Chapter 2 Chapter One

The capital city in the early morning is a bustling and bustling scene.The vendors yelled hard, their rough faces full of yearning for life. Chen Xiang sat quietly in the car, her clasped hands were covered with sweat, and when she heard the noise outside, she couldn't help but quietly lifted a corner of the curtain to look out.A group of boys laughed and ran towards the sugar man shop in the distance.Not far away, a girl about Chen Xiang's age was performing acrobatics with the monkey.The acrobatics were dazzling, Chen Xiang thought it was quite interesting, and the curtain was opened a little bit more.Suddenly, the monkey rushed towards her baring its teeth and yelling, about to run over. Chen Xiang was so frightened that he quickly put down the curtain.

The nanny next to her coughed heavily at this moment, Chen Xiang flinched, and quickly sat upright. After walking for about a stick of incense, the noise outside the car gradually faded away.The sound of the hooves went from fast to slow, and finally stopped completely.The car curtain was lifted from the outside, and the bright sunlight penetrated into the dark compartment, hurting Chen Xiang's eyes. Chen Xiang took a deep breath to calm down his flustered heart. He got off the carriage without hesitation, and lined up with the other girls who entered the palace together. The eunuch of Shuli recorded at the side, and a young eunuch stood beside him and called out: "The daughter of Vice Governor Fei Yanggu, Fucha Xiuning, Manchuria with red flags; the daughter of General Shujie, Yehenara Jinchun, Manchuria Zhenglan Banner; Shangshu Marhan's daughter, Zhaojia Chenxiang, Manchuria Zhengbai Banner..."

Although he was mentally prepared, Chen Xiang couldn't help trembling when he heard his name being called out by this high-pitched voice.Looking up at the deep palace gate, she suddenly thought of the caged bird... In the Forbidden City in the morning light, the team entering the palace marched quietly like ants.After a series of strict and tedious inspections, Chen Xiang had her head cut off and changed into a palace dress. Together with other young maids, they followed an old eunuch with their heads down, passed through the Shenwu Gate, and turned into the palace corridor. road. "The palace is no better than the outside. If you do it well, the master's praise will naturally rise to the top; if you don't do it well, it is common for people to fall to the ground..."

The old eunuch walked in front, chattering.After talking for a long time, I found it meaningless, and suddenly turned around and flicked Chen Xiang's ear hard. "Does it hurt?" "It hurts." Chen Xiang lowered her head and answered in a low voice. "Why don't you cry when it hurts?" "Er Niang said before entering the palace that a hundred patiences will become gold, so I will bear it." Chen Xiang still replied in a low voice with tears in her eyes. "Oh, it's interesting. You, you are a smart..." Before the old eunuch could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by the sound of whips from a distance. The busy palace maids and eunuchs stopped their work and stood against the wall with their heads bowed.Before Chen Xiang understood what was going on, he had already been pushed aside. "Be quiet, avoid, stand against the wall."

Footsteps sounded from far to near, and soon passed behind.Chen Xiang glanced sideways secretly, and saw a few eunuchs carrying a tightly wrapped woman hurrying forward.It wasn't until they were far away that everyone turned around and got busy again. Seeing Chen Xiang's curious eyes, the old eunuch snorted coldly when passing by her side: "This is the ladder to climb to the sky. If you step over it, you will be a master. Be envious, but look at your temper, it's difficult..." Chen Xiang lowered her head, pretending she didn't hear it.The old eunuch continued to move forward, Chen Xiang and the maids followed.

She has never thought about whether it is climbing the ladder or becoming a human being. She only hopes to live here in peace until the day she leaves the palace at the age of twenty-five. "what--" Suddenly there was a shrill cry from the building in front, and the maids all looked sideways. "Whatever you look at, keep walking, and don't turn back. The rule in this palace is to be wise and protect yourself, and stay out of nosy affairs. Put more eyes and ears on everything, and less mouth. Otherwise, even the eighteenth hell will not be enough for you to go through." The old man said the eunuch sharply.The old eunuch was obviously used to this sudden scream.

At the entrance of the hall in the building, a cart covered with a mat was parked, with a pair of women's feet exposed. The maids were so frightened that they quickly bowed their heads and walked away.The little maid walking beside Chen Xiang trembled, suddenly slipped and fell down the steps.Chen Xiang hurriedly reached out to help, but was pulled down by her and fell to the ground.There was a sudden light in the ear, and I saw an emerald green bead bouncing and rolling down the steps. "Hey, the beads my mother-in-law gave me—" Chen Xiang stood up and ran forward quickly after the beads.

"Oh, don't run, don't run, you are not allowed to walk around in the palace—" With a sharp voice, he was reprimanding these little maids who didn't understand the rules, when he suddenly saw Chen Xiang leaving the team and running away quickly, the old eunuch was so anxious that his voice froze. He changed his tune, left everyone behind and chased after him. The earring bounced and rolled down the steps, and bounced into a door opening, Chen Xiang chased after him anxiously.Walking to a door, Chen Xiang finally saw her earballs lying quietly in a puddle of water at the door.

She knelt down and picked up the earrings. "Why are you so disobedient?" Chen Xiang reproached herself, took out a handkerchief and wiped it clean, stood up and looked around, suddenly at a loss. This is where? In front of me was a lonely and desolate yard, with overgrown passageways, dead branches covering the sky, cutting the sunlight into messy pieces, occasionally one or two hoarse calls of crows came from the dark corners.The old palace in front is a bit dilapidated, as if it has been in disrepair for a long time. Unlike the majestic palaces I saw just now, this place is more like...a prison!

Chen Xiang's heartbeat suddenly became flustered, and she didn't know how she could think of these two words.She swallowed her saliva and wanted to turn around and leave, but there seemed to be some kind of magical power in the palace, which firmly grasped her heart, making her involuntarily want to step forward to take a look. Stepping out of the control of reason, Chen Xiang walked to the gate of the building in the courtyard step by step, lying on the crack of the gate and looking inside.In the dark hall, there seemed to be something hanging. Suddenly, a pair of dark eyes appeared in the crack of the door.Chen Xiang froze there nervously, his eyes facing each other.

"You son of a bitch, let me find it easily!" She was about to open her mouth to shout, when the old eunuch suddenly appeared beside her, and a slap was already slapped heavily on her face.Chen Xiang was unprepared, her small body fell to the ground and rolled into the nearby puddle, and the other earring quietly fell to the ground. The old eunuch hurriedly dragged Chen Xiang out, muttering to himself: "You bastard, can you come in here casually?" "It's noisy." A cold voice sounded from behind the palace door, with a calm tone and no emotion.Following the sound, the closed palace door suddenly opened.The crows perched on the roof roared up, covering the sky and the sun. The old eunuch trembled in fright, the slap that should have landed on Chen Xiang's face again immediately turned around, slapped him hard on his face, and then hurriedly knelt down: "Damn this slave, this slave didn't mean to disturb Brother Thirteen, it's all Because of this little maid, that's why..." The wet clothes were stuck to the body, and it was freezing cold.But Chen Xiang could not feel the cold at this moment, just stood there in a daze, looking at the young man in black who was slowly walking out of the hall. When the wind picked up, it stirred the weeds and leaves in the yard, and spun around to the young man's feet. After a short pause, he immediately ran away in panic.The dead branches swayed, and a ray of morning light spilled through the gap, softly covering his tall and straight figure.Sword eyebrows staring eyes, nose hanging like courage, although a little green, but it can not hide his natural dignity and domineering.I don't know if it was her illusion, Chen Xiang suddenly found that there seemed to be a little sadness and loneliness hidden in his indifferent eyes. Frowning slightly, Yin Xiang coldly looked at this uninvited guest who trespassed in the forbidden area. Weeds and weeds have already lost the color of life.Her thin and slender body stood alone in the yellow ground, like a daisy swaying in the autumn wind.The helpless and timid gaze fell straight into his eyes before he could dodge, frightened and timid, which made people feel pitiful. Chen Xiang was caught off guard, and met his dark eyes directly.After trembling for a while, he finally came back to his senses, and hurriedly knelt down in a panic. Before his beating heart could calm down, the young man's icy voice hit his ears hard: "Trespassing the forbidden area, what should I do?" The old eunuch kneeling next to him was completely paralyzed by these words, his body trembling like sifting chaff, he wanted to speak up to defend himself, but he was too frightened to speak by the cold eyes, he just kowtowed heavily one after another . Chen Xiang knelt down on the ground, her hands and feet softened from the same fright.But looking at the hunched body of the old eunuch, she hesitated for a moment, and finally summoned up the courage to speak: "Because the servant's earring was lost, I searched for it all the way and strayed into the forbidden area by mistake. This is all the servant's fault. The father-in-law has nothing to do, please forgive him, brother thirteen, I am willing to bear all the punishment." He opened his clenched hands, revealing the small emerald bead in the palm. Hearing this explanation, Yinxiang walked over slowly step by step with no expression on his face, and suddenly bent down to pick up the emerald bead from Chen Xiang's hand and said with a sneer, "You are running around in disregard of the rules just for such a crap? It’s not a pity to lose it.” After speaking, he raised his hand, making a gesture to throw the beads away. "Don't!" Chen Xiang was anxious, ignoring the rules and etiquette, she stood up suddenly and grabbed Yin Xiang's arm and said anxiously: "In the eyes of Brother Thirteen, this is just a worthless rag. But my mother-in-law When you wear it by your slave's ear, it becomes the most precious thing of your slave. I beg Thirteenth Brother to show mercy and return it to this slave!" Unexpectedly, Chen Xiang would act like this, and the old eunuch, who was already pale with fright, almost fainted.Yinxiang was also taken aback, and looked down at the petite man who was almost in his arms, holding his sleeve and tiptoeing to get back the emerald bead. Apart from Er Niang, she was the first woman who was so close to him.Looking at her clear eyes and cheeks flushed from anxiety, Yinxiang's black eyes suddenly narrowed, and a corner of her heart that had been covered in indifference for many years suddenly throbbed. Mother... "If you don't let go, I will really lose it." After a long silence, Yinxiang finally opened his mouth to break the silence.As soon as this remark came out, the eyelids of the old eunuch who was most good at observing words and expressions twitched, and he secretly glanced at Yinxiang from the corner of his eye. Did he hear wrong?This thirteenth elder brother who had always been indifferent and alienated would gossip with a little court lady! "Don't... don't throw it away, I'll let you go now." Fearing that Yin Xiang would repent, Chen Xiang hastily let go of her hands and knelt on the ground again.But the two eyes did not blink, they were fixed on his hand. Looking at Chen Xiang's pitiful kitten-like appearance, a faint smile flashed in Yin Xiang's eyes, but it disappeared into the coldness in his eyes just for a moment.Throwing the earrings in front of her, she turned and walked towards the palace gate.After taking two steps, he stopped suddenly, reached out to catch the cloak and threw it back. "Thank you, don't come here again." Just as Chen Xiang frantically picked up the earrings, she was covered tightly by the cloak thrown by Yin Xiang.The soft fabric and refreshing smell immediately warmed her icy body.When he came back to his senses and wanted to thank him, his tall and straight back had disappeared behind the slowly closing palace door, and above his head, a huge golden birdcage loomed... Climbing up from the ground with his weak legs and feet, the old eunuch didn't dare to delay any longer, he stretched out his hand to hold Chen Xiang, turned his head and left.Perhaps because of Yin Xiang, the old eunuch didn't continue to punish Chen Xiang, but just took her to the maid's residence and left in a hurry. In the long bunk room, the little palace maids stood in a row and were being lectured by the aunt in charge: "I have already told you what should be said, if anyone breaks the rules, you will suffer..." Chen Xiang lowered her head, not daring to look at the face of the aunt in charge.It wasn't until she went out that she breathed a sigh of relief.Putting the little bundle on the bed and opening it, the sweet smell permeates immediately. Several old maids looked at each other, and immediately gathered around: "Why don't the newcomers know the rules, and don't hand over any delicious food to share with everyone?" "Yes, take it out!" Chen Xiang had never seen such a formation before, she flinched and wrapped the bundle in her arms. "This, this is what my mother-in-law gave me..." "When you get here, it's everyone's, grab it—" A round-faced palace lady next to her didn't bother to talk nonsense with Chen Xiang, she directly reached out to grab the bag.The other people were not to be outdone, and started tearing at each other.Without paying attention, the bundle was pulled open, and the delicate snacks rolled all over the floor. Lifting her foot and kicking away a piece of walnut cheese that had rolled onto the upper of the shoe, the round-faced lady-in-waiting grabbed Chen Xiang's clothes and gritted her teeth, saying, "Okay, you dare to resist, sisters, teach her a lesson, let her do it next time." remember-" Seeing this, several other new maids slipped out quietly with their heads down. "Don't, don't hit me, don't—" The helpless Chen Xiang was pushed to the ground and huddled into a ball, still holding the torn package in her arms. Hateful faces. These court ladies are a few years older than Chen Xiang, both in height and strength.At this time, they rushed forward, beating Chen Xiang so hard that he didn't even have the strength to protect himself. "Be careful, don't hit her in the face, the master can't see it." The round-faced maid obviously did such things a lot, and she didn't forget to remind her companions while punching and kicking.The other maids agreed, and when they were about to make a move, they suddenly froze and stared directly at the back of the round-faced maid. "...Ghost, ghost!" The round-faced palace lady didn't know why, so she turned her head to look at them, and saw the blue-green will-o'-the-wisp flickering outside the window, and a bloody and headless ghost was getting closer and closer. I ordered to-" "Concubine Min is here!" A terrified court lady let out a scream, seeing that ghost figure was about to float into the window, she ran out of the door in a panic.The few remaining people were reminded by this sound, you pushed each other and ran out behind. There is only one dim candle in the huge bunk room, and the shadows are even more terrifying.Chen Xiang curled up in the corner, watching that ghost figure swaying in from the door, wanted to run but had no strength, so she had to tightly close her eyes not to look at it. "Don't be afraid, it's okay." A crisp voice rang in her ears, Chen Xiang opened her eyes cautiously, and saw a court lady who was about her age, holding an oil lamp wrapped in blue cloth, facing her Smile.A white cloth was thrown on the ground, with red spots on it. "Hee hee, this is cinnabar. How about it, did I pretend to be a ghost just now?" The little maid stepped forward and pulled Chen Xiang up, and while helping her pat the dust off her body, she smiled and said, "They bullied you? Don't be afraid, These people are bullying and fearing hard, if they bully you again in the future, you will come to me, and I will scare them to death. My name is Liuli, and I work as an errand in Ganxi No. 4, how about you?" "I... I'm also working at the West Fourth Institute. My name is Chen Xiang. Thank you for what happened just now..." Infected by Liuli's cheerful smile, Chen Xiang returned a grateful smile.Before he finished speaking, Liuli grabbed his hands. "Really? That's great. I don't have any friends in this palace. Let's be friends in the future, shall we?" Chen Xiang nodded lightly, before she could answer, Liuli covered her mouth: "Chen Xiang, listen, what is that sound?" Chen Xiang listened for a moment with his ears sideways, then asked with some uncertainty: "It seems to be... singing?" "Let's go and have a look!" Liuli's eyes lit up. "Not good?" Chen Xiang hesitated. "What are you afraid of? I'm here!" Liuli said involuntarily, pulling Chen Xiang to run outside. The sky didn't know when snowflakes floated up, and they fell all over the ground one after another.In the night, two small figures passed through the moon cave gate and ran along the corridor. "Look, it's there!" Liuli pointed to the distance and whispered to Chen Xiang with sharp eyes. Following the direction she indicated, Chen Xiang also saw the graceful figure singing and dancing in the wind and snow.Although it was such a cold weather, she was only wearing a light gauze dress.The fair skin is looming under the tulle, like a fairy in the sky who fell into the mortal world by mistake. Slim waist, loose sleeves, picturesque beauty.Chen Xiang and Liu Li hid in the corridor, they were already dazed. Liuli said proudly, "How about it, isn't it pretty?" Chen Xiang asked hesitantly: "But, what is she doing here? Isn't it cold in such a cold day?" "Cough...cough..." There was a sudden coughing sound from behind, and a figure flashed out from behind the pillar.The two were startled and knelt down in panic.Liuli reacted very quickly, lowering her head and explaining: "The maidservant just passed by..." "Well, you performed well, let's spare you this time." The figure said, walking in front of the two.Looking at the kneeling Chen Xiang, he held back a smile and asked, "Are you new here? What's your name?" "I, my name is..." Chen Xiang was about to answer when Liu Li, who was kneeling beside her, jumped up and kicked the figure. "Shi Chunshou, you scared me to death!" Chen Xiang looked up and saw a little eunuch standing in front of him who had just pretended to be an adult. While avoiding Liuli's fists and feet with a playful smile, Chunshou stretched his index finger to his lips and made a gesture. "Shh, don't prevent the future empress from meeting the emperor, otherwise she will hate you in the future and pull you out and chop you up." Liuli's outstretched fist stopped in mid-air, she stared at Chunshou puzzledly and asked, "The future empress?" "That's right." Chunshou nodded, "My master sold her the emperor's whereabouts, and she will dance here and wait for the emperor to come. If the emperor takes a fancy to her, wouldn't she be the empress?" It was the first time I heard about such a thing, Chen Xiang also looked at Chunshou curiously: "What if you don't like it?" "Then I don't know, it's everyone's luck anyway." Chunshou shook his head pretending to be old-fashioned. Chen Xiang didn't ask any more questions, turned around and lay down on the railing to continue watching that beautiful woman dancing lightly.The long streamers are lingering and flowing in the snow, and the beauty's face is full of hope... Suddenly, the curfew bell rang in the distance. "No, let's go!" Liu Li whispered, pulled Chen Xiang up and ran away. Chen Xiang hastily followed: "Hey, hey, what are you running for?" Liuli hurriedly replied: "The curfew time is up, if you can't make it back, you will be punished." "what?" Chunshou chased after him, and whispered unwillingly: "Ah, you haven't told me your name yet!" Not caring about answering Chunshou's words, Chen Xiang was dragged by Liuli and ran all the way.After finally reaching the door, they saw the old eunuch squinting his eyes and humming Beijing opera slowly walking towards them.Seeing that there was no way to escape, a scream suddenly sounded. The old eunuch was startled, and turned around to see Chunshou clutching his stomach and rolling on the ground: "Oh, my stomach hurts, it hurts so much——" The old eunuch was so angry that he stepped forward and kicked Chunshou: "Little bastard, you... are you going to scare me to death?" When he turned his head to scold Chunshou, Liuli took the opportunity to drag Chen Xiang and slipped in from his right side.Through the crack of the door, Chen Xiang sees Chunshou's cute grimace. Just as Chen Xiang and Liu Li got into bed, the door to the bunk room was pushed open heavily.The aunt in charge came in with a sullen face, followed by the round-faced maid. Looking across the bunk room, the aunt in charge said displeasedly: "Aren't they all here? How can anyone not follow the rules?" "This..." Looking at Chen Xiang and Liu Li who suddenly appeared, the round-faced palace maid muttered and couldn't speak. Seeing the round-faced palace lady like this, the aunt in charge's face became even more ugly: "Xi Rong, I told you that the most important thing in the palace is to live in harmony. If you gossip all day long and frame others, be careful that one day you will harm others and you will end up harming yourself. Life is gone..." Xirong didn't dare to contradict her, bit her lip and lowered her head to listen to her reprimand. Late at night, there was only the sound of deep and shallow breathing in the bunk room.Chen Xiang secretly poked her head out of the bed to look at the snowflakes flying outside the window, recalling what happened that day, and fell asleep with a smile. The next day, when the sky was twilight, Chen Xiang and the others were awakened and walked towards the imperial dining room.When passing by the garden last night, Chen Xiang's eyes suddenly widened. The beauty who sang and danced last night has now turned into an ice sculpture.A few eunuchs nearby lifted her up and prepared to carry her away. The aunt in charge sneered, and educated the little maids who followed: "There are a few bad rules every year, and this is the end, well, don't look at it, go to work quickly." Suddenly, the eunuch who was carrying it slipped, and the beauty fell from the bridge and fell to pieces in an instant. The frightened Chen Xiang hadn't come to his senses, several old maids had already passed by.One of the corners of his eyes glanced at the ice shards on the ground, and said with a light smile, "Dancing can turn you into ice balls, it's a deadly joke to tell you about it." "The emperor didn't look forward to it, but he was looking forward to 'that one'. He poured two buckets of water and stood for a night, and then he became this kind of virtue. The sparrow wanted to become a phoenix, and he didn't think about whether he had the weight. "The other court lady sneered, lowered her voice and sneered.As they talked, the few people drifted away, and soon disappeared. A crow flew from the branch, and a few pieces of snow fell from the treetops and fell on Chen Xiang's neck, making her shiver uncontrollably. "Hurry up, why are you in a daze?" After walking a few steps, the aunt turned around and saw that Chen Xiang was still standing there in a daze. When you've seen enough. If you don't use your brain, you might be the next one!" Chen Xiang was so scolded that she didn't dare to make a sound, she lowered her head and trotted all the way to catch up.The aunt gave her a blank look, then let out a cold snort and continued to walk forward with the team.Liuli moved over quietly, and seeing Chen Xiang's dejected look, she took her hand and whispered comfortingly in her ear: "It's okay, just ignore her. Didn't I just say a few words to you? It's no big deal. Just treat it as a cat The crow croaked on your head a few times, and then it flew away and forgot about it." After speaking, he blinked his eyes and made a face towards his aunt's back. Chen Xiang couldn't help laughing, she smiled silently and bent her eyebrows, her depressed mood finally improved a lot.Nodding gratefully to Liuli, the two quickly followed their aunt towards the imperial dining room. "God, what is this?" After the long line entered the imperial dining room, the little maids immediately stood there dumbfounded.Growing up, they had never seen so much food. Staring at the hill-like ingredients, Liuli and Chenxiang were also dumbfounded.Chicken, duck, fish, cabbage and potatoes, plus the maids and eunuchs who are drying, washing vegetables, and transporting goods in the yard, the whole scene can only be described in two words-spectacular. "On the first day you come here today, let's fight first, go, and help choose and wash vegetables." Without giving the little maids any time to adapt, after the handover between the aunt and the eunuch in charge of the imperial dining room, she left a word and said to herself gone.The little maids followed behind the eunuch in a daze, and walked to the mountain of ingredients. "You guys go and get some eggs, you guys chop the meat into stuffing, and you guys, wash these dishes. Remember, no matter what you do, you must be clean and careful, if you hurt the master If your teeth are broken or your stomach is ruined, don’t want your little life! Chunshou, go, take them to the backyard.” The old eunuch instructed and quickly arranged work for the little maids.Chen Xiang, Liu Li and a few maids in charge of washing vegetables carried the big wooden bucket full of vegetables and followed Chunshou to the well in the backyard. "You guys just wash here." After Chunshou finished speaking, he turned around and was about to leave. After thinking for a while, he turned around and told him: "Remember to wash it several times, and clean up the sand, dirt, etc. And those vegetable insects , Those as big as the tip of a needle should be picked out carefully.” "Well, thank you for reminding me, father-in-law." Chen Xiang nodded shyly, thanking her somewhat embarrassedly. "And what happened last night...Thank you." "Chen Xiang, you don't need to thank him, that's what he should do." Liuli and Chunshou have met each other several times, and they are quite familiar with each other.Seeing Chen Xiang thanking him, she immediately jumped out and interrupted with a laugh. "Being able to do something for us is a blessing he has cultivated in several lifetimes." "Che, who cares to do things for you." Chunshou glanced at Liuli, then turned to look at Chen Xiang with a smile and said, "I did it to help Chen Xiang. Chen Xiang, Chen Xiang, I finally know what your name is, it sounds really nice. " "It's alright, alright, don't be sentimental here, let's go." Seeing that Chen Xiang's face was flushed by Chunshou's teasing, Liuli took up the water from the basin and poured it towards Chunshou.Chunshou laughed, stuck out his tongue at Chen Xiang and fled away. After laughing and making a fuss, several young maids gathered around the well, each holding a basin, and began to clean up the piles of vegetables. After cleaning up the pot of radishes with a brush, Liu Li straightened up and stretched her waist. Looking at the pile of vegetable buckets, she immediately drooped her head listlessly. "My God, why are there so many? It will take a year of the monkey to wash it!" "It's been washed for more than half, just work harder." Chen Xiang carefully checked the vegetables in his hand one by one, and put them into the basin to wash after confirming that there was no problem.Hearing Liuli's complaint, she looked up at her with a soft smile and said, "Otherwise, you should rest first, and I'll wash the rest for you." "Okay, then help us wash it by the way." Before Liuli could answer, a high-pitched voice suddenly broke in.When they heard the sound, they turned their heads and saw that round-faced maid Xi Rong and the other court ladies who beat someone up last night were standing behind them with their clothes on.With malicious smiles on their faces, they looked at them arrogantly. Seeing that the situation was not good, the other little maids picked up the basin and wanted to sneak away.Xi Rong sneered and lost his eyes, and the two old maids beside him immediately strode forward to block their retreat. "This time, the new show girls are all so blank. We will train and train you while we are free today." A palace maid with a long and narrow face smiled with the corners of her mouth tilted, and put the clothes in her hand " "Slap" and fell in front of the little maid. "Be quick with your hands and feet, and wash these clothes for me." The little maid trembled in fright, and looked up at her timidly.Last night I saw Xi Rong's gang beat and kicked Chen Xiang with my own eyes, so I knew how powerful they were.Kicked off by her ferocious eyes, she hurriedly lowered her head and scrubbed those clothes in fright. The little maids next to them didn't dare to say much. After looking at each other, they could only swallow their breath and took their clothes, and washed them one by one in the cold well water. "Remember, you have to endure everything, no matter how hard it is, you have to endure. No matter what, Er Niang only hopes that you are safe..." The place where she was beaten last night still hurts from time to time. Chen Xiang thought of Er Niang before entering the palace. He took a deep breath to swallow the grievance into his stomach, and reached out to pick up the clothes that Xirong handed over. Liuli clasped her hands in front of her chest, turned her nostrils to the sky, and didn't even look at Xirong.From the corner of the eye, he saw Chen Xiang stretching out his hand, and angrily stepped in front of her. "Chen Xiang, ignore her. She has hands and feet, so she can't wash herself? We still have to wash the vegetables, and no one can afford to delay the meals of the masters." "Oh, what a sharp-toothed girl, she has learned how to use her master to suppress people just after entering the palace." Ignoring the threats in Liuli's words, Xi Rong suddenly picked up a clothes bowl and threw it at her. "Stop talking nonsense, wash me up quickly!" Liuli was caught off guard, and was hit on the head by the basin.Anger suddenly rose amidst the severe pain, and instead of anger, he smiled and picked up the scattered clothes on the floor one by one and put them back into the basin. "Okay, I'll wash it for you, and I'll wash it for you right away!" Liuli smiled very charmingly, and walked to the well with the basin in her hand.As soon as the last word was uttered, her expression changed, and she threw all the clothes and basin into the well. This scene happened so unexpectedly, Xirong watched Liuli throw the clothes into the well, and didn't react for a while.It wasn't until there was a "plop" that the water splashed and fell, and then he yelled "ah", and rushed to the mouth of the well to look down. This well is not too deep, and the well water is less than five or six feet away from the mouth of the well.The clothes didn't sink immediately, but floated on the surface of the water, struggling for the last time. "Clothes, my clothes! Oh, they're going to sink!" Xirong lay on the edge of the well and stretched his arms, but he couldn't reach them no matter what.The long-faced palace lady reacted the fastest, grabbed the bamboo pole that Chen Xiang and the others used to carry the barrel and ran over quickly.After a while of stirring, two or three pieces were finally hooked up, and the rest of the clothes followed the basin, bubbled a few times, and disappeared without a trace. "Hahaha, now you don't have to wash in the future!" Liu Li put her hands on her hips and laughed triumphantly.Chen Xiang's face turned pale with fright, and he repeatedly waved his hands to signal her to stop talking. His face flushed red with anger from Liuli's ridicule, Xi Rong strode over and raised his hand to hit him.Liuli pushed Chen Xiang away, and she dexterously stepped aside and shouted: "I'm not such a wimp who is bullied by others, if you dare to move a finger of me, I will fight you!" Xi Rong was startled when he heard the words, his raised slap was fixed in the air for a long time and he didn't dare to drop it.Although she is older, she doesn't dare to make trouble in such a place where people come and go.Gritting her teeth, she took a few deep breaths and said angrily, "We'll settle this account later, let's go!" The old maids looked extremely ugly, picked up their clothes and walked away quickly.When passing by the vegetable pots, Xi Rong raised his foot and kicked them over, and the washed vegetables were immediately covered with mud. "It's this damn girl who has troubled you all. If you want to blame it, you can blame her!" After Xirong finished speaking, he glanced coldly at Liuli from the corner of his eye.Before leaving, he did not forget to make trouble for her. "Hmph, this kind of person just bullies the weak and fears the strong." After running away with Xi Rong's gang, Liuli snorted triumphantly, turned around and the other little maids stared straight at her, waved their hands casually and said with a smile: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, they have been driven away by me." Who knew it would be fine if she didn't say anything, as soon as the words came out, the little maids immediately complained: "It's all your fault!" "Why are you so selfish?" "Yes, yes, our dishes are already cooked Clean it up, it's all ruined now!" "We don't care, you wash these dishes for us, or we'll tell my aunt!" "You...why are you so ignorant?" Liuli blushed with anger at being robbed by the little maids, pointing at them and yelling.It's a pity that although these little maids were trembling when facing Xi Rong, they were not afraid of Liu Li who was the same age as them.Several people stood together and confronted Liuli. "Forget Liuli, don't quarrel." Seeing the shouts from both sides getting louder, Chen Xiang hastily persuaded him back and forth: "Don't shout, I'll just wash these dishes." "Chen Xiang, don't worry about their heartless..." Liuli tugged on Chen Xiang's sleeve, and was about to start a big fight.The eunuch in charge of the imperial dining room had already heard the movement, and ran over bumpily.After seeing the mess all over the floor, his eyebrows immediately raised with anger. "All you frivolous things, kneel outside the courtyard for me!" The palace promised to beat and scold everyone, but the old eunuch kicked everyone when he came up without hesitation, and without listening to their excuses, he went straight to the imperial dining room I went to kneel outside. The little maids were angry in their hearts, they gave them a blank look and knelt down far away from them.Liuli was also happy to be quiet, kneeling next to Chen Xiang and said with a smile: "It's good to kneel, so you don't have to wash that huge pile of vegetables." For Liuli's heartless and optimistic personality, Chen Xiang was completely speechless.Deliberately wanting to persuade her to be more tolerant when encountering problems, but also afraid that she would feel that she was blaming her, so the words came to her lips, hesitated for a while and still did not say them.But this delay brought another matter to her mind. "By the way, Liuli, when you came in pretending to be a ghost last night, they were so frightened that they kept shouting 'Concubine Min is here', who is this Concubine Min? How...how did she die?" "I'm not very clear about this, but I just heard someone mention it by chance." Liuli frowned and recalled, and replied uncertainly: "She seems to be the mother of the thirteenth brother, who used to live in Yanxi Palace. Then it seems that he died of illness, and it has been vacant since then.” "Brother Thirteen's mother?" Chen Xiang repeated in a murmur.It turned out that the place she stumbled into that day was the place where Concubine Min lived.That handsome and indifferent thirteenth elder brother has lost his mother since he was a child. No wonder there is that indelible sadness and loneliness in the depths of his pupils. Thinking of the cloak he put on her, Chen Xiang was in a trance again.This indifferent but gentle boy made her involuntarily want to get to know him and even...to get closer. "I'm going to tell you something again, don't let it out." Liuli spoke excitedly, looked around to see if there was no one around, put her mouth next to Chen Xiang's ear and whispered mysteriously: "It is said that dying of illness is just a cover-up. In fact, Concubine Min was murdered to death. No one knows the exact circumstances, but since then there has been a saying in the harem that she is haunted by ghosts." Although it was blue sky and daylight, Chen Xiang still felt chills running down his back.Apart from the haunted legend, she was more afraid of another thing. This seemingly resplendent palace feels like a cage that cannibalize people.就连生下了皇子、地位尊贵的敏妃都不明不白地死了，她们这些身份低贱的宫女想要平平安安地活下来，岂不是难上加难？ 越想越是害怕，她忽然紧紧抓住了琉璃的手，顾不得她会不会多心，望着她的眼睛恳求道：“琉璃，听我一句劝。凡事百忍成金，尽量不要与人结仇。无论如何，咱们出宫之前都不能死。” “沉香，你放心好了。”被沉香的严肃神情感染，琉璃也收起了那一副满不在乎的嬉笑模样。紧紧回握着沉香的手，她坚定地点了点头。“我们不但不会死，还会活得比她们都要好！” “嗯。”感受着手心里琉璃的温暖，沉香顿时觉得自己有了依靠。在这个冰冷的后宫里，她并非是无依无靠的一个人。有琉璃在身边，她便有了活下去的勇气。 “琉璃……”沉香静默了片刻，忽然轻轻开口唤道。 “嗯？”琉璃转头望着她。 "What's up?" “我们，是好姐妹吧？”沉香傻傻地问道。 “当然是好姐妹了。”琉璃重重地点了点头。 “永远都是？” “永远都是！” “无论发生什么事？” “无论发生什么事！” "Great……" "Ok……" 接下来的日子，一如既往的单调沉闷。活儿做得不好，要打；睡觉姿势不对，要打；吃饭贪饱多食，要打；礼法规矩错了，要打……