Palace maid Shuoning

(Up)

As Eunuch Qiao's whip fell, Zhou Zhengyin's back instantly bled.

The first time, he heard his bones crack.

The second time, the sound seemed to fade away.

On the third time, he felt as if his soul had left his body and was slowly floating into the air.

He was truly floating. He hovered in mid-air, looking down at the person below.

The man was kneeling, kowtowing, his face smeared with urine, the cloth on his back torn, blood seeping out, staining his tattered undershirt a dark color.

It looks awful, he thought.

The man was still banging on the bricks. Thump, thump, thump. The marks left on the bricks weren't pits, but blood.

He suddenly realized that he was crying.

It's not the one above. The one above doesn't have tears.

It's the person below who's crying.

So it turns out the soul doesn't cry.

Only humans can do that.

But he's clearly no longer like a human being.

He knelt down. He kowtowed. Shouldn't they have let him go?

He doesn't understand.

Suddenly a voice seemed to grab his soul.

"The lower you kneel, the higher and farther you can stand in the future."

As she spoke, she gripped his chin, forcing him to look at her. There was no pity in her eyes, only something he couldn't understand.

He didn't quite understand at the time.

Now I think I understand a little bit.

"Survive first. Only by living can there be a future."

The whip fell again.

He gritted his teeth and did not collapse.

"So it's Eunuch Feng here! I've been looking for you everywhere..."

Jiang Shuoning clasped her hands together on her lower abdomen and stepped into Changmen Palace. Her demeanor was impeccable, and her voice was clear, melodious, and filled with laughter.

Upon hearing that voice, Zhou Zhengyin's heart skipped a beat, and he looked up.

Feng Xi turned to look at her with a smile, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. Then his gaze fell on her, looking her up and down.

She wore a light green jacket, a white vest, and velvet trim on the collar and cuffs, her waist perfectly fitted. A refreshing fragrance of asarum wafted over her as she approached.

Feng Xi's gaze lingered on her for a moment before he smiled and said, "How did Miss Shuoning know that my family was coming to Changmen Palace?"

Jiang Shuoning bowed slightly, the movement small, but her waistline lowered just right, and she looked at Feng Xi with a smile, her voice so sweet it seemed like you could squeeze juice out of it.

"How would this servant know your whereabouts, sir? I was on my way to the Imperial Household Department when I heard that you had come to Changmen Palace, so I turned back here."

As she spoke, she seemed to only then notice the whip in Eunuch Qiao's hand and the person kneeling on the ground, and her brows furrowed slightly:

"Oh, is this how you lecture someone?"

Eunuch Qiao hurriedly said, "It was this mute servant who was blind and offended Eunuch Feng..."

"Then you'll have to be taught a good lesson." Jiang Shuoning replied quickly, his tone casual, his smile deepening. "But Eunuch Qiao, tomorrow is New Year's Eve. If you spill blood all over the place, and the Empress smells it and asks about it... what will you say?"

Eunuch Qiao was taken aback; the whip was raised in mid-air, unable to fall.

Jiang Shuoning stopped looking at him, took a small step forward, got closer to Feng Xi, looked up at him, lowered his voice, and spoke with a hint of ingratiating intimacy.

"Eunuch Feng, when I came here, Consort Rong specifically instructed me that there was one item in this year's New Year's Eve gifts that had to go through Eunuch Feng's hands. Her Majesty means that she feels at ease only when things in the palace are handled by you."

Feng Xi squinted at her, his gaze sliding from her fair face to her waist, then back to her eyes, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

"Your Majesty is too kind to us."

He paused, glanced at Zhou Zhengyin kneeling on the ground, then at Eunuch Qiao, his tone neither warm nor cold.

"Alright, it's the Lunar New Year. Killing someone would just mean burying them, which is bad luck. Let's call it a day."

Eunuch Qiao felt as if he had been granted a pardon and hurriedly put away his whip: "Yes, yes, Eunuch Feng is right."

Feng Xi took a step to walk out, but when he passed Jiang Shuoning, he paused, his gaze falling on her face, and he lowered his voice.

"Miss Shuoning, the road to Changmen Palace is difficult to walk; you might break your shoes."

Jiang Shuoning's smile remained unchanged, her voice as soft as if she were coaxing someone: "With Eunuch Feng here, what do I have to fear?"

Feng Xi smiled, said nothing more, and walked away.

Jiang Shuoning turned around and followed, but after taking two steps, he stopped, looked back at Eunuch Qiao, and spoke casually as if giving instructions.

"Eunuch Qiao, please spare that mute servant's breath. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve; seeing blood is bad luck."

After saying that, she left without looking back.

The fragrance of Du Ruoxiang gradually dissipated.

Zhou Zhengyin braced himself on the ground, trembling violently. His index finger dug into the crack of the blue brick, his nail curling up, and blood slowly trickling down.

The places on his back where he had been whipped felt like they were on fire; every inch of his flesh was screaming. But he couldn't tell which side hurt more.

Her name was Shuoning.

He repeated it in his mind over and over again.

The image of her smiling at Feng Xi just now was still vivid in my mind. Her voice was sickeningly sweet, and her back slumped over.

She could laugh, but only at a eunuch.

Not to him.

He remembered her making him kneel down, giving him medicine, and feeding him meat.

She said she could only stand up after she was full. The lower you kneel, the higher you can stand.

It turns out she also had to kneel.

Suddenly, I realized that she was just like everyone else.

No one is an exception.

Especially the way Feng Xi looked at her...

His throat tightened even more. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. The pain in his back, the pain in his fingertips, the pain in his heart as if it were being squeezed, all surged up, stuck in his throat, unable to be swallowed or spat out.

Grandpa Xin helped him up with all his might. His mouth opened and closed, but the sound seemed to be far away, and he could not hear it. He could only hear the buzzing in his ears.

Immediately, everything went black, and he closed his eyes.

(under)

Yihua Palace

Feng Xi accepted the reward money from Sui He with both hands, bowing so low he almost folded his back, his face beaming with smiles:

"This servant thanks Your Majesty. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. May Your Majesty's blessings bring me good fortune in the coming year."

Consort Rong leaned against the soft couch, admiring her newly dyed nail polish. Her slender fingers, set against the vibrant red, appeared even whiter.

She didn't even lift her eyelids, and her tone was as if she were chatting casually:

"You've worked hard, Your Excellency. I'm also thanking you on behalf of the Emperor for your dedication."

"This servant dares not accept such praise..."

"I've heard," Consort Rong interrupted him slowly, "that His Majesty has been frequently summoning Consort Liu lately?"

Feng Xi's heart skipped a beat, and he bent over even more, forcing a smile as he said:

"Your Majesty is wise. His Majesty has been very busy with state affairs lately, and Consort Liu's Kunqu opera... is merely a way to relieve his fatigue. His Majesty's heart is still with Your Majesty."

Jiang Shuoning and Suihe stood on one side of the soft couch. Suihe glared at Jiang Shuoning out of the corner of her eye.

Consort Rong chuckled and reached for the teacup on the low table. Jiang Shuoning, quick as a flash, presented it with both hands. Consort Rong glanced at her indifferently and said:

"Kunqu opera. I've heard it too. The voice is good. It's just..." She paused, her tone light and airy, "Listening to it too much can make one forget their place."

A light sheen of sweat appeared on Feng Xi's forehead: "This servant...this servant remembers."

Consort Rong didn't look at him again and lowered her head to drink her tea.

Feng Xi stood with his head down, but a thought flashed through his mind. He quickly glanced at Jiang Shuoning.

She stood in the corner, her expression unchanged, as if nothing had happened.

"Then this servant will take his leave." Feng Xi's face was wrinkled and crumpled. "This servant will send someone to deliver the blood swallow's nest shortly."

"Let Shuoning go and fetch it," said Consort Rong.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Jiang Shuoning lowered his head.

Jiang Shuo Ning and Feng Xi withdrew from the main hall.

The door closed.

Suihe knelt before the couch, gently massaging Consort Rong's legs, and whispered:

"Your Majesty, this servant noticed that Feng Xi's gaze towards Jiang Shuoning is strange."

Consort Rong smiled dismissively. "It's normal for an old eunuch to want to find a companion.

Suihe paused in rubbing her legs and looked up at Consort Rong.

"Your Majesty means..."

"I have always been considerate of my servants." Consort Rong picked up her teacup, a slight smile curving her lips. "Feng Xi is a favorite of the Emperor. Since Shuo Ning is with him, Feng Xi is naturally grateful to me. It's a win-win situation."

Suihe lowered her head, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up.

The hall fell silent, with only the occasional crackling of the fire in the stove.

After leaving Yihua Palace, Feng Xi walked in front, with Jiang Shuoning following behind.

The moonlight was cold and clear, and only the sound of two footsteps could be heard on the palace road.

Feng Xi suddenly stopped, without turning around: "Miss Shuoning."

Jiang Shuoning paused, "Does the eunuch have any further instructions?"

Feng Xi turned around, squinting at her. Moonlight fell on his face, and his smile was unreadable.

"Today at Changmen Palace...did Her Majesty really send you to invite us?"

Jiang Shuoning's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged as he gave a slight bow.

"I don't understand what you're saying, sir. Her Majesty asked me to go and invite you, and I did. Haven't you already seen Her Majesty?"

Feng Xi looked at her for a few moments.

Then he laughed.

"Yes." He turned around, his tone light and casual. "I saw him."

He took a step forward, leaving behind the words, "Miss Shuoning, the road is still long, walk carefully. Go back, my family will send someone to bring Xueyan."

Jiang Shuoning stood there, watching his receding figure, his palms growing slightly cold.