Chapter 26 Eunuch Chen: You fool, how dare you call me A-Zhu? ^^……
Seeing that A-Zhu was about to leave, Prince Rui instinctively tried to stop her, but the Crown Prince shifted his body and blocked her way.
"When you were resting some time ago, your mother was very worried."
The Crown Prince, now calmer, softened his voice: "Just now, the Empress Dowager told me that you are getting on in years and it is time for you to settle down and start a family."
"Next year is the year of the general election. Your father will choose a lady from a prominent family to marry you, and after your marriage, you will enter the court..."
Prince Rui stopped laughing.
The gentler the prince's expression, the more gloomy his eyes became.
Every word uttered by the Crown Prince felt like it was pierced by needles, causing Prince Rui pain—Yin Mingyun was only born a few years earlier than him, yet he had everything and was blessed with happiness.
And him? He couldn't even, couldn't even, get close to someone! He couldn't! He couldn't!!!
Looking at the Crown Prince in front of him, who kept talking about wanting him to get married, Prince Rui felt that the Crown Prince actually knew everything, and even every word he said was full of condescending sarcasm.
At that moment, he felt as if his pants had been pulled down in public, and the Crown Prince was deliberately humiliating, mocking, and ridiculing him...
It felt as if a thousand-pound weight was pressing down on his neck; Prince Rui's head slowly drooped, and his eyes gradually became somewhat distorted.
Seeing Prince Rui with his head bowed, the Crown Prince, who had been speaking, paused slightly: "Mingzhen?"
Unexpectedly, the Prince Rui left without saying a word.
The crown prince, looking somewhat bewildered, was left standing on the viewing platform.
The crown prince slowly closed his eyes, pinching his brow in exasperation and a terrible headache.
When he was young, Prince Rui was very attached to him. Even when he was taking medicine, he would want him to be with him. He would even shed tears when he couldn't see him.
But now... the Crown Prince would certainly not kill his own brother for the sake of a nameless and dead palace maid, but such brutal and humiliating behavior is really not the right way.
In the past, the crown prince was always afraid that if he interfered too much, his younger brother would be displeased, and that the two brothers would become estranged.
But seeing Prince Rui's figure disappear without turning his head, the Crown Prince's face was extremely gloomy.
"Go and investigate the people serving Mingzhen."
"We must thoroughly and clearly investigate how they deceived and instigated Prince Rui to go astray."
Hearing the Crown Prince's instructions, Chang Shun hesitated, after all, Prince Rui's temperament had always been the most sensitive and awkward.
In fact, he has become even more capricious in the last two years.
If Prince Rui knew that His Highness was secretly investigating the people around him, he would probably... But seeing the Crown Prince's cold and solemn expression, clearly he was serious, Chang Shun didn't dare to say anything more. He just lowered his head and hurriedly replied, "Yes."
***
Carrying a large pile of things, A-Zhu returned to Kunning Palace without realizing it. As soon as she got back, she went into the small kitchen to get busy.
Those jobs involving the Emperor were naturally taken very seriously, and no one dared to be careless in the slightest.
Moreover, there were also the Empress's orders... but Ah Zhu alone asked for another bucket of bathwater.
Upon hearing this news, the palace servants in the small kitchen and the tea room exchanged glances rapidly.
Even the Empress Wang in the inner palace was somewhat surprised. It was true that she wanted to push A-Zhu onto the dragon bed, but wasn't A-Zhu being a little too hasty?
Moreover, Emperor Xuanpei was a man of strong character, and Empress Wang hadn't yet had enough of experiencing his temperament.
Normally, he preferred to stay in the eerily quiet Hanyuan Hall to handle state affairs. Once inside, the rules were so strict that they were almost painful to behold.
But after thinking about it, Empress Wang didn't stop A-Zhu—
In this palace, whenever Empress Wang was so angered by Consort Zhang that her internal organs were burning and her heart was aching, she never harbored any resentment towards Emperor Xuanpei.
As for Ah Zhu... as long as she doesn't die or get disfigured, anyone would be tempted to try her out.
Empress Wang regretted not being able to go to Hanyuan Hall with them so she could personally see that pretty fool, Azhu. When he blindly stumbled in, they always maintained their proper decorum, making people grit their teeth. What kind of expression could the Emperor, who seemed unfazed even when the sky was falling, possibly have?
With Empress Wang's tacit approval, A-Zhu found it increasingly easier to operate within the Kunning Palace.
When hot water was suddenly delivered to the small kitchen, the people in the west room were slightly taken aback, but they were also quite curious.
Yunzhu was the first to break down in her words. She looked at Azhu and hesitated before saying, "Azhu, what's wrong with you...?"
Ah Zhu nodded generously.
"Yes, I'm going to deliver the snacks to the Emperor later, so I must be absolutely sure that nothing goes wrong."
Green Sleeve and Huichun exchanged a glance.
Huichun's expression held a hint of worry: "Azhu, it would be better if His Majesty were in Kunning Palace."
"But Hanyuan Hall is where His Majesty handles state affairs. If you... if you act rashly..."
Green Sleeves was sweating bullets for Ah Zhu, who was so reckless and fearless.
"Yes, Ah Zhu, if something happens to you rashly, there will be no one in the Emperor's court who can help you."
Seeing the worried expressions on the three people's faces, Ah Zhu, who was actually a little flustered, suppressed her fear and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Seeing that A-Zhu's face was actually a little flustered, Yunzhu couldn't help but say something more, but Huichun gently pulled her hand.
Ah Zhu probably knows better than anyone else what she's doing.
The path she's determined to take is one that they can only watch, not block.
"The matter before the Emperor is of utmost importance, and there can be no carelessness..." After a moment of silence, Green Sleeves looked at the hot water with a vacant gaze, "A-Zhu, you should wash up and get ready."
After saying that, Green Sleeves went out of the house first, followed by Hye-joo and Yun-joo.
"A-Zhu, if there's anything we can help with, just let us know."
Huichun nodded and continued Yunzhu's words, "We can't help you much in other ways, but if several of us work together, we can still put in some effort."
Ah Zhu thanked them.
Seeing the group leave the room and lean against the bath tub, A-Zhu rubbed her head, looking somewhat worried. In the past, when the palace maids crowded into the large pool to bathe, she hadn't felt anything was wrong.
But now, if she were to wash alone, with other people in the house watching... just thinking about it made her feel uncomfortable.
But in the future, there will likely be many more tasks like this, serving the master.
These days, the relationship between the people in the west room is very harmonious. Whenever Ah Zhu gets something good, he doesn't forget to bring some back with him... But it would be too unfair to trouble someone to go out every time.
After much thought, Ah Zhu could come up with a good idea for the time being.
In the end, she could only plan to wait until she finished this errand and returned, then spend some money to hire the kitchen staff to prepare some good dishes. As for the future... she would think about it some more.
***
At dusk.
The sky was like a layer of colorful silk, with gold and silver-red intertwined, and the clouds swirling and winding down with the breeze toward the horizon.
As Eunuch Chen, who was waiting outside the palace, was looking up at the clouds that were swirling with golden silk in the sky, Fu Hai's voice came from the side.
"Steward, someone's here."
Chen Gonggong, who was originally looking at the horizon, lowered his gaze and saw the figure walking towards Hanyuan Hall in the afterglow of the setting sun.
That was… Eunuch Chen subconsciously rubbed his eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, she could clearly see the person approaching her; it was Jiang Zhu.
Eunuch Chen quickly stepped forward to greet him.
Before Ah Zhu could even get close, he immediately curtsied and greeted him.
"This servant greets Steward Chen."
Eunuch Chen suddenly turned aside, avoiding A-Zhu's bow.
“Miss, you’re being too polite.” Chen Gonggong responded with a smile, extending his hand but not daring to touch A-Zhu at all. He merely gave her a perfunctory gesture to help her up.
Seeing Ah Zhu straighten up, Eunuch Chen smiled and looked at the food box in Ah Zhu's hand, feigning ignorance, "Miss Ah Zhu, what is this...?"
"The lotus dew in early summer is the freshest. Her Majesty the Empress specially ordered us to collect some lotus dew, brew tea and make some tea snacks, thinking that His Majesty could taste the freshness."
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Chen couldn't help but glance at A-Zhu and the food box, clicking his tongue inwardly.
Try it
Which new experience does the Empress want the Emperor to try?
While Chen Gonggong was muttering to himself, he smiled and nodded at Azhu, "I see."
"Please wait here for a moment, Miss Azhu, while I go in and inform them."
"Thank you for your help, Steward."
Seeing that Chief Steward Chen was surprisingly easy to talk to, Ah Zhu, who thought the Empress had a lot of influence, was finally less flustered.
However, she still gripped the handle of the food box tightly, her eyes lowered, waiting there without looking to the side to receive instructions.
Fu Hai, who was waiting outside the hall, couldn't help but steal a few more glances at A Zhu.
Previously, it was Fu Hai who personally inquired about A Zhu's whereabouts, and even Fu Hai couldn't help but sigh a few times for her because of her status as a sinner.
Unexpectedly, I saw her here again in the blink of an eye.
As Fu Hai was pondering this, Eunuch Chen came out of the hall. He smiled, turned slightly to the side, and gestured for A Zhu to enter the hall: "Miss A Zhu, please."
Seeing that she wasn't easily dismissed, Ah Zhu, both happy and nervous, tried to calm herself down.
"Thank you, Steward."
"You're too kind, young lady."
With a smile on his face, Eunuch Chen watched A-Zhu enter the palace.
Once the palace doors were closed by the eunuchs on either side, Fu Hai couldn't help but lean closer and whisper to Eunuch Chen, "Chief Eunuch, isn't this A-Zhu...?"
"Smack!"
Before Fu Hai could finish speaking, he was slapped across the head.
"You fool!"
After slapping Fu Hai, Eunuch Chen glared at him and scolded, "How dare you call me 'A-Zhu' like that, you little brat?"
Fu Hai immediately realized what was going on.
As he awkwardly covered his head and stepped aside, he couldn't help but pat his mouth repeatedly—he was truly bewitched; how could he have become so confused by looking at people?
A note from the author:
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Here it comes, here it comes, the VIP content... *sigh* I don't want to bother the editor since I might not have enough favorites. Let's see how things go next week.
*pat pat* I've accumulated several memorable scenes from the Emperor's story, and writing them was so much fun (I just love melodramatic plots, I can't shake that habit). I hope you all enjoy reading them. Thank you for your support, my darlings! *mwah*
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