Chapter 20 With the addition of servants, Eighth Master watched the inner chambers by candlelight that evening…
That evening, the Eighth Prince reviewed the accounts and records of the Imperial Household Department by candlelight. He had been the head of the department for several years and had a wide network of connections, so nothing in the palace could escape his notice. For example, the Emperor had recently been frequently bestowing gifts upon Xian'an Palace; others might not have noticed, but he already knew.
Therefore, the Eighth Prince began to investigate the affairs of Xian'an Palace. Of course, in order to avoid suspicion, he also took the account books of the other princes' food, clothing and daily necessities. However, after looking through them, he found nothing special, which made him somewhat discouraged.
During the spring equinox this year, he, along with the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince, followed behind the Emperor to offer sacrifices to the sun god. Their positions were only one step behind the Crown Prince's in previous years, but if they moved forward even slightly, they would be second only to the Emperor, which filled him with a sense of pride and ambition.
Moreover, starting this year, the eldest brother, Prince Zhi, has been lacking in ability. He was not even able to attend the Spring Equinox sacrifice, and was only in charge of security on one side of the road to the Temple of the Sun. The third brother, Prince Cheng, did get a job first, but it was only to write the sacrificial proclamation with the official in charge of rites. On the day he entered, he stood with the official in charge of rites.
The Eighth Prince wondered, "These two elder brothers must be out of the running for Crown Prince. So who will become Crown Prince?" To be honest, he didn't care about the others, such as the Fifth and Seventh Princes, but he couldn't figure out the Fourth Prince's intentions at all. The Fourth Prince had always followed the Crown Prince; didn't he have any other thoughts? Thinking about this, was the Fourth Prince's mention of the Crown Prince on the Emperor's birthday a test or was he sincere? The Eighth Prince was lost in thought.
He didn't know about others, but he clearly sensed his own ambition. Perhaps at first he only wanted to stand out and make a name for himself, but now he had a greater desire. He was no longer content to be just a foot soldier by the Prince's side; he wanted to be ahead of everyone else!
But there is indeed one uncertain matter at the moment, and that is the deposed crown prince. The emperor still has some fatherly affection for the deposed crown prince. After all, he was personally raised by the emperor and was established as crown prince from infancy!
Eighth Prince frowned. What if the deposed crown prince rose again? Wouldn't the Prince of Zhi also rise up to maintain balance in the court? Wouldn't that mean he'd never have a chance to rise again? Only when the previous ones fell would he have a chance.
"My lord, it's so late, why are you still in the study?" Just then, the Eighth Prince's wife, Lady Guo Luoluo, entered with her entourage. She was a woman with raised eyebrows and a straightforward manner. As soon as she entered the Eighth Prince's mansion, she became the de facto mistress of the house, and she could enter the important study at will.
Eighth Prince was known as a kind-hearted man outside, and everyone said he was easy to talk to and had no temper. But at home, he preferred someone like Lady Guoluo, especially enjoying watching her act like a master. As husband and wife, they seemed to become one, and he seemed to have gained a bit more of a master's authority. Eighth Prince smiled when he saw the palace maid behind her carrying a food box, "Thinking about things, you get so engrossed in them."
Guo Luoluo came over and personally placed a bowl of dried scallop and silver thread soup next to him. "Thinking about things is the most tiring thing. Your Highness, have some soup, otherwise you won't be able to sleep at night because you're hungry."
Eighth Master readily accepted the spoon and began to drink the soup.
Standing there, Lady Guoluo immediately noticed the various account books on the desk, all marked with the names of the princes. Thinking that the Eighth Prince wanted to win over a few more brothers, she said, "The princes' affairs are both big and small, but none of them are easy. Not only can they not make mistakes in their own food, clothing, and daily necessities, but after they get married, we also have to consider the wives and princesses."
These words served as a wake-up call for Eighth Master. His smile froze on his face, and he abruptly put down the soup bowl and began searching. Before long, he found what he wanted to read, quickly skimming through it, turning to the next page with a smile and flicking the page with his finger.
Guo Luoluo didn't know what was wrong with him, and looked over in confusion, startled. Eighth Master then said, "You really are my lucky star." His eyes narrowed involuntarily.
If you can find a crack in the crack, you might be able to get some information out of it.
——
Cheng Qianyue suddenly needed more servants. She only realized she was actually short-staffed after Chen Heyi told her. According to the rules, she should have two personal maids and one eunuch to relay messages.
Chen He said, "The people from the Imperial Household Department said that they are busy in the spring, there are many festivals in the first month, the imperial concubine selection is in February, and the Emperor's birthday is in March. That's why they only sent Ruoyun to serve you. Now that their manpower has been allocated, they would like to ask if you would like to add someone to serve you, and what kind of person you would like to add."
Cheng Qianyue was about to say "whatever" when she suddenly realized she was surprised that Chen He was the one who told her this, so she asked, "What does Eunuch Chen think?"
Chen He smiled and said, "Princess, if I may be so worried, these are turbulent times, and I always feel uneasy about people from outside who don't know anything coming in."
Cheng Qianyue didn't know what he was worried about, but she felt it was better to avoid trouble, so she replied, "Then forget it. Actually, it's fine for me to have Ruoyun." She didn't have much to do to begin with, and if Ruoyun was too busy, she could just ask the group of servants in the back for help.
Seeing that she had misunderstood him, Chen He said softly, "Gege lives in the front, so naturally you don't have to worry about anything. However, it's not enough to have only one palace maid by your side. Why don't you choose another eunuch? It will be more convenient for you to relay messages and meals."
Cheng Qianyue looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Seeing that she still didn't understand, Chen He had to explain more clearly: "Actually, this servant has already found someone, but I don't know if you would be willing to use him."
Cheng Qianyue suddenly realized. Oh, so they had already thought of that for her. She asked, "Who is it?" Could it be one of the eunuchs in the front courtyard?
When Chen Heyi said that, she was somewhat surprised. Chen Heyi tentatively asked, "I wonder if you still remember that kid Lin Quan'an?"
Cheng Qianyue certainly remembered that she had risked her life to save him. Lin Quan'an had been badly beaten back then, and she later heard that he had been moved outside the palace to recuperate. She immediately asked, "How could it be him? Has he recovered?"
Seeing that she was still quite concerned, Chen He replied, "He's fully recovered after a month of recuperation outside. This boy is now extremely grateful to you, Princess. Hearing that you needed someone by your side, he asked me to inquire, hoping to serve you. I just don't know what you think, Princess."
Cheng Qianyue's meaning...
She pursed her lips and asked softly, "Is he still willing to come back? Does he know that I live in the front yard now?" This is too strange. Lin Quan'an was beaten up like that before, and he still wants to come back. Isn't he afraid?
Chen He lowered his eyes and a slow smile crept onto his lips. "Of course he'd like to come back."
Cheng Qianyue thought for a while. Since Lin Quan'an wanted to come back and even asked Chen He to plead on his behalf, she decided not to worry about anything else and said, "Then let's call him over."
Chen He agreed and brought Lin Quan'an in a few days later. Cheng Qianyue hadn't seen him for over a month and barely recognized him at first glance, as he had become a skinny bamboo pole, half a head shorter than before.
As soon as Lin Quan'an entered, he knelt down on the ground with a thud, his head hitting the ground repeatedly, and said loudly, "This servant greets the princess and thanks the princess for her great kindness and virtue."
Cheng Qianyue had never received such a grand gesture before, and was startled by his words. She quickly said, "Oh dear, get up, get up." She then gestured for Ruoyun to help her up.
Lin Quan'an didn't dare let Ruoyun touch him at all. He scrambled to his feet, his eyes lowered and his head half-raised, revealing a pale, bloodless face.
Chen He said, "This servant has other matters to attend to outside, so I won't disturb the conversation between the princess and her servant any longer." With that, he left. As soon as he left, Cheng Qianyue felt much more relaxed and hurriedly asked Ruoyun to bring a small stool for Lin Quan'an to sit on. She didn't ask Lin Quan'an why he was willing to come back, but only said, "Your face is still pale. Don't rush to do anything these few days. Wait until you've recovered before we talk about it."
Lin Quan'an's eyes reddened upon hearing this, and he felt no regret for his choice. He slid off the stool and knelt down again, saying, "This servant thanks Your Highness for your grace."
As evening approached, Ruoyun returned with the meal. Instead of going directly to her own room, she turned and went to Lin Quan'an's room. Lin Quan'an was tidying up when she saw Ruoyun come in and quickly took the food box from her, saying, "Sister, you've gone to so much trouble. This kind of work is what I should do."
Ruoyun didn't stop him and helped him set out the food, saying, "Now that Master is away from Gege, he needs Gege to accompany him eight out of ten times a day at mealtimes, so most of Gege's original meals are now for us." She placed a bowl of braised pork knuckle with rock sugar in front of Lin Quan'an and continued, "Gege specifically instructed that you look unwell, probably because you haven't fully recovered from your injuries while you were out, and that you should eat more meat."
Lin Quan'an agreed, and even though Cheng Qianyue wasn't in front of him, he still kowtowed in the direction of the main hall to express his gratitude. After standing up, he politely invited Ruoyun to sit down.
Seeing him like this, Ruoyun felt sorry for him and said, "Alright, we're all servants, so let's not be so formal. Hurry up and eat, I still have to serve the princess after I finish." She picked up her chopsticks and glanced vaguely at the backyard, "After you finish eating, clean up and tell Xiaoyingzi to take the bowls and chopsticks back to the kitchen."
At 3:45 PM, the palace gates were locked, and two quarters of an hour later, the lights in all the halls of Xian'an Palace were gradually turned off. Lin Quan'an, under the moonlight, walked to Chen He's residence with his hands hanging down. At this time, Chen He was soaking his feet. Without saying a word, he went up, knelt down next to the wooden tub, and reached out to wash Chen He's feet.
Chen He accepted Lin Quan'an's service with a clear conscience. After he had finished washing, he put his feet up on the edge of the tub and carefully observed Lin Quan'an's expression. He said, "Little Anzi, why did you do this? It would have been so much better working in the eunuchs' kitchen outside the palace. Why did you come back here to serve them?"
"Who wouldn't want to stand before their master? It's just that I'm too ambitious to serve those rough servants outside," Lin Quan'an said with a smile. "I'm sorry to trouble you to put in a good word for me in front of the princess. Thank you for your trouble, Grandpa."
Chen He said, "I wouldn't dare to take credit, mainly because Princess Cheng still remembers you."
Despite saying that, Lin Quan'an still expressed his gratitude, saying, "If it weren't for Grandpa's intervention with the Imperial Household Department, even if the princess remembered me, I wouldn't have been able to get in."
That's true. Wounded servants can't stay by their masters' side, and once a servant is sent back, it's difficult for them to come back, and they rarely have any other way out.
Chen He said, "You are loyal, so I will definitely think highly of you. I know everything you told me. If I find out who is playing tricks outside, you will have done a great service."
Lin Quan'an said yes, and helped him to bed before leaving. In the moonlight, he looked thin and pale, like a ghost. Lin Quan'an returned to his room but didn't rush to sleep. He sat on the edge of the bed and touched his face. He had been beaten and only saw the imperial physician that evening. The next morning, he was hastily moved out of Xian'an Palace and placed in a corner room of a courtyard in a hutong north of Jingshan Park. This courtyard was inhabited by lowly eunuchs who worked several shifts a day, and none of them were willing to take care of this unlucky fellow. Fortunately, Princess Cheng had left him a gold bracelet, and the people in the courtyard, out of consideration for the money, helped him get a doctor and medicine, and occasionally brought him food. That month was like being in hell; his physique and complexion deteriorated during that time.
But thank God, Lin Quan'an pulled through!
He couldn't help but clench his fists.
Someone outside was asking him about Xian'an Palace. What could he do if he didn't come back? He was just a lowly servant. If he got involved in the princes' affairs, he would die. So he had to find another way out.
He dared not approach the Second Prince, and the Princess Consort and the other concubines probably wouldn't pay him any attention either. So, after much thought, only Consort Cheng seemed kind-hearted, and perhaps he could get close to her. Now that he had his wish to serve Consort Cheng, serving her well was his only option. But he didn't regret it. He needed to recover quickly so he could serve the Consort, and ideally, let her know how devoted and indispensable he was!
A note from the author:
----------------------
I'm going to be more careful with my favorites, so I'll be taking a break tomorrow. Don't worry, my darlings, I'll be posting three chapters on the day it goes VIP, and then I'll be posting daily!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com