Chapter 3 The Legendary Beauty Transformation— "Hiss—..."
In her panic and fear, Ah Zhu didn't notice any other sounds; she just ran for her life.
When people are afraid, they will subconsciously go to the place they are most familiar with.
With her mind blank, Ah Zhu ran all the way to the North Courtyard without stopping.
"Bang—!"
The door was kicked open, and even though they knew who it was, the people inside were still startled. They yelled at Ah Zhu, "Tch, who are you trying to scare in the middle of the night?"
There was no response.
Trembling, A-Zhu placed the bucket beside the bed, silently wrapped himself in the quilt, curled up into a ball, his mind filled with the image of that white, swollen hand under the moonlight.
She was trembling uncontrollably, her jaw chattering involuntarily, and tears streamed down her face in extreme fear.
Should we go and report to the nanny?
No, no... Someone died. We don't know who died, and even if it has nothing to do with her, there's no one to testify for her now.
There are too many innocent people who died unjustly in the palace.
Having been immersed in the palace for many years, even if she didn't want to admit it, A-Zhu knew very well that the lives of palace servants were as worthless as grass.
A dulled sense of reason, enveloped in a chilling aura, slowly seeped into A-Zhu's entire body.
She didn't want to die. She had barely survived until now, and she still had to go to the palace to be selected. She wanted to serve her master well. She was the most loyal person in the world... Her future was bright. She didn't want to be dragged out and imprisoned in the imperial prison, tortured into confessing, and have her body beaten to a pulp.
Ah Zhu gritted her teeth, letting the taste of blood fill her mouth.
She didn't see anything; she just went to fetch water. Yes, she just went to fetch water.
She needs to take a bath, she needs to apply medicine to get rid of the nickname "Black Charcoal Ball," yes, that's it.
Ah Zhu suddenly sat up, hurriedly rummaged through the cabinet, found the paper package, and quickly took it out.
By the light of the moon shining through the window, A-Zhu struggled to untie the short string binding the paper package, but her trembling hands shook so badly that she couldn't untie it at all, nor could she tear the oil paper.
On the verge of losing control, A-Zhu shoved the paper package into her mouth and tore at it fiercely with her teeth.
'Splash—'
The paper package was torn open, and the powder inside spilled all over Ah Zhu's hand, with most of it landing on the bed sheet.
Ah Zhu was still wearing her wet clothes when she hurriedly unbuttoned them and started applying powder to her face and body without a care in the world...
A-Zhu's impatient behavior seemed particularly comical to those unaware of the situation. Lian Shuang, who was watching this scene, almost burst out laughing, but she quickly buried her face in the blanket to hide her laughter.
Go ahead and apply it, but you'll suffer from the powdery residue of the seven-star leaf.
The back of these leaves is covered with a thin layer of white powder, which can cause pain and itching when it gets on the skin, and over time it can also cause redness and swelling.
The herbal powder was not easy to collect. During this period, almost all the palace servants in the inner palace collected some and put together this medicine packet.
It's really that Ah Zhu is such a fool. His smug look, as if he's just waiting to be chosen as the emperor's concubine, is too conspicuous and eye-catching, making everyone feel uneasy.
Some people just wanted to teach Ah Zhu a lesson and embarrass her.
Some people think more... After all, although everyone is mocking Ah Zhusheng for being dark-skinned, how dark can a normal person really be?
It was just to get back at Ah Zhu verbally and spite her. Besides, Ah Zhu was truly stunningly beautiful, visibly gorgeous.
What if she really is assigned to serve the master and win his favor?
After all, Ah Zhu was really good at flattering, and everyone else witnessed how he fawned over these aunts and nannies.
Even... there are many princes in the palace. If Ah Zhu were to encounter any of them, she would be incredibly lucky to rise to the top. This would infuriate everyone.
These seven-star leaves won't kill her, but if you use this much, it will definitely make her red, swollen, and itchy, and she won't recover for at least ten days to half a month.
With this interruption, no matter how much trouble A-Zhu tries, he won't be able to get his wish in this palace selection!
In no time, A-Zhu had applied the ointment to almost every part of her body that she could touch, but she still didn't stop.
The mechanical repetitive movements can be very distracting. Ah Zhu applied the ointment again and again until the itchy sensation interrupted her actions.
It felt like I was being stung by something, a painful and itchy sensation.
Gradually, A-Zhu's whole body started to itch; it was the kind of itch that made her want to dig her fingernails into her flesh.
A-Zhu subconsciously rolled up her clothes to wipe herself, when suddenly, an unusual, sharp pain came.
The pain came quickly and violently, and Ah Zhu couldn't even sit up. She fell heavily onto the dormitory bed with a 'thud'.
"Hmph—" A-Zhu's forehead veins bulged, and he squeezed out a whimper from his throat, a sound of extreme pain.
"Don't shout, don't shout, if you disturb the old woman, she'll be burned to death..." With only this one thought in her mind, A-Zhu stuffed the bed sheet into her mouth and bit down hard.
It's like a saw with sharp teeth sawing back and forth between bones, and a blunt sickle slowly cutting and weaving between skin and flesh.
The continuous, excruciating pain caused A-Zhu to weep uncontrollably. She writhed and struggled on the bed like a maggot, but she couldn't faint from the extreme pain. She began to sob incessantly.
Isn't this a bit too serious?
Ah Zhu's actions clearly surprised everyone.
Zhu Qing was the first to get up, unable to bear it any longer. She vaguely saw A Zhu lying by the window, wrapped in the quilt, sobbing and trembling.
The suppressed cries of pain seemed to be squeezed out of her throat, and she was trembling so violently, as if she were being skinned alive. The sight was horrifying—it was not the scene anyone had imagined.
They had imagined Ah Zhu writhing around like a monkey in pain and itchiness, and they had also envisioned her angrily cursing and swearing, but they never imagined she would turn out like this.
No one in the room could lie down anymore; they all sat up and looked at Ah Zhu.
Zhu Qing nudged Chun Yun beside her and stammered, "Isn't she...isn't she acting a little strange?"
Chunyun swallowed hard, her voice trembling involuntarily: "I... I don't know either. I've tried this herbal powder before, and at most it just makes you feel itchy."
"Is she using too much?"
Lian Shuang couldn't laugh anymore. Others would stop applying it if they felt itchy, but who would keep applying it like A-Zhu?
"It seems like she used up the whole packet of powder."
The group looked at each other, unable to explain themselves.
The colorful sparrow tried calling out a few times: "A-Zhu? A-Zhu, how are you right now?"
No one responded, and the person who had been huddled in the middle suddenly stopped moving.
This scene made everyone's hearts leap into their throats, and they all turned to look at Huixing, the bravest among them.
Huixing gritted her teeth, threw off the covers, pulled up her clothes, slipped on her shoes, and slowly moved closer to Azhu.
"A-Zhu?"
"A-Zhu, say something! Don't scare us."
Huixing called out to someone while tremblingly reaching out to lift the blanket, but the person under the blanket suddenly started shaking again.
!!
Huixing's hair was practically standing on end.
Startled, she let out a short "Ah!" and turned to run back to bed, wrapping herself in the blanket.
These actions were completed in the blink of an eye, and the others on the couch turned their heads to see that Huixing had already squeezed in between them.
"So what do we do now?"
The group looked at each other, none of them daring to go over.
"Or should we go see a doctor?"
"We're in the palace. If we want to find the imperial physician, the palace gates are probably already locked."
Moreover, given their status, they might die here before even a royal physician arrives.
"Go find Granny?"
That's a good idea, but the question is, who will go?
After all, in this palace, many things were clearly teaching them a lesson—if it doesn't concern you, not doing anything is a small mistake, but doing something is a big mistake.
The scene of Ah Zhu's nightmare and howling that night, which startled the nanny, and the nearly beating she received, is still vivid in my mind.
With the selection of a new emperor imminent, who would be willing to take the risk?
No one spoke.
"It's too late now. If we alert the old woman, things will get out of hand. Otherwise, we can report it as soon as it's light tomorrow."
"Well... that's fine too."
Then, only Ah Zhu's heavy breathing and barely audible sobs could be heard in the room. The others didn't dare to sleep and just sat there watching Ah Zhu struggle.
Time passed second by second. Half asleep, Ah Zhu's voice seemed to grow softer. Gradually, everyone became sleepy, snuggled together, and slowly fell asleep against the wall.
......
Every morning, the palace servants in the Yeting Palace had to clock in, and there were responsible nannies in the four courtyards of the east, west, south, and north to supervise them.
At this moment, Granny Yang looked at the group of people in the North Courtyard with a dark and gloomy expression.
"Where's A-Zhu? Why didn't she come?"
The others who shared a room with Ah Zhu didn't dare to breathe loudly.
Ah Zhu never acts with them. After all the commotion last night, the people in the west wing were late getting up this morning. They practically rushed over as soon as they opened their eyes.
Seeing that no one spoke, Granny Yang directly called on someone: "Zhuqing, you speak."
Zhu Qing was the most timid and easily frightened. When Granny Yang asked, she stammered, "A-Zhu is still in the room..."
Granny Yang frowned, her face darkening slightly: "Still inside?!"
"What is she doing alone in the house?!"
Zhu Qing shuddered in fright, her voice trembling with tears: "Last night, last night A-Zhu applied some Jade Maiden Powder to herself, and then she felt a little uncomfortable..."
Well, upon hearing this, Granny Yang was speechless for a moment. Clearly, even Granny Yang had heard about how A-Zhu had been trying to torment her skin all these years.
Looking at the palace maids below with their various expressions, Granny Yang sneered inwardly. Well, it's highly likely that something bad has happened.
Very well, with the selection of the emperor imminent, it is customary to make an example of someone.
"Come with me and take a look."
Granny Yang's eyes turned cold, clearly determined to use A-Zhu as an opportunity to give these palace servants one last good scolding, so that they would remember the lesson and never dare to repeat it.
"Don't think that no one will notice your little tricks."
"If anything really happens to A-Zhu, none of you will have a good time."
The last sentence made everyone uneasy. Ah Zhu, that annoying idiot, everyone just wanted to vent their anger, why is she the only one acting like she's going to die?
Regardless of what they were thinking, no one dared to speak at this moment. Everyone followed behind Granny Yang nervously toward the west room.
A note from the author:
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