Chapter 71: Shang Shi, did you dream about me?
Think about it, how many people can live in the side hall of Yanying Palace?
Yun Zhao not only lived there, but also lived very close - so close that she could hear Xiao Jinruo clearly if he shouted "Serve the food".
Although the Purple Palace is the emperor's bedroom, Xiao Jin most likely stays in the Yanying Palace where government affairs are handled.
However, today, everything seems abnormal.
At lunch time, it was not Yun Zhao who served the dishes, but a palace maid from the Food Bureau.
At afternoon tea, that familiar figure was still absent.
Xiao Jin finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked casually, "Yun Shangshi...still catching up on sleep?"
The serving maid knelt hurriedly and said, "Your Majesty, the chef... the chef is busy in the small kitchen and has not rested yet."
Zhang Fuan also felt something was wrong. He hadn't seen Yun Zhao show up all day. "Your Majesty, I'll go check on him. Perhaps the Imperial Food Bureau is busy with affairs and he can't spare time..."
"Forget it." Xiao Jin waved his hand and his gaze returned to the memorial, but he seemed absent-minded.
At dinner time, Yun Zhao was still nowhere to be seen.
Xiao Jin began to read at night. The people who served tea and took notes were replaced by other people in an orderly manner. The rules were in place, but there was a sense of coldness and strangeness everywhere.
The words on the memorial seemed to be jumping, and Xiao Jin pushed it away irritably.
The tea tasted bland, and he put it down with a frown. He glanced up and saw a eunuch with his belt slightly askew, and he immediately reprimanded him. His eyes swept over Zhang Fuan's jaw, and he said critically, "Zhang Fuan, your face... why haven't you cleaned it up? It looks like you have stubble!"
Zhang Fuan was stunned, feeling both amused and annoyed: He had been castrated and entered the palace for more than 30 years!
Your Majesty is clearly... unable to find any fault and is taking your anger out on everyone!
He bowed with a bitter face, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This servant... This servant will go wash my face right away! This servant... This servant will go find Yun Shangshi right away! Who knows, she might be developing a new midnight snack for Your Majesty? The taste of that Luoyu Cake last time..."
Xiao Jin was silent for a moment, and finally said "hmm".
Zhang Fuan retreated to the door as if he had been pardoned.
"Wait!" Xiao Jin suddenly stood up, his voice carrying a subtle hint of urgency and... awkwardness. "I'll go with you! She must be hiding somewhere, stealing delicious food and hiding it from me! Watch me... watch me catch her in the act!"
He seemed to have found a reasonable excuse and strode down the imperial steps.
Zhang Fuan quickly stepped aside to make way and followed closely behind. The two of them walked through the corridor and headed straight for the small kitchen.
The small kitchen was brightly lit, but there were only two palace maids on duty wiping the stove, and there was no sign of Yun Zhao.
Zhang Fuan's heart sank, and he asked anxiously, "Where's Yun Shangshi?!"
The maid knelt hurriedly and said, "Reporting to the steward, we are on duty tonight. The chef... the chef said he had gone to check on the newly purchased ingredients and asked us to stay here."
In the shadow of the corridor not far from the kitchen, Yun Zhao leaned against the cold pillar and shrank into deeper darkness.
She held her breath, listening to the clear conversation coming from the kitchen, her heart beating like a drum.
Seeing that even Xiao Jin came to find her in person, she didn't dare to move an inch, just hoping that they would leave quickly.
Xiao Jin took Zhang Fuan and turned to leave the small kitchen area.
Yun Zhao, who was hiding in the shadows, finally breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest gently: [Finally gone! Hurry up and sneak back to the side hall to rest for a while. We absolutely cannot see each other today!]
On the corridor ahead, Xiao Jin's footsteps suddenly stopped!
So she's nearby! And she's deliberately avoiding me?
A hint of understanding and displeasure flashed across Xiao Jin's eyes. Yun Zhao still didn't know that he could "hear" her thoughts.
Yun Zhao's inner voice was clear again: [Why did it stop again?! Hurry and leave! Today is not a good day for anything, especially not for meeting the emperor!]
Xiao Jin's face remained expressionless, but he did not move a step.
Zhang Fuan didn't understand what was going on and could only stand by with his hands hanging down.
Xiao Jin's eyes flashed slightly, and he suddenly changed his mind. He made a gesture to Zhang Fuan to keep quiet, and quietly pulled the old eunuch into the thicker shadows of the trees nearby.
Yun Zhao looked around and confirmed that there was no one around. Then he quickly jumped out from the shadow of the huge Langya Pillar like a frightened little rabbit and slipped back to his side hall like a thief.
Zhang Fuan was stunned and lowered his voice: "Your Majesty... Yun Shangshi, what is this...?"
Xiao Jin frowned, his eyes deep: "Go and check. Who did she meet today and what did she say." There must be a reason for this abnormal avoidance.
"Yes!" Zhang Fuan accepted the order.
…
It's late at night and everyone is asleep.
Yun Zhao was half asleep when she sensed movement in the room. She assumed it was Xiao Tao, who was on night watch, and mumbled, "Xiao Tao... I'm thirsty... Pour me a cup of herbal tea..."
There was no response, but the sound of water pouring and footsteps approaching from afar could be clearly heard.
Yun Zhao was so sleepy that he couldn't open his eyes. He forced himself to sit up, reached out to take the teacup that was handed to him, and drank it all in one gulp.
She casually stuffed the empty cup back into the other person's hand, her voice heavy with sleepiness: "...I don't know what time it is...You should go and rest too...His Majesty's morning tea tomorrow morning...Follow the order I wrote...Don't make any mistakes..." She reminded habitually.
Still no one answered. Yun Zhao felt a little strange, but she was too sleepy to delve into it. "...What's wrong with you? You're so quiet...Did Sister Wu scold you?...I told you...to be patient...She's a tough-mouthed person with a soft heart...She always reminds me..." She spoke incoherently, her mind beginning to blur again.
The footsteps stopped beside the table.
Yun Zhao turned over, buried himself in the quilt, and said vaguely: "...I'm sleepy...I want to sleep...you can do as you please..." His voice gradually weakened.
In the darkness, Xiao Jin looked at the bulged quilt on the bed, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise slightly.
With the dim light coming in from the window, he saw that a corner of her quilt had slipped down at an angle.
He approached silently, lifted the quilt very gently, tucked the corners in for her carefully, and then quietly left the room.
…
Early the next morning.
Yun Zhao watched the small kitchen prepare breakfast, and just as he came out, he ran into Xiao Tao. She asked with concern, "Are you feeling better? Don't dwell on it, okay?"
Xiao Tao looked bewildered. "Shangshi, I'm in a good mood, right? I'm not dwelling on anything."
Yun Zhao was also stunned: "Then why didn't you say a word when you came to my room last night, poured me some water and covered me with the quilt?"
"Ah?" Xiao Tao's eyes widened. "Last night? I didn't go to your room! Shangshi, did you... dream about me?"
Yun Zhao froze in place instantly, his scalp going numb!
Not Xiaotao?!
Who else could it be who quietly sneaked into her room in the middle of the night, poured her water, and covered her with a blanket?!
A name struck my mind with a chilling thunder—Xiao Jin?!
Is he crazy?!
Great shock and an indescribable panic gripped her!
No! I must continue to disappear today!
She needs to observe carefully what His Majesty the Emperor is trying to do!
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