These words were too scary. Xie Wangzhi was stunned. She didn't dare to think about the meaning behind them. She instinctively avoided them and simply thought that the young supervisor was lying to her: "... Don't make such a joke like this. I... I'm timid."
A young lady of this age is like a flower bud, which has not yet fully blossomed. No matter how beautiful she will be in the future, she is still timid and weak now, as if she will be broken if she is pulled. Xie Wangzhi has a pair of beautiful eyes, which usually have a smile on their faces, but at this moment, he could not hide his surprise. He stared at the young eunuch, his eyelashes trembling, and his thin shoulders were shaking a little.
This look was really pitiful. The young eunuch sighed, glanced at the door and saw that there was no one there. He whispered, "I'm not kidding you. Come closer and I'll tell you something."
He usually talks a lot and likes to joke around. His face is serious when he puts on a stern face. Xie Wangzhi accepted his words and moved closer. He swallowed and said, "You go ahead."
"Those who enter the palace change their names so that the nobles can call them by their own names easily. What are they afraid of? They are afraid of a taboo. You said your friend is called that name..." The eunuch moved his tongue and deliberately made the word vague. "Let me ask you, what is the name of His Majesty's bedroom? Who dares to call it that among those who come and go in the palace and make a living by it?"
"Your Majesty's bedroom is called..."
"Don't say it!" The young eunuch interrupted her quickly, "Just know it yourself."
He looked at the girl in front of him, thinking about the basket of dim sum he had just eaten, and felt a little reluctant. He spoke a few more words from the bottom of his heart, "I guess you were deceived, but there are so many people in the palace, don't worry too much about what happened. And your... let's just be friends, eat and have fun, but be careful, don't give your heart away completely, you don't know when it will be sold out."
“… I understand. Thank you. I have something else to do at the Imperial Food Bureau, so I’ll leave first.” Xie Wangzhi said this with a bitter taste in his mouth, and without waiting for the young eunuch to answer, he turned around and left.
Even so, the young supervisor didn't mind her being a little rude, and watched her walk out in despair, and touched a piece of dessert to eat. The dessert tasted really good, and as she ate, he felt more and more sympathy for her.
This young lady looked only twelve or thirteen years old, and had not been in the palace for long. I guess she had not figured out people's hearts yet, and would be very open with her friends. Unfortunately, she was unlucky and met a man who lacked great virtue. He didn't even want to tell her own name, and she couldn't make up a story that sounded like that.
Longevity, longevity...
Normally, he couldn't say it, but he kept repeating it in his mind. The young supervisor shook his head and planned to pick up another piece of cake. As soon as his fingertips hooked the food box, something suddenly came to his mind. He thought about who this name could be associated with.
His pupils shrank and he accidentally dropped the food box from the table. The cakes inside fell to the ground and a rich sweet aroma suddenly filled the air.
**
Xie Wangzhi squatted by the Taiye Lake, watching the broken ice in the water gradually drifting away. The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt.
She had a clear idea of what she was like. She had never been able to see through people's hearts. She had lived and ate with Shi Manqing for several years, but she was still tricked by her in the end. If it weren't for the good character of the Seventh Prince of Qingsi Palace, she would have been beaten at the very least.
Meeting Changsheng was something she had never thought about. Xie Wangzhi did not seek any benefit from Changsheng, but only wanted to be open and honest with a clear conscience. She liked to listen to Changsheng talk, was willing to play with him, and wanted to make everything she could cook for him to taste and make him happy. Before coming here, Xie Wangzhi was thinking about it all the way, planning to ask Changsheng where he was, and then she would make some snacks to send over.
But Changsheng lied to her.
He said so many words, vaguely telling the old things hidden in his heart and mentioning his parents. However, the truth of these things was unclear, even the word "immortality" might be false.
"... How could you do this?" Xie Wangzhi was so wronged that tears were about to come out. He wiped the corners of his eyes and said, "How could you be a bad person..."
"Who?" A voice suddenly sounded from the side. In front of him was a branch of red plum blossoms, in full bloom, with petals and stamens clearly visible. The boy continued, with a faint smile, "Who is the bad guy that makes you keep talking like that?"
Xie Wangzhi wiped his eyes, turned his head, and saw that beautiful face indeed.
Changsheng squatted beside her, wearing the green clothes of a young eunuch, with his long hair draped like every time they met before, with the thin braids draped over his shoulders. His elbows rested on his knees, with the base of his palms just enough to support his chin. He tilted his head slightly, looking at Xie Wang with a serious expression, his amber eyes fully reflecting her.
"…crying?" Changsheng didn't expect Xie Wangzhi to be so sad. He was slightly startled, then smiled again, his voice became a little softer, and handed the plum blossom in his hand to him, "Here, this is for you. You can tell me anything."
Xie Wangzhi felt even more aggrieved, and in a moment of anger, he asked him directly without caring about anything: "Then let me ask you, are you a eunuch?"
Changsheng was not stupid. She asked this question, so he knew it was a lie that was exposed. But he didn't know to what extent the other party had exposed it, and he couldn't respond for the time being. What if the other party didn't expose it to the end and he exposed it all, that would be a funny scene.
After much thought, he decided to take the initiative.
"Who told you I'm a eunuch?" Changsheng pretended to be angry, raised his head slightly, grabbed Xie Wangzhi's hand, and put it on his exposed neck, "Touch it yourself, I'm different from them."
His skin was very good, smooth and delicate, like a piece of jade that had been carefully worn for years, absorbing the warmth of people, and becoming cool and soft. The position of his hand was just right, and Xie Wangzhi's fingertips moved and just touched a piece of cartilage. Unlike hers, the cartilage on Changsheng's neck was very obvious, and it trembled slightly when he swallowed.
Xie Wangzhi knew that this was the Adam's apple. Boys don't have it when they are young. It will only become obvious when they grow up. As for the eunuchs who entered the palace when they were young, they also don't have it when they grow up. She didn't understand the reason, but when she touched it, she knew that Changsheng was not a eunuch.
But he was indeed wearing a round-necked robe of a young eunuch. Xie Wangzhi was stunned: "Then, then why are you wearing this..."
"It's easy to go outside the palace wearing this dress, and you won't be questioned when you go in and out." Changsheng said confidently, "and it's convenient to move around."
"Oh..." Xie Wangzhi thought it made sense, but then he thought it was wrong, "Then when I first met you, your voice..."
"That's because I'm still growing." Changsheng felt weak for a moment, then said patiently, "I don't know the details, but I heard that it's like this, as you grow, your voice will become hoarse easily."
Xie Wangzhi listened carefully, and recalling the slightly hoarse voice in Qingning Palace at that time, it seemed to be exactly as he said.
Changsheng's voice is actually still a little hoarse, but it is much clearer than before. It is different from the slightly shrill or hoarse voice of the eunuchs. It has a kind of youthfulness unique to teenagers, like a slightly sour fruit, which makes people look forward to what it will sound like when ripe.
It was the same when Xie Yunzhi was fifteen or sixteen years old. He was mute for a while, but when his voice was fully recovered, it was closer to that of an adult man. At that time, Xie Yunzhi even grabbed his sister's hand and asked her to touch the cartilage in his throat. He smiled and said, "Men are different from you. We will change."
Xie Wangzhi felt the feeling at her fingertips was wonderful. She was younger at that time and didn't know anything. She wanted to touch it again just for fun, but Xie Yunzhi grabbed her and stopped her from moving.
He cleared his throat: "Brother, you can touch this side. But listen carefully, when you grow up, don't touch other men there, otherwise..."
"What else?" Xie Wangzhi didn't understand, "Can't I touch it?"
Facing his innocent sister, there were some things Xie Yunzhi couldn't say. He could only cough twice and tap her forehead lightly: "Anyway, don't touch me, or you'll suffer."
As time passed, Xie Wangzhi still didn't understand why a man's neck couldn't be touched. She just thought it was a courtesy, just like not touching someone's hair or arms. But now, her hand was indeed on Changsheng's neck, and her fingertips touched the cartilage, which happened to be the place that Xie Yunzhi had solemnly said was not allowed to be touched.
She became inexplicably nervous, her fingertips felt hot, her face quickly burned, and it went all the way to the tips of her ears. Xie Wangzhi quickly withdrew his hand, and his fingertips seemed to still have the touch of the cartilage, and he trembled slightly when he retracted his hand.
"Then..." She coughed, trying to cover up her mistake, "You are really not a eunuch?"
Seeing her blushing face, Changsheng probably understood what she was ashamed of, and let it go. He breathed a sigh of relief, but pretended to be annoyed: "What are you thinking? How can you ask someone like that?"
"... I'm sorry." Xie Wangzhi's thoughts were really abducted, and her face became even redder. She also vaguely knew that she couldn't ask this to the boy, so she pursed her lips and said, "I just can't figure it out. Since you are not a eunuch, how come you are often in the palace... and know Princess Changning? I feel like you seem to know a lot of things and know a lot of people."
She swallowed and asked carefully, "Can you tell me what exactly you do in the palace?"
"Sure." If he could do it once, he could do it a second time. Changsheng was not at all flustered and said frankly, "I am a musician, and I am in the music school."
Xie Wang was stunned.
"Most musicians live in Pingkangfang, or are chosen by nobles and rented to live in other people's houses. But some have nowhere to go, so they live in Jiaofang. People like me who are not wanted by anyone and have no home to return to, of course, stay in the palace." Changsheng said casually, "Two years ago, I played the guzheng at a banquet, and Princess Changning happened to like it. Even if we knew each other afterwards, it was just a good relationship."
"…Is that so?" Xie Wangzhi believed him, but felt a little sad when he heard him say that. He hesitated and reached out to take the plum blossom in his hand. "I didn't mean to doubt you, nor did I mean to bring this up. It's because I heard from the eunuchs that people in the palace have to avoid calling you by that name."
Few people know this small word. When I gave it this small word, it was purely a blessing, wishing him peace, health and longevity. I never thought of going to the Palace of Eternal Life.
Changsheng threw the branch of plum blossom away and said, "Forget about this one. A lot of petals have fallen off. It doesn't look good. Come on, I'll take you to the Jiaofang to see the plum blossoms."
The author has something to say: Changsheng: Oh, there is no way I can get away with it (trying to put on another one)
Q: So may I ask this friend, why did you choose this vest
Longevity: Inherited (Cold)