[What a Handsome Sweet Potato, What a Sweet Kid]
The weather in Jinling in January was already freezing cold. After today, tomorrow would be the Major Cold.
Counting the days, she had been here for over a month.
And counting her farewell letters, she had already written over a hundred.
Surviving day by day in this massive feudal imperial city.
Su Zhenzhen was originally a free-spirited traditional Chinese medicine doctor. Because she changed someone's fate against the will of heaven, she suffered a backlash and was hacked to death by a disgruntled patient's family member with a kitchen knife, which sent her to this place. In fact, she wasn't even the one who treated that patient. The violent man had simply turned his head, bypassed a group of tall and burly male seniors, and charged straight at her with a clear target.
He had taken the concept of bullying the weak and fearing the strong to the extreme.
Poor her, during her lunch break, her phone was still playing a video of a handsome college guy with abs dancing. When she opened her eyes, she was here.
She really wanted to curse out loud but swallowed it back.
What greeted her eyes were the towering and solemn red palace walls. The bright yellow glazed tiles sparkled under the sunlight, so dazzling that one couldn't even keep their eyes open. Beneath her feet were cyan bricks, which, in Su Zhenzhen's eyes, carried a heavy sense of ancient history.
She bent down to touch the bricks, plucked a bit of wild garlic, and stuffed it into her mouth.
The weather was too cold. Outdoor workers like her were prone to catching a chill, and wild garlic had the effect of preventing colds.
After eating it, she picked up her broom and continued sweeping the floor.
Su Zhenzhen had transmigrated into a sweeping maid of this Jinling Imperial Palace. Her working hours were strictly regulated; she woke up earlier than the roosters and slept later than the dogs. She had to get up between three and five in the morning to rush to her workplace and start sweeping fallen leaves, wiping away dust, and picking up trash.
After finishing these tasks, she couldn't leave. She had to stay there, patrolling every two hours to promptly clean up any trash, mud, rain stains on the ground, and so on. She couldn't go back to rest until seven in the evening.
At first, Su Zhenzhen felt that this job was truly exhausting. After all, she hadn't done physical labor for a long time—until she saw that maid being dragged out of the hall.
People can only realize their own happiness when making comparisons.
That was Su Zhenzhen's first day here. The maid she transmigrated into had the exact same name as her, also called Su Zhenzhen, and today was her first day on the job.
Still in a daze and not knowing what had happened, she was led by a female official to sweep the front of the Fengtian Hall.
Su Zhenzhen held a rag and a broom in her hands, her expression blank, not knowing how to work.
The female official frowned at her and began to scold her with a cold face.
Before the female official could finish her words, the main doors of the Fengtian Hall were suddenly pushed open. Two men dressed as imperial guards dragged out a woman wearing a maid's uniform.
The woman's pink maid uniform was dyed red with fresh blood, and a hole in her chest was bleeding profusely.
Su Zhenzhen, whose mind was still wandering, was instantly dumbfounded.
As a medical student, Su Zhenzhen was not afraid of wounds; what she feared was this era.
That ignorant, dream-like feeling she had when she first transmigrated was instantly washed away by the stench of blood. She completely sobered up, realizing exactly what kind of place she had come to.
An ancient era where, after signing a master-servant contract, it was not illegal even if you were beaten to death.
"Hurry up and clean."
Although the female official's complexion was slightly better than Su Zhenzhen's, it wasn't much better.
She gave Su Zhenzhen a push.
Su Zhenzhen looked down at the meandering trail of blood on the ground. When she looked up, her gaze met the pale face and lifeless eyes of the maid not far away.
That maid's eyes hadn't even closed yet.
Su Zhenzhen was so terrified that the hair all over her body stood on end. That night, she dreamed that she was kneeling on the ground wiping blood, her hands trembling like a sieve. She even dreamed that the maid came to demand her life.
She screamed, saying that every grievance has its source and every debt has its creditor, so why are you looking for me!
Then she found that when the maid raised her head, she actually had her own face.
Su Zhenzhen jolted awake in terror.
So cold.
She lived in a very dilapidated servants' quarters.
It couldn't keep out the cold wind in winter and was extremely stuffy and hot in summer.
On the low, communal bed, several people slept together. Because Su Zhenzhen was in poor physical condition, coupled with the fright from that day, she fell ill for several days straight. It wasn't until seven days later that she recovered and continued her work.
The January wind blew past her face. Wearing a grayish-cyan coarse linen padded maid's jacket, Su Zhenzhen had lost a lot of weight. Her clothes hung loosely on her, making it seem like a gust of wind could blow her away.
She wasn't emotionally stable; she simply had no other choice.
Just as Su Zhenzhen finished clearing the puddles of water on the ground, the doors of the Fengtian Hall opened again.
Two guards dragged a corpse out from inside.
Su Zhenzhen went numb.
In just one short month, two maids had already died.
Although it was very immoral, whenever this kind of situation occurred, Su Zhenzhen would find joy in sorrow and think: fortunately, she was just a lowly sweeping maid and didn't have to serve in the emperor's presence.
Both of the dead maids had served the emperor. It was said that they died after being pierced through the body by that tyrant's sword.
The bloodstains left on the ground were what Su Zhenzhen needed to clean up.
Even though she had the experience of the first time, the overpowering stench of blood hitting her face was still somewhat unbearable.
Suppressing her nausea and fear, Su Zhenzhen threw the wet rag onto the ground, then knelt down to scrub carefully.
When she finished wiping, the hall doors opened once more, and a young eunuch came over to shoo her to the side.
Su Zhenzhen obediently lowered her head, walked to the side, and knelt down properly.
A maid of her rank was not allowed to come within ten feet of the emperor.
Footsteps approached from not far away. From Su Zhenzhen's line of sight, she could only see the two bricks right in front of her knees.
A group of guards and eunuchs surrounded that noble bright yellow figure as they walked further away.
The surroundings were dead silent, and the atmosphere was oppressive to the extreme. Su Zhenzhen even subconsciously held her breath.
No one knew when this tyrant would suddenly go mad.
As a menial maid, Su Zhenzhen had to wait until the entire entourage passed by before she could support her body and stand up.
The floor bricks were too hard; her knees ached after kneeling for just a short while.
She stood there panting heavily, terrified.
Su Zhenzhen let out a sigh, pressed a hand to her chest, then rubbed her knees, and continued cleaning.
This emperor was sick in the head.
He killed people like flies and was bloodthirsty and ruthless.
Although everyone didn't dare to say it out loud, they all thought so in their hearts.
Whenever anyone mentioned him, it was as if they had seen a ghost.
Whether he was a psychopath or a sociopath, someone like him belonged in a mental asylum.
Su Zhenzhen rubbed her forehead with a headache. Fortunately, she didn't have to get involved in these matters. As long as she did her job well, saved up her money, and safely left the palace at the age of twenty-five, it would be the best outcome.
-
Because there had been many rainy days recently, Su Zhenzhen got off work an hour later than usual.
She had to finish clearing the puddles and fallen leaves, and put all the cleaning tools back into the designated utility room before she could return to the servants' quarters.
In January, the sky was already very dark at this time.
Su Zhenzhen rubbed her hands together as she walked forward.
So cold.
She walked close to the base of the wall to avoid bumping into any noble figures.
For someone of her rank, virtually anyone with a pulse had a higher status than her, except for one type of person: eunuchs.
Of course, that excluded the high-ranking eunuchs.
In this imperial palace, eunuchs were an existence even lower than maids.
She saw him again.
Su Zhenzhen saw a figure standing in the distance. He was wearing the plain cyan uniform of the lowest-ranking eunuchs. His face was very pale, and he stood there with a cold expression, staring at the well in the courtyard.
This was the side wing of Fengtian Hall, located on either side of the main hall. It had a beautiful gable roof covered with cyan tiles. Although it was not very deep, it had two or three rooms inside, which was much better than the servants' quarters. However, only mid-level palace maids, eunuchs, or guards were allowed to live there.
Su Zhenzhen could only look at it with envy.
However, she had been here for a month and had never seen anyone living inside.
This was the second time Su Zhenzhen had seen this young eunuch.
The first time was also around this time when she got off work. Because it was raining, she was delayed. From a distance, she saw someone standing here.
She initially pressed herself against the wall to avoid him, but as she got closer and saw the clothes he was wearing, she relaxed her guard a bit.
It was a young eunuch whose rank was even lower than hers.
She stared at him with wide eyes.
There were no lamps lit here, only the faint, hazy moonlight.
Su Zhenzhen saw the young eunuch's pale face and dark red lips. He still looked like a teenager and was extremely good-looking. In modern times, he would definitely be considered the pinnacle of pretty boys. However, his dark, heavy gaze carried a suffocating sense of lifelessness, making people feel extremely uncomfortable.
The eunuch uniform he wore looked like it had been washed many times, and there was even a hole torn in the cuff. He just stood there, staring at the well in the courtyard.
Above the well was a persimmon tree. At that time, the persimmon tree had no fruit left, only bare branches.
Su Zhenzhen didn't meddle in other people's business; she just took one glance and walked past.
A few days had passed, and she bumped into this young eunuch again.
The persimmon tree was still bare, exuding a sense of decadence.
Su Zhenzhen glanced at the young eunuch.
He was too skinny. His skin was very pale, revealing an unhealthy pallor and a sickly sense of world-weariness. If one got a little closer, they could see the blue veins flowing beneath his skin.
Perhaps because he had been castrated, the young eunuch's features appeared somewhat feminine, even gorgeous, but his expression was not friendly at all.
He had deep-set eyes and a high brow bone. His gaze was empty yet gloomy and cold. With his head slightly lowered, he still couldn't hide his sharp, gaunt jawline. The cold wind blew into his sleeves, puffing them up into large bulges.
Just looking at him made one feel cold.
Like an old lady, Su Zhenzhen hid her hands in her sleeves and shrank into herself.
Su Zhenzhen didn't want to be a busybody; she couldn't even support herself.
It's none of her business, none of her business, none of her business.
Su Zhenzhen silently repeated this to herself three times, withdrew her gaze, and left with her head down.
As the weather grew colder, Su Zhenzhen's workload increased accordingly. Because frost and ice easily formed on the ground, she had to get up very early to clear the frozen ice so the nobles wouldn't slip while walking. Some ice was stuck in the crevices, and she had to use her freezing red hands to chip it away bit by bit.
Her hands were so cold that she developed chilblains. Su Zhenzhen had no money to buy medicine, nor could she forage for any useful herbs in the winter. She could only boil dried chili peppers in water and apply a wet cotton cloth as a compress, hoping the winter would pass quickly. It was truly unbearable, so miserable that it felt like a sick joke.
Generally speaking, menial palace maids like them did not have fixed holidays. They could only take days off during the New Year, the Winter Solstice, the Emperor's birthday, and so on.
Su Zhenzhen felt her luck was quite good. Not long after she time-traveled here, she caught the New Year holiday. Although she could only rest for three days, it was better than nothing.
The palace rules were not too strict. During the New Year holiday, palace maids and eunuchs could walk around the various palace areas, wishing each other a happy new year and exchanging small gifts.
Su Zhenzhen's current body had just entered the palace and hadn't made any close friends yet. Her relationships were limited to nodding acquaintances. The other maids sharing her room had all been in the palace longer than her and had gone out one after another. She stayed alone in the servants' quarters, basking in the sun, which was quite cozy.
During the New Year holiday, the palace would give the maids some subsidies.
Su Zhenzhen received a piece of plain cotton cloth in a low-key cyan color. When dinner was delivered, she found an extra meat dish, a small cup of white liquor, and... a large sweet potato.
Fair enough.
Su Zhenzhen looked at the maids around her. Some received small silver hairpins, some received a packet of pastries, and someone actually received a bolt of silk.
Sure enough, it was a society of connections everywhere, and the imperial palace was no exception.
Having rarely eaten a full meal with some meat, Su Zhenzhen lay on her bed to rest. Her roommates hadn't returned yet.
Life in the servants' quarters was too bitter. Everyone hoped and schemed to get a better job, so these few days were the perfect time to pull some strings.
Su Zhenzhen had no silver and no connections. Even if she wanted to pull strings, she didn't know where to start.
She lay down for a while, then got up and sat alone in the courtyard. After some thought, she brought out the extinguished charcoal brazier from the room, added some of the new charcoal she had just received today, and started a fire. Then she placed an old iron rack over it and put a few red dates and mandarin oranges on top.
The mandarin oranges quickly heated up. Su Zhenzhen picked one up, peeled it, and popped a piece into her mouth. It tasted a bit sour, almost setting her teeth on edge.
Su Zhenzhen then peeled open two red dates, only to find they were rotten inside.
She looked left and right; only the last large sweet potato was left.
Just then, the fire in the charcoal brazier died out.
She poked at the remaining charcoal ashes, buried the large sweet potato inside, and then tucked her hands between her legs to keep warm. She tilted her head and waited, adopting the standard posture of a southerner defending against a winter attack.
The New Year in the palace should be very lively, but unfortunately, this place was too remote. None of that liveliness could reach here.
The fire in the brazier was out. Su Zhenzhen sat under the eaves and breathed into her hands to warm them. Fine white snowflakes drifted down from the sky.
They were so fine and small that if one didn't look closely, they couldn't be seen at all.
Su Zhenzhen tilted her head up, letting the fine, icy snowflakes hit her face.
She couldn't help it; southerners had a special fondness for snow.
The wet, tiny snowflakes melted on her face, leaving no trace at all.
Su Zhenzhen sighed, used the tongs to push aside the charcoal ashes, and dug out the large sweet potato.
She wondered if it was cooked.
She first tapped it with the iron tongs. The outside was already charred and hard as a rock.
Su Zhenzhen went into the room to get a pair of chopsticks. She poked one chopstick into each side, pinched one in each hand, and pulled them apart.
The steaming sweet potato split down the middle, revealing a red center.
It smelled wonderful. It looked like the kind of roasted sweet potato that oozed sweet syrup.
Su Zhenzhen took a bite, burned her lips, and kept blowing air out of her mouth.
She stood up to find some water to drink, but suddenly saw a young eunuch standing at the courtyard gate.
His face looked somewhat familiar.
The young eunuch's gaze skipped past her and fixed on the dry well in the courtyard.
Su Zhenzhen pursed her lips, her eyes subconsciously taking a glance.
On the back of the young eunuch's exposed hand was a terrifying purple and blue wound.
Because his skin was so pale, it looked very obvious, as if it had been viciously smashed by some heavy object.
This was the third time.
"Hey," she spoke, calling out to him.
The young eunuch shifted his gaze upward, landing on Su Zhenzhen's face.
The palace maid was fair-skinned with delicate features. At a glance, she resembled a piece of pure white jade, flawless, gentle, and sweet, effortlessly evoking a sense of tender affection. She possessed a pair of exceptionally clear, almond-shaped eyes, so strikingly bright and innocent that one could see right through to her very soul.
Lu Hexu had seen far too many people whose outward appearances belied their true natures.
The young eunuch lowered his gaze, ignoring her.
Braving the fine sleet, Su Zhenzhen walked up to him. "Would you like a roasted sweet potato?"
The young eunuch remained motionless. He was dressed in flimsy layers, and his exposed neck was so pale it seemed entirely devoid of life. A purplish bruise from being strangled marred the skin; though the mark was faint, it stood out starkly against his extreme pallor.
What a ruthless, man-eating palace this was.
Su Zhenzhen pressed the roasted sweet potato into the young eunuch's hands, her fingertips brushing against his ice-cold fingers.
[This sweet potato is so handsome, and this kid is so sweet. What a pity he is a eunuch.]
