Stepping out of the cold palace
When Ping An stepped out of the Cold Palace for the first time, everything felt incredibly new and exciting.
The flowers are fresh, the grass is fresh, the fragrance on the tip of my nose is fresh, the breeze that brushes against my hair is fresh, and even the warm sunshine on my skin is fresh.
She hadn't walked more than a few steps when Guo Shu dragged her to her knees by the roadside. Just as she was wondering what was going on, she saw a sedan chair carried by four men slowly pass by in front of her.
The people on the sedan chair were, of course, Cui Sugong, Chen Meiwu, Cui Lingxian, and Cui Shenzhi.
Cui Sugong sat in the front palanquin, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe embroidered with five-clawed dragons, a garment reserved for the emperor. The golden dragons on the robe were so lifelike that they seemed ready to take flight at any moment, demonstrating the embroiderer's meticulous care.
Then there was Shen Meiwu. Although everyone knew that Shen Meiwu was Cui Sugong's favorite, she was not the empress, so she did not wear a phoenix robe. However, her skirt was embroidered with a phoenix spreading its wings in gold and silver thread, which was dazzling and beautiful when she moved.
Next up was Cui Lingxian. Compared to Cui Sugong and Chen Meiwu, Cui Lingxian appeared much simpler, wearing only a pale yellow dress with no patterns. However, under the sunlight, her dress had ripple-like patterns, meaning that her clothes were embroidered with dark patterns of the same color, showing a level of care that was no less than that of dragon and phoenix patterns.
The last one was naturally Cui Shenzhi. Compared to the previous three, he was so simple that he seemed to be from a different world. He was wearing a dark green prince's robe. It was neither embroidered with any flamboyant patterns like Cui Sugong and Shen Meiwu, nor did it have the understated luxury of Cui Lingxian's robe. It was simply embroidered with some bamboo on the hem, simple and plain.
Besides their clothes, the white jade hairpins that Cui Sugong and Cui Shenzhi used to tie their hair and the jade pendants they wore at their waists were all exquisitely crafted. Even if Ping An didn't understand craftsmanship, he could tell that they were very expensive.
Shen Meiwu wore a complete set of ruby headdresses. The vibrant colors and exquisite design made her unforgettable at first glance. The accessories she wore on her hands and waist, which were clearly a matching pair with those on Cui Sugong's body, added even more charm to her.
Cui Lingxian wore a pearl headdress, which was not glamorous but full of girlish charm, which matched her temperament very well. The adorable design of the belt pendant at her waist complemented the pearl headdress perfectly.
Ping An stared at them almost obsessively until they were far away before looking down at himself.
Her wrists and neck were bare, and her hair, which was usually tied up with a faded hairband, was now combed into a man's style. Her face was covered in dusty clothes, which were also dusty and without any patterns. In addition, several of the threads were loose, which she had repaired.
The comparison is simply ridiculous.
Ping An's desire for power and wealth grew stronger.
She wants it!
She wanted Choi Shin-ji's jade pendant and white jade hairpin!
She wanted the forbidden belt around Cui Lingxian's waist and that set of pearl headdress!
She wanted Shen Meiwu's ruby headdress and her incomparably gorgeous dress!
She wanted Choi Suk-gong's high and mighty position, where everyone had to bow down to him!
A person's life is as fleeting as a blade of grass in autumn. If she comes into this world and doesn't enjoy anything, then she has lived in vain and might as well die now!
*****
As soon as the four-bearer palanquin disappeared, Ping An urged Guo Shu to take her to a place where she could find out information about Cui Shenzhi. Only then did Guo Shu take her to the Imperial Garden.
He Duan, the steward of the Imperial Garden, is one of the few people who holds a high position and has some connection with Fu Yunjin. He is also a well-known good person in the palace. Cui Shenzhi has a good relationship with him. If you want to inquire about Cui Shenzhi, you can't go wrong by asking him.
After hearing Guo Shu say that He Duan was a kind-hearted person, Ping An tugged at Guo Shu's sleeve and asked him to take her to a secluded corner. He then made some scary-looking but actually healable wounds on her face and neck before she followed Guo Shu to the Imperial Garden with her head down.
Upon arriving at the Imperial Garden, Guo Shu exchanged a few pleasantries with He Duan before saying he was a bit tired and needed to rest at He Duan's place for a while. He instructed Ping An to stay there and help He Duan, and to come back to pick up Ping An after He Duan woke up.
Although He Duan was unhappy that Guo Shu wanted to rest at his residence, he couldn't afford to offend Shen Meiwu, who was behind Guo Shu, so he had no choice but to agree. However, he had a headache looking at the little eunuch left behind by Guo Shu.
He looks so thin and weak, what kind of work can he be assigned?
Just as He Duan was pondering, Ping An suddenly knelt down with a 'plop'.
He Duan was startled and reached out to pull her up from the ground, but unexpectedly saw a face covered in scars.
Ping An had a large wound on his forehead, which looked like a scab but was still bright red, as if it would bleed at any moment. There was also a very obvious handprint on his face, his lips were bloodless, but there was a large cut at the corner of his mouth that was oozing blood. There were also purplish marks on his neck that were hard to tell whether he had been choked or strangled.
He Duan hadn't seen such a pitiful sight in a long time.
He was a little afraid to look, so he quickly turned his back and asked, "What's wrong with you, little eunuch? Were you bullied? What's the use of telling me? You have to tell your Eunuch Guo."
“Eunuch He, it’s no use talking to Eunuch Guo, because it was Eunuch Guo who beat me up like this!” Ping An sobbed.
He Duan hesitated, thinking of Shen Meiwu behind Guo Shu: "Is there some misunderstanding? Did you do something wrong and offend your Eunuch Guo? Why don't you apologize to him or explain things properly?"
“There was no misunderstanding, and I did nothing wrong,” Ping An lowered her head, her eyes flashing. “Eunuch Guo said I had fair skin and was beautiful, and he wanted me to submit to him. I refused, so he beat me every day.”
"this…"
"Although I'm no longer a complete man after being stabbed, I'm still a man. How can I accept this? Father-in-law, I've heard that you're a kind and helpful person in the palace. Please help me!"
After saying that, Ping An kowtowed several times.
“I would like to help you, but the problem is I can’t,” He Duan stopped Ping An’s movements and said with some bitterness, “I’m not afraid of you laughing at me. Although I am the chief eunuch of the Imperial Garden, I only got this position because of my meager relationship with the late Empress and the Crown Prince’s favor. In reality, I have no power at all.”
“Guo Shu is different. He may be just a steward in the Cold Palace, but behind him is the powerful Consort Gui who holds absolute power in the palace. Let alone you, if I were to offend him, things might not go well. Although His Highness the Crown Prince would definitely step in to protect me, at most he would only spare my life.”
Oh? So you mean the Crown Prince is willing to protect anyone even remotely connected to the Empress? Even if it means going against the Consort? Just for a woman who's been dead for over a decade and offers no help whatsoever?
Ping An silently labeled Cui Shenzhi as blindly filial and not very smart.
Ping pretended to wipe away non-existent tears and whispered, "Eunuch, you said His Highness the Crown Prince is willing to protect you. Since His Highness sees how pitiful I am, perhaps... perhaps he is also willing to protect me? Eunuch, could you please speak to His Highness the Crown Prince for me? I have a seriously ill mother and young siblings to support outside the palace. I can't just die in the palace like this!"
Cui Shenzhi really knows how to do such a thing, but He Duan, as a palace servant, knows far more than Cui Shenzhi, whose eyes and ears are covered by Shen Meiwu.
“I’m afraid it won’t work,” He Duan sighed. “Although His Highness the Crown Prince is kind-hearted and compassionate, and would be willing to help you, none of the people he saves against the wishes of the Imperial Concubine have lived more than a month. If His Highness helps you, you’re doomed.”
Hearing this, Ping An frowned.
Kind-hearted? More like treacherous and cunning. Knowing full well that the person he rescued would die within a month, he still went to save them. Wasn't he just sending people to their deaths for the sake of his own good reputation? So Cui Shenzhi wasn't stupid, he was evil.
Ping An removed the label of "not very smart" that she had previously attached to Cui Shenzhi, replacing it with "hypocritical" and "cunning." She also removed the "foolish" part from "blindly filial," but as for the "filial" part... she'd have to wait and see.
"Then...what can I do...who can help me..."
Ping An lowered her head and began to sob softly.
Seeing Ping An's miserable state, He Duan felt a pang of pity.
"Kid, all you want is to survive, right? Can you handle a little hardship?"
Ping An's crying stopped. Unexpectedly, He Duan still had something to say, so she said dryly, "Of course I can. As long as I can survive and take care of my mother and younger siblings, I can endure any hardship."
"That's good. If I see the princess later, I'll pass on a message for you and ask her to transfer you to her side. The princess is the imperial concubine's own daughter, and the imperial concubine will never kill the palace servants around her. At most, they will be subjected to extremely strict training. As long as you get through it, everything will be fine."
Upon hearing this, Ping An not only began to doubt He Duan's "good guy" image, but also questioned the image of Cui Shenzhi that He Duan had previously revealed.
Who is Cui Lingxian? Cui Lingxian is Shen Meiwu's only daughter, a princess who was pampered and raised by Cui Sugong. Given Shen Meiwu's style of doing things and Cui Lingxian's upbringing, what kind of person could Cui Lingxian be? Putting aside whether she would die if she went to Cui Lingxian's side, she would definitely be skinned alive. Is He Duan going to help Guo Shu kill her?
Ping An forced a smile and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Eunuch He."
"No trouble at all. By the way, what's your name?"
"My name is Jia Ren." (The last sentence is a nonsensical string of characters and doesn't translate directly.)
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