Chapter 30 Seventeen There is no such person
After taking a bath, Shen Zhiwei changed into a plain soft satin nightgown, tied her long hair loosely behind her head with a jade hairpin, leaned on the soft couch by the window, and read a book of miscellaneous records of the previous dynasty by candlelight.
The wind outside the window seems to be stronger than usual.
The plate of snacks that Xiao Lingjun brought was only half empty on the table, and the porcelain cup had already been quietly taken away by the maid.
The air was filled with the moistness of rising water vapor and a soothing cool fragrance. The warmth from the earthenware radiator completely dispelled the slight chill she had just picked up from being outside, leaving only a sense of comfort and relaxation throughout her body.
However, just as her fingertips were about to turn the page, an extremely subtle sound, almost blending into the sound of the wind, knocked lightly on the window frame.
despair.
As light as falling snow seeds or the accidental touch of a night bird.
Shen Zhiwei paused while turning the pages of the book.
She did not look up immediately, her eyes still fixed on the words on the page, as if she was completely unaware.
The black cat curled up at the foot of the couch suddenly raised its head, narrowed its golden cat eyes, and looked vigilantly at the closed window frame. It purred very deeply in its throat, and the tip of its tail slowly slapped the couch.
Shen Zhiwei reached out and gently scratched the cat's ears with his fingertips, signaling it to be quiet.
The candlelight in the room was steady, the wind outside the window was still blowing, and there was no movement after the strange noise, as if it was just an illusion.
But she knew it wasn't.
The sound was too regular, too deliberate, too trained, and definitely not a natural sound.
He is Xiao Lingjun's man.
The moment this thought came to her mind, she didn't feel surprised at all, but instead felt that it was as she expected.
Although she believed she had handled the flower viewing banquet in the bamboo forest secretly, Xiao Wangqing's serious injury and departure from the banquet had caused quite a stir. Given Xiao Lingjun's meticulousness, it was impossible for the East Palace's spies to have been unaware of it.
Since he knew that she was there at the time, even if he believed that she would not take the initiative to cause trouble, it was normal for him to send someone to protect her just in case.
I just don't know who is coming.
She closed the book and spoke to the empty room in a voice neither too loud nor too soft: "Since you're here, come in. Do you really need me to invite you in?"
As soon as the words fell, the room was silent, with only the crackling of the candlelight.
A moment later, the window frame was silently pushed open a crack from the outside, and a black shadow slid in like night fog, landed silently, and knelt on one knee at the intersection of light and shadow not far from the couch.
The man was wearing an ordinary green suit without any markings. His face was ordinary, the kind that would be lost in a crowd. His only eyes were as calm as water.
He bowed his head and clasped his fists, his voice steady and calm: "I, the Seventeenth, have been ordered by my master to come and protect the young lady."
Seventeen.
Shen Zhiwei's fingertips gripping the scroll tightened slightly, but her face remained expressionless, her gaze lingering on him for a long time.
It's him.
In her previous life, the young shadow guard who always hid in the shadows of the East Palace eaves and could be coaxed down by her with half a piece of osmanthus cake. The Seventeen who would silently pass her a bowl of warm honey water through the window when she couldn't sleep due to coughing.
She remembered that he loved sweets, but he never spoke of it because of his status. She remembered his silent back when he carried out orders without asking why. She also remembered that when Xiao Lingjun was furious, he knelt at the steps outside her palace, took the punishment for her, and his back was still straight even though he was limping.
A child who is honest to a fault, easy to fool, but also terribly stubborn in some aspects.
The last time he appeared was when she was coughing up blood the most severely. Xiao Lingjun almost nailed him to death in the shadow outside her yard.
Later... later there was a palace coup, with blood and fire raging everywhere, and she never saw Seventeen again.
But thinking about it, with his temperament, he would have fought to the death to protect his master, and finally his blood would have been splattered on the steps, becoming one of the countless nameless bones under the iron hoof of the new dynasty.
When I see him again now, he still looks the same, ordinary and silent, like a sharp blade hidden in a sheath, which will only be revealed when needed.
But in this life, there was no longer any familiarity or warmth in his eyes, only complete obedience.
He didn't recognize her.
Okay.
Shen Zhiwei suppressed the slight ripple in his heart, put the scroll on the small table beside him, and slowed his voice: "Your Highness is thoughtful. However, my place is secluded and there is no risk. Please don't make this trip."
Seventeen lowered his head even more, his tone flat and even, "My master has instructed that the capital has been quite unstable recently, and has ordered me to secretly protect you and not disturb your young lady. You can just pretend I don't exist."
"Secretly guarding?" Shen Zhiwei's lips curled up, and his eyes swept over his kneeling figure. "If you show up like this, can it still be considered secret?"
"My lady, you have a keen sense of perception. I was unable to hide in time, so I must apologize." Seventeen answered in a serious tone.
Shen Zhiwei looked at his stubborn appearance, which was exactly the same as in her previous life, and she felt relieved. Seeing her old friend again, she had some mischievous thoughts in her mind.
Miss Shen leaned over, picked up a piece of uneaten ham puff pastry from the plate on the table, and handed it to him.
"Get up. Since His Highness asked you to come, he trusts you. This shortbread tastes good. Would you like to try it?"
Seventeen's body stiffened imperceptibly, his gaze falling on the delicate and fragrant dessert in front of him. His Adam's apple rolled, but he immediately suppressed it, lowering his eyes and saying stiffly, "Miss Xie, I have my duties to perform and it is not appropriate..."
"What's inappropriate?" Shen Zhiwei interrupted him, leaning back on the soft pillow, "Your Highness asked you to protect me, so you should obey me in everything. Eat, this is an order."
Seventeen was silent for a moment, then finally reached out and quickly took the pastry, carefully avoiding her fingertips as she whispered, "Thank you for the reward, Miss."
Then he stood up, took two steps back, and blended back into the shadow of the corner.
Shen Zhiwei looked at the direction he disappeared, shook his head, picked up the scroll again, but could not read a single word.
Xiao Lingjun sent Seventeen here just for protection.
She knew him well. If he truly intended to monitor her, it wouldn't be someone as simple-minded and obedient as Seventeen. Her Highness would use a more subtle and subtle method.
Now that Seventeen has arrived, he will stay here like a nail. No one can drive him away unless Xiao Lingjun comes in person to give the order.
This was good. With him around, at least a lot of unnecessary trouble could be avoided. If Lin Wenyuan wanted to do anything else, he would have to consider the East Palace's shadow guards first.
Silence spread in the room, with only the faint sound of her occasionally turning pages.
"Seventeen." She suddenly said.
"I'm here." A response came immediately from the shadows without any delay.
"How long have you been working in the East Palace?"
"Miss, four years and seven months."
"Oh..." Shen Zhiwei stroked the edge of the paper with her fingertips, as if chatting casually, "Then... do you know a little palace maid named Jingshu? She's about this tall, with bright eyes, and a small dimple on her left cheek when she smiles."
There was a moment of silence in the shadows.
After a moment, the voice sounded again, still calm and steady: "Miss, there is no such person in the Eastern Palace directory."
Shen Zhiwei pinched the corner of the book tightly.
"What about Xiao Luzi? The eunuch who stutters a little but is very agile."
“There is no such person.”
"Chun Xing? She's the one who manages the small kitchen. She's from Jiangnan, but she's really good at making spicy dishes."
“There is no such person.”
I asked each name one by one, and the answer I got was cold: there is no such person.
Those vivid and specific faces who had been with her day and night in the East Palace, who had quietly wiped her tears when she was sick, and helped to keep watch when she was cheating, seemed to have been quietly wiped away by an invisible hand in this life, without leaving any trace.
It was Xiao Lingjun... He had sent them all away? To a safe place? In some other way, he had protected those insignificant lives that should have been quietly annihilated in the tide of the palace coup?
My heart felt like it was gently bumped by something, and it felt slightly sour and astringent.
She lowered her eyelashes to hide the emotions surging in her eyes.
Xiao Wangqing was probably even more convinced that An Yu was the one who saved him. Given his personality, he must have repaid An Yu with this favor double.
Xiao Lingjun knows the details in the bamboo forest and knows where Xiao Wangqing's injury came from.
Maybe I don’t know.
She let out a breath and temporarily suppressed these chaotic thoughts.
In the next few days, Seventeen really disappeared completely as he said.
Shen Zhiwei never saw him again, nor did she hear any unusual sounds. But she knew he must be there. Perhaps he was on a tree in the yard, or perhaps in the shadow of a roof.
The black cat would sometimes suddenly bare its teeth and raise its fur at an empty corner, and then be hit on the forehead accurately by a small stone that came from nowhere. It would meow in grievance and run away, which was proof of its misfortune.
Shen Zhiwei's life remained peaceful. She read books, drank tea, and was occasionally bothered by Xie Mingxu's sudden visits.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was still as carefree and unrestrained as ever, waving a fan and talking about the latest and most interesting stories in the capital, but his eyes would always seem to sweep across a few easy-to-hide corners in the courtyard, with a knowing smile on his lips.
"Tsk, Prince Brother is really too cautious." He came here one day and saw the black cat growling at the old pear tree in the west corner. He couldn't help but sneer, "What kind of evil spirits could possibly hide in your little shabby yard?"
Shen Zhiwei was peeling an orange with his head down, and he didn't even raise his head when he heard this: "Your Highness also means well."
"It's well-intentioned, but a bit boring," Xie Mingxu leaned closer, lowering his voice, a cunning glint in his peach-shaped eyes. "Hey, do you want me to help you lead him away? I guarantee it won't happen to anyone, so you can have some peace and quiet for a while."
Shen Zhiwei stuffed a slice of orange into his mouth, chewed it slowly, and stuffed another piece into the prince's mouth before looking up at him: "And then let His Highness throw you to the Northern Frontier to chew sand for half a year?"
Xie Mingxu immediately shuddered exaggeratedly, fanning himself loudly. "Forget it, forget it! I don't want to go to that godforsaken place and face Xiao Wangqing's cold face."
When Xiao Wangqing was mentioned, he seemed to suddenly remember something and leaned closer, lowering his voice to a whisper: "Speaking of the Third Prince, did you know that he did something good recently?"
Shen Zhiwei paused while peeling the orange: "What happened to him?"
"A few days ago, didn't the old minister of the Ministry of War want to give him a warning by blocking the promotion and transfer order of a general under his command?" Xie Mingxu clicked his tongue.
"Guess what? Our Third Prince, carrying two jars of liquor, barged into someone's birthday party. In front of all the guests, he insisted on discussing heroism with the old minister. He drank so much that the old man collapsed on the spot, unconscious. But the next day, he gritted his teeth and approved the transfer order!"
Xie Mingxu laughed so hard he nearly knocked over his teacup. "It's a real bandit act, but it's satisfying nonetheless. It's just that the Crown Prince was furious and kept scolding him for being absurd and unbecoming."
Shen Zhiwei listened quietly, comparing his mind with his memories of his past life, but he could not imagine what the Xiao Wangqing that Xie Mingxu mentioned looked like.
She lowered her eyes and put the last orange slice into her mouth, the sweet and sour juice spreading on the tip of her tongue.
"Your Highness... His Royal Highness the Crown Prince just gave you a few words of admonition?" she asked casually.
"What else can we do? Are we really going to punish him for such a small matter? The third brother is now very popular in the Northern Frontier Army, and the emperor relies on him a lot. The Crown Prince can't... Well, it's just a headache." Xie Mingxu waved his hand.
As he was speaking, there was suddenly a sound of light footsteps and low conversation outside the yard.
The maid guarding the gate came in quickly and reported: "Miss, someone came from the palace and said that the Queen Mother had sent some gifts."
Shen Zhiwei and Xie Mingxu exchanged a glance, both with a hint of surprise. Although the Queen was kind to An Yu, she had always only shown favor to her, a cousin living in the Lin Mansion, and rarely gave her any special rewards.
The two men stood up and went to the courtyard to welcome the guest, who was a middle-aged eunuch he didn't recognize, followed by two young eunuchs holding two brocade boxes.
The eunuch smiled politely and announced the Queen's oral instructions, which were nothing more than some clichés like "Miss Chen is gentle, respectful and frugal, so I specially reward her with two pairs of pearl flowers and four pieces of new satin as a reward for her encouragement."
When the brocade box was opened, the pearl flowers and satin inside were indeed exquisite, but they were not considered an exceptionally valuable reward.
Shen Zhiwei thanked her and asked the maid to take the reward.
The eunuch did not leave immediately. He glanced around the courtyard and seemed to inadvertently fall on Xie Mingxu, who was lazily leaning against the corridor pillar, playing with the fan pendant out of boredom. He added with a smile.
"The Empress also said that Miss An Yu is doing well in the palace and told Miss Chen not to worry. Also, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince got a basket of excellent Dongting Biluochun tea today. Since Miss Chen loves tea, he has sent half of it to the Lin Mansion. It should arrive shortly."
Xie Mingxu paused for a moment as he was playing with the fan pendant.
Shen Zhiwei understood clearly.
The reward was given to her as a courtesy to the Crown Prince to comfort his frightened cousin; secondly, it was probably done for certain people to see and to remind certain people that the Eastern Palace was keeping an eye on this place.
The words were naturally spoken to Xie Mingxu, intending to tell the prince that he was aware of his presence.
Don't stay too long, or you'll just cause trouble.
Shen Zhiwei suddenly had a bad feeling.
Is Xiao Lingjun a little crazier than in his previous life?
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The author has something to say: On the bright moon hanging high
Xiao Lingjun: I hate that the bright moon doesn't hang high enough to shine on me alone
Xiao Wangqing: I don't care whether the moon shines on me or not, but whoever prevents the moon from hanging high in the sky will be dead.
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