Palace maid Shuoning

(Up)

On a midsummer afternoon, the scorching sun beat down, and waves of heat surged from the blue brick floor. There was no wind through the windows, and the room was stuffy and heavy, with even the fingertips damp with sweat.

Xia He was packing her bedding when she heard a very soft noise coming from the couch.

She turned her head and saw Jiang Shuoning lift his eyelids slightly, move his lips, and utter a single word in a barely audible voice: "Water..."

Xia He stood at the door with her bedding roll in her arms. After a pause, she put the things down, poured a bowl of water, and went over.

She looked down at her pale, almost translucent face, her lips cracked in several places, and she was struggling to breathe.

Suddenly remembering Baozhong kneeling by the pond last night, her eyes reddened instantly. With a flick of her wrist, she splashed a bowl of water onto the blue brick floor.

She put down her bowl, squatted down, and stared at Jiang Shuoning, her eyes filled with jealousy.

"Why? You did nothing, yet the Empress dotes on you, the Emperor remembers you, and Baozhong is willing to risk his life to protect you."

And me? I've endured all these years in this palace, never thinking of leaving, just hoping to have someone to rely on. I don't care that Baozhong is a eunuch, but why do you have to take everyone away from me? What do I lack compared to you?

The person on the couch suddenly stirred.

Jiang Shuoning slowly opened his eyes, but he didn't have the strength to turn his head. He could only lie flat on his back. His lips moved slightly, as if he was gathering his strength.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "Who... stole it?"

Xia He was stunned, not expecting her to wake up, but she gritted her teeth and decided not to hide anymore.

"You're awake just in time, which saves me from wasting my breath talking to a dead man."

Jiang Shuoning stared straight at the roof beam, took a slow breath, and said calmly, "Then you speak, I'm listening."

Xia He's eyes reddened even more from her lukewarm words, and she choked out:

"Besides this face, what else do you have? Just accept whoever is nice to you, rely on whoever cares for you, and you'll have everything without lifting a finger."

And me? I've served the Empress longer than you, I'm more efficient than you, and I want to live better than you, but has anyone even glanced at me?

She spoke more and more urgently, her voice trembling uncontrollably:

"Baozhong almost drowned because of you, do you know that? When he came out of the water last night, his whole body was weak, and the way he looked at you while kneeling by the pool was like he couldn't live without you. I've never been loved like that in my entire life..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuoning turned his head, his gaze falling on Xia He's face. He looked at her for a long time, his voice as faint as a wisp of wind that could not be grasped:

"Do you truly love him? Or do you just want someone to pamper you? Or do you value his position serving the Emperor, hoping it will make your life in the palace easier?"

Xia He was taken aback by her words.

Jiang Shuoning added, "You know perfectly well in your heart that you don't hate me. What you hate is that no one has ever treated you like this."

Xia He was completely speechless by her words, unable to utter a single word, but tears suddenly fell, one after another, onto the blue brick ground.

"I didn't... I didn't want to take advantage of his influence..."

As she spoke, she reached out and grasped Jiang Shuoning's hand, which was draped outside the blanket, her voice trembling with tears:

"I really like him. I've never seen anyone look at another person like that. I was watching from the sidelines, and I thought to myself, if one day someone ever looks at me like that, I'd die happy."

"Sister Shuoning, can you give him to me? I know I shouldn't say this, but I just want to have someone to rely on in the palace."

"You're the Empress's most beloved person. You have the Empress, a bright future, and you can even marry a guard and leave the palace. You have everything. I only have this one thing... Please give him to me, okay?"

Jiang Shuoning neither withdrew her hand nor spoke. She tilted her head to look at Xia He, her eyes hazy and unreadable.

The room was quiet for a while, with only Xia He's sobs echoing in the sweltering air.

After a long silence, Jiang Shuoning finally moved his lips, his voice as soft as paper: "Have you asked him?"

Xia He looked up, her face covered in tears: "What?"

"Did you ask him if he was willing?" Jiang Shuoning said. "He's worthless, someone who can be given away like that."

Xia He was stunned. The hand that was gripping hers slowly loosened, as if it had been burned by something.

(under)

Suddenly the door was pushed open, and Chun Chan stepped in with a smile, chewing on candied fruit, her cheeks puffing out.

Seeing that Jiang Shuoning had his eyes open, she was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "Oh, you're finally awake!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xia He quickly wiped her eyes, bent down to pick up her bedding roll, and paused when she reached Chun Chan's side. She lowered her head and said in a hoarse voice:

"I'll move back in once Sister Shuoning is better."

Before Chun Chan could react, Xia He ran out with her head down.

Chun Chan frowned, a look of glee on her face, and moved closer to the bedside, crunching on a candied fruit.

"What happened to her? What did you do to her?"

Jiang Shuoning closed his eyes and ignored her.

Chun Chan pursed her lips, chewed twice, and mumbled, "Still pretending to be profound."

She swallowed what was in her mouth, turned her head, and called out, "Come in."

A palace maid dressed in apricot-colored clothes walked in with her eyes lowered.

The clothes seemed ill-fitting, the sleeves were half a head too short, revealing her slender wrists. She was more than half a head taller than the average palace maid, and her back was slightly hunched, as if she was used to bending herself down.

Holding a bowl of medicinal soup in his hand, he quickly glanced at Jiang Shuoning on the bed, his gaze lingering on her pale face for a moment, his fingers tightening on the rim of the bowl.

She then closed the door behind her, quickly walked to the bedside, bent down, and whispered, "Auntie..."

Jiang Shuoning, who had her eyes closed, suddenly lifted her eyelids when she heard the word "Auntie".

His gaze fell on that face, and he paused for a moment, as if he didn't recognize it.

"Aunt...it's me..." Zhou Zhengyin's Adam's apple bobbed. He squatted down and placed the medicine bowl on the bedside table, lowering his voice, "Please don't be angry. Baozhong arranged for me to come and take care of you. We were supposed to meet in the evening, but Baozhong arranged for me to come in earlier..."

Spring Cicada sat on the edge of the bed, popped another candied fruit into her mouth, puffed out her cheeks, and mumbled smugly:

"I dressed him up like this. Jiang Shuoning, you've really made something of yourself now. I've heard of people recognizing godfathers, but I've never heard of recognizing aunts. You've just gotten a nephew for free."

Jiang Shuoning did not respond, his gaze remaining fixed on Zhou Zhengyin.

He squatted by the bed, wearing an apricot-colored dress that was half-short, his face powdered, and his lips adorned with lip rouge, looking both absurd and pitiful.

Jiang Shuoning looked at him for a long while, and finally sighed, "Help me up."

Zhou Zhengyin carefully helped her sit up, then pulled the blanket over her shoulders before picking up the medicine bowl again, gently stirring it with the spoon, and blowing on it to cool it down.

Chun Chan chewed on her candied fruit, glancing at each of their faces before smiling with her eyes crinkling:

"It's stuffy inside. I'll go sit by the door for a while. Call me if you need anything."

After saying that, she jumped off the edge of the bed, humming a little tune as she skipped out the door, closing it behind her.

As soon as the door closed, Zhou Zhengyin held a spoon to Jiang Shuoning's lips: "Auntie, drink your medicine."

Jiang Shuoning looked up at him without saying a word.

Zhou Zhengyin held the spoon for a moment, and seeing that she didn't move, he didn't urge her, but put the spoonful of medicine into his mouth himself.

His brows furrowed immediately, and after swallowing, he bared his teeth and said seriously:

"It's a bit bitter. I'll take a sip, and Auntie will take a sip. It's better for two people to suffer together than for one person to suffer alone."

Jiang Shuoning looked at his face, which was covered in rouge and powder, and her lips moved as she said angrily:

"You're so willing to suffer? Nobody wants to suffer, but you treat suffering as an honor? What a spineless wretch."

Zhou Zhengyin grinned upon hearing this. He could tell that there was anger in her words, but she wasn't really angry with him.

He scooped up another spoonful, blew on it, and handed it to me as if it were a precious treasure, his voice low and soft, with a coaxing tone:

"Auntie is right. After we've finished suffering, we'll eat candy from now on."

Jiang Shuoning was amused by his words and lowered his head to put the spoonful of medicine in his mouth.

The bitter taste spread from the tip of her tongue all the way down her throat, but she swallowed it without frowning.

Seeing that she had drunk it, Zhou Zhengyin scooped up another spoonful and handed it to her.

One bowl of medicine, two people each took a spoonful, and before they knew it, it was all gone.

Zhou Zhengyin put down his bowl, lowered his eyes, and a bitter taste filled his mouth:

"Auntie, I'm sorry. I'm useless. Unlike Baozhong, I can't protect you or rescue you. I only cause you trouble, make you angry, and drag you down with me."

Jiang Shuoning turned his head to look at him. He had his head drooping, and his lip rouge was smeared all over his lips, making him look both disheveled and pitiful.

She felt a slight prick in her heart, paused for a moment before speaking, her voice softer than before: "Raise your head."

Zhou Zhengyin slowly raised his head, his eyes reddening at the corners.

Jiang Shuoning looked at him for a while: "The fact that you managed to sneak in dressed like this, and come specifically to take care of me, isn't that a skill in itself?"

Zhou Zhengyin was stunned, as if he hadn't reacted for a moment.

Jiang Shuoning didn't look at him, closed her eyes again, and said in a faint voice:

"You say you're incompetent, but what you did is something someone else might not have been able to do. Don't just bow your head and say sorry; look up and see how far you've come."

Zhou Zhengyin's eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and his lips moved as if he was about to speak.

Suddenly, the sound of cicadas came from outside the door, rising a few notches and carrying a somewhat affectedly serious tone:

"This servant greets Consort Rong!"