how deep it is underneath. What you see is a reflection, but the real thing is always at the bottom."

Those who survive this journey are not the ones who charge forward the most, but those who know when to stop and when to hide.

What you see, hear, and believe now may not be true. Only when you stop easily trusting your own eyes will you have truly entered this palace.

His tone was flat, as if he were talking about something trivial, but every word he uttered weighed heavily on Zhou Zhengyin's heart.

Zhou Zhengyin pursed his lips and remained silent for a long time before whispering, "...I'll remember that."

Bao Zhong didn't look at him again, only adding lightly, "Go back and focus on the path ahead."

Zhou Zhengyin bowed to him, then turned and walked away quickly, his steps more steady than when he came.

Bao Zhong turned his head and watched the figure gradually disappear into the distance. The wind blew across the lake, and the sunlight shattered on the ripples.

He suddenly smiled, a faint smile that was unusually beautiful in the sunlight.

He silently said to himself: Shuoning, I'll gamble with you.