Chapter 71 It's inevitable to miss his... usefulness
The summer night was sweltering. Even the slight coolness emanating from the ice chest in the Yongle Palace could not dispel the restlessness in my heart.
A bamboo mat was laid on the couch, and Narcissus tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
After Emperor Zhaoheng's midnight visit was discovered, he came twice more.
She had previously thought that he cherished her, which was naturally good for palace intrigue. With even a slight favor from the emperor, she had something to rely on in the harem.
But if we're talking about other things... it's not good to cherish them too much.
Having been deprived of the Emperor's favor for a long time and experiencing emotional fluctuations during her pregnancy, Shui Xian inevitably missed her interactions with Emperor Zhaoheng.
Putting everything else aside, just considering this point alone, Emperor Zhaoheng was indeed very useful.
But every time she tried to seduce him, the man, mindful of her body, would only hold her in his arms to comfort her, refusing to cross any boundaries.
As summer approaches, the narcissus's heart grows hotter day by day.
Now, lying on the bamboo mat, she should be sleeping with her eyes closed, but she can always see the man's broad shoulders and narrow waist at certain moments, which makes her a little tempted.
well.
This was the first time she felt that being confined to her home was incredibly annoying.
If it weren't for this annoying confinement, she would have gone to the Qing Palace herself...
Just as I was feeling agitated, a sudden, loud banging came from outside the tightly closed gates of Yongle Palace!
"Open the door!"
The sound, filled with despair, pierced through the heavy palace gates and sounded particularly jarring in the silent night.
It seemed that the eunuch had covered his mouth, and only faint noises could be heard, but the person could no longer shout.
That sound...
Narcissus sat up, all sleepiness gone from her eyes.
Yinzhu had already woken up and rushed to the main hall to light the candlesticks. Seeing that Shuixian was about to leave, she quickly grabbed the candlesticks and followed her.
Narcissus came to the door and asked in a low voice what was happening outside.
The guard eunuch's tense voice came through the door: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! It's...it's Xuemei from Changxin Palace! She's gone mad and is trying to break in!"
Narcissus whispered through the crack in the door, "Let her in."
"Huh?" The eunuch outside the door was taken aback, thinking he had misheard. He opened the door a little wider. "Your Majesty, this...this is not in accordance with the rules!"
A cold glint flashed in Shui Xian's eyes. "Haven't I let enough people into my Yongle Palace? I won't make a difference if Xue Mei comes along."
She made a pointed remark, and the eunuch outside the door fell silent, feeling guilty.
Just as the eunuch hesitated, Xue Mei, who seemed to have found strength from nowhere, suddenly shoved aside a slightly lax eunuch and rushed into the palace gate that was ajar!
"Stop her!" The eunuchs finally realized what was happening and hurriedly tried to chase after her.
At Shui Xian's signal, the heavy palace gates were slammed shut from the inside by Yin Zhu, keeping the pursuing eunuchs out.
In the courtyard, Yinzhu, with her sharp eyes, carefully stood in front of Shuixian, staring intently at Xuemei who rushed in.
Holding a candlestick in her hand, Xue Mei's appearance was so tragic in the dim candlelight that it was heartbreaking.
Her palace maid's clothes were torn to shreds, and her exposed arms and neck were covered with bruises and scratches, and even a few bleeding whip marks!
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, save me!"
When Xuemei saw the narcissus, it was as if she had seen her only hope. She cried out and tried to rush over.
"Stop!" Yinzhu shouted sharply, taking a step to the side and completely blocking her way.
Narcissus's gaze swept over the shocking wounds on Xue Mei's body.
She said calmly, "It's not convenient to talk here, let's go inside the hall."
Xuemei stumbled and followed Shuixian and Yinzhu into the brightly lit main hall.
The candlelight inside the hall shone even brighter, making the wounds on Xue Mei's body appear even clearer and more terrifying.
New wounds piled on top of old ones, with hardly a patch of uninjured flesh; in some places, the skin was even torn open, revealing the sadist's madness.
She stood trembling in the hall, sobbing uncontrollably.
Xuemei's hands trembled as she pulled something from her bosom and slammed it hard onto the smooth floor tiles in front of Shuixian!
It was that celadon round box containing the Jade Skin Cream!
But by now, the box had already shattered, and the remaining white paste had clung to the blue bricks.
"Why?!"
Xuemei's voice was filled with despair, "Narcissus! Why did you hurt me?! Why!!"
Her eyes were filled with incomprehension: "That day... when Consort Yi returned from your place, she was like a madwoman! She dragged me into the woodshed, whipped me, stabbed me with a hairpin, kicked me... She called me a traitorous slut! She accused me of conspiring with you to harm her!"
Xuemei looked at the bruises on her body in pain, "I had no idea what happened! Until she hit me while saying that the perfume balm was given to me..."
She gasped for breath, tears mingling with the blood on her face: "Now I understand... that box of scar-fading ointment... it was you! You had someone put it on my desk! Didn't you?!"
"You schemed against me! Narcissus, why did you try to harm me?! What did I ever do to offend you?!"
Her voice grew increasingly agitated, as if she were about to pour out all the grievances she had suffered.
"Offended?" Narcissus's voice was very soft. "And what about me, Xuemei?"
She sat upright in the superior position, looking at the suffering Xue Mei with a calm gaze that was almost devoid of emotion.
What have I done to offend you?
The hall fell into a deathly silence, broken only by Xue Mei's suppressed sobs.
Narcissus looked at Xuemei and was lost in distant memories.
"Both Camellia and I were brought into the palace from the Yi residence by Yi Guichun; we're both used to serving others. But you..."
Narcissus's gaze fell on Xue Mei's face, which, despite being covered in scars, still retained a certain delicate beauty.
“You were selected by the Imperial Household Department from a respectable family to enter the palace. Before entering the palace, you were a beloved daughter of your parents. You had never served anyone before, and when you first came, you were clumsy even when serving tea and water.”
Narcissus's voice carried an almost cruel calm: "I also have a younger sister named Shuixiu. When I see you clueless new palace maids, I always think of her."
"Since Camellia was lazy, the task of training new recruits mostly fell to me. It was me who taught you the rules again and again, and told you about Yi Guichun's preferences. It was me who took the blame for you when you broke a teacup. It was also me who came to your rescue when Camellia was making things difficult for you..."
She seemed to sigh softly, "Xuemei, of all the new palace maids, I have taken the best care of you."
With each word she spoke, Xue Mei's body trembled even more violently.
In a short time, shame, regret, jealousy... all sorts of emotions mixed together, and finally turned into large tears falling down.
"Why?"
Narcissus lowered her voice and asked her questions one by one.
"Why is it that after you finally became the head palace maid by Yi Guichun's side, you only show me contempt and disdain?! Why is it that you personally served me that bowl of 'pregnancy-preserving medicine' containing deadly poison every day?! Why is it that you personally handed me that brocade box containing broken porcelain shards?!"
Each of her questions struck Xue Mei's heart like a heavy hammer.
From beginning to end, Narcissus kept her eyes fixed on Xuemei's eyes.
"Xuemei, tell me, when exactly did I, Shuixian, offend you to the point that you would disregard our past relationship and treat me like this?!"
Xue Mei felt as if all her bones had been removed, and she collapsed to the ground, her crying turning into silent sobs.
She recalled three years ago when she first entered Changxin Palace, Shui Xian helped and protected her like a sister.
Narcissus took the blame for her and accepted the punishment in her place.
Perhaps it was because Narcissus was too gentle that, at some point, she began to take Narcissus's sacrifices for granted.
"I...I..."
She was incoherent and trembling all over.
Xuemei struggled, using both her hands and feet to try to crawl to Shuixian's feet.
Yinzhu immediately stepped forward, blocking her way firmly. Xuemei could only desperately clutch Yinzhu's hem, tears streaming down her face as she looked at Shuixian, her voice broken and shattered:
"Narcissus...no, Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You can't abandon me!"
"This perfume...you're the one who put this perfume here! You can't just abandon me, Your Majesty! I beg you!"
"For the sake of our past relationship! For the sake of the fact that I once called you 'sister'! Please help me one more time! Just like... just like before! Please!"
She cried her heart out, trying to evoke the last bit of tenderness in Narcissus's heart: "I didn't mean to... I really didn't mean to hurt you! I was just... I was just jealous! I couldn't control myself!"
"Seeing you... transform from a servant like us into a mistress, the Emperor's darling... my heart... my heart aches! I'm so jealous I'm going crazy!"
"Your Majesty! I know I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! Please forgive me! Please save me! Consort Yi will beat me to death!"
She cried out and kowtowed desperately, her forehead hitting the floor tiles with a dull thud, quickly becoming red and swollen.
Her desperate pleas echoed in the hall, filled with regret and fear of Yi Guichun.
She finally escaped today, she absolutely cannot go back!
Yi Guichun has completely lost his mind. If she goes back, he will definitely beat her to death!
Narcissus sat quietly, the candlelight casting flickering shadows on her face.
She looked at the woman at her feet, whom she had once treated with sincerity, but who was now wounded and begging for mercy. Her eyes showed no emotion, only a bottomless coldness.
Forgive the traitor? That's the greatest betrayal of the loyal!
I won't help you.
Narcissus's words were like a cold verdict, shattering Xuemei's last shred of hope.
Xuemei suddenly raised her head, her face drained of color, her eyes filled with a deathly despair.
The narcissus seemed to be looking at her, yet it also seemed as if it wasn't.
At this moment, no matter what they had been through before, the two of them were now complete strangers.
Narcissus said in a low voice, "However, considering that we have known each other and that you have called me 'sister' a few times, I can give you some pointers."
Xuemei grasped at the last straw, and a flame of hope instantly ignited in her eyes.
In the dead of night, the sound of the narcissus is cooler than the moonlight tonight.
"Confess everything, then go to the Department of Cautious Punishment."
“Even the Censorate is a hundred times better than your current situation.”
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