02
A few days later, Si Mianmian's health improved, and she was able to get out of bed and walk around.
The weather was fine that day, and supported by Qiuhe, she strolled leisurely into the Imperial Garden. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on her moon-white skirt. She deliberately chose a secluded path, not wanting to cause any trouble.
However, before they had gone far, they heard a suppressed sob and a stern rebuke.
"Useless thing! You can't even do this little thing right! If Consort Liang were to blame you, how many heads would you have to chop off?"
Si Mianmian looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old eunuch scolding a young eunuch kneeling on the ground. Several soaked books were scattered on the ground. The young eunuch looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old and was trembling with fear, forgetting even to beg for mercy.
"What happened?" Si Mianmian stepped forward and asked in a gentle voice.
The old eunuch, seeing that it was the Ninth Princess, knew that she was out of favor, but still maintained proper etiquette. He quickly bowed and greeted her, but his tone was still somewhat disrespectful: "Your Highness, this little brat is clumsy and dropped the book that the Sixth Prince wanted to read into the pond. When he pulled it out, it was already in this state."
Si Mianmian's gaze fell on the several wet books, all of them classics like the *Analects* and *Records of the Grand Historian*, the pages soaked and the ink already somewhat blurred. A slight stirring ran through her heart. The Sixth Prince? In her memory, this sixth brother, Si Yujin, was the son of Consort Liang. He had been frail and sickly since childhood, with a quiet and reserved nature, almost invisible among the princes, unremarkable. Consort Liang seemed to have some background, but the original owner's memories were very vague about the specifics.
She crouched down, ignoring Qiuhe's hints of dissuasion, gently picked up a copy of "Records of the Grand Historian," carefully unfolded the soaked pages, and said softly to the little eunuch, "Don't be afraid, tell me, does Sixth Brother value this book highly?"
The young eunuch raised his tearful eyes and saw that Si Mianmian's eyes held no blame, only clear concern. He choked out, "Yes... His Highness the Sixth Prince has been studying these volumes recently and instructed me... I delivered them to Chonghua Palace... I deserve to die a thousand deaths..."
Si Mianmian sighed and said softly but clearly to the old eunuch, "Eunuch, the book is wet, and punishing him won't help. I just noticed that although the ink is blurred, the characters are still generally legible. I still have a little bit of Xuan paper left over from last year in my palace. Although it's not top-grade, it can be used to line the wet pages and carefully absorb the moisture, which might salvage the situation. If Sixth Brother blames me, I will say that it was an accident and I will not implicate you."
As she spoke, she turned to the young eunuch, took out her plain white handkerchief and handed it to him: "Quickly wipe your face. A man doesn't easily shed tears. Be more careful in the future."
The old eunuch was stunned. He had been in the palace for many years and was used to the sycophancy and bullying of the weak. This was the first time he had ever seen a princess take the initiative to take responsibility for a mere eunuch, especially the Ninth Princess, who was herself in dire straits. The young eunuch was even more grateful, accepting the faintly fragrant handkerchief with both hands, but dared not use it, and only kept kowtowing.
"This...how can this be..." The old eunuch's tone softened.
"Alright." Si Mianmian smiled slightly, a smile that appeared particularly fragile and sincere in the sunlight. "Please trouble you, Father-in-law, to deliver the book to Zhuixia Pavilion. I'll try it myself. Qiuhe, go and fetch my box of Xuan paper."
Qiu He hesitated for a moment, but eventually agreed and left.
A potential crisis was thus resolved with such ease by Si Mianmian. The old eunuch became much more respectful, personally carrying the book and following Si Mianmian towards Zhuixia Pavilion.
Survival Handbook Rule #2: Offering help in times of need is far better than adding to someone's success. Small acts of kindness shown to others in times of distress often bring unexpected benefits later on.
However, Si Mianmian did not notice that behind the artificial hill not far away, a cold gaze had taken in everything.
Si Yujin was unusually in good spirits today and had intended to go for a walk, only to witness the scene from earlier. He was wearing a slightly worn, moon-white robe, his figure slender, his face somewhat pale, but his eyes held a calmness beyond his years. He watched as the rumored timid Ninth Sister quelled the situation with a few words, taking the blame upon herself—her demeanor delicate, yet her methods seasoned.
A barely perceptible curve appeared at the corner of his lips, carrying a hint of amusement and a touch of inquiry.
This ninth sister seems to have changed somewhat after falling into the water.
Like a delicate marionette suddenly imbued with a soul. Interesting.
The book was sent to Zhuixia Pavilion, where Si Mianmian personally took care of it. She wasn't particularly skilled at restoring ancient books, but her strength lay in her patience and meticulousness. She carefully absorbed the excess moisture page by page with Xuan paper, her movements gentle and her expression focused. Consort Wen watched from the side, feeling both distressed and puzzled, but she didn't ask any questions, simply helping out.
After about an hour, although the pages were still wrinkled, they stopped dripping water, and the ink had basically settled.
Just then, a palace servant announced, "His Highness the Sixth Prince has arrived."
Si Mianmian's heart stirred, and she put down her work to go out and greet him. She saw Si Yujin standing in the courtyard, the sunlight casting a pale gold hue on his pale face. He stood there quietly, like a fragile jade statue.
"Sixth Brother." Si Mianmian gave a slight curtsy, her voice carrying just the right amount of timidity and unease, "Mianmian was just about to apologize to Sixth Brother, I accidentally..."
“It’s alright,” Si Yujin said, his voice clear and sharp, like jade striking against jade, interrupting her. His gaze swept past her, landing on the several carefully arranged books on the table in the room, and he slowly walked over.
He stretched out his slender fingers and gently brushed the edge of the book's pages, the movement carrying a natural and tender appreciation.
"Well handled." He raised his eyes and looked at Si Mianmian, his gaze calm and unwavering. "Thank you for your help, Ninth Sister."
Si Mianmian lowered her head slightly, her long eyelashes trembling: "It's good that Sixth Brother doesn't blame me. It's just that this book... I'm afraid I can't read it anymore. Mianmian will try to find a new set to compensate Sixth Brother another day."
Si Yujin shook his head, picked up the copy of "Records of the Grand Historian," and turned to the most heavily soaked page, the section in "The Annals of Xiang Yu" describing the siege of Gaixia. He pointed to a slightly blurred spot in the ink and said softly, "Here, 'His strength uprooted mountains, his spirit covered the world,' the word 'world' may be blurred, but the spirit remains. Sometimes, imperfection is also a kind of beauty, making people remember what it looked like when it was intact."
His words seemed to be a discussion of books, but also seemed to have a hidden meaning.
A slight alarm bell rang in Si Mianmian's heart, but her face remained that of a weak and puzzled person. She simply nodded blankly and said, "Sixth Brother's words are profound, and Mianmian doesn't quite understand. Mianmian only knows that the book is good and should be cherished."
Si Yujin gave her a deep look, his gaze seemingly piercing through her carefully crafted facade and reaching the depths of her soul. However, he only glanced at her before withdrawing his gaze and saying calmly, "Ninth Sister is kind-hearted, which is very good. I will remember your kindness today."
After saying that, he nodded slightly, turned and left. His back view, under the warm spring sun, exuded a sense of isolation and loneliness.
Si Mianmian gazed in the direction he had left and gently clenched the hand hidden in her sleeve.
This NPC "brother" doesn't seem as simple and harmless as he appears. He's like an ancient well, calm on the surface but unfathomable in its depths.
However, within this deep palace, who isn't wearing a mask and acting? Having more "allies" is always better than having more enemies.
She turned and went back into the house, her gaze falling on the tattered books, but her thoughts had already drifted far away. Consort Liang, Chonghua Palace, the frail and sickly sixth prince… the waters of this palace were indeed much deeper than she had imagined.
Survival Handbook Note: Never easily trust anything that appears weak. A lurking dragon is often more dangerous than a tiger baring its fangs.
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