Chapter 18 A Gift with Three Gifts, Who Wouldn't Be Envious? A-Zhu: Speaking of which, selling…
The tea room in Kunning Palace is right next to the small kitchen, and the palace servants there do not eat with the other servants who do odd jobs.
It is said that those who are near the water get the moon first, and the good stuff in the small kitchen always benefits the tea room.
But let's talk about Ah Zhu this time.
She finally managed to have a good meal, but ended up vomiting and having diarrhea, suffering from an upset stomach all night, and even developing a fever in the middle of the night.
Ah Zhu, whose throat felt like it was overflowing with sour fluid, was hoarse, dizzy, and weak in the knees, walking as if floating.
He hadn't recovered by the next day and could only lie sickly in bed.
When the others in the west wing returned to their rooms, they subconsciously made their movements quieter.
Huichun tiptoed over to check on Azhu—
His face was still a little pale, but it was much better than the day before when he looked bluish.
Relieved, Huichun's gaze unconsciously lingered on Azhu's face.
Ah Zhu's white skin was dazzling, and any other colors on her face would make her appear exceptionally radiant and vibrant.
Her eyelashes were long and thick.
But her eyes were dark and watery, so when she lowered them, she always seemed to have an innocent and affectionate look.
Huichun gently reached out and slowly gathered the strands of hair from Azhu's lips and tucked them into the pillow. Just then, she heard the faint sounds of Green Sleeve and Yunzhu bickering nearby growing louder.
"...They all came to Kunning Palace together to participate in the palace selection, but she was the only one who went to the tea room?"
Yunzhu tugged at Lüxiu's sleeve and said urgently, "Keep your voice down."
Green Sleeves glanced past Cloud Pearl, then at Ah Zhu, who was fast asleep on the bed, and chuckled.
"Back in the inner palace, I was always fawning over the nannies..."
"Anyway, we're the ones who're stupid and clumsy, unlike her who knows how to flatter and fawn."
"Fortunately, I didn't live in the same hospital as her. We were far apart, so I just pretended not to see her."
"I didn't want to come to Kunning Palace, but I've been cursed for no reason."
"This time, she went out and ate until her mouth was greasy, and then she came back looking like she had no luck at all. She fell ill and now I have to take care of her?!"
Yunzhu, who easily embarrasses others, was now so embarrassed that she was digging her toes into the ground.
She was so anxious she wanted to cover Green Sleeves' mouth with her hand.
"You, you stop yelling."
Hearing Green Sleeve's persistent grumbling, Huichun tucked the blanket around Azhu, then stood up and walked towards Green Sleeve.
Green Sleeves, neck stiff, looked at Huichun with resentment and indignation.
Huichun pointed outside and then went out.
Green Sleeves flicked her hand and followed directly after him.
Yunzhu hesitated for a moment, but still didn't follow. She just shook her head, sighed, and went over to sit down next to Azhu.
The two of them left the house one after the other.
As soon as she came out, Green Sleeves greeted her directly: "Sister Huichun."
"What kind of person is A-Zhu? Even when she was still in the Imperial Palace, everyone knew..."
"The Yeting Palace is the Yeting Palace, and we are currently in the Kunning Palace."
Upon hearing Huichun's words, Lüxiu snorted, and her gaze towards Huichun changed somewhat.
"Sister Huichun, I never expected you'd be so eager to curry favor with her now. She's just a..."
Greensleeves!
Huichun interrupted Green Sleeve before she could say anything unpleasant.
"Whether I'm trying to curry favor with A-Zhu or not."
"All I know is that if you and A-Zhu have a falling out and things escalate, you will be the one who gets kicked out of the palace!"
Huichun, whose expression remained as calm as ever, silenced Lüxiu with a single, decisive sentence.
Green Sleeve, who had just choked on her breath, wanted to say something, but Huichun didn't waste any more time arguing with her.
"Green Sleeves, in this palace, there are plenty of palace maids like us, nothing special at all."
“But Ah Zhu, there is only one Ah Zhu in the palace.”
"You can see clearly what Ah Zhu looks like by spending time with him day and night."
"Green Sleeve, ask yourself honestly, are you willing to believe that Ah Zhu will be like us, spending her whole life as a palace maid?"
Huichun sighed softly.
"Now we only see the Empress praising A-Zhu, even the head maid is fawning over her, and everyone seems to respect her... But Green Sleeve, do you really think this is a good thing?"
Green Sleeves subconsciously pursed her lips—if it were a good thing, that idiot Ah Zhu wouldn't have fallen ill so soon after arriving.
It was still because of such an unseemly reason as gluttony.
If it were anyone else, they would probably have been kicked out already.
“Greensleeves, the path Ah Zhu is taking is different from ours.”
"Didn't you already know about this when you were still in the Yeting Palace?"
Seeing that Green Sleeves remained silent, Huichun said calmly and seriously in a low voice, "Now that things have come to this, I won't lie to you. Given Azhu's personality... I really don't dare to offend her."
"What I fear even more is that one word from her in the future could make me wish I were dead."
"Green Sleeves, from now on, whether you want to compete or quarrel with Ah Zhu, I will no longer have anything to say to you."
"I just want to leave this palace properly when I'm twenty-five."
After a long while, Green Sleeves kept her head down and didn't say a word.
Finally, she looked up and laughed self-deprecatingly.
"Yeah, what am I angry about?"
"In the end, it's just about being envious of what others have that I don't."
"I'm envious of her current benefits, but I don't want to think about what she has to give up. There are no freebies in this palace."
Green Sleeves thought of Ah Zhu, and then suddenly remembered her demeanor—people who are born beautiful will more or less have a certain subtle demeanor.
But Ah Zhu... having lived for ten years amidst countless sarcastic remarks about being a "black charcoal ball," and having never benefited from any beauty-related advantages, where did Ah Zhu get this kind of confidence?
The rudimentary conditions for grooming often made her overlook her current appearance.
Her extraordinary beauty, combined with her posture of bending over and lowering her head, creates an effect that is more than just the sum of its parts.
Thinking of A-Zhu's ability to bend and stretch, and how he was determined to climb up, Green Sleeve had no doubt whatsoever that A-Zhu could actually make it to the top.
No matter what fate awaits Ah Zhu in the future, when she's in power, dealing with them is just a matter of a word.
"Yeah, she's so vengeful."
"Those people who used to be in the Imperial Palace, and Mingxia who didn't get along with her, their faces are all ruined..."
Greensleeves, who was talking to herself, shuddered.
She said repeatedly, "Forget it, forget it. I don't think she'll stay in this west room for long anyway, so why should I offend her?"
Green Sleeves, who figured it out effortlessly, quickly went to the small kitchen to collect the food for the group.
Before she could even finish bringing the food back, she was assigned to run errands for the Imperial Household Department.
Huichun accompanied Lvxiu to the Imperial Household Department.
Yunzhu stayed behind to look after Azhu.
Upon arriving at the Imperial Household Department, the two explained their purpose and were led into the inner courtyard by a young eunuch in a blue robe when they heard screams coming from inside.
Huichun and Lüxiu lowered their heads in fright, not daring to utter a sound. The screams abruptly ceased, followed by a scolding voice—
"Who gave you the audacity to slander your master?!"
"You like to gossip, don't you?"
"Fine, may you have a few more mouths in your next life, so you can gossip to your heart's content."
"Look at this, everyone! This is what happens when you talk too much in the palace!"
While Grandpa Kang was making an example of Guifu outside, his godson Xiao Huizi was diligently serving Guifu inside the house.
There are no easy jobs in the palace.
It won't work if there's no one in charge.
Grand Eunuch Chen was only responsible for serving the Emperor, and he could stand firmly and impartially, but the others could not.
The person sitting in the position of Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Household Department naturally has countless connections with the inner palace.
Since Eunuch Kang revered the Kunning Palace, his faction naturally sided with it.
Guifu was a favorite of Prince Rui, so Xiao Huizi was naturally very attentive to him.
He bowed and served Guifu tea with a beaming smile.
"Sir, this is a newly acquired baby lark this year. Please take a look and appreciate it."
"Um."
Guifu lazily accepted the tea and said, "They're all cheapskates."
It's unclear whether she was cursing the palace servants outside or the fiery Fangling.
That night, Guifu, who had followed Prince Rui and tasted Fangling's flavor before throwing her into Taiye Pond, smiled contemptuously after savoring the memory for a moment.
"She was just a palace maid with a bad fate and little fortune."
"He himself accidentally drowned, and yet there are still blind fools who dare to spout nonsense about their master?"
When Fangling died, Eunuch Kang sighed and said: "Palace maids have lowly lives, so it is only natural for nobles to use them for their own amusement."
Even if someone dies from being messed with, what's wrong with talking about it openly?
Anyone who dares to speak out will be singled out and severely punished in front of everyone.
Here's the outcome; see who dares to say a word after this?
However, the Empress was so concerned about not letting the Crown Prince's reputation be implicated that she covered it up.
Otherwise, if this happens a few more times, eventually others will become numb to it, and then who will still care about this kind of thing?
It's just a common occurrence.
"It's fine that these lowly scoundrels are courting death, but they've made our Prince Rui unhappy for a few days."
Thinking of this, Guifu, looking displeased, threw down his teacup.
"Alright, I don't have time to listen to these ungrateful, unlucky bastards who are neither alive nor dead."
"Has the enamel-painted tea set that our prince requested been fired yet?"
"This, this..." Xiao Huizi looked troubled.
With the Empress's doting affection and the Crown Prince's protection, Prince Rui, who gets whatever he wants, has seen all sorts of good things.
They naturally have very discerning tastes.
The enamelware is being produced under great pressure, and there can be no room for carelessness; it must be the finest of the finest.
The workers below are gritting their teeth and working desperately to finish the job.
Guifu, who had no desire to please his master, is now asking for it half a month in advance.
"Hmm?" Seeing Xiao Huizi stammering and not answering, Guifu's face darkened: "You scoundrel!"
"You dare to evade the matter of Prince Rui!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Huizi almost knelt down before Guifu.
"Eunuch, as you know, the Imperial Household Department always handles matters of utmost importance for our Prince."
"However, this process of burning the enamel is indeed time-consuming."
"The workers below had bloodshot eyes from working so long; they ate and slept in the workshop, even sleeping in front of the kiln..."
Guifu didn't listen to any of this useless talk.
He snorted and said with a forced smile, "What, according to you, Eunuch, you want me to come all this way for nothing, and go back empty-handed to explain to my master?"
"What should we say when the master asks?"
"Take the people in the Imperial Household Department, for example. All they do is make excuses and complain all the time?"
Xiao Hui cursed Gui Fu in his heart.
Seeing Guifu's attitude, the young Hui man knew how difficult he was to deal with, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and think of a solution.
In a flash, Xiao Huizi remembered what Eunuch Kang had said after returning from the day of the palace selection—
Kang Gonggong never exaggerates.
If you receive a very positive comment from him, you must be one in a million among the best!
Xiao Huizi's eyes darted around, and a smile that was both flattering and confident naturally appeared on his face.
"Grandpa, what are you still searching for here?"
"That good stuff is already with Master, isn't it?"
A note from the author:
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Hugs to all the cuties.
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