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墨書 Inktalez
The scenery along the way resembled Penglai Wonderland, with its exquisite craftsmanship and unique charm. The intricate designs and delicate decorations were truly remarkable. Every tree and every view here constantly reminded me that this was the center of power, a place where everything converged. It was a place I wanted nothing to do with.
If there was one thing I wanted to do here, it was to live quietly on the outskirts of this grand palace, away from its complexities.
Willow Grove, Flower Courtyard, with carved beams and painted rafters, hexagonal eaves soaring majestically.
Upon reaching Jingmen Hall, a eunuch stopped us and inquired about our purpose. After hearing our intentions, he led us inside. Yun Ying and I kept our heads lowered, afraid to raise them lest someone see through our facade. Here, even the lowly eunuchs could not gaze freely; after all, we were in the presence of the Crown Prince, the future Emperor.
As we prepared to pass through the long corridor and courtyard to place the books in the study at the back and leave, I suddenly heard—
The ten-year-old Sima Shao coldly glared at the hapless Servant. How dare he lose his beloved golden-eyed parrot! With a fierce expression, he lifted his foot and kicked hard at the small eunuch who was kneeling on the ground, pleading desperately. A useless Servant like him was better off discarded.
The small eunuch knelt there with his head bowed, trembling uncontrollably as he repeatedly begged, "Your Highness, spare my life! Your Highness, spare my life..." completely unaware of the imminent danger.
Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced the air nearby, followed by a thud as a figure fell heavily to the ground. Coincidentally, the book in that eunuch's hand struck Sima Shao's leg just as he kicked out. Sima Shao felt a sudden numbness in his leg, which then turned painfully weak.
The clumsy eunuch quickly scrambled to his feet and immediately knelt again on the ground, fear written all over his face as he bowed deeply to the high-and-mighty prince. He stammered, "I deserve to die! I deserve to die! Please forgive me, Your Highness." He then hurriedly moved to pick up the book that had fallen.
Sima Shao was taken aback by this unexpected turn of events. Once he understood what had happened, his face turned even paler; it was as cold as ice. He coldly said, "You audacious Servant! Who allowed you to trespass into Jingmen Hall?"
The kneeling Servant seemed aggrieved as he replied, "Your Highness, I am from Xiao Tiao Palace. On my way here, another eunuch asked me to deliver the books you requested. I am new and do not understand the rules; please punish me as you see fit." He bowed deeply again in fear.
Sima Shao looked at them with disgust and tried to lift his foot to kick out in frustration but found it felt as heavy as lead and would not obey him.
Just then, the kneeling eunuch continued submissively, "I know I have offended Your Highness gravely; from now on, I voluntarily demote myself to Slave Washing Palace so as not to annoy you further."
Seeing that Sima Shao did not respond, I quickly pulled away the trembling eunuch who seemed frozen in fear like leaves shaking in winter before Sima Shao could fully comprehend what had happened. How could he be so terrified? His body was stiff with fear; it took all my strength just to drag him out of that terrifying Jingmen Hall before anything worse could happen.
Once we escaped outside, Yun Ying patted her chest in shock and exclaimed, "Miss! Please don’t do such dangerous things again! You have no idea how perilous that was; you nearly scared me to death!" Her voice trembled at the end.
I gently patted her head affectionately and said, "But everything is fine now."
Then I glanced back at the small eunuch who had been so frightened he forgot his words. He looked about the same age as that cruel prince; how could he endure such treatment?
However, the slight application of Divine Power on his Achilles tendon would keep him bedridden for at least ten days to half a month. This should serve as a small lesson for him, who is so cold-hearted at such a young age. Let's see if he dares to treat human lives so lightly again.
One day, if the opportunity arises, I will teach him a proper lesson. A child who relies on favoritism to be arrogant is truly unacceptable.
I looked at the little eunuch with pity for a moment, then gently took his trembling hand, slowly soothing the fear in his eyes. Enough of this; sending him back now would only lead him to his doom. If you save someone, you must see it through to the end. After all, my Jiu Nian Xuan is remote and uninhabited; no one would care about an inexperienced little eunuch being there.
In the courtyard, I stood there in a daze for a long time before realizing that I had been played! Damn it, how dare they mock the Crown Prince? If the Crown Prince catches them one day, they will surely regret it. He mentioned which palace he was from; it seemed to be Xiao Tiao Palace. Tomorrow, the Crown Prince will dig three feet into the ground to find that audacious eunuch.
Fuming, I lifted my foot to walk forward when suddenly I heard a "thud" followed by the precious Little Prince exclaiming "ouch" as he fell heavily to the ground. Despite how fierce he usually is, he is still just a ten-year-old child; he immediately began to cry out of grievance, his small hands clenched into fists as he cursed inwardly that if the Crown Prince found you, he would ensure you were torn to pieces!
"Achoo! Achoo!"
Who is cursing me? I just returned to Jiu Nian Xuan and can't stop sneezing. Winter hasn't even arrived yet; why do I suddenly feel so chilly? No, I need to put on an outer garment. Leaving that tearful little troublemaker for Yun Ying to handle, I hurried into my warm room to catch up on my nap.
"Ah," I sighed contentedly; it felt so good.
When I finally woke up, the moon was already high in the sky.
I casually threw on a thin nightgown and let my disheveled hair fall loosely as I walked into the hall while yawning—only to find a little eunuch standing awkwardly in the hall, blushing as he stared at my inappropriate attire in shock.
Yun Ying had just brought hot porridge from the kitchen when she saw me and let out a sharp reprimanding voice. Moments later, that poor little eunuch was unceremoniously tossed out of the hall by me.
Unfortunately, upon waking up, I completely forgot about the little eunuch I had brought back today.
Feeling awkward as I looked at the little eunuch who had been thrown out and was now nursing his bruises, I rubbed my nose nervously to mask my guilt. However, Yun Ying, who was helping the little eunuch apply medicine, completely ignored my pretense and scolded me: "Miss, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but your forgetfulness can't reach this level! You're in your prime; how did you pick up such an elderly woman's habit? And you threw Xiao Quanzi down so hard..."
So that's what he's called—Xiao Quanzi. Heh heh, I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly; why do all eunuchs have names like that? Wei Xiaobao was called Little Guizi in the palace too, and Kangxi Emperor called him Little Xuanzai.
Just as I was about to change the subject to divert Yun Ying's attention—if she kept this up, I'd become a historical villain—who knew that the delicate-looking little eunuch had already shyly smiled and softly said: "Sister didn't mean it. Yun sister shouldn't say anymore; besides, Xiao Quanzi isn't hurt at all. Xiao Quanzi hasn't even thanked sister for saving his life."
The way she called "sister" was truly sweet. Hehe, I proudly glanced at the disgruntled Yun Ying; since the person involved had spoken, it seemed there was nothing more for me to say.
After the laughter subsided, I turned to Yun Ying and said, "Please tidy up that empty pavilion where we store miscellaneous items. Xiao Quanzi, you will live there from now on. Consider this your home. Although I may not be a favored master who can provide you with wealth and glory, I can ensure you won’t lack food and clothing. Make yourself comfortable here."
Stretching lazily, I didn’t bother to look at Yun Ying’s disapproving gaze and said nonchalantly, "I’m going to the study to draw. Yun Ying, brighten the lights a bit and add some oil; we’ll be working late again tonight."
Yun Ying cast another resentful gaze my way. "Miss, your health is important—"
I hurriedly escaped, teasing as I went, "I know, I know; health is the foundation of revolution."
Xiao Quanzi stared at the ethereal sister, completely lost for words. He lowered his head, staring blankly at the lines in his palm. After all this time, why couldn’t he forget the lingering warmth in his hand? This sister's hand was so warm, just like the hand of that mother who sold herself into the palace.
Gratefully looking in the direction where she had vanished, little Li Quan silently vowed that she would be his master for life.
Yun Ying watched the naive young boy beside her with understanding, fully aware of his thoughts at that moment. Sigh, wasn’t this how her own master had once walked into her heart? Otherwise, how could she have forgotten what he entrusted to her… willingly staying by her side, planning to care for her for a lifetime?
Though she appeared naive and inexperienced with the world, she effortlessly touched people’s hearts, sharing her warmth with others and unintentionally warming so many lonely souls. It made them willingly reluctant to leave behind the purest, most unassuming warmth in this world—one that required no return or sacrifice.
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