Chapter 30 Embracing the Ninth Prince, He Smells Good
"No, Eunuch An also heard it. The Empress Dowager was behind the 'eating together' affair. Rather than simply punishing a palace maid, isn't it more important to find out why the Empress Dowager did this?"
Anhe chuckled: "Princess Zhao, who do you take me for? Even if I killed that palace maid, what impact would it have? What conflict is there between killing a palace maid and investigating the Empress Dowager?"
"Don't they all call us 'Nine Thousand Years Old'? Then you should know how much power we wield."
Zhao Liangxu tilted her head almost imperceptibly, pondering how to express her thoughts.
She brought up the topic because she wanted to know why Zhou Mingxi and An He were so incompatible.
She could also vaguely sense that Fang Shi's instructions regarding food were likely directed at An He.
Seeing that Zhao Liangxu didn't continue, Anhe assumed she had no rebuttal. He even kindly added, not wanting to frighten her, "I'm not so petty as to kill her outright, otherwise I would have slaughtered every single palace servant."
The implication is that you don't need to think about it anymore.
After Anhe finished speaking, he wanted to turn and leave. The longer he stayed, the more this place would remind him of those sordid past events.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Liangxu asked tentatively, "Your Excellency, the Ninth Prince?"
An T could tell that Zhao Liangxu had deliberately uttered those three words, even softening her tone intentionally.
How could she say such a thing?
Unlike her usual teasing or cunning, Zhao Liangxu was clearly speaking in a high-pitched voice with ulterior motives, which he should have found disgusting.
But that tone of voice almost made Anhe feel as if he was being gently enveloped.
Zhao Liangxu not only spoke with a hint of deliberate intent, but she even grabbed An He's jade belt with two fingers.
She simply pulled the jade belt slightly towards herself, letting Anhe feel the pull, and then quickly let go, pretending she hadn't done anything.
Anhe certainly felt the gentle pull, and because he felt it, he stopped moving forward.
He was at a loss for how to react, as if he had been frozen in place.
Does she know what she's doing with those actions?
Did she not know how hateful eunuchs were? She was even bolder than before.
"I've already addressed you as Your Excellency, so could Your Excellency tell me why the Empress Dowager and you are so at odds?"
It turns out he still needed something from me.
Anhe thought to himself, "As expected, the greater the desire, the greater the sacrifice required."
The emotions I felt earlier were replaced by a stronger sense of malice.
When Zhao Liangxu asked this question, she had long forgotten that Xu Huayue had told her not to deliberately spy on Anhe.
Anhe lived up to expectations. As if his tail had been stepped on, he could no longer suppress his temper, which he had been holding back.
Anhe drew out the last syllable, his palm, hidden in his sleeve, already bearing deep red marks from his fingernails.
Every action has a purpose; what was Zhao Liangxu's purpose in treating him this way?
In order to live, in order to live a better life, in order to... spy on him.
He usually doesn't like to interact with others, but if you anger him, he might be the one with the least principles.
If someone offends him and is about to die, he might not mind patting them on the shoulder and cheek to comfort them.
Therefore, Anhe approached Zhao Liangxu.
Zhao Liangxu sensed that An He had become even more gloomy. She felt something was wrong and a thought immediately flashed through her mind, which she then put into action.
As Anhe drew closer and closer to her, his breath almost enveloping her, she wrapped her arms around his waist.
The python robe looks very loose, but the body underneath is actually quite lean.
Anhe's waist is too thin.
Zhao Liangxu embraced him, and the sandalwood scent from his robes wafted into her nose.
It smells nice.
An He's mind went blank the moment Zhao Liangxu rushed up to him.
What does she mean by that?
"It seems Your Excellency doesn't really want me to ask, so I won't."
Zhao Liangxu and An He were actually about the same height, so she rested her chin on An He's shoulder.
Zhao Liangxu's voice was right next to An He's ear.
"The Ninth Prince smells very good."
Upon hearing this, Anhe snapped out of her daze and pushed Zhao Liangxu away in fear.
The two embraced for only a moment.
What on earth is she doing?!
Fragrance? What fragrance could a eunuch possibly have on him?
He cut his throat cleanly back then, and that's why he didn't suffer the same embarrassing aftereffects as other eunuchs.
Having climbed up from the bottom, he lived in the inner palace, where so many eunuchs were crammed into such a small room. One can only imagine the smell inside.
He stayed in that environment, and even he, who did not have such aftereffects, seemed to be tainted by the smell of urine.
He was terrified. Perhaps it wasn't that he had no aftereffects, but perhaps it was just his own delusion.
That's why he scented his clothes and even sought out many imperial physicians and folk doctors for acupuncture treatments as a preventative measure.
However, he remains sensitive and thoughtful when it comes to smells.
And Zhao Liangxu, Zhao Liangxu just hugged him like that!
"Are you afraid our family will kill you? Is that why you're willing to endure this and take such action?"
Anhe's voice trembled slightly as she asked the question.
Zhao Liangxu shook her head.
"Our family won't kill you! And please don't ask again!"
Anhe appeared to be fleeing in a panic.
He feared that if he stayed any longer, Zhao Liangxu might do something even more outrageous.
Zhao Liangxu savored the feelings she had just experienced.
She didn't resist the hug, which was a step closer than holding hands; in fact, she found the hug quite pleasant.
Even when she asked questions about the Empress Dowager, Anhe ultimately did nothing of substance, despite his frightening expression when she first asked him.
This trip was quite fruitful.
Zhao Liangxu was in a good mood and strolled back to the Empress Dowager's palace.
Zhu Mu, Xiao Qing, and the others came to greet her when they saw her.
Zhao Liangxu greeted Xiao Qing and the others, saying that she had learned a lot in the capital these past few days, such as playing leaf cards and listening to folk operas.
"It's just a pity that we were in such a hurry to enter the palace this time that we didn't have time to bring our tokens. We'll bring them next time and play together."
"By the way, where's Qiu Cheng?"
Zhao Liangxu searched everywhere for Qiu Cheng's whereabouts.
Xu Huayue sat to the side and smiled: "She went to get the medicine, so that the servants wouldn't bring too much or too little. She took care of it herself."
Xu Huayue gestured for Zhao Liangxu to sit down and asked, "How long will you be staying in the palace this time?"
As for the duration, it depends on whether Anhe allows her to stay in the palace longer.
But thinking about Anhe's appearance, I was a little frightened. Unless absolutely necessary, I probably won't see Anhe for a while.
"Eunuch An probably doesn't have time to worry about too much. He's been busy preparing for the New Year's banquet and also needs to make preparations for the foreign merchant caravans coming next year."
"A caravan? Where did it come from?"
Zhao Liangxu was very interested.
"It's always a caravan from the Western Regions, always carrying some rare treasures and precious spices, which is quite interesting. However, the Western Regions are far away, and the caravans only come once every five years. Next year is just right."
Zhao Liangxu nodded, looking forward to the new year.
New things are always the most attractive.
While they were chatting, Qiu Cheng returned with the medicine.
She entered the palace carrying a large stack of medicine packets, which Xiaoqing and Zhumu hurriedly took from her.
When Zhu Mu arrived at the Empress Dowager's palace, he quickly became acquainted with Xiao Qing and the others.
Qiu Cheng instructed: "Each dose of these medicines is one packet. Just open it and decoct it directly. Store the rest in a dry, cool place. When there are three or four packets left, come find me. Don't let anyone else weigh the medicine. Her Majesty's health is precious, so it's safer for me to prepare it myself."
After she had finished arranging everything, she noticed Zhao Liangxu: "Oh, you're back? I hope Eunuch An didn't give you any trouble."
Zhao Liangxu stood up, spread her arms to Qiu Cheng, and said easily, "Not a single hair has fallen, you're perfectly fine."
Qiu Cheng was thinking about something else: "I'm glad you're alright. I still need to send a message out of the palace, so I won't be leaving the palace for the next few days. It's not too late to go back after I'm done with this."
After saying this, she bowed to Xu Huayue and took her leave.
"We just chatted for a long time, but I forgot to ask, did you enter the palace with Lady Qiu? I noticed you seem to know her much better," Xu Huayue asked, sipping her hot tea.
"Naturally, I feel an instant connection with Lady Qiu and her apprentice."
Zhao Liangxu told Xu Huayue about her trip to Zuihua Fang with Xiao Liu'er, as if she were telling a story.
Xu Huayue was alarmed and repeatedly told Zhao Liangxu not to go to such a dangerous place again.
Out of consideration for the patient, Zhao Liangxu naturally complied.
Anhe did not allow Zhao Liangxu to stay in the palace for too long. He had Zhang Sheng deliver a message: Zhao Liangxu should leave the palace after serving the Dowager Consort for three days.
Life in the Empress Dowager's palace remained as peaceful as ever, and even Zhu Mu felt a little reluctant to leave when it was time to go.
She naturally longed for the peaceful, life-threatening existence in the Empress Dowager's palace.
Zhao Liangxu comforted her, "I'll take you to the palace again next time."
After leaving the palace, Qiu Cheng's life gradually became more relaxed, and there were no more patients coming one after another to tire her out.
"Everyone in the palace is taking care of their health; they all think they can't go through the New Year sick."
As always, Qiu Cheng organized the medicinal herbs and prepared the prescription. She suggested, "Lu Xuan has nothing to do these days, so why don't I bring him over for you to meet? If you find it hard to accept that he is under General Zhou's command, I will find another master for you."
Zhao Liangxu toyed with a ginseng in her hand and replied, "That's fine, but I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you. Does Zhilan Hall have a large open space? Anhe definitely won't let me play these things in the An residence."
As Zhao Liangxu became more familiar with Qiu Cheng, she became much more casual in her speech and no longer cared about the honorifics she used to address An He.
As for whether the person monitoring her would record every word and action, Zhao Liangxu didn't care much, since An He already knew that she had no respect for him.
Even if they knew, they didn't do anything about it.
Qiu Cheng sighed, "You say you're restricted everywhere in the An family, but I think you're actually thriving."
As a lady-in-waiting in the palace, Qiu Cheng was always efficient. That afternoon, Qiu Cheng brought Lu Xuan to Zhilan Hall.
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Author's Note: I haven't quite figured it out yet! That's why I'm like this! Once I do, I'll cross even more lines (seriously).
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