【So close, so adorable】
Su Zhenzhen collapsed onto the bed, pulling the quilt over herself. Hidden beneath the covers, her expression was despondent.
Drink, drink, drink! Drink what hot water!
Doesn't she know herself to drink more hot water?
Her performance today was really poor.
But Mu Dan promised to meet her again tomorrow.
Ah, another date is coming up.
Su Zhenzhen subconsciously touched her own face.
Smooth and delicate, slightly dry.
Can't be helped, winters in the south are just very dry.
Better apply some moisturizing cream.
The moisturizing cream issued to palace maids by the palace was extremely greasy and had a strange smell.
Su Zhenzhen used it a few times and then stopped. She took out the roses she picked today, then pulled out a bit of lard she bought last time, adding honey and rose petals, along with a little white liquor and some fresh astragalus root she dug up a few days ago.
First, she simmered the astragalus-infused liquor and lard in a pot, then added the roses. She then took another portion of lard, mixed it with honey, and let it sit. After it separated, she took the top layer of lard and mixed it with the filtered rose-astragalus-lard mixture, creating a natural, rose-scented moisturizing cream.
Su Zhenzhen applied it to her face in front of the blurry mirror, feeling it was both fragrant and moisturizing.
The mirror was simply too blurry. Su Zhenzhen reached out to wipe it, only to find it looked worse than before.
Sigh, missing the ultra-clear, large mirrors of modern times.
-
"Your Majesty, what would you like?"
As usual, there was no answer.
Just as Wei Heng turned to leave, a voice came from behind, "Hot water?"
Wei Heng: ???
"Bring me a cup of hot water."
Although puzzled, Wei Heng quickly had someone bring a cup of hot water.
Lu Hexu stared at the white jade teacup in his hand, filled with hot water.
Hmm, could it be that this new poison requires hot water to activate?
Lu Hexu tilted his head, resting it on the desk, watching the steaming vapor for a moment before picking up the cup with his pale, slender fingers and draining it in one go.
Cough.
So hot.
"Your Majesty!" Wei Heng instinctively stepped forward, then stopped about three paces away from Lu Hexu.
Lu Hexu set down the teacup. The inside of his mouth still felt scalded, yet his body inexplicably felt somewhat more comfortable.
Strange.
Lu Hexu frowned, raising a hand to rub his throbbing forehead.
Outside, the first light of dawn appeared. Wei Heng immediately stepped forward to draw the curtains.
The hall plunged into darkness, with only a faint, fragmented glow from a single lamp.
Lu Hexu closed his eyes, his brow still furrowed.
-
All the beauties in the Palace of Gathered Elegance, including Song Lizhen, had been sent back. First-rank palace maids like Su Zhenzhen remained temporarily in the palace, awaiting assignment by the Imperial Household Department.
Therefore, she had been quite idle these past few days.
It was nearly dusk when the little eunuch finally arrived belatedly.
"Today, we're having a small hotpot."
Su Zhenzhen squatted by the small stove. Beside her, clean ceramic bowls held various wild vegetables, and another plate held some fresh wild mushrooms.
Today, Su Zhenzhen was making a mushroom broth base.
The area around Little South Palace was truly excellent. She had found many edible mushrooms in a damp, shady spot, though of course, there were also many inedible ones.
After sorting out the edible ones, Su Zhenzhen had assembled this pot of mushroom soup.
"The soup is hot."
Su Zhenzhen opened the salt jar, took out a small piece of salt, placed it in Mu Dan's bowl, and handed it to him.
Lu Hexu lazily raised his hand to take it and took a sip.
The flavors of saltiness and umami mixed together.
He hadn't tasted this kind of flavor in a long time.
But he hadn't come here to eat.
"The medicine?"
He had come for the medicine.
"The medicine from last time didn't seem very effective." As she spoke, Su Zhenzhen slipped into professional mode. She reached out and naturally took the little eunuch's wrist to check his pulse.
【Hmm... the pulse is still very chaotic.】
【But it's much better than before.】
Lu Hexu frowned.
Su Zhenzhen focused on her inquiry, "Have you taken any medicine before? It would help me prescribe the right remedy."
He had taken more medicine in the past than he had eaten meals.
Lu Hexu sensed something was off.
He withdrew his hand.
Over the past few days, his sleep duration had increased.
His constant headaches had also begun to slowly improve.
Even his often numb and cold limbs had become much more flexible.
This undercover agent seemed to genuinely be treating his illness.
Could she really not know his identity?
The little eunuch suddenly leaned close to her. A pale, cold hand pinched her cheek, "Who am I?"
Su Zhenzhen's vision was filled with the beautiful youth before her. She subconsciously swallowed, "Mu Dan."
【You are my little, little treasure~】
Lu Hexu: ...
Lu Hexu was certain; this undercover agent wasn't pretending. She truly didn't know his real identity.
An undercover agent, yet capable of being this foolish.
Lu Hexu's gaze towards Su Zhenzhen grew somewhat complex. Then, as if thinking of something, a smile suddenly appeared on his face.
Interesting, even more interesting.
What would she do if she found out his identity?
Would she really try to kill him?
A glint of amusement surfaced in Lu Hexu's eyes.
How truly anticipated.
"Want some pickled radish?" Su Zhenzhen picked a piece of pickled radish and placed it in the little eunuch's bowl.
Lu Hexu looked down, eyeing the wrinkled pickled radish with disdain, and reluctantly took a bite.
"Want more?" Su Zhenzhen had brought a small jar of pickled radish.
It was pickled quite salty, yet the radish remained crisp.
The empty bowl beside him was extended towards her.
I'll give you two pieces then.
The small pot bubbled away, steaming hot.
Lu Hexu, unusually, ate quite a bit.
Su Zhenzhen looked at her salt jar with heartache.
Sigh, don't spend a poor person's money.
With a beautiful youth right in front of her, she was actually worrying about the salt he had consumed.
"Where do you serve?"
Having eaten and drunk their fill, Su Zhenzhen sat on a small wooden stool chatting with Mu Dan.
A cozy hotpot and a warm hearth.
Lu Hexu only knew one eunuch.
"Under Wei Heng."
"Wei Heng? That Chief Eunuch Wei Heng by the tyrant's side!"
Su Zhenzhen couldn't help herself, exclaiming in a hushed voice.
Lu Hexu tilted his head slightly to look at her. Propping his cheek with one hand, the small stool beneath him made a "tap, tap, tap" sound as he rocked gently.
For some reason, Su Zhenzhen felt a bit unnerved under his gaze.
"That tyrant, truly a scoundrel." Only when the little eunuch slowly uttered these words.
Su Zhenzhen subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement, "Shh, let's not talk about it."
But Su Zhenzhen really hadn't seen it.
Mu Dan was a hidden 'eunuch second-generation' after all.
After all, during their first meeting, Mu Dan was wearing the lowest-ranking eunuch's attire. When they met again later, he was covered in wounds. He looked like someone who couldn't eat their fill, wouldn't starve to death, yet was half-alive.
"Is Wei Heng your adoptive father?"
Eunuchs, being without heirs, would often adopt many 'dry sons' to have someone to serve them in their old age when they became useless. These included, but were not limited to, young eunuchs, guards, and some even powerful enough to adopt court officials as dry sons.
"No."
Su Zhenzhen understood. Mu Dan meant he was probably from Wei Heng's faction.
Currently, there were two major eunuch factions. One was led by Wei Heng from the Directorate of Ceremonial, and the other was led by Eunuch Wang from the Inner Court, who was by the Empress Dowager's side.
But in reality, this Eunuch Wang was an agent of the male lead, Shen Yanci.
To allow Eunuch Wang to completely grasp eunuch power, Shen Yanci devised a set of treason charges to frame Wei Heng.
He bribed a young eunuch close to Wei Heng to fabricate evidence that Wei Heng "privately possessed a counterfeit imperial seal, with intentions of treason."
Faced with both witnesses and material evidence, Wei Heng found himself unable to refute the charges and was demoted to the lowest rank of eunuch laborer, a member of the Jing Army, and exiled to a remote imperial hunting park to grow vegetables. To eliminate the root of the problem, Wang Ji secretly sent people to cut off Wei Heng's food supply, intending to starve him to death.
Subsequently, all the junior eunuchs under Wei Heng's command were purged without exception.
Her little treasure seemed to be dying.
Su Zhenzhen was utterly grief-stricken.
Lu Hexu looked at the palace maid who had suddenly wilted again, his tone impatient. "What now?"
"Well... could you... maybe switch to a different place? Like, transfer from under Wei Heng to under Wang Ji? You know Wang Ji, right? The one under the Empress Dowager..."
"Why?"
Faced with the beautiful youth's questioning, Su Zhenzhen racked her brains. "Because... he lives longer."
The young eunuch stared at her and suddenly laughed, as if he had thought of something amusing.
He reached out, pinched the plump flesh of Su Zhenzhen's cheek, playfully squeezed it with good humor, then leaned in closer. His tone carried a hint of mischief. "Maybe he'll die tomorrow."
Su Zhenzhen was also sitting on that little stool.
She hadn't expected Mu Dan to get so close all at once.
The young eunuch's eyelashes were so long, a little closer and they would have brushed against her face.
And his eyes, dark and misty like obsidian, were so beautiful.
And his nose, high-bridged and upturned.
His small mouth, thin, moist, and upon closer look, it seemed to have a tiny lip bead.
He was just very good-looking.
Su Zhenzhen instinctively held her breath, her mind filled with only one thought.
[Wow wow wow wow, so close, so cute, wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow...]
The young eunuch suddenly let go, blinking his fan-like eyelashes and frowning. "You're so noisy."
Huh? She hadn't said anything.
-
After returning, Su Zhenzhen hid in the servants' quarters and started counting her money.
She had been here for nearly half a year. A palace maid of her rank received a monthly stipend of two taels of silver. She heard that one had to serve for five full years before getting a raise. This body was now twenty-two years old and had already been in the palace for seven years, so the current monthly stipend was five taels.
Calculating it, she still had three years left before she could leave the palace.
When she transmigrated in, it should have been right after the original body was transferred to sweep floors at the Fengtian Hall. Su Zhenzhen had searched through the original body's bundle but found no savings.
She guessed that all the silver the original body had saved was probably spent on bribes to secure the position at the Fengtian Hall.
It wasn't a great position, but at least it was easier than some of the more menial tasks and also allowed her to be closer to Shen Yanci.
Thinking of this, Su Zhenzhen suddenly understood.
Did the original body spend all her savings to sweep floors at the Fengtian Hall just for the chance to run into Shen Yanci?
Love-struck fool, oh love-struck fool.
Su Zhenzhen shook her head while calculating her savings, wondering how much silver it would take to get Mu Dan a transfer.
It didn't need to be a very good position, just a transfer from under Wei Heng to under Eunuch Wang's command. Following the male lead meant getting a share of the benefits. Someone like her, who had picked the right side upon transmigrating, although sometimes facing life-threatening dangers, at least had something to look forward to.
-
Since this emperor ascended the throne, he had not held court for many years.
All matters were handled relying on the Grand Secretariat and Wei Heng, the Memorial-Reviewing Eunuch.
Therefore, although Wei Heng was merely a eunuch by the emperor's side, he also held the power to influence court politics.
Although Wang Ji was the Chief Eunuch of the Inner Court, a confidant of the Empress Dowager, his power and influence never matched that of Wei Heng, the Memorial-Reviewing Eunuch who held the vermilion brush.
Who didn't want to climb higher?
Wang Ji knew that what the Empress Dowager couldn't give him, he had to seize for himself.
Therefore, when the student of that Grand Secretary Sun sought him out, he had no reason to refuse.
Blame Wei Heng for offending Grand Secretary Sun.
Grand Secretary Sun dominated the court, yet you, Wei Heng, insisted on opposing him.
What did army grain shortages, Henan floods, and displaced refugees have to do with a eunuch? Weren't the Empress Dowager's Taoist temple and the emperor's traveling palace more urgent matters? Wasn't it a waste to scatter silver to those unruly commoners?
Wei Heng was not from a lowly background. On the contrary, he was well-read and scholarly, forced into the palace as a slave due to his family's downfall. His entire spirit of a literati was lost within the deep palace courtyards, becoming the lowest of servants.
He originally thought he would muddle along for a lifetime in the Ye Ting, never expecting that an accident would turn the young boy he once cared for into the reigning Son of Heaven.
In one leap, the carp crossed the dragon gate, and Wei Heng became the Memorial-Reviewing Eunuch.
He exchanged his coarse, bluish-gray eunuch robes for the crimson robes of high rank. Those hands, roughened by menial labor, finally held a brush again.
Due to past events, this emperor had not received a proper education. His health was ruined, he suffered from headaches, and he was prone to killing people on a whim. When he looked at someone, his gloomy eyes seemed to see right through them.
Even Wei Heng, who had served the emperor for so long, dared not get too close.
He always felt this emperor harbored a secret.
The emperor paid no heed to affairs of state; everything was decided by Wei Heng.
Wei Heng, under pressure from the Grand Secretariat, relied on the emperor's authority to gradually cultivate the Imperial Guards and his own trusted followers, beginning to operate within the court.
Although his influence was small, Wei Heng believed that one day, the world would slowly change because of these accumulated bits of smallness.
"Your Majesty is in the mood to come out today?"
Wei Heng followed behind Lu Hexu, watching him head towards the Empress Dowager's Xuanji Treasure Hall.
The sun was about to rise.
On the horizon, a thin layer of clouds pressed down on the daylight. Wei Heng's gaze held concern as he looked at Lu Hexu's retreating back.
Lu Hexu was wearing his everyday imperial robes. Wei Heng, bowing slightly, raised his eyes and noticed that this young master seemed to have grown taller recently.
About... this much.
Wei Heng secretly measured half his little finger's length.
And had put on a little weight.
Suddenly, Lu Hexu ahead stopped.
Wei Heng also halted.
This was the Imperial Garden. Wang Ji was leading eunuchs in collecting morning dew for the Empress Dowager's tea.
With a glance, Wang Ji spotted a figure under the corridor ahead.
Although the figure wore everyday robes, those robes were embroidered with dragon patterns.
Wang Ji stepped forward to pay his respects. "May Your Majesty be at peace."
Lu Hexu's gaze lowered, falling upon the white jade bottle. "Morning dew?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lu Hexu took a step closer and pulled the white jade bottle from Wang Ji's hand.
His icy fingertips brushed against Wang Ji's fingers. His face wore an indifferent expression, but his eyes revealed disgust—clearly revolted by the thoughts in Wang Ji's mind and also by the physical contact.
Wang Ji remained bowed and kneeling. "This is for the Empress Dowager, Your Majesty. If you desire some, this servant will have someone collect more for you. However, today we may miss the proper time. Your Majesty would have to wait until tomorrow."
Wei Heng, standing behind Lu Hexu, paled slightly upon hearing Wang Ji's words.
"Heh." Lu Hexu let out a cold laugh. "You, a servant, expect me to wait for your favor?"
Wang Ji immediately prostrated himself. "This servant dares not! It is truly because Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is in urgent need that this servant misspoke. I beg Your Majesty for forgiveness."
Lu Hexu tilted his head, looking at the jewel-encrusted golden crown on Wang Ji's head.
"Wei Heng."
"Your servant is here." Wei Heng stepped forward.
"This golden crown, do you think it looks good?"
Wei Heng took a step closer, scrutinizing Wang Ji's golden crown, then spoke, "Eunuch Wang, you have overstepped the regulations."
Wang Ji immediately reached up and removed the crown. "Yes, yes, this old servant's memory is failing with age, I have overstepped. I beg Your Majesty for mercy..."
"Since Eunuch Wang is old and his memory is poor, then let the Imperial Guards investigate what other treasures might be hidden in Eunuch Wang's residence."
Upon hearing this, Wang Ji's face instantly turned deathly pale.
"Yo-Your Majesty..."
Lu Hexun frowned, looked at the sun about to break through the clouds, and turned to head towards the bedchamber.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty!"
Wang Ji was held in place, letting out a desperate, tearful wail.
Wei Heng hurriedly followed behind Lu Hexun. Only when the bedchamber door closed, shutting out that sliver of morning light, did Lu Hexun's expression improve slightly.
He rubbed his temples, his gaze dark and sinister as he looked at Wei Heng. "Fool, go see what fine thing is hidden in your room."
Wei Heng's expression turned to shock.
He bowed and took his leave, swiftly retreating to his own quarters.
Unlike Wang Ji, who had a private residence outside the palace, Wei Heng lived frugally, residing in the duty room within the palace grounds.
Wei Heng loved books, and his duty room was piled high with volumes.
Now, he pushed open the door, first circled the cramped room, and finally fixed his gaze on a bookshelf to one side.
Wei Heng walked over and saw his books had been misplaced. He reached out, gently removed the books, revealing a square box hidden behind them.
With trembling hands, Wei Heng took out the box and opened it.
Inside was a forged imperial seal.
Wei Heng's face instantly drained of color.
He snapped the box shut, then, voice trembling, summoned all the young eunuchs who had entered his duty room that day.
"Only Wei Yuan entered your room today," a cleaning eunuch said.
Wei Heng nodded and sent someone to fetch Wei Yuan.
Wei Yuan was a child Wei Heng had raised for several years. Because he was literate, clever, and quick-witted, Wei Heng had always treated him well, even giving him the name Wei Yuan.
"Why?" Wei Heng looked down at Wei Yuan, his eyes red.
Wei Yuan knew the matter was exposed. He looked at Wei Heng with a sorrowful expression. "Godfather, I warned you. It's you who couldn't see the situation clearly. The Emperor is doomed sooner or later. What do you gain by following him?"
Wei Heng looked at the Wei Yuan before him, feeling he hardly recognized him anymore.
Both were children he had raised.
One had become the Emperor, pulling him out of the abyss.
The other was now pushing him onto the sacrificial altar.
Wei Heng felt he had perhaps misunderstood a certain bond. Fortunately, it wasn't too late to realize it now.
"Do you have any last wishes?"
Wei Yuan looked at Wei Heng, as if finally certain this merciful father would no longer keep him.
"Godfather, Godfather... I was wrong, I was truly wrong. Someone made me do it. It was Wang Ji, it was Wang Ji who wanted to frame you, Godfather..."
Wei Heng reached out and forcefully pried Wei Yuan's hands from his robe. "You once told me all your relatives were dead. You often cried, telling me how you missed their voices and faces. Now, you can go join them."
-
The Imperial Guards investigation revealed that to avoid confiscation, Wang Ji had used the Huici Temple in the Crescent Alley of the northeastern city as his private residence. His daily utensils included golden tableware, furniture inlaid with gemstones, and he traveled in a palanquin carried by eight bearers—all grave oversteps of his station.
Furthermore, as the Chief Eunuch, Wang Ji had often used procurement as a pretext to send his underlings to extort money and property from soldiers and civilians. His personal wealth amounted to tens of thousands in gold and silver. With irrefutable evidence, he was sentenced to death by a thousand cuts.
Because the evidence was so solid, even the Empress Dowager, who wished to show favoritism, had no grounds to stand on.
The current Emperor's uncovering of such a major corrupt official began to change the public's perception of him. Some even said the Emperor was actually feigning madness; because he was young and his power not yet consolidated, he had allowed those rumors to spread.
Now, seeing the people suffer, it was the right time to swiftly draw his blade and execute the corrupt official.
Shen Yanci sat inside the carriage, listening to the intermittent discussions outside, his face frighteningly dark.
Grand Secretary Sun's expression was also grim. The two sat in the cramped carriage in prolonged silence.
Finally, Shen Yanci spoke. "Teacher, this time was an accident."
Grand Secretary Sun looked at Shen Yanci with a gloomy expression. "Once is an accident, what about twice? There must be a traitor among us."
-
Wang Ji was executed by a thousand cuts. Wei Heng did not die.
The plot had changed again.
Although it was unclear exactly how this happened, Shen Yanci's side must be furious, right?
Recently, the atmosphere in the spy network was tense, filled with fear and suspicion.
Word was there was a traitor. Everyone was on edge, conducting self-inspections, suspecting each other, acting with extreme caution.
Su Zhenzhen tried hard to recall the original novel.
She didn't remember any traitor.
A traitor? Who was the traitor?
