Shortly after Ji Zhaoxi left the hall, she ran into a few palace maids.
Ji Zhaoxi was already feeling guilty, and seeing them only made her feel worse.
The maids' eyes lit up as they blocked her path, stopping her from leaving.
"Xiao Xizi, what bad things have you been up to, sneaking around like this?"
"Don't tell me you went to bully someone again?!"
Ji Zhaoxi's face instantly turned red. "I did not."
A maid narrowed her eyes and snatched the bag right out of her hands. Seeing the contents inside, their expressions changed immediately.
"Well, well, Xiao Xizi. How could you be so bad as to steal the Seventh Prince's red-net charcoal?"
"It really is true that you can't judge a book by its cover."
"So young, yet so wicked?"
Ji Zhaoxi lowered her head, her face flushing completely red from their teasing.
The maids pinched her cheeks and threatened, "Do you believe we'll go tell Eunuch Liu?"
A few eunuchs nearby had long disliked Ji Zhaoxi. Hanging around women all day long, what else could she do besides pleasing women?
"I told you Xiao Xizi was no good, but you guys didn't believe me."
"You used to say Xiao Xizi was kind-hearted. Would a kind-hearted person steal the Seventh Prince's red-net charcoal?"
Before the eunuchs could finish, the maids impatiently cut them off.
"Shut up, you lot. We weren't talking to you."
The eunuchs were speechless.
Weren't they just agreeing with them?
Seeing Ji Zhaoxi blushing so hard she looked like she wanted to bury herself in the ground, the maids couldn't stop laughing.
"Xiao Xizi, here." A maid smiled and pressed a few pieces of Guandong taffy into Ji Zhaoxi's palm.
"Her Ladyship rewarded me with this. I brought it to you without even eating any myself. Aren't I good to you?"
Ji Zhaoxi's eyes lit up, and she nodded.
"Thank you, Sister Xiao He."
Xiao He rubbed her head. "We'll be going now. Next time you see us, you're not allowed to run away. You must come over and say hello, understand?"
"Understood!"
After the maids left, the young eunuchs nearby immediately surrounded her.
"Give us the Guandong taffy."
"Hurry up, or we'll beat you!"
"Take it out already."
Ji Zhaoxi reached out her hand somewhat fearfully. Just as the eunuchs scrambled to grab the candy from her hand, the very next second, Ji Zhaoxi grabbed the braids on their heads and yanked downwards with all her might.
The eunuchs cried out in pain continuously.
"Ouch, ouch! Let go, quickly!"
"Xiao Xizi, you've got a lot of nerve! Let us go right now."
Ji Zhaoxi pinned them to the ground, delivered a hard kick to each of their backsides, and then ran away.
The eunuchs went crying to the Department of Punishment, hoping the officials there would arrest Ji Zhaoxi.
Just as they were about to complain, they saw Eunuch Liu walk out from inside.
Eunuch Liu's eyes were slightly narrowed. With a string of Buddhist prayer beads in his hand, he sized up the young eunuchs in front of him.
The young eunuchs' bodies instantly froze.
A nearby eunuch laughed, "Eunuch Liu is here. You can tell Eunuch Liu how Xiao Xizi bullied you."
Eunuch Liu carried a faint scent of bitter medicine. His voice was hoarse: "What, did Xiao Xizi hit you?"
The young eunuchs hurriedly shook their heads.
Eunuch Liu looked down at them condescendingly and sneered, "Don't bring every little thing to the Department of Punishment. We don't have that much time."
The terrified young eunuchs nodded repeatedly, filled with immense regret.
Why did they have to run into Eunuch Liu? Didn't people say he was away these days...
The snow at the entrance of Ruhui Palace had already piled up into a thick layer, its surface covered with broken branches and withered leaves.
Xiao Yanchen shrank his neck and watched from the doorway.
On the ground was a bowl of soured food; he knew it wasn't brought by her.
Xiao Yanchen picked up the bowl from the ground and gently closed the door.
In the Imperial Garden, the plum blossoms were in full bloom, and many people stood around.
The Second Prince, wearing a fox-fur cloak, sat on a tall horse. He looked down condescendingly at Xiao Yanchen standing nearby.
Xiao Yanchen had been dragged out of Ruhui Palace by the eunuchs. At this moment, he was wearing only a thin, old robe, shivering uncontrollably in the biting wind.
The Second Prince waved the riding crop in his hand and raised an eyebrow. "This footstool really isn't as soft as my Seventh Brother's body."
A few observant eunuchs by the roadside immediately understood. They walked up with smiles, and the eunuch at the front grabbed Xiao Yanchen by the back of his collar, forcing him down right by the horse's hooves.
"Kneel properly!"
Xiao Yanchen struggled desperately, his fingers digging fiercely into the dirt. He was like an enraged young wolf.
But the two eunuchs were too strong. With a forceful kick to the back of his knees, Xiao Yanchen's knees smashed heavily into the ground with a loud thud.
"Let me go!" Xiao Yanchen gritted his teeth tightly.
Another eunuch forcefully pressed down on the back of his neck, forcing his back flat.
The Second Prince raised his chin and stepped directly onto Xiao Yanchen's back. The ice shards and mud from the soles of his shoes instantly seeped into his back.
Seeing Xiao Yanchen like this, the surrounding eunuchs and study companions immediately burst into roaring laughter. The sound was exceptionally grating in the snowy landscape.
It was unknown how much time had passed before the Second Prince and his entourage swaggered off. By the time Xiao Yanchen climbed up from the snow, his entire body was frozen stiff.
He lowered his head and limped back toward Ruhui Palace. Out of sheer humiliation, his spine and knees trembled non-stop.
Eunuch Liu's room had incense burning year-round, carrying a scent of bitter medicine. Ji Zhaoxi leaned against the window, looking at the tree by the door, and shivered from the cold.
She didn't want to go bully Xiao Yanchen anymore. It was too cold.
Besides, the place where he lived was so far away.
She was supposed to go find Xiao Yanchen yesterday, but she had stubbornly dragged it out until today.
Ji Zhaoxi sighed and went anyway, carrying her dirty clothes.
She didn't know how long she walked before finally arriving at the entrance of Ruhui Palace. She stared at the main door in surprise, the door wasn't closed tight.
When Ji Zhaoxi saw Xiao Yanchen, she was severely startled by his condition. He looked like he was about to burn up from a fever, his body shivering uncontrollably.
"Don't... press me down... don't press me down..."
Ji Zhaoxi placed a towel soaked in cold water on his forehead and listened carefully to what he was saying, but after listening for a long time, she couldn't understand a word.
Just as she was wondering if she should go get him some medicine, the door suddenly opened.
Ji Zhaoxi was startled, and the person at the door was equally startled.
"I didn't do this!" Ji Zhaoxi quickly blurted out.
The old imperial physician at the door was also dumbfounded by the scene inside.
How could there be someone taking care of the Seventh Prince here?
"My Lord," Ji Zhaoxi carefully bowed to the old imperial physician.
The old imperial physician remained silent for a moment, then nodded.
Could this young eunuch have been sent by those people?
He watched Ji Zhaoxi place the eunuch uniform to the side and hesitantly asked, "Little eunuch, did you think the Seventh Prince was cold, so you prepared this for him to wear?"
It seemed he had misunderstood. What a good child.
A trace of affection even appeared in his eyes.
Ji Zhaoxi shook her head, looking at him with some confusion.
"My Lord, I prepared this for the Seventh Prince to wash for me. You know, right? The Seventh Prince is out of favor right now."
The old imperial physician was speechless.
