"Miss!"
"Miss—"
On the second morning, Jiang Yunshu awoke to the sound of Taoye and Zhezhi's weeping. She opened her bleary eyes, and suddenly, their cries stopped abruptly.
"Miss, your eyes—they're still there?"
"Miss, you're not blind!"
Jiang Yunshu gradually regained her senses, and the memories of the previous day slowly returned...
Xie Lin, that big liar!
He had tricked her so cruelly yesterday!
Clearly, Xie Lin had used the same story to deceive Taoye and Zhezhi. Before she woke up, the two maids had believed she had sacrificed her eyes to save them, their front robes soaked with tears.
Now, seeing Jiang Yunshu's eyes perfectly intact, they were overwhelmed with emotion, crying and laughing in turns.
Jiang Yunshu pulled Taoye and Zhezhi into a tight embrace. The three of them, having narrowly escaped death, reunited with endless words to share.
Taoye and Zhezhi recounted their experiences after being separated from Jiang Yunshu.
"We thought you had truly been buried alive with the emperor!"
On the day the imperial concubines were sacrificed, Xie Lin had carried Jiang Yunshu away in full view of everyone, yet not a whisper of it spread through the palace.
Every concubine who witnessed it had died, and every eunuch who saw it was under Xie Lin's control—none dared breathe a word.
Thus, Taoye and Zhezhi believed Jiang Yunshu had perished in the great hall alongside the other concubines, weeping until they were half-dead with grief.
Using the jewels Jiang Yunshu had left them, Taoye and Zhezhi tried to bribe their way out of the palace to return to the Marquis's Mansion.
But then came the news: in addition to the concubines, a hundred palace maids were also to be sacrificed!
After giving away all their valuables, Taoye and Zhezhi realized there was no escape for them. Only well-connected maids could avoid this fate—newcomers like them were perfect for filling the quota.
They thought they would soon reunite with Jiang Yunshu in the afterlife...
Until yesterday, when the Chief Eunuch suddenly found them and revealed that Jiang Yunshu was alive—and had traded her eyes for their lives.
Taoye and Zhezhi swung between joy and despair, elated that their mistress lived but heartbroken that she had sacrificed her sight for them.
Then came this morning’s reunion, where they saw their mistress open her eyes and realized it had all been a false alarm.
After Taoye and Zhezhi finished their tale, Jiang Yunshu briefly summarized her own ordeal.
"When the concubines were to be buried alive, I begged the Chief Eunuch to save me. He took me away, and I became his woman."
"I assumed you two would leave the palace safely. But when I heard maids were also to be sacrificed, I begged him again. He said he’d spare your lives in exchange for my eyes... and I agreed."
Jiang Yunshu laughed. "Turns out he lied. He saved you both and didn’t take my eyes after all."
"This time, we got the better end of the deal!"
Jiang Yunshu felt incredibly lucky—for herself and her maids.
But Taoye and Zhezhi froze at her words.
"Miss... you became the Chief Eunuch’s woman?" Zhezhi asked, her voice trembling.
"How dare he defile you!" Taoye looked ready to charge out and take Xie Lin down with her.
Jiang Yunshu hurriedly calmed them. "Don’t be angry! Life is like a play..."
Tears still in their eyes, Taoye and Zhezhi couldn’t help but snort with laughter. "Miss, how can you still recite that silly poem at a time like this?"
Jiang Yunshu grinned. "Of course I can! My life now is far better than if I’d married the emperor!"
Taoye and Zhezhi stared in disbelief, certain she was just trying to comfort them.
Jiang Yunshu laid out her reasoning. "On the wedding night, you both saw the tiny side chamber I was given—smaller than our old Yunshu courtyard in the Marquis's Mansion, and under the thumb of the main hall’s concubine."
"But now? I live in Weiyang Palace—the grandest, most luxurious palace in the imperial complex, rivaling even the emperor’s Palace of Eternal Joy!"
"I can roam freely there. Just two days ago, I had a barbecue in Weiyang Palace’s courtyard."
Taoye and Zhezhi gasped. "A barbecue?!"
Jiang Yunshu winced guiltily. "At the time, I didn’t know maids were also to be sacrificed... I thought you’d already left the palace safely."
Taoye quickly reassured her. "We don’t blame you!"
Zhezhi added, "You were willing to trade your eyes for us. We’ll serve you faithfully for life!"
Jiang Yunshu smiled. "I don’t need servants. Let’s just live well together."
Taoye and Zhezhi weren’t upset with her—they were just stunned that their mistress had been enjoying barbecues in Weiyang Palace...
Did this mean the Chief Eunuch was unusually indulgent toward her?
Did he dote on her?
Well, who wouldn’t adore a beauty like their mistress?
Yet the thought of Jiang Yunshu, the Marquis's precious daughter, lowering herself to serve a eunuch still pained them.
Seeing their lingering distress, Jiang Yunshu switched tactics.
"If comparing living conditions doesn’t convince you, let’s compare the men."
Taoye and Zhezhi blinked. "Compare... what?"
Jiang Yunshu didn’t miss a beat. "The men. The emperor versus the Chief Eunuch."
Outside the window, a tall, slender figure passed by unnoticed.
Inside, Jiang Yunshu pressed on with her argument—Xie Lin was superior to the emperor.
"First, the Chief Eunuch is taller and more handsome."
"Longer legs, a slimmer waist, and as for his face—well, no contest there... tsk tsk."
"They say he manipulates the court and holds immense power—meaning his influence surpasses even the emperor’s!"
Taoye and Zhezhi remained unconvinced, their eyes filled with pity. "But Miss, you’ll never have children..."
Jiang Yunshu chuckled. "One man’s poison is another’s nectar. I’ve no desire for children anyway."
Taoye and Zhezhi were baffled. "What?" "Why?"
Jiang Yunshu shrugged. "Childbirth is painful. Sometimes fatal."
The maids fell silent.
After a pause, Taoye whispered, "Is it because... you’re afraid, after seeing your mother die in labor?"
Jiang Yunshu realized they’d misunderstood—but at least this helped them grasp her perspective.
After a long pause, Zhezhi whispered, "But the Imperial Seal Guardian... isn’t a real man anymore..."
Jiang Yunshu crooked her finger, signaling Taoye and Zhezhi to lean closer, then murmured, "What’s so good about a real man?"
"If I were with the Emperor, I’d surely be the one serving him."
"But now that I’m with the Imperial Seal Guardian, it’s him who serves me."
"Being the one who serves or the one who’s served... which do you think feels better?"
Her voice unconsciously carried a hint of lingering satisfaction.
Taoye and Zhezhi, both inexperienced maidens, flushed crimson at Jiang Yunshu’s words and immediately shied away from the topic.
"That... that sounds nice..."
"If the young mistress is happy, then it’s good..."
Outside the window, Xie Lin, who had been standing there for a long time, turned and left without a sound.
His attendant, Lichun, hurried after him, not daring to make even the slightest noise.
While standing by the window earlier, Lichun had overheard Jiang Yunshu’s conversation with her maids, and his heart had nearly leaped out of his chest!
How could the young lady be so bold? How could she dare to speak such scandalous words?
Serving by the Imperial Seal Guardian’s side, Lichun broke into a cold sweat for Jiang Yunshu. Several times, he had felt the chilling aura radiating from Xie Lin, and he feared the man might storm inside and strangle her on the spot!
After all the trouble she’d gone through to keep her life, losing it over such reckless talk would be such a waste...
Later, when Jiang Yunshu leaned in to whisper even more privately with her maids, Lichun could no longer make out their words.
But he knew Xie Lin had trained in martial arts since childhood—his hearing was exceptional. He must have heard every word.
After listening for a few more moments, Xie Lin turned and walked away, with Lichun scrambling to follow...
Oddly, the Imperial Seal Guardian’s footsteps seemed unusually light.
Having served Xie Lin for many years, Lichun knew him well. Judging by the man’s demeanor... he couldn’t help but feel Xie Lin was in an unexpectedly cheerful mood.
Lichun’s curiosity burned.
What on earth had Jiang Yunshu said in those last few words? How could they have pleased the Imperial Seal Guardian so much?
