Chapter 10 Chapter Ten

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Passing by the Department of Imperial Garments, Hanyue noticed several palace maids like delicate orioles trailing behind, carrying rolls of fine silk and satin. They said these were a few finished pieces made by the most skilled aunt for the princess.

The palace maids were young and had struggled to secure this favorable task. Knowing Hanyue was the chief maid to Princess Rongzhao, they looked at her with starry eyes, eagerly hoping for a favor.

Hanyue understood their meaning and took out some silver coins to share with them. Seeing that the princess ahead had already disappeared from sight, she quickly declined further interaction and took her leave.

She was not fond of idle chatter with outsiders, but having grown up alongside the princess in the palace, she knew well how these noisy maids could play crucial roles in subtle ways. For the princess’s sake, she could not afford to make enemies of them.

Two attendants, both fair-skinned and clearly unaccustomed to heavy labor, had been carrying boxes for only a short while when their legs trembled under the weight, unable to keep pace with the princess.

Just as they were about to set down their load and take a brief rest, Hanyue took the initiative and led them toward the direction of Fengming Palace.

Ordinary people dared not tread that path, and even if an unwitting soul did, none would dare to cause trouble for anyone connected to the princess’s household on the former site of the Empress’s residence.

Everyone knew that was a forbidden zone within the Imperial Palace…

Though Hanyue’s round face made her look younger than she was, she always wore a stern expression. When her eyes fixed on someone, a palpable aura of lethal intent radiated outward, causing the two attendants to avoid speaking to her.

She strode swiftly, and the two struggling under their burdens were already breathless and coughing, with no energy left for idle chatter.

The three walked in silence until they saw an aging plaque etched with the characters “Fengming Palace.”

A narrow path leading outside the palace cut through the abandoned rear garden of Fengming Palace. The stone slabs were old and cracked, but scattered footprints showed recent passage.

Perhaps someone had just passed this way before them.

From not far off came faint voices, mingled with sharp reprimands that were unpleasant to the ear, followed by crisp sounds intertwined with the wind.

It did not sound like a conversation, but more like a master scolding an unruly servant.

Why did it seem like an illusion?

No new master had entered this part of the palace for ten years. The few who remained here only passed through and never lingered, much less openly reprimanded anyone.

Who was the disobedient servant this time?

The two young eunuchs had never set foot in this area before. Now, they held their breath, not daring to make a sound, afraid of witnessing something so gruesome it might bring calamity upon them.

They kept stealing glances at Hanyue’s expression. Seeing no intention to speak, they braced themselves and shuffled forward.

They stared blankly at a withered vine tree ahead, inching closer, wishing their ears could close like their eyes to avoid hearing what they should not.

Yet in this quiet courtyard, even a sparrow’s wingbeat was clear, let alone such loud noises—they could not ignore it.

Their hearts pounded like drums, hands gripping their yokes as if clutching life-saving straws, cold sweat pouring from their palms.

Having served long in the palace and worked their way up to serve the emperor directly, they naturally recognized the sound.

It was the crisp slap of a palm striking a cheek.

One blow after another, unrelenting, without pause or mercy.

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They were no longer afraid of being implicated; it was the ingrained terror that drenched them in sweat.

Hanyue stepped carefully to avoid the mossy edges of the stones, noticing two neat rows of footprints stamped evenly on the flat bricks. She placed her feet in the existing prints, walking close to the wall, her fingers casually sliding along the surface.

The lower part of the wall was cracked, the sharp fissures grazing her fingertips.

The deeper they went, the clearer the sharp sounds became.

At last, a crack allowed light through, offering a glimpse inside. Hanyue, uninterested in palace intrigues, glanced briefly—and her feet seemed rooted to the spot.

How could it be him?

Just half an hour ago, he stood obediently by the emperor’s side, radiant with promise.

The attendants, bent double under their burdens, watched Hanyue freeze and thought to let down their load and rest briefly.

When they took on this task, they never imagined these seemingly light boxes contained such weighty contents; it had nearly exhausted them.

“Follow this path out of the palace. If you meet the princess, tell her I was delayed on other business and will come out after a quick cup of tea,” Hanyue said without waiting for them to set down their burdens. She turned slightly to block the crack and tossed her entire money pouch to them, her face unreadable.

She did not want others to see the punished one’s humiliation.

One attendant weighed the pouch subtly but did not open it, pocketing it instead.

They said Princess Rongzhao was generous; this trip had not been in vain.

Without further thought, the two shouldered their load again, thank her happily for the reward, and promised to pass the message to the princess.

—

There were a few servants who swept Fengming Palace. Because the palace had long been uninhabited, they often shirked duties, gathering to gossip and pass the time.

“Isn’t that old eunuch Wang who served the emperor?” a slightly older maid recognized the old eunuch and sighed in surprise. “It’s rare to see him—go say something nice. Maybe we can get out of this ruin.”

Though Fengming Palace was quiet, it brought no benefits. She envied the maids near the emperor, who, though junior, earned rewards for their work, unlike her, stuck in this desolate cold palace with no end in sight.

“Oh—can Sister Wang’s methods be tolerated? Do you still want to marry and leave the palace?” another shuddered at the thought.

Just looking at how cruelly he disciplined people was enough to break ordinary folk. The man kneeling before him was living proof.

When he entered, he looked dignified and composed; now half his face was a dark red, with hideous vertical scars from jaw to nose, swollen and bruised.

The skin near his temples was mottled purple and black with bruises.

Wang Qian’s face twisted in mockery, his eyes flicking contemptuously toward Yun Ting. “I was to have you serve the emperor for a time, but you forgot your place so quickly. No need to show your face at court anymore.”

Yun Ting seemed deaf to this, enduring the continuous slaps to his own face.

Blood trickled from his lips, winding down his chin and hanging at the jawline.

Wang Qian showed no sign of stopping.

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“Who dares make a scene in the Empress’s palace?” A cold female voice rose, carrying the chill of melting snow in the twelfth lunar month. It swept through the desolate courtyard like a cold wind, drawing everyone’s attention.

—

Hanyue stepped over the scarred threshold, kicking a small stone off the step.

The fist-sized pentagonal stone grazed Wang Qian’s official hat, tilting its brim, then flew through the paper window of the outer hall, striking the wall behind the maids and leaving a faint dent.

The stone landed on the brick floor with a sharp, unmistakable sound.

Hanyue wore a sharp, narrow-collared outfit, cinched at the waist with a black sash about the width of a palm. Her bare-colored wrist guards wrapped the subtle contours of her forearms with neat precision.

The maids, caught eavesdropping by the wall, were startled and scattered like frightened birds, retreating inside and no longer daring to peek from the windowsill.

Wang Qian composed himself calmly, tugging at his attire and forcing a wrinkled smile. “This must be Miss Hanyue, the princess’s attendant.”

At last, he lifted his head, revealing extensive burn scars on the right side of his face, the uneven surface marked by catlike scratches.

Whenever he made a large expression, the skin beneath seemed to crawl with countless wriggling worms.

“Eunuch Wang is too kind.” During the time when Qingwu resided at Fengming Palace, Wang Qian was the most favored senior eunuch by the emperor. Later, he won merit protecting the dragon during a rebellion and was granted a scroll praising his “undivided loyalty,” enjoying immense honor.

Perhaps due to age, he had recently become more lenient, sending his subordinate eunuchs to serve the emperor. Yet behind the scenes, his true nature revealed itself.

Truly, it is easier to change a kingdom than one’s nature.

Hanyue was not fazed by his ghastly appearance. She looked at Wang Qian unemotionally. “The princess entered the palace today to accompany His Majesty. She may wish to visit the Empress’s palace. If you make such a ruckus, and the princess happens to see it…”

She did not spare a glance at Yun Ting kneeling on the ground, as if she held the princess’s orders and was sent ahead to scout.

Wang Qian pondered for a moment, then smoothly replied, “With such a condition, it is indeed inappropriate to trouble the princess. Please give her my respects, miss.”

“Of course,” Hanyue stepped aside with an air of yielding the way.

Wang Qian glanced at Yun Ting. Without emotion, Hanyue said, “I am a plain person. When His Majesty rewarded gifts, this little eunuch was present, so I asked him to help keep count for the princess.”

She spoke little and directly.

“If the princess favors him, it will be his good fortune.” Wang Qian’s smile remained, but his eyes stabbed at Yun Ting like knives.

No one knew that after the Empress’s passing, he had frequented the princess’s mansion daily, only to be cold-shouldered. The medicinal supplements he sent were quickly given to servants, with instructions to stop flattering her.

Yet this little wretch had already ingratiated himself with the princess after just a few days at court?

Wang Qian cracked his dry knuckles audibly. Were it not for Hanyue’s presence, he would have lunged at Yun Ting to tear that troublesome scholarly face apart.

“Eunuch Wang, please take your leave.” Hanyue’s tone was indifferent, yet it conveyed a clear message of dismissal.

Wang Qian swallowed his rage and stomped heavily on the stone floor.