The old imperial physician was treating Xiao Yanchen's illness, but his gaze kept lingering on Ji Zhaoxi, who was burning charcoal nearby.
Although she was just a child, he could not let his guard down.
"Xiao Xizi, why did you suddenly come to see the Seventh Prince? Have you been here before?"
Ji Zhaoxi said earnestly, "My Lord, I heard there was a prince who was very easy to bully, so I came. I've never bullied a prince before."
She looked at the old physician curiously. "My Lord, are you the same as me?"
The old physician's mouth twitched. "I am nothing like you. I am simply here to save the Seventh Prince."
Ji Zhaoxi looked a bit disappointed. "Alright then."
The old physician was speechless.
Xiao Yanchen had already woken up after drinking his medicine, but his body was still very weak.
The old physician packed up his things and prepared to leave, and Ji Zhaoxi left with him.
Just as they were about to head out the door, Xiao Yanchen's weak and hoarse voice suddenly came from behind them.
"Xiao Xizi, you forgot to leave your clothes."
Ji Zhaoxi froze for a moment, glanced at the clothes in her hands, and then silently placed them next to Xiao Yanchen.
"Seventh Prince, you need to wash them cleanly for me," she whispered.
Xiao Yanchen, his face pale, nodded.
When Ji Zhaoxi returned, Eunuch Liu had also just come back from the Department of Punishments. He placed some flaky pastries on the table and sat in a nearby chair, rolling walnuts in his hand.
He glanced at Ji Zhaoxi and narrowed his eyes. "Where did you go?"
Ji Zhaoxi sat by the table and answered honestly, "I went to bully someone."
Eunuch Liu gave a low grunt of acknowledgment and closed his eyes. "A couple of days ago, those young eunuchs came to me and said you hit them."
Ji Zhaoxi felt a bit wronged. "Master, they said that even though I'm so young, I spend every day making women happy and mixing with crowds of women, and that I'm very scheming."
Hearing this, Eunuch Liu sighed, his tone soft. "You do need to be more careful. You're a young eunuch, what does it look like rubbing around in the arms of the palace maids all day?"
Ji Zhaoxi's ears turned red, and she nodded.
"Eat these flaky pastries, and wear more clothes next time you go out."
"Understood, Master."
Outside the eunuchs' communal sleeping quarters were two high walls. The sun couldn't reach it during the day, and the moon couldn't shine on it at night, giving it a constant gloomy chill all year round.
Inside the communal quarters was a long heated brick bed covered with old, blackened robes, where over a dozen eunuchs slept.
"We sleep here, while that Xiao Xizi gets to sleep on the small couch in Eunuch Liu's outer room. Why is that fair?"
"Why? Because he has a good master, of course."
"I really don't like him. Did you see him today, hugging Xiao He and rubbing against her? Truly shameless!"
"I didn't expect Xiao Xizi to start thinking about women at such a young age. What a pity, no matter how much he thinks about it, it's useless without that piece of equipment."
A burst of laughter rang out in the communal quarters.
Every time these eunuchs went to make trouble for Ji Zhaoxi, the nearby palace maids would always come out to help her. The eunuchs in the palace had grown to loathe Ji Zhaoxi to the extreme.
In the Imperial Study, premium red charcoal was burning in the corner. The Emperor was reviewing memorials when he looked at the piece of mutton-fat jade beside him.
This jade had been polished by the Empress's own hands and given to him during her first year in the palace.
At the time, he felt the jade wasn't translucent enough and disdained her rough craftsmanship, so he had never used it.
Now, the concubines by his side had been replaced batch after batch, each one charming and moving, yet he found it all incredibly dull.
"I remember that in the past, every time the Empress came to the Imperial Study, she would bring a few plum blossoms," the Emperor sighed with emotion.
The plum blossoms in the Imperial Study now were placed by subordinates. They were the same flowers, but they no longer gave him that same feeling from years ago.
The eunuch beside him saw the nostalgia in the Emperor's eyes and smoothly chimed in.
"Your Majesty is truly devoted. This servant saw the Seventh Prince a few days ago, and his temperament is exactly like the Empress's."
The Emperor's hand paused slightly.
Thinking of the Empress, he might feel some nostalgia, but the moment the Seventh Prince, who carried his bloodline, was mentioned, his mind was filled with unpleasant memories.
The warmth in his eyes was instantly replaced by disgust.
"Like her?" The Emperor sneered. "What is so good about being as stubbornly inflexible as she was?"
He took a sip of tea and pushed the jade away.
"Since he's like her, then let him stay put right where he is, lest he comes out and ruins my mood."
The eunuch did not dare to speak anymore and lowered his head.
The weather had gotten slightly warmer these past few days, and Ji Zhaoxi took her dirty clothes to find Xiao Yanchen again.
She froze for a moment when she saw Xiao Yanchen standing at the entrance of Ruhui Palace.
Xiao Yanchen was also taken aback, then smiled at her.
"Xiao Xizi, are you here to have me wash your clothes again?" Xiao Yanchen took the clothes from Ji Zhaoxi's hands.
Seeing how practiced he was, Ji Zhaoxi nodded in embarrassment.
She handed the snacks from her pocket to Xiao Yanchen. "For you to eat."
Xiao Yanchen looked at the snacks but didn't take them.
Ji Zhaoxi ate one right in front of him. "It's not poisoned. It's really delicious."
Xiao Yanchen pursed his lips and took the snacks from her hand. "Thank you."
"My master brought these for me. My master is amazing and often brings me lots of delicious things," Ji Zhaoxi showed off.
Xiao Yanchen looked at Ji Zhaoxi with bright eyes. "Xiao Xizi, you are so amazing."
Ji Zhaoxi's face turned red. "I'm not the amazing one, my master is."
Xiao Yanchen went to fetch water to help Ji Zhaoxi wash the clothes, while Ji Zhaoxi squatted nearby, watching him wash.
"I haven't brought you food for a long time. I can never manage to snatch your food box."
"I'll bring you food tomorrow. I've already agreed with them. Can you share half with me?" Ji Zhaoxi looked at him earnestly.
Xiao Yanchen didn't expect her to consult him about it and nodded with a smile.
If Xiao Xizi brought him food, that would be wonderful. Then he could eat fresh meals tomorrow.
Moreover, Xiao Xizi really cared for him and only made him wash her thin eunuch uniform and socks, which were washed clean very quickly.
Xiao Yanchen looked at Ji Zhaoxi, who was eating snacks with her head down nearby, and felt a warmth in his heart.
