Palace maid Shuoning

(Up)

The fifth day of the first lunar month.

Zhou Zhengyin was squatting in the backyard scrubbing the chamber pot. His messy hair hung down in front of his eyes, and his eyes were dark and empty.

These past few days, Eunuch Xin has been bringing in a food box every day. It contains chicken soup, mutton soup, and various exquisite pastries—things he has never eaten or seen before.

He knew it was Jiang Shuoning who sent it, but she refused to come in to see him.

Did they look down on him because they saw how pathetic he looked when he was being beaten?

If they look down on you, why send you medicine and food?

He stared at the festering wound on his hand, now covered with a thin scab, itching unbearably. He couldn't resist scratching it a couple of times; the scab fell off, revealing tender pink flesh underneath. Soaking it in the dirty water again, the piercing pain made him groan.

"Have you heard? Consort Rong is going to betroth her servant Shuoning to Eunuch Feng."

Several palace maids were talking in a group in the front yard.

Zhou Zhengyin immediately stopped using the brush in his hand.

At this moment, Xiao Shunzi strolled out of the house with his hands behind his back, straightened his collar, and cleared his throat.

A palace maid glanced at him sideways and said, "Oh, where did you get this outfit, Xiao Shunzi? Did you steal it from some palace? Clothes really do make the man, and even a dog looks good in new clothes."

Several palace maids covered their mouths and laughed.

Xiao Shunzi's face tightened, but she immediately raised her chin again: "Sister, you're really humiliating me. I paid for this with my own money. I've finally made it in this filthy place. Starting next month, I'll be working in Consort Liu's palace. If you sisters ever have any difficulties in the future, I might put in a good word for you out of consideration for our past relationship."

The palace maid scoffed, "Silver? This new outfit probably cost you half a year's salary. Where did you get the money?"

Xiao Shunzi's lips twitched, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes: "Saving, saving up."

The palace maid smiled dismissively, not pressing the matter further, and changed the subject: "But speaking of which, even Xiao Shunzi knows to aim higher, so we should start paying attention. Speaking of which, Jiang Shuoning is the most capable; he climbed up to Eunuch Feng in one step, saving us the trouble of slowly working our way up."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Shunzi's face wore an expression that was hard to decipher—it was a mix of a smile and disdain.

"Her? All she has is that alluring, foxy face. I heard... on the Winter Solstice, when she was serving the Emperor's meal, the way she stretched out those hands before him, whether she was offering the food or handing over her hands, was obvious to everyone. Consort Rong was merciful and only let her suffer the pain of needles. If it were me, those hands would have been gone long ago."

Upon hearing this, the palace maids reacted with varying expressions.

Seeing that everyone remained silent, Xiao Shunzi thought he had won them over, and became even more smug. He lowered his voice even further, almost squeezing it out between his teeth:

"It's her good fortune to be betrothed to Eunuch Feng. Isn't it better for a palace maid to climb the social ladder by becoming the head of the Imperial Household Department and having him serve her well at night than to be bound by rules in Yihua Palace? In this palace, who doesn't climb the ranks this way?"

Several palace maids simultaneously revealed meaningful smiles.

Before Xiao Shunzi could say anything more, he suddenly felt a darkness above his head.

Zhou Zhengyin stood up at some point. His hair covered his eyes, making his expression unreadable. He carried the bucket of the most pungent swill and walked step by step behind Xiao Shunzi.

"Splash—"

Half a bucket of swill was poured over Xiao Shunzi's head. The yellowish filth streamed down his face, and the stench of urine exploded in the cold wind.

Xiao Shunzi froze for a moment. He reached up and touched his face, his hand was sticky, he looked down and vomited.

"You...you..." He wiped his mouth, pointed at Zhou Zhengyin, his voice trembling, "You scumbag who cleans chamber pots, how dare you throw things on my head?"

He kicked Zhou Zhengyin in the back of the knee. Zhou Zhengyin stumbled forward, the bucket in his hand flying out and crashing to the ground with a thud.

The palace maids immediately tried to mediate the fight, but none of them stepped forward to stop it.

Xiao Shunzi didn't stop; he lunged forward and kicked him again in the waist. "You dared to splash me! You dared to splash me!"

Zhou Zhengyin curled up on the ground, gritting his teeth, without uttering a sound.

(under)

Just then, Eunuch Qiao walked in and saw Xiao Shunzi riding on Zhou Zhengyin's back, throwing punches. His already gloomy face darkened even more, and he said in a stern voice, "Stop!"

Xiao Shunzi shuddered, quickly stood up, and turned to complain to Eunuch Qiao: "Eunuch, this mute servant splashed me with swill for no reason, and I was just disciplining him."

Grandpa Qiao's chest heaved heavily, but he didn't reply.

A person stood behind him. The person wore a dark blue cotton robe, was tall and slender, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, and had a nonchalant coldness in his eyes.

The man glanced at Xiao Shunzi and Zhou Zhengyin, who was curled up on the ground, clicked his tongue softly, then looked away, his voice neither loud nor soft: "Xiao Shunzi, go wash up and change your clothes. Eunuch Feng is waiting to see you."

Xiao Shunzi was taken aback at first, then a smile spread across his face.

Eunuch Feng wants to see him? Could it be that Consort Liu's side requested him in advance?

He couldn't stay in Changmen Palace for even a day longer, so he quickly bowed and responded before turning and running into the house.

The man withdrew his gaze, slowly scanned the courtyard, and then spoke:

"Eunuch Qiao, your Changmen Palace is certainly lively. Fighting, theft, and even secret rendezvous with palace maids at night. In all my years of service in the palace, this is the first time I've seen such a complete scene."

He secretly met with a palace maid.

Zhou Zhengyin's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly understood. Every time she came, she would stand at the door, hand in the food box, and leave, never stepping into that room.

He thought she was refusing to see him, that she looked down on him. Turns out, that wasn't the case. She was afraid of being discovered.

But they were still discovered.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms, and stood motionless.

Eunuch Qiao's face creased with wrinkles, and he bent over so low his back almost touched the ground: "Eunuch Baozhong is joking. These people from Changmen Palace were sent here after committing crimes elsewhere. Since they arrived, they have all been very well-behaved. Stealing or having secret meetings with palace maids is absolutely out of the question."

This is the first time we've ever fought like this; it was truly an accident. I'll definitely teach them a lesson they deserve later, and I promise I won't let Eunuch Baozhong see such a disgraceful thing again.

Bao Zhong didn't look at him. He strolled up to Zhou Zhengyin and looked him up and down. Zhou Zhengyin had his head down, his hair covering half his face, so his expression was not visible.

"Which room does the mute servant live in? Go and search it." Bao Zhong stared at him for a few moments before suddenly speaking.

Eunuch Qiao quickly pointed towards the backyard: "The last one, the very last one."

The two eunuchs that Baozhong brought responded and immediately went to search the room.

Bao Zhong's gaze never left Zhou Zhengyin. A slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he lowered his voice as if speaking to an acquaintance: "When we arrive at the Imperial Household Department, answer whatever Eunuch Feng asks you."

Eunuch Qiao leaned closer: "Eunuch Baozhong, he's mute, he can't speak."

Bao Zhong turned his head and glanced indifferently at Eunuch Qiao: "Who told you that you have to use your mouth to answer?"

The smile on Eunuch Qiao's face froze, and he lowered his head, not daring to utter another word.

Two eunuchs came out of the room, one carrying a food box and the other holding three medicine bottles and a packet of medicinal herbs. Approaching Bao Zhong, one of them whispered, "Sir, we did find something, and it was indeed medicine from the Imperial Hospital."

Bao Zhong took the medicine bottle and slowly twirled it between his fingertips. He was fair-skinned with slender eyebrows and eyes. When he looked at people, the corners of his mouth were always slightly upturned, but there was no smile in his eyes. He was like a venomous snake, silent and making Zhou Zhengyin feel a chill down his spine.

At this moment, only one thought occupied Zhou Zhengyin's mind: Will she be punished? How will she be punished? Will her hands also be affected? That would hurt too much; the ten fingers are connected to the heart.

In an instant, his throat felt as if it were being tightly gripped, and his shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

Bao Zhong observed his reaction but said nothing, only instructing, "Take the mute servant and Xiao Shunzi to the Imperial Household Department." He took two steps, then suddenly stopped, as if remembering something, and turned to look at Eunuch Qiao: "I'll trouble Eunuch Qiao to go as well. With something like this happening at Changmen Palace, you, as the person in charge, should provide an explanation."

Sweat finally rolled down Eunuch Qiao's forehead, and he bent over so low he almost folded his back in half: "Yes, yes, Eunuch Baozhong is right."