The man tilted his head, his back looking gloomy and stiff. He walked straight to the corner where three carcasses of messenger birds were hidden. He then clearly searched for them, bending down and sniffing the left and right sides of the bushes. He then pinpointed a spot, lunged at it viciously, and reached out his hand towards the bushes.
A rustling of leaves sounded, and a bloody scent seemed to rise in the wind. Luo Zhiheng, who was secretly watching, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, and a feeling of dread arose spontaneously!
The man seemed to have found something and was about to do something when he suddenly stopped, turned around, and stared directly at the room arranged for Luo Zhiheng. Although the corners of the walls were not visible from that room, the man glanced warily at Luo Zhiheng's room again, clearly not wanting Luo Zhiheng to see what he was about to do.
But he never imagined that Luo Zhiheng wasn't even in that room.
The man was none other than the strange eunuch from before! His gaze was sinister and bloodthirsty, and his pale face made him even more terrifying. He suddenly turned his head, and Luo Zhiheng couldn't see his expression, but his next action completely shocked Luo Zhiheng.
He held something in both hands and suddenly began to devour it like a starving ghost, the air filled with the sounds of slurping saliva. Almost instantly, he finished, then looked up at the sky, stretched lazily with obvious enjoyment, and turned around, his expression still quite content. However, his face was clearly smeared with bright red blood, and some colorful feathers were still stuck to his beak…
It's obvious what he ate! The carcasses of those dead birds that the wet nurse hid had clearly become the eunuch's meal!
What kind of mess is this?! A perfectly healthy person actually swallowed the carcass of a dead bird, completely devouring it without even plucking the feathers. And the eunuch had clearly followed some kind of scent earlier.
Luo Zhiheng was filled with shock, but there was no panic or fear in her shock, only a certainty!
After finishing his meal, the eunuch wiped his mouth and then, with that strange, ambiguous expression, headed towards Luo Zhiheng's room.
"Oh no!" Luo Zhiheng exclaimed softly. If he found out she wasn't in her room, it could cause unnecessary trouble! 16017370
"Miss, hide! I'll go." The wet nurse held down Luo Zhiheng, who was about to get up, and quickly went to the door, picked up a basin, and then calmly opened the door. As if she had just seen the eunuch who was about to knock on Luo Zhiheng's door, she smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Eunuch, you're here. Don't knock yet. Miss just said she was too tired and wanted to sleep for a while. Could you please get me some water? I really don't know where to get water."
The wet nurse was pretty and young. Her smile softened her sharp demeanor, giving her a gentle and graceful air. The eunuch's eyes narrowed, and his expression changed. He scrutinized the wet nurse from head to toe as if appraising a work of art. His gaze was intensely aggressive, lewd, and utterly repulsive.
The wet nurse seemed frightened, lowering her head to hide the disgust and murderous intent in her eyes.
The eunuch chuckled sarcastically, "Fetching water? Okay, I'll take you. Come with me."
"Thank you, sir," the wet nurse said quickly, and followed the eunuch away.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Luo Zhiheng quickly left the room, closed the door, and returned to her own. She stared intently outside; the palace had become eerie because of that eunuch. She needed to think it over carefully.
The wet nurse returned after a long while, but her face was extremely pale, and her clothes were somewhat disheveled. Luo Zhiheng's face turned ashen: "What happened? What happened to your clothes?"
The wet nurse seemed to be gathering her strength, and after a while, she said nonchalantly, "It's nothing, I was just licked by a mad dog."
Mad dog?
"Was it that eunuch?" Luo Zhiheng's face contorted in disgust. Being licked by a eunuch? What's the difference between that and a woman being forcibly licked by another woman? It's utterly disgusting! Luo Zhiheng roared, "Did you kill him?"
“Miss, please calm down. We shouldn’t reveal ourselves now. This person is strange in every way. I noticed his movements are unpredictable. I must conceal my strength so as not to arouse suspicion. I know you’re angry because you care, but I’m perfectly fine. Someone just happened to pass by, and I was unharmed.” The wet nurse tried to persuade her, but her own face was extremely pale.
Luo Zhiheng was so angry she almost wanted to kill someone. What the hell was going on? An old eunuch dared to harass a woman! And not just any woman, but the wet nurse of her master's sister-in-law! It was utterly lawless! Just who was this Imperial Concubine? How could she employ such a damned fellow?
"Master, please don't be angry. You saw it yourself just now. This fellow even ate the corpses of small animals. Did you already know something?" The wet nurse was very curious about Luo Zhiheng's actions, as if she had known all along that the eunuch would eat those birds.
Luo Zhiheng blinked, temporarily suppressing her anger, and said softly, "It was Princess Yu who told me."
"It's her? Didn't you just meet her? When did she tell you?" the wet nurse asked curiously.
“Nanny, you didn’t pay attention to what she said. From the very beginning, every word she uttered was directed at that eunuch, repeatedly calling him a blood-sucking monster. That made me wary. Regardless of why this Princess Yu said those things, I believe there’s no smoke without fire. Since she said that, this eunuch must have some kind of life-threatening situation. So I told you to deliberately kill the birds, smear their corpses with blood, and leave them in that corner.”
"The result did not disappoint me. Such small animals, even if they have a bloody smell, most people wouldn't be able to smell it, but he sensed it as soon as he entered the door. You can imagine how sensitive this eunuch is to blood. And I was shocked that he actually ate those birds. These are just small birds. What if the blood was on a person? Would he have eaten the person too?" Luo Zhiheng spoke slowly and clearly, with logical reasoning and evidence.
Even the wet nurse had to admire Luo Zhiheng's shrewdness, sensitivity, and courage to test the waters. She praised, "Miss is wise. But now that we've discovered he's not simple, how will that help with anything else? The Imperial Concubine hasn't shown herself, so we don't even know if she really went to see the Emperor. We also don't know her attitude towards us."
“You’re wrong. Her attitude is not important to me. All I need to do is help Mu Yunhe confirm whether this woman is still the gentle and kind sister who loved him back then.” Luo Zhiheng said with a light smile. Suddenly she added, “But now that she has such a servant by her side, I can’t easily let Mu Yunhe see this sister.”
"So what do we do now? Just wait here?" The wet nurse glanced around. Although there seemed to be no danger at the moment, if even the Imperial Concubine's residence had those messenger birds used by the secret service, who knew what other powerful creatures might be lurking around?
"We can only wait, but we'll only wait for an hour. If she still doesn't see us, then we'll go back." After Luo Zhiheng finished speaking, she told the wet nurse to sit down and rest. During this time, they didn't touch the food and drinks that the palace servants brought, but they put away one or two pieces of each kind of pastry, just to make it look like they had eaten.
Time passed slowly, and dusk had fallen. The lamps were lit inside. An hour had passed, but the Imperial Concubine still hadn't made a sound. Luo Zhiheng slowly stood up and said to the eunuch who was preparing to offer his greetings, "Esteemed Eunuch, it seems the Imperial Concubine is truly too busy. We have been out for too long and dare not disturb her any longer. We must return now and will come to pay our respects again tomorrow. Please inform the Imperial Concubine of this."
He said slowly, "I'm afraid I can't agree to this. Since the young princess is leaving, please wait a moment while I go and inform Her Majesty."
Luo Zhiheng couldn't refuse this explanation, so she could only wait. What she got was that the Imperial Concubine was really eager to see her, but unfortunately, she was destined not to see her today because the Emperor wanted her to serve him tonight! So she could only ask Luo Zhiheng to stay here for the night, and the Imperial Concubine would come to see her first thing tomorrow morning!
A seemingly respectable and glorious reason, yet one that left Luo Zhiheng speechless. Could she, Luo Zhiheng, possibly be so tactless as to say anything? Her being favored was an honor for the Mu Prince's mansion; the Imperial Concubine's favor should bring joy to everyone in the Mu Prince's mansion. The Imperial Concubine had already apologized and asked her to stay the night; if Luo Zhiheng insisted on leaving, wouldn't that be disregarding the bigger picture, lacking consideration, and perhaps even being called petty?
So we can't leave.
"Her Highness the Imperial Concubine instructed me to make sure your daily needs are met. Please wait a moment, Your Highness, you will be able to eat soon." After delivering the message, he didn't even wait for Luo Zhiheng's reply, as if the Imperial Concubine's words were a favor, and Luo Zhiheng didn't even have the right to refuse.
Luo Zhiheng wished she could kill this hypocritical eunuch who was trying to bully the wet nurse, but she really could only endure it for now!
Staying for one day is fine, as long as I can leave tomorrow, and as long as it doesn't interfere with the competition the day after tomorrow!
"You may all leave. My wet nurse will take care of me." Luo Zhiheng waved away the group of palace servants, and the quiet room was instantly filled only with the crackling of the candlelight. Luo Zhiheng's gaze seemed to glow green in the candlelight.
"Miss, what does Her Highness the Imperial Concubine mean by this?" the wet nurse whispered.
"How would I know? It's either a show of force or she really can't get away. But I'm really happy for this Imperial Concubine. She's still favored after all these years. It seems she must be a stunning beauty. Of course, Mu Yunhe's sister must be just as beautiful. I just don't know how the Emperor, with the Empress by his side, ended up favoring the Imperial Concubine tonight. I'm really curious." Luo Zhiheng slowly picked up various dishes, laughing and chuckling with amusement.
"Miss, are you saying that the Imperial Concubine took the Emperor away from the Empress? But how is that possible? The Empress of the Southern Dynasty seems so capable and shrewd, and the Emperor seems to have deep feelings for her. How could someone snatch the Emperor away from her? If the Emperor really was taken from the Empress's palace, where would the Empress put her face? If the Imperial Concubine is really so arrogant, would the Emperor still favor her so much?" The wet nurse's doubts came one after another, she was extremely puzzled.
"Don't worry, everything will be answered. If our Consort really has such charm and ability, shouldn't we be happy for her? As for her lack of manners and the Emperor's favor, they must have their own way of getting along. All I know is that this Consort has offended me. She and her lover spent the whole night in blissful intimacy, forcing me and Xiao Hehe to be separated for a night. How dare she make me unhappy! She better still be the good sister Mu Yunhe talks about. She better be that everything that happened today was just a coincidence, or I'll cripple her!" Suddenly, she used her chopsticks forcefully, crushing a piece of fish. Her voice was as light and high-pitched as that.
Luo Zhiheng had almost completely devoured the food on the table, leaving the mistress and servant untouched, only drinking a little water brought by the wet nurse. Luo Zhiheng slept soundly through the night, while the wet nurse stayed awake watching over her the entire time. It wasn't that the wet nurse didn't want to sleep, but she could sense that from the moment the lights were turned off, a pair of eyes had been fixed on them outside the window, their eerie gaze seemingly upside down outside the window. The moonlight was shrouded in dark clouds, and not even a shadow of that person could be seen on the paper window.
Just as dawn was breaking, the person outside disappeared. The wet nurse then lowered the handkerchief and safety tape she had been using to conceal her identity. Her eyes, slightly red, finally looked out the window. She quietly walked over, pushed open the window, and jumped out. She searched carefully, but found nothing. It was as if the person who had just left was merely a ghost or a gust of wind. 15.
After getting up and having breakfast, Luo Zhiheng asked the eunuch when she could see the Imperial Concubine. However, the eunuch brought her bad news: "I'm so sorry, Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine was too tired yesterday and is feeling extremely unwell today. She's currently being examined by the imperial physicians, so I'm afraid she won't be able to see you today. But even in her unwell state, the Imperial Concubine hasn't forgotten you, Your Highness. She asked you to stay a few more days, and today she's had the young prince brought to the palace as well. You've come all this way, so please stay in the palace for a few more days. The Imperial Concubine misses the young prince very much and can't wait to see him."
"Does that mean Her Majesty can't see me today?" Luo Zhiheng suddenly had a bad feeling. It was as if she had fallen into a pit, and once she was in, it seemed she couldn't get out. And before she even got out, someone wanted to push Mu Yunhe into this pit as well.
"Yes, Her Majesty is not feeling well today, please forgive her, Princess Consort. Once the young prince is brought in today, Her Majesty will be able to see you tomorrow." The eunuch looked up, his smile twisted.
Luo Zhiheng refused, saying, "No! We can't let Mu Yunhe come. He just arrived and needs to rest properly."
"Why not? Didn't we already let the young prince rest for a day yesterday? And you must miss the young prince too, right? If the young princess says anything more, then she might be suspected of preventing the imperial concubine from seeing her younger brother." The eunuch stared coldly into Luo Zhiheng's eyes and said sarcastically.
Luo Zhiheng was speechless. She realized she was certain of one thing: this Imperial Concubine had her under her control. But what did the Imperial Concubine intend to do with her? The shadows fall on the person behind the scenes.
194 A quick and clever idea! Blocking the clouds outside the palace!
Updated: 2013-07-21 21:15:12 Word Count: 3432
Luo Zhiheng was very anxious. She didn't want Mu Yunhe to enter the palace. Should she fight her way out? She couldn't act rashly; if she did, it would easily draw criticism and might arouse misunderstanding and suspicion from Mu Yunhe. But if she just sat and waited, who knew what might happen next?
Luo Zhiheng tapped her fingers on the table, the crisp sound echoing in the room. The wet nurse watched anxiously, knowing Luo Zhiheng was facing a problem. She tentatively suggested, "If Miss doesn't want the young prince to come to the palace, how about I find a way to go out and deliver the message? But I'm also worried about leaving you here alone. Perhaps I can take you with me?"
"No! I can't leave here easily now. If I leave, the Imperial Concubine can say I don't respect her, and all sorts of accusations can be leveled against me. We haven't even met her yet, so we don't know what kind of person this Imperial Concubine is. I feel we can't act rashly. You can't leave either; we're unfamiliar with this place, and a single mistake could lead to a series of errors. Let me think, there must be a way." Luo Zhiheng suddenly stood up, pacing back and forth on the ground, muttering to herself.
She was now trapped here, as if she were imprisoned, and she couldn't react too strongly. After all, the imperial concubine hadn't done anything to her, and was providing her with good food and drink. Moreover, the reason for not letting her go without seeing her was reasonable. She was really at a loss for what to do.
But why does this Imperial Concubine keep making excuses to avoid meeting her? Even if she's not feeling well, she could just make time to see her. Instead, keeping her trapped here gives her a strong sense of urgency and a feeling of being caught in a conspiracy.
But none of these are as important as Mu Yunhe! Since Mu Yunhe's sister is now a mysterious and unpredictable person, we absolutely cannot let Mu Yunhe come in and take risks.
"Let's go! Let's go out." Luo Zhiheng's eyes suddenly lit up, and she led the wet nurse out. She opened the door abruptly, then froze. Yesterday, there was no one to serve her, but today there were three or five palace servants in the courtyard. Luo Zhiheng pretended not to care and walked out, but she was stopped at the courtyard gate.
"Where is the young princess going? Her Highness the Imperial Concubine said that the young princess has just arrived in the palace and is unfamiliar with the place. Just tell us any instructions, and we will do our best to carry them out." The eunuch outside the door said with a smile.
Luo Zhiheng also wore a fake smile, looking innocent and naive, and said, "Oh, I just wanted to go out for a walk. I've been cooped up in the room for too long. Since I can't go back today, I might as well pay my respects to the Southern Dynasty's palace. Since you're willing to lead the way, I'd be more than happy to do so."
"It is my honor, Your Highness. This way, please." The eunuch bowed and led the way.
Luo Zhiheng deliberately made a lot of noise along the way, exclaiming in amazement at the scenery and buildings she saw, which drew disdainful glances from the palace servants she passed. Even the little eunuch leading the way couldn't help but chuckle.
Hearing passersby pointing and mocking Luo Zhiheng's behavior, the wet nurse glared angrily, but Luo Zhiheng warned her with a look. She asked casually, "Hey? What's the name of that place I passed by yesterday? By the way, you must take me to see all the beautiful places in the palace, or I'll beg the Imperial Concubine to kill you."
The person leading the way clearly didn't take Luo Zhiheng's words to heart, nor did he respect her. He was obviously a country bumpkin, even more ridiculous than a beggar. How could Her Majesty punish such a person? The little eunuch replied perfunctorily, "I understand, this servant will certainly show you all over the palace."
Luo Zhiheng laughed and joked all the way, acting like a complete country bumpkin in the city, making a big show of herself wherever she went, so that everyone knew about her. The palace maids and eunuchs who passed by were both shocked and amused by her behavior.
She swaggered through the palace, deliberately trampling on the vibrant, fragrant flowers by the roadside, intentionally killing a koi in the pond with a stone, and deliberately knocking over an exquisite tray carried by a palace servant. She deliberately caused chaos, yet acted as if it were all accidental and unintentional. The entire palace was thrown into disarray by her carefree and reckless behavior.
Before even two incense sticks had burned, everyone in the vast palace knew that a reckless fellow had come to the palace.
The concubines found out because their beloved peonies had been trampled to pieces. The Empress Dowager and the imperial concubines found out because one of their cherished koi fish had been brutally killed. The Emperor found out because his tonic food had been ruined by Luo Zhiheng's recklessness.
Luo Zhiheng was unlucky; she had offended everyone in the Southern Dynasty's palace in an instant. But she was also lucky; the things she happened to damage all belonged to important figures. In that case, it seemed likely that no one in the palace would know of Luo Zhiheng's existence or whereabouts.
She wanted to make a big scene, the bigger the better. Since the Imperial Concubine didn't know why she was being controlled, and since she couldn't leave the palace, she might as well cause a huge commotion and save face for the Imperial Concubine. It would also make the Imperial Concubine, who couldn't see her, worry a bit. Given how much the Imperial Concubine doted on her younger brother, she'd probably be willing to clean up her mess out of love for her brother.
Even if they don't discipline her, even if everyone in the Southern Dynasty's palace hates her, she will eventually leave. I'm afraid these people will still blame the Imperial Concubine. Who told you, Imperial Concubine, to bring in such a reckless troublemaker?
Luo Zhiheng's frustration finally lessened a bit, but she hadn't achieved her main goal yet. Everyone knew she had deliberately caused trouble, and Princess Yu should know by now, right? She just didn't know if Princess Yu would actually come to her. Now she could only take a gamble, hoping that Princess Yu could help her.
When they reached a stone bridge, the young eunuch in front of them said stiffly and with a grim expression, "Princess, you must be careful here. The water below is very deep and cold. If you are reckless here, you could easily get into trouble."
No one would have imagined that this country bumpkin who had never seen the world would actually be such a troublemaker! The little eunuch disliked Luo Zhiheng even more.
"Okay, I got it. You lead the way. I'll definitely walk carefully this time. Actually, what happened before wasn't my fault. The Southern Dynasty Palace was just too beautiful," Luo Zhiheng said with a playful laugh, appearing carefree.
As she looked up and walked forward, the sight of someone quickly walking towards her from the opposite direction caught her eye. Sure enough, they had arrived!
She found the little eunuch walking in the middle an eyesore. With a quick glance, Luo Zhiheng suddenly walked behind the little eunuch and shouted, her body swaying violently from side to side and back to front.
"Ah! Be careful, Princess!" The young eunuch in front of her was alarmed and quickly reached out to help Luo Zhiheng.
Luo Zhiheng immediately yelled fiercely, "Don't you dare touch me with your filthy hands! If you dare touch me, I'll dodge your claws!"
The little eunuch immediately withdrew his hand, thinking to himself, "Who wants to help you? You can't even stand on such a stone bridge; you're incredibly stupid."
Suddenly, Luo Zhiheng seemed to lose her balance, and she lurched forward, crashing heavily into the young eunuch. The eunuch fell off the stone bridge and into the water with a splash. In the blink of an eye, his smile vanished, replaced by terrified screams and frantic thrashing: "Help! I can't swim! Help...help me..."
"Ah! Heavens! Nanny, nanny, what's wrong with you? Why aren't you helping me?" Luo Zhiheng finally stopped, but seemed very angry.
The wet nurse stood by the bridge, not even stepping onto the stone bridge, and said aggrievedly, "Miss, I'm scared. I don't dare to walk on the stone bridge, don't you know that, Miss?"
Luo Zhiheng angrily shouted, "Idiots! A bunch of idiots! What do we do now? Just watch this person die? We're all afraid of water! Hey? There's someone ahead! I'll go find someone to help rescue him. You wait in the water for a bit." 15.
Luo Zhiheng's acting was absolutely flawless. After speaking, she rushed to the other side, grabbed Princess Yu who had rushed over, and held her hand tightly, saying, "Hurry and save me! I'm desperate. I don't know anyone in this palace, and even if I ask for help, there's no way to get it. No one will help me. Please help me save someone, considering how well I spoke up for you yesterday."
Since she couldn't leave the palace for the time being, the only person Luo Zhiheng could rely on to stop Mu Yunhe from entering was Princess Yu. Actually, it was less about trusting Princess Yu and more about trusting her like-minded friend, Murong Qianxue. She could only hope that Princess Yu would understand.
Princess Yu said with a disdainful look, "She's just a servant, what's the rush? Besides, yesterday the Imperial Concubine snatched my father away from my mother's palace, I don't care about the Imperial Concubine's affairs. Don't block my way, I want to go play."
Princess Yu arrogantly pushed Luo Zhiheng away, and on the stone bridge, she mocked the eunuchs splashing in the water, making faces before leaving. 16017370
Luo Zhiheng looked like she was about to cry, and quickly ran across the stone bridge. Grabbing her wet nurse's hand, she cried out, "Waaah, what should I do? I've angered her! The Imperial Concubine will definitely not let me off this time! I have to hurry back and find someone to save me!"
"Yes, let's hurry back to find them, we can still make it in time." The nanny helped Luo Zhiheng and they quickly left.